Philosophy and Religion / Harivamsa

Harivaṃśa

33. An account of Haihayas and Kartavirya

VAISHAMPAYANA said:—Yadu had five sons equal unto the sons of the celestials. They were Sahasrada, Payoda, Kroshta, Neela and Anjika. O king, Sahasrada had three highly pious sons–Haihaya, Haya and Venuhaya. Haihaya's son was celebrated by the name of Dharmanetra. His son was Kārta whose son was Sāhanja (1–3).

That king founded a city named Sāhanjani. The king Mahishmān was his son. By him the city of Mahishmati was founded. The powerful Bhadrasenya was Mahishmān's son. As recounted by me before he was the ruler of Bārānashi. Bhadrasenya's son was Durdama (4–6).

Durdama’s son was Kanka who was very intelligent. Kanka had four sons well-known in the world, namely Kritavirya, Kritoujā, Kritavarmā and Kritāgni. From Kritavirya, Arjuna was born who had a thousand arms and became the emperor of the seven insular continents. He alone, in his car effulgent like the sun, conquered the world (7–9).

Having carried on hard austerities for a million of years that royal son of Kritavirya succeeded in pleasing Atri's son Datta who conferred onhim four very powerful boons. The first of these, was that he would get one thousand arms (10–11).

The second was that the sages would prevent him from imbibing irreligious thoughts. The third was that having conquered the world with fierce Kshatriya energies he would please his subjects duly. The fourth was that when he would gain many battles and destroy thousands of enemies he would be killed in battle by a highly powerful man (12–13).

O king, when that ascetic king engaged in a battle, he, by virtue of asceticism and illusory energy, acquired thousand arms. By his dreadful prowess he conquered the earth consisting of seven insular continents, many mountains and oceans. O Janamejaya, we have heard that king duly celebrated seven hundred Yajnas in the seven insular continents (14–16).

O large armed one, in those Yajnas thousands of presents were given away. In those Yajnas golden sacrificial posts and altars were set up. They were all adorned with gods in celestial cars, with Gandharvas and Apsarās. In his Yajnas, the Gandharvas and Nārada sang hymns. Seeing his glory Baridāsa was struck with wonder (17-19).

NARADA said:—None, among the kings, will attain to the dignity of Kārtavirya by celebrating Yajnas, making presents, by his prowess and knowledge of scriptures (20).

People saw him ranging in his car simultaneously, by virtue of his Yoga power, over the seven insular continents with his armour, sword and bow (21).

On account of his righteously protecting his subjects that great king lost nothing, never felt any grief nor made a mistake (22).

He was the owner of all sorts of jewels and Lord Paramount. He ruled for eighty-five thousand years (23).

He performed many Yajnas and owned extensive lands. He was like Indra on account of profuse showers and like Arjuna for his ascetic powers (24).

Like the sun shinning with all its thousand rays during the autumn he shone with his thousand arms with armours on and harddened by the strokes of his bow-string (25).

Having defeated the sous of the Nāga¹ Karkotaka that highly effulgent king occupied his city, by name Mahishmati, for the habitation of mankind (26).

While sporting in the water during the rains that lotus-eyed king changed the current of the ocean with his thousand arms (27).

While he sported and bathed in the water of the river Narmadā engarlanded with her foam she used to approach him in fear with her thousand waves (28).

When he used to agitate the mighty deep with his thousand arms the great Asuras, living in the nether region, became inert and silent (29).

As the mount Mandāra, when thrown off by the gods and demons, (agitated) the ocean of milk so did the king Arjuna, the son of Kritavirya, crush down the waves of the ocean, shake the fish and other huge acquatic animals, whirl the foam with air and create whirlpools of water.

Awakened by the motion of the mount Mandāra, terrified by the production of ambrosia and troubled all on a sudden, the huge Uragas became motionless and humble at the sight of that terrible man. They trembled before him like plantain leaves shaken by the evening breeze (30–33).

Having vanquished, with his might, the haughty king of Lankā, Rāvana with his army and made him senseless with five arrows he bound him with his bow-string, brought him to the city of Mahishmati and kept him in chains there (34).

Hearing that his son Rāvana had been kept in chains by Arjuna Pulastya went to him. Then solicited by him Kritavirya's son Arjuna set free Pulastya's son Rāvana (35).

The twang of his bow, when drawn by his thousand arms, was like the clapping of thunder-bolts accompanied by clouds at the time of the universal dissolution (36).

But how great was the power of Bhrigu's son (Parashurāma who sundered in battle the thousands arms of that king resembling a forest of golden palm trees (37).

Once on a time Chitrabhānu, stricken with thirst, begged of him (something). Arjuna conferred on Vibhāvasu the seven insular continents. The fire god (some time after) wished to consume his cities and villages. With the help of that foremost of men, the great Kārtavirya he succeeded in destroying the mountains and forests (38–40).

The effulgent Vasishtha, whom Varuna obtained as his son in the days of yore, passed by another name Apava. The fire-god, together with Kārtavirya burnt down the charming hermitage of Varuna's son.

He was therefore greatly terrified. The ascetic Apava, in anger, imprecated a curse on Arjuna, saying:—“Since O Haihaya, you have not left out my hermitage, another man will destroy your work so acquired by you with difficulty. The ascetic, powerful and the mighty-armed Brāhmana, Rāma, the son of Jamadagni born in the Bhrigu race, will chop off your thousand arms and slay you (41-43.)”

VAISHAMPAYANA said:—O king, O subduer of enemies, on account of the imprecation of the ascetic Apava Kritavirya's son the king Arjuna, under whose righteous rule even his subjects did not lose anything, met with his death. O descendant of Kuru, he himself prayed to Datātreya for this boon (46–47).

Amongst the hundred sons of that high-souled one only five survived him. They were all powerful, heroic, virtuous and intelligent, and were proficient in the use of weapons. They were Shurasena, Shura, Dhristokta, Krishna and Jayadhwaja, king of Avanti (48–49).

Kārtavirya's sons were all powerful, and mighty car-warriors. Jayadhwaja's son was the highly powerful Tālajangha. His sons passed by the name of Tālajanghas. O king, in the race of the high-souled Haihayas, Vitihotra,Sujāta, Bhoja, Avanti, the powerful Toundika, and several others were known by the name of Tālajanghas (50–52).

It is needless to describe the descendants of Bharata and Sujāta. The pious Vrisha and others, O king, were born in the Yadu race (53).

Vrisha was the head of the family and his son was Madhu. He had a hundred sons of whom Vrishana perpetuated the race. From Vrishana were born the Vrishnis, from Madhu the Mādhavas and from Yadu the Yadavas. These were the various branches of the Haihaya family (51–55).

Shura, Shurasena and Shuravira passed by the name of Haihayas. The country, of those.high-souled ones, was celebrated by the name of Shurasena. He, who in this world, recounts daily the birth of Kritavirya's son, Arjuna, does not lose his property. And even if he loses it he acquires it again (56–57).

O king, thus I have described the families of the five heroic sons of Yayāti, celebrated in the world. They are like the five elements preserving the mobile and immobile creation (58).

A king, well read in the Vedas and other religious scriptures, becomes the master of five senses and god-like and obtains the five boons which it is difficult to get in this world, if he listens to the various creations of those five kings. By listening to an account of the families of these five kings Ayu acquired renown, riches, sons, power and prosperity (59–60).

Hear, O king, now of the most excellent and powerful family of the pious Kroushtu, the head of the Yadu family who performed Yajnas. In his family the lord of the Vrishni race, Vishu was born as Krishna. By hearing of an account of Krousthu's family a man is freed from all his sins (61–63.)

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