|
Janaka
Janaka (, IAST: ''Janaka'') is the King of Videha who ruled from Mithila (region), Mithila, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Janaka was married to Sunayana (Ramayana), Sunayana. He is the father of Sita and Urmila in the epic. The term Janaka was also the title adopted by all the kings of Videha, who were the descendants of the Nimi (king), King Nimi and his son King Mithi. The King Mithi is considered as the first King of Videha who was titled with the term ''Janaka''. Janaka is revered as being an ideal example of non-attachment to material possessions. He was intensely interested in spiritual discourse and considered himself free from worldly illusions. His interactions with sages and seekers such as Ashtavakra and Sulabha are recorded in the ancient texts. Legend Birth and ancestry Janaka, originally named Sīradhvaja, was born to King Hrasvaroman of Mithila and his wife Keikasi. The Videha kingdom was situated historically between the Gandaki River to the east ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sita
Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is the chief goddess of the Ramanandi Sampradaya and is the goddess of beauty and devotion. Sita's birthday is celebrated every year on the occasion of Sita Navami. Described as the daughter of Bhūmi (the earth), Sita is brought up as the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Videha. Sita, in her youth, chooses Rama, the prince of Ayodhya (Ramayana), Ayodhya as her husband in a swayamvara. After the Sita Swayamvara, swayamvara, she accompanies her husband to his kingdom but later chooses to accompany him along with her brother-in-law Lakshmana, in his exile. While in exile, the trio settles in the Dandaka forest from where she is abducted by Ravana, the Rakshasa king of Lanka. She is imprisoned in the garden of Ashoka Vatika, in Lanka, until she ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hrasvaroman Janaka
Hrasvaroman Janaka (Sanskrit: ह्रस्वरोमन् जनक) was the king of the Videha Kingdom in the Indian subcontinent. He was the twentieth Janaka in the lineage of the ''Janaka Dynasty'' in Mithila. He was the father of the famous King Shreedhwaja Janaka in Ramayana. He ruled the kingdom of Videha before the King Shreedhwaja Janaka. Description Hrasvaroman was born in the royal family of the Janaka Dynasty in Mithila. He was the son of the King Svarṇaroman Janaka. He was the descendant of King Nimi, who was one of the sons of Ikshwaku. Thus he was also a descendant from the lineage of the Ikshwaku Dynasty in the Indian subcontinent. The King Hrasvaroman Janaka is mentioned in several major ancient texts of Hinduism. He is mentioned in the texts of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas, etc. In the chapter 64 of the Brahmanda Purana, '' Goswami Suta'' explained to sages at Kurukshetra about the description of the lineage of the Nimi's dynasty. According to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhanumaan Janaka
Bhanumaan Janaka (Sanskrit: भानुमान जनक) was the king of Videha in the ancient Indian Subcontinent. He ruled the kingdom of ''Mithila'' after the king Shreedhwaja Janaka in Ramayana. According to the texts Vishnu Purana and Garuda Purana, ''Bhanumaan'' was the son of the king Shreedhwaja Janaka. The name of the son of King Bhanumaan Janaka was ''Shatadhyumn''. Description In the texts Vishnu Purana and Garuda Purana, the king ''Bhanumaan Janaka'' is mentioned as the son of the king Shreedhwaja Janaka. But according to the other text Bhagavata Purana and Vayu Purana The ''Vayu Purana'' (, ) 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 propose that the text is among the ..., the king Bhanumaan Janaka is mentioned as the son of ''Kesidhwaja''. The king Kesidhwaja was the son of the king ''Kritadhwaja'' and also the des ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sita Swayamvara
Sita Swayamvara ( Maithili: सीता स्वंवर) is the ''swayamvara'' event, culminating in the wedding of the deities Rama and Sita, the protagonists of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. The event was related to a competition among the kings in the Indian subcontinent to win the hand of the princess Sita of the Mithila Kingdom. The competition of the ''Sita Swayamvara'' was organised at the court of Sita's father - King Shreedhwaja Janaka in Mithila. Background According to Hindu scriptures including the ''Ramayana'', the divine bow Pinaka of the god Shiva was given to King Devarata Janaka of Mithila for its safe-keeping. Pinaka was received by Shreedhwaja Janaka in legacy. It was said that the bow was so powerful that no one was able to uplift it. Once, princess Sita had lifted this bow in her childhood. When the King Janaka saw Sita uplifting the divine bow Pinaka, he was impressed by her power and then he thought that she was no ordinary maiden. After King Janaka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devarata Janaka
Devarata Janaka () was the sixth descendant of King Nimi in Janaka Dynasty of the ancient Videha Kingdom. He belonged to Ikshwaku descendants. He became the king of Videha Kingdom after his father ''Suketu''. According to Valmiki Ramayana, Devarata Janaka received the famous divine bow of Lord Shiva named as "'' Pinaka''" for its safe-keeping. Description According to the texts, from the lifeless body of King Nimi after his death, Mithi was born who became the first King Janaka. Thereafter, King Mithi's son was ''Udavasu'' from whom ''Nandivardhana'' was born; his son was ''Suketu'' (also known as ''Sukesha'') from whom ''Devarata'' was born. In Ramayana, Shreedwaja Janaka father of Sita, narrated the story of the divine bow Pinaka at the Swayamvar Sabha of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita in Mithila. He told that at the time of the destruction of Daksha Yagya, Lord Shiva told the Devatas, "In your eagerness to participate in the Yagya, you could not take my share. So I will ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Videha
Videha ( Prākrit: ; Pāli: ; Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-eastern Indian subcontinent whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The population of Videha, the Vaidehas, were initially organised into a monarchy but later became a (an aristocratic republic), presently referred to as the Videha Republic, which was part of the larger Vajjika League. Location The borders of the Videha kingdom were the Sadānirā river in the west, the Kauśikī river in the east, the Gaṅgā river in the south, and the Himālaya mountains in the north. To the west of the Sadānirā river, the neighbour of the Vaidehas was the kingdom of Kosala. The Sadānirā and Kauśikī rivers remained the respective western and eastern boundaries of the later Videha republic, although its territory covered only the northern part of that of the former Videha kingdom, with the latter hence being called Mahā-Videha ("greater Videha"). The Videha republic was located along ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sulabha
Sulabha ( Sanskrit: सुलभ ) was a female scholar who lived during the Mithila Kingdom. She was a Vedic scholar knownas Brahmavadini. In ''Rigaveda'', a ''Samhita'' attributed to her was called ''Saulabha Samhita'', later lost. ''Sulabha'' was a learned woman who belonged to the mendicant order. She renounced worldly possessions and followed a spiritual path. The text describes her as well-versed in Yoga, an ancient Indian discipline for physical, mental, and spiritual development. Early life Sulabha was a wandering Indian ascetic Y''ogini''. She had philosophical debates with the philosopher king Janaka. She engaged in philosophical debate with King Janaka. She challenged traditional gender roles and argued for women's equality in achieving spiritual liberation. Her story of debating King Janaka is mentioned in ''Mokshadharma Parva'' Chapter 321 of Shanti Parva in ''Mahabharata''. In the story Yudhishthira asked Bhishma about the liberation of self without giving up ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Mithi
Mithi ( Sanskrit: मिथि ) was the king of Videha Kingdom in the ancient Indian Subcontinent. He was the son of the King Nimi. He was the first King Janaka in the Janaka Dynasty of Mithila. Mention According to ''Vishnu'' ''Purana'' and ''Bhavishya Purana'' the name “''Mithila''” is derived from King Mithi, who established the city of ''Mithilapuri''. He was also known as Janaka because he was born out of the body of his father. The title Janaka was later adopted by subsequent kings of Mithila. According to '' Bal Kand'' of Valmiki Ramayana, King Mithi had a son named as ''Udavasu'' who became successor of the kingdom after him''.'' Description The story of the birth of the King Mithi is described in Vishnu Purana, ''Shrimadbhagwat Purana'', Ramayana, Devī Bhāgavata, Matsya Purana The ''Matsya Purana'' (IAST: Matsya Purāṇa) is one of the eighteen major Puranas (Mahapurana), and among the oldest and better preserved in the Puranic genre of Sanskrit litera ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunayana (Ramayana)
Sunayana (, IAST: ''Sunayanā'') is the queen of Videha in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sunayana is the queen consort of Janaka, the king of Videha, who ruled from Mithila. She is the mother of Sita, the female protagonist of the epic and Urmila. Etymology The name Sunayana is of Sanskrit origin, and could be divided into ''Su'' meaning good, and ''nayana,'' meaning eyes''.'' Thus'','' her name means 'beautiful eyes'. Legend Birth While Valmiki remains silent on her parentage and refers to her as queen consort of Seeradhwaja Janaka, the later additions of ''Ramayana'', refers to her as Sunayana and she is considered as the daughter of a serpent who was an ardent devotee of Shiva. Marriage and children Sunayana was married to King Janaka, who ruled over the Videha region from his capital Mithila. During her marriage to Janak, Shiva gifted these two jewels, one in the form of Chudamani and the other encrusted on a ring. According to ''Ramayana'', Janaka and Sunayana ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kushadhvaja
Kushadhvaja ( IAST: Kuśadhvaja) is the King of Samkasya and the younger brother of Janaka, the King of Mithila, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He was married to Chandrabhaga and is the father of Mandavi and Shrutakirti. Legend Birth Kushadhvaja was born to King Hrasvaroman of Mithila and his wife Keikasi. He is the younger brother of Janaka. The Videha kingdom was historically located between east of Gandaki River, west of Mahananda River, north of the Ganga river and south of the Himalayas. Marriage and children Kushadhvaja was married to queen consort Chandrabhaga (). Chandrabhaga first gave birth to Mandavi and later gave birth to his second daughter Shrutakirti. Both his daughters were brought up in Mithila, along with Sita and Urmila. Mandavi was married to Bharata while Shrutakirti was married to Shatrughna, both the younger brothers of Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashtavakra
Ashtavakra (, ) is a revered Vedic sage in Hinduism. His maternal grandfather was the Vedic sage Aruni, his parents were both Vedic students at Aruni's school. Ashtavakra studied, became a sage and a celebrated character of the Hindu Itihasa epics and Puranas. Ashtavakra is the author of the text '' Aṣṭāvakra Gītā'', also known as ''Aṣṭāvakra Saṃhitā'', in Hindu traditions. The text is a treatise on Brahman and Ātman. History Little is known about the life or century in which Ashtavakra actually lived, except for the accounts found in the major Indian Chronicle (the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata'') and the Puranas. The legends state that sage Aruni, mentioned in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad, ran an ashram ( chool teaching the Vedas. Kahoḍa was one of his students, along with Aruni's daughter Sujata. Aruni's daughter married Kahoḍa. She got pregnant, and during her pregnancy, the developing baby heard the chanting of the Vedas and learnt the correct re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
