Dilīpa

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Dilīpa
Successor
Suryavamsha

Dilīpa, also known as Khaṭvāṅga, was a king of the

Ikshvaku dynasty featured in Ramayana and Hinduism. Dilipa is the son of Mulaka and Ilibila, the husband of Sudakshina, and the father of Raghu.[1] Dilipa is also the name of a serpent born into the Kashyapa family.[1]

Legend

Meeting with Vasishtha

One day, Dilipa met the sage Vasishtha on the banks of the Ganga river (Ganges). Vasishtha taught Dilipa about all the sacred waters and explained to him how each were great. This legend is found in the Padma Purāṇa.[1]

Killing of Virasena

The Yuddha Kandam of the Ramavataram mentions the killing of Virasena, in which Dilipa is involved. Once an asura named Virasena attacked Kubera; however, the gods Shiva and Vishnu were unable to defeat him. Vishnu told Kubera to seek the help of the king Dilipa, who came to Kubera's mythical city of Alaka. Dilipa fired arrow after arrow at Virasena, but every drop of blood spilled caused the formation of a new Virasena. To finish the unending battle, Dilipa prayed to the goddess Rakteshwari, who came and drank all the blood of Virasena, allowing for his death.[1]

Birth of Raghu

The

deodar cedar tree that had been planted by Shiva's wife, Parvati. The lion stated that he was allowed to eat any animals that came near the deodar cedar tree, and so was justified in eating Nandini. Dilipa fell to his knees and bowed to the lion, and begged the lion to eat him rather than Nandini. Suddenly, the lion disappeared and Nandini revealed that she had done this to test Dilipa. After successfully propiating Nandini, Dilipa and Sudakshina returned to the earthly realm and had a son named Raghu.[1][2]

Life as a Royal Hermit

One day, Dilipa pleased God so much that he realized how long he had to live. He then left his royal duties to his ministers and spend the rest of his life in devotion and meditation. He performed 100 sacrifices, in which he made golden roads and was even visited by the god Indra. This description is found in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa and the Droṇa Parva of the Mahābhārata , where he is referred to as Khaṭvāṅga.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Mani, Vettam (1975). Purāṇic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Purāṇic Literature. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 241–242, 410.
  2. ^ al-Din, Rashid; Jahn, K (2013). Rashid Al-Din's History of India: Collected Essays with Facsimiles and Indices. De Gruyter.

External links

Further reading

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