About
Anshuman — Son of Asamanjas, Grandson of Sagara, the Prince Who Received Kapila's Prophecy, King of Ayodhya
Anshuman · Aṃśumān · Amshuman · Ansuman · Asamanjas-putra · Ambujakshi-suta · Sagara-pautra · Dilipa-pita · Bhagiratha-pitamaha · Kapila-priya · Ganga-jijnasa-prathama · Ikshvaku-vamsha-nripa
Anshuman — also written Amshuman and Ansuman — is the son of the expelled prince Asamanjas and his wife Ambujakshi; the grandson of King Sagara of Ayodhya; the father of Dilipa; and the grandfather of Bhagiratha — who accomplished the descent of the Ganga. He is described in the Valmiki Ramayana as the opposite of his father in every quality: Asamanjasa became the father of a valiant prince named Amshuman, who was esteemed by everyone and addressed every man with courtesy. He was raised by his grandfather Sagara after his father's expulsion and was universally beloved. His most celebrated canonical act is his journey to Patala — the underworld — to recover the Ashvamedha horse, his encounter with the sage Kapila, and his reception of the prophecy that the Ganga must descend to earth to liberate his sixty thousand grand-uncles. His own reign was righteous and prosperous. He then retired to the Himalayas to perform tapas in the hope of bringing the Ganga to earth — but did not succeed. The task passed to his son Dilipa, who also failed, and then to his grandson Bhagiratha, who succeeded.
✦ The Name
The Sanskrit name Anshuman — written Aṃśumān — is a compound of anshu (ray of light, sunbeam, the fine thread of a ray) and man (possessing — from the suffix mant or mat, meaning one who has). The compound means he who possesses rays of light, the radiant one, the sun-ray-possessing one. As a name for a Solar Dynasty king's grandson it records the luminous quality that the tradition associates with the Solar lineage — each king a sun-ray-possessing being, carrying the solar dynasty's light forward. His name's radiance is consistent with his character: in the tradition's own description he was a brilliant young man of universal courtesy and admiration, whose grandfather bypassed his own expelled son and raised this grandson directly.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Asamanjas — expelled prince; son of Sagara and Keshini; who threw children in the Sarayu; whose hidden yogi nature is preserved in the Bhagavata Purana; profiled separately above
- Mother: Ambujakshi — wife of Asamanjas; her parentage is not recorded in any primary canonical source; her name means she whose eyes are like lotuses — from ambuja (lotus, born from water) and akshi (eye)
- Paternal grandfather: Sagara — king of Ayodhya; who raised Anshuman after Asamanjas's expulsion; who designated Anshuman to guard the Ashvamedha horse; who sent him to Patala; who heard his report of Kapila's prophecy; profiled separately in this series
- Maternal grand-uncle (connection through Sumati): Garuda — the divine eagle, vehicle of Vishnu; who was Sumati's brother (Sumati being the mother of the sixty thousand princes); Garuda therefore stood in the relationship of great-uncle to Anshuman's sixty thousand grand-uncles, and it was Garuda who guided Anshuman in Patala and advised him about the Ganga; Garuda, the Eagle-vehicle of Vishnu and maternal uncle of Anshuman's father — meaning maternal uncle of Asamanjas's sixty thousand brothers, making Garuda the maternal great-uncle of Anshuman by the brothers' line
- Wife: Yashodha — named in some Puranic sources; her parentage not individually confirmed across the primary sources consulted
- Son: Dilipa — who also tried and failed to bring the Ganga to earth; whose son Bhagiratha finally succeeded; the ancestor of Raghu, Aja, Dasharatha, and Rama
- Position in Solar Dynasty: Sagara → Asamanjas → Anshuman → Dilipa → Bhagiratha → Kakutstha → Raghu → Aja → Dasharatha → Rama
✦ The Journey to Patala — Meeting Kapila
When months passed and Sagara's sixty thousand sons did not return from their search, the king dispatched Anshuman to find them. The youth, proceeding by the deep path which the princes had dug, arrived where Kapila was. Along the way he encountered the four great directional elephants — the cosmic Diggajas who hold the earth at its four corners. He circumambulated each with reverence and asked about his uncles and the horse. Each elephant blessed him and prophesied his success. He followed the path his uncles had dug through the layers of the earth until he reached Patala.Striding swiftly, Anshuman reached the place where his uncles were reduced to a heap of ashes and also sighted the horse grazing in peace close by. He wept in anguish at the fate of his uncles. Wishing to perform their funeral rites, Anshuman looked around for water but saw none. Story Spot No water was available in Patala to offer the water-oblation that a deceased person's relatives are required to perform. Without this oblation the souls could not find rest.At a distance he spotted his great uncle, Garuda, king of birds and son of Vinata, who came to him and said: "Your uncles have been consumed by none other than the divine Kapila. Story Spot River Ganga is the elder daughter of Himavanta, and you have to offer water-oblation to the departed paternal-uncles of yours in her waters. World-purifier River Ganga will drift them who are rendered as mounds of ashes to heaven." MythlokAnshuman then approached the meditating Kapila with complete humility — not with accusation, not with grief, but with reverence and a simple request. Bowing respectfully, he prayed to Kapila and so propitiated him that the saint said: "Go, my son, deliver the horse to your grandfather; and demand a boon; thy grandson shall bring down the river of heaven on the earth." Quora Anshuman asked that his uncles be raised to heaven. Kapila replied: "I have told you that your grandson shall bring down upon earth the Ganges of the gods; and when her waters shall wash the bones and ashes of thy grandfather's sons, they shall be raised to Svarga." QuoraAnshuman returned to Sagara with the horse. The Ashvamedha was completed. He reported Kapila's prophecy. Sagara acknowledged that he himself could not accomplish the Ganga's descent in his remaining lifetime and told Anshuman to attempt it after succeeding him.
✦ His Reign and Retirement
Anshuman's reign caused a period of prosperity and peace in the kingdom of Kosala. His subjects loved him because Anshuman was a very virtuous king who treated his subjects well. But soon, after a couple of years, Anshuman decided to leave kingship to achieve his goal of bringing the river Ganga down to the Earth. He crowned his son Dilipa as the king of Kosala and then retired to the Himalayas. He performed intense tapas in the Himalayas for many years — but was not successful in bringing the Ganga to earth. He died still in the midst of his austerities, the task uncompleted. The burden passed to Dilipa, and then to Bhagiratha.
✦ References
- Valmiki Ramayana (Bala Kanda, Chapters 40–42) — the primary canonical source: Sagara sending Anshuman to find the horse; the path through Patala; the four directional elephants; the ash heaps; Garuda's guidance; Anshuman approaching Kapila; the boon; the horse returned; the sacrifice completed; Kapila's prophecy about the Ganga and the grandson
- Vishnu Purana (Book 4, Chapter 4) — the genealogical confirmation and the Patala episode
- Bhagavata Purana (Canto 9, Chapter 8) — the parallel Puranic account of Anshuman's journey and his reception of the prophecy
- Wikipedia — Amshuman; Glorious Hinduism — Anshuman; Medium — King Anshuman (Ravi Unni); YouSigma — Valmiki Ramayana Bala Kanda Chapter 41; Sagar World Blog — Sage Kapila and 60,000 Sons of King Sagara: modern summaries drawing from the above primary sources