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SUDARŚANA I A king of ancient India. He was a contemporary of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This king who was esteemed even by the gods, was once captured and made a prisoner by another king named Nagnajit. Śrī Kṛṣṇa defeated Nagnajit and all the other Kings and made this King free. This story occurs in [Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapter 48, Verse 75] .
SUDARŚANA II A king who took the side of the Kauravas and fought against the Pāṇḍavas in Kurukṣetra. This king was killed by Sātyaki. [M.B. Droṇa Parva, Chapter 113, Verse 14] .
SUDARŚANA III A king of Mālava. This king joined the side of the Pāṇḍavas in the battle of Bhārata and was killed by Aśvatthāmā. [M.B. Droṇa Parva, Chapter 200, Verse 13] .
SUDARŚANA IV A son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. In the battle of Bhārata, he attacked Bhīmasena and was killed by him. [M.B. Śalya Parva, Chapter 27, Verse 31] .
SUDARŚANA IX A brahmin sinner who lived in the Tretāyuga. The moment he touched the water in which Viṣṇu washed his feet, he obtained remission of his sins and entered Vaikuṇṭha. This story which is given under, occurs in [Padma Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 17] . There lived a brahmin sinner in Tretāyuga. He used to commit sins such as eating food on the eleventh lunar day, ridiculing conventional fast and vow, etc. When he died, the men of Yama took his soul to the world of Yama. At his order Sudarśana was laid in horrible excrements for the period of hundred Manvantaras. When he was released he was born on earth as a hog. Because he ate food on Harivāsara (a fast-day) he suffered hell for a long time. His next birth was that of a crow and lived on excrements. Once the crow drank the water which fell on the steps while washing the feet of Viṣṇu. The crow obtained remission of all its sins. On the same day it was caught in the net of a forestman and died. Then a divine chariot drawn by swans came and took the crow to the world of Viṣṇu.
SUDARŚANA V Son of Dhruvasandhi, king of Kosala. Manoramā was the mother of Sudarśana. (For further details see under Dhruvasandhi).
SUDARŚANA VI One of the five sons of Bharata. Bharata, the son of Ṛṣabha, had married Pañcajanī, the daughter of Viśvarūpa. Five sons named Sumati, Rāṣṭrabhṛt, Sudarśana, Āvaraṇa and Dhūmraketu were born to Bharata, who divided Bhārata among his five sons and went to Sālagrāma and did penance there and died. [Bhāgavata, Skandha 5] .
SUDARŚANA VII The son born to god Fire by his wife Sudarśanā. (Sudarśanā was the daughter of Duryodhana (Nīla) of the dynasty of Ikṣvāku. For the story of her marriage see under Sudarśanā). Sudarśana, the son of Fire, married Oghavatī the daughter of Oghavān. That story is given below:- Oghavān had two children a daughter named Oghavatī and a son named Ogharatha. Oghavān gave his daughter in marriage to Sudarśana who was wise and learned. The couple lived in Kurukṣetra. Once Sudarśana said to Oghavatī thus:- “You should honour guests in all ways. If it is the desire of a guest, you should not draw back from giving even your body. Whether I am present here or not a guest should not be insulted.” Oghavatī promised to obey the order of her husband to the letter. Sudarśana had been trying to become victorious over Mṛtyu (Death) and so Death had been waiting to find out some vulnerable point in Sudarśana's life. While Sudarśana had gone to cut firewood, a brahmin entered the hermitage and said to Oghavatī:- “If you do observe the duties of a house-holder show hospitality to me.” Hearing this, Oghavatī welcomed the brahmin and performed the usual hospitality and asked him “What shall I do for you?” “Give yourself to me”, was the answer. Seeing that the guest was not contented with the usual hospitalities and remembering the words of her husband, Oghavatī gave herself to the guest. Both of them entered the interior of the hermitage. At this moment Sudar ana returned with firewood, and looked for Oghavatī and called her aloud, several times. He got no reply. Then the Brahmin who was lying inside called out:-“Hei! Son of Fire! A guest has come. Your wife showed all kinds of hospitality. But I was not contented with them. Now she is offering herself to me.” These words did not seem to make any change in Sudarśana. Dharmadeva was much pleased, as Sudar- śana had come out victorious in all these tests. He came out and appeared in his own form and blessed Sudar- śana. Due to the blessing of Dharmadeva, half of the body of Oghavatī flowed as the river Oghavatī and the other half was dissolved in the soul of her husband. Sudarśana thus earned victory over Mṛtyu and obtained prosperity.
SUDARŚANA VIII A Vidyādhara. Because of the curse of Aṅgiras, this Vidyādhara was changed into a mountain snake. That story occurs as follows in [Bhāgavata, Skandha 9] . While Sudarśana was playing about in the world of Gods with some Gandharva damsels, Angiras and some other hermits came by that way. Sudarśana ridiculed them. Aṅgiras became angry and changed him to a mountain snake by a curse. Sudarśana prayed for liberation from the curse. Aṅgiras said that in Dvāparayuga, Mahāviṣṇu would incarnate as Śrī Kṛṣṇa and when Kṛṣṇa trod upon him, he would regain his original form.” Sudarśana became a big snake and began life in Ambāḍi. Once the people of Ambāḍi went to Devī forest and worshipped Maheśvara. They spent the night on the banks of the river Kālindī. In the night the snake mentioned above, caught hold of the leg of Nandagopa. Seeing the snake swallowing Nandagopa the rest of them crowded there and struck at the snake with burning faggots. But it was in vain. Finally Śrī Kṛṣṇa came, and gave the snake a thrash. Instantly Sudarśana got his old form. He went to the world of gods.
SUDARŚANA X The son of Dīrghabāhu who was born in the family of Manu. He conquered all the kingdoms and ruled as an emperor. The famous hermit Vasiṣṭha was his priest. Once Devī Mahākālī appeared to him in a dream and said to him: “Very soon a flood will occur in the world. So go to the Himālayas with your wife and the priest Vasiṣṭha and stay there in a cave.” According to the instruction of Devī, Sudarśana took everybody with him and went to the Himālayas. The prophecy of Devī came true. The earth was filled with water. This deluge lasted for ten years. After that the earth resumed its original form and Sudarśana returned to Ayodhyā. [Bhaviṣya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, 1, 1] . It is mentioned in [Kālikā Purāṇa] that Sudarśana had broken off a piece of a forest region of Himālaya and taken it to his country and founded on it the city called Khāṇḍavīnagara and that after a short period king Vijaya of the Bhairava dynasty killed king Sudarśana and became the ruler of the city. [Kālikā Purāṇa, 92] .
SUDARŚANA XII An island. This is another name of Jambūdvīpa. Once Sañjaya talked to Dhṛtarāṣṭra about this dvīpa (Island). [M.B. Bhīṣma Parva, Chapter 5] .
SUDARŚANA XIII A tree in the Jambū island. It is mentioned in [Mahābhārata, Bhīṣma Parva, Chapter 7] that this tree was eleven thousand yojanas high.
SUDARŚANA XIV (The Discus Sudarśana-weapon).
1) General information.
The weapon of Mahāviṣṇu. Two stories are seen about the origin of this weapon.
(i) The sun married Saṁjñā the daughter of Viśvakarmā. Saṁjñā complained to her father that she could not bear the radiance of the Sun. Viśvakarmā put the Sun in a turning machine and turned him and decreased his radiance. Out of the dust of the sun produced by this process, Viśvakarmā made the discus-weapon, the aerial chariot Puṣpaka, the Trident of Śiva, and the Śakti (lance) of Subrahmaṇya. Of these weapons the discus-weapon Sudarśana was given to Mahāviṣṇu. This is one story. [Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Aṁśa 3, Chapter 2] .
(ii) During the burning of the forest Khāṇḍava, Indra showered rain, against the fire. According to the second story, the God Fire gave the discus weapon Sudarśana to Śrī Kṛṣṇa and the Gāṇḍīva to Arjuna to fight against Indra. (See the word Khāṇḍavadāha). Besides these two stories, several statements occur in various Purāṇas, about this weapon Sudarśana. As Sudarśana was in existence even before the incarnation of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the story that Viśvakarmā made it, ought to be given prominence. Very often Mahāviṣṇu used to destroy enemies by this Sudarśana. Though Mahāviṣṇu had taken several incarnations, only Śrī Kṛṣṇa is mentioned in the Purāṇas as having used this weapon Sudarśana very often.
2) The power of Sudarśana.
Sudarśana flies up to the ranks of the enemies, burning like fire. Once Mahāviṣṇu sent the weapon Sudarśana towards the asuras. Then the havoc and destruction caused by this weapon, is described as follows: The moment he thought of Sudarśana, to destroy the power of the enemy, it made its appearance like the Sun in the Solar region. It was a fearful sight. Emanating light and radiance from the blazing fire, the Sudarśana rested on the hand of Viṣṇu; turning round with a tremendous speed. Viṣṇu threw it at the enemies with his powerful hand like that of the trunk of an elephant, with a view to cleave the city of the enemies into pieces. That weapon which was burning in great flames like a great fire spreading radiance, flew into the midst of the enemy's army and instantly every one near it fell dead. Thus it flew about among the asuras and burnt them to ashes. Then turning round and round in the air it drank the blood shed on the earth. [M.B. Ādi Parva, Chapter 19] .
SUDARŚANA XV Indra had a chariot named Sudarśana. [Mahābhārata, Virāṭa Parva, Chapter 56, Verse 3] .
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