With downright magnitude and superfluous philosophical depth, Mahabharata is a mega saga which comprises the essence of war, politics, religion, parenting, ethics and Dharma . This grand epic is all about the friction between two collateral branches of the Kuru clan to overpower the throne of Hastinapur. You’ll become tongue-tied after witnessing the vivid records of fundamental philosophers, mighty warriors, cryptical thinkers, sages and devoted wives of this heroic tale. We’re counting down top 10 characters of Mahabharata with cognition of Yato Dharma Tato Jayah (where there is righteousness, there shall be victory). May these characters inspire you!
10. Yudhisthira:
Yudhisthira is a terribly troubled yet harmless-soul character of the worming epic Mahabharata. Also known as “Dharmaraj”, Yudhisthira has a great attachment with morality, truth, commitment and righteousness. His innocent and non-aggressive traits are indeed eye-catching, but it is a matter of fact that he can’t take even the slightest political decision by his own because he lacks the decision-making prowess and is tremendously addicted to the consultations offered by Krishna, Arjuna and Bhima. He gambled like a slack and cheerfully-irresponsible player, and lost his entire kingdom as well as Draupadi to the Kauravas; yet he enjoys our respectfulness.
(img source: vedicgyaan.com)
9. Shakuni:
Sure enough, Shakuni is one of the most scorned personalities in Hindu mythology. Brother of Gandhari and a proficient king-maker, Shakuni is considered as the great-grandfather of all gamblers throughout the existence of planet earth. He is the person who poisoned the mind of his explosive nephew Duryodhan and fueled-up the destructive war of Mahabharata, thus becoming the cause of the destruction of the Kauravas.
(img source: indianetzone.com)
8. Dhritarashtra:
Dhritrashtra is one of the dominating characters of Mahabharta who has a very low self-esteem and believes that his blindness is a curse, making him unfit to rule. It’s depicted in Mahabharta that Dhritarashtra has a great envy against his brother Pandu and his paragon advices for the betterment of Kuru dynasty. It was Dhritrashtra’s emotional blindness and rapacious look towards the throne which made his son Duryodhana a hot-headed and egocentric human being.
(img source: utkarshspeak.blogspot.in)
7. Gandhari:
A blindfolded mother of a hundred sons, a puppet for her blind husband, and a lady who died every moment she lived; Gandhari is undisputably the wisest female character of the Mahabharata. Gandhari is a lady of immense natural power and always favors Dharma. One by one, she witnessed her hundred sons going down like skittles, but she never left the domain of righteousness and refused her own son to wish victory into the battlefield.
(img source: kamyabology.com)
6. Dronacharya:
The royal guru to Pandavas and Kauravas and a ferocious warrior of tremendous combating skills, Guru Dronacharya is a significant character of Mahabharata. Committed to protect the realm of Hastinapur, Guru Dronacharya supported the Kauravas and remained firm like an inexorable hero in the battle of Kurukshetra where casualties went beyond the human imagination and corpses got piled up, becoming the food for the birds.
(img source: columbia.edu)
5. Duryodhana:
Duryodhana is a massively strong leader, a magnificent warrior and an epitome of friendship, but in Mahabharata, he stands at one side of a gulf which is seemingly unbridgeable between the parameters of good and evil. Indeed, Duryodhana belongs to the evil side of the gulf, holding the traits of greed and jealousy to a specific magnitude, but here one must remember that Duryodhana is known for his hospitality, bigheartedness and benevolence. And these traits are enough to mark him as a real ‘Kshatriya’. Moreover, he can’t be labelled with the “bad boy” term in the case when Draupadi was disrobed, because in the game of dice, Pandavas were also to blame.
(img source: kids.gen.com)
4. Arjun:
A gallant warrior and a skilled archer, best known for stringing numbers of arrows in a fraction of second and that with deadly accuracy, Arjun is a Pandava prince as well as the most adorable disciple of Guru Drona. Enlightened with the cognition of selfless action, the character of Arjun in Mahabharata teaches what you should do while confronting an abominable moral crisis. Diverting our minds from the sensual pleasures of the world, he instructs that rather than celebrating the good fortune or crying over the bad, you have to be always joyful as it is the very foundation for daily living.
(img source: indianetzone.com)
3. Krishna:
Apart from being the most lovable of all Gods in India, Lord Krishna can also be seen as the biggest political reformer from the Mahabharata who can easily beat even the modern-day diplomats man-to-man. No one can describe Lord Krishna in words; he excels in everything. But if one keeps his Godly image out and brings him at par to the level of any other human, Krishna remains the coolest and wittiest character ever. In the Mahabharata, Krishna goes around doing his deeds in a manner justifying his birth as an avatar and fulfilling the promises he made in upholding righteousness.
(img source: 1.bp.blogspot.com)
2. Karna:
Karna–the central character and one of the unsung heroes of the Mahabharata–is an invincible warrior despite of being an ill-fated prince ever since his birth. Throughout the epic he justified his never-say-die attitude and courageously confronted all the odds of his destiny. His character in Mahabharata has an everlasting fame because he teaches how can one present himself better than the destiny and accomplish everything with shatterproof determination.
(img source: 4.bp.blogspot.com)
1. Bhishma Pitamah:
Sentinel of the prosperity of Hastinapur and a great combatant in classic sense, Bhishma Pitamah is the most potent character of the Mahabharata as well as the finest illustration of ethics and fairness. The oldest stalwart of the kingdom of Hastinapur; Bhishma Pitamah’s personal life was full of frustration and solitariness, but for others he was a disciplined spartan and an embodiment of loyalty and truth. Bhishma Pitamah’s peerless statesmanship and other impeccable characteristics still inspire his ardent followers across the world.
(img source: s2.hubimg.com)
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The correct list of characters in order of importance should be like this : 1. Krishna 2.Yudhishthira 3. Arjuna 4. Duryodhana 5. Draupadi 6. Bhishma 7. Karna 8. Drona 9. Bhima 10. Shakuni
You have given less importance to Yudhishthira and have highlighted only his negetive side. In Mahabharata he is the protagonist. The whole story of Mahabharata goes around him. He is the leader of Pandvas and most respected person after Krishna. He makes all the decision from Pandavas side. Yes at crucial times he consults Krishna like a true statesman. He is a top class politician and a true leader. Duryodhna is way behind him in this regard. He commands the respect of many people even in Kaurava side. He was able to assemble 7 akshauhani army at a very short notice and commanded the respect of all the kings in his side. In war he led his army more efficiently than Duryodhana. He was a great strategist and general as well. He was the mastermind behind most of the war formation of Pandavas. Kaurava sides entire focus was on capturing Yudhishthira. Yudhishthira, though a kindhearted person was not weak as shown in TV serials. He gave a good fight to Karna before getting defeated by him. He defeated Duryodhana twice. He was furious on 18th day of battle and was able to defeat one of the top 4 warriors of Kaurava side, Shalya.
You missed out Draupadi in your list and added Gandhari instead. Draupadi was the main reason behind the war of Mahabharata.
Please give your top 10 list of warriors of Mahabharata. In my view it should be like this : 1. Arjuna 2. Bhishma 3. Drona 4. Karna 5. Bhima 6. Abhimanyu 7. Ashwatthama 8. Ghatotkacha 9. Yudhishthira 10. Shalya .
If we do not go by myth and give the rankings after reading the encounters of above top warriors with other warriors, then the correct list should be like this : 1. Arjuna 2. Bhishma 3. Abhimanyu 4.Drona 5. Bhima 6. Karna 7. Ashwatthama 8, Ghatotkacha 9. Yudhishthira 10. Shalya.
I want to correct my list of warriors- 1. Arjuna 2. Bhishma 3.Abhimanyu 4.Drona 5. Satyaki 6. Bhima 7. Karna 8. Ashwattma 9. Ghatotkacha 10. Yudhishthira
Bhishma was the best warrior in Kaurava side. He was also the leader of Kuru clan. He was a man of good character, but even he had the lust for power and honor. He was ruling Hastinapur indirectly ever since the demise of his father till Duryodhna became the crown prince of Hastinapur. Dhritrashtra was a dummy for Bhishma and later for Duryodhna. Even after Duryodhana started ruling the kingdom on behalf of his father, Bhishma had a big say in the affairs of kingdom. Bhishma loved Yudhishthira and his brothers , but he was not ready to leave the position of power in the court of Hastinapur. He should have strongly opposed Duryodhna, when Draupadi was being humiliated.
Karna was not as good a person as you have presented him hear. He was the accomplice of Duryodhana in all his crimes from conspiring to burn Pandavas to humiliating Draupadi and killing of Abhimanyau. His character had a positive side as well as he was an benevolent person, but his for Pandavas and especially for Arjuna had blinded him. No doubt he was one of the strongest warriors of Mahabharata war, but he was not better than Arjuna for sure, as shown in TV serials. He has got the sympathy votes. In reality he lost against Bhima at least at four occasions on 14th day and could vanquish him only at his last attempt when had no weapon left. He did not accept Bhima’s challenge for wrestling. He even lost against Satyaki on 14th day. Abhimanyu also defeated him on 13th day of war. He was an quarrelsome person and hated by many warriors in Kaurava side.
Duryodhana was a strong warrior. He was weaker than Bhima in physical might, but slightly better than him mace fight, because he had practiced for 13 years for his encounter with Bhima. He was not a good leader. He could not manage and motivate his army as efficiently as Yudhishthira did. Despite having a larger army he could not unite his warriors. he was hated by many in his army. Yudhishthira outclassed him in all departments. He was not a good person and caused a big destruction of Kauravas.
You are damn wrong,
By no means I had read mahabharata fully. But, Karan is the one who is more like a perfect warrior and the greatest human being.
He didn’t controlled himself for dharma, he did what his mind thought in the case of draupadi
He stood for his friendship till the end. He dared The God and made The God to think about defeating him. If Lord Krishna is not there, Arjun would have begged Karan to move to his side.
There is no sentiment in battlefield and he did what is right according to the laws of war in the case of Abhimanyau.
What is that Arjun did which Karan can’t able to do? He was way bettern than Arjun hitting both of the bird’s eye in one shot. He is the only person who is self taught and did unbelievable things.
He is the example of how a regular human should fight his own fate without help from anyone. He didn’t ask wish from Lord Krishna but Lord Krishna asked him a wish to donate his Generosity. How about that with Arjun?
To me, Karan is more than anybody. The list should be 1. Karan, 2. Bhishma, 3. Dhrona, 4. Dhritarashtra, 5. Gandhari, 6. Duryodhana, 7. Krishna, 8. Arjun, 9. Shakuni, 10. Yudhisthira
You are absolutely fantastic my dear … at least I could laugh at length after a very-very long time, post reading your comment & rating !!!
You are absolutely fantastic my dear … at least I could laugh at length after a very-very long time, post reading your comment & rating !!!
After your enlightenment, my rating should be like this – 1. Shakuni 2. Duryodhana 3. Duhshashana 4. Vikarna 5. Dhritrastra and that you seems to belong from Karna fan club, hence, rest 5 (top or bottom, whatever you feel like), should be Karna.
Even I have read Mahabharata. You seem to be a Karna fan and in your overenthusiasm you are endorsing even the wrong deeds of Karna. Was conspiring with Duryodhana to burn pandavas in lakshagrih a great job of Karna ? Was humiliating a woman in public ethical ? Do you think that cutting Abhimanyu’s bow by shooting from behind was according to the rule of war ?
You have written about the Karna hitting the bird’s eye. But that is not given in Mahabharata. Arjuna had defeated Karna at least on 5 occasions before their final combat. Karna was defeated by even Bhima and Satyaki when they were at their best. Why would Arjuna beg to Karna ? Arjuna never used pashupatastra and brahmshira on Karna. Otherwise he would have killed Karna on day one itself.
It is strange that you have missed Draupadi in your top ten list.
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