Shashavindu

THE LIVING ARCHIVE

About Shashavindu

He belongs to the branch of Yadu’s family descended from Kroshtu. In the Vishnu Purana, the succession passes through Vrijinivat, Svahi, Rushadru and Chitraratha before reaching Shashavindu. This Chitraratha is his royal father, distinct from the Gandharva bearing the same name.

The Bhagavata Purana describes Shashavindu as a great yogi, a fortunate sovereign and an undefeated emperor. It associates his rule with fourteen outstanding royal treasures or excellences. These qualities place him among the celebrated universal rulers of sacred history, combining the stature of a sovereign with spiritual accomplishment.

AT A GLANCE

Identity & Context

Identity: King
Form: Kroshtu Branch of the Yadavas
Tradition: Puranic Royal Genealogy

Family & Relationships

ParentChitraratha
Chitraratha is Shashavindu’s father in this Yadava succession.
ChildPrithushravas
Prithushravas is one of Shashavindu’s six distinguished sons.

THE STORY

Life & Stories

A Far-Reaching Royal Household

The Vishnu Purana portrays an exceptionally large household, then singles out six renowned sons: Prithuyashas, Prithukarman, Prithujaya, Prithukirti, Prithudana and Prithushravas. Its immense family numbers convey royal abundance. Prithushravas is the son whose descendants the account follows in detail; the other named sons remain distinct members of the same generation.

The Branch of Prithushravas

Prithushravas’s son is Tamas, followed by Ushanas, a royal descendant credited with a hundred horse sacrifices. Several generations later, this branch reaches Jyamagha and his son Vidarbha. Through Vidarbha’s sons, it continues into the royal houses of Vidarbha and Chedi. Shashavindu stands near the beginning of this broad expansion of Yadu’s descendants.

Bindumati and the House of Mandhata

The Bhagavata Purana names Bindumati as Shashavindu’s daughter and the wife of Mandhata, the celebrated king of Surya Vansh. Their sons are Purukutsa, Ambarisha and Mucukunda. The same passage mentions their fifty daughters, who marry the sage Saubhari. This marriage connects Shashavindu’s Yadava household to a major family descended from Ikshvaku.

ROLE & ESSENCE

Attributes & Significance

Shashavindu’s importance extends beyond a single succession. His renown as an emperor and yogi gives him an individual identity, while his children link different royal houses. The descendants followed through Prithushravas and the marriage of Bindumati reveal how the great dynasties are connected by both descent and alliance.

Role

Shashavindu is an eminent Yadava king and the son of Chitraratha. Celebrated as an unconquered world emperor and a great yogi, he also connects important royal families through his son Prithushravas and his daughter Bindumati.

TRADITION & MEANING

Traditions & Interpretations

His name also appears as Shashabindu or Śaśabindu. The royal genealogy is preserved with some different ancestral forms across sacred texts: the Bhagavata account uses Vishadgu where the Vishnu Purana succession uses Rushadru before Chitraratha. The two accounts agree on Chitraratha as his father and on his fourteen royal excellences.