Muchukunda

In Hindu history, Muchukunda (), the son of King Mandhata, and brother of Ambarisha, is an Ikshvaku (Suryavamsha) king.

Battle with the asuras

Once, in a battle, the devas were defeated by the asuras. Tormented by arrows, they sought help from king Muchukunda. King Muchukunda agreed to help them and fought against the asuras for a long time. Since the devas did not have an able commander, king Muchukunda protected them against the onslaught by asuras, until the devas got an able commander like Kartikeya, the son of Shiva. Then Indra said to the king Muchukunda, "O king, we, the deities are indebted to you for the help and protection which you have given us, by sacrificing your own family life. Here in the heaven, one year equals three hundred and sixty years of the earth. Since, it has been a long time, there is no sign of your kingdom and family because it has been destroyed with the passage of time. You came here in Treta Yuga and now its Dwapara Yuga on earth.We are happy and pleased with you, so ask for any boon except Moksha(liberation) because it is beyond our capacities".

Slumber

Muchukunda was struck with grief upon learning that his family was no longer alive, and moksha was the only thing he would have asked for other than returning to his family. Muchukunda asks Indra for a boon to sleep, as sleep would allow him to separate from the sadness. Also, while fighting on the side of the devas, he had been unable to sleep for even a single moment. Now, since his responsibilities were over, overcome by tiredness, he was feeling very sleepy. So, he said, "O King of the devas, I want to sleep. Anyone who dares to disturb my sleep should get burnt to ashes immediately".

Indra said, "So be it, go to the earth and enjoy your sleep, the one who awakens you would be reduced to ashes".

Death of Kalayavana

Kalayavana, the great yavana warrior king, was killed by Muchukunda's gaze in the Indian epic ''Mahabharata''.

Kalayavana was undefeated and unmatched in battle due to a boon, but he was also merciless and cruel.
He learns that Krishna is alive and sets out to invade Krishna's kingdom, Mathura. When the two armies faced each other in battle, Krishna dismounts from his chariot and starts walking away, followed by Kalayavana. After a long time Krishna, followed by Kalayavana, enters a dark cave. In this cave, Muchukunda was sleeping since the time he was blessed by the king of deities.

The person on whom Muchukunda's gaze falls is doomed to instantaneous death. Kalayavana, in a fit of anger and unable to see in the dark, attacks Muchukunda, mistaking him to be Krishna. When Muchukunda opens his eyes, his gaze falls on Kalayavana, who is immediately burnt to death.

According to Hindu epics, Muchukunda was an ancestor of Rama, who belonged to ''Treta Yuga''. Krishna appears towards the end of ''Dvapara Yuga''. So, Muchukunda is asleep for a long time. When he finally woke up, he was delighted to see Krishna. Krishna advised him to perform Tapas to cleanse the accumulated sins, to attain moksha (liberation). After meeting with the deity, Muchukunda set out of the cave. And the story narrates that he was astonished to see all creatures had shrunken in size over time while he rested in the cave, indicating long ages gone by. Muchukunda then went to Gandamadana Mountain and from there to Badrika Ashrama for performing a penance.

See also

*King Mandhata

References

{{HinduMythology

Characters in the Mahabharata
Rishis
Characters in the Bhagavata Purana