Madra kingdom in the context of "Nakula"

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⭐ Core Definition: Madra kingdom

Madra kingdom (IAST: Mādra; [maːd̪ɽɐ]) was a kingdom grouped among the western kingdoms in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. Its capital was Sagala in the Madra region. The Kuru king Pandu's (Pāṇḍu) second wife was from Madra kingdom and was called Madri (Sanskrit: माद्री; IAST: Mādrī; IPA/Sanskrit: [maːd̪ɽiː]). The Pandava twins, Nakula and Sahadeva, were her sons. Madri's brother Shalya was the king of Madra. Though affectionate to the Pandavas, he was tricked to give support to Duryodhana and fought against the Pandavas during the Kurukshetra War. He was killed by Yudhishthira, the eldest Pandava. Other than the Madra kingdom (Eastern Madra or Purva Madra) with Sagala as its capital, it is believed that there was a Western Madra (Apara Madra) and a Northern Madra (Uttara Madra).

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Madra kingdom in the context of Sagala

Sagala, Sakala (Sanskrit: साकला), or Sangala (Ancient Greek: Σάγγαλα) was a city in Punjab, which is generally identified as the predecessor of the modern city of Sialkot that is located in what is now Pakistan's northern Punjab province. The city was the capital of the Madra kingdom and it was razed in 326 BC during the Indian campaign of Alexander the Great. In the 2nd century BC, Sagala was made capital of the Indo-Greek kingdom by Menander I. Menander embraced Buddhism after extensive debating with a Buddhist monk, as recorded in the Buddhist text Milinda Panha. Sagala became a major centre for Buddhism under his reign, and prospered as a major trading centre.

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Madra kingdom 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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Madra kingdom in the context of Shalya

Shalya (Sanskrit: शल्य, lit. Pike) is a major character in the Mahabharata, one of two Sanskrit epics of Ancient India. He was a powerful king from the Bahlika clan, ruling over the Madra kingdom in the Northwest region of the Indian subcontinent. Although he was the brother of Madri, the wife of Pandu, Shalya sided with the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra War. Despite his allegiance, he supported the Pandavas and wished for their victory. While he initially fought as a key warrior for the Kauravas, he was made Karna’s charioteer and, following Karna’s death, was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava forces. Shalya was killed by the eldest Pandava, Yudhishthira.

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