Muchukunda () is a king of the Suryavamsha (Solar dynasty) 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 ...

. He was the son of King Mandhata, and the brother of Ambarisha.

Battle with the asuras

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 ...

, the devas were once defeated by the

asuras Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Deva (Hinduism), Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhism, ...

. They sought the refuge of the king named Muchukunda, described to be a great warrior and a pious man. King Muchukunda granted the devas shelter until they rallied themselves under

Kartikeya Kartikeya (/Sanskrit phonology, kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda (Sanskrit phonology, /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/Sanskrit phonology, sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha (Sanskrit phonology, /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan ...

, the son 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 ...

. After their triumph, the devas and their king,

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

, expressed their gratitude to the king for sacrificing his privileged position on earth to travel to Svarga to protect them. They revealed to him that an entire

age Age or AGE may refer to: Time and its effects * Age, the amount of time someone has been alive or something has existed ** East Asian age reckoning, an Asian system of marking age starting at 1 * Ageing or aging, the process of becoming older ...

had passed on earth, with the

Treta Yuga ''Treta Yuga'' (IAST: ''Tretā-yuga'') (Devanagari: त्रेतायुग), in Hinduism, is the second and second-best of the four '' yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'' and followed by '' Dvapara ...

now having transitioned to the Dvapara Yuga. They informed him that his family had all died. They offered Muchukunda any boon of his choice for his services, with the exception of

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

(liberation), as it was beyond their capacities. Struck with grief upon learning that his family was no longer alive, and feeling exhausted after all the battles, he asked the devas for the boon of undisturbed sleep, with the provision that anyone who dared to disturb it would immediately be reduced to ashes. This boon was granted, and the king commenced his sleep in a cave.

Death of Kalayavana

Brooklyn_Museum_-_Kalayavana_Surrounds_Mathura_Page_from_a_Dispersed_Bhagavata_Purana_Series

According to 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 ...

, Kalayavana, a great yavana warrior king, was undefeated and unmatched in battle due to a boon. Allied with Jarasandha, he set out to invade Krishna's kingdom,

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Delhi; and about from the town of Vrindavan. In ancient ti ...

. When the two armies faced each other in battle, Krishna dismounted from his chariot and retreated, followed by Kalayavana. After a long pursuit, Krishna, followed by Kalayavana, entered a dark cave. This was the same cave that Muchukunda was present within, still engaged in his slumber. Kalayavana, in a fit of anger and unable to see in the dark, attacked Muchukunda, mistaking him to be Krishna. When Muchukunda opened his eyes, his gaze fell upon Kalayavana, who was immediately burnt to ashes. After gaining his bearings, the king was delighted to see Krishna. Krishna advised him to perform tapas to cleanse his accumulated sins, to attain moksha (liberation). After meeting with the deity, Muchukunda set out of the cave. The story narrates that he was astonished to see all creatures had shrunken in size over time while he rested in the cave, indicating long ages gone by. Muchukunda then went to Gandamadana Mountain and from there to Badrika Ashrama for performing a penance.

References

{{HinduMythology Characters in the Mahabharata Rishis Characters in the Bhagavata Purana

Battle with the asuras

Death of Kalayavana

See also

References