King Puru

King Puru was a Puranic king and the youngest son of king Yayati and Sharmishtha and one of ancestors of the Pandavas.[1] They in turn gave rise to Puru Vansha and eventually Pauravas, whose King Porus fought with Alexander the Great in the Battle of the Hydaspes River in 326 BC.

Puru in the Bhagavata Purana

In the nineteenth chapter of book nine of the Bhagavata Purana, Puru is described as having four brothers; Yadu, Turvasu, Druhyu and Anu. There is a story about him temporarily exchanging his youth with his Father in order to become king of the world.[2] His son and successor is named as his son was Práchinvat; his son was Pravíra; his son was Manasyu.

Puru in the Mahabharata

In the Mahabharata - Adi Parva, he is said to have inherited his kingdom in the Gangatic plain. He is said to have three mighty heroes as sons by his wife Paushti; Pravira, and Raudraswa. Pravira succeeded Puru and was in turn succeeded by his son Manasyu.[3]

When Yayati divided up his kingdom, he allocated the lands to the east to Turvasha, the lands to the west were given to Druhyu, the north was ruled by Anu and the land to the south by Yadu. Puru was ruled from the centre as a supreme World Emperor or King of Kings. This also showed his supreme power and displays the right of people named Puru.[1][2]

Puru in the Rigveda

Another Puru is mentioned as a king in the Rigveda and as the father of Adityas, married to Aditi, living and ruling over and area of the Saraswati river.[4]

Puru in Korean Mythology

A King Puru is also mentioned in Korean mythology as the son of a heavenly king called Haemosu who ruled the Buyeo kingdom. The Korean King Puru went on to succeed his divine father and ruled in peace and prosperity. There is a story that when he grew old in age without any children, he was led to a large stone by a horse. When the horse began to cry in front of the stone, the king had it moved and found a frog bathed in a golden light. The frog quickly turned into a handsome boy, which Puru interpreted as a sign from heaven and made him crown prince.[5]

See also

Further reading

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Yayati
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 David Frawley (1993). Gods, Sages and Kings: Vedic Secrets of Ancient Civilization. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 137–. ISBN 978-81-208-1005-1. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  3. ↑ Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (31 March 2008). The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa First Book Adi Parva. Echo Library. pp. 214–. ISBN 978-1-4068-7045-9. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  4. ↑ K. C. Singhal; Roshan Gupta (1 January 2003). The Ancient History of India, Vedic Period: A New Interpretation. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. pp. 48–. ISBN 978-81-269-0286-6. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  5. ↑ Hwang Pae-Gang (1 January 2006). Korean Myths and Folk Legends. Jain Publishing Company. pp. 14–. ISBN 978-0-89581-856-0. Retrieved 4 October 2012.

References