Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c26.6

c26.6

Viśvāmitra had many sons, chief among them being Madhucchandas, Kati (or Kata?) Ṛṣabha, Reṇu, Aṣṭaka¹ and Gālava.² He also adopted the Bhārgava Śunaḥśepa with the name Devarāta and made him the chief of all his sons.³ Aṣṭaka appears to have succeeded Viśvāmitra in the kingdom of Kānyakubja (p. 146), but all the rest were entirely brahmans. Accounts concur (though differing in details) that Viśvāmitra's sons did not all accept Devarāta's headship; and it is said that Viśvāmitra cursed those who repudiated it to become dog-eaters or mlecchas,⁴ such as Andhras, Puṇḍras and Śabaras.⁵ The Rāmāyaṇa says absurdly that he cursed all his sons, because they refused to offer themselves as victims in Śunaḥśepa's stead, to be dog-eaters dwelling like the Vasiṣṭhas among the lowest castes.⁶ This is certainly wrong, for Madhucchandas and others were not degraded. There are allusions at times to degraded Viśvāmitras,⁷ but it is difficult to say what that means,⁸ and it is distinctly stated that all his sons were munis who declared sacred lore.⁹