Bhurishravas
Encyclopedia
Bhurishravas was a prince of a minor kingdom in the kingdom of Bahlika and played a role in the Mahabharata
epic.
Bhurishravas' father, Somadatta, once clashed with another prince called Sini
. When Devaki
, the mother of Lord Krishna
was still unwed, many princes competed for her hand in marriage including Somadatta and Sini who fought a great battle over her. Sini, fighting on behalf of Vasudeva
won the battle. This incident launched an hatred between the Sini and Somadatta families leading to a sibling rivalry.
By the time of the Battle of Kurukshetra
, Saini's grandson Satyaki
, now a king of the Vrishni
s, was allied with the Pandava army
while Bhurishravas, now aged, sided with the Kaurava
s and was one of the eleven commanders of the Kaurava army.
On the 14th day of the battle Bhurishravas challenged Satyaki. When Satyaki began to tire after a long and bloody battle, Bhurishravas battered him and dragged him across the battlefield. Arjuna
, the leading warrior on the Pandava army, was alerted to Satyaki's danger by Lord Krishna
. Just as Bhurishravas was preparing to kill Satyaki, Arjuna came to the rescue, shooting an arrow cutting off Bhurishravas' arm.
Bhurishravas wailed that by striking him without a formal challenge, and from behind, Arjuna had disgraced the honor between warriors. Arjuna in turn rebuked Bhurishravas for attempting to kill an unarmed Satyaki - an act also against the rules of war. Arjuna reiterated that protecting Satyaki's life at all costs was his responsibility as a friend and comrade in arms.
At this point, realising his folly, Bhurishravas laid down his weapons, and sat in the lotus posture to practice yoga
.
But then Satyaki emerged from his swoon, and before Arjuna could stop him, swiftly decapitated his enemy.
The warriors on both sides of the battle universally condemned Satyaki for this act - one of the incidents in the epic showing the superiority of dharma
and honor against the uncontrollable power of hatred. Symbolically, as Bhurishravas' attempt to kill the unarmed Satyaki immediately resulted in his own death in the same manner, Bhurishravas can be seen as representing the binding effects of one's material actions (karma
).
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
epic.
Bhurishravas' father, Somadatta, once clashed with another prince called Sini
Sini
Sini may refer to:* Saini, the grandfather of the Yadava warrior Satyaki in the Mahabharata* Sini , a female given name in Finnish* Sini , a name given to male as well as female in Malayalam* Sini Turkish kitchen equipment...
. When Devaki
Devaki
In Hinduism, Devaki is the wife of Vasudeva and biological mother of Krishna.She was the daughter of Devaka, the younger brother of King Ugrasena of Mathura. She was a partial incarnation of Aditi, the mother of the Devas.-Imprisonment :...
, the mother of Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
was still unwed, many princes competed for her hand in marriage including Somadatta and Sini who fought a great battle over her. Sini, fighting on behalf of Vasudeva
Vasudeva
In Hindu itihasa , Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, the son of Shoorsen, of the Yadu and Vrishni dynasties. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu. He was a partial incarnation of Rishi Kashyap....
won the battle. This incident launched an hatred between the Sini and Somadatta families leading to a sibling rivalry.
By the time of the Battle of Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra war
According to the Indian epic poem Mahābhārata, a dynastic succession struggle between two groups of cousins of an Indo-Aryan kingdom called Kuru, the Kauravas and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura resulted in the Kurukshetra War in which a number of ancient kingdoms participated as allies of...
, Saini's grandson Satyaki
Satyaki
Yuyudhana , better known as Satyaki , was a powerful warrior belonging to the Vrishni clan of the Yadavas, to which Krishna also belonged. According to the Puranas, he was grandson of Shini of the Vrishni clan, and son of Satyaka. Satyaki was devoted to Krishna and his best friend Arjuna, with...
, now a king of the Vrishni
Vrishni
The Vrishnis were an ancient Indian clan who were believed as the descendants of Vrishni, a descendent of Yadu. It is believed that Vrishni was son of Satvata, a descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati. He had two wives, Gandhari and Madri. He has a son named Devamidhusha by his wife Madri....
s, was allied with the Pandava army
Pandava
In the Hindu epic Mahābhārata, the Pandava are the five acknowledged sons of Pandu , by his two wives Kunti and Madri. Their names are Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva. Although, Karna is told by Lord Krishna that according to the laws and ethics he is the first son of Kunti making...
while Bhurishravas, now aged, sided with the Kaurava
Kaurava
The term Kaurava is a Sanskrit term, that means the descendants of Kuru, a legendary king who is the ancestor of many of the characters of the Mahābhārata.The term is used in the Mahābhārata with two meanings:...
s and was one of the eleven commanders of the Kaurava army.
On the 14th day of the battle Bhurishravas challenged Satyaki. When Satyaki began to tire after a long and bloody battle, Bhurishravas battered him and dragged him across the battlefield. Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
, the leading warrior on the Pandava army, was alerted to Satyaki's danger by Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. Just as Bhurishravas was preparing to kill Satyaki, Arjuna came to the rescue, shooting an arrow cutting off Bhurishravas' arm.
Bhurishravas wailed that by striking him without a formal challenge, and from behind, Arjuna had disgraced the honor between warriors. Arjuna in turn rebuked Bhurishravas for attempting to kill an unarmed Satyaki - an act also against the rules of war. Arjuna reiterated that protecting Satyaki's life at all costs was his responsibility as a friend and comrade in arms.
At this point, realising his folly, Bhurishravas laid down his weapons, and sat in the lotus posture to practice yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
.
But then Satyaki emerged from his swoon, and before Arjuna could stop him, swiftly decapitated his enemy.
The warriors on both sides of the battle universally condemned Satyaki for this act - one of the incidents in the epic showing the superiority of dharma
Dharma
Dharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
and honor against the uncontrollable power of hatred. Symbolically, as Bhurishravas' attempt to kill the unarmed Satyaki immediately resulted in his own death in the same manner, Bhurishravas can be seen as representing the binding effects of one's material actions (karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
).