Kakudmi (), also called Raivata ( meaning ''son of Revata''), is a king featured in
Hindu literature. Kakudmi is described to be the king of
Kushasthali. He is the son of Revata, and the father of
Revati, the consort of the deity
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 ...
. His account is given within a number of texts such as 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 ...
, the
Harivamsha, the
Devi Bhagavatam, and 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 ...
.
Legend
Audience with Brahma
According to 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 ...
and the
Vishnu Purana
The Vishnu Purana () is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, a genre of ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism. It is an important Pancharatra text in the Vaishnavism literature corpus.
The manuscripts of ''Vishnu Purana'' have survived into ...
, Kakudmi's daughter,
Revati, was so beautiful and accomplished that when she reached a marriageable age, she could find no man worthy of her. Hence, he went to
Satyaloka
Brahmaloka (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मालोक, IAST: Brahmāloka) or Satyaloka (Sanskrit: सत्यलोक) sometimes refers to the realm of Brahma, the creator god, a member of the Trimurti along with Vishnu and Shiva, along with his ...
to seek an audience with
Brahma
Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212– ...
, to seek his advice about a suitable husband for his daughter. When the two arrived, Brahma was listening to a musical performance by the
gandharvas
A ''gandharva'' () is a member of a class of celestial beings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, whose males are divine performers such as musicians and singers, and the females are divine dancers. In Hinduism, they ...
Hāha and Hūhu, so they waited patiently until the performance was finished. Then, Kakudmi bowed humbly, and made his request, presenting his shortlist of candidates. Brahma smiled and explained to the king that many successions of
ages had passed on earth while they had been listening to the singers at his realm. He stated that the twenty-eighth age of the
Manvantara
A ''manvantara'', in Hindu cosmology, is a cyclic period of time identifying the duration, reign, or age of a Manu, the progenitor of mankind. In each ''manvantara'', seven Rishis, certain deities, an Indra, a Manu, and kings (sons of Manu) are ...
was presently upon them, and that all of his candidates for husbands were now long gone, and so were their descendants. He advised Kakudmi to find another husband for Revati.
[''Vishnu-Purana''](_blank)
(see ''Book IV, chap I'')
King Kakudmi was overcome with astonishment upon hearing this news. However, Brahma comforted him, and informed him that
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 ( ...
, the preserver deity, was currently incarnate on earth in the forms 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
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 ...
. He recommended Balarama as a worthy husband for Revati. Kakudmi and
Revati then returned to earth, which they regarded as having left only just a short while ago. They were shocked by the changes that had taken place. Not only had the landscape and environment changed, but over the intervening 27
chaturyugas, mankind was at a lower level of development than in their own time. The Bhagavata Purana describes that they found the race of men had become "dwindled in stature, reduced in vigour, and enfeebled in intellect." Their city of Kushasthali was now called
Dvaraka. The duo found Balarama and proposed the marriage, which was accepted. Finding his bride to be taller than him, Balarama is stated to have tapped her on the head with his plough, which reduced her to the average size of humans of that age.
Penance
After the wedding of his daughter had been celebrated, Kakudmi considered his fatherly duties to have been completed. Following the advice Brahma gave him during their meeting, he went north to the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...
, to
Badrinath
Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a Hindu holy place, and is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage. It is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage c ...
(the place where
Nara-Narayana
Naranarayana (), also rendered Nara-Narayana, is a Hindu duo of sage-brothers. Generally regarded to be the partial-incarnation (aṃśa-avatara) of the preserver deity, Vishnu, on earth, Nara-Narayana are described to be the sons of Dharma ...
are said to have resided) to engage in meditation and ascetic practices.
The
Devi Bhagavatam describes that "according to Brahma's injunction, he became engaged in severe austerities in Badrinath and, when the time of death arrived, left off his mortal coil on the banks of the river and went to the world of Gods."
Devi Bhagavatam, 7.8
(see texts 44-46)
See also
* Bhishmaka
*Muchukunda
Muchukunda () is a king of the Suryavamsha (Solar dynasty) in Hindu mythology. He was the son of King Mandhata, and the brother of Ambarisha.
Battle with the asuras
According to the Bhagavata Purana, the devas were once defeated by the asur ...
*Ambarisha
In Hindu texts, Ambarisha (, ) is a mythological Ikshvaku king, and the son of Mandhata.Pargiter, F.E. (1972) 922 ''Ancient Indian Historical Tradition'', Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, p.92. He is believed to have conquered the whole world in a ...
References
External links
Bhagavata Purana
{{HinduMythology
Characters in the Mahabharata
Characters in the Bhagavata Purana