About
Sarabha — Prince of Chedi and Last Recorded King of the Shishupala Line
Sarabha · Sarabha of Chedi · son of Shishupala
Sarabha was a son of Shishupala, king of Chedi, and the grandson of King Damaghosha and Queen Shrutashrava — a daughter of Shurasena of Mathura. He is identified in the Mahabharata as a middle son of Shishupala. After the deaths of both Shishupala at the Rajasuya sacrifice and his elder brother Dhrishtaketu on the fourteenth day of the Kurukshetra War, Sarabha became king of Chedi. He was subsequently defeated in battle by Arjuna during Arjuna's military campaign following the Kurukshetra War, an expedition associated with the Ashvamedha sacrifice performed by Yudhishthira. His story is attested in the Chedi kingdom passages of the Mahabharata, specifically at Book 14, Chapter 83. The textual record for Sarabha is brief; the primary sources record his succession and his defeat by Arjuna without further elaboration of his reign or activities.
✦ The Name
The name Sarabha in Sanskrit refers to a mythological eight-legged creature said to be mightier than a lion, or alternatively to a young elephant. As a personal name it does not carry an obvious narrative significance in this context, and the primary sources offer no etymology in relation to this figure.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Shishupala — king of Chedi; a first cousin of Krishna through his mother Shrutashrava; slain by Krishna's Sudarsana Chakra at the Rajasuya of Yudhishthira after exceeding the hundred-offence limit Krishna had promised to bear.
- Paternal grandmother: Shrutashrava — daughter of Shurasena of Mathura, sister of Vasudeva (father of Krishna), and the one who obtained from Krishna the pledge of a hundred pardons for Shishupala.
- Elder brother: Dhrishtaketu — eldest son of Shishupala; installed as king of Chedi by Yudhishthira after Shishupala's death; served as one of the seven Pandava commanders in the Kurukshetra War; killed by Drona on the fourteenth day.
- Brothers: Mahipala — killed by Dushasana on the ninth day of the Kurukshetra War; Suketu — also named among the sons of Shishupala.
- Sister: Karenumati — married to the Pandava Nakula; mother of Niramitra.
✦ Succession to Chedi and Defeat by Arjuna
The Mahabharata records that after the death of Dhrishtaketu in the Kurukshetra War, Sarabha became the king of Chedi. His accession thus represents the third generation of Shishupala's line to hold the Chedi throne in rapid succession: Shishupala, then Dhrishtaketu, then Sarabha. The Mahabharata's Ashvamedhika Parva (Book 14, Chapter 83) records that Sarabha was defeated in battle by Arjuna during the military campaign that accompanied the Ashvamedha — the horse sacrifice performed by Yudhishthira to consolidate his sovereignty after the Kurukshetra War. The text records his defeat; it does not specify whether he was killed in this encounter or survived it and submitted to Pandava authority. No further record of his reign or activities is preserved in the primary sources.
✦ Textual Variants
There is a minor variant in how secondary compilations describe Sarabha's position among Shishupala's sons. The Wikipedia article on the Chedi Kingdom describes him as the middle son of Shishupala. The Vyasa Mahabharata encyclopaedia describes him as the younger son. The List of Characters in the Mahabharata article names the four sons as Dhrishtaketu, Mahipala, Suketu, and Sarabha, placing Mahipala second, Suketu third, and Sarabha fourth. The distinction of middle or younger is thus relative to which enumeration is followed. The primary text does not resolve this ranking explicitly.
✦ References
Primary Sources
- Mahabharata, Ashvamedhika Parva, Book 14, Chapter 83: Records Sarabha as king of Chedi after Dhrishtaketu's death and his defeat by Arjuna in the post-war military campaign.
- Mahabharata, Sabha Parva and Drona Parva: Provide the narrative context establishing the deaths of Shishupala and Dhrishtaketu that preceded Sarabha's succession.
Secondary Sources
- Wikipedia, article "Chedi Kingdom": Attests Sarabha's succession and defeat by Arjuna with the primary text reference 14,83.
- Vyasa Mahabharata Online Encyclopaedia, entry "Chedi": Corroborates Sarabha's role as successor to Dhrishtaketu and his defeat by Arjuna post-Kurukshetra.
- Wikipedia, article "List of Characters in the Mahabharata": Names Sarabha among the four sons of Shishupala.