Aṅga (Son of Bali)

Aṅga

Aṅga has other meanings too: see all meanings of Aṅga. Bali has other meanings too: see all meanings of Bali. Sutapas has other meanings too: see all meanings of Sutapas.

Aṅga is the first of the five sons of King Bali, a yogī king of the line of Pūru, and the head of the Aṅga line of kings. The land of Aṅga bears his name. He is not the Prajāpati Aṅga, father of Vena.

His father and brothers

In the line of Titikshu, king of the eastern direction, Titikshu’s son was Ushadratha, his son Phena, his son Sutapas, and his son Bali. Bali took a human birth, had a golden quiver, and as a great yogī ruled his kingdom. He is not the daitya Bali. On earth he begot five sons who upheld the line: Aṅga, Vaṅga, Suhma, Puṇḍra and Kaliṅga, whose succession became famous as a kshatriya vaṃśa named Bāleya. Pleased with Bali, Brahmā granted him great yoga-power, a lifespan of a full kalpa, knowledge of the true meaning of dharma, unequalled strength, invincibility in battle, pre-eminence in dharma, the sight of the three worlds, pre-eminence in progeny and the establishing of the four varṇas. The countries bear the names of Aṅga and his brothers and are famous by them.

The Aṅga line

Aṅga’s son was Dadhivāhana; his son Diviratha; his son Dharmaratha, equal to Indra in valour and learned, who performed a yajña on the mountain Kālañjara and drank soma with Indra; and his son Citraratha. Citraratha’s son was Daśaratha, famous as Lomapāda, whose daughter was Śāntā. By the grace of Ṛshyaśṛṅga, Śāntā’s husband, a son named Caturaṅga was born to Daśaratha. Caturaṅga’s son was Pṛthulāksha, and his son Campa, whose capital was Campāpurī, earlier called Mālinī. By the grace of Pūrṇabhadra, Haryaṅga was born to Campa, and Vaibhāṇḍaki, Ṛshyaśṛṅga, by his mantras brought Airāvata, the finest vāhana of Indra, down to earth to be Haryaṅga’s elephant.

Haryaṅga’s son was Bhadraratha; his son Bṛhatkarman; his son Bṛhaddarbha; his son Bṛhanmanas; his son Jayadratha, king of kings; his son Dṛḍharatha; his son Janamejaya, conqueror of all; his son Vaikarṇa; and his son Vikarṇa, who had a hundred sons who increased the Aṅga vaṃśa. The Sūta closes: all the kings of the Aṅga vaṃśa were true to their vows, great-souled, rich in progeny and mahārathas.

Sources

• Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 13