About
Dharaatra — Son of Shukracharya and Urjasvati, Priest of the Asuras
Dharaatra · Dhārātra · Shukra-putra · Urjasvati-suta · Daitya-purohita · Shanda-Amarka-bhrata
Dharaatra is the fourth and youngest named son of Shukracharya and Urjasvati; the brother of Shanda, Amarka, and Tvastr; and one of the four sons of Shukracharya named in the Mahabharata (Adi Parva, Chapter 65) as priests of the Asuras. His canonical record is identical in scope to Tvastr's — a single verse in the Mahabharata naming him in the list of Shukracharya's sons. No episode, marriage, children, or further personal history is recorded for him in any primary canonical source. His profile is accordingly minimal in keeping with the standing instruction of this series that profiles be proportionally brief when information is scarce.
✦ The Name
The Sanskrit name Dharaatra — written Dhārātra — is interpreted by the tradition as a compound of dhara (bearing, holding, the earth as the bearer of all things) and atra (here, in this place). One possible interpretation is the one who bears or sustains here — the earthly sustainer. An alternate reading connects it to dharatri (the earth) — making the name mean son of the earth-bearer or simply the earth-related one. The name's exact meaning in the context of this particular figure is not elaborated in any primary source.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Shukracharya — the Asura preceptor; son of Bhrigu and Kavyamata; possessor of the Mrita Sanjivani Vidya; the planet Venus
- Mother: Urjasvati — daughter of Priyavrata (elder son of Svayambhuva Manu) and his wife Surupa
- Brothers: Shanda, Amarka, and Tvastr
- Half-sister: Devayani — daughter of Shukracharya by Jayanti; who married King Yayati
- Role: priest of the Asuras — the single canonical fact established by the Mahabharata
✦ References
- Mahabharata (Adi Parva, Chapter 65) — the primary and sole canonical source: Dharaatra named alongside Chanda (Shanda), Amarka, and Tvastr as one of Shukracharya's four sons who were priests of the Asuras
- VedicFeed — Guru Shukracharya; Hindupedia — Shukra: modern summaries confirming Dharaatra as Shukracharya's son from Urjasvati