Ancient names, who and who of Hindu hindu mythology, vedic names - D

ancient mythological vedic names

Daruka

Sri Krishna's charioteer.

Dadhichi

Dadhichi was a Vedic King, son of Atharvan, who turned a great Rishi. Dadhicha gave his bones to destroy Vritra, a brahmin, who became the head of the Asuras.

Daityas

Daityas were the children of Diti and the sage Kashyapa. They were a race of giants who fought against the gods.

Daksha

The skilled one, is an ancient creator god, one of the Prajapatis. Son of Aditi and Brahma.

Dakshayani

Dakshayani is the Goddess of marital felicity and longevity. An aspect of Devi, Dakshayani is the consort of Shiva. Other names for Dakshayani include Gauri, Uma, Sati, Aparna, Lalitha, Sivakamini.

Damayanti

She is the wife of Nala whose story is told in the Mahabharata.

Dandaka

A Kingdom and a forest, had the same name. A state of Lanka under the reign of Ravana. Ravana's governor Khara ruled this province. It was the stronghold of all the Rakshasa tribes living in the Dandaka Forest.

Dasaratha

King of Ayodhya and Lord Rama's father.

Darshana

A country whose King attacked Bhagadatta's elephant in an effort to save Bhima.

Dasharna

Dasharna was an ancient Indian Kingdom in Malwa region near Mandsaur. The queen of Chedi Kingdom and mother of Damayanti were daughters of King of Dasharna.

Devadatta

Name of Arjuna's conch, also Buddha's cousin.

Deva

The Sanskrit word for God or deity.

Devarata

Father of Yajnavalkya, the gods had given him a great bow. Neither gods, nor gandharvas, nor asuras, nor rakshsa, nor men had might to string that.

Devaki

Mother of Lord Krishna.

Devata

A sage who condemned the game of dice as an evil form of gambling and declared it unfit as entertainment for good people, as it usually offered scope for deceit and dishonesty.

Devavrata

The eighth child of Santanu and Ganga who in time mastered the art of arms and learned the Vedas, Vedanta and the sciences known to Sukra. He was crowned Yuvaraja (heir apparent), but later vowed to celibacy and was known as Bhishma.

Devayani

The beautiful daughter of Sukracharaya, teacher of the demons, who fell in love with Kacha, son of Brihaspati, teacher of the Devas.

Devendra

King of the Gods.

Devi

The female version of a Deva, ie. a female deity or goddess.

Dhanvantari

An avatar of the Hindu God Vishnu. Dhanvantari appears in the Vedas as the physician of the gods, and is the god of Ayurvedic medicine.

Dharma

Righteous course of conduct. Can mean law, rule or duty. Beings that live in harmony with Dharma proceed quicker towards moksha.

Dharmagranthi

Assumed named of Nakula at Virata's court.

Dharmananda

A name of Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma or Yama. Eldest of Pandavas.

Dharmavyadha

He possessed the secret of good life and lived in the city of Mithila. He was a meat seller.

Dhananjaya

One of the names of Arjuna.

Dhanusaksha

A great sage whom Medhavi, son of sage Baladhi, once insulted. Sage Baladhi desired that his son should live as long as a certain mountain lasted. Dhanusaksha took the form of a bull and butted that mountain and broke it to pieces. Then Medhavi fell down dead.

Dhaumya

Tutor of the Pandavas, who accompanied them during their exile to the Kurijangala forest, singing Sama hymns addressed to Yama, Lord of Death.

Dhrishtadyumna

Supreme commander of the Pandava forces and twin brother of Draupadi.

Dhrishtaketu

Dhrishtaketu are 1. Son of Dhrishtadyumna. 2. Son of Sisupala, King of Chedi, and an ally of the Pandavas. 3. A King of the Kekayas, also an ally of the Pandavas. 4. Son of Satyadhriti. 5. Son of Nriga.

Dhritarashtra

Elder son of Vichitravirya and Ambika, born blind, father of Duryodhana.

Dharmaputra

The son of Yama, Yudhishthira.

Dhruva

Dhruva was the prince blessed to eternal existence and glory as the Pole Star (Dhruva Nakshatra in Sanskrit) by Lord Vishnu. The story of Dhruva's life is often told to Hindu children as an example for perseverance, devotion, steadfastness and fearlessness.

Dhumraksha

The Gray eyed rakshasha appointed by Ravana who was slain by Hanuman.

Dilipa

Son of Anshumat and father of Bhagiratha.

Draupadi

Daughter of King Drupada, King of Panchala. Arjuna had won her in the Swayamvara, but because their Mother asked them to share everything in common unknowingly, she married all the five Pandavas.

Drona

A Brahmin who learnt military art from Parasurama. Later he became the guru to the Kaurava and Pandava princes in the use of arms.

Drupada

King of Panchala, Drona's friend, father of Draupadi.

Duhsasana

Duryodhana's brother who dragged Draupadi to the hall where the game of dice was played.

Durdhara

A son of Dhritarashtra killed by Bhima in the war.

Durga

A form of Parvati. She is depicted as a woman riding a lion with multiple hands carrying weapons and assuming mudras.

Durjaya

A brother of Duryodhana who was sent to attack Bhima, to save Karna's life but lost his own. Kaurava.

Durmarsha

A son of Dhritarashtra killed by Bhima. Kaurava.

Durmata

A son of Dhritarashtra who got killed by Bhima. Kaurava.

Durmukha

A chariot-borne warrior on the Kaurava side. Kaurava.

Durvasa

An ancient sage known for his anger who visited the Kaurava.

Durvishaha

A warrior fighting on the Kaurava side.

Duryodhana

The eldest son of the blind King Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers.

Dushkarma

A warrior belonging to the Kaurava side.

Dushyanta

A valiant King of the chandravansha, and descended from Puru. He was husband of Sakuntala, by whom he had a son, Bharata. The love story of Dushyanta and Sakuntala, her separation from him, and her restoration through the discovery of his token-ring in the belly of a fish, form the plot of Kalidasa's celebrated play Sakuntala.

Dussaha

A son of Dhritarashtra killed by Bhima.

Dvaita

A branch of Hindu philosophy, founded by Shri Madhvacharya that advocates dualism and stresses a strict distinction between God and soul.

Dwaitayana

A forest where the Kaurava cows were being bred and housed.

Dwaraka

Place where Lord Krishna lived after leaving Mathura.

Dyumatsena

King of Shalwas and father of Satyavan.

Names of Hindu Gods/ Goddesses