By Ramesh Saraf, Dhamora
Agrasen Jayanti is celebrated every year to commemorate the birth anniversary of the great king and social reformer Maharaja Agrasen, who founded the Agrawal community and promoted the principles of equality, social welfare, and brotherhood in society. This day is celebrated to demonstrate dedication to his thoughts and ideals and to spread his message through community service activities. Maharaja Agrasen was born on Ashwin Shukla Pratipada to Maharaja Vallabh Sen, which is celebrated worldwide as Agrasen Jayanti. King Vallabh had two sons, Agrasen and Shursen. Agrasen was the eldest son of Maharaja Vallabh. At the time of Maharaja Agrasen’s birth, Sage Garg told Maharaja Vallabh that this child would become a great king. A new system of governance would emerge in his kingdom, and his name would be immortalized even thousands of years later. No one was unhappy or helpless during his reign. He was very popular among his subjects since childhood.
Maharaja Agrasen ushered in a new system of governance. By implementing the fundamental tenets of Vedic, Sanatan Aryan culture, he established moral values along with the development of agriculture, trade, industry, and cow rearing in the kingdom. Maharaja Agrasen was a Karmayogi who desired prosperity for all. He embraced the ideal of nonviolence, realizing the futility of animal sacrifice. This realization made him one of the powerful leaders of nonviolence. He banned all animal sacrifice. However, his belief in nonviolence did not mean not resisting oppression; he promoted self-defense. According to him, self-defense and national defense were not solely the tasks of the Kshatriyas—the warrior caste—but were the duty of every citizen to protect their motherland.
Maharaja Agrasen was a descendant of Lord Rama and a contemporary of Lord Krishna. He was the 34th descendant of Kush, son of King Ram. Maharaja Agrasen is known as a symbol of non-violence and a messenger of peace. Maharaja Agrasen was an embodiment of sacrifice, compassion, non-violence, peace, prosperity, and a true socialist. Maharaja Agrasen is considered a pioneer of socialism. To establish true socialism in his region, he established a rule that every family in his town would give a coin and a brick to help each family that migrated to his town. This would enable the family to arrange for a house and a business. In this way, small contributions from each individual can achieve equal status in an equal society.
Maharaja Agrasen was a Suryavanshi Kshatriya king who adopted the merchant profession for the welfare of his subjects. Maharaja Agrasen chose Princess Madhavi in a swayamvara organized by King Kumad of the Naga realm. This marriage marked a new alliance between the Naga and Aryan clans. By the grace of Goddess Lakshmi, Shri Agrasen had 18 sons. Prince Vibhu was the eldest among them. Maharishi Garg made Maharaja Agrasen take a pledge to perform 18 yagnas along with his 18 sons. It is believed that the Agravansh was established in the name of the 18 gurus who attended the yagnas. The eighteen gotras given by the sages were adopted by Maharaja Agrasen’s 18 sons along with the residents of the 18 settlements established by him. To maintain love with a settlement, a unanimous decision was taken that one would marry one’s son and daughter in another settlement and not in one’s own settlement. Later, this system transformed into gotras which is still prevalent in the Agrawal community.
After the death of Maharaja Vallabh, Maharaja Agrasen, along with his queen Madhavi, traveled throughout India to establish his new kingdom. During this time, he encountered lion and wolf cubs playing together. He believed this was a divine message, indicating the need to establish his kingdom in this land of heroes. Following the advice of sages and astrologers, the new kingdom was named Agrayagan, now known as Agroha. The place is located near Hisar in present-day Haryana. Even today, this place is a pilgrimage site for the Agrahari and Agrawal communities. A magnificent temple dedicated to Maharaja Agrasen and Goddess Lakshmi stands here.
He emphasized the importance of earning wealth through hard work and industry, as well as its equitable distribution and spending less than one’s income. While he provided the Vaishya caste with the scales, a symbol of business, he also emphasized the use of weapons for self-defense. At that time, performing yagnas was considered a sign of prosperity, wealth, and well-being. Maharaja Agrasen performed numerous yagnas. Maharaja Agrasen ruled for 108 years. While he accepted the prescribed field of work for the Vaishya caste as per Hindu scriptures, he also established new ideals. His life was based on three fundamental ideals: democratic governance, economic equality, and social equality.
Numerous books have been written on Maharaja Agrasen. Renowned author Bharatendu Harishchandra, himself from the Agrawal community, wrote an authoritative treatise titled “The Origin of the Agrawals” in 1871, which describes them in detail. On September 24, 1976, the Government of India issued a 25-paisa postage stamp in the name of Maharaja Agrasen. In 1995, the Government of India purchased a special oil tanker from South Korea for ₹350 crore (350 crore rupees), which was named Maharaja Agrasen. National Highway No. 10 is officially named after Maharaja Agrasen.
Today’s Agroha is the Agraya, the origin of the Agrawals mentioned in ancient texts. Agroha, 20 kilometers from Hisar, is a modest village located along the Maharaja Agrasen National Highway No. 10. It is home to a population of five hundred families. Nearby, the remains of the ancient capital of Agrah (Agroha) are the Maharaja Agrasen Dham, spread over 650 acres of land. This represents the glorious history of Maharaja Agrasen’s Agroha city. Even today, this place is revered as the fifth Dham (pilgrim shrine) by the Agrawal community. The Agroha Vikas Trust has built beautiful temples, dharamshalas, and other facilities here, providing numerous amenities for the Agrawal community. Maharaja Agrasen is historically revered as a powerful, religious, tolerant, and inspiring figure of socialism. The schools, hospitals, stepwells, and dharamshalas (pilgrim shrines) built in his name across the country embody the values of Maharaja Agrasen’s life and are symbols of human faith. The ideas of equality, socialism, and non-violence propounded by Maharaja Agrasen five thousand years ago are the spirit of India’s current Constitution. However, we Indians have failed to embody these ideals in our lives. They remain mere words in our Constitution. Now, it is up to us to adopt these ideals in our lives as a tribute to our ancestors. Maharaja Agrasen gave us principles for trade and economic development. He also emphasized the need to create equal opportunities for the advancement of all sections of society while adhering to Vedic religion, culture, and ideals.
(The author is a freelance journalist accredited by the Rajasthan government and he can be reached @ 9414255034)
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