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A Classical Dictionary of Hindu Mythology and Religion, Geography, History and Literature - John Dowson, 1820 - Complete Book

English

ia which say, " The race which gave origin to Brahmans and Kshatriyas, and which was purified by regal sages, terminated with Kshemaka in the Kali age." KSHEMA-YJ?/DDHL A general of the iS'alwas who had a command in the army which attacked Dwaraka, and was defeated by K?'ish7ia's son, iSamba. KULA-PARYATAS. 'Family mountains.' A series or sys- tem of seven chains of mountains in Southern India. They are Mahendra, ]Malaya, Sahya, iS'uktimat, i^iksha (for which Gan- dlia-madana is sometimes substituted), Yindhya and Paripatra. Mahendra is the Orissa chain ; Malaj'a, the hills of Malabar 1 70 KULIKA—KUMBHA-KARNA. proper, the soutli part of the AVestern Ghats ; Sahya, the northern parts of the Western Ghats ; ASuktimat is doubtful ; ^iksha, the mountains of Gondwana ; Yindhya is here apphed to the eastern di^dsion of the Yindhya mountains ; and Paripatra, or Piiriyatra as it is frequently written, applies to the northern and western portions of the same range. The classification seems to have been known to Ptolemy, for he specifies seven ranges of mountains, but liis names are not in accord. KULIKA. One of the eight serpent kings, described as of a dusky brown colour and having a half-moon on his head, KULIXDAS. A people living in the north-west. KULLUKA - BHAITA. The famous commentator on Manu, whose gloss Avas used by Sir W. Jones in making the translation of Manu. KUMARA. A name of Skanda, god of war. In the Brah- mawas the term is applied to Agni. KUMARAS. Mind-born sons of Brahma, who, declining to create progeny, remained ever boys and ever pure and innocent. There were four of them, Sanat-kumara, Sananda, Sanaka, and Sanatana ; a fifth, ^ibhu, is sometimes added. 8ee Yishwu PuraTza. KUMARA-SAMBHAYA. ' The bii^th of the war god (Ku- mara).' A poem by Kali-dasa. The complete work consists of sixteen cantos, but only seven are usually given, and these have been translated into Latin by Stenzler. Parts have been ren- dered into English verse by Griffiths. There are several editions of the text. KUMARI. 'The damsel.' An epithet of /SitS, also of Durga. Cape Comorin. KUMARILA-BHArrA, KUMARILA-SWAMI. A cele- ])rated teacher of the Mimansa philosophy and opponent of the Buddhists, whom he is said to have extirpated by argument and by force. He was prior to iSankaracharya, in whose presence he is recorded to have burnt himself. KUMBHA-KARA^A. Son of Yisravas by his Rakshasa wife KesinI, and full brother of Ravawa. A monster who, under the curse of Brahma (or, as otherwise represented, as a boon), slept for six months at a time and remained awake for only a single day. When Ravana was hard pressed by Rama he sent to arouse Kumbha-kar?ia. This was effected with great difficulty, KUMUDA—KUNTI. 171 After drinking 2000 jars of liquor lie went to consult with liis brother, and then took the field against the monkey army. He beat down Su-griva, the monkey chief, with a large stone, and carried him a prisoner into the city of Lanka. When he returned to the battle he encountered Rama, and after a stout fight he Avas defeated, and Rama cut off his head. KUMUDA. 'A lotus,' A Naga or serpent king whose sister, Kumudvati, married Ivusa, son of Rama. KUMUDYATI. A Kaga or serpent princess whose mar- riage to Ku5a, son of Rama, is described in the Raghu-vansa, KUiV"i)INA-PURA. The capital of Yidarbha. It survives as the modern Kundapur, situated about 40 miles east of Ama- ravati, in Birar. KU]S[TALA. A country in the Dakhin, about Adoni ; the Dakhin. KUNTl (also called Pnthaand Parshwi). i. Daughter of the Yadava prince fSiira, king of the >S'iirasenas, whose capital was Mathura on the Yamuna. She was sister of Yasu-deva, and was given by her father to his childless cousin Kunti-bhoja, by whom she was brought up. In her maidenhood she showed such respectful devotion to the sage Dur-vasas, that he gave her a charm by means of which she might have a child by any god she pleased to invoke. She called upon the sun, and by him had a son named KarTia, but without any detriment to her vir- ginity ; stiU, to keep the affair secret, the child was exposed on the banks of the Yamuna. Subsequently she married Pawc/u, whom she chose at a swayam-vara, and bore three sons, Yudhi- sh/hira, Bhima, and Arjuna, who were called Pa?2(iavas although they were said to be the sons of the gods Dharma, Yayu, and Indra respectively. This may have happened, as is stated, from the potency of the old charm, but if so, it is strange that MadrT, the second wife of Paw6?u, should have enjoyed the same privilege, and have borne twin children to the Aswins. This difficulty, however, is got over by a statement that KuntI imparted to her the charm. Kunti was a discreet and devoted mother, and although rather jealous of Madri, she was a kind mother to her children after Madri was burnt on her husband's pyre. After the end of the great war she retired into the forest with Dhnta- rash^ra and his wife Gandhari, and there they all perished in a forest fire. 2. Name of a people and country in Upper India. 172 KUNTI-BHOJA—KUSAMBA . KUXTI-BHOJA. King of tlie people caUed Kimtis. The adoptive father of KimtL KURMA-AYATAE. The tortoise incarnation. See Avatara. KUPaiA PURAiVA. " That in which Janardana (Vishwu), in the form of a tortoise, in the regions under the earth, ex- plained the objects of life — duty, wealth, pleasure, and libera- tion,— in communication with Indra-dyumna and the jRishis in the proximity of ^Sakra, which refers to the Lakshmi Kalpa, and contains 17,000 stanzas, is the Kiirma Pura/ia." The account which the Pura?ia gives of itself and its actual con- tents do not agree with this description. " The name being that of an Avatara of Yish?iu, might lead us to expect a Yaish- ?iava work; but it is always and correctly classed with the /Saiva PuraTzas, the greater portion of it inculcating the worship of A^iva and Durga. The date of this PuraTia cannot be very remote. " — Wilson. KURU. A prince of the Lunar race, son of Samvarana by Tapati, a daughter of the sun. He ruled in the north-west of India over the country about Dellii. A people called Kurus, and dwelling about Kuru-kshetra in that part of India, are con- nected with him. He was ancestor both of Dhrita-rashte and Vmdw, but the patronymic Kaurava is generally applied to the sons of the former. KURU-JAK'GALA. A forest country in the upper part of the Doab. KURU-KSHETRA. 'The field of the Kurus.' A plain near Dellii where the great battle between the Kauravas and Pawcfavas was fought. It lies south-east of Thanesar, not far from Panipat, the scene of many battles in later days. KU/SA. One of the twin sons of Rama and Slta. After the death of Rama, his two sons Kusa and Lava became kings of the Southern and IS'orthern Kosalas, and Kui'a built Kusa-sthall or KusavatI in the Yindhyas, and made it his capital. See Rama. KU6'A-DHWAJA. A brother of Janaka, king of INIithila, and consequently uncle of Sita. His two daughters, MawJavi and /Sruta-kirtti, were married to Bharata and iS'atru-ghna, the sons of Janaka. Some make him king of Sankrusya, and others king of Kasi, and there are differences also as to his genealogy. KU>SAMBA. Son of Kusa and a descendant of Puriiravas. He engaged in devout penance to obtain a son equal to Indra, KUSA-STHALI—KUVERA. 173 and that god was so alarmed at his austerities, that he himself became incarnate as Gadlii, son of Kusamba. KU/S'A-STHALI. i. A city identical with or standing on the same spot as Dwaraka. It was built by Raivata, and was the capital of his kingdom called Anarta. When Raivata went on a visit to the region of Erahmii, his city was destroyed by PuTiya-janas, i.e., Yakshas or Rakshasas. 2. A city built by Kusa, son of Rama, on the brow of the Vindhyas. It was the capital of Southern Kosala. Also called Kusa-vati. KU/SA-YATl. The capital of Southern Kosala, built upon the Vindhyas by Kusa, son of Rama. KUSHMAiVDAS. 'Gourds.' A class of demigods or de- mons in the service of iSiva. KU/S'IKA. A king who, according to some, was the father of Vi,9wamitra, or, according to others, the first of the race of Kusikas from whom Gadhi, the father of Yiswamitra descended. KUSUMA-PURA. 'The city of flowers.' Pa/tali-putra or Patna. KUSUMAYUDHA. A name of Kama, or Cupid as the bearer of the bow {dyudha) of flowers (kusuma). KUTSA. A Yedic ^ishi and author of hymns. He is re- presented as being persecuted by Indra, but on one occasion he was defended by that god against the demon iSuslma.