Keshidhwaja Janaka
| Keshidhwaja | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janaka | |||||
| Father | Kritadhvaja Janaka | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Janaka | ||||
| Dynasty | Mithila Kingdom | ||||
| Religion | Hinduism | ||||
| Occupation | King | ||||
Keshidhwaja Janaka (Sanskrit: केशिध्वज जनक, Romanised: Keśidhvaja Janaka) was a king of the ancient Mithila Kingdom in the Indian subcontinent. He is mentioned in the text Vishnu Purana. The story of the king Keshidhwaja Janaka was narrated by the sage Parashara in the text Vishnu Purana when inquired by his pupil Maitreya. According to the text he was a philosopher king and endowed with spiritual knowledge.[1][2][3] He was adept in metaphysics.[4]
Early life
Keshidhwaja was born in a Kshetriya family. He was the son of the king Kritadhvaja Janaka in Mithila. He was a descendant of the Janaka dynasty. His grandfather was Dharmadhwaja Janaka.[1]
Rule
According to the text Vishnu Purana, the king Dharmadhwaja Janaka had two sons. They were Amitadhvaja and Kritadhvaja. Their sons were Khandikya and Keshidhwaja respectively. Khandikya was a king and interested in karma yoga (rituals), whereas Keshidhwaja was interested in acquiring spiritual knowledge. Both kept trying to outdo each other. Eventually, the king Khandikya lost his kingdom to his cousin brother Keshidhwaja and was expelled from the kingdom to forest. After that Keshidhwaja ascended the throne of the kingdom and became the king of Mithila.[5]
References
- ^ a b Dutt, Manmatha Nath (1896). A prose English translation of Vishnupuranam: (based on Professor H.H. Wilson's translation). Manmatha Nath Dutt.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (2014-08-30). "Explanation formerly given by Keshidhvaja to Khandikya [Chapter VI]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2025-12-02.
- ^ Studia Orientalia. The Society. 1999. ISBN 978-951-9380-39-1.
- ^ Bhāradvāja, K. (1981). A Philosophical Study of the Concept of Viṣṇu in the Purāṇas. Pitambar Publishing Company. pp. 255–256.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (2013-05-25). "Keshidhvaja and Khandikya". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2025-12-02.