Aniruddha
Encyclopedia
Aniruddha meaning "uncontrolled" or "without obstacles", was the son of Pradyumna
and the grandson of Krishna
. He is said to have been very much like his grandfather, to the extent that he may be a jana avatar. The four important Vishnu extensions are Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. These four are considered to be vishnu-tattva or Vishnu's plenary expansions. Aniruddha is present in every soul as Supersoul.
A Daitya
princess named Usha, daughter of Bana
, fell in love with Aniruddha and had him brought by magic influence to Sonitapura. In her previous life, Usha was the apsara
, Tilottama
. She was cursed by Durvasa
muni to be born as a Daitya princess, as she had been caught making love to Sushi, the son of the great devotee Ravi without any restraint and any regard for Durvasa muni, who was meditating there at the time, unseen by them, as he was behind a hill of ants. Bana sent guards to seize him, but the valiant youth, taking an iron club, slew his assailants. Bana then brought his magic powers to bear and secured him.
On discovering that Aniruddha had been carried away, Krishna, Balarama
, and Pradyumna
went to rescue him. Bansura was a great devotee of the god Shiva
and had 1000 arms, as a result of which no one had ever been willing to fight him. Blinded by his pride, he asked Shiva to give him a chance to fight with someone as strong as himself. Shiva therefore cursed him to defeat in war by Krishna, an Avatar
of Vishnu
.
Thus a great battle was fought. When Krishna was about to kill Banasura, Shiva intervened and told both of them to stop fighting. Both Shiva Mahapuran and Vishnupuran tell tales of how Krishna's and Shiva's armies fought one another inconclusively. Both Krishna and Shiva remained invincible. The war ended peacefully with Shiva and Krishna showing Harihara
(Shiva-Vishnu) unity by proclaiming both are one and united with each other and that Shiva cannot win without Krishna and Krishna cannot win without Shiva. Both gave due respect to each other and offered prayers to each other and said that the lesson to be learnt is "Shiva is Krishna and Krishna is Shiva".
Two crucial references are present in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham about the episode of how Krishna fights with Banasura. One is in the Tiruvaimozhi of Nammazhwar and another in the iRamanusa Nootrandhadhi. Specifically the pasuram no 8 belonging to the 7th Centum 4th Decad (starts with aazhi-yezha) - "ner sarindhan .... konda-vanre" and the pasuram no 22 of iRamanusa Nootrandhadhi "karthigaiyaanum ... "
Bana was defeated, but his life was spared at the intercession of Shiva, and Aniruddha was carried home to Dwaraka with Usha as his wife. He is also called Jhashanka and Ushapati. He had a son named Vajra, whose lineage is traced to the royal family of Jaisalmer
.
Pradyumna
Pradyumna is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is one in 24 Keshava Namas , praised in all pujas. It is also the only name in Sanskrit with all the 3 letters joint...
and the grandson of Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
. He is said to have been very much like his grandfather, to the extent that he may be a jana avatar. The four important Vishnu extensions are Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, and Aniruddha. These four are considered to be vishnu-tattva or Vishnu's plenary expansions. Aniruddha is present in every soul as Supersoul.
A Daitya
Daitya
In Hinduism, the Daityas are a clan or race or Asura as are the Danavas. Daityas were the children of Diti and the sage Kashyapa. They were a race of giants who fought against the Devas because they were jealous of their Deva half-brothers...
princess named Usha, daughter of Bana
Banasura
Bana , in Hindu mythology, was a thousand-armed asura and son of Bali. Banasura was a powerful and terrible asura. All people, even the king of earth and Devas of heaven, were afraid of him. Bana was a follower of Siva. Banasura ruled in present-day central Assam with his capital at Sonitpur ,...
, fell in love with Aniruddha and had him brought by magic influence to Sonitapura. In her previous life, Usha was the apsara
Apsara
An Apsara , also known as Vidhya Dhari or Tep Apsar in Khmer, Accharā or A Bố Sa La Tư , Bidadari , Biradali , Widodari and Apson , is a female spirit of the clouds and waters in...
, Tilottama
Tilottama
Tilottama is an Apsara described in Hindu mythology. "Tila" is the Sanskrit word for sesame seed or a bit and "uttama" means better or higher...
. She was cursed by Durvasa
Durvasa
In Hindu mythology, Durvasa , or Durvasas, was an ancient sage, the son of Atri and Anasuya. He is supposed to be an incarnation of Shiva. He is known for his short temper. Maledictions or curses he gave in his rage ruined many lives. Hence, wherever he went, he was received with great reverence ...
muni to be born as a Daitya princess, as she had been caught making love to Sushi, the son of the great devotee Ravi without any restraint and any regard for Durvasa muni, who was meditating there at the time, unseen by them, as he was behind a hill of ants. Bana sent guards to seize him, but the valiant youth, taking an iron club, slew his assailants. Bana then brought his magic powers to bear and secured him.
On discovering that Aniruddha had been carried away, Krishna, Balarama
Balarama
Balarama , also known as Baladeva, Balabhadra and Halayudha, is the elder brother of the divine being, Krishna in Hinduism. Within Vaishnavism Hindu traditions Balarama is worshipped as an Avatar of Vishnu, and he is also listed as such in the Bhagavata Purana...
, and Pradyumna
Pradyumna
Pradyumna is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is one in 24 Keshava Namas , praised in all pujas. It is also the only name in Sanskrit with all the 3 letters joint...
went to rescue him. Bansura was a great devotee of the god Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and had 1000 arms, as a result of which no one had ever been willing to fight him. Blinded by his pride, he asked Shiva to give him a chance to fight with someone as strong as himself. Shiva therefore cursed him to defeat in war by Krishna, an Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
.
Thus a great battle was fought. When Krishna was about to kill Banasura, Shiva intervened and told both of them to stop fighting. Both Shiva Mahapuran and Vishnupuran tell tales of how Krishna's and Shiva's armies fought one another inconclusively. Both Krishna and Shiva remained invincible. The war ended peacefully with Shiva and Krishna showing Harihara
Harihara
Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu and Shiva from the Hindu tradition. Also known as Shankaranarayana , Harihara is thus worshipped by both Vaishnavites and Shaivities as a form of the Supreme God, as well as being a figure of worship for other Hindu traditions in general...
(Shiva-Vishnu) unity by proclaiming both are one and united with each other and that Shiva cannot win without Krishna and Krishna cannot win without Shiva. Both gave due respect to each other and offered prayers to each other and said that the lesson to be learnt is "Shiva is Krishna and Krishna is Shiva".
Two crucial references are present in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham about the episode of how Krishna fights with Banasura. One is in the Tiruvaimozhi of Nammazhwar and another in the iRamanusa Nootrandhadhi. Specifically the pasuram no 8 belonging to the 7th Centum 4th Decad (starts with aazhi-yezha) - "ner sarindhan .... konda-vanre" and the pasuram no 22 of iRamanusa Nootrandhadhi "karthigaiyaanum ... "
Bana was defeated, but his life was spared at the intercession of Shiva, and Aniruddha was carried home to Dwaraka with Usha as his wife. He is also called Jhashanka and Ushapati. He had a son named Vajra, whose lineage is traced to the royal family of Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Jaysalmer , nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain...
.