MAARKANDEYA presents MAHAABHAARATHAM

(The SH is pronounced like one between s in sip and sh in ship. both THs are pronounced like th in with. )< p> SHUKTHIMATHI was the capital city of Chedi province. A river named shukthimathi too flows beside it. This area roughly corresponds to present northern or westernMadhyapradesh.

As was the custom in Samskritham, contry names are given by the people that inhabitted it and the name is always in plural. The king of a country derives his name by the country he ruled. E.g. Paanchaala is the ruler of the country Panchaalam, Chaidya is the ruler of the country Chedi, Maagadha was the ruler of the country Magadha etc.

During the Mahaabhaaratham period, Chedi was ruled by Shishupaala, who was a cousin of Paandavas ( his mother and their mother were sisters).Shishupaala was a strong opposer of Krishna for the reason that the latter had abducted Rukmini whom he was about to marry. Krishna later killed Shishupaala and the successor Sahadeva ( his son ) turned loyal to the Paandavas. He was one of their seven generals and died in the war.

Another son of Shishupaala, Sharabha, fought against Arjuna during the latter's Ashvamedham expedition, after the war.

"After praying to Naaraayana, Nara, Sarasvathi and Vyaasa, then one should read the Jayam."