Glossary of Hinduism Terms - U

U

• Uchchaihshravas: Uchchaihsravas was the white horse of Indra, produced at the churning of the ocean. It is fed on ambrosia, and is held to be the king of horses.
• Udayana: Udayana was a prince of the Lunar race, and son of Sahasranika, who is the hero of a popular story. He was king of Vatsa, and is commonly called Vatsaraja. His capital was Kausambi. Also a name of Agastya.
• Uddalaka: A great sage and teacher of Vedanta.
• Uddhava: The friend and counselor of Krishna. According to some he was Krishna 's cousin, being son of Devabhaga, the brother of Vasudeva. He was also called Pavanayadhi.
• Ugrasena (उग्रसेन): one-time King of Yadavas; deposed by his son Kams. His wife was Pavanrekha. Krishna killed Kams and established Ugrasena on throne.
• Ujjayini (उज्‍जयिनि) or Ujjain (उज्जैन): is an ancient city of central India, in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh near which the ancient throne of Vikramaditya was discovered, one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus, where the Kumbh Mela is held every twelve years. It is also home to Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, one of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines to the god Shiva.
• Ulūka (उलूक): 'An owl.' Son of Kitava. He was king of a country and people of the same name. He was an ally of the Kauravas, and acted as their envoy to the Pandavas.
• Ulūpī (उलूपी): A daughter of Kauravya, Raja of the Nagas, with whom Arjuna contracted a kind of marriage. She was nurse to her stepson, Babhruvahana, and had great influence over him. According to the Vishnu Purana she had a son named Iravat.
• Umadevī (उमादेवी): Wife of Shiva.
• Unchhavritti (उन्‍छवृत्ती): The life of a mendicant, begging his food.
• Upachitra (उपचित्र): One of King Dhritarashtra's sons who perished in the war.
• Upanishad (उपनिषद्): Part of the Hindu Śruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy, seen as religious instructions by most schools of Hinduism.
• Upaplavya (उपप्‍लव्‍य): A place in Matsya Kingdom, where the Pandavas settled after their exile of thirteen years.
• Uparichara: A Vasu or demigod, who, according to the Mahabharata, became king of Chedi by command of Indra. He had five sons by his wife; and by an Apsaras, named Adrika, condemned to live on earth in the form of a fish, he had a son named Matsya (fish), and a daughter, Satyavati, who was the mother of Vyasa.
• Upasunda (उपसुन्‍द): Sund and Upasunda were two brave and poerful asura princes who performed austerities to please Brahma,who besowed them the boon that nobody else would slay them, other than each other. Later Brahma created a beautiful apsara Tilottama to creat differences within and destroyed them.
• Urmilā (उर्मिला): Second daughter of Janaka; bestowed on Lakshmana.
• Urvasī (उर्वसी): An apsara in Indra's court, whose amorous overtures Arjuna declined.
• Ushā (उषा): Wife of Aniruddha, daughter of Banasur.
• Ushanas (उशना): Ushanas were appointed as priests of asuras, who knew the science of bringing to life.
• Uttanka (उत्‍तंक): Uttanka was a pupil of Veda, the third pupil of Dhaumya rishi. The other two pupils of Uttanka were Janamejaya and Poshya.
• Uttara (उत्तर): A son of the Raja of Virata. Uttara was killed in battle by Salya.
• Uttarā (उत्तरा): A daughter of the Raja of Virata. She married Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna.
• Uttar kānda (उत्तरकांड): The part of epic Ramayana added later to the work of Valmiki.