Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 16,162

Date uploaded in London – 4 September 2026

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Word beginning with letter U

Udayana

One of the oldest romantic stories in the world. It is the Love Story of Udayana and Vasavadtta.

Udayana (उदयन).—A renowned king of the Candravaṃśa (Lunar dynasty).

Udayana (उदयन) is the name of the King of Vatsa, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 9. He was born to Mṛgāvatī (the wife of King Sahasrānīka) while she was taking refuge at the hermitage of Jamadagni. Accordingly,

“And some days after the blameless one (Mṛgāvatī) gave birth to a charmingly beautiful son… At that moment a voice was heard from heaven: ‘An august king of great renown has been born, Udayana by name, and his son shall be monarch of all the Vidyādharas.’” King Udayana of Vatsa is the legendary ancient Indian monarch whose romance with Princess Vasavadatta is celebrated as one of India’s earliest secular love stories.

His story is used or mentioned by various authors. Playwrights Bhasa, Kalidasa, Harsha and many others mentioned him.

Udayana grew up with exceptional talents, including mastery of the lute (veena) and a unique ability to tame wild elephants through music. King Pradyota of Ujjayini wanted Udayana’s elephant-taming secrets and lured him into a trap using a mechanical wooden elephant, holding him prisoner. Imprisoned in the capital, Udayana was assigned to teach the lute to Pradyota’s daughter, Vasavadatta. The two fell deeply in love and eventually eloped on a swift elephant back to Udayana’s capital, Kaushambi. Fearing the king had grown soft, Udayana’s ministers faked Vasavadatta’s death in a fire to push him into a politically advantageous marriage with Padmavati, princess of Magadha. The truth was later revealed, reuniting the family.  His life inspired classic Sanskrit masterpieces, most notably Svapnavasavadattam by the ancient playwright Bhasa.

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Udhdhava

Uddhava (उद्धव).—A learned disciple of Bṛhaspati and confidential friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā.A member of the Yadu dynasty. In Mathurā and Dvārakā he is Kṛṣṇa’s dearmost friend. In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, he is called hari-dāsa, the most dear servant of Śrī Hari.

Uddhavagītā refers to one of the sixty-four Gītās commonly referred to in Hindu scriptures.—Gītā is the name given to certain sacred writings in verse (often in the form of a dialogue) which are devoted to the exposition of particular religious and theosophical doctrines. When Kṛṣṇa was taken by Akrūra to Maṭhurā, Uddhava was implored by the citizens of Gokula to go and fetch him. On seeing the destruction of the Yādavas to be inevitable, he went to Kṛṣṇa and asked him what to do; whereupon he was told to go to Badarikāśrama to practise penance and to secure heaven. He is the subject of two short poems, उद्धवदूत (uddhavadūta) and उद्धवसंदेश (uddhavasaṃdeśa).

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Uluka

English word OWL is derived from Sanskrit ULUKA for owl. In 2000 year old Sangam Tamil literature a few poets are named AANTHAI meaning owl. Owl is considered very intelligent and so used as emblem in many institutions in London. Greek coins have owl prominently displayed.

1) Ulūka (उलूक):—is in all the Vedas and Panini’s sutras.

2) Name of Indra,

3) of a Muni (in the [Vāyu-purāṇa] enumerated together with Kaṇāda, but perhaps identical with him, as the Vaiśeṣika system is called Aulūkya-darśana in the [Sarvadarśana-saṃgraha])

4) of a Nāga, [Suparṇādhyāya]

5) of a king of the Ulūkas

6.Ulūka (उलूक).—The son of Śakuni. (Mahābhārata Udyoga Parva, Chapter 57, Stanza 25). In the Bhārata Battle Ulūka was sent as a messenger to the camp of the Pāṇḍavas by Duryodhana. Arjuna defeated Ulūka in the Mahabharata war. Later in a fight between Sahadeva and Ulūka , Sahadeva killed Ulūka.

Ulūka (उलूक) is a Sanskrit word referring to the biird “owl”. The meat of this animal is part of the māṃsavarga (‘group of flesh’), which is used throughout Ayurvedic literature. It is part of the sub-group named prasaha, refering to animals “who take their food by snatching”. It was classified by Caraka in his Carakasaṃhitā sūtrasthāna (chapter 27), a classical Ayurvedic work. Caraka defined such groups (vargas) based on the dietic properties of the substance.

Ulūka (उलूक) (lit. “one which makes shrill outcry”) is mentioned in Mṛgapakṣiśāstra (Mriga-pakshi-shastra) or “the ancient Indian science of animals and birds” by Hamsadeva, containing the varieties and descriptions of the animals and birds seen in the Sanskrit. These birds [viz., Ulūka] are enumerated in almost several Smṛtis in context of specifying the expiations for killing them and their flesh being used as a dietary article to give satisfaction to the manes (Pitṛs) in Śrāddha rites. These are elaborated especially in the Manusmṛti, Parāśarasmṛti [chapter VI], Gautamasmṛti [chapter 23], Śātātapasmṛti [II.54-56], Uśānasmṛti [IX.10-IX.12], Yājñavalkyasmṛti [I.172-I.175], Viṣṇusmṛti [51.28-51.29], Uttarāṅgirasasmṛti [X.16].

Panchatantra stories has a full story on the fight between the crows and owls. Seeing such an incident Asvattama set fire to the tents of the Pandavas on the last day  of the war. In Panchatantra story crows eliminate their enemis owls by setting fire to theirs nests. Thus it is linked to religious stories.

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Ulupi

Ulūpī (उलूपी).—A Nāga princess. She was the daughter of the serpent Kauravya. While one day she was bathing in the Ganges, she happened to see Arjuna, and being enamoured of his handsome form, she managed to have him conveyed to her home, the Pātāla, and there induced him to take her as his wife, which he, after considerable hesitation, consented to do. She bore him a son named Irāvat. When Arjuna’s head was cut off by Babhruvāhana’s arrow, it was with her assistance that he was restored to life; Once Arjuna happened to enter the palace in which Dharmaputra was living with Pāñcālī. As a result, Arjuna had to go on a pilgrimage for a year for violating the agreed rules.  Arjuna reached Gaṅgādvāra. When he got down into the river Gaṅgā, he saw Ulūpī the daughter of Nāgarāja (King of the serpents). She fell in love with Ajuna. But he  told her that Dharmaputra had imposed on him celibacy for twelve months and that it was not right to marry in the meantime. Ulūpī argued with Arjuna and convinced him that it was not wrong to marry her. Arjuna married her. A son named Irāvān was born to her. Later in her life  Ulūpī reached Hastināpura with Babhruvāhana and Citrāṅgadā. As soon as she reached there she greeted Kuntī, Draupadī and Subhadrā. She gave them various kinds of presents. Ulūpī served Gāndhārī too. When the Pāṇḍavas began the ‘great departure’ (Mahāprasthāna) Ulūpī entered the River Ganges. Citrāṅgadā went to Maṇalūr pura near modern Madurai in Tamil Nadu.      This story links Pandyas and Pandavas indirectly.

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Uma

First Sanskrit name of a Goddess to appear in Sangam Tamil Literature; though  other names such as Laksmi, Sarasvati, Durga are mentioned  they are in Tamil .  Upanishads also mentioned Uma.

Name of the daughter of Himavat and Menā, and wife of Śiva; Kālidāsa thus derives the name :उ मेति (u meti) (oh do not, scil. practise penance) मात्रा तपसो निषिद्धा पश्चादुमाख्यां सुमुखी जगाम (mātrā tapaso niṣiddhā paścādumākhyāṃ sumukhī jagāma) Kumārasambhava 1.26; उमावृषाङ्कौ (umāvṛṣāṅkau) R.3.23.

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Upanishad

Upaniṣad (उपनिषद्) refers to “sitting near devotedly”.—The fourth and final portion of the Vedas, expounding the secret, philosophical meaning of the Vedic hymns. The Upaniṣads are a collection of profound texts which are the source of Vedānta and have dominated Indian thought for thousands of years. They are philosophical chronicles of seers expounding the nature of God, soul and cosmos, exquisite renderings of the deepest Hindu thought.

Shankara’s commentaries established these texts as the primary canon for the Advaita Vedanta

Aitareya Upanishad (connected to the Rigveda)

  (connected to the Rigveda)

  Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (connected to the Yajurveda)

  Chandogya Upanishad (connected to the Samaveda)

  Isha Upanishad (also called Isavasya)

  Katha Upanishad

  Kena Upanishad

  Mandukya Upanishad

  Mundaka Upanishad

  Prashna Upanishad

  Taittiriya Upanishad

These are the true , original Upanishads. Others are added later imitating original Upanishads

Upaniṣad (उपनिषद्).—The four Vedas are Ṛk, Yajus, Sāma and Atharva. Each of these four has a Brāhmaṇa (a treatise relating to prayer and sacrificial ceremony). Next come the Āraṇyakas (forest texts—writings meant for the forest-dwelling hermit) as appendices to the Brāhmaṇas. Then come the Upaniṣads as appendices to the Āraṇyakas. These four classes of literary works (the Vedas, the Brāhmaṇas, the Āraṇyakas and the Upaniṣads) constitute the Vedic literature proper. The Āraṇyakas and the Upaniṣads are inseparably connected with each other. The Upaniṣads are called Vedāntas (the end of the Vedas). The bulk of these Vedāntas belong to different periods anterior to the Later Vedic Period. The students begin the study of Upaniṣads only after having completed the study of the Mantras (Vedic hymns) and the Brāhmaṇas (the ritual).

There are a large number of Upaniṣads. The most important among them are 108 in number.

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Uparichara

Once Vasu built a hermitage and began to perform penance in accordance with the advice of Indra. When the penance became too severe Indra appeared and gave him an Flying  chariot. Since then Vasu used to travel through air in the chariot. So he got the name ‘Uparicaravasu’ (Vasu, who travels above). (Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Chapter 63).

Indra gave Vasu a garland (Vaijayantīmālā) which would never fade, and gave a boon that, so long as he wore that garland, he would not receive any wound. He was given a bamboo stick (Veṇudaṇḍa) and was instructed to fix that rod on the earth and celebrate the festival of Indra. Vasu celebrated the festival of Indra and from that day onwards the festival of Indra came to be celebrated in the world. Ancient Tamils also celebrated Indra Festival.

Five sons named Bṛhadratha, Kuśāmba (Maṇivāhana), Mavella, Yadu and Rājanya were born to him.

The river Śuktimatī flowed through the capital city of Vasu. Once the great hill Kolāhala grew amorous of Śuktimatī and caught hold of her. Uparicaravasu got angry at this and kicked the mountain which was split into two and Śuktimatī flowed out of the gap. Still two children were born to the great hill by Śuktimatī. The river was pleased at the freedom accorded by the king and placed the two children at the feet of the king. They grew up. The son became general of the army and the daughter Girikā became the wife of the king.

One day the king decided to go to hunt. On the same day his wife had her monthly course. Still without changing his programme he started for the forest. Even after entering the forest the thought of his wife lingered in his mind. The forest was in full bloom as it was Spring. Seeing this the king grew amorous and sat under a tree. A mild breeze was blowing. Instantly the king had seminal flow. He collected the semen in the leaf of a tree and sent it to the queen through an eagle. Thinking that to be some food, another eagle got near and a quarrel arose. The semen fell in the river Yamunā. A fish named Adrikā swallowed it. (See under Adrikā). A fisherman caught hat fish. He got a male child and a female child from the stomach of the fish. That girl is the famous Satyavatī  Matsyagandhā who became the queen of Śantanu. The fisherman gave the boy he got from the fish to king Uparicaravasu.

(iv). Once a controversy arose between Indra and the hermits, whether cow-slaughter during sacrifices, was desirable. At this time Uparicaravasu happened to come there. As he was a man of truth, he was asked to make a decision. Uparicaravasu stood on the side of Indra and gave his opinion in favour of slaughter. The hermits who were against cow-slaughter got angry and cursed Uparicaravasu to go down to the world of Pātāla (netherworld). (Matsya Purāṇa, Chapter 152).This story is seen with slight difference in Mahābhārata Śānti Parva, Chapters 322-324.

To be continued………………………………

Tags– Uparichara ,Udayana 109HINDU DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH AND TAMIL 109; இந்து மத கலைச்சொல் அகராதி-109