The Life of Ramanujacarya

A new link of note that has been added is the life story of Ramanujacarya. Wonderful pastimes. Easy to read. Click here.

The hardcover book is available at KrishnaCulture.com.

 

The Sun Dynasty

Edited from The Ancestors of Rama, useful in a study of the Ramayana and Vaisnava history.

The Sun Dynasty or Solar Dynasty or Suryavansha is one of the most prominent dynasties in the history of Hinduism, along with the "Chandravansha" or Lunar Dynasty.

"Suryavanshi" means a person belonging to this dynasty. This clan was the eldest and the most prosperous in ancient India till the rise of Magadh in the 6th century BC. Ayodhya, the city founded by Vaivasvata Manu son of Vivasvan, was their capital.

THE LIST OF MONARCHS
The following is the list, in chronological order, of the monarchs of the solar dynasty. Most of them were rulers of Ayodhya and therefore, Kings of Kosala.

• According to Bhagwat Purana, Brahma created sage 10 sages using his mental powers -Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaka, Kratu, Vasishtha, Prachetas or Daksha, Bhrigu, Nārada.
• Kasyapa is the son of Marichi. The sons of Kashyapa and his wife Aditi, the daughter of Daksha Prajapati are called the Adityas (Sons of Aditi), they were, Aṃśa, Aryaman, Bhaga, Dhūti, Mitra, Pūṣan, Śakra, Savitṛ, Tvaṣṭṛ, Varuṇa, Viṣṇu, and Vivasvan.
• Vivasvan  - the Sun God, progenitor of the clan. His parents were (prajapati) Kashyapa and Aditi. Aditi's 12 sons, the Adityas, are the sun deities, and both Vivasvan and Aditya mean sun. Vivasvan's sons include Sradhadev and Shanishchar.
• Vaivasvata (son of the sun) or Sraddhadeva Manu - There are 14 Manvantaras (universal time periods; in each, Manu rules. Vaivasvata Manu is the seventh (current) Manu. He founded the town of Ayodhya. He had nine sons, Vena, Dhrishnu, Narishyan, Nabhaga, Ikshvaku, Karusha, Saryati, Prishadhru, Nabhagarishta and one daughter, Ila.

• Ikshvaku - King Ikṣvāku had one hundred sons, of whom Vikukṣi, Nimi and Daṇḍakā were the most prominent. Of the one hundred sons, twenty-five became kings in the western side of Āryāvarta, a place between the Himalaya and Vindhya mountains. Another twenty-five sons became kings in the east of Āryāvarta, and the three principal sons became kings in the middle. The other sons became kings in various other places.
• Vikukshi - His son was Kakuthsa or Puranjay.
• Kakutstha or Puranjaya - He was a brave king and fought in the Devasur Sangram. His original name was Puranjaya. But after he annihilated Asuras (demons) while sitting on the hump (Kukud) of a bull, he was known as Kakuthstha, which means seated on the hump. His dynasty was also known as Kakuthstha after him.
• Anena or Anaranya- son of Puranjaya
• Prithu
• Viśvagandhi
• Ardra or Chandra
• Yuvanashva I
• Shravast - He founded the town of Shravasti near Kosala.
• Bṛhadaśva
• Kuvalashva - Aided by his son, he killed a Rakshasa named Dhundh. The remaining sons were Dṛḍhāśva, Kapilāśva and Bhadrāsva. It is said that Dhundhar region and the Dhund river are named after Dhund. Thereafter, Kuvalashva was called "Dhundhumara".
• Dridhashva
• Haryashva I
• Nikumbha
• Bahulasva
• Krishasva
• Senajit  - His daughter Renuka was married to sage Jamadagni. She was mother of Parashurama.
• Yuvanashva - He was married to Gori, daughter of the Chandravanshi king Matinaar.
• Mandhata - He became a famous and Chakravarti (ideal universal ruler) king. He defeated most of the other kings of his time. Māndhātā begot three sons in the womb of Bindumatī, the daughter of Śaśabindu. These sons were Purukutsa, Ambarīṣa, and Mucukunda, a great mystic yogī. These three brothers had fifty sisters, who all accepted the great sage Saubhari as their husband.
• Purukutsa - He performed the Ashwamedha Yajna (horse sacrifice). He married Nagkanya "Narmada". He helped Nagas in their war against the Gandharvas.
• Trasaddasyu
• Anaranya
• Trashdashva
• Haryashva II 
• Praruna
• Tribhandana
• Satyavrata or Trishanku -
• Harishchandra - The great sage Viśvāmitra saw that Mahārāja Hariścandra, along with his wife, was truthful, forbearing and concerned with the essence. Thus he gave them imperishable knowledge for fulfillment of the human mission.
• Rohitashva - He was the son of Harishchandra. He founded town of Rohtas Garh in Rohtas district, Bihar and Rohtak, originally Rohitakaul, meaning from the Kul (family) of Rohit
• Harita
• Champa - constructed the town, Champapuri
• Sudeva
• Vijay
• Bharuka
• Vrika
• Bahuka or Asit - He was attacked and defeated by another clan of Kshatriyas. After this, he left Ayodhya and went to the Himalaya mountains to live as an ascetic with his queens. At that time Yadavi queen was pregnant with Sagara.
• Sagara - He recaptured Ayodhya from the "Haihaya" and "Taljanghi" Kshtriyas. He then attempted to perform the horse sacrifice, Ashwamedha Yajna. However, the sacrificial horse was stolen by the god Indra on the south eastern shores of the ocean, which was at that time an empty bed with no water in it. Most of Sagara's sons died attempting to recover the horse, also causing great destruction by their reckless search..
• Asamañjasa - Sagara's surviving son
• Amshuman - He was the grandson of Sagara, and his successor as king. He did penance in an attempt to bring the holy river Ganges to earth, that she might wash away the sins of his ancestors.
• Dilipa  - He also tried to bring Ganges to earth, but also failed.
• Bhagiratha - Sagara's great-grandson, after strenuous penances, at last succeeded in bringing Ganga down from heaven. When she flowed over the remains of his ancestors, their souls were redeemed, and the ocean was refilled. Ganga also bears the name "Bhagirathi", in honour of his deed.

• Shruta
• Nabha
• Sindudvipa
• Ayutayu
• Rtuparna
• Sarvakama
• Sudas
• Saudas or Mitrasah - Having been cursed twice (misfortunate events), the King by destiny remained sonless. Later, with the King's permission, the great saint Vasiṣṭha begot a child in the womb of Madayantī named Asmaka.
• Asmaka
• Blika or Maluka (generator of many ksatriyas after their disappearance at the hands of Parusarama)
• Dasaratha I
• Aidavidhi
• Visvasaha
• Khatvanga -was unconquerable in any fight. Requested by the demigods to join them in fighting the demons, he won victory, and the demigods, being very pleased, wanted to give him a benediction. The King inquired from them about the duration of his life and was informed that he had only one moment more. Thus he immediately left his palace and went to his own residence, where he engaged his mind fully on the lotus feet of the Lord.
• Dirghabahu
• Raghu
• Aja
• Dasaratha II
• Lord Ramacandra - He is the seventh Avatar of the god Vishnu. He is worshiped by every Hindu. Rama's story before he became king of Ayodhya is recounted in the Ramayana. After he ascended the throne, he performed the Ashwamedha Yajna. Bharata, his younger brother, won the country of Gandhara and settled there, where his two sons, Taksha and Pushkal, founded the cities of Taksashila and Pushkalavati, now known as Taxila and Peshawar. Rama's third brother, Lakshmana, founded Lakshmanpur, now known as Lucknow, and his youngest brother Shatrughna, Lakshmana's twin, was given Madhura which is now known as Mathura.

 

• Sumitra - He was the last king (118th) of Ayodhya from solar dynasty. In the fourth century BC, emperor Mahapadma Nanda of the Nanda Dynasty forced Sumitra to leave Ayodhya. He went to Rohtas with his sons. His son Kurma established his rule over Rohtas.