RahuA demon thought to swallow the sun and moon and so cause eclipses.

Raksho·vahaA people wiped out by Parashu·rama.

RamaHero of the epic the Ramayana. Also an abbreviation for Parashu·rama.

Ranti·devaAn ancestral king.

RavanaA king of the demons.

Rishya·shringaFather of Alambusha.

RudraThe fierce deity later known as Shiva. Also called Sharva, Shankara, Bhava, Try·ambaka, and a huge number of other names besides: see the eightieth canto for a selection of them.

Saha·devaOne of the Pandava brothers, twin brother of Nakula.

SaindhavaPrincipally Jayad·ratha, King of the Sindhus, but also his father Vriddha·kshatra.

Samanta·panchakaThe place where Parashu·rama was said to have killed all the warrior caste.

SanjayaSon of Gavalgana and charioteer of Dhrita·rashtra, to whom he narrates the events of the great battle.

SankritiFather of Ranti·deva.

SamvartaMarutta.

SarasvatiA river goddess, deity of wisdom.

SatvataA people from the south of India connected to the Shinis, Vrishnis and Yadavas. Used in the singular for one of their kings, and for Krita·varman, Satyaki and Krishna.

Satya·vrataOne of the Tri·garta princes.

SatyakaFather of Yuyudhana.

SatyakiPatronymic for Yuyudhana, a Vrishni king allied to the Pandavas.

SaubalaPatronymic for Shakuni.

SaubhadraMetronymic for Abhimanyu.