Sudyumna of the Satya Yuga
Sudyumna · su-dyumna, “the very splendid”
Sudyumna was a king of the Satya Yuga, of great aiśvarya and wealth, with the strength of ten thousand elephants. He was a jñānī devoted to adhyātma who protected his people well, but he gave no dāna and saw such works as hindrances. Śrī Kṛshṇa tells his account to Yudhishṭhira for the glory of the Brahmāṇḍa-dāna.
He ruled thirty thousand years without a rival, handed the kingdom to his son and went to the forest, where he performed severe tapas. At the end he went by a divine vimāna past the lokas of Indra and the others to Brahmaloka, and Brahmā honoured him and seated him. Yet he could not enjoy the divine pleasures, and he suffered hunger and thirst even there.
He asked Brahmā of which karma this was the fruit. Brahmā said that his jñāna and tapas had won him Brahmaloka, but because he had done no good works such as dāna he was tormented by hunger and thirst. Brahmā told him to return to Bhūloka and give an image of the Brahmāṇḍa to brāhmaṇas. He did so, and gained svarga again and lasting satisfaction.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 177
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 177