खाण्डिक्य

{ khāṇḍikya }

Puranic Encyclopaedia

KHĀṆḌIKYA   A Kṣatriya King. Keśidhvaja was the son of his paternal uncle. Both had learned well the ways of union with the divine life. Khāṇḍikya had become an expert in Karmayoga (the path of action) for becoming one with the divine life whereas Keśidhvaja tried to achieve oneness with divine life by Jñāna Yoga (the path of knowledge or spiritual attainment). Each desired to subdue the other. Consequently Khāṇḍikya lost his kingdom and had to live in a forest with his priest and minister. [Bhāgavata, Skandhas 9 and 13] . Keśidhvaja who tried the path of knowledge to attain Absolution performed several sacrifices for that purpose and cut himself asunder from the bonds of action. Once, while he was performing a sacrifice, a tiger came to the place of sacrifice and killed the sacrificial cow. Then Keśidhvaja asked the priests who were conducting the sacrifice, what the atonement was for the death of the sacrificial cow. The priests sent the King to the hermit Kaśeru, who sent the King to the hermit Bhṛgu. Hermit Bhṛgu in his turn sent the King to the hermit Śunaka. But the matter did not end there. The hermit Śunaka could not dictate the atonement for the death of the sacrificial cow. So he sent the King to Khāṇḍikya who was living in the forest. The moment Khāṇḍikya saw Keśidhvaja he stood ready to kill him. But Keśidhvaja revealed everything to Khāṇḍikya, When he understood the situation Khāṇḍikya told him with sincerity the rites given in the Śāstras (Vedāṅgas) to atone the death of the sacrificial cow. Keśidhvaja returned and completed the sacrifice. The one item of ‘gift to the teacher’ alone remained. So Keśīdhvaja came to the forest again. Khāṇḍikya raised the sword to cut him. Keśidhvaja said that he had come to give Gurudakṣiṇā to the teacher. Khāṇḍikya repented his rashness and requested Keśidhvaja to tell him the ways of cutting himself asunder from the bonds of sorrow and grief. Keśidhvaja advised him the ways to obtain eternal bliss. [Nārada Purāṇa] .

A Sanskrit English Dictionary

खाण्डिक्य  m.  m. N. of जनक, [VP. vi, 6, 5 ff.]
of मित-ध्वज, [BhP. ix, 13, 20]
खाण्डिक्य  n.  n. ( fr. खण्डिक), the state of a pupil (?) g. पुरोहिता-दि.