Brihatkshatra

THE LIVING ARCHIVE

About Brihatkshatra

He is one of Bhavanmanyu’s principal sons, alongside Mahavirya, Nara and Garga. His own son is Suhotra, and Suhotra’s son Hastin founds Hastinapura in this account. Brihatkshatra therefore belongs before the city’s foundation and well before its later Kuru rulers.

AT A GLANCE

Identity & Context

Identity: King
Form: Paurava Royal House
Tradition: Puranic Royal Genealogy

Family & Relationships

ParentBhavanmanyu
Bhavanmanyu is the parent of Brihatkshatra.
ChildSuhotra
Brihatkshatra is the parent of Suhotra.

IN THE TRADITION

Recorded Context

One of Several Paurava Branches

The family descending from Bhavanmanyu divides rather than moving through all the named sons in succession. Nara’s descendants include Rantideva, while Garga’s descendants form a learned family. Brihatkshatra’s particular route passes through Suhotra and Hastin to Ajamidha, whose descendants later include both the Kuru house and a Panchala branch.

ROLE & ESSENCE

Attributes & Significance

His place explains how the ancestry of Hastinapura remains connected to the broader family after Bharata. It also prevents the city’s founders from being made direct sons of Bharata without the intervening generations preserved in this telling.

Role

Brihatkshatra is an ancestor of Hastinapura’s royal house in the Paurava genealogy. His branch leads from Bhavanmanyu toward Suhotra and Hastin.

TRADITION & MEANING

Traditions & Interpretations

The Bhagavata connects Brihatkshatra directly to Hasti, without the same intervening Suhotra. The Vishnu Purana instead places Suhotra between father and founder. This older ancestor is distinguished by Bhavanmanyu and Hastin’s line, rather than by a later battlefield namesake’s deeds.