| Shishupala | |
|---|---|
 Krishna slays Shishupala at the Rajasuya Yajña of Yudhishthira | |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | Damaghosha (father), Srutashrava (mother) |
| Siblings | Dashagriva, Ramya, Bali, Kushadhysha (brothers), Suprabha,Krishna (maternal cousin),Dantavakra (maternal cousin) |
| Children | Dhrishtaketu, Mahipala, Suketu, Sarabha |
Shishupala (Sanskrit:शिशुपाल,lit. 'protector of children',IAST:Śiśupāla; sometimes speltSisupala) was the king of the Chedi kingdom, and an antagonist in theMahabharata. He was the son of King Damaghosha and Srutashrava, the sister ofKunti, as well as the cousin ofNanda. He was slain byKrishna, his cousin and an avatar ofVishnu, at the great coronation ceremony ofYudhishthira, as a punishment for his opprobrious abuse made against him. He is also referred to as Chaidya ("King of Chedi"). Shishupala is considered to be the third and last birth of Vishnu's gatekeeperJaya.[1]
TheMahabharata 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 from heaven (ākāśavāṇī) not to do so, as his time had not come. It also foretold that his superfluous body parts would disappear when a certain person took the child into his lap, and that he would eventually die at the hands of that same person. Coming to visit his cousin,Krishna placed the child on his lap and the extra eye and arms disappeared, thus indicating Shishupala's death was destined at the hands of Krishna. In the Mahabharata, Shishupala's mother Shrutasrava persuaded her nephew, Krishna, that he would pardon his cousin Shishupala for a hundred offences.[2][3]
Rukmi, the prince ofVidarbha, was very close to Shishupala. He wanted his sisterRukmini to marry Shishupala. But before the ceremony could take place, Rukmini chose to elope with Krishna. This made Shishupala hate Krishna.[3]
WhenYudhishthira undertook theRajasuya Yajna, he sentBhima 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 atIndraprastha.
At that event, thePandavas decided that Krishna would be the special honoured guest of the sacrificial ceremony. This angered Shishupala and he started insulting Krishna, calling him a mere cowherd and worthless to be honoured as a king.[4] He also started insultingBhishma, calling his vow to remain acelibate throughout life as an act of cowardice. Bhishma became furious and threatened Shishupala, but Krishna calmed him down. Through this act, he committed his 100th sin and was pardoned by Krishna. When he insulted Krishna again, he committed his 101st sin. Krishna then released hisSudarshana Chakra on Shishupala, killing him on the spot.[3] Shishupala's soul was liberated and attained salvation by merging into Krishna's body.
TheShishupala Vadha is a work of classicalSanskrit poetry (kāvya) composed byMāgha in the 7th or 8th century. It is anepic poem consisting of 20sargas (cantos) of about 1800 highly ornate stanzas[5] and is considered one of the six Sanskritmahakavyas, or "great epics". It is also known as theMāgha-kāvya after its author. Like otherkavya's, it is admired more for its exquisite descriptions and lyrical quality than for any dramatic development of the plot[citation needed]. His sons were killed in theKurukshetra War[citation needed].
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Dowson, John (1879).A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History and Literature. London: Trubner & Co., Ludgate Hill. p. 294. Retrieved19 September 2021.| Traditional author and narrators |  | |
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