Janamejaya: 21 definitions

Introduction:

Janamejaya means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism, Prakrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.

In Hinduism

Purana and Itihasa (epic history)

[«previous next»] — Janamejaya in Purana glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Bhagavata Purana

Janamejaya (जनमेजय):—King Janamejaya was born into the Pūru dynasty. Pūru was one of the sons of Yayāti (one of the six sons of Nahuṣa) and Śarmiṣṭhā (daughter of Vṛṣaparvā). Janamejaya had a son whom he named Pracinvān. (see Bhāgavata Purāṇa 9.18.33, 9.20.2)

Source: Google Books: Cultural History from the Vāyu Purāna

Janamejaya: About the rājarṣi Janamejaya, son of Purañjaya, we have no information from the Vedic literature. The Brahma and Matya Purāṇas and the Harivaṃśa too mention him as a rājarṣi. Pargiter has apparently missed his political history.

Source: archive.org: Puranic Encyclopedia

1) Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—A famous King of the Solar dynasty Genealogy. Descended from Viṣṇu thus:—Brahmā-Atri-Candra-Budha-Purūravas-Āyus-Nahuṣa-Yayāti-Pūru-Janamejaya-Prācinvān-Pravīra-Namasyu-Vītabhaya-Śuṇḍu-Bahuvidha-Saṃyāti-Rahovādī-Raudrāśva-Matināra-Santurodha-Duṣyanta-Bharata-Suhotra-Suhotā-Gala-Garda-Suketu-Bṛhatkṣetra-Hasti-Ājamīḍha-Ṛṣa-Saṃvaraṇa-Kuru-Jahnu-Suratha-Vidūratha-Sārvabhauma-Jayatsena-Ravyaya-Bhāvuka-Cakroddhata-Devātithi-Ṛkṣa-Bhīma-Pratīca-Śantanu-Vyāsa-Pāṇḍu-Arjuna-Abhimanyu-Parīkṣit-Janamejaya. (See full article at Story of Janamejaya from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)

2) Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—One Janamejaya, a prominent member of Yamarāja’s assembly is referred to in the Ādi and Sabhā Parvans of the Mahābhārata. This Janamejaya had once been defeated by Māndhātā. (Droṇa Parva, Chapter 62, Verse 10). He conquered the world within three days. (Śānti Parva, Chapter 234).

3) Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—A Kṣatriya King who was Krodhavaśa, the Asura, reborn. He was killed by Durmukha, the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. (Karṇa Parva, Chapter 6, Verse 19).

4) Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—A prince born to King Kuru by his wife called Vāhinī. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 94, Verse 51).

5) Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—Another King born in the dynasty of Parīkṣit. He had a son called Dhṛtarāṣṭra. (Śānti Parva, Chapter 150, Verse 3). He once committed brahmahatyā (sin of killing a brahmin) and so had been forsaken by his subjects. So he had to take to the forest. His search for means to get rid of the sin took him at last to sage Indrota, who made him perform Aśvamedha yajña. Thus, he got redemption from the sin and he became Indrota’s disciple also. (Śānti Parva, Chapters 150-153).

6) Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—A son of King Kuru by his wife, Kausalyā. He is also known as Pravīra. The King had a son called Prācinvān by a noble lady called Anantā of the Madhu Dynasty. (Ādi Parva, Chapter 95).

7) Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—A serpent who attends the council of Varuṇa. (Mahābhārata Sabhā Parva, Chapter 9, Stanza 10).

8) Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—A King born in the family of Nīpa. (Mahābhārata Udyoga Parva, Chapter 174, Stanza 13).

9) Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—A King who had been of help to Yudhiṣṭhira. He fought with Karṇa. This Janamejaya was the son of King Durmukha. (Mahābhārata Droṇa Parva, Chapter 23; Karṇa Parva Chapter 49).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index

1a) Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—The first of the four sons of Parīkṣit and Irāvatī.1 Father of Śatānīka.2 Finding that the death of his father was predicted to be by the snake Takṣaka, he performed a sarpa yāga to destroy all snakes. All except Takṣaka came, the latter being sheltered by Indra. At this Takṣaka and Indra were invoked together. Advised by Bṛhaspati to refrain from the cruel yāga, Janamejaya agreed; with the aid of Tura, the priest, he performed Aśvamedha and other sacrifices;3 cursed by Vaiśampāyana he made Yājñavalkya his Brahmā in a sacrifice.4 Introduced Vājasaneyaka and became known as Trikharvi.5 Put to trouble Lohagandha, the son of Gārgya out for mischief and was cursed by Gārgya.6 King of Sudeśa and a Kaurava; highly righteous. After anointing his son on the throne he went into the woods for penance.7

  • 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa I. 16. 2; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 68. 20.
  • 2) Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 20. 1; 21. 2-3.
  • 3) Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 22. 35-38; XII. 6. 16-28; Matsya-purāṇa 6. 42.
  • 4) Matsya-purāṇa 50. 57-60.
  • 5) Vāyu-purāṇa 99. 229, 250-4.
  • 6) Ib. 93. 21.
  • 7) Matsya-purāṇa 50. 61-5.

1b) The son of Sumati; with him ended the Vaiśāla line.*

  • * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 2. 36.

1c) A son of Pūru and father of Pracīnvat.*

  • * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 20. 2; Matsya-purāṇa 49. 1; Vāyu-purāṇa 99. 120. Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 19. 1.

1d) The son of Sṛñjaya, and father of Mahāmanas (Mahāśila).*

  • * Bhāgavata-purāṇa IX. 23. 2.

1e) The son of Somadatta, and father of Sumati (Prumati, Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa).*

  • * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 61. 16; Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 1. 57-8.

1f) A son of Puramjaya and a Rājaṛṣi;1 father of Mahāśāla.2

  • 1) Matsya-purāṇa 48. 12-3; Vāyu-purāṇa 99. 15.
  • 2) Viṣṇu-purāṇa IV. 18. 5-6.

1g) A son of Bṛhadratha, entitled Viśvajit.*

  • * Matsya-purāṇa 48. 102.

1h) A son of Bhallāṭa; served Ugrāyudha in his tapas; saved Nīpas when they were led by Yama at the behest of Ugrāyudha by fighting Yama, and earned his appreciation and muktijñāna from him as a result. Wife Dhūminī and son Yavīnara.*

  • * Matsya-purāṇa 49. 59-70; Vāyu-purāṇa 99. 182.

1i) 100 in number; according to the Matsya-purāṇa*

  • * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 68. 20-26; 74. 267; Matsya-purāṇa 273. 71-3; Vāyu-purāṇa 99. 454.
Source: JatLand: List of Mahabharata people and places

Janamejaya (जनमेजय) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. I.61.57) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Janamejaya) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.

Purana book cover
context information

The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.

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Kavya (poetry)

[«previous next»] — Janamejaya in Kavya glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Kathāsaritsāgara

Janamejaya (जनमेजय) is the name of the King who was the son of King Parīkṣit, according to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 9. He had a son named Śatānīka.

Aaccording to the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 44, Janamejaya is an ancient king of Kauśāmbī whose daughter Parapuṣṭā was captivated by love at the sight of Sūryaprabha.

The Kathāsaritsāgara (‘ocean of streams of story’), mentioning Janamejaya, is a famous Sanskrit epic story revolving around prince Naravāhanadatta and his quest to become the emperor of the vidyādharas (celestial beings). The work is said to have been an adaptation of Guṇāḍhya’s Bṛhatkathā consisting of 100,000 verses, which in turn is part of a larger work containing 700,000 verses.

Kavya book cover
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Kavya (काव्य, kavya) refers to Sanskrit poetry, a popular ancient Indian tradition of literature. There have been many Sanskrit poets over the ages, hailing from ancient India and beyond. This topic includes mahakavya, or ‘epic poetry’ and natya, or ‘dramatic poetry’.

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Vaishnavism (Vaishava dharma)

Source: Pure Bhakti: Bhagavad-gita (4th edition)

Janamejaya (जनमेजय) refers to “the son of King Parīkṣit”. (cf. Glossary page from Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā).

Vaishnavism book cover
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Vaishnava (वैष्णव, vaiṣṇava) or vaishnavism (vaiṣṇavism) represents a tradition of Hinduism worshipping Vishnu as the supreme Lord. Similar to the Shaktism and Shaivism traditions, Vaishnavism also developed as an individual movement, famous for its exposition of the dashavatara (‘ten avatars of Vishnu’).

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General definition (in Hinduism)

[«previous next»] — Janamejaya in Hinduism glossary
Source: Wisdom Library: Hinduism

Janamejaya was the son of Kuru by Vahini. The sons of Janamejaya were:

  1. Dhritarashtra,
  2. Pandu,
  3. Valhika,
  4. Nishadha,
  5. Jamvunada,
  6. Kundodara and
  7. Padati.

Dhritarastra became the king and had eight sons. Three of his grandsons were very famous they were Pratipa, Dharmanetra and Sunetra.

Source: archive.org: Vedic index of Names and Subjects

Janamejaya (जनमेजय, ‘man-impelling’) is the name of a king, a Pārikṣita, famous towards the end of the Brāhmana period. He is mentioned in the Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa as owning horses which when wearied were refreshed with sweet drinks, and as a performer of the Aśvamedha, or horse sacrifice. His capital, according to a Gāthā quoted in the Śatapatha and the Aitareya Brāhmaṇas, was Āsandīvant. His brothers Ugrasena, Bhīmasena, and Śrutasena are mentioned as having by the horse sacrifice purified themselves from sin.

Source: Apam Napat: Indian Mythology

He was the son of Parikshit, who came to the throne at a young age due to his father's untimely demise. When he came of age, and came to know that his father was killed by the king of serpents Takshaka, he decided to perform a sacrifice to kill all the serpents in the world.

The sacrifice was only partially successful, as most of the snakes were exterminated. Due to Vyasa's last minute intervention, the sacrifice was incomplete and Takshaka escaped his fate.

Source: WikiPedia: Hinduism

Janamejaya (जनमेजय): A king who conducted a great sacrifice for the well being of the human race.

In Jainism

General definition (in Jainism)

[«previous next»] — Janamejaya in Jainism glossary
Source: archive.org: Trisastisalakapurusacaritra

Janamejaya (जनमेजय) is name of an ancient king from Campā, according to chapter 6.8 [śrī-mahāpadma-cakrin-caritra] of Hemacandra’s 11th century Triṣaṣṭiśalākāpuruṣacaritra: an ancient Sanskrit epic poem narrating the history and legends of sixty-three illustrious persons in Jainism.

Accordingly:—“Now King Janamejaya in Campā was besieged by King Kāla, fought with him, and perished. The city was breached and the women of the harem scattered like deer in a forest-fire, confused about directions. Nāgavatī, the wife of the King of Campā, fled with her daughter Madanāvalī and came to that hermitage. [...]”.

General definition book cover
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Jainism is an Indian religion of Dharma whose doctrine revolves around harmlessness (ahimsa) towards every living being. The two major branches (Digambara and Svetambara) of Jainism stimulate self-control (or, shramana, ‘self-reliance’) and spiritual development through a path of peace for the soul to progess to the ultimate goal.

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Languages of India and abroad

Sanskrit dictionary

[«previous next»] — Janamejaya in Sanskrit glossary
Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—Name of a celebrated king of Hastināpura, son of Parīkṣit, the grandson of Arjuna. [His father died, being bitten by a serpent; and Janamejaya, determined to avenge the injury, resolved to exterminate the whole serpent-race. He accordingly instituted a serpent sacrifice, and burnt down all serpents except Takṣaka, who was saved only by the intercession of the sage Astika, at whose request the sacrifice was closed.. It was to this king that Vaiśampāyana related the Mahābhārata, and the king is said to have listened to it to expiate the sin of killing a Brāhmaṇa.].

Derivable forms: janamejayaḥ (जनमेजयः).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—m.

(-yaḥ) 1. The name of a king, son and successor to Parik- Shit. 2. A son of Puru. E. jana in the second case, the world, ejṛ to shine, affix ṇic and khaś.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Janamejaya (जनमेजय).—[masculine] [Name] of [several] men, [especially] princes.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum

Janamejaya (जनमेजय) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—a contemporary of Puruṣottamadeva. Mentioned at the end of the Hārāvalī.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Janamejaya (जनमेजय):—[=jana-m-ejaya] [from jana > jan] m. ([Pāṇini 3-2, 28]) ‘causing men to tremble’, Name of a celebrated king to whom Vaiśampāyana recited the [Mahābhārata] (great-grandson to Arjuna, as being son and, successor to Parikṣit who was the son of Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu), [Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa xi, xiii; Aitareya-brāhmaṇa; Śāṅkhāyana-śrauta-sūtra xvi; Mahābhārata] etc.

2) [v.s. ...] Name of a son (of Kuru, i, 3740 [Harivaṃśa 1608]; of Pūru, [Mahābhārata i, 3764; Harivaṃśa 1655; Bhāgavata-purāṇa ix]; of Puraṃ-jaya, [Harivaṃśa 1671]; of Soma-datta, [Viṣṇu-purāṇa iv, 1, 19]; of Su-mati, [Bhāgavata-purāṇa ix, 2, 36]; of Sṛñjaya[ 23, 2])

3) [v.s. ...] Name of a Nāga, [Tāṇḍya-brāhmaṇa xxv; Mahābhārata ii, 362.]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Janamejaya (जनमेजय):—[janame-jaya] (yaḥ) 1. m. The king.

Source: DDSA: Paia-sadda-mahannavo; a comprehensive Prakrit Hindi dictionary (S)

Janamejaya (जनमेजय) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Jaṇameaa.

[Sanskrit to German]

Janamejaya in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

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