Vp4 19

Created by Jijith Nadumuri at 22 Jul 2011 11:12 and updated at 22 Jul 2011 11:12

VISHNU PURANA

BOOK 4.

CHAPTER 19.

Descendants of Puru. Birth of Bharata, the son of Dushyanta: his sons killed: adopts Bharadwaja or Vitatha. Hastin, founder of Hastinapura. Sons of Ajamidha, and the races derived from them, as Panchalas, &c. Kripa and Kripi found by santanu. Descendants of Riksha, the son of Ajamidha. Kurukshetra named from Kuru. Jarasandha and others, kings of Magadha.

THE son of Puru was Janamejaya; his son was Prachinvat; his son was Pravira; his son was Manasyu; his son was Bhayada 1; his son was Sudyumna 2; his son was Bahugava 3; his son was Samyati 4; his son was Ahamyati 5; his son was Raudraswa 6, who had ten sons, Riteyu 7, Kaksheyu, Sthandileyu, Ghriteyu, Jaleyu, Sthaleyu, Santateyu, Dhaneyu, Vaneyu, and Vrateyu 8. The son of Riteyu was Rantinara 9,

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whose sons were Tansu, Apratiratha, and Dhruva 10. The son of the second of these was Kanwa, and his son was Medhatithi, from whom the Kanwayana Brahmanas 11 descended. Anila 12 was the son of Tansu, and he had four sons, of whom Dushyanta was the elder 13. The son of

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[paragraph continues] Dushyanta was the emperor Bharata; a verse explanatory of his name is chaunted by the gods; "The mother is only the receptacle; it is the father by whom a son is begotten. Cherish thy son, Dushyanta; treat not sakuntala with disrespect. Sons, who are born from the paternal loins, rescue their progenitors from the infernal regions. Thou art the parent of this boy; sakuntala has spoken truth." From the expression cherish, Bharaswa, the prince was called Bharata 14.

Bharata had by different wives nine sons, but they were put to death by their own mothers, because Bharata remarked that they bore no resemblance to him, and the women were afraid that he would therefore desert them. The birth of his sons being thus unavailing, Bharata sacrificed to the Maruts, and they gave him Bharadwaja, the son of Vrihaspati by Mamata the wife of Utathya, expelled by the kick of Dirghatamas, his half brother, before his time. This verse explains the purport of his appellation; Silly woman, said Vrihaspati, cherish this child of two fathers (bhara dwa jam). No, Vrihaspati, replied Mamata, do you take care of him. So saying, they both abandoned him; but from their expressions the boy was called Bharadwaja." He was also termed Vitatha, in allusion to the unprofitable (vitatha) birth of the sons of Bharata 15. The son of Vitatha was

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[paragraph continues] Bhavanmanyu 16; his sons were many, and amongst them the chief were Vrihatkshatra, Mahaviryya, Nara, and Garga 17. The son of Nara was Sankriti; his sons were Ruchiradhi and Rantideva 18. The son of Garga

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was Sini 19, and their descendants called Gargyas and sainyas, although Kshatriyas by birth, became Brahmans 20. The son of Mahaviryya was Urukshaya 21, who had three sons, Trayyaruna, Pushkarin, and Kapi 22; the last of whom became a Brahman. The son of Vrihatkshatra was Suhotra 23, whose son was Hastin, who founded the city of

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[paragraph continues] Hastinapura 24. The sons of Hastin were Ajamidha 25, Dwimidha, and Purumidha. One son of Ajamidha was Kanwa, whose son was Medhatithi 26; his other son was Vrihadishu, whose son was Vrihadvasu 27; his son was Vrihatkarman 28; his son was Jayadratha 29; his son was Viswajit 30; his son was Senajit, whose sons were Ruchiraswa, Kasya, Dridhadhanush, and Vasahanu 31. The son of Ruchiraswa was Prithusena; his son was Para; his son was Nipa; he had a hundred sons, of whom Samara, the principal, was the ruler of Kampilya 32. Samara had three sons, Para, Sampara, Sadaswa. The son of Para was Prithu; his son was Sukriti; his son was Vibhratra 33; his son was Anuha, who married Kritwi, the daughter of suka (the son of Vyasa), and had by her Brahmadatta 34;

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his son was Viswaksena; his son was Udaksena 35; and his son was Bhallata 36.

The son of Dwimidha 37 was Yavinara; his son was Dhritimat 38; his son was Satyadhriti; his son was Dridhanemi; his son was Suparswa 39; his son was Sumati; his son was Sannatimat; his son was Krita, to whom Hiranyanabha taught the philosophy of the Yoga, and he compiled twenty four Sanhitas (or compendia) for the use of the eastern Brahmans, who study the Sama veda 40. The son of Krita was Ugrayudha, by whose prowess the Nipa race of Kshatriyas was destroyed 41; his son was Kshemya; his son was Suvira; his son was Nripanjaya 42; his son was Bahuratha. These were all called Pauravas.

Ajamidha had a wife called Nilini, and by her he had a son named Nila; his son was santi; his son was susanti; his son was Purujanu 43; his son was Chakshu 44; his son was Haryyaswa 45, who had five sons,

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[paragraph continues] Mudgala, srinjaya 46, Vrihadishu, Pravira 47, and Kampilya 48. Their father said, "These my five (pancha) sons are able (alam) to protect the countries;" and hence they were termed the Panchalas 49. From Mudgala descended the Maudgalya Brahmans 50: he had also a son named Bahwaswa 51, who had two children, twins, a son and daughter, Divodasa and Ahalya. The son of saradwat or Gautama by Ahalya was satananda 52; his son was Satyadhriti, who was a proficient in military science. Being enamoured of the nymph Urvasi, Satyadhriti was the parent of two children, a boy and a girl. santanu, a Raja, whilst hunting, found these children exposed in a clump of long sara grass; and, compassionating their condition, took them, and brought them up. As they were nurtured through pity (kripa), they were called Kripa and Kripi. The latter became the wife of Drona, and the mother of Aswatthaman.

The son of Divodasa was Mitrayu 53; his son was Chyavana; his son

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was Sudasa; his son was Saudasa, also called Sahadeva; his son was Somaka; he had a hundred sons, of whom Jantu was the eldest, and Prishata the youngest. The son of Prishata was Drupada; his son was Dhrishtadyumna; his son was Drishtaketu.

Another son of Ajamidha was named Riksha 54; his son was Samvarana; his son was Kuru, who gave his name to the holy district Kurukshetra; his sons were Sudhanush, Jahnu, Parikshit, and many others 55. The son of Sudhanush was Suhotra; his son was Chyavana; his son was Kritaka 56; his son was Uparichara the Vasu 57, who had seven children, Vrihadratha, Pratyagra, Kusamba, Mavella, Matsya, and others. The son of Vrihadratha was Kusagra; his son was Rishabha 58; his son was Pushpavat; his son was Satyadhrita 59; his son was Sudhanwan; and his son was Jantu. Vrihadratha had another son, who being born in two

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parts, which were put together (sandhita) by a female fiend named Jara, he was denominated Jarasandha 60; his son was Sahadeva; his son was Somapi 61; his son was Srutasravas 62. These were kings of Magadha.

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