Bhagavatapurana 9.13: atha trayodaśo'dhyāyaḥ

9.13.1

/0 śrīśuka uvāca
nimirikṣvākutanayo vasiṣṭhamavṛtartvijam /
ārabhya satraṃ so 'pyāha śakreṇa prāg vṛto 'smi bhoḥ //

Śrī Śuka said: / Nimi, the son of Ikṣvāku, having undertaken a sacrificial session, chose Vasiṣṭha as his priest. / He, however, said: “O king, I was chosen earlier by Śakra.

1. Sri Suka said:— Nimi, son of Ikshvaku, invited Vasishta to be his priest; after having commenced his sacrifice Vasishta told him, “I am already requested by Indra (to be his priest)”.

9.13.2

taṃ nirvartyāgamiṣyāmi tāvan māṃ pratipālaya /
tūṣṇīmāsīdgṛhapatiḥ so 'pīndrasyākaron makham //

Having concluded that, I shall return; wait for me until then.” / The master of the house remained silent, and he performed Indra’s sacrifice.

2. “Having finished his sacrifice I shall return, till then wait for me”. The host, the landlord (Nimi), kept silence and Vasishta too attended the sacrifice of Indra.

9.13.3

nimittaścalamidaṃ vidvān satramārabhatāmātmavān /
ṛtvigbhiraparaistāvan nāgamadyāvatā guruḥ //

Knowing that this [life] is unsteady, the self-controlled Nimi began the sacrificial session / with other priests during the time his spiritual master did not return.

3. Nimi, a wise man, thought life was transient and proceeded with his sacrifice with other priests before his preceptor returned.

9.13.4

śiṣyavyatikramaṃ vīkṣya taṃ nirvartyāgato guruḥ /
aśapat patatāddeho nimeḥ paṇḍitamāninaḥ //

Having concluded that [sacrifice] and returned, the spiritual master saw his disciple's transgression, / and cursed him: “May the body of Nimi, who considers himself wise, fall!”

4. Coming down on finishing Indra’s sacrifice and observing the violation of his disciple preceptor Vasishta cursed him; “Let Nimi’s body fall, for being proud of his knowledge (for his conceitedness as a learned man).

9.13.5

nimiḥ pratidadau śāpaṃ gurave 'dharmavartine /
tavāpi patatāddeho lobhāddharmamajānataḥ //

Nimi pronounced a counter-curse upon the spiritual master who acted contrary to dharma: / “May your body also fall, who out of greed do not know dharma!”

5. Nimi also pronounced a curse on his preceptor who violated *dharma*, “Let thy body also fall for not knowing *dharma* on account of greed”.

9.13.6

ityutsasarja svaṃ dehaṃ nimiradhyātmakovidaḥ /
mitrāvaruṇayorjajñe urvaśyāṃ prapitāmahaḥ //

Having spoken thus, Nimi, skilled in the science of the self, gave up his body. / The great-grandfather [Vasiṣṭha] was born from Mitra and Varuṇa through Urvaśī.

6. Having pronounced this curse, Nimi, thoroughly versed in the lore relating to Atman, cast off his body; and the great-grandfather (Vasishta) was born of Urvasi as a son to Mitra and Varuna.

9.13.7

gandhavastuṣu taddehaṃ nidhāya munisattamāḥ /
samāpte satrayāge ca devān ūcuḥ samāgatān //

Having placed his body in fragrant substances, the best of sages, / at the conclusion of the sacrificial session, spoke to the assembled gods:

7. The great sages preserved his (Nimi’s) body in balms and when the sacrifice was completed, they said to the gods that were present there:—

9.13.8

rājño jīvatu deho 'yaṃ prasannāḥ prabhavo yadi /
tathetyukte nimiḥ prāha mā bhūn me dehabandhanam //

“If the masters are pleased, let this king’s body live!” / When it was said, “So be it,” Nimi said: “Let there be no bondage of a body for me.

8. “May this body come back to life if the Lords are pleased”! When they said, “Let it be so”, Nimi said, “Let me not be imprisoned in a body”.

9.13.9

yasya yogaṃ na vāñchanti viyogabhayakātarāḥ /
bhajanti caraṇāmbhojaṃ munayo harimedhasaḥ //

Sages whose intellect is fixed on Hari worship His lotus feet, / frightened by the dread of separation, and desire no union with [a body].

9. “Sages afraid of separation (or decay) do not like the relation to a body; but they devote themselves to the lotus-like feet of Hari.

9.13.10

dehaṃ nāvarurutse 'haṃ duḥkhaśokabhayāvaham /
sarvatrāsya yato mṛtyurmatsyānāmudake yathā //

I do not wish to take on a body that brings suffering, grief, and fear, / since death attends it everywhere, as it does fish in water.”

10. “I do not like to go into this body which leads to pain, grief (delusion) and fear; for, it is everywhere (always) open to peril as fishes are in water.

9.13.11

/0 devā ūcuḥ
videha uṣyatāṃ kāmaṃ locaneṣu śarīriṇām /
unmeṣaṇanimeṣābhyāṃ lakṣito 'dhyātmasaṃsthitaḥ //

The gods said: / “Abide bodiless, at your will, in the eyes of embodied beings, / perceived by the opening and shutting of the eyelids, dwelling within the self.”

11. The gods said:— Without body do thou freely live in the eyes of embodied creatures, indicated by the rise and fall of the eye-lids, taking thy place in the body itself.

9.13.12

arājakabhayaṃ n-ṇāṃ manyamānā maharṣayaḥ /
dehaṃ mamanthuḥ sma nimeḥ kumāraḥ samajāyata //

Fearing kinglessness for the people, the great ṛṣis / churned the body of Nimi, and a boy was born.

12. The great sages perceived the fear of anarchy on the part of men and churned the body of Nimi whence a son was born.

9.13.13

janmanā janakaḥ so 'bhūdvaidehastu videhajaḥ /
mithilo mathanāj jāto mithilā yena nirmitā //

By birth he became Janaka; Vaideha, because born of the bodiless [king]; / and Mithila, born from churning, by whom Mithilā was founded.

13. By birth he was called Janaka and, being born of a body occupied by no Jiva, he was called Vaideha (or Videha) and also Mithila being born by churning; and by him the city of Mithila was founded.

9.13.14

tasmādudāvasustasya putro 'bhūn nandivardhanaḥ /
tataḥ suketustasyāpi devarāto mahīpate //

From him was born Udāvasu; his son was Nandivardhana; / then Suketu; from him Devarāta, O king.

14. His son was Udavasu whose son was Nandivardhana; his son Suketu (Sukesa) and his son Devaratha, O king.

9.13.15

tasmādbṛhadrathastasya mahāvīryaḥ sudhṛtpitā /
sudhṛterdhṛṣṭaketurvai haryaśvo 'tha marustataḥ //

From him Bṛhadratha; his son was Mahāvīrya, the father of Sudhṛti; / from Sudhṛti came Dhṛṣṭaketu; then Haryaśva; and from him Maru.

15. Of the last was born Brihadratha of great power, father of Sudhrit; of Sudhrit, Drishtaketu was born; his son was Haryasva and of this last Maru was the son.

9.13.16

maroḥ pratīpakastasmāj jātaḥ kṛtaratho yataḥ /
devamīḍhastasya putro viśruto 'tha mahādhṛtiḥ //

From Maru came Pratīpaka, from whom Kṛtaratha was born; / his son was Devamīḍha, then Viśruta, and Mahādhṛti.

16. Maru’s son was Pratipaka (Prateendhaka) and from him descended Kritiratha, (Kritaratha), of whom was born Devameedha whose son was Vistruta (Vidhruta) whose son was Mahadhriti.

9.13.17

kṛtirātastatastasmān mahāromā ca tatsutaḥ /
svarṇaromā sutastasya hrasvaromā vyajāyata //

From him came Kṛtirāta, and from him his son Mahāromā; / his son was Svarṇaromā, and Hrasvaromā was born to him.

17. & 18. His son was Kritirata whose son was Maharoman;. his son Svarnaroman who begot Hrasvaroman; from him descended Seeradhvaja; when he ploughed the earth for the sake of sacrifice, Sita was obtained at the point of the ploughshare and hence he is known as Seeradhvaja.

9.13.18

tataḥ śīradhvajo jajñe yajñārthaṃ karṣato mahīm /
sītā śīrāgrato jātā tasmāt śīradhvajaḥ smṛtaḥ //

From him was born Śīradhvaja; plowing the earth for the sake of sacrifice, / Sītā was born from the tip of his plow, and therefore he is known as Śīradhvaja.

9.13.19

kuśadhvajastasya putrastato dharmadhvajo nṛpaḥ /
dharmadhvajasya dvau putrau kṛtadhvajamitadhvajau //

Kuśadhvaja was his son; after him was King Dharmadhvaja; / Dharmadhvaja had two sons, Kṛtadhvaja and Mitadhvaja.

19. His son was Kusadhvaja and his son Dharmadhvaja. The latter had two sons named Kritadhvaja and Mitadhvaja.

9.13.20

kṛtadhvajāt keśidhvajaḥ khāṇḍikyastu mitadhvajāt /
kṛtadhvajasuto rājannātmavidyāviśāradaḥ //

From Kṛtadhvaja came Keśidhvaja, and Khāṇḍikya from Mitadhvaja; / Kṛtadhvaja’s son, O king, was an expert in knowledge of the self.

20. (Of the two) the elder begot Kesidhvaja and the younger Khandikya; Kritadhvaja’s son was, O king, deeply learned in Sastras relating to Atman.

9.13.21

khāṇḍikyaḥ karmatattvajño bhītaḥ keśidhvajāddrutaḥ /
bhānumāṃstasya putro 'bhūc chatadyumnastu tatsutaḥ //

Khāṇḍikya, who knew the truth of ritual action, fled in fear of Keśidhvaja; / Bhānumān was his son, and Śatadyumna was his son.

21. Khaandikya versed in the true knowledge (sastra) of karma (action) ran away afraid of Kesidhvaja; he had a son called Bhaanuman and his son was Sudyumna.

9.13.22

śucistu tanayastasmāt sanadvājaḥ suto 'bhavat /
ūrjaketuḥ sanadvājādajo 'tha purujit sutaḥ //

Śuci was the son from him; Sanadvāja became his son; / from Sanadvāja came Ūrjaketu, then Aja, and his son Purujit.

22. His son was Suchi whose son was Sanadvaja; Sanadvaja’s son was Urdhvaketu (Urjaketu) who had a son called Purujit (Kurujit).

9.13.23

ariṣṭanemistasyāpi śrutāyustat supārśvakaḥ /
tataścitraratho yasya kṣemādhirmithilādhipaḥ //

His son was Ariṣṭanemi, his Śrutāyu, and his Supārśvaka; / then Citraratha, whose son was Kṣemādhi, lord of Mithilā.

23. His son was Arishta Nemi; his son Sruthayu; (Sutayu) his son Suparsvaka (ga); and his son was Chitratha who begot Kshemadhi (Kshemadri) the lord of Mithila.

9.13.24

tasmāt samarathastasya sutaḥ satyarathastataḥ /
āsīdupagurustasmādupagupto 'gnisambhavaḥ //

From him came Samaratha, his son was Satyaratha; / after him was Upaguru; from him Upagupta, born of fire.

24. Of this last was born Samaratha (Hemaratha) whose son was Satyaratha (Krityaratha) and his son was Upaguru who had a son called Upagupta endowed with an amsa of Agni.

9.13.25

vasvananto 'tha tatputro yuyudho yat subhāṣaṇaḥ /
śrutastato jayastasmādvijayo 'smādṛtaḥ sutaḥ //

Then his son was Vasvananta, whose son Yuyudha, from whom Subhāṣaṇa; / then Śruta, from him Jaya, from him Vijaya, and from him the son Ṛta.

25. His son was Vasvanata (Svasana or Vaivasvata), his son Yuyudha (Suvarcha or Yuyudha) whose son was Subhashana; his son was Sruta; his son Jaya; his son Vijaya; and his son Rita.

9.13.26

śunakastatsuto jajñe vītahavyo dhṛtistataḥ /
bahulāśvo dhṛtestasya kṛtirasya mahāvaśī //

Śunaka was born as his son; then Vītahavya, then Dhṛti; / from Dhṛti came Bahulāśva, and his son was Kṛti, who was master of himself.

26. His son was Sunaka; his son Vitahavya (Veerahavya or Veetihavya) and his son Dhriti; Dhriti's son was Bahulasva (Vipulaswa) whose son was Krithi possessed of great self-control.

9.13.27

ete vai maithilā rājannātmavidyāviśāradāḥ /
yogeśvaraprasādena dvandvairmuktā gṛheṣv api //

These indeed, O king, are the kings of Mithilā, skilled in knowledge of the self, / freed from the pairs of opposites even while in the household, by the grace of the lords of yoga.

27. These are indeed, O king, princes of Mithlia, all versed in the lore relating to Atman, and through the grace of the Lord of Yogas they were all free from the conflicting passions such as pleasure and pain, though they were leading a domestic life.