A devastri who danced at Arjuna’s birth ceremony according to Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 122 verse 61.

A river. Parashurama once killed kshatriyas on its northern banks as per Mahabharata Dronaparva Chapter 70 verse 8.

The author of Brihat Katha, a famous work in Sanskrit literature. He wrote it in the Paishacika language, and since it was not readable by the masses, a poet named Kshemendra translated it into Sanskrit and named it Brihatmanjari. Another famous poet named Somadeva then translated Gunaddya’s works extensively. This is now known as Kathasaritasagara. Gunaddhya is also believed to be the incarnation of Malyavan, an attendant of Shiva.

Once Parvati troubled Shiva for a secret story. She asked Nandi to guard so that no one would disturb them. Shiva began telling her the story of the vidyadharas. At this time, Pushpadanta, who was a prominent bhutagana and who had the freedom to disturb Shiva at all times, arrived there. Ignoring Nandi’s protests, he went inside and heard the entire story. He in turn, told his wife Jaya, who later repeated it to Parvati. Parvati was furious and complained to Shiva that he had told her a story that even Jaya knew. Shiva realised that Pushpadanta had overheard them and told this to Parvati. She grew angrier, and summoned Pushpadanta. She cursed him, and Malyavan who was defending him, and turned them into humans. When they begged her for mercy, she told them about Vaishravana who cursed a yaksha named Supratika. He began living in the Vindhyas as Kanabhuti, a pisacha. Parvati told them that they would regain their old form when they met Kanabhuti, and that Pushpadanta should tell him the story that Shiva shared. Then Pushpadanta would regain his earlier form. On hearing that, Kanabhuti would tell Malyavan many stories. With that Kanabhuti himself would be released from his curse, and when Malyavan shared the stories with the world, he too would get back his earlier form.

According to this, Malyavan was born as Gunaddhya in Supratishti and Pushpadanta as Vararuchi in Kaushambi. Kanabhuti, originally Supratika – a yaksha, had been turned into a pisacha already. He had been good friends with a rakshasa named Shulashiras, and Kuber, displeased with this, had cursed him. Supratika’s elder brother Deerkhajankha begged for mercy and Kuber said that he would be released when he heard the story from Pushpadanta and also shared more stories with Malyavan.

In the kingdom of Pratishtthana, there was a town named Supratishtita. There, to a brahmin named Somasharma were born two sons – Vatsa, Gulmaka, and a daughter named Shrutartha. Their parents died soon after and Shrutartha grew up in her brothers’s care. Later, Vasuki’s brother Kirtisena married her in the gandharva tradition. Their son was Gunaddhya and as a child, he went south for his education. After he grew up, he started traveling, and became the minister of Satavahana. He also got married there. Once Satavahana was ridiculed by his wife for a language error. From then on, he became very moody. A brahmin named Sharvasharma proclaimed that he could make the king a language pundit in 6 months. Gunaddhya said that it was impossible and they entered a wager. he said that if Sharvasharma could teach the king Shabdashastra in 6 months, he would give up his learning of Sanskrit, Prakrita and Deshabhasha, and if Sharvasharma failed, he would have to carry Gunaddhya’s slippers on his head for twelve years. Sharvasharma prayed to Subramanya and won the wager. Gunaddhya gave up his knowledge and after bidding the king goodbye in sign language, set out for the Vindhyas. At that time, the ruler of the pisachas Kanabhuti was away. Gunaddhya began learning the pisacha language. When Kanabhuti came back, he told Gunaddhya the story of seven vidyadharas. Gunaddhya, in seven years, made it into a epic of seven lakh texts. This was Brihatkatha. His only equipment was leaves, blood and sticks. The devas came down to listen to it and Kanabhuti gained release from his curse.

Gunaddhya wondered how best to popularise the Brihatkatha. His two disciples Gunadeva and Nandideva suggested that he dedicate the text to Satavahana. He agreed and the disciples took it to the king. He didn’t care for it much because he felt it was too long, the language too basic and it was written in blood. The disciples took it back to their guru, who was disheartened. He climbed a hill with his disciples and made a bonfire. After leaving the story of Naravahanadatta for his disciples, who were crying, he read each text and threw it into the fire. Even the wild animals were moved. In the meantime, Satavahana fell ill and the physicians said that it was due to bad meat. The cooks put the blame on the hunters who said that a man was throwing texts into a fire on top of a hill, and all the animals were watching him, giving up their food. So they only had stale meat. Satavahana went with the hunters to see this and when he realised that it was Gunaddhya, he fell at his feet. Gunaddhya recited the texts in pisacha language and the disciples translated it. The king asked for the text, but by then 6 lakh texts were already in the fire. Gunaddhya gave the remaining lakh texts to the king and bid goodbye. He then walked into the fire and went back to shivaloka. The king returned with the text to his palace and rewarded the disciples. Satavahana then added a prologue to elaborate why the text was written in pisacha language. Gradually the text became popular as per Kathasaritasagara Peetthanulambaka.

He was the son of the brahmin Adityasharma. Once Adityasharma went to the forest and invoked an apsara named Sulochana. Their son was Gunasharma and with that Adityasharma became a deva. Gunasharma excelled in everything. Once Indra visited the place and Adityasharma, deep in thought, didn’t get up. Indra thought he was being disrespectful and cursed that he would be reborn as a human. He begged for mercy and Indra said that his curse would not be repealed but Adityasharma’s son could be reborn in his place. Thus Gunasharma was born. Ujjaini was then ruled by Mahasena. His wife was the beautiful Ashokavati. Gunasharma gradually became a good friend of Mahasena. The king and queen, who learned that Gunasharma was proficient in many things, made him dance for them once. From then on, he stayed at the palace and taught Ashokavati dance. Once an attendant tried to poison the king’s meal and Gunasharma caught him, saving the king’s life. Later, he rescued the king from where his enemies had imprisoned him, using his sorcery. The king gifted him a thousand villages.

Ashokavati once became infatuated with him but he rejected her. She was furious and turned the king against him, but he escaped. He then lived with a brahmin named Agnidatta and married his daughter Sundari. On Agnidatta’s advice, he prayed to Subramanya and acquired new skills. Using these, he defeated Mahasena and Ashokavati and sent them into exile as per Kathasaritasagara Suryaprabhalambaka Taranga 6.

Adityasena, the king of Ujjaini had a queen named Tejaswati. Her father was Gunavarma as per Kathasaritasagara Lavanakalambaka Taranga 4.

A woman devoted to her husband as per ancient literature. As per Kathasaritasagara, she was the wife of Virabhuja, king of Vardhamana. He had 99 other wives, but they were all childless. As per a physician’s advice, the king cooked a white goat, and the physician sprinkled some powder on it and fed it to the wives. Since Gunavara didn’t want to be separated from her husband even for a moment, she arrived there last. The meat was over by then and as per the king’s instructions, the goat’s horns were powdered and given to Gunavara. Her child was named Shringabhuja; the other queens too had children. The other queens were jealous of her and told the king that she was having an affair with a palace attendant. The king didn’t believe them but decided to test her anyway. He called the attendant and told him that since he had committed a brahmahatya sin, he should go on a pilgrimage. The attendant did so. Next, he went to Gunavara and told her that for the sake of his kingdom, a sage had advised him to have her live in an underground room. She agreed and the other queens were happy. They wanted to get rid of Shringabhuja too. Once, when the princes were playing, a crane sat on the palace roof. The princes tried chasing it, but a sage appeared there and said that the crane was the asura Agnishikha in disguise and he had come there to abduct them. The princes tried to shoot it down but failed. Shringabhuja then used a golden arrow and it hit the crane. But it flew away with the arrow. The other princes including Nirvasabhuja ridiculed him. Shringabhuja followed the blood drops and reached Agnishikha’s capital Dhumpaura. There, he fell in love with the asura’s daughter Rupashikha. Though they married, the asura tormented them. Finally they left the city with the golden arrow. They reached Vardhamana and though the asura chased them, he had to retreat because of Rupashikha’s sorcery. Virabhuja was happy to see his son back. He released Gunavara and at that time, the attendant too came back from his pilgrimage, as per Kathasaritasagara Ratnaprabhalambaka Taranga 5.

The daughter of Sunabha, younger brother of the asura Vajranabha. She had an elder sister named Chandramati. Vajranabha’s daughter Prabhavati was married to Krishna’s son Pradyumna. Chandramati and Gunavati saw them conversing and wanted to get married to Yadavas too. According to Prabhavati’s advice, Chandramati married Krishna’s brother Gada, and Gunavati married Krishna’s son Samba as per Harivansh Chapter 94.

Mandodari’s mother. See Mandodari for details.

A deva maiden. She danced at Arjuna’s birth festival as per Mahabharata Adiparva Chapter 122 verse 61.

A man who lived a life of sin and yet attained swargaloka. Once there lived a brahmin named Girinatha, who was wealthy, knowledgeable and an exponent of the vedas. To honour him, people called him Girinathadikshita. His son was Gunanidhi, and when he became older, he was educated by a guru named Sudhishana, who had a wife named Muktavali. After a while, Muktavali and Gunanidhi began having an affair. They finally poisoned the guru. Gunanidhi’s parents heard of this and berated their son. He was irritated and began conspiring with Muktavali to get rid of them. Finally they too were killed by the duo. But after a while, Gunanidhi lost all his wealth and became a thief and drunkard. The people exiled him and with Muktavali, he set out for the jungles.

After several years, Gunanidhi died under a rudraksha tree and Yama’s and Shiva’s soldiers both arrived to claim his soul. Yama’s soldiers declared that he was destined to go to naraka, but Shiva’s soldiers claimed that since he had died under a rudraksha, he would attain heaven. Yama’s soldiers finally lost the argument and Gunanidhi was taken to swargaloka. Shiva once narrated this story to illustrate the importance of rudraksha as per Devibhagavata Skanda 11.