Shishupala

Shishupala
Birth of Shishupala

Krishna slays Shishupala

Shishupala (Sanskrit: शिशुपाल, lit. protector of child, IAST: Śiśupāla; sometimes spelt Sisupala) was the son of Damaghosh, king of Chedi, by Srutadev, sister of Vasudeva. Therefore, he was a cousin of Krishna. However, he harbored a hatred of Krishna because his cousin had run off with Rukmini, his intended wife. He was slain by Krishna at the great sacrifice of Yudhishthira in punishment of opprobrious abuse. He was also called Chaidya.^[1]

In literature

The Mahabharata states that Shishupala was born with three eyes and four arms. His parents were inclined to cast him out, but were warned by a voice not to do so, as his time had not come. It also foretold that his superfluous members should disappear when a certain person took the child into his lap, and that he would eventually die by the hands of that same person. Coming to visit his cousin, Krishna placed the child on his knees and the extra eye and arms disappeared indicating Shishupala's death was destined at the hands of Krishna.

In the Mahabharata, Shishupala's mother was given a vow by Krishna, her nephew, that he would pardon his cousin Shishupala for a hundred offenses. When Yudhishthira underwent the Rajasuya Yajna, he sent Bhima to obtain the fealty of Shishupala, now king after his father's death. Shishupala accepted Yudhishthira's supremacy with no protest, and was invited to the final ceremony at Indraprastha.

At that event, the Pandavas decided that Krishna would be their honored guest. At that time Shishupala insulted Krishna as a cowherd and worthless to be honoured as a king.^[2] On an earlier instance, he felt humiliated when Krishna rides away with Rukmini, who had been promised to Shishupala by her brother and his great friend Rukmi.

The Shishupala Vadha is a work of classical Sanskrit poetry (kāvya) composed by Māgha in the 7th or 8th century. It is an epic poem in 20 sargas (cantos) of about 1800 highly ornate stanzas^[3] and is considered one of the six Sanskrit mahakavyas, or "great epics". It is also known as the Māgha-kāvya after its author. Like other kavyas, it is admired more for its exquisite descriptions and lyrical quality than for any dramatic development of plot.

References

1. Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam, ed. India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 80.
2. http://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/mahabharata/d/doc118386.html
3. S. S. Shashi (1996), Encyclopaedia Indica: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Anmol Publications PVT. LTD., p. 160, ISBN 978-81-7041-859-7

• Dowson's Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology

External links

•  "Śiśupāla". New International Encyclopedia. 1905.