King Mithi
| Mithi | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Janaka | |||||
| Predecessor | King Nimi | ||||
| Successor | Udāvasu | ||||
| Born | Mithi Mithila region | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Ikshvaku dynasty | ||||
| Father | King Nimi | ||||
| Religion | Sanatana Hinduism | ||||
Mithi ( Sanskrit: मिथि ) was the king of Videha Kingdom in the ancient Indian Subcontinent. He was the son of the King Nimi.[1]
Mention
[edit]According Vishnu Purana and Bhavishya Purana the name “Mithila” is derived from King Mithi, who established the city of Mithilapuri.[2] He was also known as Janaka because he was born out of the body of his father. The title Janaka was later adopted by subsequent kings of Mithila.[3][4] According to Bal Kand of Valmiki Ramayana, King Mithi had a son named as Udavasu who became successor of the kingdom after him.[5]
Description
[edit]The story of the birth of the King Mithi is described in Vishnu Purana, Shrimadbhagwat Purana, Ramayana, Devī Bhāgavata, Matsya Purana etc.[6][7] King Mithi is considered to be the first promoter of the Karmakanda ritual in Pitripaksha festival. It is said that the King Mithi once donated the things that his father loved to his Guru Vashishtha. Then Guru Vashishtha called this practice of donation as "Divine inspiration" and from here it is believed as the origination of Shraddha Karma for ancestors.[8]
Birth
[edit]According to the sixth chapter of Devi Bhagavata, once the King Nimi was cursed to death by the sage Vashishtha for performing Yajna in his absence. Then the other sages present there took the lifeless body of Nimi and after performing Yajna rituals and worshipping the gods, they started churning the body. After some time during three parvas,[9] a great, radiant, powerful and accomplished man was born from it. Since he was born by Mathana (churning) he was named Mithi.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ Debroy, Bibek (2024-03-21). Brahmanda Purana Vol 2. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5708-522-9.
- ^ DK (2022-12-15). The Illustrated Ramayana: The Timeless Epic of Duty, Love, and Redemption. Dorling Kindersley Limited. ISBN 978-0-241-56053-2.
- ^ Jha, Makhan (1997). Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-7533-034-4.
- ^ Kapur, Anu (2019-03-01). Mapping Place Names of India. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-429-61421-7.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (2020-09-21). "King Janaka gives an account of the succession and his dynasty [Chapter 71]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ a b www.wisdomlib.org (2019-01-28). "Story of Mithi". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "राजा जनक के दूसरे नाम विदेह से सीता का नाम वैदेही पड़ा -". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "पितरों के ऋृण से मुक्ति का पर्व पितृपक्ष, ऋषि तर्पण के साथ हुआ शुभारंभ - The festival of liberation from the debts of ancestors began with Pitru Paksha, Rishi Tarpan". Jagran (in Hindi). Retrieved 2024-08-24.
- ^ Debroy, Bibek (2024-03-21). Brahmanda Purana Vol 2. Penguin Random House India Private Limited. ISBN 978-93-5708-522-9.