Dharmadhwaja Janaka (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: धर्मध्वज जनक ) was the king of the ancient

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepa ...

Videha Videha ( Prākrit: ; Pāli: ; Sanskrit: ) was an ancient Indo-Aryan tribe of north-eastern Indian subcontinent whose existence is attested during the Iron Age. The population of Videha, the Vaidehas, were initially organised into a monarchy ...

Kingdom in the

Indian Subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...

. Dharmadhwaja Janaka, also known as King Janaka, was a significant figure in ancient Indian history and mythology. He was a ruler and is often remembered as a

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

-king who was deeply engaged in spiritual and philosophical discourse. He is mentioned in the

Shanti Parva The Shanti Parva (; IAST: ''Śānti parva)'' ("Book of Peace") is the twelfth of the eighteen ''parvas'' (books) of the Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. It traditionally has three parts and 365 chapters.Ganguli, K.M. (1883–1896)Shanti Parva in ''The ...

of the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

. He was the student of the sage Panchashikha and learnt Shamkhya philosophy from him.

Etymology

''Dharmadhwaja'' is a Sanskrit compound word consisting of the terms

Dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

and

Dhvaja Dhvaja (; ) is the Sanskrit term for a banner or a flag. Flags are featured in the iconography, mythology, and architecture of Indian religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. They are one of the ashtamangala, the eight auspicious embl ...

. The term "''Dharmadhwaja''" signifies a flag-bearer of ''Dharma'', reflecting his commitment to righteousness and duty. In the lineage of the

Janaka Janaka (, IAST: ''Janaka'') is the King of Videha who ruled from Mithila (region), Mithila, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Janaka was married to Sunayana (Ramayana), Sunayana. He is the father of Sita and Urmila in the epic. The term Janaka ...

kings of

, ''Dharmadhwaja'' stands out for his association with various sages and scholars of the time. His court was a hub for philosophical debates and discussions, attracting learned individuals from across the land.

Description

Narada Purana The ''Naradiya Purana'' (, ) or ''Narada Purana'' (), are two Vaishnavism texts written in Sanskrit language. One of the texts is termed as a Major Purana, also called a Mahapurana, while the other is termed as a Minor Purana (''Upapurana'' ...

, celestial sage Sanandan had narrated the story of Dharmadhwaja Janaka having two children Amitadhwaja and Kritadhwaja. In

, there is a famous philosophical debate between the King Dharmadhwaja Janaka with the female ascetic ''

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

'' scholar '' Shulabha'', the debate is known as ''Janaka Shulabha Samvada''. It is said that when King Dharmadhwaja Janaka used anti-feminist arguments to criticise Sulabha's unconventional behaviour, then '' Brahmavadini''

Sulabha Sulabha ( Sanskrit: सुलभ ) was a female scholar who lived during the Mithila Kingdom. She was a Vedic scholar knownas Brahmavadini. In ''Rigaveda'', a ''Samhita'' attributed to her was called ''Saulabha Samhita'', later lost. ''Sulabha ...

successfully established that there is no fundamental difference between a man and a woman based on the

philosophical principles. She also demonstrated that a woman can attain liberation on the same level as a man by her example.

References

{{reflist Mythological kings of Videha Mithila Indian monarchs Mahabharata Ramayana