Raghu () is a ruler of the Suryavamsha dynasty in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

. According to the '' Raghuvamsha'', he is the son of King

Dilīpa Dilīpa, also known as Khaṭvāṅga, is a legendary king of the Ikshvaku dynasty featured in Hinduism. Dilipa is the son of Mulaka and Ilibila, the husband of Sudakshina, and the father of Raghu. Dilipa is also the name of a serpent born int ...

and Queen Sudakshina. His successors styled themselves as belonging to the eponymous Raghuvamsha dynasty, or the ''Raghukula,'' after him. The history of his dynasty is elaborated upon by the poet

Kalidasa Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and ...

in his ''Raghuvamsha''. He is the great-grandfather of the avatar 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 ...

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 ...

Legend

Raghuvamsha

The life and glories of Raghu are described in the poem Raghuvamsha, written by Kalidasa. In the third canto, his birth, education, and marriage are described. He participates in the hundredth ashvamedha sacrifice of his father, fighting Indra, who steals the sacrificial horse. His victory against the deity is followed by his ascension to the throne, after Dilipa retires to the forest. In the fourth canto, Raghu expands his domains, subjugating the kings of

Vanga The family Vangidae (from ''vanga'', Malagasy for the hook-billed vanga, ''Vanga curvirostris'') comprises a group of often shrike-like medium-sized birds distributed from Asia to Africa, including the vangas of Madagascar to which the family o ...

, Utkala, Kalinga, the Pandya king, Huns, Persians, and

Pragjyotisha Kamarupa (; also called Pragjyotisha or Pragjyotisha-Kamarupa), an early state during the Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, was (along with Davaka) the first historical kingdom of Assam. Though Kamarupa prevailed from 350 to ...

. On the instruction of his guru,

Vashistha Vasishtha ( sa, वसिष्ठ, IAST: ') is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vashishtha an ...

, he performs the Viśvajit

yajna Yajna ( sa, यज्ञ, yajña, translit-std=IAST, sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering) refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras.SG Nigal (1986), Axiological Approach to the Vedas, Northern Book ...

, giving away all his wealth as

dāna Dāna (Devanagari: दान, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Dānam) is a Sanskrit and Pali word that connotes the virtue of generosity, charity (practice), charity or giving of alms in Indian philosophies. In Hindui ...

. After being impoverished, Sage Kautsa, a disciple of Vartantu, comes to Raghu, seeking 14 koti (million) gold coins as a gurudakshina. Expressing his inability to offer the sum, Raghu plans to plunder Kubera's treasury for wealth. When the deity catches wind of this, he willingly fills the king's coffers with a rain of gold coins, which Raghu promptly offers to Kautsa. Pleased, the sage blesses Raghu to bear a son, and soon, Aja is born. After he comes of age, Raghu sends his son to attend the svayamvara of Princess Indumati of Vidharba, whom he successfully weds. The story of Raghu ends in the eighth canto, where he retires to the forest after nominating Aja as the king.

Lineage

A number of Puranas, which include the

Vishnu Purana The Vishnu Purana (IAST:, sa, विष्णुपुराण) is one of the eighteen Puranas#Mahapuranas, Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature c ...

, the

Vayu Purana The ''Vayu Purana'' ( sa, वायुपुराण, ) is a Sanskrit text and one of the eighteen major Puranas of Hinduism. ''Vayu Purana'' is mentioned in the manuscripts of the Mahabharata and other Hindu texts, which has led scholars to pr ...

, the

Linga Purana The ''Linga Purana'' (लिङ्गपुराण, IAST: ) is one of the eighteen '' Mahapuranas'', and a ''Shaivism'' text of Hinduism. The text's title ''Linga'' refers to the iconographical symbol for Shiva. The author(s) and date of the ...

, mention Dirghabahu as the son of Dilīpa and Raghu as the son of Dirghabahu. But 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 ...

, the

Brahma Purana The ''Brahma Purana'' ( sa, ब्रह्मपुराण or ; ) is one of the eighteen major Puranas collections of Hindu texts in Sanskrit Language. It is listed as the first Maha-Purana in all the anthologies, and therefore also called Adi ...

and the

Shiva Purana The ''Shiva Purana'' is one of eighteen major texts of the ''Purana'' genre of Sanskrit texts in Hinduism, and part of the Shaivism literature corpus. It primarily revolves around the Hindu god Shiva and goddess Parvati, but references and reve ...

mention Raghu as son of Dilīpa and Dirghavahu as his epithet.''Sanskrit Documents'', Raghuvamsha text, Sarga ( Chapter ) 05 https://sanskritdocuments.org/sites/giirvaani/giirvaani/rv/sargas/05_rv.htm

References

{{Authority control Characters in Hindu mythology Solar dynasty