A/N: Here is a list of all the Characters or Mythological terms that are in the book. You can find their meanings here, and if you still feel difficulty, feel free to ask me directly.

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Abhimanyu: Son of Arjuna and Subhadra who was married to Uttara, daughter of King Virata.

Acharya: Term given to a Teacher or Guru.

Adhiratha: Karna's foster-father.  

Agastya: A great sage whose life-story the Pandavas learned while on a pilgrimage to holy places is wife Lopamudra was equally a great sage in her own right.

Ahalya: Wife of sage Gautama, who was turned into a stone and was later freed from the curse by the touch of Ram. 

Airavata: Indra's elephant. 

Akshayapatra: A wonderful vessel given to Yudhishthira by the Sun god which held a never-failing supply of food.

Amrit: Ambrosia, the food of the gods, which makes the partaker immortal.  

Arundhati: Wife of sage Vasishtha.  

Aswamedha Yajna: An important event involving the famous horse sacrifice. 

Aswathama: Son of Dronacharya and last supreme commander of the Kaurava forces.  

Balarama: Elder brother of Sri Krishna. 

Bakasura: A voracious, cruel and terribly strong Rakshasa or demon who lived in a cave near the city of Ekachakrapura whom Bhima killed to the great relief of the citizens.  

Bharat: Brother of Rama and son of Kaikeyi.

Bharadwaja: A rishi, father of Yavakrida.

Brahma: Creator of the universe; one of the trinity gods. 

Brahmastra: A divine weapon, irresistible, one given by Lord Brahma himself.

Brahmacharya: Celibacy, chastity; the stage of life of Vedic study in which chastity and service are essential.  

Bhima: The second Pandava brother who excelled in physical prowess as he was born of the wind-god.

Bhishma: The old grandsire to whose care were committed the five Pandavas by the rishis when the eldest Yudhishthira attained the age of sixteen for their proper upbringing including mastery of the Vedas, Vedanta and various arts especially those pertaining to the Kshatriyas. Later he intervened but without success to bring about peace and understanding between the Kauravas and the Pandavas who ruled separately from Hastinapura and Indraprastha respectively. He was the eighth child of King Santanu and Ganga. Appointed supreme commander of the Kaurava armies.

Dasharatha: Rama's father and King of Kosala.

Dashanan: Ten-headed King of Lanka (Ravana).

Devaki: Mother of Sri Krishna.  

Dhrishtadyumna: Supreme commander of the Pandava forces eldest brother of Draupadi. 

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

Draupadi: Daughter of King Drupada, King of Panchala, who married all the five Pandavas though Arjuna had won her in the Swayamvara, because of the vow that they would share everything in common.

Drona: Son of a Brahmana named Bharadwaja; married a sister of Kripa and a son Aswathama was born to them; learnt military art from Parasurama, the maser. Later he became the instructor to of the Kaurava and Pandava princes in the use of arms.

Drupada: King of Panchala, father of Draupadi who became the wife of the Pandavas

Duhsasana: Duryodhana's brother who dragged Draupadi to the hall of assembly pulling her by her hair.

Durvasa: A sage known for his anger who visited the Kauravas.  

Gandhari: Dhritarashtra's wife and queen mother of the Kauravas.

Garuda: The mighty mythical raptor; King of winged creatures.  

Gandharvas: A class of celestial beings regarded as specialists in music.

Gandiva: Arjuna's most potent bow.

Gautama: Sage/Rishi who cursed her wife Ahalya and turned her into a stone for her immoral conduct.

Ghatotkacha: Son of Bhima from demoness Hidimba.  

Kansa: Allies of King Jarasandha;  Also Krishna's step-uncle whom Krishna killed.  

Hanuman: Son of Pavana--the wind God; Devotee of Rama and a leading warrior among the monkey tribe.

Hastinapura: Capital city of the Kauravas.  

Indra: King of the Gods.

Indrajit: Ravana's son who fought Rama with magical powers.

Jambuvan: Leader of bears who found Sita with his supernatural powers.

Janaka: King of Mithila; Father of Sita, who found her in a furrow.

Jarasandha: Mighty king of Magadha of whose prowess all Kshatriyas were afraid. Killed by Bhima in a thirteen-day non-stop physical combat: with Sri Krishna and Arjuna as witnesses.  

Jatayu: a Great bird who was killed by Ravana while rescuing Sita.Ramayana Characters from Kaikeyi to Nala

Kaikeyi: Dashartha's youngest queen and mother of Bharata who asked for Rama's exile.

Karna: A matchless warrior, son of the Sun god and Kunti. Disciple of Parasurama. Also, son of Radha, his foster-mother, and was known as Radheya.  

Kausalya: Dashratha's queen and Rama's mother.

Kevat: Boatman who let Rama, Laxman, and Sita cross the river in his boat and who washes Rama's feet.

Khar: Brother of Ravana and Shurpanakha.

Kumbhkarna: Ravan's brother, known for sleeping and eating.

Kunti: She was the daughter of Sura and was known as Pritha. She was given in adoption to the king's childless cousin Kuntibhoja and was named Kunti after her adoptive father. Sage Durvasa, whom she had served while he was a guest at her father's house, gave her a divine mantra which when repeated would give her a son from any god whom she would call upon. Out of childish curiosity, she invoked the Sun god by repeating the Mantra and then she gave birth to a son born with divine armor and earrings. Ashamed, she placed the child in a sealed box and set it afloat on a river. The box was picked up by a childless charioteer and brought up as his own and became known as Karna. Later, Kunti chose Pandu as her husband at a Swayamvara.

Kunti-Madri: Queens of King Pandu who gave birth to three and two sons known as the Pandavas in the forest where he spent many years for having committed some sin. The sons were known as Yudhishthira, Bhima. Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva.  

Kush: Son of Rama and Sita.

Laxman: Queen Sumitra's son and Rama's brother; also known as Lakshmana.

Lava or Luv: Son of Rama and Sita; brother of Kush.

Mandavi: Bharat's wife and King Janak's daughter.

Manasarovar: A sacred lake in the Himalayas  

Manthara: Maidservant of Keikeyi, who convinced her for Bharat's thorn and exile of Rama.

Maricha or Mareech: Assumed form of Suvarna mriga, or golden deer, and helped abduct Sita.

Meghanad: Ravana's son, who made Laxman unconscious in the battlefield with his arrow.

Meru: An ancient mountain. Becoming jealous of Meru, the Vindya began to grow very high obstructing the sun, the moon and the planets. Agastya whom the Vindhya mountain respected asked it to stop growing until he crossed it on his way to the south and returned to the north again. But he did not return at all, having settled in the south.  

Nala: Son of a great builder who helped Rama construct the famous bridge to Lanka.Ramayana Characters from Rama to Sushen

Nakula: Fourth brother of the Pandavas. 

Narada: The sage who suddenly appeared before Dhritarashtra and Vidura as the latter was describing the departure of the Pandavas to the forest and uttered a prophecy that after fourteen years the Kauravas would be extinct as a result of Duryodhana's crimes and vanished as suddenly.

Nishada: An aboriginal hunter or fisherman: a man of low or degraded tribe in general; an outcast.  

 Pandu: Second son of Vichitravirya and Ambalika who succeeded to the throne of Hastinapura on his father's death, as his elder brother Dhritarashtra was born blind, father of the Pandavas.

Parikshit: Son of Abhimanyu and grandson of the Pandavas who was crowned king after the holocaust claimed the Kauravas and the Pandavas. 

Parvati: Consort of Siva. Rukmini prayed to her for saving her from the cruel Sisupala king of Chedi, as she had set her heart on marrying Krishna.  

Pradyumna: Sri Krishna's son.   

Rama: The main protagonist of the Ramayana-- an avatar of Lord Vishnu; the prince of Ayodhya, son of King Dasharatha of Kosala.

Rajasuya : A sacrifice performed by a king to be entitled to assume the title of "Emperor".   

Ravana: Ten headed King of Lanka, who abducted Sita; brother of Vibhishana and Surpanakha; father of Indrajit; husband of Mandodari.

Rudra : One of the names of Siva.

Sahadeva : Youngest of the Pandava princes who offered the first honors to Krishna at the Rajasuya sacrifices.  

Sampati: Brother of Jatayu.

Shatrughan: Rama's younger brother.

Shabari: Devotee of Rama who offered him berries.

Shatananda: Head Priest or kul Guru of Mithila.: The Lord of Destruction--part of the Hindu Trinity of Gods, whose bow was lifted by Rama in the swayamvar of Sita.

 Sakuni: He played dice on behalf of the Kauravas and succeeded in defeating the Pandavas by a stratagem. As a result, the latter had to go and live in the forest for thirteen years. According to the conditions of the game, the thirteenth and last year of exile was to be spent incognito. If discovered by anyone they were again to repair to the forests for a like term. He was considered to be the evil genius, who beguiled Duryodhana to take to evil ways.  

Sanjaya: The narrator who tells blind Dhritarashtra the progress of the war from day to day. He told the king that a victim of adverse fate would first become perverted and loses his sense of right and wrong. Time would destroy his reason and drive him to his own destruction.  

Sikhandin: A girl turned man, warrior on the Pandava side who restored order among scattered, subdued soldiers, Drupada's son.  

Shravan: Son of blind parents; known as an idol of service to parents.

Shrutkirti: Shatrughna's wife and King Janak's daughter.

Shurpanakha: Ravan's sister whose ears and nose were cut by Laxman.

Sita: Daughter of Janaka and wife of Rama.

Subhadra: Wife of Arjuna, sister of Sri Krishna and mother of Abhimanyu.   

Sugriva: King of monkey tribe and King of Kiskindha.

Sumanta: Charioteer of King Dasharatha.

Sumitra: Wife of Dashratha; Mother of Laxman and Shatrughna.

Sunayana: Wife of King Janak; Mother of Sita.

Sushen: Lankan physician, who advised Sanjivani herbs from Kailas mountain in order to cure Laxman.Ramayana Characters from Tataka to Vishwamitra

Swarga: The heaven of Indra where mortals after death enjoy the results of their good deeds on earth.

Tataka: Demoness or rakshasi killed by Rama; mother of Mareecha.: Sanskrit scholar and poet who created Ramacharitmanas, a version of Valmiki Ramayana in local Avadhi language.

Urmila: Laxman's wife; daughter of King Janak and sister of Sita.

Urvasi: An apsara in Indra's court, whose amorous overtures Arjuna declined.  

Vali or Bali: The mighty ape, cousin of Sugriva, who occupied Kiskindha and was killed by Rama.: The great poet and creator of Ramayana; Sage who helped Sita and her two sons Lava-Kush stay at her ashrama.

Vanara: Monkey; The army led by . A hill tribe of Southern India – according to the Ramayana.

Vasistha: Head priest or kul Guru of Ayodhya

Vedavyasa: Vyasa, author of the Mahabharata.  

Vibhishana: Ravana's brother who leaves Lanka to join Rama and later becomes the king of Lanka.: Lord of Preservation – part of the Hindu Trinity of Gods; Rama is considered the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Vishwamitra: Sage or rishi, who used Rama to kill troubling demons.

Yama: God of death. God of dharma, whose son was Yudhishthira. It is he whose questions Yudhishthira answered correctly whereupon his dead brothers were brought back to life on the banks of the enchanted pool.

Yajna: A sacrifice.

Yaksha: A class of demi-gods, subjects of Kubera, the god of wealth.

Yuyutsu : A noble son of Dhritarashtra who bent his head in shame and sorrow when Yudhishthira lost Draupadi. He also disapproved of the unfair way in which Abhimanyu was killed.

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Important Places

Ayodhya: Capital city of Kosala which was rules by Rama's father, Dushrath.

Ashoka van: A place in Lanka where Ravana kept Sita after the abduction.

Chitrakoot or Chitrakut: Forest place where Rama, Sita, and Laxman stayed in exile.

Dandakaranya: Forest where Rama, Sita, and Laxman traveled during exile.

Godavari: River, crossing which Rama, Sita, and Laxman reached Panchavati.: Mountain where Hanuman found Sanjivani; Abode of Lord Shiva.

Kiskindha: Kingdom ruled by Sugriva, leader of monkey tribe.

Kosala: Kingdom ruled by Dashratha.

Mithila: Kingdom ruled by king Janaka, Sita's father.

Lanka: Island kingdom ruled by demon king Ravana.

Panchavati: Rama, Sita and Laxman's forest hut, from where Sita was abducted by Ravana.

Prayag: Confluence of river Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati (presently known as Allahabad).

Sarayu: River on the banks of which Ayodhya is situated.