Brihadbala

Brihadbala (Sanskrit: बृहद्बल, romanized: Bṛhadbala) is a king featured in Hindu mythology. He is a character in the Hindu epic Mahabharata.[1] He is described to be the last king of the Kosala Kingdom. In the Kurukshetra War, Brihadbala fights for the Kauravas and is killed by Abhimanyu.[2]

Brihadbala
TextsMahabharata
RegionKosala
Personal information
Parents
  • Viśrutavān (father)
ChildrenBarhināman
DynastySuryavamsha

Legend

According to the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana, Brihadbala is a descendant of Rama on Kusha's side, and belongs to the Suryavamsha (Solar dynasty). Makhan Jha, in his Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective claims that Brihadbala is the fifteenth king after Rama.[3] Brihadbala is considered to be the last king of the line of Ikshvaku; the dynasty spanned 31-32 generations between Rama and him.[4]

The Mahabharata describes Brihadbala as the ruler of Kingdom of Kosala. He was subjugated by Bhima during the Rajasuya sacrifice, and a subsequent conquest by Karna during the latter's Digvijaya Yatra caused him to side with the Kauravas during the Kurukshetra War.[5] On the thirteenth day of the war, when Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son, penetrates into the Padmavyuha, Brihadbala fights him, along with a host of Kaurava warriors including Drona, Kripa, Karna, Ashwatthama, and Kritavarma. In a fierce duel that ensured between him and Abhimanyu, he gets mortally hit by the latter's arrows.[6]

According to the Shiva Purana, Brihadbala is succeeded by his son, Barhināman.[7]

References
  1. Dimensions of Indian Civilization, page 176, Makhan Jha
  2. Debroy, Bibek (25 October 2017). The Valmiki Ramayana: Vol. 3. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. p. 13. ISBN 978-93-87326-28-6.
  3. Jha, Makhan (1997). Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. p. 177. ISBN 978-81-7533-034-4.
  4. Agarwal, M. K. (2013). The Vedic Core of Human History: And Truth will be the Savior. iUniverse. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-4917-1595-6.
  5. Pruthi, Raj (2004). Vedic Civilization. Discovery Publishing House. p. 75. ISBN 978-81-7141-875-6.
  6. Menon, Ramesh (2006). The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering. iUniverse. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-595-40188-8.
  7. www.wisdomlib.org (3 November 2018). "Kings of the solar race (sūryavaṃśa) [Chapter 39]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
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