Matsyapurana 44
English (machine translation) 44
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44.1
The sages said:
"For what reason was that forest of the great-souled Āpava burned
by Kārtavīrya through his might? Tell this truly, O Sūta.
44.2
We have heard that that royal sage was the protector of the subjects.
How then, being a protector, did he burn down that penance grove?"
44.3
Sūta said:
Āditya approached Kārtavīrya in the form of a twice-born:
"Grant me one satisfaction; I am Āditya, O ruler of men."
44.4
The king said:
"O Lord, by what is your satisfaction attained, O sun?
What kind of food shall I offer? Having made the oblation, I shall provide it."
44.5
Āditya said:
"Give me all immobile beings as food, O best of givers;
by that I would be satisfied; indeed, that is my satisfaction, O earthly ruler."
44.6
Kārtavīrya said:
"All immobile beings cannot be consumed by my splendor and strength,
O foremost of radiant ones; therefore I bow to you."
44.7
Āditya said:
"Pleased with you, I grant inexhaustible arrows facing all directions,
which, when released, will blaze endowed with my splendor.
44.8
Infused with my splendor, they will dry up the immobile beings;
once dried, they will turn them to ashes, and by that my satisfaction [will come], O king of men."
44.9
Sūta said:
Then Āditya bestowed the arrows upon Arjuna;
thereupon he burnt all the immobile beings he encountered:
44.10
villages and hermitages, cowherds' settlements and cities,
delightful penance groves, forests, and pleasure parks.
44.11
Thus he burnt along the eastern region, and then the entire south;
the earth became devoid of trees and grass, struck down by that terrible fire.
44.12
At that very time Āpava was staying in the water;
for ten thousand years that great sage remained there.
44.13
His vow fulfilled, the ascetic of great splendor arose;
that great sage saw his hermitage burnt by Arjuna.
44.14
In anger he cursed the royal sage, as has been related to you by me.
Listen to the lineage endowed with supreme prowess of the royal sage Kroṣṭu,
44.15
in whose lineage was born Viṣṇu, upholder of the Vṛṣṇi race.
Kroṣṭu's son was Vṛjinīvant, the great chariot-warrior.
44.16
And Vṛjinīvant's son was Svāha by name, of great might;
Svāha's son was Ruṣaṅgu, O king, foremost among eloquent speakers.
44.17
Desiring offspring, Ruṣaṅgu [obtained] a gentle son;
Citraratha was his son, wonderful and endowed with [noble] deeds.
44.18
Then was born the heroic son of Citraratha, bestower of lavish sacrificial gifts;
renowned as Śaśabindu, he became a universal sovereign.
44.19
In this connection, this genealogical verse was sung in ancient times:
Śaśabindu had a hundred hundred sons,
44.20
wise and handsome, endowed with immense wealth and splendour.
Among those hundred principal sons of great strength, each named with Pṛthu,
44.21
were Pṛthuśravas, Pṛthuyaśas, Pṛthudharma, Pṛthuñjaya,
Pṛthukīrti, and Pṛthumanas—kings descending from Śaśabindu.
44.22
And those who know the Purāṇas praise the excellent Pṛthuśravas.
Suyajña was his son, and of Suyajña,
44.23
Uśanas was [the son], who, protecting this earth,
performed a hundred horse-sacrifices, being exceedingly righteous.
44.24
The son of Uśanas was Titikṣu, the scorcher of foes;
his son was Marutta, foremost among royal sages.
44.25
Marutta's son was the heroic Kambalabarhiṣ;
and the son of Kambalabarhiṣ was the wise Rukmakavaca.
44.26
Rukmakavaca, having slain enemy bowmen clad in armour
with diverse arrows and acquired this earth,
44.27
the king gave gifts to the brahmins at a horse-sacrifice.
At that sacrifice, Rukmakavaca, the slayer of enemy heroes,
44.28
begot five sons of great valour, bowmen:
Rukmeṣu, Pṛthurukma, Jyāmagha, Parigha, and Hari.
44.29
The father established Parigha and Hari in Videha;
Rukmeṣu became the king, and Pṛthurukma was supported by him.
44.30
Exiled by them from the kingdom, Jyāmagha dwelt in a hermitage,
peaceful, living in the hermitage and instructed by a brahmin.
44.31
Taking up his bow, the king, banner-bearing and chariot-borne,
went alone to another country, to the Narmadā, solely seeking a livelihood.
44.32
Having gone to Mount Ṛkṣavant, he occupied land enjoyed by others.
Jyāmagha had a faithful wife, Caitrā, who was advanced in years.
44.33
The king lived sonless, yet did not take another wife.
He won a victory in battle, and there, having won a maiden,
44.34
he said to his wife out of fear: "O sweetly smiling one, this is your daughter-in-law."
Addressed thus, she said to him: "Whose daughter-in-law is this?"
44.35
The king said:
"She shall be the wife of the son who will be born to you."
Then, by severe ascetic penance, she gave birth to a son from that maiden's [destiny]—
44.36
the fortunate and faithful Caitrā, advanced in years, bore a son, Vidarbha.
And the wise [Vidarbha begot] upon that princess, the daughter-in-law, Kratha and Kaiśika,
and a third son, Lomapāda, who was exceedingly righteous.
44.37
Upon her, Vidarbha begot heroic sons skilled in battle.
From Lomapāda came Manu, and to him was born a son, Jñāti.
44.38
The son of Kaiśika was Cidi; from him the kings of Cedi are remembered.
Kratha was the son of Vidarbha, and Kunti was his son.
44.39
To Kunti was born a son, Dhṛṣṭa, bold in battle and majestic.
The righteous Nirvṛti, slayer of enemy heroes, was the son of Dhṛṣṭa.
44.40
Nirvṛti had an only son named Vidūratha;
his son indeed was Daśārha, and his son is remembered as Vyoman;
and from Daśārha's [line], from Vyoman, the son is called Jīmūta.
44.41
The son of Jīmūta was Vimala; his son was Bhīmaratha;
the son of Bhīmaratha was traditionally known as Navaratha.
44.42
And his [son] was Dṛḍharatha; his son was Śakuni;
from him came Karambha; the son of Karambha was Devarāta.
44.43
The illustrious king Devakṣatra was the son of Devarāta;
like a divine embryo, Devana was born, the delight of the Nakṣatras.
44.44
His [son] was named Madhu, of great splendour; from Madhu came Puruvasas;
from Puruvasas was born a son, Purudvant, the best among men.
44.45
Then Jantu was born to Purudvant from the Vaidarbha princess, Bhadrasenyā.
Jantu's wife was an Aikṣvāku princess; upon her was born
44.46
Sātvata, endowed with strength, increaser of the renown of the Sātvatas.
Knowing this lineage of the great-souled Jyāmagha,
one gains offspring and attains communion with the wise king Soma.
44.47
Kauśalyā bore to Sātvata sons endowed with strength:
Bhajina, Bhajamāna, and the divine Devāvṛdha, O king,
44.48
and Andhaka, Mahābhoja, and Vṛṣṇi, the delight of the Yadus.
There are four lineages of them; hear that in detail.
44.49
Of Bhajamāna [the sons] were born upon Sṛñjayī and Bāhyakā, called Bāhyakas.
The two daughters of Sṛñjaya were then the Bāhyakās.
44.50
His two wives, the two sisters, bore many sons:
Nimi, Kṛmila, and Vṛṣṇi, the conqueror of enemy cities—
they were born to Bhajamāna upon the Bāhyakā, daughter of Sṛñjaya.
44.51
At a sacrifice, King Devāvṛdha, increaser of friends and kinsmen,
being sonless, performed supreme ascetic penance,
longing, "May I have a son endowed with all good qualities."
44.52
Having recited a mantra, he touched the waters of the Parṇāśā;
then, because of his touching, the river granted his desire.
44.53
Because of the righteousness of the king, that best of streams,
her heart filled with contemplation, came to a decision:
44.54
"I see no woman in whom such a son
could be born; therefore, today I shall become [his wife] in a thousand ways."
44.55
Then, becoming a maiden displaying supreme beauty,
she made herself known to the king, and he of great vows desired her.
44.56
Then, in the ninth month, that best of rivers bore
to King Devāvṛdha a son endowed with all good qualities, Babhru.
44.57
In the genealogy, those who know the Purāṇas sing this well-known [verse],
praising also the virtues of the great-souled Devāvṛdha:
44.58
"Just as we hear from afar, so we see near at hand:
Babhru is the foremost among men, and Devāvṛdha is equal to the gods.
44.59
Sixty and seventy thousand ancestors of his,
these attained immortality through Babhru and Devāvṛdha, O king."
44.60
He was a sacrificer, a liberal giver, heroic, devoted to brahmins, firm of vow,
handsome, exceedingly splendid, and possessing learning and valour.
44.61
Then the daughter of Kaṅka gave birth to four sons:
Kukura, Bhajamāna, Śaśi, and Kambalabarhiṣ.
44.62
The son of Kukura was Vṛṣṇi; the son of Vṛṣṇi was Dhṛti;
his [son was] Kapotaromā, and his son was Taittiri.
44.63
His son was Sarpa, and [his] wise son was indeed Nala;
his son is celebrated by his name, Daradundubhi.
44.64
While his sacrifice was being extended, Punarvasu was born;
and that best of men performed a horse-sacrifice for the sake of a son.
44.65
In the midst of that Atirātra sacrifice, from the center of the assembly, he arose; / therefore, Punarvasu was wise, knowing proper rites, a sacrificer, and a giver of gifts.
44.66
He had twin offspring who were truly unconquered, / Āhuka and Āhukī, renowned, O best of the intelligent.
44.67
And here they quote these verses concerning that Āhuka: / 'Equipped with quivers and axles, having banners and charioteers,
44.68
ten thousand chariots whose noise was like thunder. / There was no one untruthful, none lacking splendor, none who did not sacrifice, none who gave less than a thousand,
44.69
none impure, and none unlearned among those born among the Bhojas / who entered into Āhuka's service'—so indeed is it said.
44.70
And Āhuka gave his sister Āhukī among the Avantīs; / from Āhuka, the daughter of the king of Kāśi bore two sons:
44.71
Devaka and Ugrasena, both equal to divine offspring. / Devaka's heroic sons were born resembling gods:
44.72
Devavān, Upadeva, Sudeva, and Devarakṣita. / They had seven sisters; he gave them to Vasudeva:
44.73
Devakī, Śrutadevī, Mitradevī, Yaśodharā, / Śrīdevī, Satyadevī, and Sutāpī as the seventh.
44.74
Ugrasena had nine sons; Kaṃsa was the eldest of them, / and Nyagrodha, Sunāman, Kaṅka, and Śaṅku in large number,
44.75
Ajabhū, Rāṣṭrapāla, Yuddhamuṣṭi, and Sumuṣṭida. / They had five sisters: Kaṃsā and Kaṃsavatī,
44.76
Sutantū, Rāṣṭrapālī, and Kaṅkā—excellent women. / Ugrasena with his offspring, born of the Kukuras, has been declared.
44.77
Now, the son of Bhajamāna was Vidūratha, foremost among chariot-warriors. / The hero Rājādhideva was Vidūratha's son.
44.78
To Rājādhideva were born two sons, equal to the gods, / preeminent in observances and vows: Śoṇāśva and Śvetavāhana.
44.79
Śoṇāśva had five heroic sons skilled in battle: / Śamī, Devaśarman, Nikunta, and Śakraśatrujit.
44.80
Śamī's son was Pratikṣatra, and Pratikṣatra's son was / Pratikṣetra; his son was Bhoja, and Hṛdīka was his son.
44.81
Hṛdīka had ten sons of dreadful prowess; / Kṛtavarman was the eldest among them, and Śatadhanvan was the middle one,
44.82
Devārha, Nābha, the mighty Bhīṣaṇa, / Ajāta, Vanajāta, and the younger Kanīyaka and Karambhaka.
44.83
Devārha's wise son, Kambalabarhiṣa, was born; / his son was Asāmañjas, and Tamojāta was his son.
44.84
Ajāta's sons were three valiant ones of supreme renown: / Sudaṃṣṭra, Sunābha, and Kṛṣṇa—these are known as Andhakas.
44.85
A man who continually recites this lineage of the Andhakas / obtains an extensive lineage of his own, blessed with offspring.
Translations (1)
- The Matsya Puranam — A Taluqdar of Oudh 1916, English
Linked texts (1)
- Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit