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Aradwat — Son of Setu, Druhyu Lineage
Aradwat · Arabdha · Aruddha · Aratta · Anarabdha · Angara-Setu
Aradwat is a king of the Druhyu lineage within the Chandravamsha, the Lunar dynasty, and the son of Setu and father of Gandhara — the eponymous founder of the Gandhara kingdom. He stands at the penultimate position before the dynasty acquires its territorial identity: it is his son Gandhara who gives his name to the great north-western kingdom. Aradwat is attested in the Bhagavata Purana (9.23.15), the Vishnu Purana (IV.17), the Brahmanda Purana, and the Vayu Purana, but his name is rendered differently in virtually every source, producing the most extensive set of name variants in the entire Druhyu sequence. No narrative episode, personal attribute, or individual act is recorded for him in any primary source.
✦ The Names
The Vishnu Purana uses Aradwat, which Wilson himself notes is also rendered Araddha in several manuscripts of that text. The Bhagavata Purana and the Harivamsa use Arabdha, meaning begun, commenced, or undertaken — from the root arabh (to begin). The Vayu Purana uses Aruddha, meaning restrained, checked, or obstructed. The Matsya Purana uses Aratta, which Wilson notes is actually a northern country contiguous with or synonymous with Gandhara itself — suggesting that in the Matsya tradition this figure may have been identified with or named after that territory. The Brahma Purana uses Angara-Setu, a compound meaning either a causeway of embers or a bridge of coal — a distinctly unusual name that is found only in this source. The Wisdomlib Puranic Encyclopaedia entry for Setu gives his son's name as Anarabdha, a further minor variant. Wilson notes in his footnote to Vishnu Purana IV.17 that Aratta is the preferable reading among the manuscript variants, as Aratta is a known north-western country associated with the Gandhara region.
✦ Lineage
- Dynasty: Chandravamsha (Lunar dynasty), Druhyu lineage
- Father: Setu — son of Babhru, son of Druhyu, son of Yayati and Sharmishtha
- Son: Gandhara — eponymous founder of the Gandhara kingdom; the Vayu Purana records that a large country was named after him and that it was famous for its breed of horses
✦ Textual Variants
The divergence in this figure's name across the primary sources is the most severe in the Druhyu sequence. Wilson's footnote to Vishnu Purana IV.17 notes explicitly: the main Vishnu Purana text reads Aradwat; manuscripts also read Araddha; the Vayu Purana has Aruddha; the Brahma Purana has Angara-Setu; the Matsya Purana has Aratta. The Bhagavata Purana and Harivamsa use Arabdha. Despite the variety of names, all sources agree on this figure's genealogical position — son of Setu, father of Gandhara — and the divergence is purely in the name itself.
✦ References
- Primary Sources:
- Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 9, Adhyaya 23, verse 15: Uses the name Arabdha for this figure; gives his son as Gandhara
- Vishnu Purana, Book IV, Chapter 17 (H.H. Wilson translation, footnote 1): Uses Aradwat in the main text; footnote records variants Araddha (MSS), Aratta (Matsya — Wilson's preferred reading), Aruddha (Vayu), and Angara-Setu (Brahma)
- Vayu Purana, 99.8 (as cited in comparative studies): Uses Aruddha for this figure
- Matsya Purana, 48.8 (as cited in Wilson's footnote): Uses Aratta, itself the name of a known north-western country near Gandhara
- Brahma Purana, Chapter 13 (as cited in Wilson's footnote): Uses Angara-Setu
- Secondary Sources:
- Wisdomlib, definition entry for Setu (Puranic context): Records Setu's son as Anarabdha — a further variant of Arabdha/Aradwat
- F.E. Pargiter, Ancient Indian Historical Tradition: Notes this figure in the Druhyu descent and records the name variants across the Puranic recensions