Aniruddha () is a character in

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...

, the son of

Pradyumna Pradyumna () is the eldest son of the Hindu deities Krishna and his wife Rukmini. He is considered to be one of the four vyuha avatars of Vishnu. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Pradyumna was the reincarnation of Kamadeva, the god of lov ...

and

Rukmavati Rukmavati () is the daughter of King Rukmi of Vidarbha and the second wife of Pradyumna in Hindu mythology. Pradyumna is the son of the deity Krishna and his chief wife Rukmini, the sister of Rukmi. Rukmavati has a son named Aniruddha, who is a me ...

, and the grandson of

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 ...

and

Rukmini Rukmini (, ) is a Devi, Hindu goddess and the first queen of Krishna. She is described as the chief of Krishna's wives in Dvārakā. Rukmini is revered as the avatar of Lakshmi and is venerated primarily in Warkari, and Haridasa tradition, and ...

. He is said to have been very much like his grandfather, to the extent that he is considered by some to be a ''Jana avatar'', an avatar of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

. He is a member of the chatur-vyuha, the four

Vrishni The Vrishnis (, ) were an ancient Indian clan who were believed to be the descendants of Vrishni. It is believed that Vrishni was the son of Satvata, a descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati. He had two wives, Gandhari and Madri, not to be conf ...

heroes.

Early life

Anirudha was born to Pradyumna and

. He was the grandson of

and

. His mother

was the daughter of

Rukmi Rukmi () is a prince from Vidarbha kingdom attested in Hindu texts. He was the eldest son of King Bhishmaka and the brother of Rukmini, who married Krishna. Known for his martial skills and conflicts with prominent figures like Krishna and Bal ...

, the king of Vidarbha. He was also one of the few Maharathis (incredibly strong warriors) of his dynasty. His early life and marriage to his first wife, Rochana, are described in the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one ...

, Canto 10, Chapter 61.

Marriages

Marriage to Rochana

Aniruddha's marriage to Rochana is described in the 61st Chapter of the 10th Canto of the

. At the behest of his sister

requested Krishna to have Aniruddha marry Rochana, after the wedding ceremony, Rukmi was killed by

Balarama Balarama (, ) is a Hindu god, and the elder brother of Krishna. He is particularly significant in the Jagannath tradition, as one of the triad deities. He is also known as Haladhara, Halayudha, Baladeva, Balabhadra, and Sankarshana. The fir ...

after the former cheated the latter in a game of dice and insulted his Yadava heritage.

The Great War and Marriage to Usha

According to the

Srimad Bhagavatam The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one o ...

, a

daitya The daityas () are a race of asuras in Hindu mythology, descended from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the earth, and required three of Vishnu's a ...

princess named Usha, a daughter of

Banasura Bana, also referred to as Banasura (), is an asura king in Hindu mythology, ruling from the city of Śoṇitapura. He is described to be the son of Mahabali. His tale of battling Krishna is described in the Bhagavata Purana. Legend A mighty asur ...

(also referred to as Bana), fell in love with Aniruddha after seeing him in her dream and making love to him. Banasura, ruling his kingdom from the city of Sonitapura, was the son of

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

and the great grandson of

Prahlada Prahlada () is an asura king in Hindu scriptures. He is known for his staunch devotion to the preserver deity, Vishnu. He appears in the narrative of Narasimha, the lion avatara of Vishnu, who rescues Prahlada by disimboweling and killing hi ...

. Banasura was a great devotee of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and as a result of a boon granted to him from the deity, had gained 1000 arms. Intoxicated by his prowess, he observed to Shiva that he was the latter's equal, and that he had attempted to fight elephants, but the creatures had grown terrified of him. Shiva, enraged by his words, spoke thus: 'Your flag will be broken, oh fool, when your pride is vanquished in a battle you have with someone like me.' As per the artistic description of Usha's dream, Chitralekha (In Sanskrit, ''artist''), her friend, drew pictures of many Vrishnis using her special abilities. Usha recognised Aniruddha's picture among all of them. Chitralekha, with her yogic powers and Anima Siddhi, shrunk Aniruddha to the size of a doll and brought him to Usha's palace. She worshipped him and furnished him with priceless garments, garlands, fragrances, lamps, and with beverages, dishes, and words. Breaking her vow of chastity with him, she kept him hidden in her maiden quarters, and the lovers lost track of the days. Catching wind of his daughter's activities, Banasura rushed to her chambers to find her playing dice with doll sized Aniruddha. Even as the prince fended off the guards, Banasura subdued him with the mystical ropes 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 ...

due to Aniruddha's shrunken state. Usha was overwhelmed with sorrow due to this incident. Aniruddha was held captive by Banasura for a month, until Narada informed the Yadus in Dvaraka, who were searching for Aniruddha. The Yadus' army attacked Banasura in a great battle. When the Yadu princes and their army besieged his kingdom with 12 akshauhinis, surrounding it completely,

staged a fierce counterattack. During the war,

appeared on the battlefield, riding on Nandi, to protect his devotee, Banasura. Balarama fought against Banasura's commander, while Samba fought against Banasura's son. To bear witness, the leaders of the godly souls headed by Brahma came in their celestial vehicles, as also the sages, the perfected souls, and the venerable personalities, the singers and

apsaras Apsaras (, , Khmer: អប្សរា are a class of celestial beings in Hindu and Buddhist culture. They were originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, but, later play the role of a "nymph" or "fairy". They figure ...

of heaven, and the yakshinis. Krishna and Shiva faced each other. Krishna used a ''brahmastra'' against Shiva's ''brahmastra'', a mountain weapon against a wind weapon, a rain weapon against a fire weapon, and his ''narayanastra'' against Shiva's ''pashupatastra''. After duelling with

Satyaki Yuyudhana (, ), better known as Satyaki (, ), was a powerful Yadava chieftain of Narayani Sena, belonging to the Vrishni clan to which Krishna also belonged. According to the Puranas, he was the grandson of Shini of the Vrishni clan, and son of ...

, Bana took up arms against

. However, Krishna blew his conch and instantly, Banasura's charioteer was killed and his chariot broken and shattered. In a desperate attempt to save Banasura, Kothara, his mother, stood naked before Krishna with her hair dishevelled. When the deity looked away, the asura fled to the city. When Shiva's forces had been defeated, Jvara, the embodiment of Shiva's fever, bearing three heads and three feet, attacked Krishna with scorching heat. Krishna produced his own Jvara of frigid coldness, and the two fought each other. Overwhelmed by Vishnu's fever, Shiva's Jvara offered its surrender and obeisance to Krishna and departed. Meanwhile, Balarama defeated Banasura's commander. Bana rode forth upon his chariot to fight with Krishna, and the fought back with his

Sudarshana Chakra The Sudarshana Chakra (, ) is a divine discus, attributed to Vishnu in the Hindu scriptures. The Sudarshana Chakra is generally portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu, who also holds the Panchajanya (conch), the Kaumodak ...

. When Krishna started chopping Banasura's arms,

returned to his senses and extolled the glories of

, and urged him not to kill Banasura, whom he had bestowed with fearlessness. Obliging, Krishna replied that he had never intended to kill Banasura, since he was the son of Bali and the grandson of the devout

. Vishnu had promised Bali not to kill any member of his family, and therefore would not slay him. However, Krishna severed Banasura's extra arms to destroy the latter's pride, leaving Banasura with only four arms. Banasura realised his mistake and bowed his head before Krishna, arranging for a chariot to seat Aniruddha and Usha for their wedding in Dvaraka.

Children

Vajra The Vajra (, , ), is a legendary and ritualistic tool, symbolizing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). It is also described as a "ritual weapon". The use of the bell and vajra together as s ...

was the elder son of Aniruddha and his second wife, Usha. He was the only survivor of the Yadu dynasty after a violent disaster due to the curse of

Gandhari Gandhari (, ) is a prominent female character in the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She is the daughter of King List of characters in the Mahabharata#Subala, Subala, the ruler of Gandhara kingdom, Gandhara, and becomes the wife of Dhritar ...

. Vajra was crowned as the King of

Indraprastha Indraprastha (Sanskrit: इन्द्रप्रस्थ, n̪d̪ɾɐpɾɐst̪ʰə (lit. "Plain of Indra" or "City of Indra") is a city cited in ancient Indian literature as a constituent of the Kuru Kingdom. It was designated the capit ...

on the request of Krishna by the

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

s after the Yadava fratricide just before the Pandavas' exile. Aniruddha had one more son named Mrigaketana from Rochana.

Boar Aspect

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

, Aniruddha is associated with the boar, which is his

theriomorphic The word ''zoomorphism'' derives from and . In the context of art, zoomorphism could describe art that imagines humans as non-human animals. It can also be defined as art that portrays one species of animal like another species of animal or art ...

aspect, also known as

Varaha Varaha (, , "boar") is the avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vishnu, in the form of a wild boar, boar. Varaha is generally listed as third in the Dashavatara, the ten principal avatars of Vishnu. In legend, when the demon Hiranyaksha steals ...

. Aniruddha appears as a boar in some of the

Caturvyūha ''Caturvyūha'' or ''Chatur-vyūha'' (), is an ancient Indian religious concept initially focusing on the four earthly emanations (Vyūhas) of the Supreme deity Nārāyaṇa, and later Viṣṇu. The first of these emanations is the hero-god Vā ...

statues, where he is an assistant to

Vāsudeva Vāsudeva (; ), later incorporated as Vāsudeva-Krishna (, "Krishna, son of Vasudeva Anakadundubhi, Vasudeva"),"While the earliest piece of evidence do not yet use the name Krsna...." in At the time of the Heliodorus pillar dedication to Vāsu ...

, and in the Vaikuntha Chaturmurti when his boar's head protrudes from the side of

's head. Aniruddha is also associated with the qualities of ferociousness and sovereignty."Gentleness and strength are associated with Vasudeva, "knowledge with Samkarsana, (Narasimha) female power with Pradyumna (Varaha) and ferociousness and sovereignty with Aniruddha (Kapila)."

Death

Pradyumna and Aniruddha died in the intoxicated brawl between the Yadavas, which claimed the life of every Yadava prince, except Vajra, who was the only survivor.

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. ...

moved the survivors to the kingdom of

and crowned Vajra the king.

Literature

The story of Aniruddha and Usha (as ''Okha'' in Gujarati, also "Ukha" in Assamese) is depicted in the 18th century

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

Akhyana Akhyana was a traditional musical theatre as well as medieval genre of Gujarati poetry and Rajasthani poetry. It was primarily practiced in Gujarat and Rajasthan states of India. Etymology and definition ''Akhyana'' literally means ''to tell'' or ...

entitled ''Okhaharan'' by Premanand Bhatt. A 1901 Telugu language play titled ''

Usha Parinayam ''Usha Parinayam'' (; English: Marriage of Usha) is one of the famous Indian drama. It is also a popular Yakshagana. The play was written in 1901 by Vedam Venkataraya Sastry. Plot Banasura, the king of demons undertakes a severe penance to so ...

'' written by

Vedam Venkataraya Sastry Vedam Venkataraya Sastry (21 December 1853 – 18 June 1929) was an Indian poet, critic, dramatist, and scholar known for his contributions to Telugu literature and Telugu theatre, theatre.Vedam Venkataraya Sastry in Makers of Indian Literature; ...

was based on his love story with Usha. Aniruddha, which means "unstoppable," is also another name of Vishnu.

References

* Dowson: ''Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology''.

External links

The story of Aniruddha in the Bhagavata Purana
{{Authority control People related to Krishna Hindu gods Characters in the Bhagavata Purana