Romapada (
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...
: Romapāda), also known Chitraratha and Lomapada, was a king of
Anga
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 ...
, and the adoptive father of
Shanta
Shanta is a character in the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. She is the adoptive daughter of King Romapāda of Aṅga and wife of R̥śyaśr̥ṇga. In northern recensions of the ''Rāmāyaṇa'' and later Indian literature, she is the daughter of Daśara ...
in the
Hindu epic Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as ''sargabandha'', is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, ev ...
''
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
''.
Early life
Romapada was the youngest son of the
Yadava
The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Sat ...
king Vidarbha. Vidarbha had many sons, but his friend King Dharmaratha of
Anga
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 ...
was heirless. Thus, Dharmaratha adopted Romapada. When Dharmaratha grew old, he made Romapada the ruler of
Anga
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 ...
.
Meeting with Rishyasringa
After Dharmaratha retired to the forest, Romapada became the King of
Anga
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 ...
. He married
Vershini
Vershini was a wife of Romapada, the king of Anga, and an elder sister of Kausalya.
Story
Vershini and Kausalya were daughters of Kaushala king Sukaushala and queen Amritaprabha. Vershini was married to Romapada, the king of Anga, and Kausalya ...
, who was the elder sister of
Kausalya
Kausalya () is the senior queen-consort of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is the mother of Rama, the titular hero of the epic, and the senior wife of Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital of Ayodhya.
In some later acco ...
(mother of
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
). Kausalya's husband - King
Dasharatha
Dasharatha (Sanskrit: दशरथ, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of the Kosala kingdom and a scion of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. He ruled from this capital at Ayodhya. Dasharatha was the son of Aja and Indumati. He ha ...
of
Ayodhya
Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ayodhya, also known as Sāketa, Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and ...
was Romapada's childhood friend. Romapada and Vershini did not have any issue; Dasharatha promised them his first child. A daughter
Shanta
Shanta is a character in the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. She is the adoptive daughter of King Romapāda of Aṅga and wife of R̥śyaśr̥ṇga. In northern recensions of the ''Rāmāyaṇa'' and later Indian literature, she is the daughter of Daśara ...
was born to Dasharatha and Kausalya. Shanta was then adopted by the childless Romapada.
Once, a
Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
named Shuvateertha came to Romapada to ask for help, but the king called him back in the evening. When he visited in the evening, the king was busy talking with Shanta, and ignored Shuvateertha. The Brahmin returned, disappointed. The god of the rain and the king of heaven,
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
was enraged with the behaviour of the king. Thus, Anga received little rain during monsoons.
Severe drought occurred in the kingdom of Anga and on discussing with the known saints, the king realised the prevalent situation could be bypassed only if sage
Rishyashringa
Rishyasringa ( sa, ऋष्यशृङ्ग; ; Pali: Isisiṅga) is a Rishi mentioned in Indian (Hindu
and Buddhist) scriptures from the late first millennium BCE. According to the Hindu epics ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'', he was a boy ...
, the son of Vibhandaka would visit his country and bless it with the power of his meditation and austerity.
The king thought of various means to bring the sage to his country, and he suddenly got the idea that the seer, who had grown aloof from the world and the material pleasure, could only be lured by the charm and beauty of women. Thus, he sent beautiful courtesans dressed in attractive clothing and decorated with a pleasant smell in order to lure the seer. A courtesan named Vaishali was successful in bringing him to Anga, where he was given grand welcome.
[
The king had earlier adopted the daughter of his friend ]Dasharatha
Dasharatha (Sanskrit: दशरथ, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of the Kosala kingdom and a scion of the Suryavamsha dynasty in Hinduism. He ruled from this capital at Ayodhya. Dasharatha was the son of Aja and Indumati. He ha ...
called Shanta
Shanta is a character in the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. She is the adoptive daughter of King Romapāda of Aṅga and wife of R̥śyaśr̥ṇga. In northern recensions of the ''Rāmāyaṇa'' and later Indian literature, she is the daughter of Daśara ...
, who was an elder sister of Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
to Kausalya
Kausalya () is the senior queen-consort of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. She is the mother of Rama, the titular hero of the epic, and the senior wife of Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital of Ayodhya.
In some later acco ...
. After the seer performed the sacrifice, he was given an opportunity to choose a bride for him from among the daughters of all the known officers, ministers, and subordinate rulers present there. The young seer chose Shanta
Shanta is a character in the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. She is the adoptive daughter of King Romapāda of Aṅga and wife of R̥śyaśr̥ṇga. In northern recensions of the ''Rāmāyaṇa'' and later Indian literature, she is the daughter of Daśara ...
, the adopted daughter of Romapada.[
In the '']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 ...
'', Adhiratha
The ''Mahabharata'' is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India; it was composed by the sage Vyasa. The most important characters of ''Mahabharata'' can be said to include: Krishna; the Pand ...
, the chief charioteer of King Dhritrashtra
Dhritarashtra ( sa, धृतराष्ट्र, ISO-15919: Dhr̥tarāṣṭra) was a Kuru king, and the father of the Kauravas in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He was the King of the Kuru Kingdom, with its capital at Hastinapura. He was ...
and adoptive-father of Karna
Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-raja, and Radheya, is one of the main protagonists of the Hindu epic '' Mahābhārata''. He is the son of the sun god Surya and princess Kunti (mother of the ...
, is said to be Romapada's descendant.
See also
*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 ...
*Yadava
The Yadava (literally, descended from Yadu) were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Sat ...
References
Romapada's Plan to destroy Droughtness in his Kingdom - 1
{{HinduMythology
Characters in the Ramayana
Characters in the Mahabharata