Harivamsha

by Bibek Debroy

  ‘Yadu had five sons who were like the sons of the gods—Sahasrada, Payoda, Kroshtu, Nila and Anjika. O king! Sahasrada had three sons who were extremely devoted to dharma—Haihaya, Haya and Venuhaya. It has been said that Haihaya had a son named Dharmanetra. Dharmanetra’s son was Kanta and Kanta had four sons—Kritavirya, Kritouja, Kritadhanva and Kritagni. It was from the fourth son, Kritavirya, that Arjuna was born.361 He possessed one thousand arms and became the lord of the seven continents. On a chariot that was as resplendent as the sun, he single-handedly conquered the entire earth. For one hundred years, he performed extremely difficult austerities and tormented himself. Kartavirya worshipped Datta, who had been born from Atri’s lineage.362 The greatly energetic Datta granted him four boons. As his first supreme boon, he desired that he might possess one thousand arms. As the second, he desired that if he turned towards adharma, a virtuous person should restrain him. As the third, he desired that he should be able to conquer the earth through his ferocity, while being devoted to dharma. As the fourth, he desired that he would defeat many in battle and kill thousands of enemies, but while being engaged in an encounter, would be slain by someone who was superior in fighting. He was a lord of yoga. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Through his yoga and his maya, when he fought in a battle, the one thousand arms indeed manifested themselves.363 Following the proper norms and using his ferocity, he conquered the entire earth, with its continents and habitations, with its cities and its oceans. Following the decreed ordinances, he performed seven hundred sacrifices in those seven continents. O Janamejaya! This is what we have heard. In all the sacrifices, the mighty-armed one gave away copious quantities of dakshina. All the sacrificial stakes and all the sacrificial altars were made out of gold. O great king! All the gods, stationed on their ornamented celestial vehicles, and the gandharvas and the apsaras, always attended these sacrifices.

  ‘There was a learned gandharva named Narada,364 the son of Varidasa. He was astounded at the grandeur of all this and recited a chant. “Indeed, no other king can follow the path Kartavirya has taken and match him in sacrifices, donations, austerities, valour and learning. Even when he used his chariot to advance into the seven continents with a sword, a shield and bow and arrows, men saw that a yogi was traversing those seven continents.”365 As alms, the valiant one offered the seven continents to the fire god.366 At this, the lord Apava angrily cursed Arjuna. “O Haihaya! You have not spared that part of the forest which belongs to me. Therefore, though you have been successful in accomplishing extremely difficult deeds, those will be surpassed by Pandava Kouravya Arjuna, dear to Kunti. The powerful and ascetic brahmana, Bhargava,367 will swiftly crush you, sever your one thousand arms and kill you.” O afflicter of enemies! That lord of men followed dharma and used his power to protect his subjects, so that their possessions were not destroyed. Because of the great sage’s curse, Rama delivered death to him. O Kouravya! This is a boon that he had himself asked for earlier. The great-souled one had one hundred sons. All of them were accomplished in the use of weapons, powerful, brave, illustrious and had dharma in their souls. But out of these, only five were left—Shurasena, Shura, Dhrishtokta, Krishna and Jayadhvaja. Of these, Jayadhvaja was Avanti’s great king. Kartavirya’s sons were brave maharathas. Jayadhvaja’s son was the immensely strong Talajangha. It has been heard that his one hundred sons are known as the Talajanghas. O great king! Vitihotra, Sujata, Bhoja, Avanti and Toundikera—these are famous as Talajanghas and are from the lineage of the great-souled Haihayas. The names of many noble ones born in the lineage of the Bharatas are recounted. O king! Among the Yadavas, there are many performers of auspicious deeds, Vrisha and others. Vrisha’s son was Madhu and Madhu had one hundred sons. These descendants of Vrisha were known as Vrishanas or Vrishnis. Since they are all descended from Madhu, they are also said to be the Madhavas. Those descended from Yadu are known as the Yadavas, though they formerly used to be called the Haihayas. If a person always recounts the story of Kartavirya’s birth, his riches are never destroyed. Instead, what has been lost is regained. O lord of the earth! These are the five lineages of the sons of Yayati. O great king! Just as the five elements nurture all mobile and immobile objects, these brave ones are praised in the worlds and hold up the worlds. A king who knows about dharma and artha listens to the creation of these five lineages and such a lord also has his own five offspring368 under subjugation. He obtains five boons that are extremely difficult to obtain in this world. These are a long life, fame, riches, sons and prosperity. O descendant of the Bharata lineage. The account of the creation of these five lineages must be heard and retained. O Indra among kings. Now hear about the lineage of that excellent man, Kroshtu. He was descended from Yadu, organized sacrifices and performed auspicious deeds. If a person hears about Kroshtu’s lineage, he is freed from all sins. It is in his lineage that Vishnu Hari, the lord who extended the Vrishni lineage, was born.’

  Chapter 24

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Kroshtu had two wives, Gandhari and Madri. Gandhari gave birth to the extremely strong Anamitra. Madri’s two sons were Yudhajit and Devamidusha. From these three sources, their descendants extended the Vrishni lineage. Madri’s sons had two sons, Vrishni and Andhaka.369 Vrishni had two sons, Shvaphalka and Chitraka. O great king! Shvaphalka had dharma in his soul. Therefore, wherever he happened to be, there was no disease. Nor was there fear or drought. O supreme among the Bharata lineage! On one occasion, the lord who is the chastiser of Paka370 did not rain down in the kingdom of the king of Kashi for three years. He371 made the extremely revered Shvaphalka reside in his kingdom and Harivahana372 showered down. In return, the king of Kashi bestowed his daughter on Shvaphalka as a wife. Every day, she used to give a cow to a brahmana. So she was known as Gamdini.373 Shvaphalka’s son was Akrura. He was generous and persevering and performed sacrifices. He was learned and devoted to guests. He gave away large quantities of dakshina. There were also Upamadgu, Madgu, Mridura, Arimejaya, Arikshepa, Upeksha, Shatrughna, Arimardana, Charmavrit, Yudhivarma, Gridhra, Bhoja, Antaka, Avaha and Prativaha.374 There was a beautiful daughter named Sundari. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! Through the beautiful-limbed Ugrasena,375 Akrura had two sons named Prasena and Upadeva, who were as radiant as the gods. Chitraka had sons named Prithu, Viprithu, Ashvagriva, Ashvabahu, Suparshvaka, Gaveshana, Arishtanemi, Ashva, Sudharma, Dharmabhrit, Subahu and Bahubahu. He had two daughters named Shravishtha and Shravana.

  ‘Through Ashmaki, Devamidhusha had a son named Shura. Shura had ten sons through his queen, Bhojya. The eldest was Vasudeva, also known as Anakadundubhi.376 When he was born, drums were sounded in the firmament. A great sound of drums arose in heaven and a large shower of flowers rained down on Shura’s house. In the entire world of men on earth, there was no one equal to Vasudeva in beauty. He was best among men and his beauty was like that of the full moon. After this were born Devabhaga, Devashrava, Anadhrishti, Kanavaka, Vatsavan, Grinjima, Shyama, Shamika and Gandusha. There were also five beautiful daughters—Prithukirti, Pritha, Shrutadevi, Shrutashrava and Rajadhidevi. Each of these was a mother of brave sons. Kunta married Shrutadevi. The king of Chedi married Shrutashrava and their son was the immensely strong Shishupala. In an earlier life, he was Hiranyakashipu, the king of the daityas. Vriddhasharma married Prithukirti. Their son was the immensely strong Dantavaktra, the lord of Karusha. Pritha was adoped as a daughter377 and the Kounteyas were born, carrying forward Pandu’s line. King Yudhishthira, who knew about dharma, was born from her and Dharma. Bhimasena was born from the wind god. Dhananjaya was born from Indra and became a brave atiratha,378 Shakra’s equal in valour.

  ‘Anamitra’s son was Shini, the youngest of those in the Vrishni lineage. Shini’s son was Satyaka and Satyaka’s son was Yuyudhana Satyaki. Devabhaga had an immensely fortunate son named Uddhava. He was said to be supremely learned, like Devashrava. Through Ashmaki, the illustrious Anadhrishti had a son named Nikritashatru. Shrutadeva379 had a son named Shatrughna. It has been heard that Shrutadeva had a
nother son who was brought up by the ignoble Nishadas. O great king! He was reared by the Nishadas and his name was Ekalavya. Vatsavan had no sons. Therefore, the powerful Vasudeva, Shura’s son, gave him his own son Koushika. Gandusha was also without sons, until Vishvaksena380 gave him four sons—Charudeshna, Sucharu, Panchala and Kritalakshana. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Rukmini’s mighty-armed and brave son is the youngest of them all and never retreats from battle.381 Whenever Charudeshna advanced, thousands of crows followed him at the rear, wishing to feed on the ones that Charudeshna would slay. Tantrija and Tantripala were Kanavaka’s sons. Grinjima had two brave sons named Vira and Ashvahanu. Shyama’s son was Sumitra. Shamika obtained a kingdom. His son was Ajatashatru, the destroyer of enemies. I will now recount the names of Vasudeva’s sons. Listen. Originating from three sources, the Vrishnis had many extremely energetic branches. A person who nurtures this account never suffers from a calamity.’

  Chapter 25

  Vaishampayana said, ‘O king! Bahlika’s daughter was Rohini, descended from the Puru lineage. O great king! She was Anakadundubhi’s favourite and eldest wife. Through her, he obtained his eldest son, Rama.382 The other sons were Sarana, Shatha, Durdama, Damana, Shvabhra, Pindaraka and Kushinara. O descendant of the Kuru lineage. Rohini also had a daughter named Chitra, who was given the new name of Subhadra and was known by it. Through Devaki, Vasudeva had the immensely illustrious Shouri383 as a son. Through Revati, Rama had a beloved son named Nishatha. Through Subhadra, Partha had the charioteer Abhimanyu as a son. Through the princess of Kashi, Akrura had Satyaketu as a son.384 Vasudeva had seven immensely fortunate wives. Listen to the names of the brave sons that he had. Bhoja and Vijaya were sons through Shantidevi. Vrikadeva and Gada were sons through Sunama. The great-souled Agavaha was a son through Vrikadevi, who was the daughter of the king of Trigarta, whose priest was Shishirayana. He had a question about virility and to test the manliness, placed his hand on the testicles.385 Having been falsely accused, Gargya was overcome by rage and for twelve years, his complexion assumed the hue of black iron. To prove the accusation wrong, he proceeded to have intercourse with a cowherd girl. However, the cowherd girl was actually an apsara who had assumed the attire of a cowherd girl. Though the unblemished Gargya’s seed was extremely difficult to hold, she nurtured the embryo. It was on the instructions of the wielder of the trident386 that she had assumed human form and became Gargya’s wife. She thus gave birth to the immensely strong king known as Kalayavana. In a battle, the front half of his body looked like that of a bull, while the rear half looked like that of a horse. The king of the yavanas was without a son and reared the child in the interior quarters of his palace.387 O great king! That is the reason he came to be known as Kalayavana. When he became a king, desiring to fight, he asked the best among the brahmanas about whom he should fight with. The lord Narada told him about the Vrishni and Andhaka lineages. He attacked Mathura with an akshouhini of soldiers.388 Once there, he sent a messenger to the houses of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas. With the immensely intelligent Krishna at the forefront, scared as they were of Jarasandha, the Vrishnis and the Andhakas consulted among themselves.389 Though this is not what they desired, all of them resolved to flee. Showing their respect for the wielder of the pinaka,390 they abandoned the beautiful city of Mathura. They desired to set up their homes in Kushasthali Dvaravati. If a person is pure and is controlled in his senses, and if he listens to the account of Krishna’s birth on auspicious occasions, he becomes happy and learned and does not suffer from any debts.’

  Chapter 26

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Kroshtu had an immensely illustrious son named Vrinjivan. Vrinjivan’s son was Svahi, supreme among those who offered oblations to the gods. Svahi’s son was King Rushadgu, supreme among eloquent ones. Rushadgu performed a great sacrifice at which many kinds of dakshina were offered, so that he might have one hundred sons. The foremost among them was the colourful Chitraratha, with many kinds of deeds. Chitraratha’s son was the brave Shashabindu. He was a supreme royal sage who undertook sacrifices at which large quantities of dakshina were offered. King Prithushrava, extensive in fame, was Shashabindu’s son. He was praised as someone who knew about the Puranas. Prithushrava’s son was Antara. Antara’s son was Suyajna. Suyajna’s son was Ushata, who performed all the sacrifices. Ushata was supreme among those who uphold their own dharma. Shineyu, the tormentor of enemies, was Ushata’s son. Marutta, the king who was a royal sage, was his son. Marutta’s eldest son was Kambalabarhisha. Thinking about the world hereafter, he performed supreme dharma. Kambalabarhisha desired one hundred sons. After those one hundred sons, he obtained Rukmakavacha as a son. In a battle, Rukmakavacha killed one hundred armoured archers, shooting sharp arrows from his bow. He then attained the supreme end.391 Rukmakavacha’s son was Parajita, the slayer of enemy heroes. Parajita had five immensely valiant sons named Rukmeshu, Prithurukma, Jyamagha, Palita and Hari. Their father gave away Palita and Hari to the king of Videha. Rukmeshu became the king and Prithurukma supported him. The two of them banished Jyamagha from the kingdom and he started to dwell in a hermitage. He found peace in the forest, until he was goaded by some brahmanas. He then mounted a chariot and hoisting a standard, headed for another country. He dwelt alone on the banks of the Narmada, in a city named Mrittikavati, which was on the Narmada. Having conquered Mount Rikshavanta, he next began to dwell in Shuktimati. Jyamagha’s wife was Chaitra and she was aged and virtuous. Though the king was without a son, he did not take another wife. Having been victorious in a battle, he obtained a maiden. Scared, the lord of men went to his wife and said, “This is a daughter-in-law.” On hearing this, she asked, “Whose daughter-in-law is she?” He replied, “She will be the wife of the son you give birth to.” The maiden then resorted to fierce austerities. Because of that immensely fortunate maiden, the virtuous and aged Chaitra had a son named Vidarbha. Through the learned princess who became a daughter-in-law, Vidarbha later had two brave sons, Kratha and Koushika. They were accomplished in fighting. Vidarbha had another son named Bhima and Bhima’s son was Kunti. Kunti had a son named Dhrishta, who was powerful and irresistible in battle. Dhrishta had three brave sons who were extremely devoted to dharma. Their names were Avanta, Dasharha and the powerful Vishnuhara. Dasharha’s son was Vyoma and his son was Jimuta. Jimuta’s son was Vrikati and Bhimaratha was his son. Bhimaratha had a son named Navaratha. Navaratha had a son named Dasharatha and Shakuni was his son. Shakuni’s son was Karambha and Karambha’s son was King Devarata. Devakshatra was his son. Devakshatra’s son was the great-souled Daivakshatri. Devakshatra’s beloved son seemed to have been born in the womb of the gods. Since his speech was sweet, he was known as Madhu392 and his lineage is known as that of King Madhu. O extender of the Kuru lineage! Through a princess of Vidarbha, Madhu had a son named Purutvan, who was supreme among men. His mother was a princess of Vidarbha named Bhadravati. His393 wife belonged to the Ikshvaku lineage. With her as a mother, he had a son named Sattvata. He possessed spirit and all the qualities and extended his fame. A person who knows about the offspring of the great-souled Jyamagha obtains supreme delight and is blessed with offspring.’

  Chapter 27

  Vaishampayana said, ‘Sattvata was spirited. Through Koushalya, he had sons—Bhajina, Bhajamana, Divya, King Devavridha, the mighty-armed Andhaka and Vrishni, the delight of the Yadu lineage. Hear in detail about the offspring of four of these. Bhajamana’s two wives were the daughters of Srinjaya—Bahyaka and Upabahyaka. Through them, he had many sons. Through Bahyaka, Srinjaya’s daughter, Bhajamana’s sons were Nimi, Kramana, Vishnu, Shura and Puranjaya. Through Upabahyaka, Srinjaya’s daughter, Bhajamana’s sons were Ayutajit, Sahasrajit, Shatajit and Dashaka. King Devavridha performed great austerities, having made up his mind that he desired a son who would possess all the qualities. He controlled his soul and touched the waters of the river Parnasha. Because he constantly touched the water, the river was kindly disposed towards him. The supreme of rivers thought in this way. “Thi
s lord of men has turned his mind towards the beneficial. However, he has not yet approached a woman who can bear him such a son. Therefore, I should myself approach him and take part in his vow.” The river assumed the form of a supremely beautiful maiden. The lord, the king, accepted her. After ten months, the supreme among rivers delivered King Devavridha’s son, Babhru, the possessor of all the qualities. Those who know about the Puranas chant the qualities of the great-souled Devavridha and about how he made his pledged lineage come true. “Babhru is best among men and Devavridha is the equal of the gods. We have not heard about a person like him394 earlier. Nor have we seen such a person, at close quarters, or from a distance.” Babhru, Devavridha’s son, despatched seven thousand and sixty-six men to heaven. He was generous and performed sacrifices. He was intelligent and devoted to brahmanas. He was firm in wielding weapons. He had an extremely great lineage, those known as Martikavata Bhojas. Through the daughter of Kashi, Andhaka had four sons—Kukura, Bhajamana, Shami and Kambalabarhisha. Kukura’s son was Dhrishnu and Dhrishnu’s son was Kapotaroma. Kapotaroma’s son was Taittiri and his son was Punarvasu. Punarvasu’s son was Abhijit. Abhijit had twins, Ahuka and Ahuki. They are famous and supreme among those who are renowned. This chant about Ahuka is cited. “He was surrounded by white horses. He was great and young in form. With eighty shields, Ahuka advanced in front of the army.” Among those who followed this infinitely energetic Bhoja, there was no one who did not have one hundred sons, did not possess one thousand and one hundred weapons, was not the performer of auspicious deeds and was not the observer of sacrifices. With the Bhoja’s permission, there would be ten thousand elephants in the eastern direction, with silver and gold harnesses. There would be another one thousand in the northern direction. The Bhoja Ahuka brought the lords of the earth under his subjugation, on a chariot that tinkled with bells. The Andhakas bestowed Ahuka’s sister on the lord of Avanti. Through the daughter of Kashi, Ahuka had two sons—Devaka and Ugrasena. They were like those born from the wombs of the gods. Devaka had four sons who were like the residents of heaven—Devavan, Upadeva, Sudeva and Devarakshita. He had seven daughters that he bestowed on Vasudeva—Devaki, Shantideva, Sudeva, Devarakshita, Vrikadevi, Upadevi and Sunamni as the seventh.395 Ugrasena had nine sons and Kamsa was the eldest. The others were Nyagrodha, Sunamna, Kankashanku, Subhumaya, Rashtrapala, Sutanu, Anadhrishti and Pushtiman. They had five sisters—Kamsa,396 Kamsavati, Sutanu,397 Rashtrapali and the beautiful Kamka. Ugrasena and his offspring are those who were generated in the Kukura lineage. A man who sustains the account of the infinitely energetic Kukura lineage in his soul, obtains a lineage with a large number of sons.’