Prapaksha Kamboja
Encyclopedia
The fourth prince
of the Kambojas
referenced in the Mahābhārata
is the younger brother of the illustrious prince Sudakshina Kamboja
. In the epic
, this prince is simply addressed as Kamboja, but according to Pandit Bhagavadatta Sharma, the real name of the prince was Parpakash Kamboja (Bharata ka Itihaas, p 161).
Prince Kamboja had also participated in the destructive war of Kurukshetra
, and had fought ferocious duels on Kaurava's behalf. Like a true Kshatriya
, the Kamboja prince had fought for the Kurus with dedication, valor, honor, loyalty, sacrifice and in full compliance of the war ethics. After brave Sudakshina fell on fourteenth day of the war, the young prince had taken over the supreme command of Kamboja division.
On 17th day of the war, prince Kamboja also fell a magnificent martyr
to Kuru cause at the hands of great Arjuna
.
Like his elder brother Sudakshina, the young prince is also portrayed as very tall and exceedigly handsome, having a face as beautiful as the full moon
and eyes resembling lotus
petal
s. As this Kamboja prince fell fighting, it appeared as if a tower
of gold
or a summit
of the golden Sumeru had collapsed. See link: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m08/m08056.htm
The fact that the young prince had survived 16 days of destructive war shows him to have been an accomplished warrior
.
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
of the Kambojas
Kambojas
The Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
referenced in the Mahābhārata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
is the younger brother of the illustrious prince Sudakshina Kamboja
Sudakshina Kamboja
Sudakshina was a king of the Kambojas, mentioned in theMahābhārata as fighting on the side of the Kauravas and being slain by Arjuna....
. In the epic
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
, this prince is simply addressed as Kamboja, but according to Pandit Bhagavadatta Sharma, the real name of the prince was Parpakash Kamboja (Bharata ka Itihaas, p 161).
Prince Kamboja had also participated in the destructive war of Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra is a land of historical and religious importance. Historically the land belonged to Punjab now a district in Haryana state of India. It is a holy place and is also known as Dharmakshetra . According to the Puranas, Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and...
, and had fought ferocious duels on Kaurava's behalf. Like a true Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
, the Kamboja prince had fought for the Kurus with dedication, valor, honor, loyalty, sacrifice and in full compliance of the war ethics. After brave Sudakshina fell on fourteenth day of the war, the young prince had taken over the supreme command of Kamboja division.
On 17th day of the war, prince Kamboja also fell a magnificent martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
to Kuru cause at the hands of great Arjuna
Arjuna
Arjuna in Indian mythology is the greatest warrior on earth and is one of the Pandavas, the heroes of the Hindu epic Mahābhārata. Arjuna, whose name means 'bright', 'shining', 'white' or 'silver' Arjuna (Devanagari: अर्जुन, Thai: อรชุน, Orachun, Tamil: Arjunan, Indonesian and Javanese: Harjuna,...
.
Like his elder brother Sudakshina, the young prince is also portrayed as very tall and exceedigly handsome, having a face as beautiful as the full moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
and eyes resembling lotus
Nelumbo nucifera
Nelumbo nucifera, known by a number of names including Indian Lotus, Sacred Lotus, Bean of India, or simply Lotus, is a plant in the monogeneric family Nelumbonaceae...
petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s. As this Kamboja prince fell fighting, it appeared as if a tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
or a summit
Summit (topography)
In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation...
of the golden Sumeru had collapsed. See link: http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m08/m08056.htm
The fact that the young prince had survived 16 days of destructive war shows him to have been an accomplished warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
.
See also
- KambojasKambojasThe Kambojas were a kshatriya tribe of Iron Age India, frequently mentioned in Sanskrit and Pali literature.They were an Indo-Iranian tribe situated at the boundary of the Indo-Aryans and the Iranians, and appear to have moved from the Iranian into the Indo-Aryan sphere over time.The Kambojas...
- Epic Kamboja
- Chandravarma KambojaChandravarma KambojaChandravarma Kamboja is the first Kamboja king mentioned by name in the Mahābhārata .He appears to have been an ancient very powerful and renowned ruler of the Kambojas...
- Kamatha KambojaKamatha KambojaKamatha is a Kamboja king mentioned in the Mahābhārata as one of the principal Kshatriyas taking part in the battle....
- Sudakshina KambojaSudakshina KambojaSudakshina was a king of the Kambojas, mentioned in theMahābhārata as fighting on the side of the Kauravas and being slain by Arjuna....
- Kurukshetra war and the Kambojas
- Kurukshetra warKurukshetra warAccording to the Indian epic poem Mahābhārata, a dynastic succession struggle between two groups of cousins of an Indo-Aryan kingdom called Kuru, the Kauravas and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura resulted in the Kurukshetra War in which a number of ancient kingdoms participated as allies of...