Matsyapurana 24
English (machine translation) 24
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24.1
Sūta said: / Then, at the end of a year, resembling twelve suns, / wearing celestial yellow garments, adorned with celestial ornaments,
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a youth resembling the moon emerged from Tārā's womb, / wise, versed in all sciences of practical life, the founder of the elephant-lore
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named the Rājaputrīya, celebrated as the medicine of elephants. / Because he was the son of king Soma, Budha is remembered as 'the king's son'.
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As soon as he was born, that mighty one eclipsed all splendours. / Brahmā and the other gods arrived there along with the divine seers.
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Then, during the birth-rite festival in Bṛhaspati's house, / all those Suras asked Tārā: 'By whom was this boy fathered?'
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Then, being ashamed before them, she said nothing at that time. / Questioned again and again, that excellent woman, feeling ashamed,
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after a long while said, 'By Soma.' Then the moon accepted the son, / named him Budha, and gave him sovereignty upon the earth.
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Then, having performed his consecration, the Lord made him pre-eminent. / Having granted him equality as a planet, Brahmā, accompanied by the Brahmin seers,
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vanished right there while all the gods looked on. / And in the womb of Ilā, Budha begot a most righteous son,
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who by his own brilliance performed over a hundred horse-sacrifices, / known as Purūravas, bowed to by all the worlds.
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Having propitiated Janārdana on a lovely peak of the Himālaya, / that king, lord of the seven continents, attained dominion over the world.
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By him Daityas headed by Keśin were torn to pieces by the tens of millions; / bewitched by his handsome form, Urvaśī became his wife.
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The earth with its seven continents, along with mountains and forests, / was protected righteously by him, who sought the welfare of all beings.
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Fame constantly held the fly-whisk and bore his limbs; / through Viṣṇu's grace, the lord of the gods then shared half his throne [with him].
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He maintained dharma, artha, and kāma equally in accordance with righteousness. / In ancient times, Dharma, Artha, and Kāma came out of curiosity to see him,
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desiring to test his conduct: 'How does he view us equally?' / The king then offered them the guest-water, foot-washing water, and other rites with devotion.
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Having brought three celestial seats adorned with gold, / when they were seated, he paid worship, but paid slightly more to Dharma.
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Because of that, Kāma and Artha became exceedingly angry toward the king. / Artha pronounced a curse upon him: 'Through greed you shall come to ruin.'
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Kāma also said: 'You shall suffer madness on Mount Gandhamādana, / resorting to the Kumāravana, because of separation born of Urvaśī.'
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Dharma said: 'You shall have a long life and be righteous; / your lineage, O best of kings, will last as long as the moon, the sun, and the stars.
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May it increase hundredfold and never perish on earth.' / Having said this, they all disappeared, and the king enjoyed his kingdom.
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Day after day that king of kings went to see the lord of the gods. / Once, mounting his chariot that moved through the southern sky,
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he saw in the sky along with the sun / Citralekhā and Urvaśī being carried off by Keśin, the foremost of Dānavas.
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Having vanquished him in battle with various weapons in hand, / the son of Budha, seeking fame, discharged the Vāyavya weapon.
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And just as Śakra had been rescued in battle, he, having thus conquered, / attained friendship with the gods and restored Urvaśī to Indra.
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From then on, the chastiser of Pāka became his friend, / and granted him supremacy over all the worlds, strength, vitality, fame, and fortune.
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Gratified, the wielder of the thunderbolt decreed that he be sung by Bharata. / Out of love she sang that great deed of Purūravas.
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Bharata staged [a play] named 'The Self-Choice of Lakṣmī', / and then ordered Menakā, Urvaśī, and Rambhā: 'Dance!'
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There Urvaśī danced in tempo in the role of Lakṣmī; / seeing Purūravas while dancing, she was stricken with desire.
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She forgot all the dramatic gestures previously taught by Bharata. / In fury, Bharata cursed her: 'Because of separation from him on the earth,
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you shall become a slender creeper for fifty-five years; / and right there Purūravas shall experience the state of a Piśāca.'
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Then Urvaśī went to him and took him as her husband for a long time. / And at the end of Bharata's curse, Urvaśī bore from the son of Budha
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eight sons; learn them by name: / Āyus, Dṛḍhāyus, Aśvāyus, Dhanāyus, Dhṛtimant, Vasu,
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Śucividya, and Śatāyus, all of celestial strength and vigour. / Of Āyus, Nahuṣa and Vṛddhaśarman were the two sons,
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as well as Raji, Dambha, and Vipāpman—five heroic great car-warriors. / To Raji a hundred sons were born, known as the Rājeyas.
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Raji propitiated the stainless Nārāyaṇa; / pleased by his asceticism, Viṣṇu granted boons to the king.
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He then became victorious over gods, Asuras, and men. / Now, a battle between gods and Asuras took place for three hundred years,
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a terrible [battle] between Prahlāda and Śakra, in which neither was victorious. / Then, questioned by the gods and Asuras, the four-faced god spoke.
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When asked, 'Which of the two will be victorious?' he said, 'Where Raji is.' / For the sake of victory, the king was solicited: 'Become our ally!'
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He said to the Daityas: 'If I become your master, then surely [I will].' / That was not accepted by the Asuras, but it was accepted by the Suras.
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'Become our master; destroy our enemies in battle!' / Then all those who could not be slain by the thunderbolt-wielder were destroyed [by him].
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Delighted by his deed, the powerful Indra became his son. / Having then restored the kingdom to Indra, Raji went away to perform austerities.
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Then Indra's sovereignty was forcibly seized by Raji's sons, / endowed with the power of tapas and virtues—both the sacrificial portion and the kingdom.
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Dethroned from the kingdom and tormented by Raji's sons, Śakra then / spoke wretchedly to Vācaspati: 'I am afflicted by Raji's sons!'
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I have no sacrificial portion, my kingdom is gone, and I am defeated, O Bṛhaspati! / Strive for me to regain my sovereignty, O lord of intellect!
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Then Bṛhaspati made Śakra proud with strength / by means of rites to pacify the planets and rituals for prosperity.
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Going forth, Bṛhaspati then deluded the sons of Raji: / resorting to the Jina doctrine outside the Veda, that knower of the Veda,
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the master of wisdom made them fall away from the triple Veda; / knowing that they were outside the Veda and engaged in sophistry,
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Śakra struck down with his thunderbolt all those who had been cast out of dharma. / I shall now tell of the seven virtuous sons of Nahuṣa:
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Yati, Yayāti, Saṃyāti, Udbhava, and Pāci, / Śaryāti, and Meghajāti—these seven expanded the lineage.
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Even while a boy, Yati became a yogin and a Vaikhānasa hermit, / while Yayāti ruled the kingdom, ever taking refuge in dharma alone.
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Śarmiṣṭhā, the daughter of Vṛṣaparvan, became his wife, / and likewise Devayānī of noble vows, the daughter of the Bhārgava.
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Yayāti had five heirs; I shall speak of them by name: / Devayānī gave birth to the son Yadu and also to Turvasu;
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likewise, Śarmiṣṭhā bore the sons Druhyu, Anu, and Pūru. / Yadu and Pūru both became the increasers of their lineage.
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Yayāti, son of Nahuṣa, was a king of true prowess; / he protected the earth and sacrificed with rites according to rule.
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Ever self-restrained, having worshipped the ancestors and the gods with great devotion, / the undefeated Yayāti then conquered all subjects.
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Protecting his subjects in accordance with dharma for eternal years, / that king, the son of Nahuṣa, attained dreadful old age, which destroys beauty.
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Overcome by old age, that king, the ruler of the earth, spoke to his sons: / to Yadu, Pūru, Turvasu, Druhyu, and Anu:
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“I desire to enjoy fleeting pleasures, young, with young women, / through youthfulness; give me your aid, my sons!”
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To him the son of Devayānī, the eldest, Yadu, said: / “What help must be rendered to you by us with our youth?”
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Yayāti said to his sons: “Let my old age be accepted [by you], / and with your youth may I wander among the objects of sense.
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While I was sacrificing at long sacrificial sessions, and through the curse of the sage Uśanas, / my pursuit of desire was cut short; because of that, my sons, I remain unsatisfied.
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Let [one of] you bear this old age with his own body; / with a youthful body, I, become young, would attain pleasures.”
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Yadu and the others did not take upon themselves his old age; / that royal sage cursed the four of them: so it has been heard by us.
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Then Pūru, the youngest, of true valour, said to him: / “Do not give me old age! Be happy with my youthful body through its youth!
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Taking your old age upon myself, I shall abide in the kingdom according to your command.” / Addressed in this way, that royal sage, resorting to the power of his austerities,
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then transferred his old age to his high-souled son. / With Pūru’s age, the king entered upon youth.
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And with Yayāti’s age Pūru ruled the kingdom. / Then, at the end of a thousand years, the undefeated Yayāti,
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still as if unsatisfied with pleasures, spoke to his son Pūru: / “Through you I have an heir; you are the son who will continue my lineage.
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This lineage shall attain renown in the world as the Paurava lineage.” / Then that tiger among kings, having anointed Pūru on the throne,
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after a great time, met with the law of time. / I shall tell of the Pūru lineage; listen, best of sages, / wherein were born those descendants of Bharata who increased Bharata’s line.
Translations (1)
- The Matsya Puranam — A Taluqdar of Oudh 1916, English
Linked texts (1)
- Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit