Bhajamana Satvata

Bhajamana — Son of Satvata, Progenitor of Two Yadava Sub-lines

Bhajamana · Bhajina (alternate form) · Bhajamana Satvata

Bhajamana was a son of King Satvata, a ruler of the Yadava lineage descended from Kroshtu, son of Yadu. He was one of the principal sons of Satvata from whom the Satvata clans derived, and is notable in the genealogical tradition for having had two wives who each bore him three sons, giving rise to six distinct sub-branches within the Yadava family. He is attested in the Bhagavata Purana (Canto 9, Chapter 24), the Vishnu Purana (Book IV, Chapter XIII), the Harivamsha Purana (Adi Parva, Chapter 37), the Brahmanda Purana (III.71), the Matsya Purana (44.47), and the Vayu Purana (96.115, 135). A figure of the same name — Bhajamana son of Andhaka — also appears in the Bhagavata Purana (9.24.19) in a separate genealogical register and must be kept distinct from this son of Satvata.

✦ The Name

The name Bhajamana is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root bhaj, meaning to share, to distribute, to worship, or to be devoted to. The present participle form bhajamana carries the sense of one who worships or one who is devoted — cognate with the devotional word bhakti. In the Puranas the name appears in two forms: Bhajamana is the more common, while Bhajina appears in the Harivamsha. The shortened form Bhaji also appears in the Bhagavata Purana as the name of a second son of Satvata distinct from Bhajamana, confirming that the two names are treated as separate individuals in that text, not as variants of the same person.

✦ Lineage

• Descent: Bhajamana was of the Yadava lineage, descending from Yadu (son of Yayati of the lunar dynasty) through Kroshtu (Yadu's son), and then through the line Vrijinivan, Svahi, Rushadgu, Chitraratha, Shashabindu, and further generations down to Satvata.
• Father: Satvata, a Yadava king and son of Ayu (according to the Bhagavata Purana; the Brahmanda Purana gives Satva as his father, and the Matsya Purana gives Janhu). The Brahmanda Purana records Satvata's wife as Kausalya. Satvata had seven sons: Bhajamana, Bhaji, Divya, Vrishni, Devavridha, Andhaka, and Mahabhoja — this seven-son list is given in the Bhagavata Purana and broadly confirmed by the Vishnu Purana and Harivamsha, with minor name variants. All men born in Satvata's dynasty are referred to as Satvatas.
• Mother: The Brahmanda Purana and the Puranic Encyclopaedia entry identify Satvata's wife as Kausalya, making her the mother of Bhajamana and his brothers.
• First wife: The Harivamsha (Chapter 37) names Bhajamana's two wives as Vahyaka (Bahyaka) and Upavahvaka, daughters of a king named Srinjaya.
• Sons by first wife: The Bhagavata Purana (9.24.6–8) gives three sons by the first wife — Nimloci, Kinkana (Kinkina in some manuscripts), and Dhrishti. The Vishnu Purana (IV.13) gives the same three names with minor spelling variants: Nimi, Krikana, and Vrishni — where the third son is called Vrishni (a different individual from the Vrishni who was Bhajamana's brother).
• Sons by second wife: The Bhagavata Purana gives three sons by the second wife — Shatajit, Sahasrajit, and Ayutajit. The Harivamsha adds Dasaka as a fourth son of the second wife, making the Harivamsha total seven sons rather than six.

✦ Textual Variants and Inconsistencies

The total number of Bhajamana's sons differs between texts. The Bhagavata Purana gives six sons, three by each wife. The Harivamsha adds a fourth son Dasaka to the second wife's children, giving seven. The Vishnu Purana footnote (Wilson) records that the Brahmanda Purana and Harivamsha add Shara and Puranjaya to the first-wife group and Dasaka to the second-wife group, giving further variants.

The name of Bhajamana's third son by the first wife is given as Dhrishti in the Bhagavata Purana but as Vrishni in the Vishnu Purana — meaning the Vishnu Purana gives a Vrishni as the son of Bhajamana, whereas the Bhagavata Purana reserves the name Vrishni for Bhajamana's brother, the son of Satvata. The Wilson footnote confirms this discrepancy and notes that other Puranas give yet other name variants for these sons.

The distinct Bhajamana son of Andhaka must be noted. The Bhagavata Purana (9.24.19) records that the four sons of Andhaka — himself a son of Satvata — were Kukura, Bhajamana, Shuchi, and Kambalabarhisha. This second Bhajamana is a grandson of Satvata through Andhaka, not the son of Satvata himself. The Harivamsha (Chapter 37, verse 17) gives the same list, naming the sons of Andhaka as Kukura, Bhajamana, Shama (or Shuchi), and Kamvalabarhisha. These two Bhajamanas — son and grandson of Satvata — co-exist in the same chapter of the Bhagavata Purana and are genealogically distinct.

✦ Connection to the Wider Genealogy

Bhajamana's six sons established two sub-branches within the Satvata clan network. His lines through the Shatajit and Sahasrajit sons extended the Yadava family into further sub-clans of the Kroshtu branch. The Satvata clan as a whole — consisting of the lines of Bhajamana, Devavridha, Vrishni, Andhaka, and Mahabhoja — formed the core Yadava groups that eventually settled in Mathura and later Dvaraka, and from among whom emerged Vasudeva (father of Krishna) through the Andhaka-Kukura sub-line.

✦ References

Primary Sources

• Bhagavata Purana, 9.24.6–8 and 9.24.19 (Vedabase; Red Zambala translation) — Lists Bhajamana as one of Satvata's seven sons; records his six sons by two wives; also independently lists a Bhajamana as son of Andhaka (grandson of Satvata).
• Vishnu Purana, IV.13.1–2 (Wisdomlib, Wilson translation) — Names Bhajamana as one of Satvata's sons; gives the three sons of the first wife as Nimi, Krikana, and Vrishni (variant of Dhrishti in the Bhagavata); footnotes record further variants across the Brahmanda Purana and Harivamsha.
• Harivamsha Purana, Adi Parva, Chapter 37 (Wisdomlib, Dutt translation) — Names Bhajamana's wives as Vahyaka and Upavahvaka, daughters of Srinjaya; records seven sons including Dasaka in addition to the six given in the Bhagavata Purana; also records Bhajamana as son of Andhaka in the same chapter.
• Brahmanda Purana, III.71.1–3 — Gives Satvata's wife as Kausalya; records Bhajamana among his sons; cited in the Wisdomlib Puranic Index.
• Matsya Purana, 44.47 — Attests Bhajamana as a son of Satvata; cited in the Wisdomlib Puranic Index.

Secondary and Reference Sources

• Wisdomlib — "Bhajamana: 9 definitions" (wisdomlib.org/definition/bhajamana) — Compiles the Puranic Encyclopaedia entry identifying Bhajamana's parents and wives; cites Bhagavata, Brahmanda, Matsya, and Vishnu Puranas.
• Wisdomlib — "Satvata: 12 definitions" (wisdomlib.org/definition/satvata) — Provides the seven-son list and multiple Puranic parentage variants for Satvata himself.