Sudyumna

THE LIVING ARCHIVE

About Sudyumna

The Vishnu Purana places this Sudyumna after Bhayada and before Bahugava. Manasyu is therefore his grandfather in this branch, and Samyati is his grandson. His identity rests on this succession rather than on the transformation story associated with Vaivasvata Manu’s child.

AT A GLANCE

Identity & Context

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

Family & Relationships

ParentBhayada
Bhayada is the parent of Sudyumna.
ChildBahugava
Sudyumna is the parent of Bahugava.

IN THE TRADITION

Recorded Context

A Namesake Within the Paurava House

The branch continues through Bahugava, Samyati and Ahamyati before reaching Raudrashva and the ancestry of Dushyanta. Ila belongs near the origins of the lunar royal family through Budha and Pururavas; this later Paurava Sudyumna occupies a separate place in a much longer chain of descendants.

The later branch reaches Dushyanta and Shakuntala’s son Bharata. Bharata’s succession becomes a separate turning point when the royal line continues through Vitatha, identified with Bharadvaja in this account. The genealogy then divides among several families, including the ancestors of Hastinapura and Panchala. These are later descendants, not events personally performed by the earlier ancestor.

ROLE & ESSENCE

Attributes & Significance

Keeping this Sudyumna separate allows both the early transformation story and the later royal genealogy to remain understandable. A repeated name does not make every person bearing it the same ancestor.

Role

Sudyumna is an early Paurava ancestor in the royal sequence between Manasyu’s descendants and Dushyanta. He is a different figure from Ila, whose male form is also called Sudyumna.

TRADITION & MEANING

Traditions & Interpretations

The Bhagavata’s corresponding succession names Sudyu as the son of Charupada and father of Bahugava. The Vishnu Purana calls this adjoining ancestor Sudyumna and names Bhayada before him. Both accounts identify a place in the Paurava succession, separate from Ila’s earlier transformation story.