(Sambhava Parva continued)
"Vaisampayana said, 'Hear now, as I recite the recorded genealogy, that is
sacred and subservient to religion, profit and pleasure, of these royal
sages--Daksha, the lord of creation, Manu, the son of Surya, Bharata, Ruru,
Puru, and Ajamidha. I shall also recite to thee, O sinless one, the
genealogies of the Yadavas and of the Kurus and of the king of the Bharata
line. These genealogies are sacred and their recitation is a great act of
propitiation. That recitation conferreth wealth, fame and long life. And,
O sinless one, all these I have named shone in their splendour and were
equal unto the great Rishis in energy.
"'Prachetas had ten sons who were all devoted to asceticism and possessed
of every virtue. They burnt, of old, by the fire emanating from their
mouths, several plants of poisonous and innumerable large trees that had
covered the Earth and became a source of great discomfort to man. After
these ten, was born another named Daksha. It is from Daksha that all
creatures have sprung. Therefore is he, O tiger among men, called the
Grandfather. Born of Prachetas the Muni Daksha, uniting himself with
Virini, begat a thousand sons of rigid vows, all like himself. And Narada
taught these thousand sons of Daksha the excellent philosophy of Sankhya
as a means of salvation. And, O Janamejaya, the lord of creation, Daksha,
then, from the desire of making creatures, begat fifty daughters. And he
made all of them his appointed daughters (so that their sons might be his
sons also for the performance of all religious acts). And he bestowed ten
of his daughters on Dharma, and thirteen on Kasyapa. And he gave twenty-
seven to Chandra, who are all engaged in indicating time. And Kasyapa, the
son of Marichi, begat on the eldest of his thirteen wives, the Adityas,
the celestials endued with great energy and having Indra as their head and
also Vivaswat (the Sun). And of Vivaswat was born the lord Yama. And
Martanda (Vivaswat) also begat another son after Yama, gifted with great
intelligence and named Manu. And Manu was endued with great wisdom and
devoted to virtue. And he became the progenitor of a line. And in Manu's
race have been born all human beings, who have, therefore, been called
Manavas. And it is of Manu that all men including Brahmanas, Kshatriyas,
and others have been descended, and are, therefore, all called Manavas.
Subsequently, O monarch, the Brahmanas became united with the Kshatriyas.
And those sons of Manu that were Brahmanas devoted themselves to the study
of the Vedas. And Manu begat ten other children named Vena, Dhrishnu,
Narishyan, Nabhaga, Ikshvaku, Karusha, Saryati, the eighth, a daughter
named Ila, Prishadhru the ninth, and Nabhagarishta, the tenth. They all
betook themselves to the practices of Kshatriyas. Besides these, Manu had
fifty other sons on Earth. But we heard that they all perished,
quarrelling with one another. The learned Pururavas was born of Ila. It
hath been heard by us that Ila was both his mother and father. And the
great Pururavas had sway over thirteen islands of the sea. And, though a
human being, he was always surrounded by companions that were superhuman.
And Pururavas intoxicated with power quarrelled with the Brahmanas and
little caring for their anger robbed them of their wealth. Beholding all
this Sanatkumara came from the region of Brahman and gave him good counsel,
which was, however, rejected by Pururavas. Then the wrath of the great
Rishis was excited, and the avaricious monarch, who intoxicated with power,
had lost his reason, was immediately destroyed by their curse.
"'It was Pururavas who first brought from the region of the Gandharvas the
three kinds of fire (for sacrificial purpose). And he brought thence, the
Apsara Urvasi also. And the son of Ila begat upon Urvasi six sons who were
called Ayus, Dhimat, Amavasu and Dhridhayus, and Vanayus, and Satayus. And
it is said that Ayus begat four sons named Nahusha, Vriddhasarman,
Rajingaya, and Anenas, on the daughter of Swarbhanu. And, O monarch,
Nahusha, of all the sons of Ayus, being gifted with great intelligence and
prowess ruled his extensive kingdom virtuously. And king Nahusha supported
evenly the Pitris, the celestials, the Rishis, the Brahmanas, the
Gandharvas, the Nagas, the Rakshasas, the Kshatriyas, and the Vaisyas. And
he suppressed all robber-gangs with a mighty hand. But he made the Rishis
pay tribute and carry him on their backs like bests of burden. And,
conquering the very gods by the beauty of his person, his asceticism,
prowess, and energy, he ruled as if he were Indra himself. And Nahusha
begat six sons, all of sweet speech, named Yati, Yayati, Sanyati, Ayati,
and Dhruva. Yati betaking himself to asceticism became a Muni like unto
Brahman himself. Yayati became a monarch of great prowess and virtue. He
ruled the whole Earth, performed numerous sacrifices, worshipped the
Pitris with great reverence, and always respected the gods. And he brought
the whole world under his sway and was never vanquished by any foe. And
the sons of Yayati were all great bowmen and resplendent with every virtue.
And, O king, they were begotten upon (his two wives) Devayani and
Sarmishtha. And of Devayani were born Yadu and Turvasu, and of Sarmishtha
were born Drahyu, Anu, and Puru. And, O king, having virtuously ruled his
subjects for a long time, Yayati was attacked with a hideous decrepitude
destroying his personal beauty. And attacked by decrepitude, the monarch
then spoke, O Bharata, unto his sons Yadu and Puru and Turvasu and Drahyu
and Anu these words, "Ye dear sons, I wish to be a young man and to
gratify my appetites in the company of young women. Do you help me
therein." To him his eldest son born of Devayani then said, "What needest
thou, O king? Dost thou want to have your youth?" Yayati then told him,
"Accept thou my decrepitude, O son! With thy youth I would enjoy myself.
During the time of a great sacrifice I have been cursed by the Muni
Usanas (Sukra). O son, I would enjoy myself with your youth. Take any of
you this my decrepitude and with my body rule ye my kingdom. I would
enjoy myself with a renovated body. Therefore, ye my sons, take ye my
decrepitude." But none of his sons accepted his decrepitude. Then his
youngest son Puru said unto him, "O king, enjoy thyself thou once again
with a renovated body and returned youth! I shall take thy decrepitude
and at thy command rule thy kingdom." Thus addressed, the royal sage, by
virtue of his ascetic power then transferred his own decrepitude unto
that high-souled son of his and with the youth of Puru became a youth;
while with the monarch's age Puru ruled his kingdom.
"'Then, after a thousand years had passed away, Yayati, that tiger among
kings, remained as strong and powerful as a tiger. And he enjoyed for a
long time the companionship of his two wives. And in the gardens of
Chitraratha (the king of Gandharvas), the king also enjoyed the company of
the Apsara Viswachi. But even after all this, the great king found his
appetites unsatiated. The king, then recollected the following truths
contained in the Puranas, "Truly, one's appetites are never satiated by
enjoyment. On the other hand, like sacrificial butter poured into the fire,
they flame up with indulgence. Even if one enjoyed the whole Earth with
its wealth, diamonds and gold, animals and women, one may not yet be
satiated. It is only when man doth not commit any sin in respect of any
living thing, in thought, deed, or speech, it is then that he attaineth to
purity as that of Brahman. When one feareth nothing, when one is not
feared by anything, when one wisheth for nothing, when one injureth
nothing, it is then that one attaineth to the purity of Brahman." The wise
monarch seeing this and satisfied that one's appetites are never satiated,
set his mind at rest by meditation, and took back from his son his own
decrepitude. And giving him back his youth, though his own appetites were
unsatiated, and installing him on the throne, he spoke unto Puru thus,
"Thou art my true heir, thou art my true son by whom my race is to be
continued. In the world shall my race be known by thy name."'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then that tiger among kings, having installed
his son Puru on the throne, went away to the mount of Bhrigu for devoting
himself to asceticism. And, having acquired great ascetic merit, after
long years, he succumbed to the inevitable influence of Time. He left his
human body by observing the vow of fasting, and ascended to heaven with
his wives.'"