Bali () is a king featured in
Hindu literature
Hindu texts are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few of these texts are shared across these traditions and they are broadly considered Hindu scriptures. These ...
. He is described to be the son of Sutapas and his wife Prishni. He rules a region named Anava, an eastern country as a member of the
Chandravamsha
The Lunar dynasty ( IAST: Candravaṃśa) is a legendary principal house of the Kshatriyas varna, or warrior–ruling caste mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. This legendary dynasty was said to be descended from moon-related deities (''S ...
(Lunar dynasty).
Legend
Bali marries Sudeshna. The
Harivamsha
The ''Harivamsa'' ( , literally "the genealogy of Hari") is an important work of Sanskrit literature, containing 16,374 shlokas, mostly in the '' anustubh'' metre. The text is also known as the ''Harivamsa Purana.'' This text is believed to ...
states that he performs a penance to appease
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
, who promises him that he would become a great sage and will live till the end of the
age
Age or AGE may refer to:
Time and its effects
* Age, the amount of time someone or something has been alive or has existed
** East Asian age reckoning, an Asian system of marking age starting at 1
* Ageing or aging, the process of becoming older ...
. The deity also blesses him with great knowledge, the love of his subjects, invincibility in battle, and tells him that he would reestablish the varna system in his land.
One day, Bali saw the blind sage
Dirghatamas
Dīrghatamas (Sanskrit: दीर्घतमस्) was an ancient Indian sage well known for his philosophical verses in the Rigveda. He was author of Suktas (hymns) 140 to 164 in the first Mandala (section) of the Rigveda. There was another ...
clinging to a raft, and floating on the river
Ganges
The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...
. After his rescue, the sage told him that his own wife and sons had performed the deed due to the fact that he had been unable to support them. The king summoned his wife Sudeshna, and asked her to produce sons from him. Sudeshna, detesting the idea, decided to send her maid Dhatreyi, a
Shudra
Shudra or ''Shoodra'' (Sanskrit: ') is one of the four '' varnas'' of the Hindu caste system and social order in ancient India. Various sources translate it into English as a caste, or alternatively as a social class. Theoretically, class ser ...
woman, to lay with the sage. Eleven babies were born, and the sage soon learnt that the mother of his children was not the queen, but her servant maid. Bali pacified the sage's anger, and this time
Dirghatamas
Dīrghatamas (Sanskrit: दीर्घतमस्) was an ancient Indian sage well known for his philosophical verses in the Rigveda. He was author of Suktas (hymns) 140 to 164 in the first Mandala (section) of the Rigveda. There was another ...
and Sudeshna lay together to produce five sons. In other accounts, the mere touch of the sage caused Sudeshna's pregnancy. After renouncing all worldly affairs, he divided his country into five kingdoms, one for each of his sons:
*Anga (founder of the
Anga Kingdom
Anga (Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of eastern South Asia whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The members of the Aṅga tribe were called the Āṅgeyas.
Counted among the "sixteen great nations" in Buddhist texts ...
)
*Vanga (founder of the
Vanga Kingdom
Vanga was an ancient kingdom and geopolitical division within the Ganges delta in the Indian subcontinent. The kingdom is one of the namesakes of the Bengal region. It was located in southern Bengal, with the core region including present-day ...
)
*Kalinga (founder of the
Kalinga Kingdom)
*Pundra (founder of the
Pundra Kingdom
Pundravardhana or Pundra Kingdom ( sa, Puṇḍravardhana), was an ancient kingdom during the Iron Age period in India with a territory that included parts of present-day Rajshahi and Rangpur Divisions of Bangladesh as well as the West Dinaj ...
)
*Suhma (founder of the
Suhma Kingdom
Suhma Kingdom was an ancient state during the Late Vedic period on the eastern part of the Indian Subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal. The kingdom included present day districts of Midnapore and parts of Hoogly and Howrah. This ...
)
See also
*
Pratardana
Pratardana () is a king of the Chandravamsha (Lunar dynasty) featured in Hindu literature. He is also called Dyuman, Shatrujit, Vatsa, Rithadhvaja, and Kuvalayashva. He is the son of King Divodasa of Kashi and Madhavi, the daughter of King Yayati ...
*
Yayati
Yayāti ( sa, ययाति, translit=Yayāti), is a king in Hindu tradition. He is described to be a Chandravamsha king. He is regarded to be the progenitor of the races of the Yadavas and the Pandavas.
He is considered in some texts t ...
*
Pratipa
References
External links
* The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose'', Bharata Press, Calcutta (1883–1896)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bali
Lunar dynasty
Mahabharata