Pandava

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. One of the five heroic brothers in the Indian epic Mahabharata, known for their strength, virtue, and righteousness
2. A central character group in Hindu mythology, exemplifying ideals of bravery and nobility in their epic narratives
3. A significant figure in ancient Indian lore, representing the struggle between good and evil in the legendary Kurukshetra war

Etymology: "Pandava" names the five brothers at the centre of the Sanskrit epic the "Mahabharata": Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva. The name is a transliteration of the Sanskrit "pāṇḍava", meaning "descendant of Pandu," since the brothers were regarded as the sons of Pandu, a king of the Kuru dynasty. In the epic, Pandu's line is a rival to that of his elder brother Dhritarashtra, whose sons, the Kauravas, are the Pandavas' opponents in the great war at the heart of the poem. Because the word is a transliteration, its English life is tied to the epic's reach in the modern world rather than to any change in meaning. The word has kept its original sense of "son of Pandu" throughout its use in English, so readers meet it as a proper noun for a family group rather than as a common term for any set of brothers.