Udayana (king)

Udayana
Occupation	King of Vatsa

Udayana was a king of Vatsa in India, a contemporary of Gautama Buddha.

Life

Niti Adaval mentions about Udayana and his love for music, art and fondness of women. Due to a dohada ("pregnancy craving"), Mṛgāvatī, pregnant with Udayana, is either covered or immersed in red. A monstrous bird mistakes her for raw meat and carries her away, later dropping her. She is cared for in a hermitage, where she raises her son. Udayana obtains a wonderful lute, elephant taming skills, and confidants; he and his mother eventually return to their home, Kauśāmbī.

Udayana is later captured by Pradyota, the King of Ujjayinī. Here, he teaches the lute to Pradyota's daughter, Vāsavadattā, and they fall in love. Eventually they escape to Kauśāmbī, where Udayana's rightful kingship is restored, and they are married. But fearing Udayana is getting soft, and desiring an additional political alliance, Udayana's ministers make him believe that Vāsavadattā is dead, and effect his marriage to Ratnavali.

Though he is later reunited with Vāsavadattā, Udayana remains childless. Later, as a boon of Kubera, Vāsavadattā becomes pregnant with Naravāhanadatta (his name means "given by Kubera"), who is fated to become the emperor of the Vidyādharas.

Udayana, the son of IAST (IAST: IAST)

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II by the Videha princess succeeded him. Udayana, the romantic hero of the

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, the

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and many other legends was a contemporary of Buddha and of Pradyota, the king of Avanti. The

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contains a long account of his conquests. The

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narrates the event of his victory over the ruler of

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and restoration of

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to the throne of

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. The commentary on the Dhammapada describes the story of his marriage with

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or

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, the daughter of Pradyota, the king of Avanti. It also mentions about his two other consorts,

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, daughter of a Kuru Brahmin and

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, the adopted daughter of the treasurer Ghosaka. The

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refers to a peasant girl

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who became his wife. The

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of

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mentions about another queen named

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, a sister of king

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of Magadha. The

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tells us about the marriage of Udayana with

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, the daughter of

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, the king of

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. The

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narrates a story of romance between him and

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, an attendant of his chief queen,

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. The name of his son by his chief queen is Bodhi.

References

Sources

• Cort, John E. (2010) [1953], Framing the Jina: Narratives of Icons and Idols in Jain History, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0-19-538502-1
• Vijayalakshmy, R. (1981), A Study of the Peruṅkatai: an authentic version of the story of Udayana, Madras: International Institute of Tamil Studies