Alwar City and Mahabharata

Alwar city, 150 km to the north of Jaipur, Rajasthan, was originally Shalwapur, the city of King Shalwa (शाल्व), an enemy of Lord Krishna. Then it became Shalwar, and later Alwar.

Satyavan of the famous Satyavan-Savitri legend once ruled this kingdom.

It was also part of Matsyadesha (Virata of Mahabharata, where the Pandavas lived incognito).

Krishna and Shalwa

Shalwa, an ally of Shishupala, Dantavakra, and Rukmi, attacked the city of Dwaraka. He owned a magical aircraft called Saubha Vimana, which he used for both travel and battle. Shalwa chose to strike Dwaraka when Krishna was away attending the Rajasuya Yagna of the Pandavas.

As soon as the attack began, Krishna's sons, led by Pradyumna, rushed to defend the city. They swiftly defeated the enemy commander and killed many of the Danavas (demons) aiding Shalwa. Then, Pradyumna challenged King Shalwa to a fight.

The two warriors first engaged in an intense aerial battle, fighting from their flying chariots. After some time, they decided to descend and fight on the ground. Both warriors used powerful weapons, injuring and stunning each other multiple times. In the end, King Shalwa, realizing he was about to lose, fled the battle.

When Krishna returned to Dwaraka, he found his city damaged, its gardens ruined, and the people in distress. After learning what had happened, he promised to defeat Shalwa. Krishna gathered his army and set out to find Shalwa, who had taken refuge on an island in the ocean.

Once the battle began, both sides rained arrows on each other. Krishna skillfully killed many of the Danavas fighting for Shalwa. In desperation, Shalwa used his magic to create an illusion. This illusion confused Krishna's army and caused Krishna's charioteer to be killed. Shalwa even trapped Krishna in the illusion for a while.

However, Krishna soon realized the trick and regained his focus. With renewed strength, he continued the battle, using fiery weapons to destroy Shalwa’s forces. When the enemy Danavas tried to drop huge rocks on Krishna, he smashed them with his thunderbolt weapon. Finally, Krishna summoned his divine weapon, the Sudarshana Chakra, which swiftly killed King Shalwa and his remaining forces.

The battle ended with Krishna victorious, restoring peace to Dwaraka once again.

Knowledge Bank

Who wrote the 18 Puranas?

The 18 prinicial Puranas also called the Mahapuranas were written by Sage Vyasa.

Can a bhakta ignore shastras (scriptural teachings)?

No. As per Narada-bhakti-sutra.12, even after attaining oneness with Bhagavan, he should endeavor to protect the shastras. Scriptural discipline promotes and strengthens bhakti. The Shastras aid in achieving purity of mind. Bhakta performs duties enjoined by shastras as service to Bhagavan.