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Puranic encyclopaedia

by Vettam Mani | 1975 | 609,556 words | ISBN-10: 0842608222

This page describes the Story of Mithi included the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani that was translated into English in 1975. The Puranas have for centuries profoundly influenced Indian life and Culture and are defined by their characteristic features (panca-lakshana, literally, ‘the five characteristics of a Purana�).

Story of Mithi

(MITHI JANAKA). Son of King Nimi. The sixth chapter of Devī Bhāgavata gives the following story about the birth of Mithi.

There was once an emperor of great renown in the line of ṣv named Nimi. He was the twelfth son of the celebrated ṣv and was devoted to the welfare of his subjects. He was a very honest, virtuous, righteous and good-natured man of a charitable disposition. The (village where brahmins reside) named Jayantapura near the ś of Gautama Ѳ󲹰ṣi was constructed by this emperor. This emperor of a Rājaṣic mind decided to perform a yāga which would take years for its conclusion and in which land was to be given as gifts. He went to his father ṣv, and took permission from him to conduct the yāga. He made all preparations for the yāga. He invited ṛg, ṅg, 峾𱹲, Pulastya, Pulaha and Ṛcī첹 all of whom were well-versed in the Vedas and were worthy of being priests in a Yāga of the kind he was conducting. He then went and invited his Kulaguru (family priest and preceptor) ղṣṭ for the Yāga. But ղṣṭ had to officiate at a Yāga conducted by Indra and so he commanded Nimi to postpone the Yāga by five hundred years. Nimi did not act according to it and he performed the Yāga with the help of the other sages and completed it successfully. After five hundred years when the Yāga of Indra came to a close, ղṣṭ came to see Nimi. Nimi was asleep then and the servants in the palace hesitated to go and inform him of the arrival of the sage. ղṣṭ got angry and cursed him and made him Videha (without body). At once the body of the King fell to the ground and the soul got out of it. But before the soul separated from the body Nimi cursed ղṣṭ also and separated his soul from his body. ղṣṭ was again born as the son of Ѿٰ屹ṇa.

The other sages present there took the lifeless body of Nimi and after sacrificial ceremonies and worship of gods started to churn the body. After some time a mighty and perfect man of great brilliance was born out of it. Because he was born by Mathana (churning) he was named Mithi. Because he was born from his father (Janaka) he was called Mithijanaka and because he was born of Nimi, a Videha, he was called Videha also. The country which was ruled by Mithi got the name of Ѿٳ󾱱. It is the country of ī.

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