Chandrahasa () is a king of the
Kuntala kingdom in
Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...
. The story of Chandrahasa is described in the
Ashvamedhika Parva
Ashvamedhika Parva ( sa, अश्वमेध पर्व), is the fourteenth of eighteen books of the Indian Epic Mahabharata. It traditionally has 2 parts and 96 chapters.Ganguli, K.M. (1883-1896)Aswamedha Parva in ''The Mahabharata of Krish ...
of the epic
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
. Chandrahasa befriends
Arjuna
Arjuna (Sanskrit: अर्जुन, ), also known as Partha and Dhananjaya, is a character in several ancient Hindu texts, and specifically one of the major characters of the Indian epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he is the third among Panda ...
who was accompanied by
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
guarding the ashvamedha ceremony of
Yudhishthira
''Yudhishthira'' (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his first w ...
. Chandrahasa anoints his son Makaraksha as the king and accompanies the army of Arjuna to help the
ashvamedha
The Ashvamedha ( sa, अश्वमेध, aśvamedha, translit-std=IAST) was a horse sacrifice ritual followed by the Śrauta tradition of Vedic religion. It was used by ancient Indian kings to prove their imperial sovereignty: a horse accomp ...
.
The story of Chandrahasa is also depicted in the Kannada epic
Jaimini Bharatha of the poet
Lakshmeesha. The popular story of the prince Chandrahasa is also played in popular films and in
Yakshagana
Yakshagaana is a traditional theatre, developed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Kerala that combines dance, music, dialogue, ...
theatre.
Legend
Childhood
Prince Chandrahasa was born to a
raja
''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested f ...
of the
Deccan
The large Deccan Plateau in South India, southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bou ...
, bearing six toes in his left foot, an inauspicious sign. The raja was slain in battle, and his queen followed him in the funeral pyre, leaving their son destitute. The child's maid fled with him to the kingdom of Kuntala, but passed away three years later without having revealed the identity of the prince. Chandrahasa grew to fend for himself, finding a
shaligrama
A shaligrama shila ( deva, शालिग्राम शिला, Śāligrāma-śilā), also rendered as shaligram, is a particular variety of stone collected from riverbed or banks of the Kali Gandaki, a tributary of the Gandaki River in N ...
, a sacred marble of
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
, that served as his talisman.
One day, Dushtabuddhi (the wicked-minded one), the minister of the king of Kuntala, was performing the ''annasantarpane'', the ceremony of feeding the people. The priests who had gathered there noticed the royal features of Chandrahasa and told the minister to take special care of the boy. But Dushtabuddhi, who had evil designs, wished to usurp the throne, and hence sought to dispose of the boy. He hired some mercenaries for this purpose, who took the boy captive in the jungle and prepared to kill him. Unable to perform the dirty deed, they slice off his sixth finger and showed it to Dushtabuddhi as evidence of Chandrahasa's death. Kalinda, a vassal of Kuntala, saw the child wandering and crying in the jungle. As he had no children of his own, he brought him home and raised him as his own son, naming him as Chandrahasa, since his faced radiated like the moon whenever he laughed. Chandrahasa learnt all the aspects of a princely education and was designated as his foster-father's heir. Dustabuddhi visited Chandanavati, the kingdom of Kalinda, and caught sight of Chandrahasa, realising that he had been deceived. He wrote a letter to his son Madana, asking Chandrahasa to be his messenger.
Coronation
Chandrahasa travelled to the Kuntala kingdom and was resting in the garden in the outskirts of the town. Vishaya, daughter of Dushtabuddhi, who had also come there with her maids chanced upon a sleeping Chandrahasa and was attracted to his comeliness. She opened the letter addressed to her brother and recognised it as her father's note. The letter addressed to Madana ordered him neither to care for the rank nor the youth of the messenger, and to give him ''visha'' (poison). Vishaya, entranced by the youth, decided that her father, in his haste, had meant to write ''Vishaya'' instead, adding the last characters to the letter using her cosmetic and a stalk.
Vishaya changes the letter, folio of .">Razmnama.
Chandrahasa delivered the note to Madana, Dushtabuddhi's son, who honoured his father's command that very evening, wedding the prince to his beautiful sister.
Dustabuddhi returned to Kuntala to great fanfare, and swiftly realised what had transpired, wondering if he had truly committed such a blunder. He hatched another assassination plot, requesting Chandrahasa to visit the family's Kali temple that evening, alone, assuring him it was their custom. Meanwhile, the raja of Kuntala decided to abdicate his throne due to one of his dreams, resolving to name Chandrahasa as his heir, and marry him off to his daughter.
Chandrahasa bends his knee before the king of Kuntala made by Kanhar. folio of Razmnama.
Madana was asked to convey this message. Madana met Chandrahasa, asking him to rush to the palace immediately and took his place to go the temple. He was promptly assassinated there by the murderers sent by Dushtabuddhi. Chandrahasa went to the palace and was immediately married to the princess, Champakamalini, and was crowned as the king. When the tidings of his son's tragic death reached Dushtabuddhi, he was devastated and decided to end his life, going to the Kali temple and beheading himself. When Chandrahasa learnt of this twin tragedy, he went to the temple and prayed to goddess Kali to restore the two to life. When there was no answer, he proceeded to offer himself as a sacrifice to the goddess, following which Kali appeared before him and granted his wish. Chandrahasa ruled as the king of Kuntala and Chandanavati with his two queens.
Chandrahasa's sacrifice, made by Qabil. folio of Razmnama
Ashvamedha
Chandrahasa ruled his kingdom for many years, having invited Kulinda to Kuntala. He had a son by the name of Padmaksha from Champakamalini, and Makaraksha from Vishaya, the minister's daughter. When these two boys were walking in the outskirts of the town one day, they chanced upon the stallion of Yudhishtira's ashvamedha yagna; dismayed, they came back and informed their father of it. Chandrahasa met Krishna and Arjuna and treated them in a royal manner offering them abundant wealth and men for the yagna. He anointed his son Makaraksha as the king, and joined Krishna and Arjuna, along with his kingdom's army.
In popular culture
The story of Chandrahasa has been depicted in a number of Indian films, including: ''Chandrahasa'' (1921) and ''Chandrahasa'' (1928) by
Kanjibhai Rathod
Kanjibhai Rathod was an Indian film director.
Early life
Kanjibhai Rathod from Maroli village in south Gujarat, was considered the first successful director in Indian cinema. His rise to fame in an era when most people stayed away from films d ...
, ''Chandrahasa'' (1929) by
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke
Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Pronunciation: ̪ʱuɳɖiɾaːd͡ʒ pʰaːɭke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke () (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944), was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of Indian cinema". His de ...
,
''Chandrahasa'' (1933) by
Sarvottam Badami
Sarvottam Badami (1910–2005) was an Indian film director of Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. He started his career as a sound recordist for the first talkie in India, '' Alam Ara'' (1931). In 1948 he helped set up the Films Division for news- ...
,
''Chandrahasan'' (1936) by Profulla Ghosh, ''Chandrahasa'' (1941) by M. L. Rangaiah, ''Chandrahasa'' (1947) by Gunjal, ''Chandrahasa'' (1947) by Shanthesh Patel, ''
Chandrahasa
Chandrahasa () is a king of the Kuntala kingdom in Hindu mythology. The story of Chandrahasa is described in the Ashvamedhika Parva of the epic Mahabharata. Chandrahasa befriends Arjuna who was accompanied by Krishna guarding the ashvamedha c ...
'' (1965) by B. S. Ranga in both Telugu (with Hara Nadh and Krishna Kumari, Gummadi in the lead roles and Kannada, with Raj Kumar and Leelavati.
References
Bibliography
*Jaimini Bharata, Lakshmeesha, Shatpadi 50 59, Kannada
*Havyakara Itihasa, Vidwan Manjappa Kalasi, 1993.
*Mahabharatha, Ashvamedhika Parva, Sanskrit Epic.
*The coins of Kuntal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandrahasa
Characters in the Mahabharata
Indian legendary characters
Indian mythology in popular culture
Indian monarchs
Hindu monarchs
Yakshagana
Mughal art
Miniature painting