About
Gavaksha — Prince of Gandhara, Brother of Shakuni
Gavaksha · Son of Subala · Prince of Gandhara
Gavaksha was a prince of Gandhara, son of King Subala and younger brother of Shakuni and Gandhari. He is named in the Mahabharata (Bhishma Parva, Chapter 89) among the six younger brothers of Shakuni who fought and were killed by Iravan on the eighth day of the Kurukshetra War. His attestation is confined to this single passage.
✦ The Name
The name Gavaksha is a compound of go or gava (cow, bull, or light) and aksha (eye), yielding the meaning bull-eyed or one with cow-like eyes — a conventional mark of beauty and calm strength in Sanskrit heroic nomenclature. The name is also used in architectural tradition to denote a circular window or ventilation aperture, but in the personal name context it carries only the physical-beauty connotation.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Subala, king of Gandhara, descendant of Turvasu in the Lunar Dynasty
- Mother: Sudharma, queen of Gandhara
- Sister: Gandhari, queen of Hastinapura and mother of the hundred Kauravas
- Brothers: Shakuni, Achala, Vrishaka, Gaya, Vrishava, Charmavat, Arjava, Suka, and Vrihadvala
✦ Role in the Kurukshetra War and Death
Gavaksha fought alongside his brothers Gaya, Vrishava, Charmavat, Arjava, and Suka against Iravan on the eighth day of the war. The six brothers charged with their Gandhara divisions against the Pandava hero but were defeated. Gavaksha was killed by Iravan in the engagement. The Bhishma Parva confirms his death as part of the same episode in which five of the six brothers fell.
✦ References
- Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva, Chapter 89, verse 12: Primary source naming Gavaksha among the six younger brothers of Shakuni killed by Iravan on Day 8