Kalayavana
| Kalayavana | |
|---|---|
 Kalayavana and Srikrishna | |
| Information | |
| Dynasty | Yavana |
| Father | Gargya[1] |
| Mother | Ramba |
Kālayavana (Sanskrit: कालयवन, lit. death amongst descendants of Turvasu) was a king who invaded Mathurā with an army of three million Yavanas against Sri Krishna.[2][3]
Legend
According to the Vishnu Purana and Harivamsa, Kālayavana was a Yavana king.[4][5]
The legend goes like this: Jarasandha, Kamsa's father-in-law, and the ruler of Magadha attacks Mathura seventeen times but is beaten by Krishna every time. Jarasandha unable to defeat Krishna on his own made an alliance with Kālayavana. Kālayavana was a powerful Yavana warrior who had gotten a boon from Lord Shiva that on the battlefield he will be undefeatable.[6]
Krishna, thinking that by a struggle with two foes at once the people would be exhausted, built a new strong and glorious city, named 'Dwārkā', to which he conducted the inhabitants of Mathurā.[7] Kālayavana attacked Mathurā with an army of 3 million Yavanas. Sri Krishna realizing that the Yavanas have greatly outnumbered all the yādavas decided to challenge Kālayavana for a duel. Sri Krishna strategically fled the battlefield. Shri Krishna lured Kalayavana into the cave where the great king of Treta Yuga, Muchukunda, one of the forefathers of Lord Shri Rāma was in a deep slumber of thousands of years after helping devas in an epic war with asuras.[8]
Contemplating an absolutely undisturbed sleep he was given a boon by Lord Indra that anyone who dared to disturb his sleep would get burnt to ashes immediately.[6] Fast forward to Dvapara Yuga, in the darkness deep inside the cave, Sri Krishna covered Muchukunda with his shawl. Kālayavana assuming him to be Krishna kicked him, thus disturbing his sleep and burning into ashes. And then Muchukunda was delighted to see Lord Shri Krishna there. Sri Krishna advises him to perform Tapasyā to cleanse the accumulated sins to attain Moksha (liberation). After meeting with the lord, Muchukunda sets out of the cave. Muchukunda then goes north to Gandamādana Mountain and from there to Badrikāshrama for doing penance and finally achieves liberation, the Moksha.[9][10]
The hills and the cave where Muchukunda rested is located at Ranchodji teerth, district Lalitpur in the state of Uttar Pradesh.[11]
After knowing the fate of their king the Yavana armies fled to the Yavana kingdom, thus Krishna saved Dwarka from mass-destruction. This Leela yielded the name of Ranchod to Lord Krishna.
References
- ^ "Story of Krishna and Kalayavana - Part 1". Retrieved 11 November 2012.
- ^ Nivedita, Sister (2001). Myths and legends of the Hindus and Buddhists. Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (1st Indian ed.). Kolkata [India]: Advaita Ashrama, Publication Dept. ISBN 81-7505-197-3. OCLC 53466600.
- ^ Dowson, John (2000). A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History and Literature. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-415-24521-0.
- ^ Dutt, Manmatha Nath (editor) (1897). A Prose English Translation Of Harivamsha.
{{cite book}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ www.wisdomlib.org (30 August 2014). "Burning of Yavana king, Kalayavana and praise of Mucukunda to Kansa [Chapter XXIII]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ a b "HARIVAMSHAM (GEETA PRESS)". mahabharata-resources.org.
- ^ "THE KRISHNA AVATĀRA". sacred-texts.com.
- ^ "A Hindu King who Slept for Almost 4 Million Years!". HariBhakt | History, Facts, Awareness of Hinduism. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Muchukunda". www.mythfolklore.net. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Mytholgical Story : Krishna and Muchkunda". www.kidsgen.com. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Muchkund Cave | District Lalitpur, Government of Uttar Pradesh | India". Retrieved 10 December 2021.
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