Bhagavatapurana 9.16: atha ṣoḍaśo'dhyāyaḥ

9.16.1

/0 śrīśuka uvāca
pitropaśikṣito rāmastatheti kurunandana /
saṃvatsaraṃ tīrthayātrāṃ caritvāśramamāvrajat //

Śrī Śuka said: / Instructed by his father, Rāma said, "So be it," O scion of the Kurus; / having wandered on pilgrimage for a year, he returned to the hermitage.

1. Sri Suka said:— Advised by his father, O best of Kurus, Rama agreed to do so and spent one year in pilgrimages to holy waters and returned to the hermitage.

9.16.2

kadācidreṇukā yātā gaṅgāyāṃ padmamālinam /
gandharvarājaṃ krīḍantamapsarobhirapaśyata //

Once Reṇukā, having gone to the Gaṅgā, saw the king of the Gandharvas, / wearing a garland of lotuses, sporting with apsarases.

2. Renuka once went to the Ganges and there saw the Gandharva king (called Chitraratha) adorned with garlands of lotus-flowers sporting with Apsaras women.

9.16.3

vilokayantī krīḍantamudakārthaṃ nadīṃ gatā /
homavelāṃ na sasmāra kiñcic citrarathaspṛhā //

Watching him sport, having gone to the river for water, / with a slight desire for Citraratha she did not remember the hour for the fire offering.

3. Renuka who had gone there to fetch water stayed looking on at the sporting king and forgot the time of *homa*, having just conceived a passing passion for Chitraratha.

9.16.4

kālātyayaṃ taṃ vilokya muneḥ śāpaviśaṅkitā /
āgatya kalaśaṃ tasthau purodhāya kṛtāñjaliḥ //

Seeing the lapse of time, fearful of the sage's curse, / she returned, placed the water-pot before him, and stood with folded hands.

4. Perceiving that she might be too late and afraid of the sage's curse, she returned and placing the pitcher of water in front of him, she stood with folded hands.

9.16.5

vyabhicāraṃ munirjñātvā patnyāḥ prakupito 'bravīt /
ghnataināṃ putrakāḥ pāpāmityuktāste na cakrire //

Perceiving his wife's infidelity, the enraged sage said: / "Kill this sinful woman, my sons!" But addressed thus, they did not do it.

5. On perceiving his wife's violation the sage waxed very angry and said, 'kill her, O sons, kill the sinful one'. Thus ordered his (other) sons did not do his bidding.

9.16.6

rāmaḥ sañcoditaḥ pitrā bhrāt-n mātrā sahāvadhīt /
prabhāvajño muneḥ samyak samādhestapasaśca saḥ //

Urged by his father, Rāma killed his brothers along with his mother, / fully knowing the power of the sage's contemplation and asceticism.

6. Urged by the father, Parasurama slew his mother and brothers together; for, he fully knew the great power of the sage, of his concentration and *tapas*.

9.16.7

vareṇa cchandayāmāsa prītaḥ satyavatīsutaḥ /
vavre hatānāṃ rāmo 'pi jīvitaṃ cāsmṛtiṃ vadhe //

Pleased, the son of Satyavatī offered him a boon; / and Rāma chose the life of the slain and their lack of memory of the killing.

7. Jamadagni, son of Satyavati, was very much pleased and desired Parasurama to ask for any boon; and Rama too requested the boon that those killed by him might revive and not remember as having been slain.

9.16.8

uttasthuste kuśalino nidrāpāya ivāñjasā /
piturvidvāṃstapovīryaṃ rāmaścakre suhṛdvadham //

They arose safely at once, as if from the end of a sleep; / knowing his father's ascetic power, Rāma had carried out the slaying of his loved ones.

8. They rose hale and healthy as if risen from sleep; Rama, who fully knew the strength of his father's *tapas*, slew his brothers.

9.16.9

ye 'rjunasya sutā rājan smarantaḥ svapiturvadham /
rāmavīryaparābhūtā lebhire śarma na kvacit //

The sons of Arjuna, O King, remembering the slaying of their father / and overwhelmed by Rāma's valor, found comfort nowhere.

9. Those sons of Arjuna who had fled remembered the slaughter of their father, and overcome by Rama's prowess, found peace nowhere.

9.16.10

ekadāśramato rāme sabhrātari vanaṃ gate /
vairaṃ siṣādhayiṣavo labdhacchidrā upāgaman //

Once, when Rāma along with his brothers had gone from the hermitage to the forest, / wishing to fulfill their enmity and finding an opening, they approached.

10. On one occasion when Rama with his brothers had gone into the forest, they found an occasion for them and came in order to wreak revenge.

9.16.11

dṛṣṭvāgnyāgāra āsīnamāveśitadhiyaṃ munim /
bhagavatyuttamaśloke jaghnuste pāpaniścayāḥ //

Seeing the sage sitting in the fire chamber with his mind absorbed / in the Lord of highest renown, those of sinful resolve killed him.

11. Determined on doing sinful acts they found the sage sitting in the shrine of fire with his mind concentrated on the most glorious and omnipotent Lord, and killed him.

9.16.12

yācyamānāḥ kṛpaṇayā rāmamātrātidāruṇāḥ /
prasahya śira utkṛtya ninyuste kṣatrabandhavaḥ //

Though entreated by the wretched mother of Rāma, those most cruel, / vile kṣatriyas forcibly cut off his head and carried it away.

12. Though entreated by the helpless mother of Rama those most cruel ruffians of wretched kshatriyas severed his head by force and took it away.

9.16.13

reṇukā duḥkhaśokārtā nighnantyātmānamātmanā /
rāma rāmeti tāteti vicukrośoccakaiḥ satī //

Reṇukā, afflicted with grief and sorrow, striking herself with her own hands, / cried out loudly: “O Rāma! O Rāma! O father!” the chaste woman.

13. The virtuous Renuka screamed out 'Rama, Rama, O son', (V. come soon) and beating herself with her hands, and drooping under the weight of pain and sorrow.

9.16.14

tadupaśrutya dūrasthā hā rāmetyārtavat svanam /
tvarayāśramamāsādya dadṛśuḥ pitaraṃ hatam //

Hearing that cry from afar, as of one in distress, “Alas, Rāma!” / they quickly reached the hermitage and beheld their father slain.

14. Hearing that voice of distress crying 'Rama', from a great distance, Rama (the sons) hastened back to the hermitage and found his (their) father slain.

9.16.15

te duḥkharoṣāmarṣārti śokavegavimohitāḥ /
hā tāta sādho dharmiṣṭha tyaktvāsmān svargato bhavān //

Stupefied by the rush of sorrow, anger, indignation, torment, and grief, [they cried]: / “Alas, father, saintly one, most righteous one, having abandoned us, you have gone to heaven!”

15. Overpowered and confounded with pain, anger, impatience, distress, sorrow of great intensity he (they) cried, out 'O father, O most virtuous one, O righteous soul, thou art gone to heaven leaving us here'.

9.16.16

vilapyaivaṃ piturdehaṃ nidhāya bhrātṛṣu svayam /
pragṛhya paraśuṃ rāmaḥ kṣatrāntāya mano dadhe //

Having thus lamented, placing his father’s body in the care of his brothers, / Rāma himself took up his axe and resolved upon the destruction of the kṣatriyas.

16. Having lamented thus and entrusted his father's body to the care of his brothers, Rama took up his axe and resolved upon extirpating the race of Kshtriyas.

9.16.17

gatvā māhiṣmatīṃ rāmo brahmaghnavihataśriyam /
teṣāṃ sa śīrṣabhī rājan madhye cakre mahāgirim //

Having gone to Māhiṣmatī, its splendor destroyed by the slayer of brahmins, / O King, he made a great mountain in its midst out of their heads.

17. Rama went to Mahishmati whose splendour had been lost through the sin of slaying brahmins and there made he a big mountain of their heads, O king, in the middle of the city.

9.16.18

tadraktena nadīṃ ghorāmabrahmaṇyabhayāvahām /
hetuṃ kṛtvā pitṛvadhaṃ kṣatre 'maṅgalakāriṇi //

With their blood he made a terrifying river that struck dread into those hostile to brahmins; / making the slaying of his father the cause against the inauspicious kṣatriya race,

18. With their blood he caused a river terrible to those who are inimical to brahmins (who violated the brahmin race); for, on account of their killing his father, he was enraged at the Kshatriya race of wicked deeds.

9.16.19

triḥsaptakṛtvaḥ pṛthivīṃ kṛtvā niḥkṣatriyāṃ prabhuḥ /
samantapañcake cakre śoṇitodān hradān nava //

having rid the earth of kṣatriyas twenty-one times, the powerful lord / made nine lakes of blood at Samantapañcaka.

19. And thrice seven times he swept the Kshtriya race off the earth and caused nine pools of blood at a place called *Syamanta-Panchaka*.

9.16.20

pituḥ kāyena sandhāya śira ādāya barhiṣi /
sarvadevamayaṃ devamātmānamayajan makhaiḥ //

Rejoining the head with his father’s body, he placed it on sacrificial grass, / and worshipped with sacrifices the self who is the Lord comprising all the gods.

20. He brought and joined the head with the body of his father and (placing it on *darbha grass*) he worshipped the god who pervades all the gods by means of sacrifices.

9.16.21

dadau prācīṃ diśaṃ hotre brahmaṇe dakṣiṇāṃ diśam /
adhvaryave pratīcīṃ vai udgātre uttarāṃ diśam //

He gave the eastern direction to the hotṛ, the southern direction to the brahman priest, / the western direction to the adhvaryu, and the northern direction to the udgātṛ.

21. He gave all the east to Hotri, the south to Brahma, the west to Adhvaryu and the north Udgatri.

9.16.22

anyebhyo 'vāntaradiśaḥ kaśyapāya ca madhyataḥ /
āryāvartamupadraṣṭre sadasyebhyastataḥ param //

To the others he gave the intermediate directions, and to Kaśyapa the central region; / to the upadraṣṭṛ he gave Āryāvarta, and what was beyond to the assembly members.

22. The intermediate points to others and the centre to Kasyapa; he gave Aryavarta to Upadrashtra and what lay beyond it to Sadasyas (Judges).

9.16.23

tataścāvabhṛthasnāna vidhūtāśeṣakilbiṣaḥ /
sarasvatyāṃ mahānadyāṃ reje vyabbhra ivāṃśumān //

Then, having all blemishes shaken off by the concluding ablution bath / in the great river Sarasvatī, he shone like the sun free from clouds.

23. Then absolved from all sin by performing the concluding ablutions called Avabhrita in the Saraswati the Vedic river, he shone like the sun free from clouds.

9.16.24

svadehaṃ jamadagnistu labdhvā saṃjñānalakṣaṇam /
ṛṣīṇāṃ maṇḍale so 'bhūt saptamo rāmapūjitaḥ //

Jamadagni, however, having regained his own body characterized by pure consciousness, / became the seventh in the circle of the seven sages, worshipped by Rāma.

24. Jamadagni obtained his own body characterised by memory: he became the seventh in the sphere of the sages and was honoured by Rama.

9.16.25

jāmadagnyo 'pi bhagavān rāmaḥ kamalalocanaḥ /
āgāminyantare rājan vartayiṣyati vai bṛhat //

The Lord Rāma, the son of Jamadagni, the lotus-eyed one, / will indeed, O King, promulgate the Veda in the coming age.

25. The glorious Rama, son of Jamadagni, having lotus-like eyes, will be a director or presiding authority over the Vedas, O king, in the coming Manvantara (i.e. will become one of the seven sages).

9.16.26

āste 'dyāpi mahendrādrau nyastadaṇḍaḥ praśāntadhīḥ /
upagīyamānacaritaḥ siddhagandharvacāraṇaiḥ //

He dwells even today on Mount Mahendra, his staff laid aside, his mind completely tranquil, / his deeds sung by the Siddhas, Gandharvas, and Cāraṇas.

26. Having laid down his rod of punishment and keeping his mind serene, he is even now on mount Mahendra and Siddhas, Gandharvas and Charanas are singing in praise of his deeds.

9.16.27

evaṃ bhṛguṣu viśvātmā bhagavān harirīśvaraḥ /
avatīrya paraṃ bhāraṃ bhuvo 'han bahuśo nṛpān //

Thus, descending among the Bhṛgus, the Lord Hari, the Ruler, the Self of all, / killed kings repeatedly to remove the heavy burden of the earth.

27. The Almighty and Supreme Ruler Hari, the Atman of all, thus made an Avatar in the Bhrigu family and put down most of the kings who formed the heavy burden of the earth.

9.16.28

gādherabhūn mahātejāḥ samiddha iva pāvakaḥ /
tapasā kṣātramutsṛjya yo lebhe brahmavarcasam //

To Gādhi was born one of great splendor, like a blazing fire, / who, renouncing the warrior class through ascetic penance, attained the splendor of Brahman.

28. Of Gadhi was born a son of very great power, brilliant like the flaming fire, who by his tapas rose from his Kshatriya state and attained to the glory of the brahmin (sage).

9.16.29

viśvāmitrasya caivāsan putrā ekaśataṃ nṛpa /
madhyamastu madhucchandā madhucchandasa eva te //

Viśvāmitra had one hundred and one sons, O King; / the middle one was Madhucchandas, and they are called the Madhucchandases.

29. And he Visvamitra had one hundred and one sons, of whom the middle son was Madhuchchandas; and all of them were known by the same name Madhuchchandas.

9.16.30

putraṃ kṛtvā śunaḥśephaṃ devarātaṃ ca bhārgavam /
ājīgartaṃ sutān āha jyeṣṭha eṣa prakalpyatām //

Having adopted Śunaḥśepha, known as Devarāta, a descendant of Bhṛgu / and son of Ajīgarta, he said to his sons: “Let him be designated the eldest.”

30. Having adopted Sunassepa, Devarata of Bhrigu family, as his son, Visvamitra asked his sons to adopt and treat Sunassepa, son of Ajeegartha, as their eldest brother.

9.16.31

yo vai hariścandramakhe vikrītaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ /
stutvā devān prajeśādīn mumuce pāśabandhanāt //

He indeed was the human sacrificial animal sold at Hariścandra’s sacrifice, / who, having praised the gods headed by the lord of creatures, was released from the bonds of the noose.

31. It is that Sunassepa who was purchased as a substitute for a sacrificial animal in the sacrifice of Harischandra and who was, by praying to the gods and to Prajapatis (Varuna) and others, freed from the bonds.

9.16.32

yo rāto devayajane devairgādhiṣu tāpasaḥ /
devarāta iti khyātaḥ śunaḥśephastu bhārgavaḥ //

The ascetic who was given by the gods among the Gādhis at the sacrificial arena / became known as Devarāta; he was Śunaḥśepha, a descendant of Bhṛgu.

32. He who was (protected) given by the gods in a sacrifice was known as Devarata in the family of the Gadhis and was known as Sunassepa when in the family of the Bhrigus.

9.16.33

ye madhucchandaso jyeṣṭhāḥ kuśalaṃ menire na tat /
aśapat tān muniḥ kruddho mlecchā bhavata durjanāḥ //

Those elder to Madhucchandas did not think that to be proper. / The sage, enraged, cursed them: “May you become wicked barbarians!”

33. Those fifty Madhuchchandasas, the elders, did not think it proper: so the sage Visvamitra became angry and cursed them, “O wicked men, do you become Mlechchas”.

9.16.34

sa hovāca madhucchandāḥ sārdhaṃ pañcāśatā tataḥ /
yan no bhavān sañjānīte tasmiṃstiṣṭhāmahe vayam //

Then Madhucchandas together with fifty [brothers] said: / “In whatever you agree upon, in that we abide.”

34. Thereupon the middle son Madhuchchandas with the younger fifty, said, “we will be unto him that relation in which thou wouldst have us”.

9.16.35

jyeṣṭhaṃ mantradṛśaṃ cakrustvāmanvañco vayaṃ sma hi /
viśvāmitraḥ sutān āha vīravanto bhaviṣyatha /
ye mānaṃ me 'nugṛhṇanto vīravantamakarta mām //

They made the seer of sacred mantras their eldest, [saying], “We surely follow you.” / Viśvāmitra said to his sons: “You shall have heroic sons, / you who, accepting my honor, have made me a father of heroes.

35. They adopted Sunassepa as their eldest brother, the seer of mantras, and said to him, “we are all thy younger brothers”; then Visvamitra said to his sons, “Be you blessed with children as you have maintained due respect (by your obedience) for me and have thus made me a father having (true) sons”. 36. O sons of Kusika race, this Devarata is one of you as my son and do you follow him. Visvamitra had also other sons, namely, Ashtaka, Hareeta, Jaya, Kratumat and others.

9.16.36

eṣa vaḥ kuśikā vīro devarātastamanvita /
anye cāṣṭakahārīta jayakratumadādayaḥ //

This Devarāta, O Kuśikas, is your hero; follow him! / And the others are Aṣṭaka, Hārīta, Jayakratumat, and the rest.”

9.16.37

evaṃ kauśikagotraṃ tu viśvāmitraiḥ pṛthagvidham /
pravarāntaramāpannaṃ taddhi caivaṃ prakalpitam //

Thus the lineage of the Kauśikas attained different forms / with distinct ancestral lineages through the Viśvāmitras; for so it was arranged.

37. Thus the Kausika family came to fall into different divisions through the sons of Visvamitra and it had a change of pravara, since this arrangement of adoption was introduced.