Kritavirya

THE LIVING ARCHIVE

About Kritavirya

Dhanaka’s other named sons are Kritagni, Kritavarman and Kritaujas. Kritavirya therefore belongs to a group of four brothers, while Arjuna belongs to the next generation. Dhanaka’s father is Durdama, continuing the older succession through Bhadrasena and Mahishmat.

AT A GLANCE

Identity & Context

Identity: King
Form: Haihaya Dynasty
Tradition: Puranic Royal Genealogy

Family & Relationships

ParentDhanaka
Dhanaka is the parent of Kritavirya in this account.
ChildKartavirya Arjuna

IN THE TRADITION

Recorded Context

Family and Wider Context

It is Kritavirya’s son who seeks the favor of Dattatreya and receives a thousand arms together with exceptional royal power. The account describes that son’s prosperity, sacrifices, capture of Ravana and eventual death at Parashurama’s hands. The patronymic can make the two generations easy to confuse unless the father’s own name is kept visible.

ROLE & ESSENCE

Attributes & Significance

Kritavirya provides the immediate family identity behind the name Kartavirya. The famous son’s patronymic preserves his father’s name, but the father and son remain two generations. The Pandava Arjuna belongs to another branch of Chandra Vansh and has a different set of parents and relationships.

Role

Kritavirya is the father of Kartavirya Arjuna and a son of the Haihaya king Dhanaka. His son’s familiar name means Arjuna of Kritavirya’s family, distinguishing the thousand-armed king from the Pandava Arjuna.

TRADITION & MEANING

Traditions & Interpretations

The selected passage does not transfer Kartavirya’s boons or battles to Kritavirya. The father and son remain two connected people even when the son is referred to by a name derived from his father.

From the Sacred Texts

Explore the sacred texts behind these stories in the Suvarnaveda library.

Vishnu Purana

FOLLOW THE THREADS

Connected Cards

1 connected profiles. Every path leads to an original record.

Characters & Cosmic Entities1

ParentDhanakaHaihaya House · Dhanaka

Dhanaka is the parent of Kritavirya in this account.

Haihaya House · Kritavirya