Parva 1 Chapter 4: pṛthu upākhyānam - Emergence of emperor pṛthu

On constituting pṛthu, the son of vena, as the emperor of earth, grandsire brahma then started to constitute - adhiṣṭātra / adhiṣṭitātrī devatā - numina, tutelar kings, say presiding deities for certain realms with which they are connected. dvijānāṁ vīrudhāṁ caiva nakṣatra grahayoḥ tathā yajṣānāṁ tapasāṁ caiva somaṁ rājye'bhyaṣecayat ||1-4-2 soma / candra - so-called moon - is made as tutelary deity for brahamaṇa-s, creeping plants, stars, planets, and for ascesis and Vedic rituals... apāṁ tu varuṇaṁ rājye rājṣāṁ vaiśravaṇaṁ prabhum | bṛhaspatiṁ tu viśveṣāṁ dadāva aṅgirasaṁ patim |1-4-3 bhṛgūṇām adhipaṁ caiva kāvyaṁ rājye'bhyaṣechayat ādityānāṁ tathā viṣṇuṁ vasūnām atha pāvakam ||1-4-4 varuṇa is made incharge of all waters, from raindrops to oceans, while kubera, the son of vaiśrvaṇa, is the numen of all earthly kings... whereas bṛhaspati is the numen of gods, while śukracārya, the descendant of angīrasa gotra, the chieftain for the descendants of brahmaṇās... then, viṣṇu is made as the numen of āditya-s; while Firegod is for vasus... prajāpatīnāṁ dakṣaṁ tu marutām atha vāsavam daityānāṁ dānavānāṁ ca prahrādam amitaujasam ||1-4-5 daksha for prajāpati-s; vāsava, rather indra for marut-gaṇā-s; and the highly powerful prahlāda for daityā-s and dānavās... vaivasvataṁ ca pitṝṇāṁ yamaṁ rājye'bhyaṣecayat mātṝṇāṁ ca vratānāṁ ca mantrāṇāṁ ca tathā gavām ||1-4-6 yakṣāṇāṁ rākṣasānāṁ ca pārthivānāṁ tathaiva ca nārāyaṇaṁ tu sādhyānāṁ rudrāṇāṁ vṛṣabha dhvajam ||1-4-7 The son of vaivasvat, namely yama, is the numen for manes; and nārāyaṇa is the numen of sixteen matriarchal goddesses [ṣoḍaśa mātṛkā-s], for vratā-s [religious observances], for mantrā-s [hymns], cows, yakśā-s, rākśasā-s, earthly kings, and for deities called sādhyās... and then, he who got bull as his banner - vṛṣabha dhvaja - namely god shiva, is made incharge of rudrās... vipra-chittiṁ tu rājānaṁ dānavānām atha ādiśat sarva bhūta piśācānāṁ giriśaṁ śūla-pāṇinam ||1-4-8 And that wielder of trident, namely god shiva, is also made the tutelary god of all demiurgic bhuutā-s and piśācā-s; while vipra-cīti is made as the numen of all dānavas... śailānāṁ himavantaṁ ca nadīnām atha sāgaram | gandhānāṁ marutāṁ caiva bhūtānām aśarīriṇām | śabda ākāśavatāṁ caiva vāyuṁ ca balināṁ varam || 1-4-9 himālayā-s is made as tutelary god for all mountains; ocean for all rivers... and the mightiest of the mighty, vāyu, the airgod, is made as the numen for fragrant materials and their wafters, namely the nineteen marut-s; further, vāyu is the tutelary god for the incorporeal beings existing in thin air, and even for corporeal beings like us... gandharvāṇām adhipatiṁ cakre citra-rathaṁ prabhum | nāgānāṁ vāsukiṁ cakre sarpāṇām atha takṣakam ||1-4-10 citra-ratha is the numen of gandharvā-s; multihooded serpent vāsuki for all nāgā-s, snakes; many hooded takshaka for all sarpā-s, reptiles [nāgā-s and sarpā-s have some difference something like Viperidae and Ophidia suborders..] vāraṇānāṁ ca rājānam airāvatam atha ādiśat uccaiḥ-śravasam aśvānāṁ garuḍaṁ caiva pakṣiṇām ||1-4-11 airāvata for all the elephants; uccaiḥśrava for all horses; and garuḍa for all the birds... mṛgāṇām atha śārdūlaṁ go-vṛṣaṁ tu gavāṁ patim | vanaspatīnāṁ rājānaṁ plakṣam eva ādiśat prabhum ||1-4-12 And lion is the tutelary animal for wild animals; bull for cows; and the plaksha tree - the waved-leaf fig-tree, Ficus Infectoria [a large and beautiful tree with small white fruit] is the tutelary tree for vanaspati trees - trees yielding without blossoms... Here śārduula is to be taken as lion, not lexical tiger. sāgarāṇāṁ nadīnāṁ ca meghānāṁ varṣaṇasya ca | ādityānām adhipatiṁ parjanyam abhiṣiktavān ||1-4-13 parjanya is made as the lord of oceans, rivers, rain-clouds and to the radiant sunbeams... Here, for the word ādityā-s, the radiant sunbeams are to be taken; iha tu āditya padena arkasya raśmayoḥ grāhyāḥ. sarveṣāṁ daṁṣṭriṇāṁ śeṣaṁ rājānam abhyaṣechayat | sarīsṝpānāṁ sarpāṇāṁ rājānaṁ caiva taxakam ||1-4-14 For all of the fanged reptiles śeṣa is the numen, while takshaka is the lord of all the other Reptilia that crawl on their stomach - sarīsṛpas... gandharva apsarasāṁ caiva kāma-devaṁ tathā prabhum | Lovegod kāma is made as the numen for gandharvā-s and apsarā-s; ṛtūnām atha māsānāṁ divasānāṁ tathaiva ca ||1-4-15 paxāṇāṁ ca xapāṇāṁ ca muhūrta tithi parvaṇām | kalā kāṣṭhā pramāṇānāṁ gateḥ ayanayoḥ tathā ||1-4-16 gaṇītasya atha yogasya cakre saṁvatsaraṁ prabhum | And the year, samvatsara, is the numen of all seasons, months, days, fortnights, nights [kshapa], points in time [muhuurta], days, junctures of time [parva], and for kalā, kāṣḥṭā, gati, ayana, gaṇita, yoga, karanā-s - roughly for the data to calculate of astronomical data and for the movement of southern and northern solstices, eclipses etc... evaṁ vibhajya rājyāni krameṇa sa pitāmahaḥ ||1-4-17 diśā pālān atha tataḥ sthāpayāmāsa bhārata | On earmarking domains in this way, then the grandsire brahma sequentially started to establish the custodians of directions - dik pālās... pūrvasyāṁ dishi putraṁ tu vairājasya prajāpateḥ |1-4-18 diśā=pālaṁ sudhanvānaṁ rājānaṁ cā'bhyaṣecayat | dakṣiṇasyāṁ mahātmānaṁ kardamasya prajāpateḥ ||1-4-19 putraṁ śaṅkha-padaṁ nāma rājānaṁ so'bhyaṣecayat | paśchimāyāṁ dishi tathā rajasaḥ putram acyutam ||1-4-20 ketu-mantaṁ mahātmānaṁ rājānaṁ so'bhyaṣecayat | tathā hiraṇya-romāṇaṁ parjanyasya prajāpateḥ ||1-4-21 udīcyāṁ dishi durdharṣaṁ rājānaṁ so'bhyaṣecayat | Thus, sudhanva, the son of vairāja prajāpati, is assigned for the eastern quarter; śaṅkhapada, the son of kardama prajāpati, for the south; likewise, the son of rajas, namely ketumanta, for the west; and hiraṇya-roma, the son of parjanya prajapati, is established as the tutelary custodian of the northern direction... taiḥ iyaṁ pṛthivī sarvā sapta-dvīpā sa-parvatā ||1-4-22 yathā pradesham adya api dharmeṇa pratipālyate | And even today, those custodians of directions are dutifully safeguarding all of the earth with seven continents and mountains, together with their neighborhoods... rāja-sūya abhiṣiktaḥ tu pṛthuḥ ebhiḥ narādhipaiḥ | veda-dṛṣṭena vidhinā rājā rājye narādhipa ||1-4-23 And oh, king janamejaya, these regents, from soma to parjanya, have anointed pṛthu as emperor in a rājasuuya yāga, as has been enshrined in scriptures like Veda-s etc... tato manvantare'tīte cākṣuṣe'mitatejasi | vaivasvatāya manave brahmā rājyam atha ādiśat | tasya vistaram ākhyāsye manoḥ vaivasvatasya ha ||1-4-24 Later, when the manvantara, era, of highly resplendent cākśuṣa manu, called cākśuṣa-manvantaram, has ended, grandsire brahma has made vaivasvata manu as the sovereign of earth, whereby that era, manvantaram, is called vaivasvata manvantaram... tava anukūlyāt rājendra yadi śuśrūṣase anagha | mahat hi etat adhiṣṭhānaṁ purāṇaṁ parikīrtitam dhanyaṁ yashasyam āyuṣyaṁ svarga-vāsakaraṁ śubham || 1-4-25 If you to wish to continue faithful listening to these solemn and auspicious legends that are enshrined in purāṇā-s, and that enrich one's own renown, and that ensures a place in heaven, I will continue further narration... adhiṣṭhānaṁ= pratiṣṭhā hetu. janamejaya uvāca- janamejaya asked: vistareṇa pṛthoḥ janma vaiśampāyana kīrtaya | yathā mahātmanā tena dugdhā ca iyaṁ vasundharā ||1-4-26 "Oh vaiśampāyana, please detail about the emergence of emperor pṛthu, as to how that great man milked the earth... yathā ca pitṛbhiḥ dugdhā yathā devaiḥ yathā rṣibhiḥ | yathā daityaiḥ ca nāgaiḥ ca yathā yakṣaiḥ yathā drumaiḥ ||1-4-27 yathā śailaiḥ piśācaiḥ ca gandharvaiḥ ca dvijottamaiḥ | rākṣasaiḥ ca mahā-sattvaiḥ yathā dugdhā vasuṁdharā ||1-4-28 Please details as to how manes, gods, great sages, daityā-s, nāgā-s, trees, boulders, piśācā-s, gandharvā-s, brāhmaṇā-s, rākṣasā-s, and other great beings have milked the earth... teṣāṁ pātra viśeṣāṁś ca vaiśampāyana kīrtaya | vatsān kṣīra viśeṣāṁś ca dogdhāraṁ ca anupūrvaśaḥ ||4.29|| yasmāt ca kāraṇāt pāṇir veṇasya mathitaḥ purā | kruddhair maharṣibhiḥ tāta kāraṇaṁ tac ca kīrtaya ||4.30|| teṣāṁ pātra viśeṣāṁśca vaiśaṁpāyana kīrtaya | vatsan kṣīra viśeṣāṁśca dogdhāraṁ ca anupūrvaśaḥ ||1-4-29 yasmāt ca kāraṇāt pāṇiḥ venasya mathitaḥ purā | kruddhaiḥ maharṣibhiḥ tāta kāraṇaṁ tacca kīrtaya ||1-4-30 What type of milking vessels they handled... which kind of calves they used... what is the milk they obtained... who milked what... furthermore, what is the reason for those great sages to become infuriated, whereby they churned the palms of vena, the father of emperor pṛthu... vaiśampāyana uvāca-vaiśampāyana replied: hanta te kathayiṣyāmi pṛthoḥ vainyasya vistaram | ekāgraḥ prayataḥ caiva śṛṇuṣva janamejaya ||1-4-31 "oh boy, janamejaya, now I will tell about pṛthu, the son of vena, in detail... but you listen to it alertly and attentively... na a-śuceḥ kṣudra-manasaḥ ku-śiṣyāya a-vratāya ca | kīrtanīyam imaṁ rājan kṛtaghnāya a-hitāya vā ||1-4-32 This narration, oh, king, is not aimed at one who is impure, malevolent, a depraved student, faithless, and an unworthy... svargyaṁ yashasyam āyuṣyaṁ dharmyaṁ vedena saṁmitam | rahasyam ṛṣibhiḥ proktaṁ śṛṇu rājan yathātatham ||1-4-33 yaḥ ca enaṁ kīrtayet nityaṁ pṛthoḥ vainyasya vistaram | brāhmaṇebhyo namaskṛtya na sa shocet kṛta a-kṛtaiḥ||1-4-34 Now you may detailedly listen to this episode of pṛthu, the son of vena, listening which enables a way to heavens, enriches renown and longevity, accords merit, and which is in accordance of Vedic sayings... and he who listens this after revering brāhmaṇā-s will not reflect upon the rights and wrongs of his actions... i.e., he neither thinks that he has done some wrongs, nor elevate himself thinking what all he has done is right... but, affirms himself that he has done his duty... iti śrīmahābhārate khilabhāge harivaṁśe harivaṁśaparvaṇī pṛthūpākhyāne caturtho'dhyāyaḥ ||3|| Thus, this is the fourth chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the emergence of emperor pṛthu. --o)0(o-- iti śrīmahābhārate khilabhāge harivaṁśe harivaṁśaparvaṇi marudutpattikathane tṛtīyo'dhyāyaḥ || 3 || Thus, this is the third chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the emergence of marut-gaṇā-s, the Wind-gods. --o)0(o--