Brihadbala

Brihadbala is a character in the Indian epic Mahabharata. A descendant of Rama, he belongs to the Ikshvaku dynasty. Born to Vishrutavanta, he was the 117th generation of Ikshvaku Vansh and the last king of the Kosala Kingdom. In the Kurukshetra War, Brihadbala fought for the Kauravas and was killed by Abhimanyu.

Birth

According to the Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana, Brihadbala is a descendant of Rama on Kusha's side, and belongs to the Ikshvaku dynasty. Makhan Jha in his Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective claims that Brihadbala is the fifteenth king after Rama.[1] Brihadbala is considered to be the last king of the Ikshvaku dynasty; the dynasty spanned 31-32 generations between Rama and him.[2]

In Mahabharata

During the times of Mahabharata, Kosala Kingdom was split into five. The five Kosala kingdoms mentioned in Mahabharata are - North Kosala, South Kosala, East Kosala, Central Kosala and southern part of central kosala.

Eastern Kosala was captured by the Magadha king Jarasandha, who was later killed by Bhima before the start of the Kurukshetra war of Mahabharata. Central Kosala, the original Kosala ruled by Rama, still had Ayodhya as its capital during the times of Mahabharata and was ruled by Dheerghayaghnya. Central Kosala and North Kosala were conquered by the Pandava brother Bhima in his military expedition. Southern Kosala, the native kingdom of Rama's mother Kausalaya, in modern-day Madhya Pradesh, was conquered by the Pandava Brother Sahadeva in his military expedition. The fifth Kosala Kingdom between Central Kosala and South Kosala was ruled by Brihadbala, a descendant of Kusha.

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 meant that he sided with the Kauravas during the Kurukshetra War.[3] 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.[4]

Brihadbala is succeeded by his son Brihatkshya.

References
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Pruthi, Raj (2004). Vedic Civilization. Discovery Publishing House. p. 75. ISBN 978-81-7141-875-6.
  4. Menon, Ramesh (2006). The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering. iUniverse. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-595-40188-8.
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