Śrutāyudha (

Devanagari Devanagari ( ; in script: , , ) is an Indic script used in the Indian subcontinent. It is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental Writing systems#Segmental systems: alphabets, writing system), based on the ancient ''Brāhmī script, Brā ...

: श्रुतायुध) is the

Kshatriya Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

(warrior) king of Kalinga (

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

). He is the son of

Varuna Varuna (; , ) is a Hindu god. He is one of the earliest deities in pantheon, whose role underwent a significant transformation from the Vedic to the Puranic periods. In the early Vedic era, Varuna is seen as the god-sovereign, ruling the sky ...

and the river goddess Parnasa.

Magical Mace

Srutayudha's mother had wished for a boon from Varuna for his son so that he could not be slayed by anyone in battle. Since he cannot grant immortality, Varuna instead presents a magical mace to Srutayudha by using which he would stay undefeated in battle. Varuna had also warned about the adverse effects of this weapon if it was used against an unarmed opponent. According to the warning, the Mace would strike back Srutyudha himself if he used it against any unarmed person.

Kurukshetra War

Kalinga is mentioned as siding with

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'' is described as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas; it is also mentioned in ancient Jain ...

and the

Kauravas ''Kaurava'' is a Sanskrit term which refers to descendants of Kuru, a legendary king of India who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the epic ''Mahabharata''. Usually, the term is used for the 100 sons of King Dhritarashtra and his ...

in the

Kurukshetra War The Kurukshetra War (), also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the Hindu Indian epic poetry, epic poem ''Mahabharata'', arising from a dynastic struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, for the thr ...

, presumably siding with the

. Srutayudha is mentioned in Drona Parva as a tiger among men. On the first day of the war, he confronts Iravan, giving a good fight, but is ultimately defeated.

The Mace Used in the Battle by Srutayudha

On the 14th day of battle, the Kamboja army division is being assailed by

Arjuna Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɾd͡ʒun̪ə is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. ...

as the latter is attempting to reach the end of Drona's ''Padmavyuha''. Rescuing

Kritavarma Kritavarma (, ) is a warrior from the Yaduvamsha in Hindu mythology. He appears as a minor character in the Mahabharata, fighting in the Kurukshetra war for the Kauravas. According to F.E. Pargiter, he was the son of Hṛidika, born in the Andh ...

, Srutayudha, from atop his elephant, challenges

, striking Arjuna with multiple arrows. However, Arjuna counters, snapping Srutayudha's bow. Filled with wrath at Krishna as Srutayudha was

Jarasandha Jarasandha () is a king featured in the Hindu Mythology. He is the powerful monarch of Magadha, and a minor antagonist in Mahabharata. He is the son of the king Brihadratha, the founder of the Barhadratha dynasty of Magadha. According to popu ...

ally, Srutayudha hurls his mace at

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

who received that mace. As per the conditions described by

, the mace boomerangs back on Srutayudha killing him.

References

{{Mahabharata Kalinga (India) History of Odisha Characters in the Mahabharata