About
Vijaya — Son of Sudeva, King of Ayodhya, Solar Dynasty
Vijaya · Vijayā · Chanchu-putra · Ruruka-pita · Ikshvaku-vamsha-nripa
Vijaya is the son of Sudeva and the father of Ruruka (also written Ruruk and Bharuka); a king of the Ikshvaku Solar Dynasty of Ayodhya. He is confirmed in the Garuda Purana (Chapter 138), the Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Purana, and the Bhavishya Purana. The Booksfact source records that the sage Valmiki — the author of the Valmiki Ramayana — lived during the reign of this king, and that he was a contemporary of the sage Bharadvaja. If this contemporaneity is accepted, it provides a remarkable genealogical anchor — the composition of the Valmiki Ramayana (which describes Rama's ancestors several generations after Vijaya in the Solar Dynasty) took place during Vijaya's own reign. The name Vijaya is one of the most commonly recurring names in the tradition — Arjuna's epithet, one of the Upapandavas, various Puranic kings — and the Solar Dynasty king Vijaya is entirely distinct from all of these. No primary canonical source records any personal episode of his life beyond his genealogical position.
✦ The Name
The Sanskrit name Vijaya — written Vijaya — means victory, the victorious one, complete conquest. From vi (completely, thoroughly) and jaya (conquest, victory — from the root ji, to conquer). It is one of the tradition's most auspicious names and one of its most widely shared.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Sudeva
- Son: Ruruka (Bharuka)
- Position in Solar Dynasty: Harita → Chanchu → Sudeva → Vijaya → Ruruka → Vrika → Bahu → Sagara
✦ References
- Garuda Purana (Chapter 138); Bhagavata Purana (Canto 9, Chapter 7); Vishnu Purana (Book 4, Chapter 3); Bhavishya Purana (Pratisarga Parva)
- Booksfact.com — Lord Rama Lineage — the contemporaneity with Valmiki and Bharadvaja noted
- Wikipedia — Solar Dynasty; Wisdomlib — Garuda Purana Chapter 138