Story of Indradyumna

A King born in the dynasty of Svāyambhuva Manu, and a king of the Pāṇḍya country.

Genealogy.

Descended from Viṣṇu in this order:—Viṣṇu—Brahmā—Svāyambhuva Manu—Priyavrata—Agnīdhra—Nābhi—Ṛṣabha—Bharata—Sumati—Indradyumna.

Indradyumna turned into elephant.

Indradyumna, a devottee of Viṣṇu handed over governance of the country to his children when he became old, and performed penance in the Malaya mountain. One day, when he was immersed in meditation Agastya came there. Naturally, Indradyumna did not notice Agastya’s arrival. Enraged at this the latter cursed Indradyumna and turned him into an elephant. Being told immediately about the curse by his servants Indradyumna sought redemption from the curse from Agastya himself. Redemption was granted thus: Indradyumna would roam in the forest for years as an elephant, a devotee of Viṣṇu and he would attain salvation when Lord Viṣṇu came down to the earth and patted the elephant on its back. Accordingly Indradyumna who was turned into an elephant roamed about in the forest for many years in the company of a herd of wild elephants. At last it arrived at Mount Trikūṭa. There was a lake there on the banks of which was sage Devala engaged in penance. Hūhū, the Gandharva had once come to this lake with a number of Apsarā women and they indulged in amorous sports, which Devala did not like. He cursed Hūhū and turned him into a crocodile, and the crocodile lived in the same lake.

Indradyumna who was turned into an elephant, stepped into the lake to drink water when the crocodile caught hold of its hind leg. Neither did the elephant yield nor the crocodile leave the former free. Their tug of war continued for 1000 years when Mahāviṣṇu appeared on the scene, killed the crocodile and saved the elephant. At once the elephant was re-transformed into Indradyumna and he attained Vaikuṇṭha (the abode of Viṣṇu). (Bhāgavata, 8th Skandha).

A Malayalam verse summarises the above story as follows:—Impelled by Agastya’s curse the elephant went to the lake at Mount Trikūṭa, and suffered for 1000 years as the crocodile which caught hold of its hind leg did not loosen its grip. Then appeared on the scene the killer of Murāsura (Lord Viṣṇu) on his vehicle, Garuḍa, killed the crocodile with his discus and granted salvation to the elephant.

Indradyumna’s fall from heaven when the merits of his good deeds were exhausted.

The merits or the result of his good and noble deeds having been exhausted, Indradyumna, the saintly king once descended from heaven to earth, and the sad King approached sage Mārkaṇḍeya. But, the sage did not recognize him. The King and the sage went to Prāvīrakarṇa, an owl living on the top of the Himālayas. It also did not recognise the King. Then they went to Nāḍījaṃgha, a stork very much older than the owl and living in the lake known as Indradyumna. Nāḍījaṃgha also could not recognise the King. In another part of the lake was living a tortoise called Akūpāra, who was older than Nāḍījaṃgha. At last the King, the sage, Prāvīrakarṇa and Nāḍījaṃgha approached Akūpāra. At his very sight Akūpāra recognized the King. Akūpāra told sage Mārkaṇḍeya that Indradyumna was a very famous King and quite liberal and munificent in distributing gifts, and that the lake Indradyumna was formed by the passage of the cows gifted by the King. Having heard these details regarding the King the sage sent him back to heaven. (Mahābhārata Vana Parva, Chapter 199).