Ugrasena
Encyclopedia
Ugrasena was the King of Mathura, a kingdom that was established after the various Yadava
clans, which include the Vrishni
s and Bhoja
s decided that the dividing states would unite as one and that the Kingship would not be subject to heredity (but could be) and if decided not to be so, the succeeding leader would be chosen by a simple majority, therefore, a semi-democracy was established. When the groups gathered, the uniting factions decided to throne Ugrasena as the king due to his skills in warfare and his humble nature towards domestic and foreign policy issues.
According to the Vayu Purana
(96.134), Ugrasena belonged to the Kukura clan (Kukurodbhava). According to the Puranas
, he was son of Ahuka. Ugrasena was married to Queen Padmavati and was the father of Kamsa
. Due to the tremendous power of Kamsa
, Ugrasena declared him as the crown prince of Mathura, therefore guaranteeing the succession of kingship after his retirement or death. Later on, Ugrasena also installed Kamsa as the army commander.
However, due to hostile behavior of Kamsa and his ruthless actions towards the military members and the citizens of Mathura, growing friction began to occur the two, which led to the serious thought of whether Kansa should be dethroned. However, before such action might take place and sensing change, Kamsa overthrew his father with the support of his father-in-law, King Jarasandha
of Magadha and his immense military. After the coup, Kamsa imprisoned his father and kept him in the deepest pits of jail for a sustained time period.
After the death of Kamsa by the hands of Krishna
, Ugrasena was installed the King of Mathura and ruled over the kingdom for a while. The crown prince under his second reign was Krishna's father, Vasudeva
.
Yadava
The Yadavas were an ancient Indian people who believed themselves to be descended from Yadu, a mythical king. The community was probably formed of four clans, being the Abhira, Andhaka, Vrishni, and Satvatas, who all worshipped Lord Krishna. They are listed in ancient Indian literature as the...
clans, which include the Vrishni
Vrishni
The Vrishnis were an ancient Indian clan who were believed as the descendants of Vrishni, a descendent of Yadu. It is believed that Vrishni was son of Satvata, a descendant of Yadu, the son of Yayati. He had two wives, Gandhari and Madri. He has a son named Devamidhusha by his wife Madri....
s and Bhoja
Bhoja
Bhoja was a philosopher king and polymath of medieval India, who ruled the kingdom of Malwa in central India from about 1000 to 1050 CE. Also known as Raja Bhoja Of Dhar, he belonged to the Paramara dynasty...
s decided that the dividing states would unite as one and that the Kingship would not be subject to heredity (but could be) and if decided not to be so, the succeeding leader would be chosen by a simple majority, therefore, a semi-democracy was established. When the groups gathered, the uniting factions decided to throne Ugrasena as the king due to his skills in warfare and his humble nature towards domestic and foreign policy issues.
According to the Vayu Purana
Vayu Purana
The Vayu Purana is a Shaiva Purana, a Hindu religious text, dedicated to the god Vayu , containing about 24,000 shlokas.-Date:Banabhatta refers to this work in his Kadambari and Harshacharita...
(96.134), Ugrasena belonged to the Kukura clan (Kukurodbhava). According to the Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
, he was son of Ahuka. Ugrasena was married to Queen Padmavati and was the father of Kamsa
Kamsa
In Hinduism, Kamsa or Kansa , often known as Kans in Hindi, is the brother of Devaki, and ruler of the Vrishni kingdom with its capital at Mathura. His father was King Ugrasena and mother was Queen Padmavati...
. Due to the tremendous power of Kamsa
Kamsa
In Hinduism, Kamsa or Kansa , often known as Kans in Hindi, is the brother of Devaki, and ruler of the Vrishni kingdom with its capital at Mathura. His father was King Ugrasena and mother was Queen Padmavati...
, Ugrasena declared him as the crown prince of Mathura, therefore guaranteeing the succession of kingship after his retirement or death. Later on, Ugrasena also installed Kamsa as the army commander.
However, due to hostile behavior of Kamsa and his ruthless actions towards the military members and the citizens of Mathura, growing friction began to occur the two, which led to the serious thought of whether Kansa should be dethroned. However, before such action might take place and sensing change, Kamsa overthrew his father with the support of his father-in-law, King Jarasandha
Jarasandha
Jarasandha was a great and legendary king of Magadha. He was the son of a vedic king named Brihadratha. He was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. But he is generally held in negative light owing to his enmity with the Yadav clan in the Mahābhārata....
of Magadha and his immense military. After the coup, Kamsa imprisoned his father and kept him in the deepest pits of jail for a sustained time period.
After the death of Kamsa by the hands 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...
, Ugrasena was installed the King of Mathura and ruled over the kingdom for a while. The crown prince under his second reign was Krishna's father, Vasudeva
Vasudeva
In Hindu itihasa , Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, the son of Shoorsen, of the Yadu and Vrishni dynasties. His sister Kunti was married to Pandu. He was a partial incarnation of Rishi Kashyap....
.