Subhadra is the half-sister of Lord Krishna. She had married Arjuna and gave birth to a brave son called Abhimanyu. Subhadra is the only daughter of Vasudeva and Rohini Devi. She was born after the release of her father from prison by Krishna, and is thus much younger than both her brothers- Krishna and Balaram. Subhadra therefore grows up in comfort as the princess, and escaped the travails that haunted her family before her birth.
Subhadra married Arjuna when he stayed with Krishna in Dwaraka during a one-year exile. During his stay he got attracted to Subhadra and proposed to her for marriage. She agreed in spite of knowing that Arjuna was already four times married. She also knew that her family would never agree to this marriage. Hence, Krishna facilitated the elopement of the couple and their departure for Indraprastha.
To avoid further controversies from their family, Krishna adviced Arjuna and Subhadra that they need to keep this in mind that it was Subhadra who abducted Arjuna and not the other way around. Soon Subhadra gave birth to their son called Abhimanyu.
The birth of Abhimanyu
A few months before Abhimanyu was to be born, Krishna came to Indraprastha to take his sister to his city of Dwarka. Subhadra bowed to all the elders seeking their blessings, and started with her brother. They travelled from Indraprastha to Dwarka in a chariot drawn by horses. Shri Krishna himself drove the chariot. He was careful not to tire his sister, who was with the child. During this journey, Subhadra asked her brother about her husband`s war tactics. When he narrated to her about his tactics, she was impressed and requested Krishna to make her child as brave as her husband. To this Krishna blessed his sister by saying "May your son be brave and famous".
After a few months Subhadra gave birth to a son by the name Abhimanyu that means `one who remains in the midst of wisdom`. Her son was valiant. When the Pandavas were to leave Indraprastha, Subhadra decided that her son must spend the period of exile in Dwaraka, so that he may profit from receiving Krishna`s tutelage and gain a suitable education, that would prepare him for the struggles and responsibilities that he is expected to bear in later life.
In the end of the exile, Arjuna called for his wife and Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu`s marriage was fixed with Uttara- daughter of King Virata.
Abhimanyu gets killed during the Kurukshetra battle, much to the disappointment of his mother. However, Uttara is pregnant at that time and later delivers a son, who is named Parikshita.
Devotion to Subhadra
Subhadra is worshipped along with her brother Krishna. In fact, she is considered as one of the three deities to be worshipped in Puri. Even one of the chariots in the annual Ratha Yatra is dedicated to her. According to some myths, Subhadra is supposed to be the reincarnation of Yogmaya.
