https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Dharmadhwaja_JanakaDharmadhwaja Janaka - Revision history2026-07-31T05:05:27ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Dharmadhwaja_Janaka&diff=496730&oldid=prevWillyFdt599330 at 23:02, 13 March 20262026-03-13T23:02:23Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Related|[[Janaka]]|[[King Mithi]]|[[Panchashikha]]|[[Shanti Parva]] of [[Mahabharata]]}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}<br />
{{Infobox royalty<br />
| name = Dharmadhwaja Janaka<br />
| title = [[Janaka]]<br />
| successor = Kritadhvaja Janaka<br />
| birth_name = Dharmadhwaja<br />
| birth_place = [[Mithila region]]<br />
| full name = King Dharmadhwaja Janaka<br />
| religion = Sanatana Hinduism<br />
| successor1 = [[Keshidhwaja Janaka]]<br />
| dynasty = [[Janaka]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Dharmadhwaja Janaka''' ( [[Sanskrit]]: धर्मध्वज जनक ) was the king of the ancient [[Mithila (region)|Mithila]] or [[Videha]] Kingdom in the [[Indian subcontinent|Indian Subcontinent]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Jha |first=Bhavanath |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9qOIEAAAQBAJ&q=%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%9C+%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%95 |title=धर्मायण, 2079 वि.सं. भाग-1, अंक 117-120 |publisher=Mahavir Mandir, Patna |language=hi}}</ref> Dharmadhwaja Janaka, also known as King Janaka, was a significant figure in ancient Indian history and mythology. He was a ruler and is often remembered as a [[Philosophy|philosopher]]-king who was deeply engaged in spiritual and philosophical discourse. He is mentioned in the [[Shanti Parva]] of the [[Mahabharata]]. He was the student of the sage [[Panchashikha]] and learnt [[Samkhya|Shamkhya]] philosophy from him.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Modī |first=Mīrā |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kkEqAQAAMAAJ |title=Mahābhārata meṃ Sāṅkhya darśana |date=2007 |publisher=Satyam Pabliśiṅga Hāusa |isbn=978-81-88134-86-1 |language=hi}}</ref><br />
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== Etymology ==<br />
''Dharmadhwaja'' is a Sanskrit compound word consisting of the terms [[Dharma]] and [[Dhvaja]]. The term "''Dharmadhwaja''" signifies a flag-bearer of ''Dharma'', reflecting his commitment to righteousness and duty.<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.wisdomlib.org |date=2015-08-01 |title=Dharmadhvaja, Dharma-dhvaja: 12 definitions |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/dharmadhvaja |access-date=2024-04-29 |website=www.wisdomlib.org |language=en}}</ref> In the lineage of the [[Janaka]] kings of [[Mithila (region)|Mithila]], ''Dharmadhwaja'' stands out for his association with various sages and scholars of the time. His court was a hub for philosophical debates and discussions, attracting learned individuals from across the land.<ref>{{Cite book |last=राघव |first=रांगेय |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9rzmNDwUbZwC&q=%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%9C+%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%95 |title=प्राचीन ब्राह्मण कहानियाँ |date=1992 |publisher=Kitabghar Prakashan |isbn=978-81-7016-093-9 |language=hi}}</ref><br />
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== Description ==<br />
In [[Naradiya Purana|Narada Purana]], celestial sage [[Four Kumaras|Sanandan]] had narrated the story of Dharmadhwaja Janaka having two children Amitadhwaja and Kritadhwaja.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Books |first=Kausiki |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8j5KEAAAQBAJ&q=%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%A7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%9C+%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%95 |title=Sankshipta Narada Purana Part 2: संक्षिप्त नारद पुराण: केवल हिन्दी |date=2021-10-24 |publisher=Kausiki Books |language=hi}}</ref> In [[Shanti Parva]] of [[Mahabharata]], there is a famous philosophical debate between the King Dharmadhwaja Janaka with the female ascetic ''[[Vedas|Vedic]]'' scholar ''[[Sulabha|Shulabha]]'', the debate is known as ''Janaka Shulabha Samvada''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Singh |first1=Alka |last2=Arora |first2=Bhavya |date=2022-12-14 |title=Sulabha-Janaka Samvada in Vyasa's Mahabharata: Debating Meaning and Language Structures |url=https://jurnal.stkippgribl.ac.id/index.php/ijlhe/article/view/1027 |journal=International Journal of Language, Humanities, and Education |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=95–104 |doi=10.52217/ijlhe.v5i2.1027 |issn=2963-4520|doi-access=free }}</ref> It is said that when King Dharmadhwaja Janaka used anti-feminist arguments to criticise Sulabha's unconventional behaviour, then ''[[Brahmavadini]]'' [[Sulabha]] successfully established that there is no fundamental difference between a man and a woman based on the [[Vedas|Vedic]] philosophical principles. She also demonstrated that a woman can attain liberation on the same level as a man by her example.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vanita |first=Ruth |date=2003-07-01 |title=The Self Is Not Gendered: Sulabha's Debate with King Janaka |url=https://scholarworks.umt.edu/libstudies_pubs/1 |journal=NWSA Journal |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=76–93}}</ref><br />
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==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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[[Category:Mythological kings of Videha]]<br />
[[Category:Mithila (region)]]<br />
[[Category:Indian monarchs]]<br />
[[Category:Mahabharata]]<br />
[[Category:Ramayana]]</div>WillyFdt599330