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Lakshmana (Krishna's wife)
| Lakshmanā | |
|---|---|
 Ashtabharya with Krishna - 19th Century Mysore painting depicting Krishna with his eight principal consorts | |
| Other names | Dwarkeshwari, Madri, Charuhasini |
| Affiliation | Ashtabharya |
| Abode | Dwarka |
| Texts | Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Harivamsa, Mahabharata |
| Personal information | |
| Spouse | Krishna |
| Dynasty | Yaduvansh by marriage |
Lakshmana or Lakshana is seventh of the Ashtabharya,[1] the eight principal queen-consorts of Hindu god Krishna, an avatar of the god Vishnu and the king of Dwarka - in the Dvapara Yuga (epoch).
Family and names[edit]
The Bhagavata Purana mentions Lakshmana, who is endowed with good qualities, as the daughter of an unnamed ruler of the kingdom of Madra.[2] The Padma Purana specifics the name of the king of Madra as Brihatsena.[3] Lakshmana describes Brihatsena to be a good veena player in a dialogue.[4] Some texts give her the epithet Madri or Madraa ("of Madra").[5][6] However, the Vishnu Purana includes Lakshmana in the Ashtabharya list, but mentions another queen Madri, who is explicitly mentioned as the princess of Madra. The lineage of Lakshmana is not alluded to in the text. The text also calls her Charuhasini, one with a lovely smile. The Harivamsa also calls her Charuhasini, but is not associated with Madra and another queen called Madri or Subhima is mentioned like the Vishnu Purana.[6][7]
Marriage[edit]
Lakshmana's father had organized a Swayamvara ceremony, in which a bride chooses a groom from assembled suitors. The Bhagavata Purana and Garuda Purana mentions that Krishna abducts Lakshmana from the swayamvara, just like the bird-man Garuda had stolen the jar of the elixir of life (amrita) from the gods.[8][5]The Sharanga bow of Vishnu which was the most poweful bow after Vijaya and Pinaka was kept and whoever managed to lift the bow was victorious,unlike Draupadi Swayamawara where the test was to hit the fish eye.The bow was 1000 times heavier than the bow used in Draupadi Swayamawara as it was the personal bow of Lord Vishnu.This swayamwara was more flamboyant than that of Draupadi and was considered the toughest swayamwara contest of the era.It resembled the swayamawara of Sita in Treta Yuga.10000 wrestlers and infantry-men were called to transport the bow to the spot of Swayamwara.Kings of the entire Bharata even from outside India like the kingdom of Sri Lanka and some of the devas were also present there tripling the kings present as that in Draupadi's Swayamwara and everyone there wanted the hand of Lakshamana.This was the grandest swayamawara and it was said that Lakshamana was dark-skinned and was more beautiful than Draupadi.All the kings tried their luck including Jarasandh,Shalya,Duryodhana,Susharma who were the major kings of that time and even devas failed in lifting the bow of Lord Vishnu.Bhima and Arjuna had lifted it but could hold the grip for a long time and failed.Finally,Karna who could lift any bow in the world as he possessed the strongest bow of Shiva, the Vijaya.Karna sighed at Lakshamana,bowed down in front of Lakshamana's father. Karna lifted the bow single-handedly and broke the bow of Vishnu in front of all the kings of the 3 worlds,the universe trembled with fear as Lakshamana was destined to marry Krishna. All the kings,devas bowed in front of Karna.The kings roared and applauded the brave feat of Karna. Krishna abducted Lakshamana in front of the awe-struck court and signalled Karna that it was him who wants to marry her and that is what is destined. Karna understood the signal of Krishna and didn't wanted to break pact with him but the other kings attacked Krishna where all were defeated and then Krishna married Lakshamana in Dwarka
Children and death[edit]
The Bhagavata Purana states that she had ten sons: Praghosha, Gatravan, Simha, Bala, Prabala, Urdhvaga, Mahashakti, Saha, Oja and Aparajita.[9] The Vishnu Purana says that she has many sons headed by Gatravan.[6]
The Bhagavata Purana records the wailing of Krishna's queens and their subsequent leap in Krishna's funeral pyre immolating themselves (see sati).[10] The Mausala Parva of the Hindu epic Mahabharata which describes the death of Krishna and end of his race declares that only four committed, others kill themselves by burning themselves alive after being attacked by robbers.[11]
References[edit]
- ↑ Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia: a Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-8426-0822-0.
- ↑ Prabhupada. "Bhagavata Purana 10.58.57". Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
- ↑ Mani, Vettam (1975). Puranic Encyclopaedia: a Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass Publishers. p. 448. ISBN 978-0-8426-0822-0.
- ↑ Rakosh Das Begamudre; Pōtana (1988). Amrutha of Sreemad Bhagavatha: adapted and translated from the Telugu original of Kavi Bammera Pothana. Rakosh Das Beegamudre. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Prabhupada. "Bhagavata Purana 10.61.15". Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Horace Hayman Wilson (1870). The Vishńu Puráńa: a system of Hindu mythology and tradition. Trübner. pp. 81–3, 107–8. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
- ↑ "Harivamsha Maha Puraaam - Vishnu Parvaharivamsha in the Mahabharata - Vishnuparva Chapter 103 - narration of the Vrishni race". Mahabharata Resources Organization. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- ↑ "Five Ques married by Krishna". Krishnabook.com. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- ↑ "The Genealogical Table of the Family of Krishna". Krsnabook.com. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- ↑ Prabhupada. "Bhagavata Purana 11.31.20". Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010.
- ↑ Kisari Mohan Ganguli. "Mahabharata". Sacred-texts.com. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
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