Pandavas
Sudeshna
सुदेष्णा
Queen of Matsya
Who was Sudeshna?
Sudeshna (सुदेष्णा): Queen of Matsya, one of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. Queen of Virata who took the disguised Draupadi into her service as the hairdresser Sairandhri.
Quick Facts
| Sanskrit name | सुदेष्णा |
|---|---|
| Title / Epithet | Queen of Matsya |
| Faction | Pandavas |
| Key traits | Regal, Weak-willed, Kind, Compromised |
| Notable relationships | Husband: Virata, Brother: Kichaka, Mistress of (as Sairandhri): Draupadi |
| Featured in | 8 stories |
About Sudeshna
Queen of Virata who took the disguised Draupadi into her service as the hairdresser Sairandhri. Pressured by her brother Kichaka, she sent her maid to his chambers - a weakness that set in motion his death at Bhima's hands.
In Their Words
Go to my brother's chambers tonight - fetch the wine he asks for.
Sudeshna
Traits
- Regal
- Weak-willed
- Kind
- Compromised
Story Appearances
Stories Featuring Sudeshna
6 further tales on this site name Sudeshna, in canonical reading order.
- The Hands Marked With CornsA night in the kitchen, and everything she had not said
- The Pyre and the Uprooted TreeA hundred and five kinsmen and one bound woman
- Sudeshna of MatsyaThe queen between her brother and her maid
- Matsya, the Kingdom of the FishThe realm that hid five kings and a queen
- Sairandhri, the Queen in ServiceDraupadi's year in disguise
- The Price of ShelterVirata, the old king who gave everything
Character Arc
- The HiringTakes the mysterious Sairandhri in
- The BetrayalYields to her brother's demand
Key Relationships
Places in Sudeshna's Story
Drawn from the stories Sudeshna appears in.
Related Characters
Others counted among the Pandavas.