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Yajnabahu — Son of Priyavrata and Barhishmati, King of Shalmalidvipa
Yajnabahu · Yajnabahu Priyavrateya
Yajnabahu is the third of the ten sons of Priyavrata and Barhishmati, named in the Bhagavata Purana, Canto 5. He was appointed by his father as the ruler of Shalmalidvipa — the third of the seven great island-continents, named for the shalmali or silk-cotton tree at its centre. Beyond his appointment as its king and his position in Priyavrata's genealogy, he does not feature in any independent narrative episode in the primary sources consulted. His name is a compound of yajna, meaning sacrifice or sacred offering, and bahu, meaning arm, yielding the meaning of he whose arms are the sacrifice or the one with sacrificial arms — a name again carrying Vedic ritual resonance, consistent with the sacrificially themed names given to several of his brothers.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Priyavrata — eldest son of Svayambhuva Manu.
- Mother: Barhishmati — daughter of Vishvakarma Prajapati.
✦ References
- Bhagavata Purana, Canto 5, Chapter 1: Names Yajnabahu as third son of Priyavrata and Barhishmati and records his appointment as king of Shalmalidvipa.
- Vishnu Purana, Book II, Chapter 1: Parallel genealogical listing.