About
Chaitraratha — Third Son of Kuru and Vahini, Prince of the Kuru Line
Chaitraratha · Citraratha (variant transliteration)
Chaitraratha is the third son of Kuru by his wife Vahini, named third in the list of Vahini's five sons in the Mahabharata (Adi Parva, chapter 94). No independent narrative, episode, or descendants are attested for him in any primary source consulted. His line is a terminal collateral branch of the Kuru house. The name Citraratha — a simpler compound meaning bright chariot or spotted chariot — appears in the Wikipedia secondary source as the variant for this same position; this is a transliteration variant rather than a distinct individual. The name Chaitraratha is a patronymic or adjectival form connected to Chitraratha — meaning of or belonging to the bright-chariot — and may reflect a different manuscript tradition for the same name.
✦ The Name
The name Chaitraratha is a Sanskrit compound connecting to chitra — bright, variegated, or wonderful — and ratha — chariot — yielding the sense of one of the bright or wonderful chariot, a martial Kshatriya name celebrating chariot distinction. The name Chitraratha is borne by several figures in the Puranic and epic tradition, most notably the Gandharva king Chitraratha who appears extensively in the Mahabharata as a figure of great musical and martial prowess; the Kuru prince Chaitraratha has no connection to that figure beyond the shared root name.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Kuru — son of Samvarana and Tapati; eponymous king of the Kuru dynasty
- Mother: Vahini — second wife of Kuru
- Brothers: Avikshit, Bhavishyanta, Muni, and Janamejaya — the four other sons of Vahini by Kuru
- Half-brother: Viduratha — son of Kuru by Shubhangi; perpetuator of the Kuru royal succession
✦ References
Primary Sources
- Mahabharata, Adi Parva, chapter 94 — Names Chaitraratha third among Vahini's five sons; no further detail provided.
Secondary Sources
- AncientVoice.wikidot.com, Adi Parva chapter 94 transcription — Reproduces the Ganguli translation naming Chaitraratha as Vahini's third son.
- Wikipedia, "List of characters in the Mahabharata" — Records Citraratha as the transliteration variant for this figure.