Content
During the period of working on this chapter arcives.org has released a rough copy of MN Dutt’s translation of harivamsham, say on 24-11-07. As is our wont to bring back the classics and classical translations too, if they have gone out of sight, we will be incorporating the gist of verses rendered by MN Dutt, as and when required.
Not all the gist-paragraphs are usable because of difference in version, since Dutt has used bāngla version of harivamsham, whereas we are following the text citra-shala edition. This, of course, will be done by recasting, paraphrasing, or rewording the Victorian language to that of present day made-easy-english – though it is cumbersome than doing afresh. We cannot loose certain beautiful expressions of those days, or of the pastmasters.
This has been done earlier while working on raghuvamsha of kālidāsa, where the gist of certain verse had been reproduced / said in the expression of Krishnarao ṁadvarao Joglekar, whose translation of raghuvamsha is altogether extinct in print medium, and whose style is no more.
A humble caveat
Pundits familiar with MN Dutt’s translation of this work, therefore, may not knit their eyebrows if they find those lines in here, because our aim is to present a compilation, but not to gain any luminary status of translators by doing afresh. However, the gist paragraphs drawn from his work will be stamped with his name, like [MN Dutt, recast], or with an asterisk, or some such thing, to escape from the sin of plagiarisation, and to avoid exclamations like “unblushingly copied...” etc.
--o)0(o--
janamejaya uvāca : janamejaya querried
pūroḥ vaṁśam ahaṁ brahmaṣ shrotum icchāmi tattvataḥ |
druhyoḥ ca anoḥ yadoḥ caiva turvasoḥ ca pṛthak-pṛthak || 1-31-1
vṛṣṇi vaṁśa prasaṅgena svaṁ vaṁśaṁ pūrvam eva tu |
vistareṇa anu-pūrvyā ca tat bhavān vaktum arhati || 1-31-2
“O, brahamana, I would like to listen about the dynasty of king puru in its actuality... and a lot about the legends of druhyu, anu, yadu, and turvasu... previously you have touched upon my dynasty in the course of narrating about vṛṣṇi dynasty... but it will be apt of you to expand on it chronologically...
vaiśampāyana uvāca – vaiśampāyana replied
śṛṇu pūroḥ mahārāja vaṁśam uttama-pauruṣam |
vistareṇa anupūrvyā ca yatra jāto'si pārthiva || 1-31-3
hanta! te kīrtayiṣyāmi pūror vaṁśam anuttamam |
druhyoḥ ca anoḥ yadoḥ caiva turvasoḥ narādhipa || 1-31-4
“Oh, yes... then listen about the dynasty of puru, in which you have taken birth, as I expatiate and chronologise that legend... now let me tell you about the unexcelled puru dynasty and later cover about the legends of druhyu, anu, yadu, and turvasu et al...
pūroḥ putro mahāvīryo rājā āsīt janamejayaḥ |
prachinvān tu sutaḥ tasya yaḥ prācīm ajayat disham || 1-31-5
prachinvataḥ pravīro abhūt manasyuḥ tasya ca ātmajaḥ |
rājā ca abhayado nāma manasyoḥ abhavat sutaḥ || 1-31-6
tathaiva abhayadasya āsīt sudhanvā tu mahīpatiḥ |
sudhanvano bahu-gavaḥ śaṁyātiḥ tasya ca ātmajaḥ || 1-31-7
śaṁyāteḥ tu rahasyātī raudraśvaḥ tasya ca ātmajaḥ |
puru’s son is the highly valiant prācīnavān who conquered eastren quarter... from him the patrilineal princes are like this: prācīnavān --> pravīra --> manasyu --> abhayada -> sudhanva --> bahu-gava --> śaṁyāti --> rahasyāti --> raudrashva...
raudrāśvasya ghṛtācyāṁ vai daśa apsarasi sūnavaḥ || 1-31-8
ṛcheyuḥ prathamaḥ teṣāṁ kṛkaṇeyuḥ tathaiva ca |
kakṣeyuḥ sthaṇḍileyuḥ ca sannateyuḥ tathaiva ca || 1-31-9
daśārṇeyuḥ jaleyuḥ ca sthaleyuḥ ca mahāyaśāḥ |
dhaneyuḥ ca vaneyuḥ ca putrikāḥ ca daśa striyaḥ || 1-31-10
rudrā śūdrā ca bhadrā ca maladā malahā tathā |
khaladā caiva rājendra naladā surasā api ca |
tathā go-chapalā tu strī-ratna-kūṭāḥ ca tā daśa || 1-31-11
This raudrashva begot ten sons and ten daughters through the celestial maiden, an apsara called ghṛtāci... ṛcheyu being the first one, the other sons are: kṛkaṇeyu, kakṣeyu, sthaṇḍileyu, sannateyu, daśārṇeyu, jaleyu, sthaleyu dhaneyu, and vaneyu... and daughters who outshone among all the other female folks are: rudra, śūdra, bhadra, malada, malaha, khalada, surasa, and go-chapala...
One girl is missing in citrashala version, as above:
bhadrā śūdrā ca madrā ca maladā malahā tathā /
khalā balā ca rājendra taladā surathāpi ca /
tathā gopabalā ca strī ratnakūṭā ca tā daśa // HV_23.8 // -- BORI ver
Bhadr*, S*dr*, ṁadr*, S*lad*, M*lad*, Khal*, ṭchal*, Balad*, ṣuras*, et Gotchapal*,
qui fut la perle des... -- M'.L
The daughters were named Rudra, ṣudra, Bhadra, ṣalada, ṁalada, Khala, Chala, Valada, ṣuratha and Gochapala. -- MN Dutt
Some take the word strī-ratna- kuuta as the name of tenth girl, but nīlakaṇṭha’s gloss is different. He says ‘kūṭam’ is a ‘group’ of people, i.e., ūrvaśi, menaka, tilotama, rambha et al beauty group.
Those ten daughters were Bhadra, ṣudra and ṁadra, ṣalada, ṁalada, Khalada and then ṇalada and ṣurasa besides, in that manner Gocapala and ṣtriratnakuta. – brahma purāṇa
ṛṣiḥ jāto atri vaṁśe tu tāsāṁ bhartā prabhākaraḥ |
rudrāyāṁ janayāmāsa sutaṁ somaṁ yashasvinam || 1-31-12
A sage called prabhākara, who took birth in the line of sage atri, married these ten girls and begot one called soma through lady rudra...
svar-bhānunā hate sūrye patamāne divo mahīm |
tamo abhibhūte loke ca prabhā yena prakalpitā || 1-31-13
svasti te astu iti ca ukto vai patamāno divākaraḥ |
vacanāt tasya viprarṣerna papāta divo mahīm || 1-31-14
atri śreṣṭhāni gotrāṇi yaḥ cakāra mahātapāḥ |
yajṣeṣu atrer dhanaṁ caiva suraiḥ yasya pravartitam || 1-31-15
At certain time, the eclipsing planet svar-bhābnu, aka rāhu bested the sun from solar orbit... but this sage prabhākara stabilized the falling sun just by saying, ‘stay high and palmy...’ he further caused sunshine-like effulgence from his personal effulgence in between the fall and restitution of the sun, because whole world has become loury minus sun... this prabhākara is the sage who enriched the atri-gotra among all lineages... owing to him gods have stipulated some monetary expiation in vedic rituals aiming at the offspring of atri...
sa tāsu janayāmāsa putrikāsu sa-nāmakān |
daśa putrān mahātmā sa tapasi ugre ratān sadā || 1-31-16
te tu gotra-karā rājan ṛṣayo veda pāragāḥ |
svasti-ātreyā iti khyātāḥ kiṁ tu atriṁ dhana varjitāḥ || 1-31-17
prabhākara begot ten sons through the ten daughters of raudrashva, who are the namesakes of their mothers, namely rudra, śūdra, bhadra, malada, malaha, khalada, surasa, and go-chapala, and one more... all of them are collectively called as ‘blest-ātreyā-s, svasti-ātreyā-s; all are vedic pundits, immersed in rigorous ascesis, embellishers of their lineage, and who technically became the sons of raudrashva, under putrika-putra nyāya.. but they have not inherited prerogatives of Atri...
ācārya madhva details about this putrika-putra nyāya in mbṭn– one’s daughter’s son is his own son. In marriages if this clause is laid, the first son, or other agreed upon sons, will become the [adopted] sons of the father of the bride. Thus they inherit the riches of their maternal grandfather, but not any patrimonial property. The condition recited there is:
tubhyam kanyām pradāsyāmi deva agni guru sannidhau |
asyām yo jāyate putraḥ sa me putro bhavet iti ||
kakṣeyoḥ tanayāḥ ca āsan traya eva mahārathāḥ |
sabhānaraḥ chaākṣuṣaḥ ca paramanyuḥ tathaiva ca || 1-31-18
sabhānarasya putraḥ tu vidvān kālānalo nṛpaḥ |
kālānalasya dharmajṣaḥ sṛṣjayo nāma vai sutaḥ || 1-31-19
sṛṣjayasya abhavat putro vīro rājā puraṣjayaḥ |
janamejayo mahārāja puraṣjaya suto abhavat || 1-31-20
janamejayasya rājarṣeḥ mahāśālaḥ abhavat sutaḥ |
deveṣu sa parijṣātaḥ pratiṣṭhita yaśā bhuvi || 1-31-21
mahāmanā nāma suto mahāśālasya dhārmikaḥ |
jajṣe vīraḥ suragaṇaiḥ pūjitaḥ su-mahā-yaśāḥ || 1-31-22
mahāmanāstu putrau dvau janayāmāsa bhārata |
uśīnaraṁ ca dharmajṣaṁ titikṣuṁ ca mahābalam || 1-31-23
kakṣeyu’s son are three – sabhānara, chaākṣuṣa and paramanyu; from him the lineage that has won the laurels of gods and that has unmitigated renown on earth is: sabhānara--> kāla-anala --> sṛṣjaya --> puraṣjaya --> janamejaya --> mahā-śāla --> mahā-mana, who has two sons namely the sagacious uśī-nara and all-mighty titikṣu...
uśīnarasya patnyaḥ tu paṣcha rājarṣi vaṁśa-jāḥ |
nṛgā kṛmī navā darvā paṣchamī ca dṝṣadvatī || 1-31-24
uśīnarasya putrāḥ tu paṣcha tāsu kulodvahāḥ |
tapasā vai sumahatā jātā vṛddhasya bhārata || 1-31-25
nṛgāyāḥ tu nṛgaḥ putraḥ kṛmyāṁ kṛmiḥ ajāyata |
navāyāḥ tu navaḥ putro darvāyāḥ suvrato abhavat || 1-31-26
dṛṣadvatyāḥ tu saṣjajṣe śibiḥ auśīnaro nṛpaḥ |
uśī-nara’s wives are five, all betrothed from the houses of sagely kings, whose names are: nṛga, kṛmi, nava, darva, and the fifth one is dṝṣadvati... his sons are also five, begotten at advanced age after a rigorous ascesis... lady nṛga’s son is nṛga; lady kṛmi’s son is kṛmi; lady navāya’s son is nava; lady darvāya’s son is suvrata... and through lady dṛṣadvati that king uśīnara begot the prince named shibi...
śibeḥ tu śibayaḥ tāta yodheyāḥ tu nṛgasya ha || 1-31-27
navasya nava-rāṣṭraṁ tu kṛmeḥ tu kṛmilā purī |
suvratasya tathā ambaṣṭhā shibi putrān nibodha me || 1-31-28
Out of the five sons, king shibi’s descendants are much known as shibya-s, or shaibya-s; king nṛga’s progeny as yaudheyas... and king nava’s capital is nava-rāṣṭram; king kṛmi’s capital kṛmilā-puri; king suvrata’s capital ambaṣṭha-puram... now, let me tell you about the progeny of king shibi...
śibeḥ ca putrāḥ catvāro vīrāḥ trai-lokya-viśrutāḥ |
vṛṣadarbhaḥ suvīraḥ ca madrakaḥ kaikayaḥ tathā || 1-31-29
teṣāṁ janapadāḥ sphītāḥ kekayā madrakāḥ tathā |
vṛṣadarbhāḥ suvīrāḥ ca titikṣoḥ tu prajāḥ śṛṇu || 1-31-30
King shibi has four valiant and world famous sons named vṛṣa-darbha, suvīra, madraka, kaikaya, and their prodigious provinces too are named after them as vṛṣa-darbha, suvīra, madraka, kekaya... now, let me tell you about the progeny of king titikṣu...
taitikṣavaḥ abhavat rājā pūrvasyāṁ dishi bhārata |
uṣadrathaḥ mahābāhuḥ tasya phenaḥ sutaḥ abhavat || 1-31-31
phenāt tu sutapā jajṣe sutah sutapaso baliḥ |
jāto mānuṣa yonau tu sa rājā kāṣchana iṣudhīḥ || 1-31-32
mahā-yogī sa tu baliḥ babhūva nṛpatiḥ purā |
putrān utpādayāmāsa paṣcha vaṁśa-karān bhuvi || 1-31-33
titikṣu’s son is uṣad-ratha who became the ruler of eastren quarter... princes from uṣad-ratha --> phena --> su-tapasa --> bali... this king bali is none other than the great demon emperor bali occurring in the days of vāmana-avatāra of viṣṇu; that great demon-king who had a golden bow i.e., a golden career of conquests, and who was a great ascetic ultimately, is now transfigured into human form... this king bali begot five sons, embellishers of his dynasty...
aṅgaḥ prathamataḥ jajṣe vaṅgaḥ suhmaḥ tathaiva ca |
puṇḍraḥ kaliṅgaḥ ca tathā bāleyaṁ kṣatram ucyate || 1-31-34
Prince aṅga is the first born while vaṅga, suhma, puṇḍra, kaliṅga are the other sons... these and their descendants are termed as bāleya-kśatriyas...
Needless to say, the provinces known even now as aṅga, vaṅga, puṇḍra, kaliṅga are named after these princes as with the provinces sauvīra, madraka, kekaya etc which shibi made over to his sons.
bāleyā brāhmaṇāḥ caiva tasya vaṁśa-karā bhuvi |
Those being the kshatriya descendents of emperor bali, there are brāhmaṇa-s also who embellished bali’s patriline...
baleḥ tu brahmanā dattā varāḥ prītena bhārata || 1-31-35
mahā-yogitvam āyuḥ ca kalpasya parimāṇataḥ |
saṅgrāme va apyajeyatvaṁ dharmaṁ caiva pradhānatā || 1-31-36
trailokya darshanam caiva prādhānyaṁ prasave tathā |
bale ca apratimatvaṁ vai dharma tattva artha darśanaṁ || 1-31-37
caturo niyatān varṇān tvaṁ ca sthāpayitā bhuvi |
ityukto vibhunā rājā baliḥ śāntiṁ parām yayau || 1-31-38
O descendant of bharata, pleased with king bali, brahma conferred several boons on him, which are - the dignity of a great ascetic; a long life extending over a kalpa, an era; invincibleness in battles; leadership of a religious order; the vision of three worlds; supremacy in issuing commands; an insight into the subtleties of religion and matchlessness in strength; brahma also blessed him to become a defender of the four castes in this world, whereat bali attained the ultimate salvation through knowledge, jṣānajam moksham... [ṁṇḍutt, recast]
tasya te tanayāḥ sarve kṣetra-jā munipuṅgavāḥ |
saṁbhūtā dīrgha-tapaso sudekṣṇāyāṁ mahaujasaḥ || 1-31-39
All the five sagely as well as highly vigorous sons of king bali are kṣetra-jā-s, field-born sons, as in bīja-kśetra nyāya, seed-field-syndrome, from the wife of emperor bali, namely lady sudeṣṇa, through niyoga of sage dīrgha-tapasa, because king bali is ūrthva-retas, in a platonic ascesis, at that time...
baliḥ tān abhishichyeha paṣcha putrān akalmaṣān |
kṛtārthaḥ so'pi yoga-ātmā yogam āśṛtya sa prabhuḥ || 1-31-40
adhṛṣyaḥ sarva bhūtānāṁ kāla-apekṣī caran api |
kālena mahatā rājan svaṁ ca sthānam upāgamat || 1-31-41
On enthroning his five sinless sons, king bali felt self-justified. Thereupon going in to reclusion that great ascetic, irrepressible unto all, began to wait for time practising ascesis. After a long time, O king janamejaya, he has gone to his final resting-place...
teṣāṁ janapadāḥ paṣcha aṅgā va~ṁgāḥ sa suhmakāḥ |
kaliṅgāḥ puṇḍrakāḥ caiva prajāḥ tu aṅgasya me śṛṇu || 1-31-42
The five provinces of the five sons of bali are: aṅga, va~ṁga, suhmaka, kaliṅga, and puṇḍraka... now, let me tell you about the progeny of king aṅga...
aṅga putro mahān āsīt rājendro dadhivāhanaḥ |
dadhivāhana putraḥ tu rājā diviratho abhavat || 1-31-43
putro divirathasya āsīt śakra-tulyaparākramaḥ |
vidvān dharmaratho nāma tasya citrarathaḥ sutaḥ || 1-31-44
tena citrarathena atha tadā viṣṇupade girau |
yajatā saha śakreṇa somaḥ pīto mahātmanā || 1-31-45
This is the patriline from king anga --> dadhi-vāhana --> divi-ratha --> dharma-ratha --> citra-ratha... this citra-ratha performed a rigorous ascesis of Mt. viṣṇu-pada, as a result of which indra has become so friendly with him, after citra-ratha’s attaining godhood, that indra even participated in the drinking-bouts of soma, the divine elixir, along with him...
atha citrarathasya api putro daśaratho abhavat |
lomapāda iti khyāto yasya śāntā sutā abhavat || 1-31-46
tasya dāśarathiḥ vīraḥ caturaṅgo mahāyaśāḥ |
ṛśyaśṛṅga prasādena jajṣe kula-vivardhanaḥ || 1-31-47
caturaṅgasya putraḥ tu pṛthulākṣa iti smṛtaḥ |
pṛthulākṣa suto rājā champo nāmā mahāyaśāḥ || 1-31-48
champasya tu purī champā yā mālini abhavat purā |
pūrṇa-bhadra prasādena haryaṅgo asya suto'bhavat || 1-31-49
tato vaibhāṇḍakiḥ tasya vāraṇaṁ śakra vāraṇam |
avatārayāmāsa mahīṁ mantraiḥ vāhanam uttamam || 1-31-50
citra-ratha's son is--> daśa-ratha, aka loma-pāda, aka roma-pāda, whose daughter is śānta, who is given to the son of sage vibhāṇḍaka, namely sage ṛśya- śṛṅga; daśa-ratha’s son is --> caturaṅga whose descent is at the grace of sage ṛśya- śṛṅga, who conducted a vedic ritual called putra-kāmeṣṭi on behalf of daśa-ratha to effectuate the birth of caturaṣa; from caturaṅga --> pṛthula-akṣa --> champa; this king champa’s capital is champā-puri, aka mālini-puri; he begot one prince called haryaṅga at the grace of a sage called pūrṇa-bhadra; the son of sage vibhāṇḍaka, namely sage ṛśyaśṛṅga, fetched the elephant-vehicle of indra, namely airāvata, as an elephant-vehicle for this haryaṅga, just by incantatory hymns... this king squares with indra, so to say...
haryaṅgasya tu dāyādo rājā bhadrarathaḥ smṛtaḥ |
putro bhadrarathasya āsīt bṛhatkarmā prajeśvaraḥ || 1-31-51
bṛhaddarbhaḥ sutaḥ tasya tasmāt jajṣe bṛhanmanāḥ |
bṛhanmanāstu rājendra janayāmāsa vai sutam || 1-31-52
nāmnā jayadrathaṁ nāma yasmāt dṛḍharatho nṛpaḥ |
āsīt dṛḍharathasya api viśvajit janamejaya |
dāyādaḥ tasya karṇaḥ tu vikarṇasḥ tasya ca ātmajaḥ || 1-31-53
tasya putra śataṁ tu āsīt aṅgānāṁ kulavardhanam |
This is the patriline from haryaṅga --> bṛhat-karmā --> bṛhad-darbha --> bṛhat-manāḥ --> jayadratha --> dṛḍha-ratha --> viśvajit --> karṇa --> vikarṇa who begot a hundred sons that have augmented aṅga dynasty...
bṛhaddarbha suto yastu rājā nāmnā bṛhanmanāḥ || 1-31-54
tasya patnī dvayaṁ ca āsīt caidyaḥ yaite sute śubhe |
yaśodevī ca satyā ca tābhyāṁ vaṁśaḥ tu bhidyate || 1-31-55
jayadrathasḥ tu rājendra yaśodevyāṁ vyajāyata |
brahma kṣatra uttaraḥ satyāṁ vijayo nāma viśrutaḥ || 1-31-56
vijayasya dhṛtiḥ putraḥ tasya putro dhṛtavrataḥ |
dhṛtavratasya putraḥ tu satyakarmā mahāyaśāḥ || 1-31-57
satyakarma sutaḥ cāpi sūtaḥ tu adhirathaḥ tu vai |
yaḥ karṇaṁ prati jagrāha tataḥ karṇaḥ tu sūtajaḥ || 1-31-58
etad vaḥ kathitaṁ sarvaṁ karṇaṁ prati mahābalam |
karṇasya vṛṣasenaḥ tu vṛṣaḥ tasya ātmajaḥ smṛtaḥ || 1-31-59
bṛhat-darbha’s son is bṛhat-mana whose two wives are the princesses from caidya province, namely lady yasho-devi and lady satya, owing to whom there occurred a twofold divergence of that dynasty...
O king janamejaya, king jayadratha is born of lady yashodevi. And from lady satya is born the celebrated king vijaya, who by his equanimity of mind and other qualities is superior to the brāhmaṇa-s and by heroism and other accomplishments, is superior to the kśatriyas...
vijaya's son is dhṛti whose son is dhṛta-vrata. His son is the highly illustrious satya-karma...
The son of satya-vrata through a brāhmaṇa lady is a sūta - because of the rule: brāhmaṇyām kshatriya jātaḥ sūta iti abhidhīyate -
and this mighty chariot-warrior draws the suffix of ratha in his name from the very same dynasty of kshatriya-s with –ratha suffix, and he is called athi-ratha, who later adopted the son of lady kunti, namely karṇa as his son. It is therefore karṇa is called the son of a charioteer... the family of the highly powerful karṇa has thus been described. karṇa's son is vṛṣa-sena whose son is vṛṣa... [ṁṇḍutt, recast]
ete'ṅga vaṁśa jāḥ sarve rājānaḥ kīrtitā mayā |
satyavratā mahātmānaḥ prajāvanto mahārathāḥ || 1-31-60
ṛcheyoḥ tu mahārāja raudrāśva tanayasya ha |
śṛṇu vaṁśam anuproktaṁ yatra jātaḥ asi pārthiva || 1-31-61
I have thus described to you the truthful and noble kings of aṅga dynasty who had many sons and who were mighty chariot-warriors... O king, hear now of the dynasty of ṛcheyu, the first son of rudrāśva, in which you have been born...
--o)0(o--
iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe harivaṁśaparvaṇi
kakṣeyu vaṁśa anukīrtanaṁ nāma ekatriṁśo'dhyāyaḥ
Thus, this is the thirty-first chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the dynasty of king kakṣeyu.
--o)0(o--