Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c22.47

c22.47

The genealogy says Sukra's wife was the pitṛ-kanyā Go,³ and they had four sons, Tvaṣṭṛ, Varūtrin, Śaṇḍa (or Saṇḍa) and Marka.⁴ Tvaṣṭṛ introduces, and passes off into, mythology, with his alleged two sons, Triśiras-Viśvarūpa and Viśvakarman. Varūtrin had three sons (named), who were priests of the Daityas,⁵ hostile to Indra, and so perished. Śaṇḍa and Marka were priests of the asuras according to Vedic literature,⁶ and are mentioned in the Puranas ⁷ in connexion with a great war between the devas and the Daityas and Dānavas. It is said that at the devas' entreaty they abandoned the Daityas and Dānavas and helped the devas, who then were victorious; and it appears to be said that Śukra then cursed them.⁸ Śukra had a daughter Devayānī by (the genealogy says) Jayantī; ⁹ and she married king Yayāti (p. 86). Tradition then leaves Uśanas-Śukra's lineage in this position, that it sank as the Daityas fell and disappeared in one way or another, and certainly no brahman family (as far as I am aware) claimed descent from him, unless possibly the Mārkaṇḍeyas were descended from Marka (see infra).