by Bibek Debroy
‘Meanwhile, because of what he had done, Yama suffered from great mental affliction. Therefore, in the form of Dharmaraja, he followed dharma and delighted the subjects. Because of his auspicious deeds, the greatly resplendent one obtained lordship over the ancestors and became a guardian of the worlds. Savarni Manu, rich in austerities, became a Prajapati. He will be the Manu in the future savarni manvantara. Since then, he has incessantly been observing austerities on the slopes of Meru. His brother obtained the status of the planet Saturn.139 Desiring to bring an end to the danavas, through the excess energy that was shaved off, Tvashtri fashioned Vishnu’s chakra and it was impossible to withstand in battle. The illustrious daughter Yami was the youngest.140 Yamuna became the best among rivers, the sustainer of the worlds. In the worlds, Manu is also referred to as Savarna. The second son is known as Shanaishchara. This is the birth of the gods. A person who hears it and nurtures it is freed from all difficulties and obtains great fame.’
Chapter 9
Vaishampayana said, ‘O bull among men! Vaivasvata Manu had nine sons who were his equals—Ikshvaku, Nabhaga, Dhrishnu, Sharyati, Narishyanta, Pramshu, Nabhanedishtha as the seventh, Karusha, and Prishadhna as the ninth. O son! O lord of the earth! Before that, in a desire to obtain sons, Prajapati Manu had offered a sacrifice to Mitra and Varuna. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! These nine sons were generated because of that. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! While that sacrifice was going on, Manu summoned Mitra and Varuna and offered oblations to them. It has been heard that Ida141 was born from this. She was divine in form. She was clad in celestial garments and adorned in divine ornaments. Manu, the wielder of the staff, told Ida, “O fortunate one! Come to me.” However, Ida replied, “O supreme among eloquent ones! I have been born from a part of Mitra and Varuna. I will go to them. I cannot destroy dharma, nor be destroyed by it.” Having said this to the god Manu, Ida, the one with the beautiful hips, went near Mitra and Varuna. She joined her hands in salutation and spoke these words to them. “O gods! I have been born from your parts. What can I do for you?” The virtuous Ida, devoted to dharma, spoke in this way. Listen to what Mitra and Varuna told her. “O one with the beautiful thighs! O one who is beautiful in form! We are delighted at your truth, your dharma, your faith and your self-control. O immensely fortunate one! You will obtain fame as our daughter. You will also become a son who will extend Manu’s lineage. O beautiful one! You will be famous in the three worlds by the name of Sudyumna. You will be devoted to dharma and will be loved in the universe. You will extend Manu’s lineage.” Having heard this, she withdrew and returned to her father.142 Budha143 desired to have intercourse with her. O king! Through Soma’s son, Budha, she gave birth to Pururava. As soon as he was born, Ida became Sudyumna. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Sudyumna had three sons who were extremely devoted to dharma. They were Utkala, Gaya and Vinata. O king! O best among the Bharata lineage! Utkala obtained the north, Vinata the west and Gaya the eastern region known by the name of Gaya.
‘O son! O scorcher of enemies! When Manu entered into the sun, his sons divided the earth into ten regions. Ikshvaku, the eldest son, obtained the country in the middle. Because Sudyumna had been a woman, he did not possess the qualities required. O extender of the Kuru lineage! However, because of the words of Vasishtha, the great-souled Dharmaraja144 gave him the status. O great king! The illustrious one, who possessed the signs of being both a man and a woman, handed over the kingdom he had obtained to Pururava, Manu’s son. O bull among kings and supreme king! Narishyanta had one hundred sons. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Nabhaga had a son named Ambarisha. Dhrishnu had a kshatriya son named Dharshnika, who was firm in battle. Sharyati had twin children. The son was famous as Anarta and the daughter was Sukanya, Chyavana’s wife. Anarta’s son was the immensely radiant Reva. In the kingdom of Anarta, there was a city named Kushasthali.145 Reva’s son was Raivata. He was devoted to dharma and Kakudmi was also his name. He was the eldest among one hundred sons and obtained the kingdom of Kushasthali. With his daughter, he had once gone to Brahma’s world to listen to the gandharvas. O lord! Though this was a short duration for the gods, it happened to be many yugas on earth. He returned as a young man to his city, which was surrounded by Yadavas. The beautiful city of Dvaravati had been created,146 with many gates. It was protected by the Bhojas, the Vrishnis and the Andhakas, with Vasudeva at the forefront. O scorcher of enemies! On learning the truth about what had happened, Raivata bestowed his daughter Revati, excellent in her vows, on Baladeva. Having done this, he retired to Mount Meru and resorted to austerities there. Rama,147 with dharma in his soul, sported happily with Revati.’
Janamejaya asked, ‘O bull among brahmanas! The duration that had passed was of many yugas. How was it that Raivata Kakudmi and Revati did not have to face old age? Sharyati’s descendant148 went to Meru. How are his children still on earth then? I wish to hear the truth about this.’
Vaishampayana replied, ‘O bull among the Bharata lineage! O unblemished one! In Brahma’s world, there never is any old age, hunger, thirst, death, or the cycle of the seasons. Kakudmi Raivata went to that world. O son! At that time, the rakshasas slew the good people in Kushasthali. He had one hundred great-souled brothers who were devoted to dharma. They were not killed by the rakshasas, but fled in different directions. O lord of the earth! O great king! Their extremely great lineage came to be known as the Sharyatis. O best among the Bharata lineage! O extender of the Kuru lineage! In all the directions, these kshatriyas, with dharma in their souls, hid themselves in many kinds of secret places. Nabhaga had two vaishya sons, who later became brahmanas. Karusha’s sons were the kshatriyas known as Karushas and they were indomitable in battle. O Janamejaya! Because they killed their preceptor’s cow, the Prishadnas were cursed that they would become shudras. I have thus spoken about all nine sons. O son! When Manu sneezed, Ikshvaku was born as a son.149 Ikshvaku had one hundred sons and they gave away copious quantities of donations. Of these, Vikukshi was the eldest. Since he possessed a broad chest,150 he couldn’t be worsted in battle. He was extremely devoted to dharma and the lord became the king of Ayodhya. It is said that he151 had fifty sons, of which, Shakuni was the foremost. O lord of the earth! They protected the country of Uttarapatha.152 O lord of the earth! Another forty-eight of his sons, with Vasati as the foremost, protected the southern direction. Shashada153 went on a hunt and there was a hare that had been earmarked for a funeral ceremony. Without offering it at the funeral ceremony, he ate it. On Vasishtha’s words, the lord Ikshvaku abandoned him. O son! However, when Ikshvaku died, Shashada returned and began to dwell there again. The one who did not fight154 had a valiant son named Kakutstha. Kakutstha’s son was Anena and Anena’s son was said to be Prithu. Prithu had a son named Vishtara and Vishtara had a son named Ardra. Ardra’s son was Yuvanashva and Yuvanashva’s son was Shrava. The king who was known as Shrava built Shravasti.155 Shravasta’s156 son was King Brihadashva. His son was King Kuvalashva, extremely devoted to dharma. Having killed Dhundu, this king came to be known as Dhundumara.’
Janamejaya said, ‘O brahmana! I wish to hear the truth about the slaying of Dhundu, because of which Kuvalashva came to be known as Dhundumara.’
Vaishampayana replied, ‘Brihadashva had one hundred sons who were archers. But the father instated Kuvalashva in the kingdom. Having instated his son in the kingdom, the king departed for the forest. However, the brahmana rishi, Utanka, restrained him from leaving.
‘Utanka said, “Your task is to protect and you should act accordingly. O king! I am incapable of performing my austerities without any anxiety. The plain of the desert is near my hermitage. This is an ocean that is full of sand and is known by the name of Ujjanaka. There is an extremely terrible rakshasa by the name of Dhundu and he is the son of Madhu. He is gigantic in size and immensely strong. He cannot be slain by the gods. He hides himself inside the earth, in the vast territory that is covered with sand. To destroy the worlds, he lies down there and practices
terrible austerities. O son! He exhales his breath after an entire year and at those times, the earth and all its groves tremble. A great dust arises from the wind created by his breath. The path of the sun is obstructed and the earth trembles for an entire week. There are sparks from the coal and there is an extremely terrible smoke. O son! Because of this, I am incapable of remaining in that hermitage. For the welfare of the worlds, restrain the one who is gigantic in form. When he is killed by you now, the worlds will be comforted. O lord of the earth! You alone are capable of slaying him. O unblemished one! Vishnu had granted me a boon earlier. Thanks to that, Vishnu’s energy will permeate your energy. O lord of the earth! A little bit of energy is incapable of withstanding Dhundu’s great energy, even if he tries for a long period of one hundred yugas. He will only be burnt down. His valour is so great that even the gods are incapable of withstanding him.”’
Vaishampayana continued, ‘The great-souled Utanka spoke in this way to the rajarshi.157 For Dhundu’s destruction, he offered him his son, Kuvalashva. Brihadashva said, “O illustrious one! O best among brahmanas! I have laid down my weapons. But there is no doubt that this son of mine will become Dhundumara.” Having instructed his son that he should attack Dhundu, the rajarshi left for the mountains and, firm in his vows, resorted to austerities. To kill Dhundu, with his one hundred sons, King Kuvalashva left with Utanka. On Utanka’s invocation and for the welfare of the worlds, the illustrious lord Vishnu’s energy pervaded him. As the invincible one advanced, a loud voice was heard from the firmament. “This handsome prince will become Dhundumara.” The gods covered all the directions with celestial garlands. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Divine drums were sounded. The valiant one, best among victorious ones, advanced with his sons. Having reached, he began to dig the extensive ocean of sand. O Kouravya! He was pervaded by Narayana’s energy. Therefore, the immensely energetic one had his strength reinforced. O king! His sons dug and discovered Dhundu hidden inside the sand, enveloping the western direction. Flames issued from his mouth and he seemed to whirl the worlds around in his rage. A torrential flow of water issued, as if from the great ocean. O best of the Bharata lineage! It was as if large waves of water had been stirred by the moon. Leaving aside three, the rakshasa burnt down the one hundred sons. O Kouravya! At this, wishing to destroy Dhundu, the immensely strong and greatly energetic king approached the rakshasa Dhundu. The king, who was a yogi, resorted to yoga. He stemmed the force of the water and used fire to pacify the water. He slew the gigantic rakshasa, whose strength was in the water. The king then showed Utanka what he had done. Utanka granted a boon to the great-souled king. “You will possess inexhaustible riches and be unvanquished by enemies. You will always be addicted to dharma and have eternal residence in heaven. Your sons, who have been killed by the rakshasa, will obtain undecaying worlds in heaven.” Of the three sons who survived, Dridhashva is said to have been the eldest. Dandashva and Kapilashva were the two younger princes.
‘Dhundumara’s son, Dridhashva, had a son named Haryashva. Haryashva’s son was Nikumbha, always devoted to the dharma of kshatriyas. O king! Nikumbha’s son, Samhatashva, was accomplished in battle and Akrishashva and Krishashva were Samhatashva’s sons. Their mother was Dhrishadvati.158 She was the daughter of the Himalayas and she also had a son named Prasenjit. Prasenjit obtained a wife named Gouri, devoted to her husband. Cursed by her husband, she became the river Bahuda. Her son was the great king, Yuvanashva. Yuvanashva’s son was King Mandhata, who conquered the three worlds. His wife was Bindumati, Chitraratha’s daughter, and her son was Shashabindu. She was virtuous and her beauty was unsurpassed on earth. She was devoted to her husband and she had ten thousand younger brothers. O king! Through her, Mandhata had two sons—Purukutsa, who knew about dharma, and King Muchukunda. Purukutsa had a son named Trasadasyu. Through Narmada, he159 had a son named Sambhuta. Sambhuta had a son named Sudhanva, who was the afflicter of enemies. Sudhanva’s son was King Tridhanva. The lord, King Tridhanva, had a learned son named Trayyaruna and he had an extremely strong son named Satyavrata. However, he was evil-minded and abducted and married a lady who had already been married to someone else, thus violating the mantras of marriage. He was driven by childishness, desire, delusion, delight and fickleness. In his desire, he abducted a maiden who belonged to someone else in the city. Scared of adharma, Trayyaruna abandoned him and full of rage, spoke many words of censure. Thus addressed and abandoned by his father, he repeatedly asked, “Where will I go?” His father told him, “Dwell with shvapakas.160 O worst of the lineage! I no longer desire descendants through a son like you.” Thus addressed, he followed his father’s words and left the city and the illustrious rishi Vasishtha did not restrain him. O son! Abandoned by his father, the brave Satyavrata began to dwell near shvapakas. His father left for the forest. O Indra among kings! Because of that adharma,161 for twelve years, the chastiser of Paka did not rain down in that kingdom. At that time, the great ascetic, Vishvamitra, had left his wife in that kingdom and had gone to the shores of the ocean to perform great austerities. To sustain her youngest son, his wife tied a noose around the neck of the son in the middle, offering to sell him in exchange for one hundred cows. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The prince,162 with dharma in his soul, saw that the maharshi’s son was being offered for sale, with a noose round his neck, and freed him. To satisfy Vishvamitra and out of compassion, the mighty armed Satyavrata sustained them. O son! Because he had been bound at the neck, maharshi Koushika’s son became the great ascetic Galava and he was freed by that brave one.’163
Chapter 10
Vaishampayana said, ‘Because of his devotion, compassion and pledge, Satyavrata humbly sustained Vishvamitra’s wife. He slew deer, boar and buffaloes that roamed around in the forest and tied their flesh near Vishvamitra’s hermitage. Because of his father’s instructions, the king had left for the forest and for twelve years, consecrated himself in a vow that he should not be detected by anyone. Since he was the officiating priest and the preceptor, the sage Vasishtha protected the kingdom of Ayodhya and the inner quarters. However, Satyavrata was driven by his childish sentiments and his strength. Therefore, he always bore a great deal of rage towards Vasishtha. When his father had cast away his beloved son from the kingdom, the sage Vasishtha had not restrained him. This was the reason. The mantras of marriage are completed when seven steps have been taken together. But Satyavrata did not believe in these seven steps. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! “Vasishtha knows dharma. However, he did not save me.” These were the thoughts and rage Satyavrata harboured towards Vasishtha. To determine his action, the illustrious Vashishtha had used his intelligence to evaluate the qualities. But Satyavrata did not understand this secret reason. Because he was dissatisfied with what his great-souled father had done,164 the chastiser of Paka did not shower down for twelve years. O son! “This earth finds it difficult to sustain anything. If he is able to follow this great vow, he will save his lineage. I will thereafter instate his son in the kingdom.”165 This was the view of the sage and that was the reason why the illustrious Vasishtha did not restrain his father from abandoning him. The powerful one observed that great vow for twelve years.
‘There was a time when flesh could not be obtained and the prince saw the great-souled Vasishtha’s cow, which was capable of yielding milk to satisfy every object of desire. O Janamejaya! Overcome by anger, delusion, exhaustion, hunger and adharma, the king slew it. He ate the flesh himself and fed it to Vishvamitra’s son. On hearing this, Vasishtha was enraged. Vasishtha said, “Had you not committed two more sins again, I would have brought you down because of this cruel sin. Failing to satisfy your father, slaying a cow that belongs to your preceptor and eating meat that is not permitted—these are the three sins you have committed.” Because of the three sins he had witnessed, the great ascetic addressed him as Trishanku and he came to be known as Trishanku.166 When Vishvamitra returned, he saw that his wife had been sustained. Delighted with Trishanku, the sage granted him a
boon. The prince told his preceptor about the boon he desired.167 The fear resulting from twelve years of drought was over. While the gods and Vasishtha looked on, the sage Koushika168 performed a sacrifice and instated him in the kingdom. His wife was named Satyaratha and she was born in the Kekaya lineage. She gave birth to an unsullied son, Harishchandra. King Harishchandra was known as Traishanka.169 He performed a royal sacrifice and was renowned as an emperor. Harishchandra’s son was the famous Rohita. Rohita’s son was Vrika and Vrika gave birth to Bahu. O son! Though he170 was born in a yuga of dharma, he was not excessively devoted to dharma. Therefore, this king was driven away by the Haihayas and the Talajanghas. Bahu had a son named Sagara and he was born with poison. He resorted to Ourva’s hermitage and was protected by Bhargava.171 King Sagara obtained the agneya weapon172 from Bhargava and having slain the Talajanghas and the Haihayas, conquered the earth. O best among the Kuru lineage! The undecaying one knew about dharma and restrained the dharma followed by Shakas, Pahlavas, Paradas and other kshatriyas.’173