Parva 1 Chapter 29: divodāsa caritam - Legend of divodāsa

So far you have talked about the descendants of amā-vasu; and about king raji, one from the sons of āyu, namely nahuṣa, vṛddha-śarma, rambha, raji, and anenasa; another son of āyu, namely rambha, is issueless; now, let us take up the dynasty of anena... anenasaḥ suto rājā pratikṣatro mahāyaśāḥ || 1-29-1 anena’s son is king pratikṣatra; from him forward the descendant princes are like this: pratikṣatra sutaḥ cāpi sṛṣjayo nāma viśrutaḥ | sṛṣjayasya jayaḥ putro vijayaḥ tasya ca ātmajaḥ || 1-29-2 vijayasya kṛtiḥ putraḥ tasya haryaśvataḥ sutaḥ | haryaśvataḥ uto rājā sahadevaḥ pratāpavān || 1-29-3 sahadevasya dharmātmā nadīna iti viśrutaḥ | nadīnasya jayatseno jayatsenasya saṁkṛtiḥ || 1-29-4 saṁkṛteḥ api dharmātmā kṣatradharmā mahāyaśāḥ | prati-kṣatra --> sṛṣjaya --> jaya --> vijaya --> kṛti --> haryashva -->sahadeva --> nadīna --> jayatsena --> saṁkṛti --> kṣatra-dharma... anenasaḥ samākhyātāḥ kṣatra-vṛddhasya me śṛṇu || 1-29-5 That being the lineage from anena, now you know something about the lineage of kṣatra -vṛddha i.e., the descendants of vṛddha-śarma, another son of āyu... kṣatra-vṛddhasya= vṛddha-śarmā paramparyāyasya... nk kṣatra-vṛddha ātmajaḥ tatra sunahotro mahāyaśāḥ | sunahotrasya dāyādāḥ trayaḥ parama-dhārmikāḥ || 1-29-6 kāśaḥ shalashcha dvāvetau tathā gṛtsamadaḥ prabhuḥ | kṣatra-vṛddha begot sunahotra who begot three sons, namely kāśa, shala, and gṛtsamada... putro gṛtsamadasya api shunako yasya śaunakaḥ || 1-29-7 brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyāḥ caivaṁ vaiśyāḥ śūdrāḥ tathaiva ca | gṛtsa-mada’s brāhmaṇa son is shunaka whose sons are śaunaka-s who also are brāhmaṇa-s, whereas the other descendants of gṛtsa-mada have become kshatriya-s, vaishya-s and even śūdrās... shala ātmajaḥ ca arṣṭiṣeṇaḥ tanayaḥ tasya kāśakaḥ || 1-29-8 kāśasya kāśayo rājan putro dīrgha-tapāḥ tathā | dhanvaḥ tu dīrgha-tapaso vidvān dhanvantariḥ tataḥ || 1-29-9 tapaso'nte sumahato jāto vṛddhasya dhīmataḥ | punaḥ dhanvantariḥ devo mānuṣeṣiu iha jajṣivān || 1-29-10 The lineage of shala, the second son of sunahotra, is like this: shala --> arṣṭiṣeṇa --> kāśaka --> kāśaya, or kāśi --> dīrgha-tapa --> dhanva, or also called as dhanvantari... dīrgha-tapa was already old, but he undertook a long time ascesis and its end he got dhanwantari, the god of medicine, descended in human form, as his son... janamejaya uvāca – janamejaya querried kathaṁ dhanvantariḥ devo mānuṣeṣu iha jajṣivān | etat veditum icchāmi tat me brūhi yathātatham || 1-29-11 “How and why god dhanvantari incarnated as human... I would like to listen about it... please tell me the details... vaiśaṁpāyana uvāca – vaiśampāyana replied dhanvantareḥ sambhavo'yaṁ śrūyatāṁ bharatarṣabha | jātaḥ sa hi samudrāt tu mathyamāne purā amṛte || 1-29-12 utpannaḥ kalaśāt pūrvaṁ sarvataḥ ca śriyā vṛtaḥ | abhyasan siddhi kārye hi viṣṇuṁ dṛṣṭvā hi tasthivān || 1-29-13 abjaḥ tvam iti hovāca tasmāt abjaḥ tu sa smṛtaḥ | ”Oh, yes, I will tell you about the emanation of dhanvantari... endowed with an all-round magnificence he originally emerged from the Milky Ocean while it was being churned for amrita... on emerging from ocean he stood fixedly before viṣṇu just meditating upon him waiting for assignment of duties... and viṣṇu said lo him, “because you are born out of an ocean, your will be known as abja, ocean’s kin...” thus dhanvantari is also known as abja, reminiscent of brahma... kalaśāt = samudrāt; viṣṇuṁ abhyasan= viṣṇuṁ dhyāyan, pūjayan. abjaḥ provāca viṣṇuṁ vai tava putro'smi vai prabho || 1-29-14 vidhatsva bhāgaṁ sthānaṁ ca mama loke sureshvara | dhanvantari then said to viṣṇu, “Oh, god, whether it is ocean or otherwhere, I am your son – āpo narā proktā - pray allot me a place at your feet, and make me eligible for some dole from vedic rituals... Some read loke sthānaṁ as some place somewhere else; who wishes to go elsewhere when he is in the audience of viṣṇu. evam uktaḥ sa dṛṣṭvā vai tathyaṁ provāca taṁ prabhuḥ || 1-29-15 kṛto yajṣa-vibhāgo hi yajṣiyaiḥ hi suraiḥ purā | deveṣu viniyuktaṁ hi viddhi hotraṁ maharṣibhiḥ || 1-29-16 na shakyam upahomā vai tubhyaṁ kartuṁ kadācana | arvāk-bhūtaḥ asi devānāṁ putra tvaṁ tu na hi īśvaraḥ || 1-29-17 Examining the possibilities for his request, viṣṇu said this, “Practically, there is a riddle in it... you must know that the ancient sages have already apportioned primary ritual-offertories among gods and gods are using them up... and in any case, you cannot be given petty offertories, as well... oh, son, your emergence is much later to the gods, hence you are no deus optimus, a full-fledged god... but you are a tutelar numen insofar as health science is concerned... “So you have to do something physical and palpable to living beings, and then seek placement in heavens... hence, take birth as a human... In fact, none among those that have emerged from the churning of Milk Ocean has vedic idolisation. Many have emerged then like: 1. the H*l*hala or K*lak*ta poison, swallowed by *iva: 2. V*run* or Sur*, the goddess of wine 3. the horse ūcchai**ravas, taken by īndra: 4. Kaustubha, the jewel worn by Vishnu: 5. the moon: 6. ḍhanwantari, with the āmrita in his Kamandalu, or vase; 7. the goddess Padm* or *r*: 8. the āpsarasas, or nymphs of heaven: 9. ṣurabhi, or the cow of plenty: 10. the P*rij*ta tree, or tree of heaven: 11. Air*vata, the elephant taken by īndra. The ṁatsya adds, 12. the umbrella taken by Varuna: 13. the earrings taken by īndra, and given to Adit* – v.p., Wilson. The moon emerged here may not be taken as soma, the vedic god. dvitīyāyāṁ tu saṁbhūtyāṁ loke khyātiṁ gamiṣyasi | aṇimādiḥ ca te siddhiḥ garbhasthasya bhaviṣyati || 1-29-18 tena eva tvaṁ śarīreṇa devatvaṁ prāpsyase prabho | caru mantraiḥ vrataiḥ jāpyaiḥ yakṣyanti tvāṁ dvi-jātayaḥ || 1-29-19 In your second emergence you will attain reputation in consideration of your undertaking, and to make your undertaking feasible, you will attain certain potentialities, like the eightfold yogic capabilities aṇima, laghima, mahima etc., in your foetal state itself... by that alone, by your second emergence alone, you will attain godhood, whereafter brāhmaṇa-s will look up to you with potions, hymns, religious observances, meditation etc... dvitīyāyāṁ saṁbhūtyāṁ= in your second emergence. aṣṭadhā tvaṁ punaḥ ca evam āyurvedaṁ vidhāsyasi | avaśyabhāvī hi artho'yaṁ prāk dṛṣṭaḥ tu abja-yoninā || 1-29-20 dvitīyaṁ dvāparaṁ prāpya bhavitā tvaṁ na saṁśayaḥ | imaṁ tasmai varaṁ dattvā viṣṇuḥ antardadhe punaḥ || 1-29-21 Because hitherto uncommon ‘disease’ is going to become a common feature from the later part of dwāpara era, you have to segregate āyur-veda, the health-science, into eight broad categories for an easy applicability... brahma thought all these things beforehand and facilitated your emergence... hence, without a second thought, you have take up your second emergence in the forthcoming second dwāpara era to help living beings on earth... let us talk about placements and offertories later...” giving this boonlike entrustment to dhanvantari, viṣṇu vanished there itself... dvitīye dvāparaṁ prāpte saunahotriḥ sa kāśi-rāṭ | putra kāmaḥ tapaḥ tepe dhinvan dīrgha tapāḥ tadā || 1-29-22 prapadye devatāṁ tāṁ tu yā me putraṁ pradāsyati | abjaṁ devaṁ suta arthāya tat ārādhitavān nṛpaḥ || 1-29-23 When the second dwāpara era has come, the descendant of sunahotra who at that time is the king of kāśi province, namely dīrgha-tapa, is sonless... on deliberating much as to which god is to be propitiated... which god gives which kind of son, etc pros and cons, that king finally meditated upon dhanvantari seeking bestowal of a son... dhinvan= prīyamāṇa – while being propitiated; abjaṁ= water-born, here dhanvantari. tataḥ tuṣṭaḥ sa bhagavān abjaḥ provāca taṁ nṛpam | yat icchasi varaṁ brūhi tat te dāsyāmi suvrata || 1-29-24 Pleased with his ascesis dhanvantari appered before him and said, “Oh, king, whatever boon you wish to ask, you may ask... I will grant it...” nṛpa uvāca – king said bhagavan yadi tuṣṭaḥ tvaṁ putro me khyātimān bhava | tathā iti samanujṣāya tatra eva āntaradhīyata || 1-29-25 tasya gehe samutpanno devo dhanvantariḥ tadā | kāśi-rājo mahārāja sarva roga praṇāśanaḥ || 1-29-26 The king said, “Oh, god, if you are pleased with my ascesis, then please become a reputed son of mine...” To this dhanvantari said ‘so be it’ and disappeared from there... then that eliminator of every kind of disease, namely dhanvantari, took birth as the son king of kāśi... āyurvedaṁ bharadvājāt prāpya iha bhiṣjāṁ kriyām | tam aṣṭadhā punaḥ vyasya śiṣyebhyaḥ pratyapādayat || 1-29-27 Studying āyur-veda from sage bharadwāja, he segregated medical practise into eight categories, and taught the same to his medicos... Here, the word vyasya is used for segregating one in to eight divisions. It is not segregating actually, but it is sectorising a circle as in pie-charting, always keeping the main subject latched onto the centre. This is what vyāsa has done to veda-s, purāṇā-s etc. kāya bāla graha ūrdhvāṅga shalya daṁṣṭrā jarā vṛṣān | aṣṭau aṅgāni tasya āhuḥ chikitsā yeṣu saṁśritā || kāya chikitsa= general treatment to body; bāla chikitsa = paediatrics; graha= when possessed by evil sprits etc; ūrdhva-aṅga chikitsa = for upper parts, say head, eyes, ears etc; shalya chikitsa = for slashes, gashes etc., or using surgery, as well; daṁṣṭra chikitsa= treatment for poisonous fang bites; jarā chikitsa= for old age problems; vṛṣa = vājikaraṇa= for debilities, and for extending youth by using decoctions etc. dhanvantareḥ tu tanayaḥ ketumān iti viśrutaḥ | atha ketumataḥ putro vīro bhīma-rathaḥ smṛtaḥ || 1-29-28 suto bhīmarathasya api divodāsaḥ prajeśvaraḥ | divodāsaḥ tu dharmātmā vārāṇasi adhipaḥ abhavat || 1-29-29 dhanvantari’s son is ketumān whose son is bhīma-ratha from whom divodāsa has emerged as son... later, this righteous divodasa has become the king of kāśi... etasmin eva kāle tu purīṁ vārāṇasīṁ nṛpa | śūnyāṁ nivāsayāmāsa kṣemako nāma rākṣasaḥ || 1-29-30 śaptā hi sā matimatā nikuṁbhena mahātmanā | śūnyā varṣa-sahasraṁ vai bhavitrī nātra saṁśayaḥ || 1-29-31 tasyāṁ tu śaptamātrāyāṁ divodāsaḥ prajeśvaraḥ | viṣaya-ante purīṁ ramyāṁ gomatyāṁ saṁnyaveśayat || 1-29-32 But the city of kāśi became desolated when divodasa was ruling it, owing to a curse of nikumbha, an ethereal-attendant of god shiva, who cursed it to remain desolated for a thousand years to come... helpless divodasa also left the uninhibited city kāśi when it is reeling under curse, and lived in a cosy dwelling at gomati, on the fringes of kāśi... at that time, even a demon named kshemaka sneaked into that depopulated city to dwell... Some read nikumbha as an epithet to vināyaka, the son of śiva-pārvati, and take this nikumbha as vināyaka himself, because vināyaka has tusks that resemble dantaka plant - Croton Polyandrum; kumbha means variously: the frontal globe or prominence on the upper part of the forehead of an elephant; kumbha - a small tree (the seeds of which are used in medicine , commonly; Katphala) L. ; Bignonia suaveolens L. ; Pistia ṣtratiotes L. ; another plant (commonly Romas3a) L. ; the plant Croton polyandrum L. ; the plant ṁyrica sapida; the plant īpomoea ṭurpethum L. ; a fragrant resin (guggulu) , or the plant which bears it – etrc etc... where all these medicinal or fragrant oil plants indicate gaṇapati as a – rasa ādhāra bhūta devata - god who is the basis for all these factors. Further, the text says later that an idol of this nikumbha is installed at the ingress of kāśi. We install idols of pleasant looking gods but not fierce looking rudra-gaṇa-s like bhringi, shringi, vīrabhadra et al. So, idol of vinayaka alone is in stalled at the entrance to kāśi. By these arguments the name nikumbha is taken for vināyaka. bhadra-śreṇyasya pūrvaṁ tu purī vārāṇasi iti abhūt | bhadraśreṇyasya putrāṇāṁ shatam uttama-dhanvinām || 1-29-33 hatvā niveśayāmāsa divodāso nararṣabhaḥ | bhadraśreṇyasya tat rājyaṁ hṛtaṁ tena balīyasā || 1-29-34 Even earlier to divodasa’s taking the reins of kāśi, a king named bhadra-śreṇya was ruling kāśi, usurping it from the ancestors of divodasa... this bhadra-śreṇya is from yadu dynasty and he is the son of king mahiṣmanta.... vanquishing that king bhadra-śreṇya and all his hundred sons who are famed as great archers, divodasa regained kāśi from him just by his own might, leaving off the last son of that king, called durdama, because he was too young to be eradicated at that time... later, the calamity on kāśi has befallen... janamejaya uvāca – janamejaya inquired vārāṇasīṁ nikumbhaḥ tu kim arthaṁ śaptavān prabhuḥ | nikumbhakaḥ ca dharmātmā siddhi-kṣetraṁ śaśāpa yaḥ || 1-29-35 “What for nikumbha cursed the city of kāśi... being a righteous entity how could nikumbha curse a holy place like kāśi... siddhi-kṣetraṁ= moksha kṣetraṁ= holy place. vaiśaṁpāyana uvāca – vaiśampāyana replied divodāsaḥ tu rājarṣiḥ nagarīṁ prāpya pārthivaḥ | vasati sma mahātejāḥ sphītāyāṁ tu narādhipaḥ || 1-29-36 etasmin eva kāle tu kṛta-dāro maheśvaraḥ | devyāḥ sa priya kāmaḥ tu nyavasat shvashura antike || 1-29-37 At the time when the kingly sage divodasa was ruling from the most affluent city kāśi, god shiva marrying goddess pārvati remained in his father-in-law’s house, namely near at Himalayas, for sometime, just to please his new bride... deva ājṣayā pārṣadā ye tu adhi-rūpāḥ tapodhanāḥ | pūrva uktaiḥ upadeśaiḥ ca toṣayanti sma pārvatīm || 1-29-38 hṛṣyate vai mahādevī menā naiva prahṛṣyati | jugupsati asakṛttāṁ vai devīṁ devaṁ tathaiva sā || 1-29-39 The spiritual coterie of god shiva, namely pramatha gaṇa-s, has also stayed back with shiva according to the order of shiva... the highly spiritual members of this coterie have a shiva-like appearance – shankara sārūpya tejam – and they are hitherto indoctrinated with shiva svarūpa tattvam – the essence of shiva... so, they have nothing else to do than to sing, praise, and dance for / along with shiva... as such, they continued their good old habit even in the house of shiva’s father-in-law and started to sing, dance and praise, of course, now adding the name of śivā to shiva... though the newly weds śivā and shiva are highly delighted with these pageantries, lady mena-devi, the mother of pārvati and the wife of himavān, felt irritated to see roadside shows regularly performed in her house, and reviled pārvati in this way... sa pārṣadaḥ tu anācāraḥ tava bhartā maheśvaraḥ | daridraḥ sarvada eva asau śīlaṁ tasya na vartate || 1-29-40 “Your husband, maheshvara, is an eternalized good-for-nothing fellow... he and his gang - all are with outr* behaviour, and none can bring him around to conduct himself with some etiquette...” mātrā tatha ukta avaradā strī-svabhāvāt ca chukrudhe | smitaṁ kṛtvā ca varadā bhava pārśvam atha āgamat || 1-29-41 vivarṇa vadanā devī mahādevam abhāṣata | na iha vatsyāmi ahaṁ deva naya māṁ svaṁ niketanam || 1-29-42 When her mother insinuated shiva in this way, pārvati felt insulted for sullying shiva... pārvati recollected what has happened to her father daksha, who was her father in her earlier incarnation, and who similarly disparaged shiva then... fearing the same might happen to her present mother, lady mena-devi also, if she continued to belittle shiva in this way, pārvati suppressed her resentment with a smile and approached shiva, and standing at his side she spoke to him, “I cannot stay here anymore, my lord, please take me to your house...” – which is impalpable... avarda= avarān= nīcān= talking lowly. tathā kartuṁ mahādevaḥ sarva lokān avaikṣata | vāsārthaṁ rochayāmāsa pṛthivyāṁ kurunandana || 1-29-43 vārāṇasī mahātejāḥ siddhi-kṣetraṁ maheśvaraḥ | divodāsena tāṁ jṣātvā niviṣṭāṁ nagarīṁ bhavaḥ || 1-20-44 As with any other newly-wed who starts searching for at least a single room tenement to start his wedded life, this houseless god shiva too started searching for an accommodation in all the worlds, and finally settled upon earth to start with... to make the dreams of her new bride to come true, and even with a bent for the prospective holy place kāśi, which is now under the governance of divodasa, shiva preferred it among all places on earth... pārśve tiṣṭhantam āhūya nikumbham idam abravīt | gaṇeśvara purīṁ gatvā śūnyāṁ vārāṇasīṁ kuru || 1-29-45 mṛduna eva abhyupāyena hi ativīryaḥ sa pārthivaḥ | Then summoning one from his coterie called nikumbha, who is readily available at his side, shiva spoke this to him, “oh, lord of hosts, you may now proceed to kāśi and make it devoid of people... but do it cautiously and gently, because the ruler of kāśi, namely divodasa, is a mightiest king... tato gatvā nikumbhaḥ tu pūrīṁ vārāṇasīṁ tadā || 1-29-46 svapne nidarśayāmāsa kaṇḍukaṁ nāma nāpitam | śreyaḥ te ahaṁ kariṣyāmi sthānaṁ me rochaya anagha || 1-29-47 mat rūpāṁ pratimāṁ kṛtvā nagari ante tathaiva ca | Accordingly nikumbha went to kāśi and revealed himself to a barber named kaṇḍuka in his dream saying, “oh, faultless one, “I will do some favour to you, if you could show me some place to stay... if agreed, make a statue of my features and install it at the entrance to this city...” tataḥ svapne yathoddiṣṭaṁ sarvaṁ kāritavān nṛpa || 1-29-48 purī dvāre tu vijṣāpya rājānaṁ ca yathāvidhi | pūjāṁ tu mahatīṁ tasya nityam eva prayojayat || 1-29-49 gandhaiḥ ca dhūpa mālyaiḥ ca prokṣaṇīyaiḥ tathaiva ca | anna pāna prayogaiḥ ca ati adbhutam iva abhavat| || 1-29-50 On the next day morning, that barber went to the king divodasa and reported about his dream and nikumbha’s assurance, seeking the help of the king... the king readily agreed for the negligible request and arranged for a sculpture of nikumbha, its installation at the entrance of city, and for its worship in a grand and uninterrupted way with sandal paste, incense, garlands, anointment, and with offertories of food and drinkables... and when all these are put together, it has become a rare spectacle... evaṁ saṁpūjyate tatra nityam eva gaṇeśvaraḥ | tato vara-sahasraṁ tu nāgarāṇāṁ prayacchati | putrān hiraṇyam āyuḥ ca sarvān kāmān tathaiva ca || 1-29-51 That god nikumbha, when being worshipped like this, had gone on bestowing thousands of boons to whoever asked for them, or whatever has been asked, like sons, gold, longevity, or whatever desired... rājṣaḥ tu mahiṣī śreṣṭhā su-yaśā nāma viśrutā | putra artham āgatā devī sādhvī rājṣā prachoditā || 1-29-52 pūjāṁ tu vipulāṁ kṛtvā devī putram ayācata | punaḥ punaḥ atha āgamya bahuśaḥ putra kāraṇāt || 1-29-53 Lady su-yasha, the immaculate queen consort of king divodasa, also sought to worship this idol, and the king readily encouraged her, because they too are issueless... coming to the place where the idol is installed she performed grand worships seeking a son, but of no use... she has come again and again and performed worships, again of no use... somehow, that god has not shown grace upon her even after prolonged worshipping, and she remained issueless... na prayacchati putraṁ hi nikuṁbhaḥ kāraṇena hi | rājā tu yadi naḥ kupyet kāryasiddhiḥ tato bhavet || 1-29-54 ṇikumbha, the god in the idol, avoided giving the king any progeny on certain ground and he said to himself, “This king should cut up rough with us... then only our mission is feasible... let him loose temper first...” atha dīrgheṇa kālena krodho rājānam āviśat | bhūta eṣa mahān dvāri nāgarāṇāṁ prayacchati || 1-29-55 prīto varān vai shatasho mama kiṁ na prayacchati | māmakaiḥ pūjyate nityaṁ nagaryā me sadaiva hi || 1-29-56 vijṣāpito mayā atyarthaṁ devyā me putra kāraṇāt | na dadāti ca putraṁ me kṛtaghnaḥ kena hetunā || 1-29-57 tato na arhati satkāraṁ mat sakāśāt viśeṣataḥ | tasmāt tu nāśayiṣyāmi sthānam asya durātmanaḥ || 1-29-58 After some time the king is enraged and thought, “This all-bestowing demigod at the gateway of this city is bestowing whatever the city dwellers are asking, that too, scores and scores of boons... residing in my own city, receiving worship from my own subjects, yet he does not show his grace on me, but why... this poor lady, my queen, is persistently offering worships praying just for a son, all unavailingly... but, why there is no fair exchange with him... well... if there is no synergism between him and us, it will be inapt on our part to invest him there any further, especially right in the eyeshot vicinage of mine... it is better I pull down his establishment so that that malefactor exiles himself... evaṁ sa tu vinishchitya durātmā rāja-kilbiṣī | sthānaṁ gaṇapateḥ tasya nāśayāmāsa durmatiḥ || 1-29-59 Deciding in this way that king egotistical of his kingship brought down the temple establishment of that demigod with certain disesteem... bhagnam āyatanaṁ dṛṣṭvā rājānam ashapat prabhuḥ | yasmāt an-aparādhasya tvayā sthānaṁ vināśitam | purya kasmāt iyaṁ śūnyā tava nūnaṁ bhaviṣyati || 1-29-60 On seeing the razed temple that demigod nikumbha issued a curse to king divodasa saying, “As you have turned out a well-intentioned god of house and home, let your city-dwellers also become so... let people forsake this city kāśi making it a godforsaken megalopolis, of course, for a thousand years to come...” tataḥ tena tu śāpena śūnyā vārāṇasī tadā | śaptvā purīṁ nikuṁbhastu mahādevam atha āgamat || 1-29-61 akasmāt tu purī sā tu vidrutā sarvato disham | Having cursed the city nikimbha has returned to god shiva, but whole of city kāśi suddenly started to flee in all directions, so to speak.... tasyāṁ puryāṁ tato devo nirmame padam ātmanaḥ || 1-29-62 In such a desolated city god shiva then established his hospice... ramate tatra vai devo ramamāṇo gireḥ sutām | na ratiṁ tatra vai devī labhate gṛha-vismayāt | vasāmi atra na puryāṁ tu devī devam atha abravīt || 1-29-63 While śivā and shiva are staying in kāśi, in order to please her with the change of residence from that of her mother’s house, pārvati again felt that place dry-as-dust... she again complained to shiva, “I cannot stay here also, my lord, take me somewhere else...” this she complained with a - gṛha-vismayāt – house; from astonishment; say, from an astonishment whether that place called kāśi is any house with some population, or whether it is a crematorium happily deprived of people... Here nīlakaṇṭha derives some advaita import of this conversation. That being the case, another way of reading is like this, by some parsing and using ellipses. This dialog of pārvati is an indirect goading to shiva. She is nagging at him in all her motherly affection, just to populate kāśi immediately, keeping the trifling curse at bay. She is saying to her husband: ”You say it is an a+vi+mukta kshetram= a place where ineligible will also get mukti – salvation. But here, whom do you mukti-fy? Walls, pillars and slabs, or what... If some grahīta, donee is there, then alone you can become dāta, a donor... None is available here excepting you and your bhajan-kīratan party, who are all beyond sadyo mukti, krama mukti or whatever... as such, first bring back my children home, make this city livable for them, then you can earbash me with your ununderstandable philosophies... a house minus our own people is not a house, nor you are a householder, not I am a housewife... if not, I will leave for my mother’s place, which is my regular slogan...” Then shiva said to her: “Why do you overlook the sub-clause in the curse, ‘a thousand year desolation...’ now I will square it with this city... don’t bother...” Meanwhile the thousand year stipulation as part of curse on kāśi is over and kāśi is repopulated, to which population this so-called mother gives food – hence called anna-pūrṇa. Not that she just throws leftovers, or two morsels into the bowls of beggars, but she makes them to live, an enlivener – anna is no doubt is food, but here figuratively it is anna+gata+prāṇi= food oriented living beings, whom she makes to live comfortably. Again, shiva is called here viśva-nātha; where viśva does not always mean cosmos; it is people; people’s lord. In effect, this going and coming of people from and to kāśi is symbolic to the pilgrims who also come and go to and from kāśi. Hence, the saying: ‘visit kāśi, at least, once in lifetime...’ deva uvāca –god shiva said na ahaṁ veshmani vatsyāmi avimuktaṁ hi me gṛham | na ahaṁ tatra gamiṣyāmi gaccha devi gṛhaṁ prati || 1-29-64 hasan uvāca bhagavān tryambakaḥ tripurāntakaḥ | tasmāt tat avimuktaṁ hi proktaṁ devena vai svayam || 1-29-65 evaṁ vārāṇasī śaptā avimuktaṁ ca kīrtitam || 1-29-66 “I cannot be quartered in this house or that, as I keep going only with avimukta, the enfranchised souls, and this kāśi is a place where souls become so... hence, the question of my moving to somewhere else does not arise, yet, you may proceed on your own, if you so wish...” so said god shiva smilingly to pārvati. Therefore kāśi became a cardinal place for those who seek to become avimukta-ātmā-s, enfranchised souls, as the god shiva personally denominated kāśi as a place to disembark souls on other shore... in this way, kāśi is imprecated, redeemed, resuscitated as a holiest place... yasmin vasati vai devaḥ sarva deva namaskṛtaḥ | yugeṣu triṣu dharmātmā saha devyā maheśvaraḥ ||1-29-67 antardhānaṁ kalau yāti tat puraṁ hi mahātmanaḥ | antarhite pure tasmin purī sā vasate punaḥ | evaṁ vārāṇasī śaptā niveśaṁ punar āgatā || 1-29-68 This holy couple, śivā-śiva, will be available in that city in their palpable forms in three cyclic eras, namely kṛta, treta, and dwāpa yuga-s; when kali era arrives their forms will become impalpable, though their presence is still there...” this is how kāśi is depopulated and repopulated...” thus vaiśampāyana is continuing his narration to janamejaya. bhadraśreṇyasya putro vai durdamo nāma viśrutaḥ | divodāsena bāla iti ghṛṇayā sa vivarjitaḥ || 1-29-69 Prior to this episode of kāśi’s depopulation /repopulation, divodasa regained kāśi from its usurper named king bhadraśreṇya, by eliminating him and all of his sons, excepting the last one, named durdama, showing usual clemency towards the young, at that time... haihayasya tu dāyādyaṁ kṛtavān vai mahīpatiḥ | ājahre pitṛ-dāyādyaṁ divodāsa hṛtaṁ balāt || 1-29-70 bhadraśreṇyasya putreṇa durdamena mahātmanā | vairasya antaṁ mahārāja kṣatriyeṇa vidhitsatā || 1-29-71 This boy durdama has come of age in the meanwhile, forged alliance with haihaya-s, and recaptured kāśi kingdom that had been recaptured by divodasa from his father bhadraśreṇya, which bhadraśreṇya had earlier captured from the ancestors of divodasa... thus durdama did his part in the long drawn feud between kāśi and other empires, and reclaimed kāśi as a patrimony... durdama, the son of bhadraśreṇya, has imposed this invasion on kāśi as retaliation of a true kshatriya... Here the words - vairasya antaṁ - have become undecipherable because it is unclear whether it is an end to enmity, or, at the end of enmity. Please see endnote for some details. divodāsāt dṛṣadvatyāṁ vīro jajṣe pratardanaḥ | tena putreṇa bālena prahṛtaṁ tasya vai punaḥ || 1-29-72 After sometime queen dṛṣadvati delivered a valiant son of divbodasa, named prince pratardana, who even before attaining an age of combatant, but just by his might won kāśi back from durdama... pratardanasya putrau dvau vatsa bhārgau babhūvatuḥ | vatsa-putro hi alarkaḥ tu sannatiḥ tasya ca ātmajaḥ || 1-29-73 alarkaḥ kāśi-rājaḥ tu brahmaṇyaḥ satya-saṅgaraḥ | alarkaṁ prati rājarṣiṁ shloko gītaḥ purātanaiḥ || 1-29-74 ṣaṣṭi varṣa sahasrāṇi ṣaṣṭiṁ varṣa śatāni ca | yuvā rūpeṇa saṁpanna āsīt kāśi kula udvahaḥ || 1-29-75 King pratardana’s sons are two, namely vatsa and bharga; vatsa’s son is alarka, and alarka’s son is sannati... king alarka is famed as kingly sage who reverenced scholars and who is bothered only for truth, for which qualities ancients have rendered lauds and eulogies in his respect... this enricher of kāśi dynasties, king alarka, ruled kāśi kingdom for six-thousand-six-hundred years retaining his youthful invigoration... lopāmudrā prasādena parama āyuḥ avāpa saḥ | tasya āsīt sumahat rājyaṁ rūpa yauvana śālinaḥ | śāpasya ante mahābāhuḥ hatvā kṣemaka rākṣasam || 1-29-76 ramyāṁ niveśayāmāsa purīṁ vārāṇasīṁ punaḥ | By the grace of most esteemed lady lopa-mudra, the sagely wife of sage agastya, this king alarka whose mien is pleasant and bounce youthful, got such longevity... even though the city kāśi got rid of her curse of depopulation, there used to be a menace of a demon named kshemaka in that city, whereby that city used to look somewhat ungratified; this king alarka got put an end to that demon kshemaka and brought back the joy of that city... sannateḥ api dāyādaḥ sunītho nāma dhārmikaḥ || 1-29-77 sunīthasya tu dāyādaḥ kṣemyo nāma mahāyaśāḥ | kṣemyasya ketumān putraḥ suketuḥ tasya ca ātmajaḥ || 1-29-78 suketoḥ tanayaḥ cāpi dharmaketuḥ iti smṛtaḥ | dharmaketoḥ tu dāyādaḥ satyaketuḥ mahārathaḥ || 1-29-79 satyaketu sutaḥ cāpi vibhuḥ nāma prajeśvaraḥ | ānartaḥ tu vibhoḥ putraḥ sukumāraḥ tu tat sutaḥ || 1-29-80 sukumārasya putraḥ tu dhṛṣṭaketuḥ sudhārmikaḥ | dhṛṣṭaketoḥ tu dāyādo veṇuhotraḥ prajeśvaraḥ || 1-29-81 veṇuhotra sutaḥ cāpi bhargo nāma prajeśvaraḥ | King sannati is the son of that king alarka; the line of princes descending from him are: sannati --> sunītha --> kṣemya --> ketumān --> su-ketu --> dharma-ketu --> satyaketu --> vibhu --> ānarta --> sukumāra --> dhṛṣṭa-ketu --> veṇuhotra --> bharga... vatsasya vatsa-bhūmiḥ tu bhṛgu-bhūmiḥ tu bhārgavāt || 1-29-82 ete tu aṅgirasaḥ putrā jātā vaṁśe'tha bhārgave | brāhmaṇāḥ kṣatriyā vaiśyāḥ tayoḥ putrāḥ sahasraśaḥ | King pratardana’s sons are two, namely vatsa and bharga; those that have come forth from this bharga pursued the course enjoined only to brāhmaṇa-s have become bhārgavā-s, rather brāhmaṇa-s; while thousands of progeny of vatsa, the other son of alarka have not only become kshatriya-s, but also of brāhmaṇa-s, vaishya-s etc, owing to intermixed marriages under same gotra – sagotrīka vivāha - and of course, owing to the chosen lifestyles... Here also a difficult reading is envisaged and professors like Wilson and ṁuir et al have recorded a lot. C.f. endnote. nīlakaṇṭha says that the text is telling about – putra antaram āha - the difference between the progeny of two sons of alarka, namely vatsa and bharga. vatsasya= alarka-pituḥ; putra antaram āha = text says the difference between two progenies; vatsabhumiḥ iti = bhārgavat= vatsa-bhrātuḥ = from bharga, or bhārgava, or brāhmaṇa, who is the brother of vatsa; from that bharga, the son of alarka, some hosts of progeny pursuing brāhmaṇa tradition has come forth called as bhārgavas. How kshatriya-s, taking birth in royal families, are termed as bhārgava-s? Why not? angirasaḥ - galavasya angirasatvāt – as to how brāhmaṇa-s derived from gālava of angirasa gotra are denominated as angīrasā-s; and - visvamitrasya bhargavatvat - as to how viśvāmitra retains brahmaṇahood by virtue of his personal choice, and by his matrilineal descant from a brāhmaṇa – bhārgave; this bharga who is alarkasya pituḥ, vatsasya bhrāta, and his progeny are denominated as bhārgava-s, brāhmaṇas.. The word ‘tvāt’ = ‘suffix - hood’ as in angirasatvāt, bhārgavatvāt says it is brāhamaṇatvam – brāhmaṇa-hood. As such, there are no two more sons called vatsa-bhūmi, bhṛgu-bhūmi; because bhūmi here means – that which issues forth, fielded by, kshetram as in kśetra-bīja nyāya. nk concludes – tayoḥ vatsa-bhūmi, bhṛgu-bhūmyoḥ kāśayaḥ, meaning – tayoḥ = with them - those that are spawned by vatsa and bharga, the two sons of alarka, the dynasties of kāśi are built up. kāśayaḥ = kāśī vaṁśyāḥ. J. ṁuir -- Origin and history of the people of India, wrt above verses 1-29-82 / 83: "Wilson, p. 409, note 16, where a commentator (on the Brahma Purana, or the Hari- vams'a) is quoted, who says that in the passage from these works " another son of Vatsa, the father of ālarka, is specified, viz., Vatsabhumi ; while Bhargava is the brother of Vatsa ; and that (the persons referred to were) āngirases because Galava belonged to that family, and (were born in the family) of Bhrigu, because Visvamitra belonged to it " vatsasya alarka-pituh putra antaram aha | Vatsabhumir iti | bhargavad vatsa-bhratuh | angiraso galavasya angirasatvat bhāargave visvamitrasya bliargavatva | The Vishnu Purana, iv. 8, 6, says that Vatsa was one of the names of Pratardana, son of ḍivodasa, a descendant of Kas'a, and a remote ancestor of Bhargabhumi. See however Professor Wilson's note 13, p. 408. It is possible that the resemblance of the word Bharga to Bhargava may have occasioned the descendants of the former to be connected with the family of Bhrigu. Please see endnote. iti ete kāśayaḥ proktā nahuṣasya nibodha me || 1-29-83 This is abolut the dynasties of kāśi kingdom, now listen about the legend of nahuṣa from me... --o)0(o-- iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe harivaṁśaparvaṇi anenasovaṁśaḥ - yadvā - divodāsa caritam nāma ekonatriṁśo'dhyāyaḥ Thus, this is the twenty-ninth chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the legend of divodāsa, the king of kāśi. --o)0(o-- Endnote Some footnotes from viṣṇu purāṇa, Ch VIII, page 406 – online version, of HH Wilson, are reproduced here for quick reference:-- --o)0(o-- Some rather curious legends are connected with this prince in the V*yu and Br*hma Pur*nas, and Hari Van*a, and especially in the K*** Khanda of the Sk*nda Pur*na. According to these authorities, *iva and P*rvat*, desirous of occupying K***, which ḍivod*sa possessed, sent ṇikumbha, one of the Ganas of the former, to lead the prince to the adoption of Buddhist doctrines; in consequence of which he was expelled from the sacred city, and, according to the V*yu, founded another on the banks of the Gomat*. We have, however, also some singular, though obscure intimations of some of the political events of this and the succeeding reign. The passage of the V*yu is, 'The king ḍivod*sa, having slain the hundred sons of Bhadra*renya, took possession of his kingdom, which was conquered by that hero. The son of Bhadra*renya, celebrated by the name of ḍurdama, was spared by ḍivod*sa, as being an infant. Pratarddana was the son of ḍivod*sa by ḍriśadvat*; and by that great prince, desirous of destroying all enmity, (was recovered) that (territory) which had been seized by that young boy (ḍurdama).' This is not very explicit, and something is wanted to complete the sense. The Br*hma P. and Hari V. tell the story twice over, chiefly in the words of the V*yu, but with some additions. In ch. 29. we have, first, the first three lines of the above extract; then comes the story of Benares being deserted; we then have the two next lines; then follow, 'That prince (ḍurdama) invading his patrimonial possessions, the territory which ḍivod*sa had seized by force was recovered by the gallant son of Bhadhra*renya, ḍurddama, a warrior desirous, mighty king, to effect the destruction of his foes.' Here the victory is ascribed to ḍurddama, in opposition to what appears to be the sense of the V*yu, and what is undoubtedly that of our text, which says that he was called Pratarddana from destroying the race of Bhadra*renya, and *atrujit from vanquishing all his foes. By vairasya anta, [cf verse 1-29-71 above; it is vairasyāntam] 'the end of hostility or enmity,' is obviously not to be understood here, as M. Langlois has intimated, a friendly pacification, but the end or destruction of all enemies. [What MAL said is: S'*tant empar* de l'h*ritage d'H*haya, ce prince c*da les domaines que ḍivod*sa lui avait enlev*s, vulant, Kchatriya g*n*reux, mettre fin * tutes les inimiti*s.] In the 32d chapter of the Hari Van*a we have precisely the same lines, slightly varied as to their order; but they are preceded by this verse; 'The city (that on the Gomati), before the existence of Benares, of Bhadra*renya, a pious prince of the Yadu race: This verse is not in the Br*hma P. After giving the rest of the above quotation, except the last line, the passage proceeds, 'The king called āśtaratha was the son of Bh*maratha; and by him, great king, a warrior desirous of destroying his foes was (the country) recovered, the children (of ḍurdama) being infants.' According to the same authority, we are here to understand Bh*maratha and āśtaratha as epithets of ḍivod*sa and Pratarddana. From these scanty and ill-digested notices it appears, that ḍivod*sa, on being expelled from Benares, took some city and district on the Gomati from the family of Bhadra*renya; that ḍurdama recovered the country, and that Pratarddana again conquered it from his descendants. The alternation concerned apparently only bordering districts, for the princes of M*h*shmati and of K*** continue, in both an earlier and a later series, in undisturbed possession of their capitals and their power. --o)0(o-- `Our text is clear enough, and so is the Bh*gavata, but the V*yu, Br*hma, and Hari V. contain additions of rather doubtful import. The former has, 'The son of Venuhotra was the celebrated G*rgya; Gargabh*mi was the son of G*rgya; and Vatsa, of the wise Vatsa: virtuous Brahmans and Kshatriyas were the sons of these two.' By the second Vatsa is perhaps meant Vatsabh*mi; and the purport of the passage is, that G*rgya (or possibly rather Bharga, one of the sons of Pratarddana) and Vatsa were the founders of two races (Bh*mi, 'earth,' implying 'source' or founder', who were Kshatriyas by birth, and Brahmans by profession. The Br*hma and Hari V., apparently misunderstanding this text, have increased the perplexity. According to them, the son of Venuhotra was Bharga; Vatsabh*mi was the son of Vatsa; and Bhargabh*mi (Bhrigubh*mi, Br*hma) was from Bh*rgava. 'These sons of āngiras were born in the family of Bhrigu, thousands of great might, Brahmans, Kshatriyas and Vai*yas.' The commentator has, 'Another son of Vatsa, the father of ālarka, is described, Vatsabh*mi, &c. From Bh*rgava, the brother of Vatsa. (They were) āngirasas from G*lava belonging to that family, (and were born) in the family of Bhrigu from the descent of Vi*w*mitra.' The interpretation [of nīlakaṇtha] is not very clear, but it authorizes the notion above expressed, that Vatsa and Bharga, the sons of Pratarddana, are the founders of two races of Kshatriya-Brahmans. --o)0(o--