Virūpāksha the Rākshasa King

Virūpāksha was a rākshasa king of great power and courage. His city was Mēru-vraja. He was a close friend and ally of Nāḍījaṅgha, the crane king, who is also called Rājadharma. Virūpāksha was famous for his generosity. Every year at Kārtika Pūrṇimā he held a feast for a thousand qualified brāhmaṇas. He gave them golden vessels, gems and jewels, and whatever else they wished.

His story is in the Kṛtaghnopākhyāna (the account of the ungrateful man), part of the Āpaddharma Parva of the Śānti Parva. When the brāhmaṇa Gautama killed Nāḍījaṅgha, Virūpāksha ordered Gautama put to death. Even the rākshasas would not eat the flesh of the kṛtaghna (one who forgets a kindness done to him). Virūpāksha then carried out Nāḍījaṅgha’s last rites with full honour.

Who he was and where he ruled

The name Virūpāksha means “of unusual or uneven eyes”. He was a rākshasa of great power and courage. His city Mēru-vraja was described with mountain ramparts, mountain gateways and mountain machinery. It was a fortress built into and through a range of mountains.

Though he was a rākshasa, he was deeply devoted to brāhmaṇas and was generous (Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, Chapter 170).

Friendship with Nāḍījaṅgha

Virūpāksha and Nāḍījaṅgha the crane king were warm friends. Nāḍījaṅgha sent Gautama to Mēru-vraja with a word of recommendation. Virūpāksha received Gautama at once and gave generously, only because of his friend’s word. His trust in Nāḍījaṅgha’s recommendation was complete (Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, Chapter 170).

The annual feast

Virūpāksha was known across the region for his yearly feast for brāhmaṇas on Kārtika Pūrṇimā. At the feast he:

• hosted a thousand qualified, well-dressed brāhmaṇas
• honoured them with darbha grass, water and fragrant things
• called the pitṛ-devas, Agni and the Viśvedevas to rest upon them
• fed them from golden vessels set with gems, filled with the finest food mixed with honey and ghee
• gave them all the vessels they had eaten from
• gave diamonds, vaidūrya gems, rubies, deer skins, woollen shawls and money

The text says he held similar feasts at Āshāḍha and Māgha Pūrṇimā. His giving (dāna) was so great that he was known throughout the northern region as a mahādātā (a great giver) (Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, Chapter 171).

When Nāḍījaṅgha was killed

Virūpāksha’s son found Nāḍījaṅgha’s bones at the aśvattha tree and captured Gautama. Virūpāksha was overcome with grief and wept openly, and the whole palace went into mourning. He ordered Gautama killed and his flesh given to the rākshasas. Even the rākshasas refused. They said the body of the kṛtaghna was too foul even for beings who usually ate human flesh. The body was cut apart and thrown to robbers, who also refused it.

Virūpāksha performed Nāḍījaṅgha’s last rites with sandalwood, fine cloths and gems, and he lit the pyre (Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, Chapters 172–173).

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Śānti Parva, Āpaddharma Parva, Chapters 170–173 (Kṛtaghnopākhyāna)