Sudyumna
Sudyumna was the first child born to Vaivasvata Manu. Because of a mistake in the birth ritual, he was born as a daughter named Ilā. Later he was changed into a male form. A further śāpa (curse) in the forest of Bhagavān Śiva and Devī Pārvatī made him a woman one month and a man the next. In his male months he ruled as king. In her female months, Ilā lived in the forest. From Ilā’s union with Budha was born Purūravas, the forefather of the Aila line (the Lunar dynasty) that ruled the earth. Sudyumna’s three sons founded kingdoms in different regions.
Birth as Ilā
Vaivasvata Manu performed a putra-kāmeshṭi (a yajña performed to gain a son). The ritual went wrong and the mantra was directed towards a feminine result. The child who was born was a daughter, and she was named Ilā. Manu and Vasishṭha prayed to the divine powers, and Ilā was changed into a male form, Sudyumna. The Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa tells this in Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 60.
The curse in the sacred forest
Sudyumna went hunting and entered the sacred grove that Bhagavān Śiva and Devī Pārvatī had set apart. In that forest no male could stay male. Any man who entered was changed at once into a woman. Sudyumna entered without knowing this and became Ilā again. All the men in the hunting party also became women. The Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa tells this in Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 60.
Budha and the birth of Purūravas
As Ilā, she met Budha, the son of Candra (Soma). He was performing tapas (austerity) in those forests. Budha was drawn by her beauty and took her as his wife. Their son was Purūravas. He became the first great king of the earth in the Candra dynasty’s branch on earth. The Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa tells this in Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 60.
The monthly change
Vasishṭha and the ṛshis prayed to Bhagavān Śiva and Devī Pārvatī. They granted a partial remedy. Sudyumna would change every month, spending one month as a woman, Ilā, and the next as a man, Sudyumna. In the male months he governed his kingdom. In the female months Ilā lived in the forest. This went on for many years. The Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa tells this in Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 60.
Three sons and the end of his rule
In his male months, Sudyumna had three sons:
- Utkala, founder of the Utkala region (Odisha)
- Gaya, ruler of Gayā-kshetra
- Vimala, ruler of his own territory
After he had heirs, Sudyumna gave up the kingdom in favour of Purūravas and retired to the forest. The Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa tells this in Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 60.
The Vishṇu Purāṇa account
The Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa begins the Sūrya Vaṃśa (the Solar line) in Caturdhāṃśa, Chapter 1, with this same account. The first-born of Manu Vaivasvata came into the world as Ilā because the putra-kāmeshṭi was misdirected. After the change, Ilā’s union with Budha gave Sudyumna a son, Purūravas, who began the Candra dynasty’s branch on earth. Sudyumna’s other sons, Utkala, Gaya and Vimala, went to their own regions.
The Devī Bhāgavata account
The Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa tells the story of Sudyumna and Ilā, and then goes on to tell how Sudyumna worshipped Devī. This is in Skanda 1, Chapter 12.
After he came back from the forest, Sudyumna thought about how fleeting his changing state was, and about the suffering of saṃsāra (the cycle of birth and death). He turned to the worship of Devī Mahāśakti. He sat in deep meditation and chanted the navākshara-mantra (the nine-syllable mantra of Devī) with steady, one-pointed devotion. Devī Parāmbikā was moved by the purity and strength of his worship. She appeared before him as Siṃhavāhinī, seated on her lion, shining and fully armed.
Sudyumna praised Devī Parāmbikā in a long stotra (hymn of praise) of deep meaning. He spoke of her as beyond all three guṇas (the three qualities of nature):
- Bhagavān Vishṇu knows her as the sāttvika-śakti (Mahālakshmī).
- Brahmā knows her as the rājasa-śakti.
- Rudra knows her as the tāmasa-śakti (Umā).
- None of them knows her nirguṇa-svarūpa, her formless nature that has no attributes.
He called her the first and unexplained wonder. Bhagavān Vishṇu, the master of all, places her lotus feet on his heart and presses them with his own hands. Yet if she turns her gaze away in displeasure, even Bhagavān Vishṇu loses all his śakti (power). The devas and Brahmā serve her feet day and night. He ended with these words: “O Bhavānī! I desire nothing except unmoving bhakti at your feet.”
Pleased with the stotra, Devī Parāmbikā gave Sudyumna the power of brahma-nirmāṇa, which is linked with Brahmā’s power of creation and with an exalted place in the order of the worlds. By her grace Sudyumna reached the dhruva-paramapadam, the unmoving supreme state, which is rare even for great munis.
Sudyumna among the givers of dāna
In the Dāna-Mahima section (the praise of giving) of the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīshma lists kings who were examples of dāna (giving). Bhīshma says that Sudyumna, son of Manu, offered his own hand to the great ṛshi Likhita, putting himself under punishment. By that very dharma he reached the most excellent lokas. This is in the Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 137.
Sources
- Brahmāṇḍa Mahā Purāṇa, Madhyama Bhāga, Chapter 60
- Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa, Caturdhāṃśa, Chapter 1
- Devī Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Skanda 1, Chapter 12
- Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 137