Bhagavatapurana 9.7

9.7.1

/0 śrīśuka uvāca
māndhātuḥ putrapravaro yo 'mbarīṣaḥ prakīrtitaḥ /
pitāmahena pravṛto yauvanāśvastu tatsutaḥ /
hārītastasya putro 'bhūn māndhātṛpravarā ime //

1. Sri Suka said:—Ambarisha mentioned above as an excellent son of Mandhatri was adopted by his grandfather; his son Yavanasva, (Yuvanasva) and his son was Hareetha and these are the three important members of the Mandhatri family (and they (severally) became the first of three different lines).

9.7.2

narmadā bhrātṛbhirdattā purukutsāya yoragaiḥ /
tayā rasātalaṃ nīto bhujagendraprayuktayā //

2. Narmada who was given to Purukutsa in marriage by her brothers, the Uragas, took him to Rasatala as desired by the king of Nagas.

9.7.3

gandharvān avadhīt tatra vadhyān vai viṣṇuśaktidhṛk /
nāgāl labdhavaraḥ sarpādabhayaṃ smaratāmidam //

3. There Purukutsa endowed with the power of Vishnu slew certain Gandharwas who deserved to be destroyed and obtained a boon from the Naga that there should be no fear of a serpent to those that remember this story.

9.7.4

trasaddasyuḥ paurukutso yo 'naraṇyasya dehakṛt /
haryaśvastatsutastasmāt prāruṇo 'tha tribandhanaḥ //

4. Purukutsa's son was Trasaddasyu who was the father of Anaranya; his son was Haryasva (Tryarune) of whom was born Aruna; Aruna's son was Tribandhana (Tribandhura).

9.7.5

tasya satyavrataḥ putrastriśaṅkuriti viśrutaḥ /
prāptaścāṇḍālatāṃ śāpādguroḥ kauśikatejasā //

5. & 6. Of this last was born Satyavrata who became celebrated as Trisanku and who, under his preceptor's curse, became a Chandala (out-cast) and by virtue of Visvamitra's power, proceeded to Swarga with the mortal body and even to this day is seen in the heavens; for he was hurled down with his head towards the earth (downwards) by the gods, but he was made to stop in the heavens by the virtue of the same Visvamitra.

9.7.6

saśarīro gataḥ svargamadyāpi divi dṛśyate /
pātito 'vākśirā devaistenaiva stambhito balāt //

5. & 6. Of this last was born Satyavrata who became celebrated as Trisanku and who, under his preceptor's curse, became a Chandala (out-cast) and by virtue of Visvamitra's power, proceeded to Swarga with the mortal body and even to this day is seen in the heavens; for he was hurled down with his head towards the earth (downwards) by the gods, but he was made to stop in the heavens by the virtue of the same Visvamitra.

9.7.7

traiśaṅkavo hariścandro viśvāmitravasiṣṭhayoḥ /
yannimittamabhūdyuddhaṃ pakṣiṇorbahuvārṣikam //

7. Trisanku's son was Harischandra on whose account there raged a war of many years between Visvamitra and Vasishta (who took the form of two birds Adi and Baka).

9.7.8

so 'napatyo viṣaṇṇātmā nāradasyopadeśataḥ /
varuṇaṃ śaraṇaṃ yātaḥ putro me jāyatāṃ prabho //

8. & 9. Harischandra was childless and cheerless and as advised by Narada he sought Varuna for protection, and said, "O Lord, may a son be born to me! If he be a warrior, O great king, I shall worship thee sacrificing him". Varuna said, "Be it so"; and through his grace was born his son Rohita.

9.7.9

yadi vīro mahārāja tenaiva tvāṃ yaje iti /
tatheti varuṇenāsya putro jātastu rohitaḥ //

8. & 9. Harischandra was childless and cheerless and as advised by Narada he sought Varuna for protection, and said, "O Lord, may a son be born to me! If he be a warrior, O great king, I shall worship thee sacrificing him". Varuna said, "Be it so"; and through his grace was born his son Rohita.

9.7.10

jātaḥ suto hyanenāṅga māṃ yajasveti so 'bravīt /
yadā paśurnirdaśaḥ syādatha medhyo bhavediti //

10. Varuna said, "A son is born, O beloved king; worship me with him". Harischandra said, "when the sacrificial animal passes the first ten days of birth, it will be fit for sacrifice".

9.7.11

nirdaśe ca sa āgatya yajasvetyāha so 'bravīt /
dantāḥ paśoryaj jāyerannatha medhyo bhavediti //

11. When the ten days passed, he came and said, "worship me"— Harischandra said, “when teeth appear, the animal will be fit for sacrifice”,

9.7.12

dantā jātā yajasveti sa pratyāhātha so 'bravīt /
yadā patantyasya dantā atha medhyo bhavediti //

12 “Teeth have appeared, do thou sacrifice”, said he: then Harischandra said, “When his teeth fall he becomes fit for sacrifice”.

9.7.13

paśornipatitā dantā yajasvetyāha so 'bravīt /
yadā paśoḥ punardantā jāyante 'tha paśuḥ śuciḥ //

13. “The teeth of the animal have fallen, do thou sacrifice”, said he. Harischandra said, “when the teeth grow again the animal becomes pure”.

9.7.14

punarjātā yajasveti sa pratyāhātha so 'bravīt /
sānnāhiko yadā rājan rājanyo 'tha paśuḥ śuciḥ //

14. “They have grown again, do thou sacrifice”, said he. Harischandra said, “when he wears armour, O king, a Kshatriya becomes pure to be a sacrificial animal”.

9.7.15

iti putrānurāgeṇa snehayantritacetasā /
kālaṃ vañcayatā taṃ tamukto devastamaikṣata //

15. Thus, through affection to his son and with a heart bound up with love, whatever time the king went on appointing to evade him, all that time the god waited.

9.7.16

rohitastadabhijñāya pituḥ karma cikīrṣitam /
prāṇaprepsurdhanuṣpāṇiraraṇyaṃ pratyapadyata //

16. Having known what his father had intended to do, Rohita took up a bow and bent into the forest to save his life.

9.7.17

pitaraṃ varuṇagrastaṃ śrutvā jātamahodaram /
rohito grāmameyāya tamindraḥ pratyaṣedhata //

17. When he was informed that his father was possessed by Varuṇa and suffering from Mahodara (a disease), Rohita was returning to the city; but Indra prevented him.

9.7.18

bhūmeḥ paryaṭanaṃ puṇyaṃ tīrthakṣetraniṣevaṇaiḥ /
rohitāyādiśac chakraḥ so 'pyaraṇye 'vasat samām //

18. Indra counselled Rohita to be wandering all over the earth and visiting holy places and sacred waters; accordingly he too lived in the forest for a year (for many years).

9.7.19

evaṃ dvitīye tṛtīye caturthe pañcame tathā /
abhyetyābhyetya sthaviro vipro bhūtvāha vṛtrahā //

19. Similarly in the second, third, fourth and fifth year: again and again Indra came up in the form of an old brahmin and advised him (in the same way).

9.7.20

ṣaṣṭhaṃ saṃvatsaraṃ tatra caritvā rohitaḥ purīm /
upavrajannajīgartādakrīṇān madhyamaṃ sutam //

20. Having spent there his sixth year also, Rohita returned to the city and (on his way) purchased Sunassepa, the second son of Ajeegarta.

9.7.21

śunaḥśephaṃ paśuṃ pitre pradāya samavandata /
tataḥ puruṣamedhena hariścandro mahāyaśāḥ //

21. & 22. Rohita bowed to his father offering Sunassepa to be used as the sacrificial animal in his place; then Harischandra of great renown and sung in the assemblies of the great was free from the disease and proceeded to worship Varuṇa and the other gods with a human sacrifice: there Viswamitra possessed of self-control became the *Hota* and *Jamadagni* (one possessed of self-control) Adhvaryu.

9.7.22

muktodaro 'yajaddevān varuṇādīn mahatkathaḥ /
viśvāmitro 'bhavat tasmin hotā cādhvaryurātmavān //

21. & 22. Rohita bowed to his father offering Sunassepa to be used as the sacrificial animal in his place; then Harischandra of great renown and sung in the assemblies of the great was free from the disease and proceeded to worship Varuṇa and the other gods with a human sacrifice: there Viswamitra possessed of self-control became the *Hota* and *Jamadagni* (one possessed of self-control) Adhvaryu.

9.7.23

jamadagnirabhūdbrahmā vasiṣṭho 'yāsyaḥ sāmagaḥ /
tasmai tuṣṭo dadāv indraḥ śātakaumbhamayaṃ ratham //

23. Vasishta acted as Brahma and sage Agastya sang Sama hymns. Being pleased with him Indra bestowed on him a chariot of gold. 24. & 25. The greatness of Sunassepa will be told later on; having seen the resoluteness of the king and his wife in being truthful, Visvamitra was very much pleased with him and conferred on him uninterrupted light of wisdom.

9.7.24

śunaḥśephasya māhātmyamupariṣṭāt pracakṣyate /
satyaṃ sāraṃ dhṛtiṃ dṛṣṭvā sabhāryasya ca bhūpateḥ //

23. Vasishta acted as Brahma and sage Agastya sang Sama hymns. Being pleased with him Indra bestowed on him a chariot of gold. 24. & 25. The greatness of Sunassepa will be told later on; having seen the resoluteness of the king and his wife in being truthful, Visvamitra was very much pleased with him and conferred on him uninterrupted light of wisdom.

9.7.25

viśvāmitro bhṛśaṃ prīto dadāv avihatāṃ gatim /
manaḥ pṛthivyāṃ tāmadbhistejasāpo 'nilena tat //

23. Vasishta acted as Brahma and sage Agastya sang Sama hymns. Being pleased with him Indra bestowed on him a chariot of gold. 24. & 25. The greatness of Sunassepa will be told later on; having seen the resoluteness of the king and his wife in being truthful, Visvamitra was very much pleased with him and conferred on him uninterrupted light of wisdom.

26 & 27. The king resolved his mind into Prithivi (earth), Prithivi into water and water into Agni and Agni into Anila (air) and the air into the sky and the sky into Ahankara (the course of the Bhutas) and Ahankara into the Mahattatva and contemplated in Mahattatva the intellectual aspect to be Atman, to the exclusion of its objective form; and by this contemplation he burnt down nescience and having shunned that aspect also, he stood free from bondage and in his own essential nature of absolute bliss and consciousness beyond the range of description and inference.

9.7.26

khe vāyuṃ dhārayaṃstac ca bhūtādau taṃ mahātmani /
tasmin jñānakalāṃ dhyātvā tayājñānaṃ vinirdahan //

26 & 27. The king resolved his mind into Prithivi (earth), Prithivi into water and water into Agni and Agni into Anila (air) and the air into the sky and the sky into Ahankara (the course of the Bhutas) and Ahankara into the Mahattatva and contemplated in Mahattatva the intellectual aspect to be Atman, to the exclusion of its objective form; and by this contemplation he burnt down nescience and having shunned that aspect also, he stood free from bondage and in his own essential nature of absolute bliss and consciousness beyond the range of description and inference.

9.7.27

hitvā tāṃ svena bhāvena nirvāṇasukhasaṃvidā /
anirdeśyāpratarkyeṇa tasthau vidhvastabandhanaḥ //

26 & 27. The king resolved his mind into Prithivi (earth), Prithivi into water and water into Agni and Agni into Anila (air) and the air into the sky and the sky into Ahankara (the course of the Bhutas) and Ahankara into the Mahattatva and contemplated in Mahattatva the intellectual aspect to be Atman, to the exclusion of its objective form; and by this contemplation he burnt down nescience and having shunned that aspect also, he stood free from bondage and in his own essential nature of absolute bliss and consciousness beyond the range of description and inference.