Queen Shashwathi in Mahabharata | Sister of Pandavas

queen shashwathi

Shashwathi was the daughter of Pandu & Madri and the sister of Pandavas. She married Dhristadyumna, the twin brother of Draupadi. She is believed to be an aspect Ma Svaha Devi, the consort of Lord Agni Deva, since Dhristadyumna is also considered to be an aspect of Lord Agni Deva.

Shashwathi kindly treated Ma Draupati and considered her like her own sister. When Madri decided to enter into the pyre of her husband Pandu, Shashwathi stopped her mother from committing self-sacrifice, but her mother Madri didn’t agree, and willfully sacrificed her life, by falling into the pyre of Pandu.

In Mahabharata, Shashwathi was described as a kind, chaste and a noble woman, who also contains bravery with good skills in archery. Shashwathi served as a dutiful wife to her husband Dhristadyumna, and given her full co-operation to him, towards running a successful family life. Due to her holiness, Shaswathi contains certain powers like able to shower rain even in drought regions, generating innumerable powerful arrows during the times of war, providing food to plenty of guests with a small quantity of rice etc.

Shashwathi also contains great bhakti on Lord Krishna, and once, Lord Krishna has shown his Viswaroopa form, when Shaswathi was performing puja to him from her palace. When her brothers,the great Pandavas, went to the forest, it was Ma Shashwathi who consoled them with soft and sweet words, and asked them to keep strong faith on Lord Krishna. During the Kurukshetra war, she also wanted to help the Pandavas, and she was willing to participate in the battle, but she was stopped by the Pandavas and by her husband Dhristadyumna, for being a woman.

When Dhristadyumna was killed in the battle by Ahswathama, Ma Shashwathi also fell on the pyre of her husband, wilfully left her body, and went to the abode of Lord Agni, the Agni Loka, along with Dhristadyumna.

Ancient queens and even ancient ordinary woman had given great respect to their consorts, and even they have willfully sacrificed their lives. And during that time, the question of separation or the act of Divorce was not there. But during this difficult Kali Yuga, everything was tremendously changed, and due to the evil influence of Lord Kali Purusha, we cannot find such a great attachment between the present day couples, when compared with the couples who lived before few centuries ago.

“JAI SRI KRISHNA”
WRITTEN BY
R.HARISHANKAR