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{{Short description|Father of Sita}} {{Short description|King of Mithila and father of Sita in epic Ramayana}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}} {{Use Indian English|date=April 2017}}
{{other|Janaka (disambiguation)|Janak (disambiguation)}} {{other|Janaka (disambiguation)|Janak (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox deity {{Infobox royalty
| type = Hindu | type = Hindu
| image = Janaka welcomes Rama.jpg | image = Janaka welcomes Rama.jpg
| caption = Janaka welcoming ] and his father ] to ] | caption = Janaka welcoming ] and his father ] to ]
| texts = ], ] | texts = ], ]
| succession = ] of ]
| predecessor = Hrasvaroman
| successor =
| spouse = ] | spouse = ]
| children = ], ] (daughters) | issue = ]<br/>]
| siblings = ] | siblings = ]
| region = ] | birth_place = ]
| house = ]
| parents = Hrasvaroman (father), Keikasi (mother)
| dynasty = ] | father = Hrasvaroman
| mother = Keikasi
| dynasty = ]
| religion= ]
}} }}
'''Janaka''' was an ancient ] king of ] which was located in ], approximately in the 8th or 7th century BC.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|2006|pp=41–52}} The rulers of the Videha kingdom were called Janakas. He also appears in the epic ] as a father of ]. His original name was Siradhvaja and he had a brother named Kushadhvaja. His father's name was Hrasvaroman, a descendant of the king ].{{cn|date=April 2019}}


'''Janaka''' ({{lang-sa|जनक}}, ]: ''Janakā'') is the King of ] who ruled from ], in the Hindu epic '']''. Janaka was married to ]. He is the father of the ], the female protagonist of the epic and ].{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|2006|pp=41–52}}
Janaka is revered as being an ideal example of non-attachment to material possessions. He was intensely interested in spiritual discourse and considered himself free from worldly illusions. His interactions with sages and seekers such as ] and ] are recorded in the ancient texts. His relationship with his adopted daughter Sita led her to be called Janaki. The city of ] in ] is named after him and his daughter Sita.{{sfn|Raychaudhuri|2006|p=44}} The Videha (or ]) kingdom was historically located between east of ], west of ], north of the ] river and south of the ].<ref name=Jha1997>{{cite book |author=Jha, M. |year=1997 |chapter=Hindu Kingdoms at contextual level |title=Anthropology of Ancient Hindu Kingdoms: A Study in Civilizational Perspective |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A0i94Z5C8HMC&pg=PA27 |pages=27–42 |publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd |location=New Delhi|isbn=9788175330344 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Mishra, V. |year=1979 |publisher=Mithila Prakasana |location=Allahabad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8FBuAAAAMAAJ&q=area+of+mithila |title=Cultural Heritage of Mithila | access-date=28 December 2016 | pages=13}}</ref>
Janaka is revered as being an ideal example of non-attachment to material possessions. He was intensely interested in spiritual discourse and considered himself free from worldly illusions. His interactions with sages and seekers such as ] and ] are recorded in the ancient texts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ramayana-Indian-epic|title=Ramayana {{!}} Summary, Characters, & Facts|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=2020-02-18|archive-date=12 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200412065621/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ramayana-Indian-epic|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Ancestry== ==Ancestry==

Revision as of 11:47, 28 May 2024

King of Mithila and father of Sita in epic Ramayana

For other uses, see Janaka (disambiguation) and Janak (disambiguation).
Janaka
Janaka welcoming Rama and his father Dasharatha to Mithila
Maharaja of Videha
PredecessorHrasvaroman
BornMithila
SpouseSunayana
IssueSita
Urmila
HouseVideha
DynastySuryavamsha
FatherHrasvaroman
MotherKeikasi
ReligionHinduism

Janaka (Template:Lang-sa, IAST: Janakā) is the King of Videha who ruled from Mithila, in the Hindu epic Ramayana. Janaka was married to Sunayana. He is the father of the Sita, the female protagonist of the epic and Urmila.

Janaka is revered as being an ideal example of non-attachment to material possessions. He was intensely interested in spiritual discourse and considered himself free from worldly illusions. His interactions with sages and seekers such as Ashtavakra and Sulabha are recorded in the ancient texts.

Ancestry

King Nimi was the first ruler of the Videha kingdom. Janaka was descended from Vishnu in the following order:—Brahmā—Marīci—Kaśyapa—Vivasvān—Vaivasvata—Ikṣvāku—Nimi—Mithi—Udāvasu—Nandivardhana—Suketu—Devarāta—Bṛhadratha—Mahāvīra—Sudhṛti—Dhṛṣṭaketu—Haryaśva—Maru—Pratvantaka—Kīrtiratha—Devamīḍha—Vibudha—Mahīdhraka—Kīrtirāta—Mahāroman—Svarṇaroman—Hrasvaroman—Sīradhvaja (Janaka).

Janaka in Vedic literature

Yajnavalkya teaches Brahma Vidya to King Janaka.

Late Vedic literature such as Shatapatha Brahmana and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad mention a certain King Janaka (c. 8th or 7th century BCE) as a great philosopher-king of Videha, renowned for his patronage of Vedic culture and philosophy and whose court was an intellectual center for Brahmin sages such as Yajnavalkya, Uddalaka Aruni, and Gargi Vachaknavi. Under his reign, Videha became a dominant political and cultural center of the Indian subcontinent.

Other literature

Fresco on the inner walls of a Nirmala Sikh temple depicting Raja Janak, at Naurangabad, Punjab

Janaka is the father of Sita, the wife of Rama in the Hindu epic Ramayana. His conversation with the sage Ashtavakra is recorded in the Ashtavakra Gita, wherein he is depicted as one who is realised and this was tested by the sage Ashtavakra. Many spiritual teachers have referred to this writing often translating and deducing its meaning.

In popular culture

Films

Television

See also

References

  1. ^ Raychaudhuri 2006, pp. 41–52.
  2. "Ramayana | Summary, Characters, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  3. www.wisdomlib.org (28 January 2019). "Story of Janaka". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
  4. Michael Witzel (1989), Tracing the Vedic dialects in Dialectes Dans Les literatures Indo-Aryennes ed. Caillat, Paris, 97–265.
  5. Vanita, Ruth (2009). "Full of God:Ashtavakra and ideas of Justice in Hindu Text". Religions of South Asia. 3 (2). Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  6. Mukerjee, Radhakamal (1971). The song of the self supreme (Aṣṭāvakragītā): the classical text of Ātmādvaita by Aṣṭāvakra. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. ISBN 978-81-208-1367-0.
  7. "Telugu Review: 'Sri Rama Rajyam' is a must watch". CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 22 November 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  8. Dalrymple, William (23 August 2008). "All Indian life is here". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 September 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  9. "StarPlus' Siya Ke Ram: Everything you should know about the show". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  10. "Ram Siya Ke Luv Kush". PINKVILLA. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  11. "Shrimad Ramayan Review, Episodes 1 and 2: A cinematic visual spectacle on small screen". Pinkvilla. Retrieved 4 January 2024.

Sources

External links

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