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TRIBES IN ANCIENT INDIA
defeated the king of the Videha people in the course of his digvijaya.1 Karņa also conquered Mithila, the Videha capital, during his digvijaya. The celebrated sacrifice of Janaka is referred to in several places, while a conversation between Janaka and Yājñavalkya is related in the sāntiparvan (Chap. 311). There are many references to Janaka's spiritual enlightenment, his talks with Pañca-śikha, with Sulabhā and others, and the teaching imparted by him to the young Suka.4 Krsna, together with Bhīmasena and Arjuna, visited Mithilā on his way from Indraprastha to Rājagrha.5 The Videhas are mentioned twice in the list of peoples in the Bhīşmaparvan: once as Videhas along with the Magadhas, and once as Vaidehas along with the Tāmraliptakas.
The Vişnupurāna also mentions the Videha country, furnishes a list of its rulers from ancient times, and gives a fanciful account of the origin of the name of Videha and also that of Mithilā, the capital. The story goes that Vaśistha, having performed the sacrifice of Indra, proceeded to Mithilā to commence the sacrifice of King Nimi. On reaching there he found that the king had engaged Gautama to perform the sacrificial rites. Seeing the king asleep he cursed him thus: ‘King Nimi will be bodiless (videha, vi-vigatadeha), inasmuch as he having rejected me has engaged Gautama'. The king on awakening cursed Vašistha, saying that he too would perish, as he had cursed a sleeping king. Rşis churned the dead body of Nimi, and as a result of the churning a child was born, afterwards known as Mithi 6 (supposedly from manth, to churn). According to the Bhavisyapurāna, Nimi's son Mithi founded a beautiful city which was named Mithilā after him. From the fact of his having founded the city, he came to be known as Janaka ('begetter, creator').: The Mahāgovinda Suttanta of the Dīgha Nikāya gives another account of the origin of Mithilā, stating that it was built by Govinda.8
Undoubtedly the most important Videhan king was Janaka, but we find references to other kings in ancient literature, namely Sāgaradeva, Bharata, Angirasa, Ruci, Suruci,' Patāpa, Mahāpatāpa,
1 Sabhāparvan, Chap. 30.
2 Vanaparvan, 254. 3 Ibid., Chaps. 132, 134, etc. 4 Śāntiparvan, Chap. 327, etc. 5 Sabhāparvan, 20. 6 Visnupurāna, pp. 388ff. See also Bhāgavatapurāna, IX, 24, 64.
7 Bhavisyapurāna: "Nimeh Putrastu tatraiva .. purijanana sāmarthāt Janakaḥ sa ca kārtitah'. See also Bhāgavatapurāna, IX, 13, 13, where the story of the founding of Mithilā is also related.
8 P.T.S., Vol. II, p. 235. 9 For the story of Suruci's childless queen, see Jātaka (Fausböll), IV, PP. 314 foll.
