History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c15.s1.9

v1.c15.s1.9

We may further add that the legend about the origin of the Pallavas as given in the records of the later Pallavas is not reliable and as usual was concocted afterwards to connect them with a Mahābhārata hero. In fact it appears that in later centuries it was an ambition with all kingly families to connect themselves with some hero of the great national epic (just as in the west Greek and Roman families delighted to connect themselves with the heroes of Homer). The Chālukya later legend we have already discussed. We may note here the Pallava legend. It gives the genealogy as follows. १ ब्रह्मा २ अंगिरस् ३ बृहस्पति ४ शंयु ५ भरद्वाज ६ द्रोण ७ अश्वत्थामा and ८ पल्लव born of an Apsaras or heavenly nymph from Ashvatthāmā and placed on a bed made of soft leaves and hence called Pallava. Even Vedic poets loved to play with names, witness the fanciful derivations assigned to Agastya, Angiras, Atri etc. in the Brāhmaṇas and it is no wonder that later Sanskrit poets invented absurd legends to explain the meanings of names like Chālukya and Pallava. We may safely put these legends aside as imaginery, as also the legend that the first Pallava ruled the whole earth. We must take the names of Kshatriya families as we find them, whatever their real origin may have been and rely for facts on contemporary records.