Bahlika Kingdom - References in Mahabharata - Kings of Bahlika - Bahlika The Father of Somadatta

Bahlika The Father of Somadatta

The lineage that links Bahlika with the Pandavas and Kauravas, as per Mahabharata is as follows:- A Bahlika king took part in the Kurukshetra War. He was related to the Kauravas and the Pandavas, and was a king in the Kuru dynasty. This make Bahlika older than Bhishma, making him the oldest among, the warriors who fought the Kurukshetra War. But there is references in Mahabharata that Bhishma was the oldest warrior in the Kurukshetra War. So there could be some missing king in this lineage of Bahlikas. It could be that Somadatta's father who took part in the war was the son of the Bahlika mentioned at (Mbh 1,95) as Pratipa's son.

• Pratipa -> Devapi (became a sage)
• Pratipa -> Bahlika -> Bahlika -> Somadatta -> Bhurisravas, Sala
• Pratipa -> Santanu -> Bhishma
• Pratipa -> Santanu -> Vichitravirya -> Dhritarashtra -> Kauravas
• Pratipa -> Santanu -> Vichitravirya -> Pandu -> Pandavas

This makes the warrior Bahlika, contemporary to Bhishma and his son Somadatta, contemporary to Dhritarashtra. Somadatta's sons Bhurisravas and Sala also took part in the Kurukshetra War. Thus four Bahlika war-heroes, spanning three generations, fought the Kurukshetra war. King Bahlika was present in the self choice event of Draupadi the princess of Panchala Kingdom. (1,188). He also came to the Rajasuya sacrifice of Pandava king Yudhisthira, brought there by Nakula (2-33,34). King Bahlika was present with the Kurus of Hastinapura, on almost all the important events that happened in Hastinapura:- on the arrival of Kunti with the young Pandavas (1,126), on the occasion of a tournament of war-craft by the Kuru princes (1,136), When the Pandavas left Hastinapura to the town of Varanavata (1,145), during the play of dice (2-62,72,76,79)(3,13), during the planning of Kurukshetra War (5-62,63) etc.

• Bahlika king and his sons and grandsons disliked Duryodhana, but was allied to his father Dhritarashtra and grandfather Bhishma (5-58,65,80,83,89,90,124,128,129,131

• Bhishma's rating of Vahlika as a car-warrior:-Vahlika is in my judgment, an Atiratha.(5,168)

Bhurisravas and Somadatta (denoted as Vahlika) were two among the eleven generals of Kaurava army, leading an Akshouhini of troops (5,156)

• Bhalika fught as a warrior in Kurukshetra War under the generalissimos viz Bhishma (6-17,45,48,59,60,76,82,93,97,103,105,118) and Drona (7-20,30,37,72,83,92,93,118,152

• Bahlika was slain by Bhima (7,154). Somadatta (7,159) and Bhurisravas (7,140) were slain by Satyaki in the Kurukshetra War. The death of all these three in the war is mentioned together at (8,1), (9-2,24,32,63), (10,9), (15-29,32) At (8,5), the slain Bahlika is describeds as grandfather of Dhritarashtra. At (11,22) he is described as Pratipa's son. This is the only two places where both the Bahlikas, the son of Pratipa and the father of Somadatta were described as same. King Bahlika's funeral rites were performed by Dhritarashtra (15-11,14)

• Pandava general Satyaki's father Sini, and Somadatta were of the same generation. They were enemies. When Sini lived at Surasena Kingdom, he battled with Somadatta and defeated him due to a dispute on a maiden (Vasudeva Krishna's mother Devaki). Satyaki and Somadatta's son Bhurisravas, were of the same generation and were enemies too. (7,141)

• Under the generalissimo Bhishma stood Warrior Sala who was a countryman of the Valhikas (6,20) .His battles are described at (6-61,86) (7-35,101,153,161). He is slain in battle, by 5th son of Draupadi Shrutashan, as his death is mentioned at (9,2), (18,5)