About
Pratiksatra — Andhaka Prince, Son of Shami
Pratiksatra · Pratikshatra
Pratiksatra is a Yadava king of the Andhaka branch of the Satvata line, son of Shami and father of Svayambhoja. He occupies the sixth position in the patrilineal succession from Bhajamana — descending through Viduratha, Rajadhideva, Shami, and then Pratiksatra — and his son Svayambhoja fathered Hridika, who in turn was the father of the Kurukshetra War warrior Kritavarma. Pratiksatra is attested in the Harivamsha (Harivamsha Parva, chapter 38) and the Garuda Purana. No individual narrative episodes involving Pratiksatra are recorded in any primary source; his presence in the textual tradition is exclusively genealogical.
✦ The Name
The name Pratiksatra is a Sanskrit compound. Prati carries senses of opposition, reciprocity, or confrontation, and ksatra denotes the warrior power or ruling authority of the Kshatriya class. The compound may be understood as "one who stands against royal power" or "a match for warrior might." The variant spelling Pratikshatra, formed by the aspirated consonant cluster, represents the same name in a slightly different transliteration convention.
✦ Lineage
- Father (Harivamsha account): Shami — one of the sons of Rajadhideva, who was son of Viduratha, son of Bhajamana of the Andhaka branch. Shami is the figure through whom the primary succession of the Bhajamana line was carried forward.
- Father (Garuda Purana account): Shami is also named as father of Pratiksatra in the Garuda Purana (Chapter 139), consistent with the Harivamsha.
- Son: Svayambhoja — whose son was Hridika, father of Kritavarma.
✦ Textual Variants and Inconsistencies
The Harivamsha and the Garuda Purana agree in naming Pratiksatra as son of Shami and father of Svayambhoja. No contradictory genealogical placement has been identified across the primary sources consulted. The textual base for this figure is narrow — he is named only in the succession lists of these two sources — and no variant naming or alternative parentage is recorded. The single point of indirect variation is the Garuda Purana's broader compression of the lineage above Shami, which affects the identification of Shami's own father (whether Rajadhideva or Shura) but does not affect Pratiksatra's position as Shami's son.
✦ Connection to the Wider Genealogy
Pratiksatra forms the sixth link in the patrilineal chain from Bhajamana to Hridika. His ancestor Bhajamana was son of Andhaka (son of Satvata) according to the Harivamsha, placing the whole line within the Andhaka branch of the larger Satvata-Yadava genealogy. Through his son Svayambhoja and grandson Hridika, Pratiksatra is the great-grandfather of Kritavarma, commander of the Narayani Sena at the Kurukshetra War.
✦ References
- Harivamsha, Harivamsha Parva, 1.38.4: Names Pratiksatra as son of Shami and father of Svayambhoja, establishing his place in the Bhajamana dynastic succession.
- Garuda Purana, Chapter 139 (Dutt translation): Confirms Pratiksatra as son of Shami and father of Svayambhoja in the same genealogical sequence leading to Hridika and Kritavarma.