References

Abhimantrit
Abhimantrit means to bind something with a Mantra. In Hinduism normally all alms, Baayanaa, Shaap etc. are Abhimantrit first. In the process of alms and Baayanaa the things are kept aside and a little water, sometimes with some money, is kept in right hand and the thing is circled with that water three times. Then the thing becomes Abhimantrit and it cannot be used by anybody else than the person or purpose for whom and which it has been kept aside. For example, Baayanaa is given to some higher status person (these status are defined), and alms are given to Braahman or baggers or Dakaut (who accept alms for Shani). In the case of Shaap, people used to take water in their right hand and utter some Mantra to give Shaap and sprinkle that water on the person to whom they wanted to give Shaap.
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Bhavishya Vaanee
Divine voice. In olden days when Bhagavaan or Devtaa wanted to say something or warn to a person or people they used to make a kind of announcement from the sky. They were not seen to anybody. The person or the people used to regard it as prediction or order. This is what happened in Dushyant's case, in Krishn's birth case.
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Bheeshm
Bheeshm Jee was Sh antanu's son from Gangaa. His real name was Devavrat. Gangaa had taken a vow from Shaantanu that he will not ask anything what she was doing and why and the day he asked this question she will leave him. Shaantanu was so much in love with her that he agreed. When they had their first son, she flowed it in Gangaa River. Shaantanu did not like it but could not do anything. The same thing happened to their second son too. Shaantanu got very sad, but was helpless. Thus she flowed their seven sons in Gangaa River. When the eighth son was born, Shaantanu couldn't hold himself and asked her why she was doing this to him. Then she told him that once the eight Vasu got a Shaap to take birth on Prithvi and as she herself was cursed to take birth on Prithvi, she got ready to be their mother. So all these sons were those eight Vasu. So by killing the seven children she had given them Mukti from that Shaap, but it seems that this child has a different fate. She was taking him with her [as her curse was over now] and when he will grow up she will return him to Shaantanu.

After a few years a youth was found stopping the water flow of Gangaa Jee. People complained about this to Shaantanu. Shaantanu himself went to see that. He found a young man doing this, then he got ready to have a fight with him, then Gangaa came and handed over the young son to Shaantanu. Shaantanu brought him home. His Guru was Parashuraam Jee and Brihaspati Jee. Later he was declared as the Crown Prince. 

One day, on a huntiging trip, he found that his father was in love with Daashraaj's daughter Satyavatee and Satyavatee's father was not ready to marry her to his father because his astrologer said that Satyavatee's child would become king, and since Shaantanu had already declared Devavrat as his Crown Prince how this prediction would be true. At this Devavrat vowed that he left his Crown Prince status for this marriage. But Daashraaj was still not ready on the ground that if later his children claimed the kingdom what would happen. At this he again vowed that he would not marry lifelong and since then, because of taking such a great and difficult vow, he was called Bheeshm (Bheeshm = difficult).
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Chhaayaa-Shuk
Shukdev Jee was Asang, but when he went to forest he created a Chhaayaa-Shuk (Chhaayaa = shadow, Shuk = Shukdev means shadow of Shukdev Jee) and left it at home. He did all family rites. 
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Daashraaj's Daughter Satyavatee
This girl was born of Uparichar Vasu and a fish, but since she was brought up by Daash people (Kevat=who rows boats) that is why she was called Daash-Kanyaa. First she smelled like a fish, but after she smelled very sweet and her smell spread miles together.
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Deerghtamaa
The context of Bharadwaaj's birth is - once Brihaspati Jee wanted to take his brother Utathya's pregnant wife Mamtaa. The child (Deerghaatmaa) who was in her womb at that time refused to do so. But Brihaspati Jee did not listen to him and said - "You become blind" and impregnated her. Utathya's wife Mamtaa got frightened lest her husband leaves her. Therefore she wanted to leave Brihaspati's son. At that time Devtaa said naming the child - "Brihaspati Jee says - "O Fool!  this is my Auras son and my brother's Kshetraj son, thus he is the son of both of us (Dwaaj), therefore you don't fear and carry it" At this Mamtaa said - "Brihaspati!  This is not of my husband, this is our son, therefore you bring up this child." Thus both argued and left the son in their argument, that is why he was named as Bharadwaaj. In spite of being named by Devtaa, Mamtaa thought that this son is born as an illegitimate (Vitath) son, therefore she left it. Now Marud Gan brought him up and when Raajaa Bharat's Vansh was going to end they gave him to Bharat. The same Vitath (Bharadwaaj) became Bharat's adopted son.
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Drupad
Raaja Drupad was the king of Panchaal Pradesh. He did not have any child so he asked a Rishi to do a Yagya for a child. When the Rishi was doing Yagya, he enquired about Raanee. Raajaa told that she was taking bath at that time. Rishi could not wait for her to come and he Aahuti in the Yagya from which a girl was born. Because of the daughter of Drupad she was called Draupadee. Then Raajaa said - "I need a son". So the Rishi again gave an Aahuti and then a son appeared from the Yagya fire. He was named as Dhrishtdumn.

He had a great quarrel with Drone. Drupad wanted to kill Drone so he wanted a son  who can kill Drone. But when he had a child, it was a girl. But after some time she became a boy. His name was Shikhandee. Paandav used him to kill Bheeshm. Bheeshm could not be won in any condition, but he had a principle that he would not aim at any woman in the battle field. So Arjun aimed his arrows towards him from behind Shikhandee as Bheeshm could not have use his weapons against a woman.although he beame a man later, still Bheeshm regarded him as a woman. Bheeshm told this himself to Paandav. Thus Drupad also had his wish fulfilled and Paandav also could kill Bheeshm.
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Dushyant Refused
Its another version is that - when Dushyant wanted to go to his city Shakuntalaa asked for some identification to show to the world. So Dushyant gave her his ring and went away. Now Shakuntalaa used to remember Dushyant most of the time. One day she was sitting remembering him so that she forgot everything else. By chance Durvaasaa Rishi came that side but Shakuntalaa did not know his presence. So he got angry and gave her Shaap - "Whosoever is on your mind, he will forget you when you will need him most." Shakuntalaa fell on his feet and asked pardon. Then Durvaasaa Rishi said - "OK, he will remember you later." Since then Shakuntalaa kept the ring very carefully.

When she went to Dushyant with her son, she carefully took his ring with her, but when she reached there he did not recognize her. She wanted to show the ring to him but she lost it somewhere, so she could not produce any identification. In fact, once she stopped to drink water at a river bank on the way, so when she was drinking water there, her ring slipped down in the water from her finger and a fish swallowed it. She came back to her Aashram. There were several fishermen at the river to catch fish. One day a fisherman caught a very big fish, he got very happy to see it. He brought it home and cut it for his food. He found the King's ring in its stomach. Next day he brought the ring to Raajaa Dushyant and then only he recollected everything. He called Shakuntalaa to his palace and appointed his queen and accepted his son.

According to another version, Dushyant married to Shakuntalaa and went back to his capital after promising her that he would call her soon. But he forgot and Shakuntalaa continued to wait for him. After some time she gave birth to Dushyant's son - Bharat. At that time Kanv Rishi thought that that was the time for her to go back to her husband, so he sent her and her son to the King along with his some disciples. Dushyant did not recognize her and Shakuntalaa had to come back to her father. Bharat kept growing. When he was five years old, Raajaa Dushyant was going somewhere that he saw a very brilliant boy playing with a lion cub. He was very surprised to see that boy. He could not resist himself and asked him his father's name. After getting his introduction, he took Shakuntalaa and her son back to his capital.
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Gandharv Vivaah
There are eight kinds of authentic marriages in our Shaastra. Gandharv method is one of them in which if both girl and boy agree they can marry keeping Gandharv as their witness. That is what Dushyant did with Shakuntalaa..
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Gangaa Jee
It is said that Gangaa Jee lost her way in Shiv Jee's Jataa and when she did not come out of His head, then Bhageerath again did Tap and prayed Shiv Jee to release Gangaa Jee for Prithvi. Then Shiv Jee unwound one of His Jataa's flock of hair and the Gangaa Jal came out of that flock of hair. Then Gangaa Jee asked Bhageerath the way to go on Prithvi. Then Bhageerath led the way and Gangaa Jee followed him. That is why Gangaa's another name is Bhaageerathee because Bhageerath brought her on Prithvi.

The same Gangaa was the wife of Shantanu and mother of Bheeshm in Mahaabhaarat period. She bore eight Vasu as her sons. Among them she succeeded in giving Moksh to her seven sons. The eighth one was Bheeshm himself.

Harishchandra
We have been hearing Harishchandra and Shaibyaa's story - that Vishwaamitra tested the king who had to sell his family to pay debt of Vishwaamitra. But this account doesn't give any place for those events to happen. When did they happen? Or was he another Harishchandra?
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Jaraasandh
Jaraasandh was killed by Bheem. Jaraasandh was very powerful. It was not easy to defeat him. So Shree Krishn planned thus that He went o him with Arjun and Bheem and asked him to choose anybody for a dual fight. He considered Krishn as a boy, because he was very handsome, Arjun was not of large frame so he considered him not worthy for himself, the only option was Bheem. But Bheem was only equally as powerful as him. That is why he could not defeat him. Then Krishn made a sign to him to divide him in two pieces and throw them in opposite direction - right piece in left direction and left piece in right direction. That is what Bheem did and only thus he was able to kill him. Killing him was necessary because he had collected 88 human beings to sacrifice in a Yagya (he needed 100). So he needed only 12 people to complete his Yagya and as soon as he got them, by doing that Yagya he could have got tremendous powers, so it was necessary to stop him. After killing him Krishn released all the prisoners and declared his son Sahadev as king.
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Jaraasandh was a good friend of Kans (Raajaa Ugrasen's son, Devakee's brother). To make their relationship stronger he married his two daughters, Asti and Praapti, to Kans.
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Later when Krishn killed Kans, and they became widow, Jaraasandh got very angry with Krishn Jee, so he attacked Him 18 times with his 23 Akshauhinee army each time. Krishn killed his army 17 times, but the 18th time He ran Himself and inhabited Dwaarakaa Puree for Mathuraa's people's safety.
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Kaamdhenu
Five Kaamdhenu cows appeared from Saagar Manthan, One of them named Susheelaa was with Janmadagni Rishi.

Kach
Guru Brihaspati Jee's son Kach used to learn Mrit Sanjeevanee knowledge from Shukraachaarya Jee. After finishing his study when he was going back to his house, then Shukraachaarya Jee's daughter Devayaanee wanted to marry him. But because she was his Guru's daughter he did not accept her proposal. At this Devayaanee gave him Shaap that "Whatever you have learnt here should be useless to you." At this Kach also gave her Shaap - "No Braahman will accept you as his wife."

Krishn Dwaipaayan Vyaas
Why he was named as Krishn Ddwaipaayan? Because his complexion was a little dark that is why he was named Krish, and since he was born on an island (Dweep), he was called Dwaipaayan. So Krishn means dark; and Dwaipaayan means related to Dweep. 
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Raghu
Raajaa Raghu was a valorous king of Ikshwaaku Vansh. Raghu means "the fast one" derived from Raghu's chariot driving abilities. His descendants were called Raghuvanshee. The history of this dynasty is elaborated in Kaalidaas' "Raghuvansh" drama. He was a great donor, it is said that no one returned from his palace empty-handed. He is best known as great-grandfather of Raam. Raam Himself is known as "Raaghav", Raghu-nandan", "Raghukul Naayak" "Raghunaath", "Raghupati", Raaghavendra", indicating His belonging to Raghu Dynasty.
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Shankar Jee's Bow
It is said that Shankar Jee's this bow was very old and very heavy and it was kept in Janak Jee's palace for a long time. Once doing cleaning Seetaa Jee moved it from its original place. When Janak Jee came to know about this, at the same time he announced that whosoever will aim at that bow, he will marry Seetaa to him. Seetaa's mother tried to stop him taking such a vow but he didn't listen to it. When many very mighty kings, including Raavan, could not even move that bow, then Raajaa Janak and his wife got very worried and got scared too, that maybe their daughter remains unmarried. But at that time Vishwaamitra Jee came to rescue him and he ordered Raam to try it. Raam picked that bow like a flower bow and as soon as He aimed on the bow, it broke being so old.

Shataanand
He was the Kul Guru of Raajaa Janak, father of Seetaa, in Janak Puree in Tretaa Yug. He was the son of Maharshi Gautam and Ahalyaa.
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Swayamvar
Swayam = self and Var = husband, Swayamvar means choosing the husband herself. Up till recently Hindu girls used to choose their husband themselves. When they were of marriageable age then their Swayamvar was arranged by their parents. In it whosoever was considered worthy of the girl was invited and the girl used to go around all the boys carrying the Var Maalaa (marriage garland). When she arrived at the boy, the boy was introduced to her. In that Swayamvar, to whomsoever she liked she could choose as her husband by putting the marriage garland in his neck. There used to be exceptions too. Many times girl knew before hand to whom she was going to choose as her partner. Sometimes fathers used to put a condition to be fulfilled to marry their daughters, for example in Seetaa's Swayamvar Janak Jee put a condition that whosoever will pull the string of the Shiv bow, Seetaa Jee will be married to him. Sometimes they used to do this keeping some specific boy in mind, for example Draupadee's Swayamvar. That condition was set keeping in mind the boy Arjun, because he was the only best bow and arrow person at that time. Sometimes if the girl used to love somebody and he was not called in Swayamvar, then the boy used to kidnap the girl, for example Krishn kidnapped Rukminee, Arjun kidnapped Subhadraa, and Prithvi Raaj Chauhaan kidnapped Sanyogitaa. 
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