Anga’s Detachment

Chapter 13

Maitreya Rishi described the descendants of Dhruva and eventually came to King Anga. Vidura was astonished to hear about the dramatic events surrounding the King’s life, and Maitreya thus elaborated further.

King Anga had no sons, but after offering suitable worship, he received a mystical pot of rice boiled in milk (payasa). When his wife accepted it, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son named Vena. The boy turned out to be cruel and senseless, but the King saw it as a benediction - a good son creates bonds of affection, whereas a bad son naturally helps one detach themselves from material affairs. Thus, Anga renounced his family life and left for the forest. The citizens desperately searched for him, but he was nowhere to be found, and they were thus plunged into despair.