Story of Asamañjasa

(ASAMAÑJA). A King of the Solar dynasty born to Sagara. For genealogy see under SAGARA.

Birth.

There is a story about his birth in the Rāmāyaṇa. Once there was a king called Sagara in Ayodhyā. He married two women named Keśinī and Sumati. For a long time they had no sons and so they went to the Himālayas and started penance there in the mount of Bhṛguprasravaṇa. After a hundred years Bhṛgumaharṣi appeared before them and pleased them thus: "Your elder wife Keśinī will give birth to a son who will continue your dynasty and your second wife will give birth to sixty thousand children". After a few years Keśinī gave birth to Asamañjas and Sumati to a big ball of flesh. That ball broke and sixty thousand babes came out from it. (Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa, Sarga 83).

Character of Asamañjas.

He was a very cruel man always tormenting people. He used to throw little children into the Sarayū river and stand on the banks of the river enjoying the sight of the children dying drowning. People hated him. His father, therefore, drove him out of his palace. To this bad man was born Aṃśumān, a King who became the favourite of the people. (Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa, Bālakāṇḍa, Sarga 38).