Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c21.42

c21.42

Kaśyapa son of Marīci is alleged to be the progenitor of the Kāśyapa brahmans, but there is no mention of any rishi called Kaśyapa until Rāma Jāmadagnya’s time, as will be shown in chapter XX, and Marīci’s son Kaśyapa is made a prajāpati,¹⁰ or is identified with the Kaśyapa who in accounts of the creation is made the progenitor of all beings, and is called the father of the gods and asuras.¹ Thus the first account given that professes to be a vaṃśa of the Kāśyapas² diverges off into the creation. It declares that in this lineage the world had its origin, thus: Marīci begot a son, the prajāpati Ariṣṭanemi, who afterwards became Kaśyapa³ and married Dakṣa’s daughters, whence came the origin of all beings. It is also said Nārada was Brahmā’s son, because of Dakṣa’s curse, became the son of Kaśyapa or of Kaśyapa’s son :⁴ and further that Kaśyapa begot Nārada, Parvata and Arundhatī, whom Nārada gave as wife to ‘Vasiṣṭha’. ⁵ It is all myth.