About
Chakshu — King of the Nila-Panchala Line, Son of Purujanu, Father of Haryyashva
Chakshu · Arka · Riksha · Prithu (Matsya Purana variant)
Chakshu is a king of the Paurava-Panchala lineage, son of Purujanu and father of Haryyashva — the king in whose generation the five Panchala princes who gave the confederation its name were born. He is the penultimate figure in the Nila sub-line before the founding moment of the Panchala confederation. His name varies significantly across the primary sources: the Bhagavata Purana (Canto IX, chapter 21, verse 31) calls him Arka; the Vayu Purana calls him Riksha; the Matsya Purana calls him Prithu; the Brahma Purana omits him entirely, jumping from Purujanu directly to Haryyashva. The name Chakshu used in your tree corresponds to a further variant attested in the Puranic Encyclopaedia and secondary genealogical literature for this generational position. No independent narrative, episode, or theological association is attested for this figure in any consulted primary source beyond his genealogical position. His significance in the tree lies solely in his role as the immediate father of Haryyashva, at whose node the Panchala confederation is formally constituted.
✦ The Name and Variants
The name Chakshu is Sanskrit for eye or sight — from the root chakshu meaning the organ of vision or visual faculty — an auspicious name used in several Puranic contexts. The Bhagavata Purana variant Arka means the sun or solar radiance, a name connected to the solar imagery running through several names in this sub-line. The Vayu Purana variant Riksha means bear or a constellation — the Great Bear — a name used for several distinct figures across the Puranic tradition. The Matsya Purana variant Prithu means broad or great, the same root as the celebrated cosmic king Prithu. These four names are semantically unrelated to one another, suggesting that the textual instability at this particular generational slot is more severe than at most other positions in the Nila sub-line and may reflect genuine confusion or multiple competing traditions for this figure's identity rather than simple scribal variation.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Purujanu — son of Sushanti son of Shanti son of Nila son of Ajamidha; the Bhagavata Purana names his father as Puruja; the Vayu Purana as Purujati
- Son: Haryyashva — the king at whose node the five Panchala princes are born and the Panchala confederation formally constituted; the Bhagavata Purana calls this figure Bharmyashva, the Vayu Purana Badhryashva, and the Matsya Purana Bhadrashrva
✦ Textual Variants
This figure's generational slot is one of the most textually unstable in the entire Nila sub-line. The Vishnu Purana IV.19 omits this figure entirely — it names Purujanu and then jumps directly to Haryyashva without an intermediate generation, making the Vishnu Purana's Nila sequence one generation shorter than the Bhagavata Purana's at this point. The Bhagavata Purana IX.21.31 inserts Arka between Puruja and Bharmyashva as a distinct generation. The Vayu Purana inserts Riksha in the same position. The Matsya Purana inserts Prithu. The Brahma Purana omits this generation as does the Vishnu Purana. The name Chakshu for this position is attested in the Puranic Encyclopaedia and derivative secondary sources as yet another variant, though its specific primary text reference cannot be independently confirmed in the sources consulted. Wilson's footnote 47 to Vishnu Purana IV.19 records the existence of this intermediate generation in the parallel texts and notes that the Vishnu Purana's direct Purujanu-to-Haryyashva link represents a compression relative to those traditions.
✦ References
Primary Sources
- Bhagavata Purana, Canto IX, chapter 21, verse 31 — The primary source inserting this figure as Arka between Puruja and Bharmyashva; the most explicit attestation of this generation in a major Purana.
- Vishnu Purana, Book IV, chapter 19 — Omits this generation entirely; names Purujanu directly followed by Haryyashva without an intermediate; Wilson's footnote 47 records the discrepancy with parallel texts.
- Vayu Purana, 99.169 — Names Riksha in this generational position between Purujati and Badhryashva.
- Matsya Purana, chapter 49 — Names Prithu in this generational position between Purujanu and Bhadrashrva.
- Brahma Purana — Omits this generation entirely, consistent with the Vishnu Purana's compressed account.
Secondary Sources
- Vishnu Purana, tr. H. H. Wilson (1840), Book IV, chapter 19, footnote 47 — Records the variant names for this generational position across the Bhagavata, Vayu, and Matsya Puranas; notes the Vishnu Purana and Brahma Purana compression that omits this figure.
- Wikipedia, "Mudgala" article — Reproduces Bhagavata Purana IX.21.31 naming Arka as the father of Bharmyashva within the complete Nila-to-Bharmyashva verse sequence.
- Wisdomlib.org, "Sushanti" full-text index — Lists Arka among the associated terms for the Nila sub-line sequence, confirming the Bhagavata Purana's insertion of this generation.