Sahanji

THE LIVING ARCHIVE

About Sahanji

His father is the male Kunti placed after Dharmanetra, not Pritha, the mother of the Pandavas. Sahanji’s ancestry therefore runs through Dharmanetra and Haihaya to Shatajit, Sahasrajit and Yadu. His son Mahishmat continues the same branch.

AT A GLANCE

Identity & Context

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

Family & Relationships

ParentKunti
Kunti is the parent of Sahanji in this account.
ChildMahishmat
Sahanji is the parent of Mahishmat in this account.

IN THE TRADITION

Recorded Context

Family and Wider Context

The line after Mahishmat reaches Bhadrasena, Durdama and Dhanaka. Dhanaka has four named sons, including Kritavirya, whose son Arjuna becomes the thousand-armed ruler. Keeping those generations visible explains why Sahanji belongs to Kartavirya’s ancestry without making him a companion in Kartavirya’s campaigns or in the confrontation with Parashurama.

ROLE & ESSENCE

Attributes & Significance

This part of the family record shows how the broad Yadava ancestry narrows into the Haihaya royal succession. Its importance is the continuity of the house: the connection from Kunti to Mahishmat would otherwise be missing between the earlier founder and the better-known later kings.

Role

Sahanji is a Haihaya king, the son of Kunti and the father of Mahishmat. He appears in the succession that connects Haihaya’s early descendants with the later royal house of Kritavirya.

TRADITION & MEANING

Traditions & Interpretations

The selected account preserves Sahanji chiefly through parentage and succession. Variant spellings occur in parallel genealogical traditions; no separate conquest or supernatural ability is assigned to him by this passage.