Shweta (Mahabharata)

Shweta
Mahabharata character
Based on	Mahabharata
Information
Affiliation	Kuru queen
Family	Vasantraja (father)
Spouse	Dushasana
Children	Arohi (daughter)

Shweta was the queen and the second principal consort of Dushasana in the Hindu Epic Mahabharata. It may be said it was the choice of Shakuni, who chose Princess Shweta as his nephew's wife but as she rejected, Dushasana had to kidnap her from her kingdom of Trilokapura. She was the younger sister of Mayuri. Dushasana's marriage could be found in the Shanti Parva. She was blessed by Gandhari. It is described Dushasana had five principal consorts but his most beautiful consort was Chandramukhi and he loved her immensely.

In the Mahabharata, Shveta was the son of Queen Sudeshna of Virata Kingdom and Shweta was the daughter of King Vasantraja of Trilokapura . In the Shanti Parva folktales, Dushasana had abducted the daughter of Vasantraja, the fairest beauty of all (Shweta). Arohi is born to Dushasana from the womb of Shweta. Shweta and the general kaurava queens are virtually described by Gandhari.

Description and Sources

Shweta was never described in the original texts of Mahabharata but her information is added in the other versions. Queen Gandhari, her mother in law describes Shweta to Krishna in a manner-

O, the second spouse of Dushasan, the lovely queen of all. O, the woman with big hips and the mother of Arohi, the queen of Hastinapura after the death of Dushasan, becoming a widow crying for her husband and the other, the dead son. O Madhava, striking her head with her hands. She fell on the breast of her spouse, the king of Hastinapura. Shweta, the virtuous queen of Dushasan, rubbing the blood of Dushasana, where he was injured. The queen never resulted towards the Pandavas

— Gandhari, Translated By Kisari Mohan Ganguli

Gandhari continues further -

The princesses of Hastinapura, Lakshmanaa and Jyotsyana together result in the death of their father. O God, my heart sank by seeing the weeping queen Shweta on her husband Dushasan and the girl Arohi with her cousins, Jyotsyana and Lakshmanaa, my granddaughters. Her mystery is a cruel thing for the Kauravas to die.....

Shweta's important of Gandhari to Krishna as she wanted Krishna to know about the wives of the Kauravas, weeping and crying for their husband's. Gandhari gave a cruel curse to Krishna saying as he and the Yadavas killed the Kauravas and there wives as widows, then Lord Krishna and all the Yadava clan should die and their wives should become widow as she remembers how Bhanumati and Mayuri were feeling lonely after Duryodhana died. Lakshmanaa, who was the daughter of Duryodhana and his two chief queens, did not ever talk with her uncles (Pandavas) after the death of her father. Lakshmi, in folktales was the daughter of Duryodhana and his chief queen, Mayuri who also did not take the blessing of the Pandavas. Along with Lakshmi, they had a son, Kaalketu. Shweta, the forgotten queen of Dushasana was striking her head with her beautiful hands as she saw her injured husband's dislocated hand, she felt so bad about the way Bhima had done to her husband. At this course, Shweta falls on her husband, Dushasana on his breast.