Agyaata Vaasa in the context of "Draupadi"

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⭐ Core Definition: Agyaata Vaasa

Ajnatavasa (Sanskrit: अज्ञातवास, ajñātavāsa, lit. "living in obscurity" or "unknown abode") refers to the thirteenth year of exile undertaken by the Pandavas, the protagonists of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. This period, detailed in The Book of Virata (Virata Parva), required the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—along with their wife Draupadi, to live incognito after spending twelve years in forest exile. The condition, stipulated after Yudhishthira’s loss in a game of dice against the Kauravas, mandated that they remain unrecognized in a populated area; if discovered, they would face an additional twelve years of exile.

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Agyaata Vaasa in the context of Sahadeva

Sahadeva (Sanskrit: सहदेव, romanizedSahadeva, lit.'one with the gods') was the youngest of the five Pandava brothers in the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata. He and his twin brother Nakula were the sons of Madri, one of the wives of the Pandava patriarch Pandu, and Ashvini Kumaras, the divine twin physicians of the gods, whom she invoked to beget her sons due to Pandu's inability to progenate. Sahadeva is renowned for his wisdom, knowledge of astrology, and skill in swordsmanship.

Sahadeva was married to Draupadi, as were his four brothers. He was also married to Vijaya of Madra kingdom. He had two sons, Shrutasena and Suhotra, from his two wives respectively. Sahadeva played a crucial role during the Rajasuya of Yudhishthira, where he conquered the kings of the South. After Yudhishthira lost all of his possessions to Duryodhana in the game of dice, Sahadeva vowed to slay Shakuni, Duryodhana's maternal uncle, who had used loaded dice to unfairly win the game. Afterwards, the Pandavas and Draupadi were exiled for thirteen years, with the last year being a period of hiding called as Agyaata Vaasa. During the hiding, Sahadeva disguised himself as a Vaishya named Tantripala and worked as a cowherd in the kingdom of Virata. Sahadeva was a skilled warrior who fought in the Kurukshetra War between the Pandavas and their cousins, the Kauravas. On the 18th day of the war, he slayed Shakuni. At the end of the epic, during the Pandavas' journey in the Himalayas to enter Svarga, Sahadeva was the second to fall, following Draupadi, due to his excessive pride in his wisdom.

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