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Shishupala

The king of Chedi, Krishna's cousin, killed by Krishna at the Rajasuya.

Accounts of this vary across texts and traditions. This entry primarily follows Mahabharata, with other tellings (Puranic traditions (Harivamsha, Bhagavata Purana), Regional retellings) noted where relevant.

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Relationships

Parents
Shrutashrava

Traditional identity

Per tradition, not a genealogical relationship.

Incarnation of
Jaya (gatekeeper of Vaikuntha)

Introduction

Shishupala is the king of Chedi, the son of Shrutashrava, and Krishna's cousin. He is the enemy of Krishna in the Sabha Parva.

This article primarily follows the Mahabharata. Where a well-known detail comes from a Puranic or later source, the article identifies it.

Family

Birth

He was born with three eyes and four arms. A voice said that he would lose the extra features when he was touched by the person who would kill him. The child's features changed when Krishna held him. His mother asked Krishna to spare him.

Death

At the Rajasuya, when Yudhishthira honoured Krishna first, Shishupala insulted him repeatedly. After a hundred insults, Krishna killed him with the discus.

Previous births

Tradition identifies Shishupala with Jaya, a gatekeeper of Vaikuntha, cursed to be born three times as an enemy of Vishnu. This is from the Puranas.

Sources

  1. Mahabharata, Sabha Parva (primary text) — https://sacred-texts.com/hin/maha/index.htm
  2. Bhagavata Purana (primary text)

This entry is independently written for myVamsam using the sources listed above. Where traditions differ, this entry identifies the relevant tradition rather than presenting one account as universally established fact.