Brihadbala

Brihadbala is a character in the Indian epic Mahabharata. A descendant of Rama, he belongs to the Ikshvaku dynasty. Born to Vishrutavanta, he was the last king of the Kosala Kingdom. In the Kurukshetra War, Brihadbala fought for the Kauravas and was killed by Abhimanyu.

Birth

According to the Vishnu Purana and Bhagavata Purana, Brihadbala is a descendant of Rama on Kusha's side, and belongs to the Ikshvaku dynasty. Makhan Jha in his Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Prespective claims that Brihadbala is the fifteenth king after Rama.^[1] Brihadbala is considered to be the last king of the Ikshvaku dynasty; the dynasty spanned 31-32 generations between Rama and him.^[2]

In Mahabharata

The Mahabharata describes Brihadbala as the ruler of Kingdom of Kosala. He was subjugated by Bhima during the Rajasuya sacrifice, and a subsequent conquest by Karna during the latter's Digvijaya Yatra meant that he sided with the Kauravas during the Kurukshetra War.^[3] On the thirteenth day of the war when Abhimanyu, Arjuna's son, penetrates into the Padmavyuha, Brihadbala fights him along with a host of Kaurava warriors including Drona, Kripa, Karna, Ashwatthama, and Kritavarma. In a fierce duel that ensured between him and Abhimanyu, he gets mortally hit by the latter's arrows.^[4]

References

1. Jha, Makhan (1997). Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Prespective. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. p. 177. ISBN 978-81-7533-034-4.
2. Agarwal, M. K. (2013). The Vedic Core of Human History: And Truth will be the Savior. iUniverse. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-4917-1595-6.
3. Pruthi, Raj (2004). Vedic Civilization. Discovery Publishing House. p. 75. ISBN 978-81-7141-875-6.
4. Menon, Ramesh (2006). The Mahabharata: A Modern Rendering. iUniverse. p. 246. ISBN 978-0-595-40188-8.