*SKANDHA IX. CHAP. 14.*
Soma (the Moon) was born out of the eyes of Atri. He carried off Tara,
the wife of Brihaspati (Jupiter). Brihaspati asked for his wife several
times, but Soma would not give her up. Sukra (Venus) was not on good
terms with Brihaspati. So he took the side of Soma, with his disciples,
the Asuras. Siva with his Bhutas took the side of Brihaspati. Indra with
the Devas also sided with their preceptor. The two parties engaged in
fight. After some days of fight, Angiras informed Brahma about every
thing that transpired. Brahma reproached Soma. So he returned Tara to
Brihaspati. Brihaspati found that Tara had conceived. "Immediately throw
out the seed of another man in my field," cried he. Tara feeling bashful
brought forth at the time a lustrous son, Both Brihaspati and Soma
desired to have the son, each saying "It is mine not yours." When they
quarrelled with each other, the Devas and Rishis asked Tara who was the
father of the child. The child reproved his mother for the delay in
answering. Brahma took Tara aside and learned from her that Soma was the
father of the son, Soma then took the child. Brahma seeing the deep
wisdom of the child named him Budha (Mercury).
Budha had by Ila one son Pururavas. Narada related his beauty and his
virtues to the Devas in Svarga. Urvasi heard all that and took a fancy
for the king. By the curse of Mitra Varuna, she had then a human form.
Both the king and the Apsaras became attached to each other and they
lived as husband and wife. But Urvasi laid down two conditions of her
company with the king -- (1) that the king was to preserve two rams,
which the Apsaras had brought with her and (2) that the king was never
to expose himself before her except in privacy. Indra sent the
Gandharvas in search of Urvasi. They found her out and took away her two
rams. She had a maternal affection for these animals and she cried out
in despair. The king hurriedly took his arms and ran after the
Gandharvas. They left the rams and fled away. The king brought them
back. But in the hurry, he had forgot to cover himself and Urvasi left
him. The king became disconsolate, and roamed about in search of her.
After some days he found her on the banks of the Sarasvati with her 5
companions. He entreated her to come back. She promised to give her
company to the king one night every year and informed him of her
delicate state of health.
Urvasi came after a year, with one son. She advised the king to entreat
the Gandharvas for her hands. The king did so and the Gandharvas became
pleased with him. They gave him one Agnisthali (pot of fire). The king
took the Agnisthali to be Urvasi and roamed with it in the forest. (The
Gandharvas gave him the fire for the performance of sacrifice necessary
for the attainment of Urvasi). The king found out his mistake at last.
He then placed the fire in the forest, went home and meditated every
night on Urvasi. On the approach of Treta, he was inspired with the
three Vedas (Karma-Kanda). He then went to the place of fire and found
there one Asvatha tree (the sacred fig) grown from inside a Sami tree
(Sami is the name of a tree said to contain fire). He decided that the
fire must be within the Asvatha tree. He took two pieces of wood
(technically called Arani) from that tree and produced fire by their
friction. He deemed one piece to be Urvasi and another piece to be
himself and the space between the two pieces to be his son. By friction,
the fire called Jatavedas came out. (_Vedas_ is wealth, enjoyments in
general. _Jata_ is grown. Jata-vedas is that fire from which enjoyments
proceed that which gratifies all sense-desires. It is the chief fire of
the Karma-kanda of the Vedas). By the invocation of the three vedas,
that fire became three fold. (Ahavaniya, Garhapatya, and Dakshina are
the three fires perpetually kept in the household. _Ahavaniya_ is the
eastern fire which represents the relations of the house holder with the
Devas. _Garhapatya_ is the sacred fire which the householder receives
from his father and transmits to his descendants and from which fires
for sacrificial purposes are lighted. It represents household and family
duties. _Dakhina_ is the southern fire. It represents all classes of
duty to the Pitris). The king imagined this threefold fire to be his son
(The son by his offerings sends his father's soul to Svarga. The
sacrificial fire also sends the performer to Svarga). With that fire, he
performed Yajna desiring to reach the Loka (plane) of Urvasi. Prior to
this in Satya Yuga, Pranava was the only Veda, Narayana was the only
Deva, there was only one fire and only one caste. The three Vedas came
only from Pururavas, at the beginning of Treta Yuga. The king attained
Gandharva Loka by means of the fire. (In Satya Yuga, Satva generally
prevailed in men. Therefore they were all fixed in meditation. But in
Treta Yuga, Rajas prevailed and by the division of the Vedas, Karma
Marga made its appearance. _Sridhara_.)
[The true history of the origin of the three Vedas is thus given in
veiled words. They originated in the strong desire of men in Treta Yuga
for the possession of heavenly things. This gives us about two millions
of years at the present day. The origin of the Vedas must not be
confounded however with their existence in the present form. For that we
must refer to the sacrifice of Haris Chandra, the adoption of Sunah
sepha by Visvamitra and the division amongst the Madhu Chandas
brothers.]
Pururavas
_m_. Urvasi
|
--+-----------+-----------+----------+---------+----------+--
| | | | | |
Ayus Srutayus Satyayus Raya Vijaya Jaya
| | | | |
Vasumat Srutanjaya Eka Bhima Amita
|
Kanchana
|
Hotraka
Hotraka
|
Jahnu (He swallowed up the
| Ganga in her downward
| course and let her out
| though his thighs).
|
Puru
|
Balaka
|
Ajaka
|
Kusa
|
--+-----------+---+----+-----------+--
| | | |
Kusambu Tanaya Vasu Kusanabha
|
Gadhi
|
Satyavati
Rishi Richika asked for the hand of Satyavati. Gadhi did not consider
him to be a fit husband for his daughter. He therefore wanted to put him
off and said: -- "Give a dower of one thousand horses, with the lustre
of moon all over their body and with one of their ears dark-coloured
(Syama). For we are sons of Kusika."
The Rishi went to Varuna and got the horses. He gave them to the king
and married Satyavati.
Satyavati and her mother both asked Richika to prepare _Charu_ for the
birth of a son to each. (_Charu_ is an oblation of rice, barley, and
pulse, boiled together. It is offered to Devas and Pitris). Richika
prepared two charus and consecrated one with Brahmana Mantra and the
other with Kshatriya Mantra. The Rishi then went to bathe himself. In
the meantime, the mother thought, the daughter's Charu must be superior
to hers. So she procured that from her daughter and the daughter partook
of her mother's Charu. When the Rishi returned and learned what had
taken place, he said to his wife: -- "What an improper thing you have
done by this exchange of Charus! You shall have a fierce and terrible
son, while your brother shall be the greatest in divine wisdom."
Satyavati prayed to her husband, saying "Let it not be so." The Rishi
then said, "Then your grandson shall be all that."
Jamadagni was born of Satyavati. She became the river Kausiki.
Jamadagni married Renuka the daughter of Renu.
Jamadagni had several sons, Vasumat and others. The youngest was Rama
(Parsurama). He is said to be an Incarnation of Vishnu. He destroyed the
Haihaya Kshatriyas. He cleared the earth of Kshatriyas twenty one times.
Kartaviryarjuna was the chief of the Haihaya clan. He got yogic powers
from Datta-Atreya and also one thousand heads. He was very powerful. He
was hospitably received one day by Jamadagni, with the objects yielded
by his Kama-Dhenu (a cow that yields all objects of desire). The king
longed to have the cow and forcibly carried her away. Parasurama killed
the king in battle and carried back the cow. The sons of the king out of
revenge killed Rishi Jamadagni while Parasurama and his brothers were
out. Incensed by this conduct of the Haihayas, Parasurama killed all the
Kshatriyas on account of their iniquities.
Jamadagni on his death became the Seventh Rishi in the constellation of
the Seven Rishis.
Parasurama will become one of the Seven Rishis in the next Manvantara.
He bides his time, with axe in hand, on the Mahendra mountain.
Gadhi had his son Visvamitra. Though a Kshatriya, he became a Brahmana
by his Tapas. He had one hundred sons. The mid son was Madhuchhandas.
But they were all called Madhuchhandas. Visvamitra adopted as his son
Sunahsepha, son of Ajigarta of the clan of Bhrigu after he had been
offered up to the Devas and the Rishi asked his sons to accept him as
their eldest brother. Sunahsepha had been purchased as the victim of
Haris Chandra's sacrifice. He prayed to the Devas and to Prajapati and
got liberation. In the clan of Gadhi, he was known as Devarata. In the
clan of Bhrigu, he was called Sunahsepha. The elder sons of Visvamitra
did not accept him. So the Rishi cursed them to become Mlechhas.
Madhuchhandas with the youngest 50 did as asked by the Rishi.
The other sons of Visvamitra were Ashtaka, Harita, Jaya, Kratumat and
others.
GADHI
|
--+---------------------+------------+--
| |
Satyavati Visvamitra
m. Richika |
| --+------------+---+-----------+---
Jamadagni (adopted) | |
| Devarata 100 sons Ashtakja
Parasurama including & others
Madhuchhandas
THE LUNAR DYNASTY (Continued).
*SKANDHA IX. CHAP. 17.*
Ayus was the eldest son of Pururavas. His line is now given.
Pururavas
|
Ayus
|
--+-------------+----------+---+------+--------+--
| | | | |
Nahusha Kshatra-Vriddha Raji Rabha Anena
| | | |
Suhotra 500 Sons Rabhas Suddha
| | |
| Gambhira Suchi
--+---------+-----+----+-- | |
| | | Akriya Chitraka
Kasya Kusa Gritsamada | |
| | | Brahmavit Santarajas
Kasi Prati Sunaka
| | |
Rashtra Sanjaya Sounaka
| |
Dirghatamas Jaya
| |
Dhanvantari Harnabala
(promulgator |
of Ayur Veda Sahadeva
and a sub |
Incarnation Hina
of Vishnu.) |
| Jaya Sena
Ketumat |
| Saukriti
Bhimaratha |
| Jaya.
Divodasa
|
Dyumat (also called Pratardana
Satrujit and Ritadhvaja)
|
Dharmaketu
|
-+-+--------------------+--
| |
Alarka others
(reigned for 66000 years)
|
Santati
|
Sunitha
|
Niketana
|
Dharmaketu
|
Satyaketu
|
Dhrishtaketu
|
Sukumara
|
Vitihotra
|
Bharga
|
Bhargabhumi
Raji defeated the Asuras and made over Svarga to Indra. Indra placed
Raji in charge of Svarga. Raji died and his sons did not return the
kingdom of Svarga to Indra. Brihaspati made invocation against them and
they were all easily killed.