King Shrutayu, who fought on the Kaurava side was the ruler of Ambashta, and was also known by that name, as per Mahabharata Bhishmaparva Chapter 96 verses 39,40. He was killed in a battle with Arjuna as per Mahabharata Dronaparva Chapter 93 verses 60-69.

A place in ancient India believed to be to the north of Sindhu, as per Mahabharata Sabhaparva Chapter 32 verse 7.

When Balarama went to patala after his death, one of the serpents who greeted him was Ambarish, as per Mahabharata Mausalaparva Chapter 4 verse 16.

A king of the Ikshvaku clan.

Antecedents: Vishnu – Brahma – Marichi – Kashyapa – Vivasvan – Vaivasvatamanu – Ikshvaku – Vikukshi -Shashada – Puranjaya – Kukulstha – Anenas – Pridhulashwa – Prasenjit – Yuvanashwa – Maandaata – Ambarish.

Maandaata had three sons – Ambarish, Purukutsa and Muchukunda and fifty daughters. The daughters were all married by a sage called Saubhari.

Once, Ambarish conducted a yajna and was gaining much prowess. Indra became envious and stole the cow that Ambarish was using for the yajna. The yajna upadhyaya approached Ambarish, told him about the cow missing, and suggested that a man be sacrificed instead. The king searched for the cow everywhere and couldn’t find it. He finally reached the mountain Bhrigutunga, where he found the sage Richika living with his wife and sons. He told the sage all that happened and pleaded to give him a human in return for even a lakh of cows. Richika loved his eldest son, and the youngest was the beloved of his mother. The middle son Shunashefa was finally given in exchange for a lakh of cows. While returning with Shunashefa, the king rested in Pushkar. There, Shunashefa found his uncle Vishwamitra and told him what had happened. Shunashefa wanted the king’s requirement met, but didn’t want to die either. Vishwamitra agreed to save him. He called Madhushyanta and his other sons and told them that one of them should turn into the sacrificial cow and save Shunashefa. But all of them refused. Vishwamitra cursed that all of them would live for a thousand years surviving only on dog meat. He then called Shunashefa and said that if he prayed to the gods while he was being sacrificed, they would help him. Shunashefa accompanied Ambarish to the sacrificial altar where he was made to wear the ceremonial clothes. Shunashefa prayed to the gods, Indra appeared and blessed him with long life. As per Ramayana Balakanda Sarga 61, and Brahmandapurana Chapter 58, Indra also blessed Ambarish with all the prowess he would have gained from the sacrifice. In other scriptures like the Devibhagavata, Shunashefa was a character in Harishchandra’s sacrifice and his father was Ajigarta.

After Ambarish became the ruler, his kingdom prospered. Ambarish was a devotee of Vishnu and Vishnu was pleased enough to grant him the use of the sudarshana chakra. Ambarish then started an Ekadasi vrata whose power made even Indra afraid. It was during that time, that Durvasa visited devaloka, Indra encouraged him to disrupt Ambarish’s vrata. Durvasa visited the king, who received him and sent him to the Kalindi river for ablutions. Durvasa delayed his return till the end of the king’s vrata. Ambarisha made the offering to the gods and kept a portion for Durvasa. Durvasa returned and refused to partake of it since he considered it leftovers. He became angry, and from him emerged the demon Kritya to annihilate Ambarish. Ambarish called for the sudarshana chakra, which appeared, and after killing Kritya went after Durvasa. Durvasa ran to Indra who was helpless. He then went to Brahma, who sent him to Shiva, who also said he couldn’t help him. Durvasa finally reached Vishnu, who told him that only Ambarish could help him. According to Bhagavata Navamaskanda, Durvasa rushed to Ambarish who recalled the chakra and told him the importance of the vrata.

As per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 1 verse 227, Bhishmaparva Chapter 9 verse 6, Vanaparva Chapter 129 verse 2, Ambarish once conducted a yajna on the banks of the Yamuna. In Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 263 verse 33, Durvasa remembered Ambarish. In Mahabharata Dronaparva Chapter 64, Vyasa mentioned Ambarish among the 16 illustrious kings before Yudhishtira. The others were Marutta, Suhotra, Paurava, Shibi, Rama, Bhageeratha, Dilipa, Maandaata, Yayati, Shashabindu, Gaya, Rantideva, Bharata, Pridhu, and Parashurama. As per the same chapter, Ambarish had battled thousands of kings on his own, and had conducted a hundred yagas. Ambarish once asked Indra how his commander Sudeva was a better warrior than him, as per Mahabharata Shantiparva Chapter 98 verses 6-11. According to Mahabharata Shantiparva Chapter 234 verse 23, Ambarish gifted 110 crore cows to brahmins. As per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 94 verse 24, Ambarish was among those who stole Agastya’s lotuses. As per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 137 verse 8, in addition to cows, he also gifted kingdoms to brahmins.

The daughter of the king of Kashi. Amba had two sisters  – Ambika and Ambalika.

Shantanu, the Chandravanshi king had two wives – Satyavati and Ganga. With Ganga, he had a son called Bhishma, and with Satyavati, two sons called Vichitravirya and Chitrangada. Ganga disappeared after Bhishma’s birth. Shantanu died years later, survived by Satyavati and the three children. As per his promise, Bhishma gave the throne to Chitrangada. Chitrangada once went for a hunt and met a gandharva by the same name. The gandharva didn’t like another person living with the same name and killed the king. Vichitravirya became king and the responsibility of getting him married fell on Bhishma.

That was when Bhishma heard that the king of Kashi was holding a swayamvar for his three daughters. Bhishma reached the swayamvar and brought all three of them to Hastinapura for Vichitravirya. The preparations for the wedding began, but Amba informed Bhishma that she was already married to Salvala in spirit, and they both loved each other, and questioned whether Bhishma getting her married to Vichitravirya was fair. Bhishma said she was free to go. She immediately went to Salvala and requested him to marry her. But Salvala declined stating that it was not right for him to accept a woman who had been touched by another man. He asked her to approach Bhishma, but she went away to the forest to meditate.

Then, a desire to take revenge against Bhishma started growing in her mind, according to Mahabharata Udyogaparva Chapter 17. She approached the hermitage of Shaikhavatya and asked for permission to meditate there. The next day, Amba’s maternal relative Hotravahana (Srinjaya) heard of her woes and asked her to approach Parashurama. At that moment, Parashurama’s disciple Akritavarna reached there and Hotravahana introduced Amba to him. Akritavarna and Hotravahana convinced Parashurama to help Amba, and force Bhishma to marry her. But Bhishma refused to heed Parashurama. They fought a fierce battle in Kurukshetra, and finally Narada and the devas made Bhishma retire from the battle. When Amba realised that Parashurama couldn’t help her, she undertook a severe penance – giving up food and water, on the banks of the Yamuna for six years, according to Mahabharata Udyogaparva Chapter 188. She followed it up with a year of penance under water. Then, for a year, she ate only dry leaves and meditated standing on her toe. She continued her penance for 12 years and her energy started affecting the worlds. Ganga got to know about this and told her that it was impossible to kill Bhishma. Amba was distressed and roamed the lands. Ganga cursed that she’d become a river in  the kingdom of Vatsa, because of which a portion of Amba became that.

But the rest of her continued the penance, until Shiva appeared before her. He blessed that, in her next birth, she would be born as a man in King Drupada’s family, named Chitrayodhi, and would kill Bhishma. Amba was elated on hearing this, and immediately killed herself by jumping into a fire.

Drupada and his wife were childless. Drupada prayed to Shiva, and Shiva blessed that a girl would be born to him,a nd she would later be transformed into a man. The queen delivered a baby girl, but she proclaimed that it was a boy. The girl grew up dressed as a boy, and was called Shikhandi. When Shikhandi grew older, the king wanted to get him married to a princess, but was reluctant, since Shikhandi was in reality a girl. But the queen reminded him of Shiva’s blessing that Shikhandi would be transformed into a man. Thus Drupada considered an alliance with the daughter of the king of Dasharna for Shikhandi. Hiranyavarna, the king of Dasharna gave away his daughter to Shikhandi, but she soon realised that Shikhandi was a woman. She confessed this to her maids, who conveyed this to Hiranyavarna. Hiranyavarna was angry and sent a messenger to Drupada to confirm this, and simultaneously prepared his army for a battle with Drupada. While Drupada and his wife were wondering what could be done, Shikhandi decided to commit suicide and entered the forest. This was where a yaksha named Sthunakarna lived and people feared him enough to stay away. Shikhandi had a change of heart and started praying to the yaksha. He soon appeared and they made a pact, and exchanged their gender. As per the pact, it would go back to the previous state after the death of Hiranyavarna. Thus Shikhandi came back as a man, and Drupada repeated his earlier stand on Shikhandi’s gender. Hiranyavarna did a detailed check and was convinced too.

During that time, Kuber, while traveling the world, reached Sthunakarna’s abode. Sthunakarna, who was in a female form did not come out. Kuber got to know the facts and cursed that the current forms of both Shikhandi and Sthunakarna would remain thus forever. The yaksha begged for forgiveness and Kuber said that he would regain his gender when Shikhandi died. Later, after Hiranyavarna’s death Shikhandi approached Sthunakarna but left after hearing what had transpired. Thus Shikhandi lived the rest of his life as a man. He learned weaponry from Drona and took part in the Kurukshetra war.

As per Mahabharata Bhishmaparva Chapter 108, Shikhandi faced Bhishma in the Kurukshetra war. The Pandavas began the day’s battle with Shikhandi in the front. He was supported by Bhima, Arjuna and Abhimanyu. Arrows flew from either side. Shikhandi fired three arrows at Bhishma’s chest. Bhishma laughed and told him that since Brahma had created Shikhandi as a woman, Bhishma would let it pass. Shikhandi became angry on hearing this. Arjuna encouraged him further and began attacking Bhishma keeping Shikhandi in front of him. Ten of Shikhandi’s arrows struck Bhishma on the chest. He ignored those too, and said that Shikhandi’s femininity and Pandavas’ being in the right prevented him from killing any of them. He also said that thanks to a boon from his father, he could decide the time of his death, and he decided that it would happen soon. Arjuna and Shikhandi continued firing arrows and Bhishma fell, according to Mahabharata Udyogaparva Chapter 173.

Another name for barbers. Derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Ambishta’, which means physician. During the time that barbers used to ply their trade by visiting homes, they also used to act as physicians. The word got corrupted into Ambitta.

They also call themselves pandits. Once when Buddha was on his way to a forest to meditate, several thousands of people thronged to see him. Buddha wanted to have his head shaved before he set out and so he asked whether there was anyone in the public who could do it for him. Only one man stepped forward. Buddha said that he was pandit since he was not ashamed to do his job in public. From then on, barbers called themselves pandits too.

The Kathasaritasagara has a story on the intelligence of barbers. Once there was a king called Dridhavarma. Once, when his father was out for a walk, he saw his barber’s wife and was infatuated with her. He thought the barber wouldn’t be able to harm him, so he went to their house and started a relationship with her. This became a habit, and soon the barber came to know of it. Since he had no way of confronting the king, he made a different plan. He fasted and made himself very lean, and went to the palace to do his duty. The king asked him why he had become so lean. Though he remained silent for some time, the king finally pressed him to answer. He told the king that when he slept, his wife took his intestines out through his body cavity, ate up the food and kept it back regularly. The king wondered if the same was being done to him and decided to watch her that night. The barber finished his work, went home and pretended to be agitated. When his wife asked him the reason, he told her that the king had developed teeth in his anal region. Hearing this, she wanted to see it too. As usual, the king came to her later, but pretended to be asleep. She decided to see it for herself, but the moment she tried, the king got up, screamed at her and ran away, as per Kathasaritasagara Madanamanjukalambaka Taranga 6.

Another name for Vishnu, as per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 149 verse 25.

As per Mahabharata Anushasanaparva Chapter 17 verse 114, another name for Shiva.

As per Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 232 verse 5, another name for Skanda.

A yaksha who traveled on the right side of Shiva, when the latter journeyed to Bhadravata, as per Mahabharata Vanaparva Chapter 231 verse 35.