Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c14.s3.77

c14.s3.77

sons, Parikṣit I¹ the eldest, Jahnu and Sudhanvan. The account deals first with Sudhanvan’s descendants, an offshoot, in which was Vasu who conquered and founded anew the kingdoms of Cedi and Magadha: its genealogy is noticed separately infra. The account then returns to the main line, to Parikṣit I’s lineage. His son was Janamejaya II, and his sons were Śrutasena, Ugrasena and Bhīmasena. Then the account drops them, passes to Jahnu, and gives his descendants who became the main Paurava line.² Śrutasena, Ugrasena and Bhīmasena are not described as kings, and the fact that their line stops and the account passes to Jahnu’s son Suratha as king shows that Janamejaya’s branch lost the sovereignty, which then vested in Suratha. The cause of this is explained by a story told earlier in the genealogy. Janamejaya II injured the rishi Gārgya’s son and was cursed by Gārgya; he was abandoned by his people, and was in great affliction; he sought help from the rishi Indrota Daivāpa Śaunaka, who purified him with a horse-sacrifice.³ He did not however recover the sovereignty, and so his three sons passed into oblivion.⁴