Ancient Indian Historical Tradition c27.s2.1

c27.s2.1

An account which professes to give an historical explanation of Pulastya’s offspring is found in five Puranas.¹ It derives them from the royal line of Vaiśālī. Nariṣyanta, son of Marutta, had a son Dama (p. 147). His (eighth) successor was Tṛṇabindu, who was king at the third mouth of the Tretā age (p. 178). Tṛṇabindu’s daughter was Ilavilā and he gave her to Pulastya. Their son was the rishi Viśravas Ailavila.² Viśravas had four wives, a Bṛhaspati’s³ daughter Devavarṇinī, Mālyavant’s daughters Puṣpotkaṭā and Vākā, and Mālin’s daughter Kaikasī. Viśravas’s son by Devavarṇinī was Kubera Vaiśravaṇa,⁴ and Kubera had four sons Nalakūbara, Rāvaṇa,⁵ Kumbhakarṇa, and Vibhīṣaṇa and a daughter Śūrpaṇakhā. Kaikasī bore Daśagrīva and other sons; Puṣpotkaṭā bore Khara and other sons; and Vākā various sons. Pulastya’s offspring (putting aside Kubera) were Rākṣasas, and the Matsya says (202, 12–13) that Pulastya, seeing that, adopted Agastya’s son (who is not named)⁶ and so the Paulastyas were Āgastyas.