Talk:Dilīpa
By Swami Harshananda
Dilīpa was a great king of the Suryavamśa[1] dynasty and the father of Raghu (after whom the race was named 'Raghuvamśa’).
Dilīpa had no children, hence as per the directions of his royal preceptor Vasiṣṭha, he faithfully served his cow Nandinī[2] who tested him. He succeeded in the test and the divine cow blessed him with a valiant son, whom he named ‘Raghu’.
He was also known as Khaṭvāṅga. The deva-s requested his help in their fight against the demons. His valiant assistance attained victory for them. They offered him boon upon victory to which he asked how much of his life was left. On knowing that only ‘one muhurta’ (about 48 minutes) was left, he immediately sat in meditation and concentrated on Lord Viṣṇu and gave up the body, thus attaining mukti or liberation.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore