Matsyapurana 49

English (machine translation) 49

Language: English

49.1

Sūta said: / The son of Pūru was that king of great splendor, Janamejaya. / His son was Prācīnvat, who conquered the eastern quarter.

49.2

The son of Prācīnvat was Manasyu. / The king named Pītāyudha was the son of Manasyu.

49.3

His heir was the ruler of the earth named Dhundhu. / Dhundhu’s son was Bahuvidha, and Sampāti was his son.

49.4

Sampāti’s son was Raṃhavarcas, and Bhadrāśva was his son. / Of Bhadrāśva, on the apsaras Ghṛtācī, ten sons were born:

49.5

Rceyuka, Hṛṣeyuka, Kakṣeyuka, Saneyuka, / Dhṛteyuka, Vineyuka, and Sthaleyuka, the most excellent,

49.6

Dharmeyuka, Saṃnateyuka, and Puṇyeyuka—these ten. / The wife of Ṛceyuka was named Jvalanā, daughter of Takṣaka.

49.7

On her he fathered Antināra, ruler of the earth. / Antināra fathered upon Manasvinī supreme, auspicious sons:

49.8

the heroic Amūrtarayasa, and the righteous Trivana, / and a third was the auspicious maiden Gaurī, the mother of Māndhātṛ.

49.9

Ilinā was Yama's daughter, who bore sons
mastering sacred knowledge; Ilinā indeed brought good fortune.

49.10

Upadānavī obtained four sons from the son of Ilinā:
Ṛṣyanta, Duṣyanta, Pravīra, and Anadha.

49.11

Then from Duṣyanta, upon Śakuntalā, was born the universal sovereign, victorious in battle,
Bharata, after whose name the Bhāratas are called.

49.12

Regarding the son of Duṣyanta, a bodiless voice spoke to the king:
“The mother is only the water-skin; the son belongs to the father: he is the very one by whom he was begotten.

Maintain your son, Duṣyanta! Do not despise Śakuntalā!
A son leads the depositor of the seed from the abode of Yama when deceased;
and you are the author of this pregnancy. Śakuntalā speaks the truth.”

49.14

Long ago, when the sons of Bharata perished,
a great destruction was caused by the wrath of their mothers.

49.15

Then Bharadvāja, that son of Bṛhaspati, was brought by the Maruts
and transferred by the Maruts to Bharata.

49.16

The sages said:
How was the immensely splendid Bharadvāja transferred by the Maruts to Bharata for the sake of a son?
Tell us that accurately.

49.17

The Sūta said:
While Uśij's wife was pregnant, he lived on earth;
seeing his brother’s wife, Bṛhaspati spoke to her:

49.18

“Adorn yourself, beautiful woman, and come to me for union.”
Being addressed thus, she herself said to Bṛhaspati:

49.19

“This child in the womb is fully developed and recites the Veda with its voice;
your semen is never barren, and this act is condemned by dharma.”

49.20

Addressed thus, Bṛhaspati himself said to her:
“You need not instruct me in proper conduct, O fair-complexioned one.”

49.21

Assailing her violently, he proceeded to copulate;
then the fetus spoke to Bṛhaspati as he was overpowering her:

49.22

“Indeed, I entered here first, O Bṛhaspati;
and your semen is never barren, but there is no room here for two.”

49.23

Addressed thus by the fetus, he was angered and replied:
“Since at such a time, desired by all creatures,
you obstruct me, therefore you shall enter prolonged darkness!”

49.24

Then, having restrained his desire, out of that joy of Bṛhaspati,
that semen fell upon the earth; withheld, it became an infant boy.

49.25

Seeing that newborn boy, Mamatā said:
“I shall go to my own home; support him, Bṛhaspati!”

49.26

Having said this, she departed; and when she was gone, he too abandoned him.
Seeing that child abandoned by mother and father,
the Maruts, moved by compassion, took that Bharadvāja.

49.27

At that time the lord Bharata, desiring to obtain a son,
sacrificed through many seasons with rites meant for procuring sons.

49.28

When the lord, sacrificing, did not obtain a son,
he then performed the Marutsoma sacrifice for the sake of a son.

49.29

Thereby those Maruts were pleased with his Marutsoma;
they brought Bharadvāja to Bharata as a son.

49.30

The heir of the son of Aṅgiras, the biological son of Bṛhaspati,
Bharadvāja, was transferred by the Maruts to Bharata.

49.31

Having obtained Bharadvāja as a son, the lord Bharata said:
“At first you were for your own benefit; [now] I am accomplished in my aim through you, O lord.”

49.32

Since that birth of sons had formerly become vain [vitatha],
therefore Bharadvāja became a king named Vitatha.

49.33

From that Bharadvāja, on earth, Brahmins and Kṣatriyas
are remembered as belonging to two lineages, twofold in nature.

49.34

When Vitatha was thus born, Bharata went to heaven;
and the sage Bharadvāja, having consecrated his son, went to heaven.

49.35

The heir of Vitatha was the illustrious Bhuvamanyu;
there were four sons of Bhuvamanyu, like the great elements:

49.36

Bṛhatkṣatra of great valor, Nara, and the valorous Garga.
The son of Nara was Saṃkṛti; his son was of great renown:

49.37

Gurudhī, and Rantideva—both are remembered as born of Satkṛti.
And Garga's heir was born as the wise Śibi.

49.38

From him the Gargas are remembered as Śaibyas, twice-born endowed with Kṣatriya status.
And the wise Urukṣava was the son of Āhārya.

49.39

His wife Viśālā, of great renown,
bore three sons: Tryuṣaṇa, Puṣkarin, and Kavi.

49.40

All these are remembered as Urukṣavas who attained the status of Brahmins;
these three are spoken of as the best great sages among the Kāvyas.

49.41

The Gargas, Saṃkṛtis, and Kāvyas were twice-born endowed with Kṣatriya status,
capable descendants of Aṅgiras; and Bṛhatkṣatra held the realm.

49.42

Bṛhatkṣatra had an heir named Hastin;
by him this city called Gajasāhvaya was formerly founded.

49.43

And Hastin had three heirs of supreme renown:
Ajamīḍha, Dvimīḍha, and Purumīḍha.

49.44

Ajamīḍha had three wives who carried on the Kuru lineage:
Nīlinī, Dhūminī, and the famous Keśinī.

49.45

Upon them, that immensely splendid one begot sons endowed with divine radiance;
at the end of his austerities, the righteous sons were born to him in his old age.

49.46

By the grace of the Bhāradvāja; hear from me the details concerning them:
Upon Keśinī, Ajamīḍha begot Kaṇva.

49.47

His son was Medhātithi, from whom came the Kāṇvāyana twice-born.
Upon Bhūminī, Ajamīḍha begot King Bṛhadanu.

49.48

From Bṛhadanu came Bṛhanta; then from Bṛhanta, Bṛhanmanas;
and the son of Bṛhanmanas was renowned as Bṛhaddhanus.

49.49

From Bṛhaddhanus came Bṛhadiṣu; his son was Jayadratha;
his son was Aśvajit, and Senajit was his son.

49.50

Now the sons of Senajit were four, world-renowned:
Rucirāśva, Kāvya, and King Dṛḍharatha,

49.51

and King Vatsa, also called Āvartaka, whose descendants are these Parivatsakas.
The heir of Rucirāśva was the illustrious Pṛthusena.

49.52

From Pṛthusena came Pāra, and from Pāra then was born Nīpa;
Nīpa had one hundred and one sons of immeasurable vigor.

49.53

They were all known as the Nīpa kings;
the glorious enhancer of fame among them carried on the lineage of the Nīpas.

49.54

From Kāvya came Samara, who was always fond of battle;
Samara had three sons: Pāra, Saṃpāra, and Sadaśva.

49.55

These sons were endowed with all virtues and became renowned on earth;
Pāra's son was born as Pṛthu, and from Pṛthu was Sukṛta.

49.56

And his son Vibhrāja was born, endowed with every virtue; / and the heir of Vibhrāja was the valorous Aṇuha by name.

49.57

He became the son-in-law of Śuka and the highly renowned husband of Kṛtvī; / and the heir of Aṇuha was King Brahmadatta.

49.58

His son was Yugadatta, [and then] the highly renowned Viṣvaksena; / Vibhrāja was born again through his good deeds in this world.

49.59

The son of Viṣvaksena was Udaksena; / his son was Bhallāṭa, and his [son] was Janamejaya; / for his sake all the Nīpas were destroyed by Ugrāyudha.

49.60

The ṛṣis said: / Whose son was Ugrāyudha? In whose lineage is he recounted? / For what purpose were all those Nīpas destroyed by him?

49.61

Sūta said: / Ugrāyudha, of the solar lineage, performed austerities in an excellent hermitage; / remaining motionless like a post for eight thousand [years], Janamejaya attended upon him.

49.62

Having promised him the kingdom, the powerful one struck down the Nīpas; / he spoke diverse words of conciliation, yet they attacked both of them.

49.63

To those who had arrived being struck down he said: 'Since for no reason [you heed] not my word / for the protection of those who have sought refuge, therefore thus do I curse you:

49.64

If I have performed austerities, may Yama carry you all off!' / Then, seeing them being pitiably treated before him by Yama,

49.65

filled with the highest compassion, he spoke to Janamejaya: / 'These heroes who have departed—you ought to protect [them] for me.'

49.66

Janamejaya said: / 'Ah, the wicked and ill-behaved ones shall become his servants!' / Having said 'So be it,' the king then fought with Yama for a long time.

49.67

With terrible hellish afflictions, [fighting] with Yama, / having conquered them by force, he handed them over to the sage; that was as if a wonder.

49.68

Pleased, Yama then gave him supreme knowledge of liberation; / having done all that was proper, they went to imperishable Kṛṣṇa.

49.69

Grasping their deeds, one is not slain by untimely deaths, / and enjoys imperishable happiness in this world and the next.

49.70

To Ajamīḍha by Dhūminī was born the wise Yavīnara; / his son was Dhṛtimant, and his [son] is remembered as Satyadhṛti; / then the son of Satyadhṛti was the radiant Dṛḍhanemi.

49.71

And the son of Dṛḍhanemi was the king named Sudharmā; / Sudharmā's son was the radiant Sārvabhauma.

49.72

Renowned as 'Sārvabhauma', he shone as sole sovereign upon the earth; / in his great lineage was the son of the great Paurava.

49.73

The son of the great Paurava is remembered as King Rukmaratha; / then of Rukmaratha there was the king named Supārśva.

49.74

And the son of Supārśva was the righteous Sumati; / and the righteous King Saṃnatimant was [the son] of Sumati.

49.75

Of that Saṃnatimant was the great son named Kṛta, / a disciple of Hiraṇyanābha, the magnanimous Kauśalya,

49.76

by whom the Sāma Saṃhitās were taught in twenty-four recensions; / they are remembered as the Prācyasāmas, the Sāma-singers known here as Kārtas.

49.77

The son of Kṛti was that Ugrāyudha, increaser of the great Pauravas, / by whom, having displayed valor, the father of Pṛthuka was slain.

49.78

The great king named Nīla was the self-controlled lord of the Pāñcālas; / the heir of Ugrāyudha was the highly renowned Kṣema.

49.79

From Kṣema was born Sunītha; of Sunītha [was born] Nṛpaṃjaya; / and from Nṛpaṃjaya [came] Viratha: these are praised as Pauravas.

Translations (1)

The Matsya Puranam — A Taluqdar of Oudh 1916, English

Linked texts (1)

Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit