Sarvakama

THE LIVING ARCHIVE

About Sarvakama

Sarvakama belongs to the Ikshvaku family of kings. His father Rituparna is remembered as a friend of Nala and as a master of dice. Sarvakama’s own son is Sudasa; the following generation is Saudasa, also called Mitrasaha and Kalmashapada.

AT A GLANCE

Identity & Context

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

Family & Relationships

ParentRituparna
Rituparna is named as the parent of Sarvakama in this succession.
ChildSudasa
Sarvakama is named as the parent of Sudasa in this succession.

IN THE TRADITION

Recorded Context

The Generations Before Saudasa

The family account places Sarvakama immediately after Rituparna and before Sudasa. It then turns from a short list of rulers to the much longer story of Saudasa, whose encounter with a vengeful Rakshasa brings disaster to his household. Sarvakama is therefore Saudasa’s grandfather, rather than the king who undergoes those curses.

In Saudasa’s generation, Queen Madayanti restrains the king from retaliating against Vasistha and later becomes the mother of Asmaka. Those events explain how the royal house continues after its crisis. Sarvakama’s place in the preceding generations connects that story with the older succession descending from Bhagiratha.

ROLE & ESSENCE

Attributes & Significance

His remembered role is genealogical: he is the generation between Rituparna and Sudasa. Through that relationship, the family story moves from Rituparna’s connection with Nala toward Saudasa, Madayanti and Asmaka.

Role

Sarvakama is a king of Surya Vansh, the son of Rituparna, father of Sudasa and grandfather of Saudasa. He links the family of Nala’s royal friend Rituparna with the household later affected by Saudasa’s curses.

TRADITION & MEANING

Traditions & Interpretations

The memorable deeds in this part of the dynasty belong to several different generations. Rituparna’s knowledge of dice and Saudasa’s affliction frame Sarvakama’s family position without becoming episodes from his own life.