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{{Short description|Name of various elephants in Hindu mythology}}

'''Supratika''' ({{Lang-sa|सुप्रतीक|translit=Supratīka}}) is the name of three different elephants in [[Hindu mythology]]. The foremost among them is listed as one of the [[World Elephant|Ashtadiggajas]], each representing the [[Guardians of the directions|eight quarters]] of the universe. The Hindu epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'' describes two more elephants by the same name – an elephant that was an incarnation of a sage, and the one that belonged to [[Bhagadatta]], the king of [[Pragjyotisha Kingdom|Pragjyotisha]].

==Supratika (Ashtadiggajas)==
{{Main articles|World Elephant}}
The ''[[Amarakosha]]'', a thesaurus of Sanskrit, mentions the names of eight [[World Elephant|male elephants]] that bear the world together, as [[Airavata]], Pundarika, Vamana, Kumunda, Anjana, Pushpadanta, Sarvabhauma, and Supratika.<ref name="Monier-Williams1876">{{cite book|last=Monier-Williams|first=Sir Monier|title=Indian Wisdom|url=https://archive.org/details/indianwisdomwith00moniuoft|year=1876|publisher=W. H. Allen & Company|page=[https://archive.org/details/indianwisdomwith00moniuoft/page/430 430]}}</ref> Supratika represents the north-east direction, the quarter of [[Chandra|Soma]]. Anjanavati is described to be the wife of Supratika.<ref name="Kapoor2004">{{cite book|last=Kapoor|first=Subodh|title=A Dictionary of Hinduism: Including Its Mythology, Religion, History, Literature, and Pantheon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HJ6O8nwsFWgC&pg=PA232|year=2004|publisher=Cosmo Publications|isbn=978-81-7755-874-6|page=232}}</ref>

==Supratika (Bhagadatta's elephant)==
[[File:Bhagadatta fighting with Bhima.JPG|thumb|A sculpture of [[Bhagadatta]], seated on Supratika and fighting with Bhima, at the [[Chennakesava Temple]], [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]].|alt=A sculpture at the [[Chennakesava Temple]], [[Belur, Karnataka|Belur]].]]

On the twelfth day of the [[Kurukshetra War]], [[Duryodhana]] sent a large elephant division against [[Bhima]]. Bhima killed all the elephants with his mace. This created a havoc among the [[Kaurava]] army and they fled for their life in all directions. Angered by this, the king of [[Pragjyotisha Kingdom|Pragjyotisha]], [[Bhagadatta]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Grassi|first=Maggi Lidchi|title=The Great Golden Sacrifice of the Mahabharata|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2CasLdKFs0QC|year=2011|publisher=Random House India|isbn=978-81-8400-209-6|page=378}}</ref> seated on Supratika, charged against Bhima. The elephant rushed forward and crushed Bhima's chariot into pieces, killing his charioteer and horses. Bhima escaped destruction by jumping off his chariot. He got underneath the elephant and severed its vital points causing exceeding pain. Enraged at this, the elephant grew mad and tried to throw him off. In an instant, it caught Bhima with its trunk and was about to crush him under the knees. But Bhima managed to escape from its hold and again got underneath the elephant and in between its limbs and started attacking it. Bhima was hopeful that another elephant from the [[Pandava]] side would come for his rescue. When he got underneath the elephant for the second time, hiding in between its legs, the [[Kaurava]] army thought he had been slain by the beast.<ref name=BraveBhagadatta>{{cite book|last=Rajagopalachari|first=Chakravarti|title=Mahabharata|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HyRdjgEACAAJ|year=1958|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan|isbn=978-81-7276-368-8|chapter=78. Brave Bhagadatta}}</ref>

[[Yudhishthira]], Bhima's elder brother, was struck with grief and urged his forces to destroy Bhagadatta and Supratika. The king of [[Dasarna Kingdom|Dasarna]] charged against them. In the great battle that took place between Supratika and Dasarna's elephant, Supratika crushed Dasarna's elephant to death. Utilising his time, Bhima emerged from beneath Supratika and fled. The Pandava army was relieved when they saw Bhima alive.<ref name=BraveBhagadatta />

Supratika was later killed the same day, by [[Arjuna]]'s arrows, who also later killed its rider, Bhagadatta.

==Supratika (sage)==
The legend of Sage Supratika, the younger brother of Vibhavasu, is described in the [[Skanda Purana]]. The two brothers are described to have been hostile towards each other ever since their birth. Once, the sages grew furious during a monetary dispute and exchanged curses: Vibhavasu cursed Supratika to become an elephant, and Supratika cursed Vibhavasu to become a tortoise. The elephant Supratika is described to have become six [[Yojana|yojanas]] tall and twelve yojanas wide. Engaged in battle along a lake, the two animals were seized by [[Garuda]], who took them in his claws to a mountain and ate them on the advice of his father [[Kashyapa]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Bhatt |first1=G. P. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YCNOEAAAQBAJ&dq=Suprat%C4%ABka+Garuda&pg=PA250 |title=The Skanda Purana Part 8: Ancient Indian Tradition And Mythology [Volume 56] |last2=Shastri |first2=J. L. |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-3923-6 |pages=250 |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Hindu legendary creatures]]
[[Category:Mythological elephants]]
[[Category:Elephants in Indian culture]]
[[Category:Elephants in Hinduism]]

Supratika - Revision history

Ajay Kumar: Created a new article