Sages & Others
Mahodara
महोदर
The Sage of Kapalamochana
Who was Mahodara?
Mahodara (महोदर): The Sage of Kapalamochana, one of the sages and supporting figures in the Mahabharata. A wandering brahmana of great wisdom who happened to be walking in the deep forest when the head Rama had sheared from a rakshasa at Janasthana came down out of the sky, pierced his thigh and stuck there.
Quick Facts
| Sanskrit name | महोदर |
|---|---|
| Title / Epithet | The Sage of Kapalamochana |
| Faction | Sages & Others |
| Key traits | enduring, afflicted, persistent, cleansed |
| Notable relationships | Told of him at the ford: Balarama, Whose arrow sent the head: Rama, Whose tirtha released him: Shukracharya |
| Featured in | 2 stories |
About Mahodara
A wandering brahmana of great wisdom who happened to be walking in the deep forest when the head Rama had sheared from a rakshasa at Janasthana came down out of the sky, pierced his thigh and stuck there. Unable to move easily, in constant pain and with matter running from the wound, he went to every ford and river and to the ocean itself without relief, until the assembled rishis sent him to the tirtha of Usanas on the Sarasvati, where the head fell away into the water and was lost. Balarama heard the account there on his pilgrimage, and the ford has been called Kapalamochana since.
In Their Words
I have bathed in every water there is. Let this one take it, or nothing will.
Mahodara
Traits
- enduring
- afflicted
- persistent
- cleansed
Story Appearances
Stories Featuring Mahodara
One further tale on this site names Mahodara.
Character Arc
- The Falling HeadA rakshasa's skull drops out of the sky into his thigh
- The Long WalkEvery tirtha on earth tried, and the ocean too, and none of them works
- KapalamochanaThe head lets go at last in the water of the Usanas ford
Key Relationships
- Told of him at the fordBalarama
- Whose arrow sent the headRama
- Whose tirtha released himShukracharya
Places in Mahodara's Story
Drawn from the stories Mahodara appears in.
Related Characters
Others counted among the Sages & Others.