Lord Sri Krishna, the eighth avatara or
manifestation of Sri Maha Vishnu, is a major deity in
Hinduism.
Considered to be a Poorna (complete) Avatara or a Supreme God in his own
right, he is the central character of the great Hindu epic, the
Mahabharata, the Bhagavata
Purana
and the
Bhagavad
Gita. Being the essence of love itself, Krishna had a great many
female followers, devotees and wives as well. One of his dearest wives was
Rukmini. Rukmini and Krishna had a son called Pradyumna.
Murlidhar Krishna with Cow
Marble Dust Statue
The handsome and valiant Pradyumna is the most beloved and famous son of
Krishna. Believed to be one among the four vyuha avataras, he is also one
of the 24 Keshava namas (names in praise) of
Vishnu.
In this post, we bring you the story of Pradyumna, the Son of Sri Krishna.
Pradyumna as a Vyuha Avatara of Vishnu
Maha Vishnu is vastly revered for his Chatur-vyuha (four-fold vyuha)
avataras, namely, Vasudeva (the Creator), Samkarsana (the Sustainer),
Pradyumna (the Destroyer) and Aniruddha (the Promulgator of Spiritual
Knowledge). These vyuhas are related to four of the six causes of
creation, representing the five aspects of God himself, namely, Narayana
(thinking), Vasudeva (feeling), Samkarsana (willing), Pradyumna (knowing)
and Aniruddha (acting). Each of these
avataras
controls a specific creative energy.
Mahavishnu
Reprint of Temple Mural
Attributes and Functions of the Vyuhas
Each of the vyuha avatara possesses certain attributes and performs
certain functions. Vasudeva is endowed with all the qualities in full
measure and hence, is equivalent to the Supreme Being or the Para
Vasudeva. Samkarsana possesses jnana (knowledge) and bala (strength).
Pradyumna is endowed with aishwarya (prosperity) and veerya (valour).
Aniruddha glows with shakti (might) and tejas (effulgence).
Each Vyuha is assigned one function. Vasudeva exists primarily to give
jeevatmas an experience of
Divine
Bliss and to give them an opportunity to serve the Lord. Samkarsana is
given the task of dissolution of the universe and propagation of the
Shastras. Pradyumna is entrusted with the creation of the universe and the
maintenance of Dharma. Aniruddha protects the universe and imparts
spiritual knowledge to all.
Hence, Vyuha Vasudeva is directly in charge of samashti, srishti, sthiti
and samhara. He is the Supreme Controller of all in this universe. As
Pradyumna, he enters the body of
Brahma
and controls the process of creation through him. As Samkarsana, he enters
Rudra, thus regulating the process of devolution in the universe. The
process of preservation, however, is directly controlled by Vasudeva, in
the form of Aniruddha. Aniruddha is an avatara of Maha Vishnu – he
monitors and preserves the universe.
Birth and Life
Pradyumna was the son of Lord
Sri
Krishna; and also the 61st grandson of Adinarayana. He was born to
Krishna and Rukmini in Dwaraka. He is commonly considered to be the
reincarnation of Kama Deva, the God of Love, who was burnt to ashes by
Shiva, in a fit of rage.
According to the Mahabharata, he was Sanathkumara, the son of Lord Brahma.
In Jainism, the Pradyumna-charitra (an 18-canon poem) of Rajchandra
relates the story of Pradyumna. This was written in 1618 AD.
Pradyumna as the Reincarnation of Kama Deva
Shiva, who had recently lost his wife Sati, was completely disillusioned
with life. Sati, the daughter of King Daksha, had married him against her
father's wishes. An angry Daksha insulted her and talked ill about Shiva,
when she visited his yagna after her marriage. Unable to bear the insult,
she jumped into the havan-kund and gave up her life. On coming to know
about this,
Shiva
reached the venue of the yagna, destroyed it all and, lifting the lifeless
body of Sati, left the place. Utterly grief-stricken, Shiva then proceeded
to go deep into meditation for years and years.
Shiva with Sati's Corpse on His Shoulders
In the Sat Yuga, the Devas decided that it was now time for Shiva to come
out of this self-imposed solitude and get back to both his worldly and
divine duties. In order to achieve this, they called about Kama Deva to
shoot his arrows of love at Shiva, thus distracting him from his
asceticism and making him fall in love again.
Around the same time, Parvati, an incarnation of Sati, was deeply in love
with Shiva. She was the daughter of King Himavan and had always adored
Shiva, right from a very young age. She used to visit his meditation spot
every day, cleaned the place and meditated along with him. When he refused
to respond, she vowed to take up severe penance in order to gain his
grace. Shedding her clothes and refusing to eat even a morsel, she
meditated for days and weeks on end.
The
Devas
asked her to stand in front of Shiva and asked Kama Deva to start
releasing his arrows. Distracted from his penance, Shiva opened his eyes
looked around and spotted the God of Love cowering in a corner. Enraged at
the latter's behaviour, he opened his Third Eye and immediately burnt him
to ashes.
Kama Deva's distraught wife, Rati, came up to the Lord and pleaded that
her husband be returned to her. Taking pity on her, Shiva promised her
that Kama Deva would be a part of Krishna in his next birth and that Rati
would reincarnate as the daughter of Bhimkaraya Rukmi. He blessed her that
she would end up marrying Kama in that birth, thus being reunited with
him.
Pradyumna is Abducted by Sambara
According to the Bhagavata Purana, Pradyumna was abducted by the demon
Sambara, when he was only a six-day-old baby. The demon took him and cast
him into the sea. He was then swallowed by a fish. But the fish was
carried back to the house of Sambara. When they opened it up, they found
the child inside. Sambara then gave the baby to Mayawati, who worked there
as a cook. She was only too happy to raise the handsome little child.
Mayawati was in actuality the reincarnation of Rati, the wife of Kama
Deva.
After a few days,
Narada
approached this woman and revealed the true identity of the child, also
letting her know that this was her husband, Kama Deva, from her previous
birth. Ever since then, Mayawati fell in love with the child and knew that
she would eventually marry him.
Narada - Photographic Print
Mayawati was tremendously attracted to Pradyumna's physical appearance and
longed for him to recognize her and give her that same love he had, in
their previous birth. One day, not able to take it anymore, Mayawati
narrated to him the story of their previous life and told him they were
now free to get back together again.
She also revealed to Pradyumna that Sambarasura was adept at many kinds of
illusionary arts, which made him almost invulnerable to attack. She then
taught him an art named Mahamaya, which could destroy all of the demon's
illusionary arts, thereby enabling the boy to kill him.
Pradyumna Kills Sambarasura
Once he felt prepared enough to fight Sambara, Pradyumna challenged him.
This enraged the asura, who came charging at him with a mace in his hand.
There ensued a terrible battle between the two. When the asura felt that
his physical might would not be enough to fight the young man, he flew off
to the sky and used his illusory powers to attack him with arrows and
other astras (celestial weapons).
Undaunted, Pradyumna used his own Mahamaya art to fight the asura.
Finally, Sambara's powers were all destroyed one by one by the valiant
warrior. Pradyumna then pulled out the powerful Vaishnavastra, Vishnu's
own weapon. The Vaishnavastra could be stopped or nullified only by Lord
Vishnu himself. No one else; not even
Indra,
the God of the Devas, had the power to fight it. The astra found its mark
and killed the fearful demon on the spot.
Pradyumna Returns to Dwaraka
Mayawati could travel in the air. She carried Pradyumna with her and
reached him back to his father's capital, Dwaraka. As they flew over the
palace of Krishna and began their descent, all the citizens mistook him to
be Krishna. Such was Pradyumna's likeness with Krishna. However, seeing
the woman who was accompanying him, they knew that this could not be their
beloved Lord Krishna.
Once in the antahpura (interior chambers) of the palace, Pradyumna and
Mayawati waited there for his mother, Rukmini. She came out a little later
and, looking at him, was immediately reminded of her own son. She kept
looking at him and, by sheer maternal intuition; also seeing his
resemblance to her husband; she knew for sure that he was her own flesh
and blood. Just at that moment, Krishna came out with his own parents,
Vasudeva and Devaki. Pradyumna approached them and, falling at their feet,
took their blessings.
At the behest of Krishna, Narada too turned up at the palace and narrated
to everyone the story of how Pradyumna had been abducted by Sambara and
how Mayawati had helped him slay the demon. He then revealed her true
identity as the reincarnation of Rati, the wife of Kama Deva. He convinced
everyone that the couple belonged to each other and must reunite as man
and wife in this birth as well.
Once the residents of Dwaraka got over their initial shock at the sudden,
unexpected turn of events, they were elated and cheered his arrival. The
prince that they had lost and thought had gone forever; had come back to
them. The city came alive with celebration, dance and music.
Pradyumna Weds Mayawati
As per Krishna's advice, Pradyumna married Mayawati, thus reuniting with
her in this birth. They later had a son named Aniruddha, who went on to
become Krishan's favourite grandson and was also considered a Vyuha
Avatara of Vishnu. Later, Pradyumna also wedded Rukmavati, the daughter of
his mother's brother, Bhimkaraya Rukmi.
According to the Harivamsa; one of the important texts of Sanskrit
literature; he had yet another wife named Prabhavati, the daughter of King
Vajranabha. Legend has it that when he went to see her for the first time,
he turned himself into a bee and lived in a
garland
of flowers, which had been especially prepared for her to wear.
Pradyumna Becomes a Maharathi
Soon after, Pradyumna joined hands with his father, to rule the land and
also protect their land from all types of external attack. He was the
beloved of the people of Dwaraka. In time, he became a mighty Maharathi
warrior. Not only did he possess the rare Vaishnavastra, but he also knew
the secret of the Chakra Vyuha, a highly complex battle formation, which
was otherwise nearly impossible to get into and then come out of, alive.
According to the Mahabharata, Pradyumna trained Arjuna's son, Abhimanyu,
and the Upapandavas in warfare. However, he himself did not participate in
the Great War of
Kurukshetra.
Instead, he chose to go on a pilgrimage with his uncle, Balarama, and some
other Yadavas.
Pradyumna was an active participant in the Ashwamedha Yagna (one of the
most important sacrificial rituals in Hindu mythology), which was
conducted by Yudhishthira later. Then he, along with his father, fought
the demon Nikumbha. Nikumbha hung Arjuna in the sky. After some time, the
latter began to vomit blood. Krishna beheaded the asura. Arjuna then began
to fall down from the sky. Seeing this, Pradyumna immediately rushed to
him and held him as he was about to hit the ground, thus saving his life.
Pradyumna Meets His End
The valiant Pradyumna led and won many a battle during his rule. However,
he was killed in a way that was least befitting the mighty warrior that he
was. He lost his life in a drunken brawl in Krishna's court at Dwaraka.
There is a legend behind his untimely demise and the destruction of the
Yadava kula (clan) itself. This is narrated in the Mausala Parva or the
"Book of Clubs", which is the sixteenth of eighteen books of the epic
Mahabharata. This treatise describes events 35 years after the end of the
Great War of Kurukshetra. The sequence of events was revealed by Rishis to
Krishna's son, Samba, who dressed as a woman to mock them.
The Mausala Parva
In the days after the Kurukshetra War, Krishna went to visit Gandhari, the
mother of the Kauravas. She was still mourning the loss of her 100 sons
and the Kaurava soldiers. In extreme anger and grief, she blamed Krishna
for having caused all the destruction and the death of hundreds and
thousands of people. She accused him, saying that he could have stopped
the war if he wanted to, but did not. She then cursed him that his entire
Yadava clan would be destroyed in a manner similar to the terrible death
of her sons.
Krishna accepted the curse and tried to explain that he had tried several
times to mediate peace with Duryodhana, her oldest son. However, the
latter had refused to give up his arrogant attitude and had chosen the
path of adharma. Krishna also described the Kauravas' many attempts to
kill the Pandavas. No matter how he tried to console Gandhari, she was not
prepared to listen to him. In any case, it was too late, as the curse had
already been given and so, it would have to take effect at some time or
other. Distressed and crestfallen, Krishna left Gandhari's quarters.
The Yadava Clan is Destroyed
35 years after the end of the Kurukshetra War, the Yadava clan was
peaceful and prosperous. Without having to face any type of trouble or
challenges, the youth population got frivolous and irresponsible.
Krishna's son, Samba, was particularly infamous for his wayward behaviour.
He once dressed up as a pregnant woman and, along with his friends, went
to meet Rishis Vishwamitra, Durvasa, Vasishtha, Narada and others. They
were visiting in Dwaraka for an audience with Krishna. The young man
intended to mock the great
sages,
asking them to predict the gender of his "unborn child".
One of the Rishis saw through the prank and, in anger, cursed Samba that
he would give birth to an iron bolt, which would destroy the entire Yadava
race. Frightened, the young man fled from the spot and went to King
Ugrasena to tell him what had happened. He asked Samba to powder the iron
bolt and cast it all into the Prabhasa Sea. The ruler then ordered that no
intoxicating spirits or substances should be produced or distributed in
the Yadava kingdom.
Soon after this, the residents of the town experienced several dark omens,
including the mysterious disappearance of the Sudarshana Chakra, the
Panchajanya (Krishna's Conch), his chariot and Balarama's weapons. The
place was infested with pests and people suddenly started committing
crimes for no apparent reason. Cheating was rampant and no one seemed to
have any sense of values or remorse. Everyone started having terrible
dreams as well.
Seeing all this, Krishna became restless, knowing that something bad was
going to occur there. He asked his subjects to go on a pilgrimage to the
sacred Prabhasa sea. They agreed and reached the banks of the sea. Once
there, they started making merry as usual, making noise, consuming alcohol
and so on.
In this fracas, a heavily inebriated Satyaki went to Kritavarma and
accused him for scheming with Ashwatthama and killing the remaining
Pandava army, while they were sleeping. A terrible argument ensued,
wherein each one tried to prove the other side more wrong. Pradyumna
applauded Satyaki, which further angered Kritavarma. He, in turn, taunted
Satyaki, saying that he had killed the armless Bhurshiravas, who had held
no hostility towards anyone. Thus, both kept hurling insults at each
other.
As the debate heated up more and more, Satyaki ended up killing
Kritavarma. Not stopping here, he also killed all the warriors on
Kritavarma's side. Krishna hurried to Satyaki, in order to stop him. By
that time, the Bhojas and the Andhakas surrounded Satyaki. Knowing he
could do nothing more, Krishna stepped away and watched in a detached
manner. The Bhojas and Andhakas started hitting Satyaki with whatever they
could find.
Pradyumna, who was also watching all this, could no longer control
himself. He rushed forward to rescue Satyaki. However, they were
outnumbered by the warriors and, after fighting for some time, were slain,
right in front of Krishna's eyes.
In grief, anger and shock, Krishna took some eraka grass in his hand. This
grass was growing in abundance along the banks of the Prabhasa. To
everyone's surprise, the eraka turned into a club. With this club, Krishna
began to kill the violent people there.
Seeing this, everyone else picked up the eraka grass, which also
transformed into clubs. Everyone was under the influence of alcohol and
attacked everyone else. Soon, all of them were dead, except Vabhru, Daruka
and he Krishna. Balarama was safe because he was not part of the crowd and
was also not inebriated.
Balarama and Vabhru, however, did not survive long after that. They were
the next to die. Krishna asked Daruka to go to the Pandava and tell them
what had happened. He was sure Arjuna would come with help. Daruka
immediately left to visit the Pandavas.
Krishna Sheds His Mortal Coil
In the meantime, some of the powder that had been cast in the Prabhasa had
been swallowed by a fish. It transformed into a metal piece inside the
fish. Jara, a hunter, caught that fish and found the metal. Shaping it
into the tip of an arrow, he proceeded to go hunting. At that time, a sad
Krishna was lounging under a tree, with his feet stretched out in front of
him. Mistaking him for game, Jara shot the arrow at him. The poisonous tip
pierced Krishna's toe and took effect almost immediately. Realizing his
great folly, the hunter was dismayed and tearfully apologized to Krishna.
The latter merely smiled, blessed him and then proceeded to shed his
mortal coil. Taking his four-armed avatara, he ascended back to
Heaven
and to his abode.
Vasudeva was the next to die. Arjuna rushed to help the old people and
children who were the only survivors of the battle. He took them, along
with the 16,000 wives of Krishna, to Indraprastha. As they were leaving,
the waters of the Prabhasa rose, sinking the entire city of Dwaraka. The
women, children and Arjuna's army were attacked by Mlechhas and robbers.
Arjuna fought hard to defend them, but was severely outnumbered. His
weapons were exhausted and his power to invoke astras did not work. The
women and children panicked and ran in different directions. The surviving
Yadavas walked along with Arjuna to reach Indraprastha.
Arjuna, who
failed to protect the women and children of his land, fell into deep
depression. He met sage Vyasa, who advised that he and his brothers had
served their mission and that now, it was time for them to gracefully
retire and let the next generation take over. Arjuna then went to
Yudhishthira to tell him everything that had happened.
Genealogy
Pradyumna sired a brilliant son called Aniruddha. When he came of age,
Aniruddha married Usha, the daughter of Bana Daitya and granddaughter of
the great King, Mahabali. Again, he is said to have been very much like
his grandfather, Krishna. Some believe that he was a jana avatara, an
avatara of Vishnu himself.
Aniruddha had a son named Vajra or Vajranabha. The youngster was an
invincible warrior and was one among the very few Yadavas to survive the
battle. When he became king, Vajra got 16 idols of Krishna and other
Gods
carved from a rare, imperishable stone called Braja. He then built temples
in and around Mathura, to house each of those idols. He was extremely
devoted to Krishna and wanted everyone to feel the presence of the Lord
everywhere, at all times.
Pradyumna as Sanathkumara
In Hindu mythology, the Four Kumaras, namely, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana
and Sanathkumara are the four manasaputras or the mind-born sons of Lord
Brahma. Featuring prominently in Puranic literature, their mention is also
found in the
Upanishads.
They are great yogis, who received the boon of remaining forever five
years old, from Brahma himself. They were created with a view to advancing
creation. However, they decided to undertake a vow of Brahmacharya or
lifelong celibacy.
After being initiated into the Sri
Gopala
Mantra, the four brothers entered deep meditation and realized the Supreme
Power of the Highest Being, Lord Sri Krishna. Being initiated into
Vaishnava tradition, they then began to spread the teachings of the path
of renunciation. During the process of initiation, they received the Sri
Shaligrama Shila, known as Sri Sarveswara Bhagawan. This had been passed
on through the Guru-Shishya parampara (teacher-student tradition)
prevalent at that time.
Lord Vishnu with the Four Kumaras -
Photographic Print
The name Sanathkumara is derived from Sanskrit "Sanath", which means
"Eternal Youth"; "Ku" means "with difficulty" and "Mara" means "mortal".
He receives mention in the Chandogya Upanishad text. There is a shrine
dedicated to him, situated in the town of Kataragama, Sri Lanka, which
attracts people from all religions and faiths.
Sanathkumara is believed to reside in the most sacred place; at the very
center of our planet. This place is called Shamballa or Shambhala. He has
several names, relating to the sahasrara centers; associating with the
different
spiritual
and cosmic planes. At the supra-cosmic plane, he is called Sanatana; at
the cosmic plane, he is Subrahmanya; at the solar plane, he is known as
Sanaka; at the planetary plane, he is Sanandana and, on this planet, he is
the Sanathkumara.
According to the
Mahabharata
and several other scriptures, Sanathkumara comes to Earth to help the
divine plan of creation. He synchronized his arrival with that of the
Krishna avatara. He was born to Krishna and Rukmini as their son,
Pradyumna.
He goes through a complicated life process, dies a violent death and, at
the end of his mission; goes back to his original position as Sanathkumara
in Shamballa. In its last chapters, the Mahabharata talks in detail about
his life story.
Shamballa in Hinduism and Buddhism
Sanathkumara is said to live in Shamballa, which is the sahasrara of the
world. In Hinduism and Tibetan
Buddhism,
Shamballa is a mythical kingdom, which is believed to be laid out in the
form of an eight-petal lotus, surrounded by a chain of snowy mountains. In
the center lies the palace of the King of Shamballa, who ruled from the
city called Kalapa. Some texts refer to Shamballa as Shangri-La.
Interestingly, the Vishnu Purana and some other Hindu texts mention the
village of Shamballa as the birthplace of
Kalki,
the final incarnation of Sri Maha Vishnu. It is believed that Kalki will
manifest in order to end the present Kali Yuga and usher in the new Age of
the Satya Yuga.
According to the Buddhist Kalachakra teachings, Shambhala is ruled over by
Maitreya, the future
Buddha.
The Kalachakra tantra prophesies that, when the state of the world
declines to the maximum possible extent and all is lost, the 25th Kalki
king will come forth from Shambhala, with his vast army, in order to
destroy the "Dark Forces". He will usher in a worldwide Golden Age. The
date for this event is estimated around the year 2424.