Mudgala

THE LIVING ARCHIVE

About Mudgala

His father is Haryashva. His brothers are Srinjaya, Brihadishu, Pravira and Kampilya. Bahvashva is named as his son in this account, and Bahvashva’s twins, Divodasa and Ahalya, become the starting points of different family branches.

AT A GLANCE

Identity & Context

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

Family & Relationships

ParentHaryashva
Haryashva is the parent of Mudgala.
ChildBahvashva
Mudgala is the parent of Bahvashva.

IN THE TRADITION

Recorded Context

Royal and Learned Descendants

The five brothers receive the Panchala designation because their father considers them capable of protecting the countries. Mudgala’s own descendants include the Maudgalya Brahmins, a learned family named from him. This part of the account explains the origin of a lineage, rather than narrating a separate miracle.

The royal branch proceeds through Bahvashva and his son Divodasa. Through Divodasa and Mitrayu it eventually reaches Somaka, Prishata and Drupada. Ahalya’s family follows a different path through her marriage and descendants, although both branches share Mudgala’s older ancestry.

ROLE & ESSENCE

Attributes & Significance

Mudgala connects the royal ancestry of Panchala with a named Brahmin family. The genealogy preserves both kinds of descendants without describing a personal conversion or giving him every episode told about other sages named Mudgala.

Role

Mudgala is one of the five brothers associated with the Panchala name and an ancestor of the Maudgalya Brahmins. The Vishnu Purana also traces a royal branch from him through Bahvashva and Divodasa.

TRADITION & MEANING

Traditions & Interpretations

The Bhagavata also links Mudgala with the Maudgalya Brahmins, but places the twins Divodasa and Ahalya directly under Mudgala. The Vishnu Purana places Bahvashva between them. These are different arrangements of the family, not evidence for inventing another Mudgala from the variation alone.