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Nagnajiti

Fifth queen consort of Hindu god Krishna

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Through Hinduism, Earth and South India

In Vaishnava texts, Nagnajiti is said to be an incarnation of Niladevi, the third aspect of Lakshmi. During the Dvapara Yuga, Niladevi was born on the earth as Satya, the daughter of King Nagnajit of Kosala. Krishna competed in the svayamvara arranged by Nagnajit, and as per the set rules, he brought seven ferocious bulls under control by tying a noose around each of them, thus winning Satya as his wife.

In South India, when the poet-saint Andal wrote the Tiruppavai and the Nachiyar Tirumoli, she mentions Nappinai, the "beautifully tressed" daughter of King Nagnajita - the brother of Yashoda (foster-mother of Krishna). It is believed that Nappinai is the Tamil equivalent of Nagnajiti. This is attested by the fact Nappinai is also stated to be a form of Vishnu's consort, Niladevi.

Family

The Vishnu Purana, the Bhagavata Purana and the Harivamsa call her Satya Nagnajiti. Commentators often consider Satya as her birth name and Nagnajiti a patronymic, translated "the daughter of Nagnajit(a)". However, sometimes it is translated as Nagnajiti, "the virtuous" (meaning of the word Satya). Her father Nagnajit was the king of Kosala, whose capital was Ayodhya. Nagnajit is described as Kosala-pati ("Lord of Kosala") and Ayodhya-pati ("Lord of Ayodhya"). The Bhagavata Purana also calls Nagnijiti by the epithet as Kausalya, "belonging to Kosala" ascertaining her role as princess of Kosala. A wife of Krishna named Satya is mentioned in the Mahabharata.

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