Harivamsha 21
English (machine translation) 21
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21.1
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: / The wise son of Budha, O great king, was Purūravas, / fiery, generous, a performer of sacrifices with abundant priestly fees,
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a knower of brahman, valiant, invincible in battle by enemies, / who brought the agnihotra and sacrifices from heaven to earth,
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truthful, of virtuous mind, desirable, restrained in intercourse, / ever exceedingly incomparable in the three worlds in glory.
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Him, the knower of brahman, patient, knowing dharma, speaker of truth, / the renowned Urvaśī chose [as husband], casting away her pride.
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With her the king lived for ten and five years, / and five, six, seven, and eight, and ten and eight, O descendant of Bharata,
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in the lovely Caitraratha forest and on the bank of the Mandākinī, / in wide Alakā and in Nandana, the supreme forest.
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Having reached the northern Kurus, where trees bear the fruit of desires, / on the slopes of Gandhamādana and on the northern peak of Meru,
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in these foremost forests frequented by the gods, / the king took delight with Urvaśī in supreme joy.
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And in that most holy region praised by great seers, / at Prayāga, the lord of the earth exercised his kingship,
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in Pratiṣṭhāna on the northern bank of the Jāhnavī, the highly renowned one.
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Formerly there was only one god, the syllable Om composed of all speech,
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the god Nārāyaṇa, no other, and only one class of fire.
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Only in the time of Purūravas did the triple Veda arise at the beginning of the Tretā [Yuga], O king.
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Through the fire and through his offspring, the king went to the world of the gandharvas.
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He had six sons of splendor like Indra's, / born in heaven, great-souled: the wise Āyu, Amāvasu, / the righteous Viśvāyu, and another, Śrutāyu, / Dṛḍhāyu, Vanāyu, and Śatāyu, sons of Urvaśī.
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And there were five sons of Āyu, all heroes, great chariot-warriors; / they were born to Prabhā, the daughter of Svarbhānu, O king: / Nahuṣa was born first, and after him Vṛddhaśarman, / Dambha, Raji, and Anenas, celebrated in the three worlds.
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Raji fathered here indeed five hundred sons, / known as the Rājeyas, kṣatriyas who brought fear to Indra.
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When a very terrible war between the gods and asuras had broken out, / both the gods and the asuras then said to the Grandfather:
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“O Lord, which of us two will be the victor in the battle? / Tell us, O lord of all beings; we wish to hear your word.”
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Brahmā said: / “For whose sake the powerful Raji will fight in the battle taking up weapons, / they will conquer the three worlds; of this there is no doubt.”
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Where Raji is, there is firmness; and where firmness is, there is fortune. / Where there are firmness and fortune, there is dharma, and likewise victory.
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Told this by the god concerning Raji's victory, the pleased gods and dānavas / approached, seeking victory and choosing him, O bull of the Bharatas.
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For he was born as Svarbhānu's grandson through Prabhā, / a king of supreme splendor, advancing the lunar dynasty.
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With joyful minds, all those Daiteyas and dānavas / said to Raji: “Take up the excellent bow for our victory!”
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Then Raji spoke there between the two, the gods and the Daityas,
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knowing his own interest, aiming at his own purpose, and proclaiming his own renown:
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Raji said: / “If, having conquered all the hosts of gods led by Śakra, / I become Indra by dharma, then I shall fight in the battle.”
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The gods first answered again with joyful minds:
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“So let it be, as you wish, O king! May your desire be fulfilled!”
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Hearing the word of the hosts of gods then, King Raji
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asked the chiefs of the asuras just as he had asked the gods.
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Filled with pride and pursuing only their own interest,
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the dānavas spoke back to that best of kings these haughty words:
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The dānavas said: / “Our Indra is Prahrāda, for whose sake we conquer.”
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“Stand by this agreement, O king, as urged by the gods!” / Saying “So be it,” thus urged by the gods, / told by the gods, “Having conquered, you shall be Indra,” that ruler of the earth / slew all the dānavas who were to be slain by the wielder of the thunderbolt.
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Having slain all the dānavas, that lord Raji of supreme fortune, in control of himself, / recovered the lost fortune of the gods.
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Then Śatakratu, along with the gods, saying to the mighty Raji, / “I am Raji’s son,” spoke these words again:
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“You are the Indra of all beings, father, there is no doubt of this. / I, whose Indra is your son, shall attain fame through deeds!”
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Hearing Śakra’s words, deceived by him through illusion, / the pleased king said simply, “So be it,” to Śatakratu.
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When that king, equal to the gods, reached heaven, / the sons of Raji claimed their inheritance from Indra according to custom.
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His hundreds of sons invaded that seat of Śatakratu / in many ways, the heavenly world, heaven itself.
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Then, after a great deal of time had passed, the mighty Śakra, / robbed of his kingdom and robbed of his share of the sacrifice, spoke to Bṛhaspati:
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“Prepare for me a sacrificial cake of the size of a jujube fruit, / O brahmin seer, so that nourished by its splendor I may stand firm always.
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O brahmin, emaciated, dejected, my kingdom stolen, my food stolen, / my power destroyed, weak, and bewildered am I made by Raji's sons, O powerful one!”
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Bṛhaspati said: / “If I had been urged thus by you earlier, O Śakra, / there is nothing that should have been done for your pleasure that would have been left undone by me, O sinless one!
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I shall strive for your pleasure, O lord of the gods, there is no doubt. / So that you will recover your share and your kingdom before long, / so I will act, my dear; let your mind not be distressed.”
21.34
Then the best of seers performed a rite for the increase of his splendor, / and brought about the bewilderment of their intellects.
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Indeed, a treatise on wealth advocating nihilism is deeply hostile to dharma;
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it is the highest among dialectical treatises, conforming to the minds of the wicked;
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it is not pleasing to those devoted to dharma in any other discussion.
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Hearing that treatise composed by Bṛhaspati, those small-minded ones
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became constantly hateful toward the previously taught treatises on dharma.
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They practiced what was devoid of justice and held that doctrine in high regard;
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through that adharma, all those wicked ones went to destruction.
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Having obtained the kingdom of the three worlds, so difficult to attain,
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Śakra, by the grace of Bṛhaspati, reached the highest bliss.
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When they became completely deluded, maddened by passion, unrighteous, / and haters of brahmins, their valor and prowess destroyed,
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then Indra obtained the sovereignty of the gods and the highest position, / having slain all the sons of Raji who were devoted to desire and wrath.
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Whoever hears or remembers this fall from position and re-establishment of Śatakratu / shall not suffer wickedness.
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Raji had five hundred sons of boundless splendor.
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Entreated by the gods, having slain the Daityas, he gave heaven to Indra.
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Having slain [the enemies], Indra, taking Raji's feet,
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surrendered himself to him, apprehensive of enemies such as Prahrāda.
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When the father passed away, the sons did not give [the kingdom] to him when he asked for it.
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While the offering was being made in the fire by the preceptor, the crusher of Vala, [destroying] Raji's sons,
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slew them whose ways had been corrupted; not a single one was spared.
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And one will be free from disease, dear child, and free from taint throughout life.
Linked texts (1)
- Harivaṃśa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit