About
Anuvinda — Co-King of Avanti, Kaurava Warrior, Brother of Mitravinda
Anuvinda · Anuvindya · Anuvindhya
Anuvinda is co-king of the kingdom of Avanti, ruling jointly with his elder brother Vinda. He is the son of Jayasena, king of Avanti, and Rajadhidevi — a daughter of Shurasena the Yadava chieftain of Mathura and a sister of Vasudeva the father of Krishna — making Anuvinda a first cousin of Krishna through their mothers. His attestation in the primary sources closely mirrors that of his brother Vinda: both appear throughout the war books of the Mahabharata as prominent Kaurava generals, and both are named in the Bhagavata Purana as having opposed their sister Mitravinda's desire to marry Krishna. Anuvinda's death at the hands of Arjuna is recorded in the Drona Parva. He is attested in the Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Purana, the Vayu Purana, the Brahmanda Purana, and extensively throughout the Mahabharata.
✦ The Name
The name Anuvinda is formed from the prefix anu- — meaning after, following, or subordinate — combined with vinda, derived from the root vid meaning to find or obtain. The name thus carries the sense of the one who follows Vinda, or the lesser Vinda — a naming convention indicating a younger brother or secondary figure of the same lineage. The variant form Anuvindya appears in some Puranic texts; Anuvindhya appears in others as a further orthographic variant, all referring to the same figure.
✦ Lineage
- Father: Jayasena — king of Avanti
- Mother: Rajadhidevi — daughter of Shurasena the Yadava chieftain, sister of Vasudeva the father of Krishna
- Brother: Vinda — elder co-king of Avanti; partisan of Duryodhana; killed by Arjuna in the Drona Parva
- Sister: Mitravinda — princess of Avanti; abducted from her svayamvara by Krishna at her own wish; one of Krishna's eight principal queens
- Cousin: Krishna — son of Vasudeva, his mother's brother; Anuvinda's active opponent in the Mitravinda episode and the leading figure of the opposing Pandava alliance at Kurukshetra
✦ Role in the Mahabharata
Anuvinda's Mahabharata career runs in close parallel to that of his brother Vinda throughout the text; the two are almost invariably mentioned together and act as a single combined force. Prior to the war, Sahadeva defeated both in Avanti during the southern digvijaya (Sabha Parva, chapter 31) and extracted tribute. Despite this submission, the brothers subsequently committed to the Kaurava cause and each contributed an akshauhini to Duryodhana's forces (Udyoga Parva, chapter 19). Bhishma rated Anuvinda alongside his brother as a warrior of the ratha class in his pre-war assessment.
During the war, on the first day Anuvinda and Vinda fought duels with Kuntibhoja (Bhishma Parva, chapter 45). On the seventh day Iravat, Arjuna's son, defeated both brothers in single combat, destroyed Anuvinda's chariot and horses with well-placed shafts, and cut down his bow and standard — forcing Anuvinda to abandon his own car and take refuge on his brother's. The brothers continued fighting together on a single chariot until the day's combat concluded. They appear in the Kaurava formations throughout the Bhishma Parva and into the Drona Parva, defending Drona's position and participating in the general fighting. Anuvinda was killed by Arjuna in the Drona Parva (chapter 399, verses 27–29), in the same phase of the war that claimed his brother.
✦ Textual Variants
As with Vinda, the Mahabharata contains other figures named Anuvinda who are distinct from the Avanti king. The Karna Parva (chapter 13, verse 21) records an Anuvinda of the Kekaya kingdom who fought against the Pandavas and was killed by Satyaki — entirely separate from the Avanti figure. The Dhritarashtra's sons list in the Adi Parva (chapter 108) includes an Anuvinda among the hundred Kauravas — again a distinct individual. The Avanti Anuvinda is consistently identified in the text by the geographic qualifier or by his pairing with Vinda.
✦ References
Primary Sources
- Bhagavata Purana, Canto X, chapter 58, verses 30–31 — Names Anuvinda as son of Rajadhidevi, brother of Vinda and Mitravinda, and records his opposition to Mitravinda's marriage to Krishna.
- Vishnu Purana, Book IV, chapter 14, verse 43 — Records Anuvinda's genealogical position as son of Jayasena and Rajadhidevi.
- Vayu Purana, 96.157; Brahmanda Purana, III.71.158 — Confirm Anuvinda as son of Rajadhidevi.
- Mahabharata, Sabha Parva, chapter 31, verse 10 — Records defeat of Vinda and Anuvinda by Sahadeva.
- Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva, chapter 19, verses 24–25 — Records Anuvinda contributing an akshauhini to Duryodhana.
- Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva, chapter 45, verses 72–75 — Records first-day duels with Kuntibhoja.
- Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva, chapter 83, verses 18–22 — Records Iravat's defeat of both brothers, destruction of Anuvinda's chariot, and Anuvinda's retreat to Vinda's car.
- Mahabharata, Bhishma Parva and Drona Parva, multiple chapters — Records the brothers' sustained participation in the Kaurava formations under Bhishma and Drona.
- Mahabharata, Drona Parva, chapter 399, verses 27–29 — Records Anuvinda's death at the hands of Arjuna.
Secondary Sources
- Wisdomlib.org, "Anuvinda" definition entry — Enumerates all primary chapter and verse references; distinguishes the three Mahabharata figures named Anuvinda.
- Wikipedia, "Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti" article — Collates genealogical and narrative details from the Mahabharata and Bhagavata Purana.