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

ancient mythological vedic names

Radha

Radha is one of the gopis (cow-herding girls) of the forest of Vrindavan, Krishna plays with her during his upbringing as a young boy. The other Radha is the wife of the charioteer Adhiratha, who found an abandoned new-born boy, whom he named Karna.

Rahu

Rahu is a snake that swallows the sun or the moon causing eclipses. Rahu is one of the navagrahas.

Raibhya

A sage whose hermitage was situated on the banks of the Ganga, near Rishikesh, a place, which gets its name, from Lord Vishnu appearing to him as Hrishikesh. The Pandavas during their wanderings visited it. This place is very holy. Bharata, son of Dasaratha bathed here. Indra was cleansed of his sin of killing Vritra unfairly by bathing in this ghat. Sanatkumar became one with God. Aditi, mother of the gods, prayed here to be blessed with a son.

Radheya

Son of Radha, a name of Karna, who as a foundling was brought up as a son by Radha, the wife of the Charioteer Adhiratha.

Rajasuya

A sacrifice performed by a King to be entitled to assume the title of "Emperor".

Rakshasa

A rakshasa alternately, raksasa or rakshas is a demon or unrighteous spirit in Hinduism.

Rama

The Seventh Avatara of Vishnu. The life and heroic deeds of Rama are written in the Sanskrit epic, The Ramayana.

Ramanaka dwipa

The home of Kaliya Naga, a poisonous snake, on the banks of Jamuna river.

Rambha

An apsara in the court of Indra.

Rati

Rati is the goddess of passion and lust, and a daughter of Daksha. She married Kamadeva, the God of love.

Ravana

King of Lanka who abducted Sita, the beautiful wife of Lord Ramac. Ravana is depicted in art with up to ten heads, signifying that he had knowledge spanning all the ten directions.

Rewati

Daughter of Raja Rewat who marries Balarama.

Rigveda

The Rigveda is a collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns counted as the holiest of the four religious texts of Hindus, known as the Vedas.

Rishabha

Rishabha, the bull, a Hindu god mentioned in epic and Puranic literature, is an unusual avatar of Vishnu. The second note of the Indian classical music.

Rishi

A rishi is regarded as a combination of a patriarch, a priest, a preceptor, an author of Vedic hymns, a sage, a saint, an ascetic, a prophet and a hermit into a single person.

Rishyamuk

Mountain on which Sugriva lived.

Rishyasringa

Son of sage Vibhandaka, who had grown up seeing no mortal except his father. The King of Anga, which was afflicted with a dire famine, to bring rain and plenty, invited him.

Ritupara

The King of Ayodhya to whom Nala became the charioteer.

Rohini

The wife of Vasudeva and mother of Balarama

Romapada

King of Anga which was once visited by a great drought.

Rudra

A Rigvedic god of the storm, the hunt, death, Nature and the Wind. Rudra is an early form of Shiva and a name of Shiva in the Shiva sahasranama.

Rukma

Elder brother of Rukmani, Heir apparent to the throne of Vidarbha. When defeated by Balarama and Krishna he established a new city Bhojakata, the capital of Vidarbha, and ruled over it.

Rukmini

Daughter of Raja Bhismak, born at Kundalpur. Rukmini was the first wife and queen of Krishna. She was an avatar of Lakshmi.

Names of Hindu Gods/ Goddesses