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Panjakshi — Nagakanya, Seventh Daughter of Vasuki and Shatashirsha
Panjakshi · Nagakanya Panjakshi · Mata of the Saxena
Panjakshi is a Nagakanya recorded in the Chitragupta Purana and associated Vanshavali tradition as the seventh daughter of Vasuki, the Naga king, and his consort Shatashirsha. She was given in marriage to Matiman, the seventh son of Chitragupta, and through this union became the founding maternal ancestress of the Saxena clan of the Chitraguptavanshi Kayastha community. Her name is not attested in standard Puranic indices and belongs specifically to the community manuscript tradition.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Vasuki — king of the Nagas, son of Kashyapa and Kadru, cosmic churning rope of Samudra Manthan and serpent ornament of Shiva
- Mother: Shatashirsha — Naga queen and consort of Vasuki, attested in Kayastha community tradition
- Husband: Matiman — seventh son of Chitragupta, recorded as founding patriarch of the Saxena clan; the name Matiman means the wise one or he who possesses intelligence, from the Sanskrit mati meaning thought, understanding, or wisdom
- Clan founded: Saxena — one of the most prominent of the twelve Chitraguptavanshi Kayastha sub-clans, whose name is widely understood to derive from Sakshena or Saksena, meaning those who live near or serve the military encampment, from sainya or saksha relating to the army or military; the Saxena Kayasthas have a long association with administrative, military secretarial, and later judicial functions across northern India
✦ References
- Chitragupta Purana (Kula Purana): Records Panjakshi as the seventh daughter of Vasuki and Shatashirsha and her marriage to Matiman, founder of the Saxena clan.
- Chitraguptavanshi Kayastha Vanshavali records: Preserves the marriage correspondence between Panjakshi and Matiman.
- Chitragupta Puja liturgical verses: Names Panjakshi among the twelve Nagakanyas in community ritual recitation.
- Devputra Darshan (community publication): Records the Panjakshi and Saxena clan correspondence.