About
Shatrughati — Son of Shatrughna and Shrutakirti, King of Vidisha
Shatrughati · Shatrughna-putra · Vidisha-pati
Shatrughati is a prince of Ayodhya, named in the Uttara Kanda of the Valmiki Ramayana as the son of Shatrughna — the fourth son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya by his queen Sumitra — and of Shrutakirti, the younger daughter of Kushadhvaja, the brother of King Janaka of Mithila. He is one of two sons of Shatrughna named in that text, the other being Subahu. Rama installs Shatrughati as king of Vidisha at the close of the events narrated in the Uttara Kanda. The Valmiki Ramayana provides no further narrative about Shatrughati's life, character, or reign, and no other primary source consulted adds substantive information about him beyond this installation notice.
✦ The Name
The name Shatrughati is a Sanskrit compound closely related to the name of his father Shatrughna. It is formed from shatru, meaning enemy or foe, and ghati or a related form from the root han, meaning one who strikes, slays, or destroys. The compound may thus be rendered as destroyer of enemies or one who strikes down foes — a name encoding the same martial quality as his father's name, Shatrughna, which means slayer of enemies. The naming of the son in direct echo of the father's name is a recognised convention in Sanskrit royal nomenclature, reinforcing dynastic identity through onomastic continuity.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Shatrughna, fourth son of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya by his queen Sumitra, devoted companion of Bharata, and the slayer of the demon Lavanasura who established the city of Mathura on the Yamuna.
- Mother: Shrutakirti, younger daughter of Kushadhvaja — the brother of King Janaka of Mithila — wed to Shatrughna at the fourfold marriage ceremony at Mithila.
- Paternal uncle: Rama, eldest son of Dasharatha, hero of the Ramayana and seventh avatara of Vishnu, who installs Shatrughati as king of Vidisha.
- Brother: Subahu, also a son of Shatrughna and Shrutakirti, installed by Rama as king of Mathura at the same time.
- Paternal grandmother: Sumitra, second queen of Dasharatha and mother of both Lakshmana and Shatrughna.
- Maternal grandfather: Kushadhvaja, king within the Videha royal house and brother of Janaka of Mithila.
✦ Installation as King of Vidisha
The Uttara Kanda records that Rama installs Shatrughati as king of Vidisha as part of the comprehensive territorial settlement of the next generation of the Ayodhya royal house. Vidisha is a territory known in the wider Indian geographical tradition as a significant city in the region corresponding broadly to present-day Madhya Pradesh, distinct from Mathura on the Yamuna which is given to his brother Subahu. The two brothers thus receive neighbouring but separate kingdoms in the central and northwestern reaches of the epic's geographical world. No detail of Shatrughati's subsequent reign, alliances, or descendants is provided in any primary source consulted.
✦ References
Primary Sources
- Valmiki Ramayana, Uttara Kanda: The sole primary source naming Shatrughati as the son of Shatrughna and recording his installation as king of Vidisha; no further narrative detail is provided.
Modern Reference Works
- Vettam Mani, Puranic Encyclopaedia (Motilal Banarsidass, 1975), entry on Shatrughati: Notes the figure as the son of Shatrughna installed at Vidisha as recorded in the Uttara Kanda.