मान्धाता
[mandhata] IAST: MĀNDHĀTĀ
A King of pre-eminence in the dynasty of इक्ष्वाकु .
Genealogy
Descending in order from विष्णु were born-- ब्रह्मा -- मरीचि -- कश्यप -- विवस्वान् -- इक्ष्वाकु -- विकुक्षि -- शशाद -- पुरञ्जय -- ककुत्स्थ -- अनेनस् -- पृथुलाश्व -- प्रसेनजित् -- युवनाश्व -- मान्धाता .
Mark Title as "empty".
युवनाश्व , father of मान्धाता had a hundred wives. Still he had no children. Greatly griefstricken by the lack of a son he went to the forests to see people of virtue and piety. During his wandering in the forest he happened to reach a club of sages. युवनाश्व went and sat in their midst. He was happy to be in their midst but was worried in his mind and so he sent up deep sighs as he sat there sad and śilent. The sages asked him why he looked so sad and the King crying like a child told them the cause of his grief. The sages took pity on him and made him conduct the याग 'Indradaivata'. They brought a jug of water made potent by recitals of मन्त्रस् to be given to the queens to make them pregnant and placed the pot in the यागशाला . The याग was coming to an end. One day the King felt unusually thirsty and unwilling to disturb the sages who were taking rest the King entered the यागशाला and finding a jug there full of water drank from it and quenched his thirst, little knowing that it contained the water made potent for a specific purpose by मन्त्रस् . The next day when the sages went to the यागशाला they found the jug almost empty and were worried and started making enquiries. The King then confessed what he had done. The sages said that it was futile to fight against fate and somehow finished the याग and went to their आश्रमस् .
The King became pregnant and after ten months a child came out bursting open the right side of his stomach. The King consulted his ministers as to what should be done with the child and on their advice the child was taken to the forests and left there. But the child was protected by the Devas and they enquired among themselves as to whose breastfeeding it would get when Indra appeared and said " मांधाता ", meaning it would drink me. That was how the child got the name ' मान्धाता '. Indra thrust the child's big toe into its mouth and the child began to suck milk through it. मान्धाता who grew thus drinking its own toe became a mighty man of renown. (7th Skandha, Devī Bhāgavata)
Administration of the state and marriage
When मान्धाता became a man of great strength his father died and he ascended the throne and became an Emperor of great fame. He conquered many kingdoms. He made his enemies flee from him. Because he intimidated the दस्युस् he got the name त्रसदस्यु . He married the perfect-figured chaste daughter बिन्दुमती of शशबिन्दुराज . She got two sons named पुरुकुत्स and मुचुकुन्द .
The पुराणस् state that मान्धाता had another son named अम्बरीष and fifty daughters who were all married to a sage named सौभरि .
How he caused rains in the country
मान्धाता ruled the country very virtuously without at any time going against truth and justice and his country became prosperous. Once it so happened that there were no rains for three successive years in the country and the greatly worried King went to the forests to know from the great sages there the reason for such a calamity. The sages told the King thus: "Oh King, of all yugas कृतयुग is the best. This yuga is a ब्रह्मिन् -predominant one and Dharma stands on four legs. Penance is for ब्रह्मिन्स् only and no man of any other caste can do penance in this yuga. But in your country a शूद्र is performing penance and that is why the clouds refuse to shower rains. Kill him and then the evil will go". Hearing this मान्धाता replied, "I will never kill an innocent ascetic. Teach me my duty at this time of peril". The sages were pleased at the reply of the King and advised him thus: "Oh King, start observing व्रत on the एकादशी day. (Eleventh day in each half of a month). The एकादशी which falls in the bright half of भाद्रपद is called ' पद्मनाभ ', and if you observe it by its cogency you will get not only rains but prosperity and happiness free from misery of any kind. You must persuade your subjects also to observe this".
The King on returning to his palace started observing 'ekādaśī' along with his subjects of all the four castes and then it started to rain. Rains came in plenty and all the crops were rich. The subjects became happy. (Chapter 59, Padma Purāṇa)
Other details
मान्धाता had to fight once against लवणासुर but had to accept defeat before the god-given spear which लवणासुर possessed. (Uttara Rāmāyaṇa)
अश्विनीदेवस् once helped मान्धाता in his work as an owner of land. (Sūkta 112, Anuvāka 16, Maṇḍala 1, Ṛgveda)
मान्धाता became pure by यज्ञ and attained स्वर्ग . [mh-3-257-5 ] .
Once नारद spoke to सञ्जय about the greatness of मान्धाता . [mh-7-62-1 ] .
At another time श्री कृष्ण spoke in glowing terms about the यज्ञ of मान्धाता . [mh-12-29-81 ] .
Once महाविष्णु came to मान्धाता disguised as इन्द्र and conversed with him on 'Rājadharma' (duties and responsibilities of a King.) [mh-12-64-16 ] .
उतत्थ्य , son of अङ्गिरस् , once taught मान्धाता the outlines of राजधर्म . [mh-12-90-1 ] .
मान्धाता conquered the whole world in one day. [mh-12-124-16 ] .
On another occasion बृहस्पति conversed with him on the subject of गोदान . (The giving away of cows as gifts). [mh-13-76-4 ] .
मान्धाता gave away as gifts millions of cows. [mh-13-85-5 ] .
मान्धाता hated non-vegetarian food. [mh-13-115-61 ] .
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