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Sarathi (also spelled Sarathy, both from Sanskrit saratha, "one with a chariot" or "charioteer") is an epithet of Krishna (an Avatar of Vishnu) in the Mahabharata, a farmost important Hindu historical epic. It is also a common name in some parts of India.
In the Mahabharata, Krishna counselled the Pandavas and Kauravas, two closely related families fighting over a kingdom in northern India. Eventually siding with the Pandavas, he offered his services as the charioteer to Arjuna, the Pandavas' greatest archer. The Bhagavad Gita, generally thought to be Hinduism's most important religious book, consists of a dialogue between Krishna the charioteer and Arjuna just before the battle proper begins, when Krishna instructs Arjuna in the principle of dharma in response to his hesitation to fighting against his own relatives.
Krishna is also known as Parthasarathy, which translates to charioteer of Partha (another name for Arjuna), or Sanathana Sarathi, eternal charioteer.
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