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Brihatkshatra — Son of Manyu, Ancestor of the Founder of Hastinapura
Brihatkshatra · Brhatkshatra · Vrihatkshatra · Son of Manyu · Scion of the Bharadvaja-Puru Line
Brihatkshatra is a king of the Puru branch of the Lunar dynasty, recorded in the Bhagavata Purana (Canto Nine, chapter 21), the Vishnu Purana (Book Four, chapter 19), the Matsya Purana, and the Harivamsha (chapter 20) as one of the principal sons of Manyu — also known as Bhumanyu — who was himself the son of Vitatha, the name given to Bharadvaja when he was adopted into the royal family of the emperor Bharata Daushyanti. Brihatkshatra is significant in the Puranic genealogy primarily as the ancestor of Hasti, the king who founded the city of Hastinapura — the great capital of the Kuru dynasty and the central stage of the Mahabharata — though the precise number of generations between Brihatkshatra and Hasti is given differently across the sources.
✦ The Name
The Sanskrit name Brihatkshatra is a compound of brihat, meaning great, vast, or mighty, and kshatra, meaning royal power, dominion, or the kshatriya estate of warrior-kings. The compound thus denotes one of great royal power or one in whom the kshatriya estate is magnificently embodied. The name situates its bearer firmly within the warrior-king tradition of the Puru line, and its resonance with kshatra — the essential quality and right of kingship in Vedic and Puranic thought — marks him as a figure of royal standing within the broader genealogy of the Lunar dynasty.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Manyu (also called Bhumanyu) — a king of the Puru line and the son of Vitatha, who was Bharadvaja adopted by the emperor Bharata Daushyanti. Manyu is described in the Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana as the progenitor of several important branches of the Puru lineage, from whom descended both the Kuru-Pandava line and the Gargya brahmin tradition.
- Siblings: Jaya, Mahavirya, Nara, and Garga — all named as sons of Manyu in the Bhagavata Purana (9.21.1). The Vishnu Purana and Matsya Purana name Mahavirya, Nara, and Garga alongside Brihatkshatra but do not include Jaya in their lists.
- Descendants — via the Bhagavata Purana: The Bhagavata Purana (9.21.20) states directly that Brihatkshatra had a son named Hasti, who founded the city of Hastinapura.
- Descendants — via the Harivamsha and variant recensions: The Harivamsha (chapter 20) inserts the king Suhotra between Brihatkshatra and Hasti, making Hasti the grandson of Brihatkshatra and the son of Suhotra. The Vishnu Purana's Wilson translation also reflects an intermediate generation in its footnotes. These two accounts cannot be fully reconciled.
- Further descendants through Hasti: Hasti's three sons were Ajamidha, Dvimidha, and Purumidha. Through Ajamidha descended the Panchalas, the ancestors of Kripi (wife of Drona), and through the longer Ajamidha-Kuru line, the Kauravas and Pandavas of the Mahabharata. The Bhagavata Purana (9.21.21) notes that Ajamidha's descendants headed by Priyamedha all became brahmins, another instance of the Puranic motif of varna transition across generations.
✦ Connection to Hastinapura
Brihatkshatra's principal significance in the Puranic tradition is genealogical: he stands as the progenitor of the line that culminated in Hasti, the founder of Hastinapura. The Wisdomlib Purana Index confirms, drawing on the Bhagavata Purana (9.21.19–20), the Vayu Purana (99.165), and the Vishnu Purana (IV.19.28), that Hastinapura was the city founded by Hasti, son of Brihatkshatra — a city that became the capital of the Kuru dynasty and the stage upon which the events of the Mahabharata unfolded, from the births of Dhritarashtra and Pandu to the Kurukshetra war and the reign of Parikshit. The Bhagavata Purana notes that the city was eventually inundated by the Ganges, forcing its inhabitants to relocate to Kaushambi. Through Hasti's son Ajamidha, the lineage extending from Brihatkshatra ultimately connects to Drona, to the Panchalas under Drupada, and to the full Kuru genealogy that forms the backbone of the Mahabharata.
✦ Textual Variants
The primary textual inconsistency concerning Brihatkshatra is the number of generations between him and Hasti. The Bhagavata Purana (9.21.20) states plainly that Hasti was the son of Brihatkshatra, making the relationship a direct father-son connection. The Harivamsha (chapter 20) inserts Suhotra as an intermediate king, making Hasti the son of Suhotra and the grandson of Brihatkshatra. The Vishnu Purana's Wilson translation footnotes record this discrepancy without resolving it. Beyond this variant, the texts give no further narrative episodes, epithets, marriages, or accomplishments for Brihatkshatra himself. His profile in the primary sources is purely genealogical.
✦ References
Primary Sources
- Bhagavata Purana, Canto Nine, Chapter 21, verses 1 and 20 — Names Brihatkshatra as one of the five sons of Manyu (verse 1) and states that Hasti, the founder of Hastinapura, was Brihatkshatra's direct son (verse 20).
- Vishnu Purana, Book Four, Chapter 19 — Lists Brihatkshatra among the sons of Manyu (Bhavanmanyu) and records that the city of Hastinapura was founded by a king in his descent; the Wilson translation footnotes note textual variants in the number of intervening generations.
- Harivamsha, Chapter 20 — Identifies Brihatkshatra as a prominent king of the Puru line, inserts Suhotra as his son and Hasti as Suhotra's son (making Hasti Brihatkshatra's grandson), and records Hasti's founding of Hastinapura and his three sons Ajamidha, Dvimidha, and Purumidha.
- Vayu Purana, 99.165 — Confirms Hastinapura as founded by Hasti in the Brihatkshatra lineage.
- Vishnu Purana, IV.19.28 — Corroborates Hasti as the founder of Hastinapura in the context of the Brihatkshatra branch.
Secondary and Reference Works
- Wisdomlib.org, "Hastinapura" definition — Consolidates the three primary source citations (Bhagavata Purana 9.21.19–20, Vayu Purana 99.165, Vishnu Purana IV.19.28) confirming Hasti as son of Brihatkshatra and founder of Hastinapura.
- Wisdomlib.org, Vishnu Purana (Wilson translation), Book Four, Chapter 19 — Provides the English translation and Wilson's footnotes on genealogical variants between the Bhagavata Purana, Harivamsha, and Vishnu Purana concerning the descent from Brihatkshatra to Hasti.
- Mahabharata-resources.org, Harivamsha Chapter 20 — Provides the Harivamsha text recording Suhotra as the intermediate generation between Brihatkshatra and Hasti.
- Grokipedia, "Bhumanyu" — Summarises the Mahabharata and Puranic accounts of Bhumanyu (Manyu) and his sons including Brihatkshatra, confirming the genealogical context.