Pushkala

Pushkala was the son of Bharata, and so the nephew of Bhagavān Rāma. In the Padma Mahā Purāṇa he is one of the chief warriors in the Aśvamedha yajña procession, led by his uncle Śatrughna, who guards the sacrificial horse on its journey. His wife Kantimati arms him with her own hands before he leaves. During the journey he fights well against warriors such as Damana and Rukmāṅgada. Campaka captures him during the Suratha episode, and Bhagavān Rāma later frees him.

Family and identity

Pushkala is the son of Bharata and belongs to the Ikshvāku solar dynasty. The text calls him “the best among warriors” and “skilled in the use of all weapons and missiles”. His wife Kantimati was a model of pativratā virtue, devotion to her husband. (Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapter 12)

Departure for the Aśvamedha

Before leaving to take his place in the Aśvamedha procession, Pushkala went to his wife Kantimati. With her own hands she armed him. She gave him armour “handsome like a thunderbolt”, two quivers of arrows that never ran out, a bow with a great string, a helmet and a sword. She waved lamps before him in ārati, embraced him with tears in her eyes, and said: “Act in such a way that the wives of my brothers-in-law will not laugh at me. You are everywhere the warrior who leads.” Pushkala promised that he would come back victorious. This comforted her, and she watched him go.

Pushkala then went to his parents, Bharata and his mother, received their blessings, and joined Śatrughna’s great army. (Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapter 12)

Battles during the Aśvamedha

Pushkala showed his strength in several fights on the Aśvamedha journey:

  • He defeated Damana, a powerful warrior who challenged the procession in the campaign in central India.
  • He fought Rukmāṅgada, the son of King Viramāṇi, in the great battle at Devapura near the Vindhya mountain. This was one of the fiercest battles of the journey.
  • During the Suratha episode, Campaka, one of King Suratha’s warriors, captured Pushkala and held him prisoner.

(Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 24, 41, 52)

Freed by Bhagavān Rāma

When Bhagavān Rāma himself came down to the battlefield at Kuṇḍala, he freed all the bound heroes, Pushkala among them. (Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapter 53)

Sources

  • Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Pātāla Khaṇḍa, Chapters 11–12, 24, 41, 52–53