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A son born to श्री कृष्ण of his wife रुक्मिणी , प्रद्युम्न was the rebirth of कामदेव . (For genealogy see under Kṛṣṇa) .

Birth

It was at the time when कामदेव and रतिदेवी were living together that पार्वती , daughter of हिमवान् , started her penance to get शिव as her husband. It was a need of the devas to get a son of शिव to kill the fierce demon तारकासुर . The devas employed कामदेव to create feelings of love in the ascetic शिव and make him marry पार्वती . Taking instructions from Indra, कामदेव took aim at शिव with his bow and arrow. शिव was then in deep meditation and कामदेव broke his concentration and शिव got angry. He opened his third eye and burnt कामदेव to death.

Griefstricken by the death of her husband रतिदेवी performed penance near the हिमालय s to propitiate महादेवी . महादेवी appeared before her and consoled her thus: "Little girl, कामदेव would be reborn as the son of श्री कृष्ण of रुक्मिणी . He would then be named प्रद्युम्न . The देवस् have cursed शम्बर the leader of the असुर s, during the battle between the demons and the demi-gods that he ( शम्बर ) would be killed by प्रद्युम्न . So शम्बर is now searching for the infant which is a rebirth of कामदेव . So you abandon your present body and be born again as मायावती to be the wife of शम्बर . प्रद्युम्न , the reborn कामदेव , would kill शम्बर and accept you as his wife." देवी disappeared after saying this.

Obeying the instructions of महादेवी , रति abandoned her life and was born in the world of असुरस् . She grew up under the name मायावती and became the wife of शम्बर .

While श्रीकृष्ण was living as the chief of द्वारका his first wife रुक्मिणी was yearning for a child. कृष्ण was deeply moved by the grief of रुक्मिणी and he flew on the back of गरुड to कैलास to obtain a boon for the birth of a child for her. On the way he alighted in the आश्रम of नरनारायणस् and after obtaining the blessings of the sages there, went to कैलास and bowed before शिव and explained to him the purpose of his visit. शिव blessed him and said that कामदेव who was burnt to death by the fire of his third eye would take birth again as the son of रुक्मिणी . कृष्ण returned to द्वारका well-pleased. रुक्मिणी became pregnant and gave birth to प्रद्युम्न , a rebirth of कामदेव . The demon शम्बर knew of this birth and coming to द्वारका in an invisible form carried away the infant when it was seven days old.

The demon threw the child into the ocean and a great fish swallowed it. The fishermen of the country of शम्बर caught this fish and following the custom prevalent there presented the king with the fish. शम्बर called his wife मायावती and asked her to take the fish and get it cooked. When मायावती cut open the fish for cooking she found to her surprise a beautiful child inside it. Even from the first sight of the child मायावती had a great liking for it and so she took the child and brought it up as her own child.

When प्रद्युम्न grew into a youth all the charm and beauty of कामदेव were found in him. मायावती was excited to find a resemblance in him of her lost husband कामदेव . One day the great sage नारद came that way and calling मायावती to his side secretly revealed to her that प्रद्युम्न was the incarnation of कामदेव and was thus her lost husband. From that day onwards मायावती 's affection for him changed into one of love. She taught him all the magic and witchcraft of शम्बर . When प्रद्युम्न found that मायावती 's affection for him was gradually changing into one of passionate love he questioned her about it. मायावती then told him everything that happened and प्रद्युम्न decided to kill शम्बर and take मायावती away.

War with शम्बर

प्रद्युम्न waited for an opportunity to kill शम्बर . One day प्रद्युम्न went under the flagstaff of शम्बर which flew the royal flag of the king with an emblem of the figure of a lion embossed on it. He dropped it down by one stroke of his arrow. Hearing of this शम्बर ordered his sons to kill प्रद्युम्न . The eleven sons of शम्बर , which is, अतिसेन, चित्रसेन, विष्वक्सेन, श्रुतसेन, सुषेण, सोमसेन, आक्काल, विकल, कुम्भकेतु, सुदंष्ट्र and केशी , attacked प्रद्युम्न . The devas came in their विमान s and joined sides with प्रद्युम्न . The army of the demons teased him with various kinds of weapons like javelins, arrows, spears and battle axes. But प्रद्युम्न cut them all by his arrows and cut to pieces all the sons of शम्बर . Then शम्बर sent an army against him. They were also made to flee by the arrows of प्रद्युम्न . Then शम्बर himself came on the scene. The fight became horrible. The continuous flow of arrows made it impossible for even Sun's rays to reach the earth. Then शम्बर started his magical war. But प्रद्युम्न faced that also. शम्बर sent phantom lions; but प्रद्युम्न made them immobile. शम्बर then in turn created storms, rains, wild animals, serpents and vultures. All of them were killed by प्रद्युम्न . Then with a well-aimed arrow प्रद्युम्न killed शम्बर . Then he rushed to द्वारका carrying मायावती with him. The people of द्वारका were astounded to see them. प्रद्युम्न went to श्री कृष्ण and रुक्मिणी and told them the whole story. They were overjoyed to find them and blessed them.

अनिरुद्ध who married उषा the daughter of बाण was the son of प्रद्युम्न . (Chapters 103 to 108, 10th Skandha, Bhāgavata) .

प्रभावतीपरिणय

Marriage with प्रभावती . (See under Prabhāvatī) .

Other details

प्रद्युम्न was born of a part of सनत्कुमार . [mh-1-67-152 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva .

प्रद्युम्न was one among those who came to अर्जुन from द्वारका with dowry for his marriage with सुभद्रा . [mh-1-220-31 ] Mahābhārata • Ādi parva .

प्रद्युम्न was present for the राजसूय यज्ञ of युधिष्ठिर . [mh-2-34-16 ] Mahābhārata • Sabhā parva .

प्रद्युम्न consoled and encouraged the यादव army which stood dumb-founded before the valorous exploits of King साल्व . [mh-3-17-1 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva .

प्रद्युम्न fainted during a fierce fight between himself and King साल्व . [mh-3-17-22 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva .

Pradyumna slew King साल्व in the end. [mh-3-19-1 ] Mahābhārata • Vana parva .

प्रद्युम्न means the merging of भूतजाल during प्रलय . [mh-12-340-37 ] Mahābhārata • Śānti parva .

प्रद्युम्न fell dead by the beatings of the भोजस् during the मौसल fight. [mh-16-3-33 ] Mahābhārata • Mausala parva .

After his death प्रद्युम्न took the form of सनत्कुमार . [mh-18-5-13 ] Mahābhārata • Svargārohaṇa parva .