| Janamejaya | |
|---|---|
| Raja | |
| King of Kuru | |
| Reign | 12th–9th century BCE |
| Predecessor | Parikṣit |
| Successor | Ashwamedhadatha |
| House | Kuru |
| Dynasty | Bharata |
| Father | Parikṣit |
| Religion | Historical Vedic Religion |
Janamejaya (Sanskrit:जनमेजय) was aKuru king who reigned during the MiddleVedic period.[1] Along with his father and predecessorParikshit, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement ofVedic hymns into collections, and the development of the orthodoxsrauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural part of northernIndia. He also appears as a figure in later legends and traditions, theMahabharata and thePuranas.
The nameJanamejaya means "man-impelling" or "victorious from birth".[2]
TheAitareya Brāhmaṇa states that he was a great conqueror and that hispurohita (family priest) Tura Kāvaṣeya consecrated him as king and officiated hisaśvamedha (horse sacrifice). It also states that at one of his sacrifices he did not employ the Kaśyapas as priests but rather the Bhūtavīras. It states that the Asitamr̥ga family of Kaśyapas were eventually reemployed by Janamejaya. TheŚatapatha Brāhmaṇa mentions that he along his brothers Ugrasena, Bhīmasena, and Śrutasena performed anaśvamedha, officiated by Indrota Daivāpa Śaunaka, in order to cleanse themselves of sin. Both previous Brāhmaṇas state that his capital wasĀsandīvat. TheGopatha Brahmana narrates an "absurd" anecdote regarding Janamejaya and two ganders.[2][3]
ThePañcaviṃśa Brāhmaṇa mentions a Janamejaya who was a priest at a snake sacrifice, but Macdonell and Keith consider him to be a different person than Janamejaya the Kuru king.[4]
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H.C. Raychaudhuri datesParikshit, his father, in ninth century BC.[5]Michael Witzel states the Pārikṣita dynasty corresponds with the presence ofBlack and Red Ware in the Punjab and West and South regions of North India, which archeologically dates to 1180 BCE.[6]
Historian H. C. Raychaudhuri notes that there are two pairs of Parikṣhits and Janamejayas in epic and Puranic genealogies, but believes that the second Janamejaya's description better corresponds to the Vedic king, whereas the information available about the first is scant and inconsistent, but Raychaudhuri questions whether there were actually two distinct kings. He suggests that there "is an intrusion into the genealogical texts" of the late, post-Vedic tradition, which also has two of Janamejaya's father Parikṣit, possibly "invented by genealogists to account for anachronisms" in the later parts of theMahābhārata, as "a bardic duplication of the same original individual regarding whose exact place in the Kuru genealogy no unanimous tradition had survived."[7][note 1]
Four copper-plate grant inscriptions purportedly issued during Janamejaya's reign were discovered in the 20th century, but were proved to be fake by historians.[8][9]
| Janamejaya | |
|---|---|
 The sageVyasa and King Janamejaya | |
| Personal Information | |
| Affiliation | Kurus |
| Spouse | Vapushtama[10] |
| Children | Śatáníka, Sankukarna |
| Relatives | Parikṣit (father),Madravti (mother),Asvmedhadatta (grandson) |
He was the son of KingParikshit and QueenMadravati according to theMahabharata (I.95.85).[11] He was the grandson of great warriorAbhimanyu and the great-grandson ofArjuna, the valiant warrior hero of the Mahābhārata. He ascended to the Kuru throne following the death of his father. His significance comes as the listener of the first narration of the Mahābhārata, narrated byVaishampayana, a pupil ofVyasa. According to theVayu Purana and theMatsya Purana, there was a dispute between him and Vaishampayana. Possibly, as its aftermath, he abdicated and his son Shatanika succeeded him.[12] Also theDevi Bhagavata Purana was narrated to him by Vyasa.[13]
InMahabharata, Janamejaya was mentioned as having three able brothers, Srutasena, Ugrasena and Bhimasena.[14] The initial chapters of the epic narrate various aspects of his life including his conquest ofTakshasila and about his encounter withNāgaTakshaka. He wanted to exterminate the race of Takshaka who was responsible for the death of his father Parikshit.
_and_parikshit_bitten_by_Takshak.jpg)
King Janamejaya was responsible for the retelling of the famous epicMahābhārata, a story of Janamejaya's ancestors from the time ofBharata up to the greatKurukshetra War between his great-grandfathers thePandavas and their paternal cousins theKauravas. The Mahabharata states that it was recited to Janamejaya at thesarpa satra (snake sacrifice) by the sageVaishampayana to whom it had been imparted by his preceptorVedavyasa,[15] after he asked Vaishampayana about his ancestors.
King Janamejaya ascended to the throne ofHastinapura upon the death of his fatherParikshit. According to legend, Parikshit, the lone descendant of the House ofPandu, had died of snakebite. He had been cursed by a sage to die so, the curse having been consummated by theNaga KingTakshaka.Janamejaya bore a deep grudge against the serpents for this act, and thus decided to wipe them out altogether. He attempted this by performing a greatSarpa Satra – a sacrifice that would destroy all living serpents.At that time, a learned sage namedAstika, a boy in age, came and interfered. His motherManasa was a Naga and his father aBrahmin. Janamejaya had to listen to the words of the learned Astika and set the then-imprisoned Takshaka free. He also stopped the genocide of the Nagas and ended all enmity with them (1,56).[16] From that time onward, the Nagas and Kurus lived in peace.The mass sacrifice was started on the banks of the river Arind at Bardan, now known as Parham, a corrupt form ofParikshitgarh.[citation needed] A masonry tank (reservoir) said to have been built by King Janamejaya to mark the site of the sacrificial pit, known asParikshit kund, still exists inMainpuri district. This is known as Gowdvana. Close to this village a very large and high Khera-(Regional Word meaning Hamlet) containing the ruins of a fort and some stone sculptures has been found. It is said to date back to the time of King Parikshit. A popular local legend is that as a consequence of the virtues of that sacrifice snakes are still harmless in this place and its neighborhood.
Janamejaya was succeeded by his grandsonAshwamedhadatha.[17][page needed][18]
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