Pandavas
Shveta
श्वेत
Commander of the First Day
Who was Shveta?
Shveta (श्वेत): Commander of the First Day, one of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. A son of Virata and the warrior the text names commander of the Pandava host on the opening day at Kurukshetra.
Quick Facts
| Sanskrit name | श्वेत |
|---|---|
| Title / Epithet | Commander of the First Day |
| Faction | Pandavas |
| Key traits | Fearless, Tireless, Young, Outmatched |
| Notable relationships | Father: Virata, Slayer: Bhishma, Comrade in the charge: Shikhandi |
| Featured in | 1 story |
About Shveta
A son of Virata and the warrior the text names commander of the Pandava host on the opening day at Kurukshetra. He drove at Shalya and then at Bhishma himself, cut the grandsire's bow out of his hands again and again, killed the car-warriors around him in heaps, and for most of an afternoon the old man could not answer him. Bhishma at last shot a shaft charged with the Brahma weapon that passed through his body into the ground, and Dushasana danced on the field where he fell.
In Their Words
Old man, either you go down today or I do, and I am content with either.
Shveta
Traits
- Fearless
- Tireless
- Young
- Outmatched
Story Appearances
Character Arc
- The ChargeRides at the grandsire with thousands following to keep him alive
- The Broken BowsStrikes the weapon from Bhishma's hands over and over
- The FallDies at dusk to a single shaft that goes on into the earth
Key Relationships
Places in Shveta's Story
Drawn from the story Shveta appears in.
Related Characters
Others counted among the Pandavas.