Kalmashapada

Kalmashapada
Vashistha stops an attacking Kalmashapada (left), before ending his curse (a scene from the epic Mahabharata)

In Hindu mythology, Kalmashapada (Kalmasapada, कल्माषपाद), also known as Saudasa (सौदास), Mitrasaha (मित्रसह), Amitrasaha and Kalmashanghri (Kalmasanghri), was a king of the Ikshvaku dynasty (the Solar dynasty), who was cursed to be a rakshasa (demon) by the sage Vashishtha. He is described as an ancestor of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu and the hero of the Hindu epic Ramayana. Many texts narrate how Kalmashapada was cursed to die if he had intercourse with his queen, so he obtained a son from Vashishtha by niyoga, an ancient tradition whereby a husband can nominate another man to impregnate his wife. Kalmashapada's story is narrated in various works including the classic epic poems Mahabharata and Ramayana, and the Puranas.

The Mahabharata and the Puranas agree that Kalmashapada was the son of the king Sudasa (Sudhasana); however, the Ramayana names his father as Raghu, a king whom the other texts identify as a descendant of Kalmashapada. All texts agree that his ancestors include Sagara and Bhagiratha, though the generations between Bhagiratha and Kalmashapada may vary among the texts.

Some texts state that Kalmashapada's birth name was Mitrasaha, but he was known by his patronymic Saudasa. A commentator on the Vishnu Purana says that Mitra-saha (literally, "one who forbears a friend") is an epithet the king acquires from the curse of the sage Vashishtha. The king restrains (saha) himself from retaliation against his friend (mitra) Vashishtha's curse, though he possesses the power to do so. The Vayu Purana, the Agni Purana, the Brahma Purana, and the Harivamsa call him Amitrasaha, "one who forbears (saha) a foe (amitra)"; here, Vashishtha is taken to be an enemy.