Vena, the Evil Descendent of Dhruv
The sages kill the son of Anga and Prithu is born from his dead body
The evil Vena was made king in the hope that he would reform. But when that did not happen he was killed and the next king extracted from his dead body.
Dhruv’s younger son Vatsara ascended the throne when Dhruv left for Vadrikashram. This was because Dhruv’s elder son Utkala was a pious person and not interested in the affairs of the state. For several generations Dhruv’s descendants ruled wisely and well but without doing anything extraordinarily good or evil. And then Vena was born. The dynasty from Dhruv to Vena is as follows: Dhruv, Vatsara, Pushparna, Vyushtha, Sarvateja, Chakshusha, Ulmuka, Anga and Vena.
The story of Vena begins with the Ashwamedha sacrifice conducted by Anga. Despite the fact that the sacrifice was conducted precisely as prescribed in the scriptures, none of the Devas appeared. After deliberations the priest informed Anga that in his previous life he had been sinful and for that reason he was as yet childless. He was asked to perform the sacrifice for a male heir immediately. The Supreme God would descend to answer his prayers along with the Devas. The Devas would then participate in and complete the Ashwamedha sacrifice.
Accordingly the required sacrifice was conducted. From the altar there arose a person wearing a white dress and golden garland and carrying a pot of rice boiled in milk. Anga took the pot and with due ceremony offered a portion of the rice milk to his wife Sunitha. Thereafter Sunitha conceived and in due course she gave birth to a son.
As it happened, Sunitha’s father was a person of evil disposition and Vena began to follow in his footsteps. His cruelty knew no bounds. He would slay his playmates because he derived pleasure from killing. Anga tried everything from counseling to punishment in an effort to get Vena to mend his ways, but without success. He rued the day he had conducted the sacrifice to get a son because it would have been far better to be sonless. Unable to bear the pain any longer, Anga left his palace one night and was never heard of again.
This left the state without a head, a sure recipe for anarchy. With great reluctance the ministers and sages realized that there was no alternative to enthroning Vena. After becoming king, Vena’s arrogance and evil behavior increased greatly. He forbade all worship and religious rituals. He traveled the country on his chariot like a rogue elephant destroying every sign of religion. The lawless got bolder as there was no fear of punishment.
The sages decided to give one last chance to Vena to reform. They explained to him the usefulness and purpose of religious activities and expounded the duties of a king. They recalled the glorious rule of Manu and Dhruv. They requested the king to give up his evil ways so that he would not have to suffer in his afterlife. But the king was not willing to listen. He admonished the sages. He told them that he is their true protector and patron. He ordered them to worship him instead of God. Now the sages were left with no choice. They uttered a curse on him and Vena was no more.
Vena’s mother Sunitha had his body preserved because she could not bear to be parted from him. At the same time anarchy reared its head and the thieves and the rogues began to do as they wanted. The sages realized that without a king it was the poor who were suffering. So they churned the thighs of Vena’s dead body and a dark-skinned dwarf named Bahuka emerged. He became the progenitor of the Nishada race. All the evil in Vena’s body was taken by Bahuka. Hence the Nishada originated as a lawless tribe forced to live in the forests and hills away from civilized society.
The evil from Vena’s body removed, the sages churned the arms and a couple was produced. The male was Prithu, an avatar of Vishnu, born with full armor and weaponry. The extremely beautiful female, Arci, was an incarnation of Lakshmi. With great pomp the sages arranged for the coronation of Prithu and Arci and assured the citizens that they would be safe under Prithu’s just regime.
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