Subhadra

Quick Facts

About Subhadra

Sister of Krishna and Balarama, carried away by Arjuna with Krishna's quiet blessing and married at Dwaraka. Mother of Abhimanyu, who heard the secret of the Chakravyuha while still in her womb - though she fell asleep before its exit was told.

In Their Words

He learned to enter the wheel of warriors in my very womb.

Subhadra

Traits

• Devoted
• Gentle
• Yadava Princess
• Grieving Mother

Story Appearances

• The Valiant SonMother of the fallen hero❧ 16 min
• The Imperial SacrificeMarries Arjuna at Dwaraka❧ 26 min
• Arjuna's Wandering YearCarried away by Arjuna❧ 21 min

Stories Featuring Subhadra

42 further tales on this site name Subhadra, in canonical reading order.

• The Bow Out of the WaterWhat Varuna kept until two men needed itAdi Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Weighing of the BharataThe gods put the epic in a balance against the four Vedas, and Sauti recites the eighteen booksAdi Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Moon's SonThe sixteen-year loan of AbhimanyuAdi Parva
• The Chariot at RaivatakaAn abduction the bride drove herselfAdi Parva
• Krishna Takes Leave of IndraprasthaThe farewell on the road to Dwaraka, and the promise to returnSabha Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Children Sent AwayWhat exile costs in other people's growing upVana Parva
• The Quarrel Before the CattleAshwatthama tells Duryodhana what his kingdom is made ofVirata Parva ‧ 21 min
• Arjuna's Message to the KurusSanjaya recites the message in open court, and names every man who will dieUdyoga Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Grandsire Chooses His HourBhishma remembers Santanu's boon and refuses to die in the wrong seasonBhishma Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Ten Kinsmen Against the Ten SonsDay six: Dhrishtadyumna kills two princes, ten Pandavas duel ten Kauravas, and Bhima goes into the elephants on footBhishma Parva ‧ 14 min
• Ghatotkacha and the Javelin of BhagadattaDuryodhana asks to kill a Rakshasa, and a Rakshasa breaks a javelin on his kneeBhishma Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Shield Around BhishmaNinth day: Satyaki trades darts with the grandsire, Abhimanyu unhorses Chitrasena, and Duryodhana orders a wall of men built round BhishmaBhishma Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Last Push on the Tenth DayTenth day: Bhishma asks Yudhishthira to kill him, and the champions of both armies pair off across the field while Dushasana alone stands between him and ArjunaBhishma Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Banners and the BowsSanjaya names every standard on the fieldDrona Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Women in the TentSubhadra, Draupadi and Uttaraa on the night Abhimanyu diedDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• What Krishna Told His CharioteerThe night Krishna decided to break his own vowDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Second Man SentBhima's crossing and the roar agreed on beforehandDrona Parva ‧ 18 min
• Held Back by Bhima's ArmsSatyaki and Dhrishtadyumna nearly finish the war for the KauravasDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Sword That Broke on the ShieldAbhimanyu strips a king of everything, and Jayadratha comes down off his car to stop himDrona Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Silent CampArjuna comes back at dusk from the samsaptakas and learns that Abhimanyu is deadDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Field at DuskSanjaya describes the evening of the thirteenth day, and the army that won walks home through itDrona Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Blind King Is AnsweredDhritarashtra laments the night after Abhimanyu's death, and his own messenger tells him whose fault it isDrona Parva ‧ 15 min
• Portents Before the Fourteenth DayThe night the sky and the rivers answered Arjuna's vow, and the morning ritual of a kingDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• Arjuna Rides Out for KarnaThe car is yoked again, the omen birds go on ahead, and the field between Arjuna and Karna breaks into duelsKarna Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Vows Before the Final DuelKarna, Shalya, Krishna and Arjuna each say what they will do when the other man diesKarna Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Gem on Ashwatthama's HeadDraupadi sits down to starve until the stone is brought to herSauptika Parva ‧ 15 min
• Gandhari Shows Krishna the FieldWith the sight Vyasa gave her, the blindfolded queen walks Krishna through the dead of KurukshetraStri Parva ‧ 21 min
• What Gandhari SawThe blind queen, given sight for one afternoon, walks Kurukshetra naming the dead of both armiesStri Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Horse SacrificeArjuna Follows a Wandering Horse, and Dies at His Own Son's HandAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Revival of ParikshitThe Act of TruthAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 6 min
• The News Krishna Held BackA grandfather is spared until his daughter refuses itAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Horse Goes SouthEkalavya's son, and the day Dwaraka grabbed the bridleAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Sacrifice of Profuse GoldYudhishthira gives away the earth and is given it backAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 19 min
• Arjuna's Hymn at PartingOn the road to Hastinapur, Arjuna praises Krishna and gives him leave to go homeAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 16 min
• Subhadra of DwarakaSister, wife, and guardian of the lineAshvamedhika Parva
• Uttaraa, Mother of the Last HeirA girl's widowhood and a dynasty's threadAshvamedhika Parva
• The Wordy DartsFifteen Years of Bhima's UnforgivenessAshramavasika Parva ‧ 19 min
• The King Asks Leave of His PeopleAn Assembly Absolves the Man Who Ruined ItAshramavasika Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Court Comes to the ForestAn Army Marches Out to Visit Two Old AsceticsAshramavasika Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Night the Dead ReturnedVyasa Calls the Fallen Out of the GangaAshramavasika Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Great DepartureKrishna's Death, the End of the Yadavas, and the Pandavas' Climb to HeavenMahaprasthanika Parva ‧ 26 min
• The Return of the PortionsWho everybody turned out to have beenSvargarohana Parva ‧ 17 min

Character Arc

1. 1The ChariotRides away with Arjuna
2. 2The WombAbhimanyu hears the Chakravyuha secret
3. 3The GriefMourns her sixteen-year-old son

Key Relationships

• Brother➝Krishna
• Husband➝Arjuna
• Son➝Abhimanyu

Places in Subhadra's Story

Drawn from the stories Subhadra appears in.

• Indraprasthaइंद्रप्रस्थ
• Magadhaमगध
• Girivrajaगिरिव्रज
• Deogiriदेवगिरि
• Dwarakaद्वारका
• Vaishaliवैशाली
• Hastinapurहस्तिनापुर
• Prabhasaप्रभास
• Varanasi (Kashi)वाराणसी (काशी)
• Badarikashramaबदरिकाश्रम
• Manipuraमणिपुर
• Dvaitavanaद्वैतवन

Related Characters

Others counted among the Pandavas.

• ❈Yudhishthira
• ⛏︎Bhima
• ◎Arjuna
• ✧Nakula
• ❧Sahadeva
• ✶Draupadi