392:
approaches, Sindhuraja attempts to get the golden lotus using peaceful means. He sends
Ramangada as an envoy to Vajrankusha, asking the demon king to hand over the golden lotus to enable Sindhuraja to marry Shashiprabha, and offering his friendship in return. Vajrankusha derisively rejects the offer, stating that a beautiful woman like Shashiprabha was not suitable for mere humans. Ramangada then explains that Sindhuraja was not merely a human: he was an incarnation of Vishnu, and will end up taking Vajrankusha's head along with the lotus.
210:), but the arrow does not cause any serious injury to the deer. The king notices a gold chain around the deer's neck, and suspects that there is something supernatural about it. After the animal disappears into the forest, Sindhuraja's minister Ramangada (alias Yahsobhata) advises the king to avoid the hot sun at the noon, and get some rest. Sindhuraja then bathes in a nearby lake, and takes a short nap. After waking up, he wanders around searching for the deer, but is unable to find the animal. At night, he sleeps on a bed of
235:, and her father Shankha-pala rules from the kingdom's capital Bhogavati. Patala also tells Sindhuraja that the deer shot by him belonged to Shashiprabha, and the princess had fallen in love with him after seeing the name "Nava-Sahasanka" on the arrow. Furthermore, the necklace found by Sindhuraja was taken from the princess by a wild goose. Patala takes the necklace and departs to bring Sindhuraja's golden arrow to him.
255:). As she departs, Sindhuraja follows her by jumping into the river, looking for an entrance to the underworld, and Ramangada follows him. On the way to the underworld, he overcomes several obstacles: these include a lion and an elephant who vanish when he draws his bow; and a river that turns anyone who touches it into a stone - Sindhuraja jumps over it using a bamboo.
342:(wizard) king Sikhandaketu. Shashikhanda explains that a thousand years ago, he tried to abduct a girl from a sage's hermitage, because of which the sage cursed him to become a monkey. The sage had told him that his curse will end when the son of king Siyaka took an ornament from him. Shashikhanda then summons his vidyadhara army to help Sindhuraja.
401:), and Sindhuraja beheads Vajrankusha with an arrow. Sindhuraja is supported by Shashikhanda who fights beside him, and Ratnachuda who lights up the dark underworld with his jewel. After emerging victorious, Sindhuraja grants protection to the residents of Ratnavati, and appoints Ratnachuda as the ruler of Vajrankusha's former kingdom.
222:, who amused themselves in the Vindhyas. On Ramangada's advice, Sindhuraja readies to shoot the bird with an arrow, but just then the bird drops the necklace on the shore of a lake, in order to pick up a lotus stalk. Ramangada brings the necklace to the king, who notes the female name "Shashi-prabha" written on it, and wears it.
337:
Ramangada then tells Vanku about
Sindhuraja's expedition, gifts him a jeweled bracelet, and asks him for guidance. The sage praises the king, predicts success for him in the expedition, and invites him to rest at the hermitage. In Canto 12, Sindhuraja rests at the hermitage, dreaming of Shashiprabha
258:
Sindhuraja ultimately reaches a golden palace city, where a caged parrot informs him that the river goddess
Naramada will welcome him as a guest. In Canto 9, the goddess informs Sindhuraja that when Shashiprabha was born, the deities told her father - the Naga king - that she would marry the best of
534:
The epic is thus the oldest source to mention the
Agnikula legend, which subsequently became popular among other dynasties. Padmagupta probably invented the legend to fabricate a mythical genealogy for the Paramara dynasty, as all other neighbouring dynasties claimed origins from mythical heroes or
409:
In Canto 18, Sindhuraja enters
Bhogavati, as the local women admire him, while Ramangada carries the golden lotus taken from Ratnavati. On the way to Shankhapala's palace, he stops at a temple of the god Hatakeshvara (an aspect of Shiva) to sing a hymn. As he enters the palace, he sees Shashiprabha
230:
In Canto 4, Sindhuraja feels that he has fallen in love with the unknown woman
Shashiprabha. Sometime later, he sees a beautiful woman, who turns out to be Patala, a daughter of the Naga Hema and a companion of Shashi-prabha. In Canto 5, Patala tells him that Shashiprabha is a Nāga princess, who is
79:
princess
Shashiprabha, who sees the hero's title "Nava-Sahasanka" written on the arrow. Meanwhile, in pursuit of the deer, the king comes across a necklace bearing Shashiprabha's name. Sindhuraja and Shashiprabha subsequently meet, and fall in love with each other. Shashiprabha's father has decided
217:
In Canto 3, the next morning, Sindhuraja goes into the forest searching for the deer, accompanied by
Ramangada. The men follow a track marked by blood drops, and see goose flying with a pearl necklace in its beak. Ramangada remarks that the necklace probably belonged to one of the daughters of
391:
In Canto 16, Patala arrives with a message from
Malayavati, stating that Shashi-prabha loves the king, and wants him to come back soon. Sindhuraja resumes his march, and is joined by Ratnachuda. The brilliant jewel on Ratnachuda's head lights up the army's way in the darkness. As Ratnavati
286:. The sage had told him that the curse will be over when he takes a message from Nava-Sahasanka to Shashiprabha. Accordingly, Sindhuraja told the parrot to inform the queen that he had followed her into the Naga world, and would enter her city after getting the golden lotus.
96:
The epic was written by
Padmgaupta, who was also known as Parimala Kalidasa, and was the son of Mriganka-gupta. He was a Paramara court-poet in the late 10th century and the early 11th century. Padmagupta was a courtier of the epic's subject, the Paramara king
338:
in his sleep. After waking up, as he talks to the sage, a monkey comes to him, and gives him a pomegranate made of jewels. As soon as the king accepts the gift, the monkey turns into a man. The man introduces himself as Shashikhanda, a son of the
167:, and wrote in a highly-embellished language. He often appears to imitate Kalidasa although his expression is original. Some legends associate Bhoja with Kalidasa: this may actually be a reference to Padmagupta alias Parimala Kalidasa.
238:
In Canto 6, Shashiprabha's companion Malayavati tells her that Nava-Sahasanka is a handsome and skilled king of Avanti, and would make an ideal husband for her. In Canto 7, Shashiprabha and Sindhuraja meet at the banks of the
206:. In Canto 2, after shooting various animals with arrows, he tries to hunt a deer. During the chase, he dismounts from his horse, and follows the deer into the forest. He hits the deer with an arrow marked with his own name (
263:), and that she would bring ruin to the Naga enemy Vajrankusha. Consequently, the Naga king had declared that he would marry Shashiprabha to the person who brought him the golden lotus that grew in the pool of the demon (
350:
In Canto 13, with the blessings of sage Vanku, Sindhuraja's forces begin the march to Vajrankusha's capital. In Canto 14, with the help of the vidyadhara magical spell, Sindhuraja's chariot flies in air. The vidyadharas
437:, which is described as his "family capital", and installs the linga there. He sends Shashikhanda and Ratnachuda to their respective countries, and himself sits on the imperial throne with Shashiprabha by his side.
105:
region in central India. In the epic, Padmagupta states that he composed the text at the command of Sindhuraja. Padmagupta's literary career may have spanned the reigns of the Sindhuraja's successors
410:
ready for the wedding ceremony. When he puts the golden lotus on Shashiprabha's ear at Malayavati's request, the deer turns into a man. The man explains that he used to be a commander of the guard (
120:
is Padmagupta's only extant work, although he wrote at least one other poem. This can be inferred from the fact that some verses attributed to Padmagupta in the later works are not found in the
80:
to marry her to the man who brings him a golden lotus in the possession of the demon king Vajrankusha. Sindhuraja goes on a campaign against Vajrankusha, guided by the river goddess
282:. As Sindhuraja agrees, the parrot introduces himself as Ratnachuda, a Naga boy who had been transformed into a parrot because of a curse by a pupil of sage
294:
In Canto 11, following Narmada's directions, Sindhuraja comes to the hermitage of sage Vanku. Based on the king's appearance, the sage infers that he was a
163:
does not feature long compounds or heavy alliteration, except in the description of the battle in Canto 12. Padmagupta was an admirer of the ancient poet
1068:
178:
is divided into 18 cantos, and centers around Sindhuraja's marriage to princess Shashiprabha. The title of the poem literally means the biography (
251:
In Canto 8, Sindhuraja's meeting with Shashiprabha ends abruptly, when a voice instructs the princess to return to her home in the underworld (
1028:
974:
531:). This warrior recaptured the cow, and was named Paramara ("slayer of the enemies") by Vasishtha. The Paramara kings were his descendants.
355:(flying chariots) accompanying him have women who pick up flowers from the trees during the low flight. The army encamps at near the river
274:
In Canto 10, Ramangada urges Sindhuraja to invade Vajrankusha's kingdom, assuring him that the Naga army would support him, just like the
359:
to allow the women to take rest. Canto 15 is dedicated to describing the women's bathing in the river, liquor-drinking, and love-making.
243:, and are evidently in love with each other. Suddenly, a severe thunderstorm emerges, and Shashiprabha clings to Sindhuraja out of fear.
1053:
468:, which may have been the Southern Shilahara capital. Shashikhanda's "curse" may be a metaphor for his previous defeat and exile.
1048:
445:
The epic is a fusion of history with mythology, and narrates historical events transformed into a fanciful romantic legend.
1058:
584:- were created from fire by Vasishtha. The earlier records of these other dynasties do not mention this myth of origin.
302:
legend, according to which the progenitor of the Paramara dynasty originated from a sacrificial fire set up by the sage
267:) king Vajrankusha. The goddess urges Sindhuraja to do this, telling him that he was a partial incarnation of the god
306:. Ramangada then names Sindhuraja's predecessors, including Upendra, Vakpati-raja I, Vairisimha, Sindhuraja's father
56:
court poet Padmagupta, who lived in 10th-11th century. It is fantasy re-telling of the exploits of the Paramara king
475:). The Naga princess Shashiprabha thus represents Sindhuraja's consort, whose Sinda family claimed descent from the
1063:
430:
414:) of Sindhuraja's father Siyaka alias Harsha, and had turned into a deer because of a curse by the sage Kanva.
298:(universal emperor), and welcomes him. When Vanku asks about the king's dynasty, Ramangada narrates the
395:
Canto 17 describes Sindhuraja's siege of Ratnavati. Ramangada beheads Vajrankusha's son with a discus (
202:
One day, king Sindhuraja (alias Nava-Sahasanka) and his companions go on a hunting expedition in the
190:, a famous legendary king, was also known as Sahasanka ("having the mark of boldness"). His capital
566:", and the myth of their origin from fire was adopted by other Rajput families. The medieval text
471:
Pathak also believes that the Nagas of the story represent the Sinda dynasty of Karahata (modern
1024:
1018:
1005:
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573:
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964:
71:
In the epic, Sindhuraja shoots a deer with a golden arrow during a hunting expedition in the
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leader Shashikhanda. He defeats the demon king, brings the lotus, and marries Sahshiprabha.
53:
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happened to be located in what had become the Paramara kingdom by Padmgaupta's time.
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144:. The quoted verses suggest that Padmagupta's other poem was an expedition of King
45:
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331:
527:, and an armed warrior wearing a royal crown sprang from the sacrificial fire (
417:
Sindhraja and Shashiprabha get married. Shankhapala gives Sindhuraja a crystal
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314:. The minister then introduces Sindhuraja alias Nava-Sahasanka as the king of
271:, and that the sage Vanku would guide him to Vajrankusha's capital Ratnavati.
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16.28, Malayavati describes Shashiprabha's state in a letter to Sindhuraja
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states that apart from Paramara, progenitors of three other dynasties -
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at Ujjayini, accompanied by Shashiprabha and Ramangada. He then goes to
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322:. He describes the king as a friend of poets, and as someone in whom
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and sage Vanku, and supported by the Naga warrior Ratnachuda and the
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origin of the Paramara family. According to this story, in the
969:. Vol. 6: The Art of Storytelling. Motilal Banarsidass.
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326:(the goddess of learning) resided after the legendary kings
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479:. The "underworld" represents the area to the south of the
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king Rattaraja. Ratnavati may be identified with modern
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stole this cow, Vasishtha made a ritual sacrifice on
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452:theorizes that Shashikhanda represents the
1001:The Growth of the Paramara Power in Malwa
1020:History of Classical Sanskrit Literature
990:An Introduction to Indian Historiography
562:The Paramaras were later recognized as "
593:
535:gods by this time: the Pratiharas from
405:Wedding of Sindhuraja and Shashiprabha
365:On the one hand this large eyed girl,
75:. The deer escapes to its owner, the
7:
375:And on the other this fever of love,
148:'s general Basapa against the king
52:-language epic poem written by the
460:, while Vajrankusa represents the
231:more beautiful than goddesses and
14:
539:, the Chahamanas (Chauhans) from
310:, and Sindhuraja's elder brother
1069:10th-century Sanskrit literature
247:Sindhuraja enters the underworld
519:. When the warrior-turned-sage
1:
429:. Sindhuraja then visits the
1017:M. Srinivasachariar (1989).
998:Krishna Narain Seth (1978).
346:Campaign against Vajrankusha
124:. These later works include
101:(r. c. 990s), who ruled the
44:, "the biography of the New
543:(Sun), the Chaulukyas from
421:created by the artisan god
16:Sanskrit-language epic poem
1085:
507:- the royal priest of the
495:contains the story of the
377:rough as a fire of chaff!
1054:10th-century Indian books
425:, and featuring Shiva as
367:her body softer than the
226:Meeting with Shashiprabha
68:region in central India.
931:Krishna Narain Seth 1978
660:M. Srinivasachariar 1989
645:M. Srinivasachariar 1989
606:M. Srinivasachariar 1989
134:Auchitya-vichara-charcha
130:Sarasvati-kantha-bharana
20:Not to be confused with
1023:. Motilal Banarsidass.
966:Indian Kāvya Literature
290:Hermitage of sage Vanku
1049:Epic poems in Sanskrit
493:Nava-sahasanka-charita
384:Nava-sahasanka-charita
380:
176:Nava-sahasanka-charita
161:Nava-sahasanka-charita
122:Nava-sahasanka-charita
118:Nava-sahasanka-charita
33:Nava-sahasanka-charita
22:Nava-sahasanka-charita
60:, who bore the title
42:Nava-sāhasānka-carita
1059:Works about monarchs
993:. Popular Prakashan.
142:Gana-ratna-mahodadhi
647:, pp. 163–164.
278:army had supported
214:made by Ramangada.
140:, and Vardhamana's
491:The 11th canto of
462:Southern Shilahara
454:Northern Shilahara
218:demons, gods, and
1030:978-81-208-0284-1
976:978-81-208-0615-3
945:, pp. 43–44.
943:A. K. Warder 1972
933:, pp. 10–13.
919:A. K. Warder 1972
906:, pp. 42–43.
904:A. K. Warder 1972
892:A. K. Warder 1992
877:, pp. 10–11.
875:A. K. Warder 1992
863:A. K. Warder 1992
851:A. K. Warder 1992
836:A. K. Warder 1992
819:A. K. Warder 1992
807:A. K. Warder 1992
795:A. K. Warder 1992
778:A. K. Warder 1992
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734:A. K. Warder 1992
719:A. K. Warder 1992
704:A. K. Warder 1992
687:A. K. Warder 1992
672:A. K. Warder 1992
633:A. K. Warder 1972
621:A. K. Warder 1972
517:wish-granting cow
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1064:Paramara dynasty
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155:Written in the
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547:'s water pot (
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477:mythical Nagas
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318:, the city of
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182:) of the new (
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62:Nava-sahasanka
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186:) Sahasanka.
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1004:. Progress.
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985:A. K. Warder
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961:A. K. Warder
953:Bibliography
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926:
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865:, p. 1.
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838:, p. 9.
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797:, p. 8.
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736:, p. 5.
721:, p. 4.
706:, p. 3.
689:, p. 2.
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525:Mount Arbuda
501:Vedic period
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296:chakravartin
293:
273:
264:
261:purushottama
260:
257:
250:
237:
229:
216:
207:
201:
188:Vikramaditya
183:
179:
175:
174:
160:
154:
141:
137:
136:, Mammata's
133:
129:
121:
117:
115:
95:
70:
61:
41:
32:
31:
30:
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551:), and the
521:Vishvamitra
441:Historicity
1043:Categories
588:References
448:Historian
340:vidyadhara
334:had died.
332:Satavahana
99:Sindhuraja
92:Authorship
86:vidyadhara
58:Sindhuraja
26:Shriharsha
582:Chahamana
578:Chaulukya
574:Pratihara
553:Chandelas
537:Lakshmana
505:Vasishtha
466:Ratnagiri
458:Aparajita
373:(flower),
324:Sarasvati
304:Vasishtha
157:Vaidarbhi
46:Sahasanka
987:(1972).
963:(1992).
559:(Moon).
515:- had a
513:Ikshvaku
497:Agnikula
316:Ujjayini
300:Agnikula
165:Kalidasa
150:Mularaja
73:Vindhyas
54:Paramara
50:Sanskrit
48:") is a
1010:8931757
564:Rajputs
557:Chandra
549:chaluka
423:Tvastar
353:vimanas
180:charita
159:style,
146:Tailapa
82:Narmada
1027:
1008:
973:
580:, and
545:Brahma
487:Legacy
398:chakra
370:śirīṣa
308:Siyaka
276:Vanara
269:Vishnu
253:patala
233:nymphs
212:shoots
192:Ujjain
555:from
541:Surya
511:king
509:solar
473:Karad
456:king
435:Dhara
419:linga
357:Ganga
320:Shiva
284:Kanva
265:asura
259:men (
220:Nagas
126:Bhoja
111:Bhoja
107:Munja
103:Malwa
66:Malwa
1025:ISBN
1006:OCLC
971:ISBN
529:agni
330:and
280:Rama
184:nava
171:Plot
116:The
109:and
77:Naga
38:IAST
128:'s
24:by
1045::
911:^
882:^
843:^
826:^
785:^
756:^
741:^
726:^
711:^
694:^
679:^
652:^
613:^
596:^
576:,
503:,
483:.
152:.
113:.
40::
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979:.
36:(
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