About
Nighna — Son of Anamitra, Father of Prasena and Satrajit
Nighna · Nimna
Nighna is a prince of the Vrishni line within the Yadava genealogy, son of Anamitra — himself a son of Vrishni son of Satvata, born of Vrishni's wife Gandhari — and father of Prasena and Satrajit, the two figures who become central to the celebrated Syamantaka gem narrative recorded in the Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Purana, the Harivamsha, and related texts. Nighna's own person receives no independent narrative elaboration in any primary source; he is attested solely as a genealogical link between Anamitra and his more narratively prominent sons. His name appears consistently across the Vishnu Purana, the Harivamsha, the Garuda Purana, and the Matsya Purana.
✦ The Name
The name Nighna derives from the Sanskrit root han (to strike or slay) with the prefix ni-, carrying the general sense of one who strikes down — a martial formation common among Kshatriya dynastic names. A variant spelling Nimna appears in some recensions; this form, meaning low or deep, likely represents a scribal corruption of Nighna rather than a distinct name with independent meaning.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Anamitra — prince of the Vrishni clan, son of Vrishni son of Satvata, born of Vrishni's wife Gandhari; his name means one who has no enemy
- Son: Prasena — elder son of Nighna; came into possession of the Syamantaka gem and was killed while wearing it, setting off the central events of the Syamantaka narrative
- Son: Satrajit — son of Nighna; a devoted worshipper of the sun god Aditya, from whom he received the Syamantaka gem directly; his daughter Satyabhama was given in marriage to Krishna following the resolution of the Syamantaka episode
✦ Textual Variants
The Vishnu Purana (Book IV, chapter 13) and the Harivamsha (chapter 38) agree in naming Nighna as the son of Anamitra and the father of Prasena and Satrajit. The Matsya Purana confirms Nighna as Anamitra's son but names his sons as Prasena and Shaktisena, substituting Shaktisena for Satrajit. The Garuda Purana (chapter 139) names Nighna as Anamitra's son and Shatajit as his son, which is likely a variant form of Satrajit. No consulted source offers a variant for Nighna's father; Anamitra is named consistently across all traditions.
✦ Connection to the Wider Genealogy
Nighna occupies a specific position in the Vrishni genealogical sequence: Satvata → Vrishni → Anamitra → Nighna → Prasena and Satrajit. Through Satrajit's role in the Syamantaka narrative, Nighna's line intersects directly with Krishna — who is falsely accused of stealing the gem after Prasena's death, recovers it, and receives Satrajit's daughter Satyabhama in marriage — linking this branch of the Vrishni tree by marriage to Krishna's own household. The full Syamantaka narrative unfolds entirely among Nighna's sons in the generation below him; Nighna himself plays no active part in those events in any source.
✦ References
Primary Sources
- Vishnu Purana, Book IV, chapter 13 — Names Nighna as the son of Anamitra and his sons as Prasena and Satrajit; the principal genealogical source for this figure.
- Harivamsha, Harivamsha Parva, chapter 38 — Names Nighna as son of Anamitra and father of Prasena and Satrajit; connects this lineage to the Syamantaka gem narrative.
- Garuda Purana, chapter 139 — Names Nighna as son of Anamitra; gives Shatajit as his son, a variant form of Satrajit.
- Matsya Purana, Dynasty of Vrishni section — Names Nighna as son of Anamitra; gives his sons as Prasena and Shaktisena, substituting Shaktisena for Satrajit.
- Bhagavata Purana, Syamantaka narrative — Presents Satrajit as recipient of the Syamantaka gem from the sun god and as father of Satyabhama; contextualises the genealogical position of Nighna's sons within the Vrishni clan narratives.
Secondary Sources
- Vishnu Purana, tr. H. H. Wilson (1840), Book IV notes — Footnotes to chapter 13 record variant names for Nighna's sons across Puranic recensions.
- Mahabharat-Puran Kosh, Netaji Institute for Asian Studies (Bhaduri et al.) — Records the Matsya Purana variant of Nighna's sons including the substitution of Shaktisena.