Puranic encyclopaedia
by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222
This page describes the Story of Babhruvahana included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).
Story of ܱԲ
A son of Arjuna.
Birth.
When the ṇḍ were residing in Indraprastha after marrying ñī, 岹 went to see them once. With a view to avoiding any quarrel between the ṇḍ over the one wife they jointly possessed, 岹 suggested that each should take ñī for a year in turn and he who violated the arrangement should go to the forest for a year. Once Arjuna went to the house of ۳ܻṣṭ who was with Pāñcāli and for thus violating the arrangement Arjuna had to go to the forest for a year. During this exile while he was staying at Ҳṅg屹 he married the serpent girl, Ulūpi and got a son called 屹 of her.
After that he went to a country called Maṇalūr. At that time that country was being ruled by a king called 侱ٰṅg岹. ʰñᲹԲ one of the forefathers of 侱ٰṅg岹 had, by hard penance for a progeny, acquired from Ś a boon and each of his successors got a son each to maintain the line. But when it came to 侱ٰṅg岹 to his surprise he got a girl instead of a son. But he got her up as a son and named her 侱ٰṅg岹. It was when she was ready for marriage that Arjuna went there. The king received Arjuna with respect and after enquiring about his welfare requested him to marry his daughter. Arjuna married her and stayed there for three months. Leaving that place Arjuna went to ʲñīٳ and there he gave salvation to the celestial maidens who were lying in the īٳ as crocodiles. When he went back to Maṇalūr 侱ٰṅg had delivered a son whom he named ܱԲ. Promising them that he would take them later to Ჹپܰ, he left the place.
His fate to kill his own father.
It was by a ruse that Arjuna made īṣm fall. Arjuna put Śṇḍī before his chariot and īṣm refused to take arms against a eunuch and accepted defeat. But Ҳṅgdevī witnessing the battle between īṣm, her son, and Arjuna from above could not bear this foul play and so cursed that Arjuna would die at the hands of his son. Ulūpi the serpent wife of Arjuna heard this curse and went to her father Kauravya who in turn went to Ҳṅg and begged for a relief from the curse. Ҳṅgdevī then said that Arjuna would be killed by ܱԲ but would be brought to life by Ulūpi by placing the ṛtñīī stone on the dead man’s breast.
The killing of Arjuna.
The Ѳٲ battle was over. When ۳ܻṣṭ was performing the ś yāga Arjuna conducted a victory march with the yāga horse. On his way he reached Maṇalūr. At once Ulūpi called ܱԲ and asked him to challenge Arjuna. ܱԲ with his bow and arrows attacked Arjuna and in the grim battle that followed Arjuna fell dead. Seeing this 侱ٰṅg came to the place of battle weeping and abused Ulūpi for persuading ܱԲ to kill his own father. Ulūpi immediately went to the serpent world and brought the ṛtñīī stone and as she placed it on Arjuna’s breast he came to life as if waking up from a sleep. When he saw 侱ٰṅg, ܱԲ and ūī he smiled and asked them why they had all come there. ūī then explained to him the story of the curse and extremely pleased over the end of the curse Arjuna took them all to Ჹپܰ. (Chapters 218 to 210 of Ādi Parva and Chapters 79 to 82 of ś Parva, Ѳٲ).
Other details.
(1) On reaching Ჹپܰ Śrī ṛṣṇa gave ܱԲ as a present a chariot drawn by divine horses. (Śǰ첹 6, Chapter 88, ś Parva, Ѳٲ).
(2) The different names given to him in the ʳܰṇa are as follows: 侱ٰṅgsuta, Maṇippūrpati, Dhanañjayasuta and Maṇipureśvara.