Bhoja Rāja

Bhoja Rāja, also called Bhoja Mahārāja, was a great king of the Śālivāhana line. He arose in Kali Yuga, when dharma had grown very weak. He began a digvijaya yātrā (a march of conquest in all directions), and at the tīrtha of Mahābalīśvara he heard a command from Parameśvara that turned his campaign back.

He is known as a patron of Sanskrit learning. He worked to protect the language from destruction under foreign influence. The Bhavishya Purāṇa praises him as a king who joined strength in war with deep reverence for Bhagavān Śiva and for Ārya-dharma.

Background

The ten successors of Śālivāhana finished their reigns. By then dharma had become so weak in the land that its practice had almost stopped. At this time Bhoja Mahārāja arose in the same line.

He saw the crisis of dharma clearly. He knew that doing nothing was itself adharma. He decided on a vast digvijaya, a campaign to restore Ārya rule across Bhārata. The campaign was fearsome in its reach. Warriors from many regions and kingdoms were defeated or brought under his command.

The prayer at Mahābalīśvara

During his conquests Bhoja Rāja came to the tīrtha of Mahābalīśvara. The Purāṇa calls this holy region Bāhlīka-deśa. The mleccha (foreigners outside Ārya-dharma) had made the land unclean, yet the divine power of Parameśvara still remained there.

Bhoja Rāja came with his army. Before any fighting, he first sought the counsel of Parameśvara. He bowed to the ground and prayed:

“O Parameśvara! You dwell pure and radiant even in a desert where the Mlecchas live. You are the destroyer of Tripurāsura. You break the chains of all the māyā-śaktis (powers of illusion). I have come to you for refuge. Accept me as your servant.”

Parameśvara was pleased with the king’s devotion and let his voice be heard:

“Bhoja Rāja! Go at once to the Mahābalīśvara tīrtha. This Bāhlīka land has been made unclean by the Mlecchas. Ārya-dharma does not exist here. Mahāmada (Muḥammad) will soon be born here and will spread a new faith (mat). Return to your own kingdom.”

Bhoja Rāja obeyed the divine command. He ended his digvijaya and went back to his own realm.

Patron of Sanskrit

Bhoja Rāja understood that when foreign powers arrive, the first thing to be lost is the language of a civilisation. With this insight he turned at once to the protection and growth of Sanskrit. He gathered learned paṇḍitas and worked with them to make Sanskrit widely known and to promote its study and use.

He gave the main duty of keeping and growing Sanskrit to the agra-varṇas (the brāhmaṇas and the other twice-born communities). For the śūdras and other communities, he arranged teaching in the local languages of each region.

In this way Bhoja Rāja became the keeper of the language of his civilisation. He knew that dharma cannot last without the language in which its sacred texts and rituals are held.

Succession and the Agni-vaṃśa

After Bhoja Rāja reached svarga (heaven), seven kings of his line ruled one after another. They were short-lived, of modest intelligence and of little tejas (radiance). Together these seven did not even complete three hundred years of rule. During their time foreign rule grew stronger in Bhārata.

The Agni-vaṃśa, the fire lineage, is counted among the most powerful royal dynasties after Dvāpara Yuga. Its kings were mighty warriors. Their rule stretched from Kapila-sthāna (Gaṅgāsāgara) in the east to Bāhlīka in the west, and from China in the north to Setu-bandha (Rāmeśvaram) in the south. Bhoja Rāja is counted as one of the shining kings of this line.

Sources

• Bhavishya Mahā Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 3