The Vishnu Purana

Book IV

Chapter I

Dynasties of kings. Origin of the solar dynasty from Brahmá. Sons of the Manu Vaivaswata. Transformations of Ilá or Sudyumna. Descendants of the sons of Vaivaswat; those of Nedisht́ha. Greatness of Marutta. Kings of Vaiśálí. Descendants of Śaryáti. Legend of Raivata; his daughter Revatí married to Balaráma.

MAITREYA.--Venerable preceptor, you have explained to me the perpetual and occasional ceremonies which are to be performed by those righteous individuals who are diligent in their devotions; and you have also described to me the duties which devolve upon the several castes, and on the different orders of the human race. I have now to request you will relate to me the dynasties of the kings who have ruled over the earth¹.

PARÁŚARA.--I will repeat to you, Maitreya, an account of the family of Manu, commencing with Brahmá, and graced by a number of religious, magnanimous, and heroic princes. Of which it is said, "The lineage of him shall never be extinct, who daily calls to mind the race of Manu, originating with Brahmá²." Listen therefore, Maitreya, to the entire series of the princes of this family, by which all sin shall be effaced.

Before the evolution of the mundane egg, existed Brahmá, who was Hirańyagarbha, the form of that supreme Brahma which consists of Vishńu as identical with the Rig, Yajur, and Sáma Vedas; the primeval, uncreated cause of all worlds. From the right thumb of Brahmá was born the patriarch Daksha³; his daughter was Aditi, who was the mother of the sun. The Manu Vaivaswata was the son of the celestial luminary; and his sons were Ikshwáku, Nriga, Dhrisht́a, Śaryáti, Narishyanta, Pránśu, Nábhága, Nedisht́a, Karúsha, and Prishadhra⁴. Before their birth, the Manu being desirous of sons, offered a sacrifice for that purpose to Mitra and Varuńa; but the rite being deranged, through an irregularity of the ministering priest, a daughter, Ilá, was produced⁵. Through the favour of the two divinities, however, her sex was changed, and she became a man, named Sudyumna. At a subsequent period, in consequence of becoming subject to the effects of a malediction once pronounced by Śiva, Sudyumna was again transformed to a woman in the vicinity of the hermitage of Budha, the son of the deity of the moon. Budha saw and espoused her, and had by her a son named Purúravas. After his birth, the illustrious Rishis, desirous of restoring Sudyumna to his sex, prayed to the mighty Vishńu, who is the essence of the four Vedas, of mind, of every thing, and of nothing; and who is in the form of the sacrificial male; and through his favour Ilá once more became Sudyumna, in which character he had three sons, Utkala, Gaya, and Vinata⁶.

In consequence of his having been formerly a female, Sudyumna was excluded from any share in his paternal dominions; but his father, at the suggestion of Vaśisht́ha, bestowed upon him the city Pratisht́hána⁷, and he gave it to Purúravas.

Of the other sons of the Manu, Prishadhra, in consequence of the crime of killing a cow, was degraded to the condition of a Śúdra⁸. From Karúsha descended the mighty warriors termed Kárúshas (the sovereigns of the north⁹). The son of Nedisht́ha, named Nábhága, became a Vaiśya¹⁰: his son was Bhalandana¹¹; whose son was the celebrated Vatsaprí¹²: his son was Pránsu; whose son was Prajáni¹³; whose son was Khanitra¹⁴; whose son was the very valiant Chakshupa¹⁵; whose son was Vinśa¹⁶; whose son was Vivinśati¹⁷; whose son was Khaninetra; whose son was the powerful, wealthy, and valiant Karandhama¹⁸; whose son was Avikshi (or Avikshit¹⁹); whose son was the mighty Marutta, of whom this well known verse is recited; "There never was beheld on earth a sacrifice equal to the sacrifice of Marutta: all the implements and utensils were made of gold. Indra was intoxicated with the libations of Soma juice, and the Brahmans were enraptured with the magnificent donations they received. The winds of heaven encompassed the rite as guards, and the assembled gods attended to behold it²⁰." Marutta was a Chakravarttí, or universal monarch: he had a son named Narishyanta²¹; his son was Dama²²; his son was Rájyavarddhana; his son was Sudhriti; his son was Nara; his son was Kevala; his son was Bandhumat; his son was Vegavat; his son was Budha²³; his son was Trinavindu, who had a daughter named Ilavilá²⁴. The celestial nymph Alambushá becoming enamoured of Trińavindu, bore him a son named Viśála, by whom the city Vaisáli was founded²⁵.

The son of the first king of Vaiśálí was Hemachandra; his son was Suchandra; his son was Dhúmráśwa; his son was Srinjaya²⁶; his son was Sahadeva²⁷; his son was Kriśáśwa; his son was Somadatta, who celebrated ten times the sacrifice of a horse; his son was Janamejaya; and his son was Sumati²⁸. These were the kings of Vaiśálí; of whom it is said, "By the favour of Trińavindu all the monarchs of Vaiśálí were long lived, magnanimous, equitable, and valiant."

Śaryáti, the fourth son of the Manu, had a daughter named Sukanyá, who was married to the holy sage Chyavana²⁹: he had also a righteous son, called Ánartta. The son of the latter was Revata³⁰, who ruled over the country called after his father Ánartta, and dwelt at the capital denominated Kuśasthalí³¹. The son of this prince was Raivata or Kakudmín, the eldest of a hundred brethren. He had a very lovely daughter, and not finding any one worthy of her hand, he repaired with her to the region of Brahmá to consult the god where a fit bridegroom was to be met with. When he arrived, the quiristers Háhá, Húhú, and others, were singing before Brahmá; and Raivata, waiting till they had finished, imagined the ages that elapsed during their performance to be but as a moment. At the end of their singing, Raivata prostrated himself before Brahmá, and explained his errand. "Whom should you wish for a son-in-law?" demanded Brahmá; and the king mentioned to him various persons with whom he could be well pleased. Nodding his head gently, and graciously smiling, Brahmá said to him, "Of those whom you have named the third or fourth generation no longer survives, for many successions of ages have passed away whilst you were listening to our songsters: now upon earth the twenty-eighth great age of the present Manu is nearly finished, and the Kali period is at hand. You must therefore bestow this virgin gem upon some other husband, for you are now alone, and your friends, your ministers, servants, wife, kinsmen, armies, and treasures, have long since been swept away by the hand of time." Overcome with astonishment and alarm, the Rája then said to Brahmá, "Since I am thus circumstanced, do thou, lord, tell me unto whom the maiden shall be given:" and the creator of the world, whose throne is the lotus, thus benignantly replied to the prince, as he stood bowed and humble before him: "The being of whose commencement, course, and termination, we are ignorant; the unborn and omnipresent essence of all things; he whose real and infinite nature and essence we do not know--is the supreme Vishńu. He is time, made up of moments and hours and years; whose influence is the source of perpetual change. He is the universal form of all things, from birth to death. He is eternal, without name or shape. Through the favour of that imperishable being am I the agent of his power in creation: through his anger is Rudra the destroyer of the world: and the cause of preservation, Purusha, proceeds also from him. The unborn having assumed my person creates the world; in his own essence he provides for its duration; in the form of Rudra he devours all things; and with the body of Ananta he upholds them. Impersonated as Indra and the other gods he is the guardian of mankind; and as the sun and moon he disperses darkness. Taking upon himself the nature of fire he bestows warmth and maturity; and in the condition of the earth nourishes all beings. As one with air he gives activity to existence; and as one with water he satisfies all wants: whilst in the state of ether, associated with universal aggregation, he furnishes space for all objects. He is at once the creator, and that which is created; the preserver, and that which is preserved; the destroyer, and, as one with all things, that which is destroyed; and, as the indestructible, he is distinct from these three vicissitudes. In him is the world; he is the world; and he, the primeval self-born, is again present in the world. That mighty Vishńu, who is paramount over all beings, is now in a portion of himself upon the earth. That city Kuśasthalí which was formerly your capital, and rivalled the city of the immortals, is now known as Dwáraka³², and there reigns a portion of that divine being in the person of Baladeva; to him, who appears as a man, present her as a wife: he is a worthy bridegroom for this excellent damsel, and she is a suitable bride for him."

Being thus instructed by the lotus-born divinity, Raivata returned with his daughter to earth, where he found the race of men dwindled in stature, reduced in vigour, and enfeebled in intellect. Repairing to the city of Kuśasthalí, which he found much altered, the wise monarch bestowed his unequalled daughter on the wielder of the ploughshare, whose breast was as fair and radiant as crystal. Beholding the damsel of excessively lofty height, the chief, whose banner is a palm-tree, shortened her with the end of his ploughshare, and she became his wife. Balaráma having espoused, agreeably to the ritual, Revatí, the daughter of Raivata, the king retired to the mountain Himálaya, and ended his days in devout austerities³³.

Chapter II

Dispersion of Revata's descendants: those of Dhrisht́a: those of Nábhága. Birth of Ikshwáku, the son of Vaivaswata: his sons. Line of Vikukshi. Legend of Kakutstha; of Dhundhumára; of Yuvanáśwa; of Mándhátri: his daughters married to Saubhari.

PARÁŚARA.--Whilst Kakudmin, surnamed Raivata, was absent on his visit to the region of Brahmá, the evil spirits or Rákshasas named Puńyajanas destroyed his capital Kuśasthalí. His hundred brothers, through dread of these foes, fled in different directions; and the Kshatriyas, their descendants, settled in many countries³⁴.

From Dhrisht́a, the son of the Manu, sprang the Kshatriya race of Dhársht́aka³⁵.

The son of Nabhága was Nábhága³⁶; his son was Ambarísha³⁷; his son was Virúpa³⁸; his son was Prishadaśwa; his son was Rathínara, of whom it is sung, "These, who were Kshatriyas by birth, the heads of the family of Rathínara, were called Ángirasas (or sons of Angiras), and were Brahmans as well as Kshatriyas³⁹."

Ikshwáku was born from the nostril of the Manu, as he happened to sneeze⁴⁰. He had a hundred sons, of whom the three most distinguished were Vikukshi, Nimi, and Dańd́a. Fifty of the rest, under Sakuni, were the protectors of the northern countries. Forty-eight were the princes of the south⁴¹.

Upon one of the days called Asht́aka⁴², Ikshwáku being desirous of celebrating ancestral obsequies, ordered Vikukshi to bring him flesh suitable for the offering. The prince accordingly went into the forest, and killed many deer, and other wild animals, for the celebration. Being weary with the chase, and being hungered, he sat down, and ate a hare; after which, being refreshed, he carried the rest of the game to his father. Vaśisht́ha, the family priest of the house of Ikshwáku, was summoned to consecrate the food; but he declared that it was impure, in consequence of Vikukshi's having eaten a hare from amongst it (making it thus, as it were, the residue of his meal). Vikukshi was in consequence abandoned by his offended father, and the epithet Śaśáda (hare-eater) was affixed to him by the Guru. On the death of Ikshwáku, the dominion of the earth descended to Śaśáda⁴³, who was succeeded by his son Puranjaya.

In the Treta age a violent war⁴⁴ broke out between the gods and the Asuras, in which the former were vanquished. They consequently had recourse to Vishńu for assistance, and propitiated him by their adorations. The eternal ruler of the universe, Náráyańa, had compassion upon them, and said, "What you desire is known unto me. Hear how your wishes shall be fulfilled. There is an illustrious prince named Puranjaya, the son of a royal sage; into his person I will infuse a portion of myself, and having descended upon earth I will in his person subdue all your enemies. Do you therefore endeavour to secure the aid of Puranjaya for the destruction of your foes." Acknowledging with reverence the kindness of the deity, the immortals quitted his presence, and repaired to Puranjaya, whom they thus addressed: "Most renowned Kshatriya, we have come to thee to solicit thy alliance against our enemies: it will not become thee to disappoint our hopes." The prince replied, "Let this your Indra, the monarch of the spheres, the god of a hundred sacrifices, consent to carry me upon his shoulders, and I will wage battle with your adversaries as your ally." The gods and Indra readily answered, "So be it;" and the latter assuming the shape of a bull, the prince mounted upon his shoulder. Being then filled with delight, and invigorated by the power of the eternal ruler of all movable and immovable things, he destroyed in the battle that ensued all the enemies of the gods; and because he annihilated the demon host whilst seated upon the shoulder (or the hump, Kakud) of the bull, he thence obtained the appellation Kakutstha (seated on the hump⁴⁵).

The son of Kakutstha was Anenas⁴⁶, whose son was Prithu, whose son was Viswagaśwa⁴⁷, whose son was Árdra⁴⁸, whose son was Yuvanáśwa, whose son was Śravasta, by whom the city of Śrávastí⁴⁹ was founded. The son of Śravasta was Vrihadaśwa, whose son was Kuvalayáśwa. This prince, inspired with the spirit of Vishńu, destroyed the Asura Dhundhu, who had harassed the pious sage Uttanka; and he was thence entitled Dhundhumára⁵⁰. In his conflict with the demon the king was attended by his sons, to the number of twenty-one thousand; and all these, with the exception of only three, perished in the engagement, consumed by the fiery breath of Dhundhu. The three who survived were Drídháśwa, Chandráśwa, and Kapiláśwa; and the son and successor of the elder of these was Haryyáśwa; his son was Nikumbha; his son was Sanhatáśwa; his son was Kriśáśwa; his son was Prasenajit; and his son was another Yuvanáśwa⁵¹.

Yuvanáśwa had no son, at which he was deeply grieved. Whilst residing in the vicinage of the holy Munis, he inspired them with pity for his childless condition, and they instituted a religious rite to procure him progeny. One night during its performance the sages having placed a vessel of consecrated water upon the altar had retired to repose. It was past midnight, when the king awoke, exceedingly thirsty; and unwilling to disturb any of the holy inmates of the dwelling, he looked about for something to drink. In his search he came to the water in the jar, which had been sanctified and endowed with prolific efficacy by sacred texts, and he drank it. When the Munis rose, and found that the water had been drunk, they inquired who had taken it, and said, "The queen that has drunk this water shall give birth to a mighty and valiant son." "It was I," exclaimed the Rájá, "who unwittingly drank the water!" and accordingly in the belly of Yuvanáśwa was conceived a child, and it grew, and in due time it ripped open the right side of the Rájá, and was born, and the Raji, did not die. Upon the birth of the child, "Who will be its nurse?" said the Munis; when, Indra, the king of the gods, appeared, and said, "He shall have me for his nurse" (mám dhásyati); and hence the boy was named Mándhátri. Indra put his fore finger into the mouth of the infant, who sucked it, and drew from it heavenly nectar; and he grew up, and became a mighty monarch, and reduced the seven continental zones under his dominion. And here a verse is recited; "From the rising to the going down of the sun, all that is irradiated by his light, is the land of Mándhátri, the son of Yuvanáśwa⁵²."

Mándhátri married Vindumatí, the daughter of Śaśavindu, and had by her three sons, Purukutsa, Ambarísha, and Muchukunda; he had also fifty daughters⁵³.

The devout sage Saubhari, learned in the Vedas, had spent twelve years immersed in a piece of water; the sovereign of the fish in which, named Sammada, of large bulk, had a very numerous progeny. His children and his grandchildren were wont to frolic around him in all directions, and he lived amongst them happily, playing with them night and day. Saubhari the sage, being disturbed in his devotions by their sports, contemplated the patriarchal felicity of the monarch of the lake, and reflected, "How enviable is this creature, who, although horn in a degraded state of being, is ever thus sporting cheerfully amongst his offspring and their young. Of a truth he awakens in my mind the wish to taste such pleasure, and I also will make merry amidst my children." Having thus resolved, the Muni came up hastily from the water, and, desirous of entering upon the condition of a householder, went to Mándhátri to demand one of his daughters as his wife. As soon as he was informed of the arrival of the sage, the king rose up from his throne, offered him the customary libation, and treated him with the most profound respect. Having taken a seat, Saubhari said to the Rájá, "I have determined to marry: do you, king, give me one of your daughters as a wife: disappoint not my affection. It is not the practice of the princes of the race of Kakutstha to turn away from compliance with the wishes of those who come to them for succour. There are, O monarch, other kings of the earth to whom daughters have been born, but your family is above all renowned for observance. of liberality in your donations to those who ask your bounty. You have, O prince, fifty daughters; give one of them to me, that so I may be relieved from the anxiety I suffer through fear that my suit may be denied."

When Mándhátri heard this request, and looked upon the person of the sage, emaciated by austerity and old age, he felt disposed to refuse his consent; but dreading to incur the anger and imprecation of the holy man, he was much perplexed, and, declining his head, was lost a while in thought. The Rishi, observing his hesitation, said, "On what, O Rájá, do you meditate? I have asked for nothing which may not be readily accorded: and what is there that shall he unattainable to you, if my desires be gratified by the damsel whom you must needs give unto me?" To this, the king, apprehensive of his displeasure, answered and said, "Grave sir, it is the established usage of our house to wed our daughters to such persons only as they shall themselves select from suitors of fitting rank; and since this your request is not yet made known to my maidens, it is impossible to say whether it may be equally agreeable to them as it is to me. This is the occasion of my perplexity, and I am at a loss what to do." This answer of the king was fully understood by the Rishi, who said to himself, "This is merely a device of the Rájá to evade compliance with my suit: the has reflected that I am an old man, having no attractions for women, and not likely to be accepted by any of his daughters: even be it so; I will be a match for him:" and he then spake aloud, and said, "Since such is the custom, mighty prince, give orders that I be admitted into the interior of the palace. Should any of the maidens your daughters be willing to take me for a bridegroom, I will have her for my bride; if no one be willing, then let the blame attach alone to the years that I have numbered." Having thus spoken, he was silent.

Mándhátri, unwilling to provoke the indignation of the Muni, was accordingly obliged to command the eunuch to lead the sage into the inner chambers; who, as he entered the apartments, put on a form and features of beauty far exceeding the personal charms of mortals, or even of heavenly spirits. His conductor, addressing the princesses, said to them, "Your father, young ladies, sends you this pious sage, who has demanded of him a bride; and the Rája has promised him, that he will not refuse him any one of you who shall choose him for her husband." When the damsels heard this, and looked upon the person of the Rishi, they were equally inspired with passion and desire, and, like a troop of female elephants disputing the favours of the master of the herd, they all contended for the choice. "Away, away, sister!" said each to the other; "this is my election, he is my choice; he is not a meet bridegroom for you; he has been created by Brahmá on purpose for me, as I have been created in order to become his wife: he has been chosen by me before you; you have no right to prevent his becoming my husband." In this way arose a violent quarrel amongst the daughters of the king, each insisting upon the exclusive election of the Rishi: and as the blameless sage was thus contended for by the rival princesses, the superintendent of the inner apartments, with a downcast look, reported to the king what had occurred. Perplexed more than ever by this information, the Rájá exclaimed, "What is all this! and what am I to do now! What is it that I have said!" and at last, although with extreme reluctance, he was obliged to agree that the Rishi should marry all his daughters.

Having then wedded, agreeably to law, all the princesses, the sage took them home to his habitation, where he employed the chief of architects, Viśwakarman, equal in taste and skill to Brahmá himself, to construct separate palaces for each of his wives: he ordered him to provide each building with elegant couches and seats and furniture, and to attach to them gardens and groves, with reservoirs of water, where the wild-duck and the swan should sport amidst beds of lotus flowers. The divine artist obeyed his injunctions, and constructed splendid apartments for the wives of the Rishi; in which by command of Saubhari, the inexhaustible and divine treasure called Nanda⁵⁴ took up his permanent abode, and the princesses entertained all their guests and dependants with abundant viands of every description and the choicest quality.

After some period had elapsed, the heart of king Mándhátri yearned for his daughters, and he felt solicitous to know whether they were happily circumstanced. Setting off therefore on a visit to the hermitage of Saubhari, he beheld upon his arrival a row of beautiful crystal palaces, shining as brilliantly as the rays of the sun, and situated amidst lovely gardens, and reservoirs of pellucid water. Entering into one of these magnificent palaces, he found and embraced a daughter, and said to her, as the tears of affection and delight trembled in his eyes, "Dear child, tell me how it is with you. Are you happy here? or not? Does the great sage treat you with tenderness? or do you revert with regret to your early home?" The princess replied, "You behold, my father, how delightful a mansion I inhabit, surrounded by lovely gardens and lakes, where the lotus blooms, and the wild swans murmur. Here I have delicious viands, fragrant unguents, costly ornaments, splendid raiment, soft beds, and every enjoyment that affluence can procure. Why then should I call to memory the place of my birth? To your favour am I indebted for all that I possess. I have only one cause of anxiety, which is this; my husband is never absent from my dwelling: solely attached to me, he is always at my side; he never goes near my sisters; and I am concerned to think that they must feel mortified by his neglect: this is the only circumstance that gives me uneasiness."

Proceeding to visit another of his daughters, the king, after embracing her, and sitting down, made the same inquiry, and received the same account of the enjoyments with which the princess was provided: there was also the same complaint, that the Rishi was wholly devoted to her, and paid no attention to her sisters. In every palace Mándhátri heard the same story from each of his daughters in reply to his questions; and with a heart overflowing with wonder and delight he repaired to the wise Saubhari, whom he found alone, and, after paying homage to him, thus addressed him: "Holy sage, I have witnessed this thy marvellous power; the like miraculous faculties I have never known any other to possess. How great is the reward of thy devout austerities!" Having thus saluted the sage, and been received by him with respect, the Rájá resided with him for some time, partaking of the pleasures of the place, and then returned to his capital.

In the course of time the daughters of Mándhátri bore to Saubhari a hundred and fifty sons, and day by day his affection for his children became more intense, and his heart was wholly occupied, with the sentiment of self⁵⁵. "These my sons," he loved to think, "will charm me with their infant prattle; then they will learn to walk; they will then grow up to youth and to manhood: I shall see them married, and they will have children; and I may behold the children of those children." By these and similar reflections, however, he perceived that his anticipations every day outstripped the course of time, and at last he exclaimed, "What exceeding folly is mine! there is no end to my desires. Though all I hope should come to pass for ten thousand or a hundred thousand years, still new wishes would spring up. When I have seen my infants walk; when I have beheld their youth, their manhood, their marriage, their progeny; still my expectations are unsatisfied, and my soul yearns to behold the descendants of their descendants. Shall I even see them, some other wish will be engendered; and when that is accomplished, how is the birth of fresh desires to he prevented? I have at last discovered that there is no end to hope, until it terminates in death; and that the mind which is perpetually engrossed by expectation, can never be attached to the supreme spirit. My mental devotions, whilst immersed in water, were interrupted by attachment to my friend the fish. The result of that connexion was my marriage; and insatiable desires are the consequences of my married life. The pain attendant upon the birth of my single body, is now augmented by the cares attached to fifty others, and is farther multiplied by the numerous children whom the princesses have borne to me. The sources of affliction will be repeatedly renewed by their children, and by their espousals, and by their progeny, and will be infinitely increased: a married life is a mine of individual anxiety. My devotions, first disturbed by the fish of the pool, have since been obstructed by temporal indulgence, and I have been beguiled by that desire for progeny which was communicated to me by association with Sammada. Separation from the world is the only path of the sage to final liberation: from commerce with mankind innumerable errors proceed. The ascetic who has accomplished a course of self-denial falls from perfection by contracting worldly attachments: how much more likely should one so fall whose observances are incomplete? My intellect has been a prey to the desire of married happiness; but I will now so exert myself for the salvation of my soul, that, exempt from human imperfections, I may be exonerated from human sufferings. To that end I will propitiate, by arduous penance, Vishńu, the creator of the universe, whose form is inscrutable, who is smaller than the smallest, larger than the largest, the source of darkness and of light, the sovereign god of gods. On his everlasting body, which is both discrete and indiscrete substance, illimitably mighty, and identical with the universe, may my mind, wholly free from sin, be ever steadily intent, so that I may be born no more. To him I fly for refuge; to that Vishńu, who is the teacher of teachers, who is one with all beings, the pure eternal lord of all, without beginning, middle, or end, and besides whom is nothing."

Chapter III

Saubhari and his wives adopt an ascetic life. Descendants of Mándhátri. Legend of Narmadá and Purukutsa. Legend of Triśanku. Báhu driven from his kingdom by the Haihayas and Tálajanghas. Birth of Sagara: he conquers the barbarians, imposes upon them distinguishing usages, and excludes them from offerings to fire, and the study of the Vedas.

HAVING thus communed with himself, Saubhari abandoned his children, his home, and all his splendour, and, accompanied by his wives, entered the forest, where he daily practised the observances followed by the ascetics termed Vaikhánasas (or anchorets having families), until he had cleansed himself from all sin. When his intellect had attained maturity, he concentrated in his spirit the sacramental fires⁵⁶, and became a religious mendicant. Then having consigned all his acts to the supreme, he obtained the condition of Achyuta, which knows no change, and is not subject to the vicissitudes of birth, transmigration, or death. Whoever reads, or hears, or remembers, or understands, this legend of Saubhari, and his espousal of the daughters of Mándhátri, shall never, for eight successive births, be addicted to evil thoughts, nor shall he act unrighteously, nor shall his mind dwell upon improper objects, nor shall he be influenced by selfish attachments. The line of Mándhátri is now resumed.

The son of Ambarísha, the son of Mándhátri, was Yuvanáśwa; his son was Harita⁵⁷, from whom the Angirasa Háritas were descended⁵⁸.

In the regions below the earth the Gandharbas called Mauneyas (or sons of the Muni Kaśyapa), who were sixty millions in number, had defeated the tribes of the Nágas, or snake-gods, and seized upon their most precious jewels, and usurped their dominion. Deprived of their power by the Gandharbas, the serpent chiefs addressed the god of the gods, as he awoke from his slumbers; and the blossoms of his lotus eyes opened while listening to their hymns. They said, "Lord, how shall we be delivered from this great fear?" Then replied the first of males, who is without beginning, "I will enter into the person of Purukutsa, the son of Mándhátri, the son of Yuvanáśwa, and in him will I quiet these iniquitous Gandharbas." On hearing these words, the snake-gods bowed and withdrew, and returning to their country dispatched Narmadá to solicit the aid of Purukutsa⁵⁹.

Narmadá accordingly went to Purukutsa, and conducted him to the regions below the earth, where, being filled with the might of the deity, he destroyed the Gandharbas. He then returned to his own palace; and the snake-gods, in acknowledgment of Narmadá's services, conferred upon her as a blessing, that whosoever should think of her, and invoke her name, should never have any dread of the venom of snakes. This is the invocation; "Salutation be to Narmadá in the morning; salutation be to Narmadá at night; salutation be to thee, O Narmadá! defend me from the serpent's poison." Whoever repeats this day and night, shall never be bitten by a snake in the dark nor in entering a chamber; nor shall he who calls it to mind when he eats suffer any injury from poison, though it be mixed with his food. To Purukutsa also the snake-gods announced that the series of his descendants should never be cut off.

Purukutsa had a son by Narmadá named Trasadasyu, whose son was Sambhúta⁶⁰, whose son was Anarańya, who was slain, by Rávańa in his triumphant progress through the nations. The son of Anarańya was Prishadaśwa; his son was Haryyaśwa; his son was Sumanas⁶¹; his son was Tridhanwan; his son was Trayyáruńa; and his son was Satyavrata, who obtained the appellation of Triśanku, and was degraded to the condition of a Cháńd́ála, or outcast⁶². During a twelve years' famine Triśanku provided the flesh of deer for the nourishment of the wife and children of Viswamitra, suspending it upon a spreading fig-tree on the borders of the Ganges, that he might not subject them to the indignity of receiving presents from an outcast. On this account Viśwámitra, being highly pleased with him, elevated him in his living body to heaven⁶³.

The son of Triśanku was Hariśchandra⁶⁴; his son was Rohitáśwa⁶⁵; his son was Harita⁶⁶; his son was Chunchu⁶⁷, who had two sons named Vijaya and Sudeva. Ruruka⁶⁸ was the son of Vijaya, and his own son was Vrika, whose son was Báhu (or Báthuka). This prince was vanquished by the tribes of Haihayas and Tálajanghas⁶⁹, anti his country was overrun by them; in consequence of which he fled into the forests with his wives. One of these was pregnant, and being an object of jealousy to a rival queen, the latter gave her poison to prevent her delivery. The poison had the effect of confining the child in the womb for seven years. Báhu, having waxed old, died in the neighbourhood of the residence of the Muni Aurva. His queen having constructed his pile, ascended it with the determination of accompanying him in death; but the sage Aurva, who knew all things, past, present, and to come, issued forth from his hermitage, and forbade her, saying, "Hold! hold! this is unrighteous; a valiant prince, the monarch of many realms, the offerer of many sacrifices, the destroyer of his foes, a universal emperor, is in thy womb; think not of committing so desperate an act!" Accordingly, in obedience to his injunctions, she relinquished her intention. The sage then conducted, her to his abode, and after some time a very splendid boy was there born. Along with him the poison that had been given to his mother was expelled; and Aurva, after performing the ceremonies required at birth, gave him on that account the name of Sagara (from Sa, 'with,' and Gara, 'poison'). The same holy sage celebrated his investure with the cord of his class, instructed him fully in the Vedas, and taught him the use of arms, especially those of fire, called after Bhárgava.

When the boy had grown up, and was capable of reflection, he said to his mother one day, "Why are we dwelling in this hermitage? where is my father? and who is he?" His mother, in reply, related to him all that had happened. Upon hearing which he was highly incensed, and vowed to recover his patrimonial kingdom; and exterminate the Haihayas and Tálajanghas, by whom it had been overrun. Accordingly when he became a man he put nearly the whole of the Haihayas to death, and would have also destroyed the Śakas, the Yavanas, Kámbojas, Páradas, and Pahnavas⁷⁰, but that they applied to Vaśisht́ha, the family priest of Sagara, for protection. Vaśisht́ha regarding them as annihilated (or deprived of power), though living, thus spake to Sagara: "Enough, enough, my son, pursue no farther these objects of your wrath, whom you may look upon as no more. In order to fulfil your vow I have separated them from affinity to the regenerate tribes, and from the duties of their castes." Sagara, in compliance with the injunctions of his spiritual guide, contented himself therefore with imposing upon the vanquished nations peculiar distinguishing marks. He made the Yavanas⁷¹ shave their heads entirely; the Śakas he compelled to shave (the upper) half of their heads; the Páradas wore their hair long; and the Pahnavas let their beards grow, in obedience to his commands⁷². Them also, and other Kshatriya races, he deprived of the established usages of oblations to fire and the study of the Vedas; and thus separated from religious rites, and abandoned by the Brahmans, these different tribes became Mlechchhas. Sagara, after the recovery of his kingdom, reigned over the seven-zoned earth with undisputed dominion⁷³.

Chapter IV

The progeny of Sagara: their wickedness: he performs an Aśwamedha: the horse stolen by Kapila: found by Sagara's sons, who are all destroyed by the sage: the horse recovered by Anśumat: his descendants. Legend of Mitrasaha or Kalmáshapáda, the son of Sudása. Legend of Khat́wánga. Birth of Ráma and the other sons of Daśaratha. Epitome of the history of Ráma: his descendants, and those of his brothers. Line of Kuśa. Vrihadbala, the last, killed in the great war.

SUMATI the daughter of Kaśyapa, and Kesiní the daughter of Rája Viderbha, were the two wives of Sagara⁷⁴. Being without progeny, the king solicited the aid of the sage Aurva with great earnestness, and the Muni pronounced this boon, that one wife should bear one son, the upholder of his race, and the other should give birth to sixty thousand sons; and he left it to them to make their election. Kesiní chose to have the single son; Sumati the multitude: and it came to pass in a short time that the former bore Asamanjas⁷⁵, a prince through whom the dynasty continued; and the daughter of Vinatá (Sumati) had sixty thousand sons. The son of Asamanjas was Anśumat.

Asamanjas was from his boyhood of very irregular conduct. His father hoped that as he grew up to manhood he would reform; but finding that he continued guilty of the same immorality, Sagara abandoned him. The sixty thousand sons of Sagara followed the example of their brother Asamanjas. The path of virtue and piety being obstructed in the world by the sons of Sagara, the gods repaired to the Muni Kapila, who was a portion of Vishńu, free from fault, and endowed with all true wisdom. Having approached him with respect, they said, "O lord, what will become of the world, if these sons of Sagara are permitted to go on in the evil ways which they have learned from Asamanjas! Do thou, then, assume a visible form, for the protection of the afflicted universe." "Be satisfied," replied the sage, "in a brief time the sons of Sagara shall be all destroyed."

At that period Sagara commenced the performance of the solemn sacrifice of a horse, who was guarded by his own sons: nevertheless some one stole the animal, and carried it off into a chasm in the earth, Sagara commanded his sons to search for the steed; and they, tracing him by the impressions of his hoofs, followed his course with perseverance, until coming to the chasm where he had entered, they proceeded to enlarge it, and dug downwards each for a league. Coming to Pátála, they beheld the horse wandering freely about, and at no great distance from him they saw the Rishi Kapila sitting, with his head declined in meditation, and illuminating the surrounding space with radiance as bright as the splendours of the autumnal sun, shining in an unclouded sky. Exclaiming, "This is the villain who has maliciously interrupted our sacrifice, and stolen the horse! kill him! kill him!" they ran towards him with uplifted weapons. The Muni slowly raised his eyes, and for an instant looked upon them, and they were reduced to ashes by the sacred flame that darted from his person⁷⁶.

When Sagara learned that his sons, whom he had sent in pursuit of the sacrificial steed, had been destroyed by the might of the great Rishi Kapila, he dispatched Anśumat, the son of Asamaujas, to effect the animals recovery. The youth, proceeding by the deep path which the princes had dug, arrived where Kapila was, and bowing respectfully, prayed to him, and so propitiated him, that the saint said, "Go, my son, deliver the horse to your grandfather; and demand a boon; thy grandson shall bring down the river of heaven on the earth." Anśumat requested as a boon that his uncles, who had perished through the sage's displeasure, might, although unworthy of it, be raised to heaven through his favour. "I have told you," replied Kapila, "that your grandson shall bring down upon earth the Ganges of the gods; and when her waters shall wash the bones and ashes of thy grandfather's sons, they shall be raised to Swarga. Such is the efficacy of the stream that flows from the toe of Vishńu, that it confers heaven upon all who bathe in it designedly, or who even become accidentally immersed in it: those even shall obtain Swarga, whose bones, skin, fibres, hair, or any other part, shall be left after death upon the earth which is contiguous to the Ganges." Having acknowledged reverentially the kindness of the sage, Anśumat returned to his grandfather, and delivered to him the horse. Sagara, on recovering the steed, completed his sacrifice; and in affectionate memory of his sons, denominated Ságara the chasm which they had dug⁷⁷.

The son of Anśumat was Dilípa⁷⁸; his son was Bhagíratha, who brought Gangá down to earth, whence she is called Bhágirathí. The son of Bhagíratha was Śruta⁷⁹; his son was Nábhága⁸⁰; his son was Ambarísha; his son was Sindhudwípa; his son was Ayutáśwa⁸¹; his son was Rituparńa, the friend of Nala, skilled profoundly in dice⁸². The son of Rituparńa was Sarvakáma⁸³; his son was Sudása; his son was Saudása, named also Mitrasaha⁸⁴.

The son of Sudása having gone into the woods to hunt, fell in with a couple of tigers, by whom the forest had been cleared of the deer. The king slew one of these tigers with an arrow. At the moment of expiring, the form of the animal was changed, and it became that of a fiend of fearful figure, and hideous aspect. Its companion, threatening the prince with its vengeance, disappeared.

After some interval Saudása celebrated a sacrifice, which was conducted by Vaśisht́ha. At the close of the rite Vaśisht́ha went out; when the Rákshas, the fellow of the one that had been killed in the figure of a tiger, assumed the semblance of Vaśisht́ha, and came and said to the king, "Now that the sacrifice is ended, you must give me flesh to eat: let it be cooked, and I will presently return." Having said this, he withdrew, and, transforming himself into the shape of the cook, dressed some human flesh, which he brought to the king, who, receiving it on a plate of gold, awaited the reappearance of Vaśisht́ha. As soon as the Muni returned, the king offered to him the dish. Vaśisht́ha surprised at such want of propriety in the king, as his offering him meat to eat, considered what it should be that was so presented, and by the efficacy of his meditations discovered that it was human flesh. His mind being agitated with wrath, he denounced a curse upon the Rájá, saying, "Inasmuch as you have insulted all such holy men as we are, by giving me what is not to be eaten, your appetite shall henceforth be excited by similar food."

"It was yourself," replied the Rájá to the indignant sage, "who commanded this food to be prepared." "By me!" exclaimed Vaśisht́ha; "how could that have been?" and again having recourse to meditation, he detected the whole truth. Foregoing then all displeasure towards the king, he said, "The food to which I have sentenced you shall not be your sustenance for ever; it shall only be so for twelve years." The king, who had taken up water in the palms of his hands, and was prepared to curse the Muni, now considered that Vaśisht́ha was his spiritual guide, and being reminded by Madayantí his queen that it ill became him to denounce an imprecation upon a holy teacher, who was the guardian divinity of his race, abandoned his intention. Unwilling to cast the water upon the earth, lest it should wither up the grain, for it was impregnated with his malediction, and equally reluctant to throw it up into the air, lest it should blast the clouds, and dry up their contents, he threw it upon, his own feet. Scalded by the heat which the water had derived from his angry imprecation, the feet of the Rájá became spotted black and white, and he thence obtained the name of Kalmáshapáda, or he with the spotted (kalmásha) feet (páda).

In consequence of the curse of Vaśisht́ha, the Rájá became a cannibal every sixth watch of the day for twelve years, and in that state wandered through the forests, and devoured multitudes of men. On one occasion he beheld a holy person engaged in dalliance with his wife. As soon as they saw his terrific form, they were frightened, and endeavoured to escape; but the regal Rákshasa overtook and seized the husband. The wife of the Brahman then also desisted from flight, and earnestly entreated the savage to spare her lord, exclaiming, "Thou, Mitrasaha, art the pride of the royal house of Ikshwáku, not a malignant fiend! it is not in thy nature, who knowest the characters of women, to carry off and devour my husband." But all was in vain, and, regardless of her reiterated supplications, he ate the Brahman, as a tiger devours a deer. The Brahman's wife, furious with wrath, then addressed the Rájá, and said, "Since you have barbarously disturbed the joys of a wedded pair, and killed my husband, your death shall be the consequence of your associating with your queen." So saying, she entered the flames.

At the expiration of the period of his curse Saudása returned home. Being reminded of the imprecation of the Brahmani by his wife Madayantí, he abstained from conjugal intercourse, and was in consequence childless; but having solicited the interposition of Vaśisht́ha, Madayantí became pregnant. The child, however, was not born for seven years, when the queen, becoming impatient, divided the womb with a sharp stone, and was thereby delivered. The child was thence called Aśmaka (from Aśman, 'a stone'). The son of Aśmaka was Múlaka, who, when the warrior tribe was extirpated upon earth, was surrounded and concealed by a number of females; whence he was denominated Náríkavacha (having women for armour)⁸⁵. The son of Múlaka was Daśaratha; his son was Ilavila; his son was Viśwasaha; his son was Khat́wánga, called also Dilípa⁸⁶, who in a battle between the gods and the Asuras, being called by the former to their succour, killed a number of the latter. Having thus acquired the friendship of the deities in heaven, they desired him to demand a boon. He said to them, "If a boon is to be accepted by me, then tell me, as a favour, what is the duration of my life." "The length of your life is but an hour," the gods replied. On which, Khat́wánga, who was swift of motion, descended in his easy-gliding chariot to the world of mortals. Arrived there, he prayed, and said, "If my own soul has never been dearer to me than the sacred Brahmans; if I have never deviated from the discharge of my duty; if I have never regarded gods, men, animals, vegetables, all created things, as different from the imperishable; then may I, with unswerving step, attain to that divine being on whom holy sages meditate!" Having thus spoken, he was united with that supreme being, who is Vásudeva; with that elder of all the gods, who is abstract existence, and whose form cannot be described. Thus he obtained absorption, according to this stanza, which was repeated formerly by the seven Rishis; "Like unto Khat́wánga will be no one upon earth, who having come from heaven, and dwelt an hour amongst men, became united with the three worlds by his liberality and knowledge of truth⁸⁷."

The son of Khat́wánga was Dírghabáhu; his son was Raghu; his son was Aja; his son was Daśaratha⁸⁸. The god from whose navel the lotus springs became fourfold, as the four sons of Daśaratha, Ráma, Lakshmańa, Bharata, and Śatrughna, for the protection of the world. Ráma, whilst yet a boy, accompanied Viswámitra, to protect his sacrifice, and slew Tád́aká. He afterwards killed Máricha with his resistless shafts; and Subáhu and others fell by his arms. He removed the guilt of Ahalyá by merely looking upon her. In the palace of Janaka he broke with ease the mighty bow of Maheśwara, and received the hand of Sítá, the daughter of the king, self-born from the earth, as the prize of his prowess. He humbled the pride of Paraśuráma, who vaunted his triumphs over the race of Haihaya, and his repeated slaughters of the Kshatriya tribe. Obedient to the commands of his father, and cherishing no regret for the loss of sovereignty, he entered the forest, accompanied by his brother Lakshmańa and by his wife, where he killed in conflict Virádha, Kharadúshana and other Rákshasas, the headless giant Kabandha, and Báli the monkey monarch. Having built a bridge across the ocean, and destroyed the whole Rákshasa nation, he recovered his bride Sítá, whom their ten-headed king Rávańa had carried off, and returned to Ayodhyá with her, after she had been purified by the fiery ordeal from the soil contracted by her captivity, and had been honoured by the assembled gods, who bore witness to her virtue⁸⁹.

Bharata made himself master of the country of the Gandharbas, after destroying vast numbers of them; and Śatrughna having killed the Rákshasa chief Lavańa, the son of Madhu, took possession of his capital Mathurá.

Having thus, by their unequalled valour and might, rescued the whole world from the dominion of malignant fiends, Ráma, Lakshmańa, Bharata, and Śatrughna reascended to heaven, and were followed by those of the people of Kośala who were fervently devoted to these incarnate portions of the supreme Vishńu.

Ráma and his brothers had each two sons. Kuśa and Lava were the sous of Ráma; those of Lakshmańa were Angada and Chandraketu; the sons of Bharata were Taksha and Pushkara; and Subáhu and Śúrasena⁹⁰ were the sons of Śatrughna.

The son of Kuśa was Atithi; his son was Nishadha; his son was Nala⁹¹; his son was Nabhas; his son was Puńd́aríka; his son was Kshemadhanwan; his son was Deváníka; his son was Ahínagu⁹²; his son was Páripátra; his son was Dala⁹³; his son was Chhala⁹⁴; his son was Uktha⁹⁵; his son was Vajranábha; his son was Śankhanábha⁹⁶; his son was Abhyutthitáśwa⁹⁷; his son was Viśwasaha⁹⁸; his son was Hirańyanábha, who was a pupil of the mighty Yogí Jaimini, and communicated the knowledge of spiritual exercises to Yájnawalkya⁹⁹. The son of this saintly king was Pushya; his son was Dhruvasandhi¹⁰⁰; his son was Sudarśana; his son was Agnivarńa; his son was Śíghra; his son was Maru¹⁰¹, who through the power of devotion (Yoga) is still living in the village called Kalápa, and in a future age will be the restorer of the Kshatriya race in the solar dynasty. Maru had a son named Prasuśruta; his son was Susandhi; his son was Amarsha; his son was Mahaswat¹⁰²; his son was Viśrutavat¹⁰³; and his son was Vrihadbala, who was killed in the great war by Abhimanyu, the son of Anjuna. These are the most distinguished princes in the family of Ikshwáku: whoever listens to the account of them will be purified from all his sins¹⁰⁴.

Chapter V

Kings of Mithilá. Legend of Nimi, the son of Ikshwáku. Birth of Janaka. Sacrifice of Síradhwaja. Origin of Sítá. Descendants of Kuśadhwaja. Kriti the last of the Maithila princes.

THE son of Ikshwáku, who was named Nimi¹⁰⁵, instituted a sacrifice that was to endure for a thousand years, and applied to Vaśisht́ha to offer the oblations. Vaśisht́ha in answer said, that he had been preengaged by Indra for five hundred years, but that if the Rájá, would wait for some time, he would come and officiate as superintending priest. The king made no answer, and Vaśisht́ha went away, supposing that he had assented. When the sage had completed the performance of the ceremonies he had conducted for Indra, he returned with all speed to Nimi, purposing to render him the like office. When he arrived, however, and found that Nimi had retained Gautama and other priests to minister at his sacrifice, he was much displeased, and pronounced upon the king, who was then asleep, a curse to this effect, that since he had not intimated his intention, but transferred to Gautama the duty he had first entrusted to himself, Vaśisht́ha, Nimi should thenceforth cease to exist in a corporeal form. When Nimi woke, and knew what had happened, he in return denounced as an imprecation upon his unjust preceptor, that he also should lose his bodily existence, as the punishment of uttering a curse upon him without previously communicating with him. Nimi then abandoned his bodily condition. The spirit of Vaśisht́ha also leaving his body, was united with the spirits of Mitra and Varuńa for a season, until, through their passion for the nymph Urvaśí, the sage was born again in a different shape. The corpse of Nimi was preserved from decay by being embalmed with fragrant oils and resins, and it remained as entire as if it were immortal¹⁰⁶. When the sacrifice was concluded, the priests applied to the gods, who had come to receive their portions, that they would confer a blessing upon the author of the sacrifice. The gods were willing to restore him to bodily life, but Nimi declined its acceptance, saying, "O deities, who are the alleviators of all worldly suffering, there is not in the world a deeper cause of distress than the separation of soul and body: it is therefore my wish to dwell in the eyes of all beings, but never more to resume a corporeal shape!" To this desire the gods assented, and Nimi was placed by them in the eyes of all living creatures; in consequence of which their eyelids are ever opening and shutting.

As Nimi left no successor, the Munis, apprehensive of the consequences of the earth being without a ruler, agitated the body of the prince, and produced from it a prince who was called Janaka, from being born without a progenitor. In consequence of his father being without a body (videha), he was termed also Vaideha, 'the son of the bodiless;' and the further received the name of Mithi, from having been produced by agitation (mathana)¹⁰⁷. The son of Janaka was Udávasu; his son was Nandivarddhana; his son was Suketu; his son was Devaráta; his son was Vrihaduktha; his son was Mahávírya; his son was Satyadhriti; his son was Dhrisht́aketu; his son was Haryyaśwa; his son was Maru; his son was Pratibandhaka; his son was Kritaratha; his son was Krita; his son was Vibudha; his son was Mahádhriti; his son was Kritiráta; his son was Mahároman; his son was Suvarńaroman; his son was Hraswaroman; his son was Síradhwaja.

Síradhwaja ploughing the ground, to prepare it for a sacrifice which he instituted in order to obtain progeny, there sprang up in the furrow a damsel, who became his daughter Sítá¹⁰⁸. The brother of Síradhwaja was Kuśadhwaja, who was king of Káśí¹⁰⁹; he had a son also, named Bhánumat¹¹⁰. The son of Bhánumat was Satadyumna; his son was Śuchi; his son was Úrjjaváha; his son was Śatyadhwaja; his son was Kuni¹¹¹; his son was Anjana; his son was Ritujit; his son was Arisht́anemi¹¹²; his son was Śrutáyus; his son was Supárśwa; his son was Sanjaya¹¹³; his son was Kshemári¹¹⁴; his son was Anenas¹¹⁵; his son was Mínaratha¹¹⁶; his son was Satyaratha; his son was Sátyarathi¹¹⁷; his son was Upagu¹¹⁸; his son was Śruta¹¹⁹; his son was Sáswata¹²⁰; his son was Sudhanwan; his son was Subhása; his son was Suśruta¹²¹; his son was Jaya; his son was Vijaya; his son was Rita; his son was Sunaya¹²²; his son was Vítahavya; his son was Dhriti; his son was Bahuláśwa; his son was Kriti, with whom terminated the family of Janaka. These are the kings of Mithilá, who for the most part will be proficient in spiritual knowledge¹²⁴.

Chapter VI

Kings of the lunar dynasty. Origin of Soma, or the moon: he carries off Tárá, the wife of Vrihaspati: war between the gods and Asuras in consequence: appeased by Brahmá. Birth of Budha: married to Ilá, daughter of Vaivaswata. Legend of his son Pururavas, and the nymph Urvaśí: the former institutes offerings with fire: ascends to the sphere of the Gandharbas.

MAITREYA.--You have given me, reverend preceptor, an account of the kings of the dynasty of the sun: I am now desirous to hear a description of the princes who trace their lineage from the moon, and whose race is still celebrated for glorious deeds. Thou art able to relate it to me, Brahman, if thou wilt so favour me.

PARÁŚARA.--You shall hear from me, Maitreya, an account of the illustrious family of the moon, which has produced many celebrated rulers of the earth; a race adorned by the regal qualities of strength, valour, magnificence, prudence, and activity; and enumerating amongst its monarchs Nahusha, Yayáti, Kártavíryárjuna, and others equally renowned. That race will I describe to you: do you attend.

Atri was the son of Brahmá, the creator of the universe, who sprang from the lotus that grew from the navel of Náráyańa. The son of Atri was Soma¹²⁵ (the moon), whom Brahmá installed as the sovereign of plants, of Brahmans, and of the stars. Soma celebrated the Rájasúya sacrifice, and from the glory thence acquired, and the extensive dominion with which he had been invested, he became arrogant and licentious, and carried off Tárá, the wife of Vrihaspati, the preceptor of the gods. In vain Vrihaspati sought to recover his bride; in vain Brahmá commanded, and the holy sages remonstrated; Soma refused to relinquish her. Uśanas, out of enmity to Vrihaspati, took part with Soma. Rudra, who had studied under Angiras, the father of Vrihaspati, befriended his fellow-student. In consequence of Uśanas, their preceptor, joining Soma, Jambha, Kujambha, and all the Daityas, Dánavas, and other foes of the gods, came also to his assistance; whilst Indra and all the gods were the allies of Vrihaspati.

Then there ensued a fierce contest, which, being on account of Táraká (or Tárá), was termed the Tárakámaya or Táraká war. In this the gods, led by Rudra, hurled their missiles on the enemy; and the Daityas with equal determination assailed the gods. Earth, shaken to her centre by the struggle between such foes, had recourse to Brahmá for protection; on which he interposed, and commanding Uśanas with the demons and Rudra with the deities to desist from strife, compelled Soma to restore Tárá to her husband. Finding that she was pregnant, Vrihaspati desired her no longer to retain her burden; and in obedience to his orders she was delivered of a son, whom she deposited in a clump of long Munja grass. The child, from the moment of its birth, was endued with a splendour that dimmed the radiance of every other divinity, and both Vrihaspati and Soma, fascinated by his beauty, claimed him as their child. The gods, in order to settle the dispute, appealed to Tárá; but she was ashamed, and would make no answer. As she still continued mute to their repeated applications, the child became incensed, and was about to curse her, saying, "Unless, vile woman, you immediately declare who is my father, I will sentence you to such a fate as shall deter every female in future from hesitating to speak the truth." On this, Brahmá again interfered, and pacified the child; and then, addressing Tárá, said, "Tell me, daughter, is this the child of Vrihaspati, or of Soma?" "Of Soma," said Tárá, blushing. As soon as she had spoken, the lord of the constellations, his countenance bright, and expanding with rapture, embraced his son, and said, "Well done, my boy; verily thou art wise:" and hence his name was Budha¹²⁶.

It has already been related how Budha begot Purúravas by Ilá. Purúravas¹²⁷ was a prince renowned for liberality, devotion, magnificence, and love of truth, and for personal beauty. Urvaśí having incurred the imprecation of Mitra and Varuńa, determined to take up her abode in the world of mortals; and descending accordingly, beheld Purúravas. As soon as she saw him she forgot all reserve, and disregarding the delights of Swarga, became deeply enamoured of the prince. Beholding her infinitely superior to all other females in grace, elegance, symmetry, delicacy, and beauty, Pururavas was equally fascinated by Urvaśí: both were inspired by similar sentiments, and mutually feeling that each was every thing to the other, thought no more of any other object. Confiding in his merits, Purúravas addressed the nymph, and said, "Fair creature, I love you; have compassion on me, and return my affection." Urvaśí, half averting her face through modesty, replied, "I will do so, if you will observe the conditions I have to propose." "What are they?" inquired the prince; "declare them." "I have two rams," said the nymph, "which I love as children; they must be kept near my bedside, and never suffered to be carried away: you must also take care never to he seen by me undressed; and clarified butter alone must be my food." To these terms the king readily gave assent.

After this, Purúravas and Urvaśí dwelt together in Alaká, sporting amidst the groves and lotus-crowned lakes of Chaitraratha, and the other forests there situated, for sixty-one thousand years¹²⁸. The love of Purúravas for his bride increased every day of its duration; and the affection of Urvaśí augmenting equally in fervour, she never called to recollection residence amongst the immortals. Not so with the attendant spirits at the court of Indra; and nymphs, genii, and quiristers, found heaven itself but dull whilst Urvaśí was away. Knowing the agreement that Urvaśí had made with the king, Viśwavasu was appointed by the Gandharbas to effect its violation; and he, coming by night to the chamber where they slept, carried off one of the rams. Urvaśí was awakened by its cries, and exclaimed, Ah me! who has stolen one of my children? Had I a husband, this would not have happened! To whom shall I apply for aid?" The Rájá overheard her lamentation, but recollecting that he was undressed, and that Urvaśí might see him in that state, did not move from the couch. Then the Gandharbas came and stole the other ram; and Urvaśí, hearing it bleat, cried out that a woman had no protector who was the bride of a prince so dastardly as to submit to this outrage. This incensed Purúravas highly, and trusting that the nymph would not see his person, as it was dark, he rose, and took his sword, and pursued the robbers, calling upon them to stop, and receive their punishment. At that moment the Gandharbas caused a flash of brilliant lightning to play upon the chamber, and Urvaśí beheld the king undressed: the compact was violated, and the nymph immediately disappeared. The Gandharbas, abandoning the rams, departed to the region of the gods.

Having recovered the animals, the king returned delighted to his couch, but there he beheld no Urvaśí; and not finding her any where, he wandered naked over the world, like one insane. At length coming to Kurukshetra, he saw Urvaśí sporting with four other nymphs of heaven in a lake beautified with lotuses, and he ran to her, and called her his wife, and wildly implored her to return. "Mighty monarch," said the nymph, "refrain from this extravagance. I am now pregnant: depart at present, and come hither again at the end of a year, when I will deliver to you a son, and remain with you for one night." Purúravas, thus comforted, returned to his capital. Urvaśí said to her companions, "This prince is a most excellent mortal: I lived with him long and affectionately united." "It was well done of you," they replied; "he is indeed of comely appearance, and one with whom we could live happily for ever."

When the year had expired, Urvaśí and the monarch met at Kurukshetra, and she consigned to him his first-born Áyus; and these annual interviews were repeated, until she had borne to him five sons. She then said to Purúravas, "Through regard for me, all the Gandharbas have expressed their joint purpose to bestow upon my lord their benediction: let him therefore demand a boon." The Rájá replied, "My enemies are all destroyed, my faculties are all entire; I have friends and kindred, armies and treasures: there is nothing which I may not obtain except living in the same region with my Urvaśí. My only desire therefore is, to pass my life with her." When he had thus spoken, the Gandharbas brought to Purúravas a vessel with fire, and said to him, "Take this fire, and, according to the precepts of the Vedas, divide it into three fires; then fixing your mind upon the idea of living with Urvaśí, offer oblations, and you shall assuredly obtain your wishes." The Rájá took the brasier, and departed, and came to a forest. Then he began to reflect that he had committed a great folly in bringing away the vessel of fire instead of his bride; and leaving the vessel in the wood, he went disconsolate to his palace. In the middle of the night he awoke, and considered that the Gandharbas had given him the brasier to enable him to obtain the felicity of living with Urvaśí, and that it was absurd in him to have left it by the way. Resolving therefore to recover it, he rose, and went to the place where he had deposited the vessel; but it was gone. In its stead he saw a young Aśwattha tree growing out of a Śami plant, and he reasoned with himself, and said, "I left in this spot a vessel of fire, and now behold a young Aśwattha tree growing out of a Śami plant. Verily I will take these types of fire to my capital, and there, having engendered fire by their attrition, I will worship it." Having thus determined, he took the plants to his city, and prepared their wood for attrition, with pieces of as many inches long as there are syllables in the Gayatrí: he recited that holy verse, and rubbed together sticks of as many inches as he recited syllables in the Gayatrí¹²⁹. Having thence elicited fire, he made it threefold, according to the injunctions of the Vedas, and offered oblations with it, proposing as the end of the ceremony reunion with Urvaśí. In this way, celebrating many sacrifices agreeably to the form in which offerings are presented with fire, Purúravas obtained a seat in the sphere of the Gandharbas, and was no more separated from his beloved. Thus fire, that was at first but one, was made threefold in the present Manwantara by the son of Ilá¹³⁰.

Chapter VII

Sons of Purúravas. Descendants of Amávasu. Indra born as Gádhí. Legend of Richíka and Satyavatí. Birth of Jamadagni and Viśwámitra. Paraśuráma the son of the former. (Legend of Paraśuráma.) Sunahśephas and others the sons of Viśwámitra, forming the Kauśika race.

PURÚRAVAS had six sons, Áyus, Dhímat, Amávasu, Viśwavasu, Śatáyus, and Śrutáyus¹³¹. The son of Amávasu was Bhíma¹³²; his son was Kánchana¹³³; his son was Suhotra¹³⁴, whose son was Jahnu. This prince, whilst performing a sacrifice, saw the whole of the place overflowed by the waters of the Ganges. Highly offended at this intrusion, his eyes red with anger, he united the spirit of sacrifice with himself, by the power of his devotion, and drank up the river. The gods and sages upon this came to him, and appeased his indignation, and reobtained Gangá from him, in the capacity of his daughter (whence she is called Jáhnaví)¹³⁵.

The son of Jahnu was Sumantu¹³⁶; his son was Ajaka; his son was Valákáśwa¹³⁷; his son was Kuśá¹³⁸, who had four sons, Kuśámba, Kuśanábha, Amúrttaya, and Amávasu¹³⁹. Kuśámba, being desirous of a son, engaged in devout penance to obtain one who should be equal to Indra. Observing the intensity of his devotions, Indra was alarmed lest a prince of power like his own should be engendered, and determined therefore to take upon himself the character of Kuśámba's son¹⁴⁰. He was accordingly born as Gádhi, of the race of Kuśa (Kauśika). Gádhi had a daughter named Satyavatí. Richíka, of the descendants of Bhrigu, demanded her in marriage. The king was very unwilling to give his daughter to a peevish old Brahman, and demanded of him, as the nuptial present, a thousand fleet horses, whose colour should be white, with one black ear. Richíka having propitiated Varuńa, the god of ocean, obtained from him, at the holy place called Aśwatírtha, a thousand such steeds; and giving them to the king, espoused his daughter¹⁴¹.

In order to effect the birth of a son, Richíka¹⁴² prepared a dish of rice, barley, and pulse, with butter and milk, for his wife to eat; and at her request he consecrated a similar mixture for her mother, by partaking of which she should give birth to a prince of martial prowess. Leaving both dishes with his wife, after describing particularly which was intended for her, and which for her mother, the sage went forth to the forests. When the time arrived for the food to be eaten, the queen said to Satyavatí, "Daughter, all persons wish their children to be possessed of excellent qualities, and would be mortified to see them surpassed by the merits of their mother's brother. It will be desirable for you, therefore, to give me the mess your husband has set apart for you, and to eat of that intended for me; for the son which it is to procure me is destined to be the monarch of the whole world, whilst that which your dish would give you must be a Brahman, alike devoid of affluence, valour, and power." Satyavatí agreed to her mother's proposal, and they exchanged messes.

When Richíka returned home, and beheld Satyavatí, he said to her, "Sinful woman, what hast thou done! I view thy body of a fearful appearance. Of a surety thou hast eaten the consecrated food which was prepared for thy mother: thou hast done wrong. In that food I had infused the properties of power and strength and heroism; in thine, the qualities suited to a Brahman, gentleness, knowledge, and resignation. In consequence of having reversed my plans, thy son shall follow a warrior's propensities, and use weapons, and fight, and slay. Thy mother's son shall be born with the inclinations of a Brahman, and be addicted to peace and piety." Satyavatí, hearing this, fell at her husband's feet, and said, "My lord, I have done this thing through ignorance; have compassion on me; let me not have a son such as thou hast foretold: if such there must be, let it be my grandson, not my son." The Muni, relenting at her distress, replied, "So let it be." Accordingly in due season she gave birth to Jamadagni; and her mother brought forth Viswamitra. Satyavatí afterwards became the Kauśikí river¹⁴³. Jamadagni married Reńuká, the daughter of Reńú, of the family of Ikshwáku, and had by her the destroyer of the Kshatriya race, Paraśuráma, who was a portion of Náráyańa, the spiritual guide of the universe¹⁴⁴.

Legend of Paraśuráma

(From the Mahábhárata.)

"JAMADAGNI (the son of Richíka¹⁴⁵) was a pious sage, who by the fervour of his devotions, whilst engaged in holy study, obtained entire possession of the Vedas. Having gone to king Prasenajit, he demanded in marriage his daughter Reńuká, and the king gave her unto him. The descendant of Bhrigu conducted the princess to his hermitage, and dwelt with her there, and she was contented to partake in his ascetic life. They had four sons, and then a fifth, who was Jámadagnya, the last but not the least of the brethren, Once when her sons were all absent, to gather the fruits on which they fed, Reńuká, who was exact in the discharge of all her duties, went forth to bathe. On her way to the stream she beheld Chitraratha, the prince of Mrittikávatí, with a garland of lotuses on his neck, sporting with his queen in the water, and she felt envious of their felicity. Defiled by unworthy thoughts, wetted but not purified by the stream, she returned disquieted to the hermitage, and her husband perceived her agitation. Beholding her fallen from perfection, and shorn of the lustre of her sanctity, Jamadagni reproved her, and was exceeding wroth. Upon this there came her sons from the wood, first the eldest, Rumańwat, then Susheńa, then Vasu, and then Viśwavasu; and each, as he entered, was successively commanded by his father to put his mother to death; but amazed, and influenced by natural affection, neither of them made any reply: therefore Jamadagni was angry, and cursed them, and they became as idiots, and lost all understanding, and were like unto beasts or birds. Lastly, Ráma returned to the hermitage, when the mighty and holy Jamadagni said unto him, 'Kill thy mother, who has sinned; and do it, son, without repining.' Ráma accordingly took up his axe, and struck off his mother's head; whereupon the wrath of the illustrious and mighty Jamadagni was assuaged, and he was pleased with his son, and said, 'Since thou hast obeyed my commands, and done what was hard to be performed, demand from me whatever blessings thou wilt, and thy desires shall be all fulfilled.' Then Ráma begged of his father these boons; the restoration of his mother to life, with forgetfulness of her having been slain, and purification from all defilement; the return of his brothers to their natural condition; and, for himself, invincibility in single combat, and length of days: and all these did his father bestow.

"It happened on one occasion, that, during the absence of the Rishi's sons, the mighty monarch Kárttavírya, the sovereign of the Haihaya tribe, endowed by the favour of Dattátreya with a thousand arms, and a golden chariot that went wheresoever he willed it to go, came to the hermitage¹⁴⁶ of Jamadagni, where the wife of the sage received him with all proper respect. The king, inflated with the pride of valour, made no return to her hospitality, but carried off with him by violence the calf of the milch cow of the sacred oblation¹⁴⁷, and cast down the tall trees surrounding the hermitage. When Ráma returned, his father told him what had chanced, and he saw the cow in affliction, and he was filled with wrath. Taking up his splendid bow¹⁴⁸, Bhárgava, the slayer of hostile heroes, assailed Kárttavírya, who had now become subject to the power of death, and overthrew him in battle. With sharp arrows Ráma cut off his thousand arms, and the king perished. The sons of Kárttavírya, to revenge his death, attacked the hermitage of Jamadagni, when Ráma was away, and slew the pious and unresisting sage, who called repeatedly, but fruitlessly, upon his valiant son. They then departed; and when Ráma returned, bearing fuel from the thickets, he found his father lifeless, and thus bewailed his unmerited fate: 'Father, in resentment of my actions have you been murdered by wretches as foolish as they are base! by the sons of Kárttavírya are you struck down, as a deer in the forest by the huntsman's shafts! Ill have you deserved such a death; you who have ever trodden the path of virtue, and never offered wrong to any created thing! How great is the crime that they have committed, in slaying with their deadly shafts an old man like you, wholly occupied with pious cares, and engaging not in strife! Much have they to boast of to their fellows and their friends, that they have shamelessly slain a solitary hermit, incapable of contending in arms!' Thus lamenting, bitterly and repeatedly, Ráma performed his father's last obsequies, and lighted his funeral pile. He then made a vow that he would extirpate the whole Kshatriya race. In fulfilment of this purpose he took up his arms, and with remorseless and fatal rage singly destroyed in fight the sons of Kárttavírya; and after them, whatever Kshatriyas he encountered, Ráma, the first of warriors, likewise slew. Thrice seven times did the clear the earth of the Kshatriya caste¹⁴⁹; and he filled with their blood the five large lakes of Samanta-panchaka, from which he offered libations to the race of Bhrigu. There did he behold his sire again, and the son of Richíka beheld his son, and told him what to do. Offering a solemn sacrifice to the king of the gods, Jámadagnya presented the earth to the ministering priests. To Kaśyapa he gave the altar made of gold, ten fathoms in length, and nine in height¹⁵⁰. With the permission of Kaśyapa, the Brahmans divided it in pieces amongst them, and they were thence called Khańd́aváyana Brahmans. Having given the earth to Kaśyapa, the hero of immeasurable prowess retired to the Mahendra mountain, where he still resides: and in this manner was there enmity between him and the race of Kshatriyas, and thus was the whole earth conquered by Ráma¹⁵¹."

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The son of Viswámitra was Śunahśephas, the descendant of Bhrigu, given by the gods, and thence named Devaráta¹⁵². Viswámitra had other sons also, amongst whom the most celebrated were Madhuchhandas, Kritajaya, Devadeva, Asht́aka, Kachchapa, and Hárita; these founded many families, all of whom were known by the name of Kauśikas, and intermarried with the families of various Rishis¹⁵³.

Chapter VIII

Sons of Áyus. Line of Kshatravriddha, or kings of Káśí. Former birth of Dhanwantarí. Various names of Pratarddana. Greatness of Alarka.

ÁYUS, the eldest son of Purúravas, married the daughter of Ráhu (or Áráhu), by whom he had five sons, Nahusha, Kshatravriddha¹⁵⁴, Rambha¹⁵⁵, Raji, and Anenas¹⁵⁶.

The son of Kshatravriddha was Suhotra¹⁵⁷, who had three sons, Káśa¹⁵⁸, Leśa¹⁵⁹, and Ghritsamada. The son of the last was Śaunaka¹⁶⁰, who first established the distinctions of the four castes¹⁶¹. The son of Káśa was Kaśirájá¹⁶²; his son was Dírghatamas¹⁶³; his son was Dhanwantari, whose nature was exempt from human infirmities, and who in every existence had been master of universal knowledge. In his past life (or when he was produced by the agitation of the milky sea), Náráyańa had conferred upon him the boon, that he should subsequently be born in the family of Kásirájá, should compose the eightfold system of medical science¹⁶⁴, and should be thereafter entitled to a share of offerings made to the gods. The son of Dhanwantari was Ketumat; his son was Bhímaratha; his son was Divodása¹⁶⁵; his son was Pratarddana, so named from destroying the race of Bhadraśreńya. He had various other appellations, as Śatrujit, 'the victor over his foes,' from having vanquished all his enemies; Vatsa, or 'child,' from his father's frequently calling him by that name; Ritadhwaja, 'he whose emblem was truth,' being a great observer of veracity; and Kuvalayáśwa, because he had a horse (aśwa) called Kuvalaya¹⁶⁶. The son of this prince was Alarka, of whom this verse is sung in the present day; "For sixty thousand and sixty hundred years no other youthful monarch except Alarka, reigned over the earth¹⁶⁷." The son of Alarka was Santati¹⁶⁸; his son was Sunítha; his son was Suketu; his son was Dharmaketu; his son was Satyaketu; his son was Vibhu; his son was Suvibhu; his son was Sukumára; his son was Dhrisht́aketu; his son was Vaińahotra; his son was Bharga; his son was Bhargabhúmi; from whom also rules for the four castes were promulgated¹⁶⁹. These are the Káśya princes, or descendants of Káśa¹⁷⁰. We will now enumerate the descendants of Raji.

Chapter IX

Descendants of Raji, son of Áyus: Indra resigns his throne to him: claimed after his death by his sons, who apostatize from the religion of the Vedas, and are destroyed by Indra. Descendants of Pratíkshatra, son of Kshatravriddha.

RAJI had five hundred sons, all of unequalled daring and vigour. Upon the occurrence of a war between the demons and the gods, both parties inquired of Brahmá which would be victorious. The deity replied, "That for which Raji shall take up arms." Accordingly the Daityas immediately repaired to Raji, to secure his alliance; which he promised them, if they would make him their Indra after defeating the gods. To this they answered and said, "We cannot profess one thing, and mean another; our Indra is Prahláda, and it is for him that we wage war." Having thus spoken, they departed; and the gods then came to him on the like errand. He proposed to them the said conditions, and they agreed that he should be their Indra. Raji therefore joined the heavenly host, and by his numerous and formidable weapons destroyed the army of their enemies.

When the demons were discomfited, Indra placed the feet of Raji upon his head, and said, "Thou hast preserved me from a great danger, and I acknowledge thee as my father; thou art the sovereign chief over all the regions, and I, the Indra of the three spheres, am thy son." The Rájá. smiled, and said, "Even be it so. The regard that is conciliated by many agreeable speeches is not to be resisted even when such language proceeds from a foe (much less should the kind words of a friend fail to win our affection)." He accordingly returned to his own city, and Indra remained as his deputy in the government of heaven.

When Raji ascended to the skies, his sons, at the instigation of Nárada, demanded the rank of Indra as their hereditary right; and as the deity refused to acknowledge their supremacy, they reduced him to submission by force, and usurped his station. After some considerable time had elapsed, the god of a hundred sacrifices, Indra, deprived of his share of offerings to the immortals, met with Vrihaspati in a retired place, and said to him, "Cannot you give me a little of the sacrificial butter, even if it were no bigger than a jujube, for I am in want of sustenance?" "If," replied Vrihaspati, "I had been applied to by you before, I could have done any thing for you that you wished; as it is, I will endeavour and restore you in a few days to your sovereignty." So saying, he commenced a sacrifice for the purpose of increasing the might of Indra, and of leading the sons of Raji into error, and so effecting their downfall¹⁷¹. Misled by their mental fascination, the princes became enemies of the Brahmans, regardless of their duties, and contemners of the precepts of the Vedas; and thus devoid of morality and religion, they were slain by Indra, who by the assistance of the priest of the gods resumed his place in heaven. Whoever hears this story shall retain for ever his proper place, and shall never be guilty of wicked acts.

Rambha, the third son of Áyus, had no progeny¹⁷². Kshatravriddha had a son named Pratíkshatra¹⁷³; his son was Sanjaya; his son was Vijaya¹⁷⁴; his son was Yajnakrit¹⁷⁵; his son was Harshavarddhana¹⁷⁶; his son was Sahadeva; his son was Adína¹⁷⁷; his son was Jayasena; his son was Sankriti; his son was Kshatradharman¹⁷⁸. These were the descendants of Kshatravriddha. I will now mention those of Nahusha.

Chapter X

The sons of Nahusha. The sons of Yayáti: he is cursed by Śukra: wishes his sons to exchange their vigour for his infirmities. Puru alone consents. Yayáti restores him his youth: divides the earth amongst his sons, under the supremacy of Puru.

YATI, Yayáti, Sanyáti, Áyáti, Viyati, and Kriti were the six valiant sons of Nahusha¹⁷⁹. Yati declined the sovereignty¹⁸⁰, and Yayáti therefore succeeded to the throne. He had two wives, Devayání the daughter of Usanas, and Śarmisht́há the daughter of Vrishaparvan; of whom this genealogical verse is recited: "Devayání bore two sons, Yadu and Turvasu. Sarmisht́há, the daughter of Vrishaparvan, had three sons, Druhyu, Anu, and Puru¹⁸¹." Through the curse of Uśanas, Yayáti became old and infirm before his time; but having appeased his father-in-law, he obtained permission to transfer his decrepitude to any one who would consent to take it. He first applied to his eldest son Yadu, and said, "Your maternal grandfather has brought this premature decay upon me: by his permission, however, I may transfer it to you for a thousand years. I am not yet satiate, with worldly enjoyments, and wish to partake of them through the means of your youth. Do not refuse compliance with my request." Yadu, however, was not willing to take upon him his father's decay; on which his father denounced an imprecation upon him, and said, "Your posterity shall not possess dominion." He then applied successively to Druhyu, Turvasu, and Anu, and demanded of them their juvenile vigour. They all refused, and were in consequence cursed by the king. Lastly he made the same request of Sarmisht́há's youngest son, Puru, who bowed to his father, and readily consented to give him his youth, and receive in exchange Yayáti's infirmities, saying that his father had conferred upon him a great favour.

The king Yayáti being thus endowed with renovated youth, conducted the affairs of state for the good of his people, enjoying such pleasures as were suited to his age and strength, and were not incompatible with virtue. He formed a connexion with the celestial nymph Viśwáchí, and was wholly attached to her, and conceived no end to his desires. The more they were gratified, the more ardent they became; as it is said in this verse, "Desire is not appeased by enjoyment: fire fed with sacrificial oil becomes but the more intense. No one has ever more than enough of rice, or barley, or gold, or cattle, or women: abandon therefore inordinate desire. When a mind finds neither good nor ill in all objects, but looks on all with an equal eye, then every thing yields it pleasure. The wise man is filled with happiness, who escapes from desire, which the feeble minded can with difficulty relinquish, and which grows not old with the aged. The hair becomes grey, the teeth fall out, as man advances in years; but the love of wealth, the love of life, are not impaired by age." "A thousand years have passed," reflected Yayáti, "and my mind is still devoted to pleasure: every day my desires are awakened by new objects. I will therefore now renounce all sensual enjoyment, and fix my mind upon spiritual truth. Unaffected by the alternatives of pleasure and pain, and having nothing I may call my own, I will henceforth roam the forests with the deer."

Having made this determination, Yayáti restored his youth to Puru, resumed his own decrepitude, installed his youngest son in the sovereignty, and departed to the wood of penance (Tapovana¹⁸²). To Turvasu he consigned the south-east districts of his kingdom; the west to Druhyu; the south to Yadu; and the north to Anu; to govern as viceroys under their younger brother Puru, whom he appointed supreme monarch of the earth¹⁸³.

Chapter XI

The Yádava race, or descendants of Yadu. Kárttavírya obtains a boon from Dattátreya: takes Rávańa prisoner: is killed by Paraśuráma: his descendants.

I WILL first relate to you the family of Yadu, the eldest son of Yayáti, in which the eternal immutable Vishńu descended upon earth in a portion of his essence¹⁸⁴; of which the glory cannot be described, though for ever hymned in order to confer the fruit of all their wishes--whether they desired virtue, wealth, pleasure, or liberation--upon all created beings, upon men, saints, heavenly quiristers, spirits of evil, nymphs, centaurs, serpents, birds, demons, gods, sages, Brahmans, and ascetics. Whoever hears the account of the race of Yadu shall be released from all sin; for the supreme spirit, that is without form, and which is called Vishńu, was manifested in this family.

Yadu had four sons, Sahasrajit, Krosht́i, Nala, and Raghu¹⁸⁵. Śatajit was the son of the elder of these, and he had three sons, Haihaya, Veńu¹⁸⁶, and Haya. The son of Haihaya was Dharmanetra¹⁸⁷; his son was Kuntí¹⁸⁸; his son was Sáhanji¹⁸⁹; his son was Mahishmat¹⁹⁰; his son was Bhadrasena¹⁹¹; his son was Durdama; his son was Dhanaka¹⁹², who had four sons, Kritavíryya, Kritágni, Kritavarman, and Kritaujas. Kritavíryya's son was Arjuna, the sovereign of the seven Dwípas, the lord of a thousand arms. This prince propitiated the sage Dattátreya, the descendant of Atri, who was a portion of Vishńu, and solicited and obtained from him these boons--a thousand arms; never acting unjustly; subjugation of the world by justice, and protecting it equitably; victory over his enemies; and death by the hands of a person renowned in the three regions of the universe. With these means he ruled over the whole earth with might and justice, and offered ten thousand sacrifices. Of him this verse is still recited; "The kings of the earth will assuredly never pursue his steps in sacrifice, in munificence, in devotion, in courtesy, and in self-control." In his reign nothing was lost or injured; and so he governed the whole earth with undiminished health, prosperity, power, and might, for eighty five thousand years. Whilst sporting in the waters of the Narmadá, and elevated with wine, Rávańa came on his tour of triumph to the city Máhishmatí, and there he who boasted of overthrowing the gods, the Daityas, the Gandharbas and their king, was taken prisoner by Kárttavírya, and confined like a tame beast in a corner of his capital¹⁹³. At the expiration of his long reign Kárttavírya was killed by Paraśuráma, who was an embodied portion of the mighty Náráyańa¹⁹⁴. Of the hundred sons of this king, the five principal were Śúra¹⁹⁵, Śúrasena, Vrishańa¹⁹⁶, Madhu¹⁹⁷, and Jayadhwaja¹⁹⁸. The son of the last was Tálajangha, who had a hundred sons, called after him Tálajanghas: the eldest of these was Vítihotra; another was Bharata¹⁹⁹, who had two sons, Vrisha and Sujátí²⁰⁰. The son of Vrisha was Madhu²⁰¹; he had a hundred sons, the chief of whom was Vrishńi, and from him the family obtained the name of Vrishńi²⁰². From the name of their father, Madhu, they were also called Mádhavas; whilst from the denomination of their common ancestor Yadu, the whole were termed Yádavas²⁰³.

Chapter XII

Descendants of Krosht́ri. Jyámagha's connubial affection for his wife Śaivyá: their descendants kings of Vidarbha and Chedi.

KROSHT́RI, the son of Yadu²⁰⁴, had a son named Vrijinívat²⁰⁵; his son was Swáhí²⁰⁶; his son was Rushadru²⁰⁷; his son was Chitraratha; his son was Śaśavindu, who was lord of the fourteen great gems²⁰⁸; he had a hundred thousand wives and a million of sons²⁰⁹. The most renowned of them were Prithuyaśas, Prithukarman, Prithujaya, Prithukírtti, Prithudána, and Prithuśravas. The son of the last of these six²¹⁰ was Tamas²¹¹; his son was Uśanas²¹², who celebrated a hundred sacrifices of the horse; his son was Śiteyus²¹³; his son was Rukmakavacha²¹⁴; his son was Parávrit, who lead five sons, Rukméshu, Prithurukman, Jyámagha, Pálita, and Harita²¹⁵. To this day the following verse relating to Jyámagha is repeated: "Of all the husbands submissive to their wives, who have been or who will be, the most eminent is the king Jyámagha²¹⁶, who was the husband of Śaivyá." Śaivyá was barren; but Jyámagha was so much afraid of her, that he did not take any other wife. On one occasion the king, after a desperate conflict with elephants and horse, defeated a powerful foe, who abandoning wife, children, kin, army, treasure, and dominion, fled. When the enemy was put to flight, Jyámagha beheld a lovely princess left alone, and exclaiming, "Save me, father! Save me, brother!" as her large eyes rolled wildly with affright. The king was struck by her beauty, and penetrated with affection for her, and said to himself, "This is fortunate; I have no children, and am the husband of a sterile bride; this maiden has fallen into my hands to rear up to me posterity: I will espouse her; but first I will take her in my car, and convey her to my palace, where I must request the concurrence of the queen in these nuptials." Accordingly he took the princess into his chariot, and returned to his own capital.

When Jyámagha's approach was announced, Śaivyá came to the palace gate, attended by the ministers, the courtiers, and the citizens, to welcome the victorious monarch: but when she beheld the maiden standing on the left hand of the king, her lips swelled and slightly quivered with resentment, and she said to Jyámagha, "Who is this light-hearted damsel that is with you in the chariot?" The king unprepared with a reply, made answer precipitately, through fear of his queen; "This is my daughter-in-law." "I have never had a son," rejoined Śaivyá, "and you have no other children. Of what son of yours then is this girl the wife?" The king disconcerted by the jealousy and anger which the words of Śaivyá displayed, made this reply to her in order to prevent further contention; "She is the young bride of the future son whom thou shalt bring forth." Hearing this, Śaivyá smiled gently, and said, "So be it;" and the king entered into his great palace.

In consequence of this conversation regarding the birth of a son having taken place in an auspicious conjunction, aspect, and season, the queen, although passed the time of women, became shortly afterwards pregnant, and bore a son. His father named him Vidarbha, and married him to the damsel he had brought home. They had three sons, Kratha, Kaiśika²¹⁷, and Romapáda²¹⁸. The son of Romapáda was Babhru²¹⁹, and his son was Dhriti²²⁰. The son of Kaiśika was Chedi, whose descendants were called the Chaidya kings²²¹. The son of Kratha was Kunti²²²; his son was Vrishńi²²³; his son was Nirvriti²²⁴; his son was Dasárha; his son was Vyoman; his son was Jímúta; his son was Vikriti²²⁵; his son was Bhímaratha; his son was Navaratha²²⁶; his son was Daśaratha²²⁷; his son was Śakuni; his son was Karambhi; his son was Devaráta; his son was Devakshatra²²⁸; his son was Madhu²²⁹; his son was Anavaratha; his son was Kuruvatsa; his son was Anuratha; his son was Puruhotra; his son was Anśu; his son was Satwata, from whom the princes of this house were termed Sátwatas. This was the progeny of Jyámagha; by listening to the account of whom, a man is purified from his sins.

Chapter XIII

Sons of Satwata. Bhoja princes of Mrittikávatí. Súrya the friend of Satrájit: appears to him in a bodily form: gives him the Syamantaka gem: its brilliance and marvellous properties. Satrájit gives it to Prasena, who is killed by a lion: the lion killed by the bear Jámbavat. Krishńa suspected of killing Prasena, goes to look for him in the forests: traces the bear to his cave: fights with him for the jewel: the contest prolonged: supposed by his companions to be slain: he overthrows Jámbavat, and marries his daughter Jámbavatí: returns with her and the jewel to Dwáraká: restores the jewel to Satrájit, and marries his daughter Satyabhámá. Satrájit murdered by Śatadhanwan: avenged by Krishńa. Quarrel between Krishńa and Balaráma. Akrúra possessed of the jewel: leaves Dwáraká. Public calamities. Meeting of the Yádavas. Story of Akrúra's birth: he is invited to return: accused by Krishńa of having the Syamantaka jewel: produces it in full assembly: it remains in his charge: Krishńa acquitted of having purloined it.

THE sons of Satwata were Bhajina, Bhajamána, Divya, Andhaka, Devávriddha, Mahábhoja, and Vrishńi²³⁰. Bhajamána had three sons, Nimi²³¹, Krikańa²³², and Vrishńi²³³, by one wife, and as many by another, Śatajit, Sahasrajit, and Ayutajit²³⁴. The son of Devávriddha was Babhru of whom this verse is recited; "We hear when afar, and we behold when nigh, that Babhru is the first of men, and Devávriddha is equal to the gods: sixty-six persons following the precepts of one, and six thousand and eight who were disciples of the other, obtained immortality." Mahábhoja was a pious prince; his descendants were the Bhojas, the princes of Mrittikávatí²³⁵, thence called Márttikávatas²³⁶. Vrishńi had two sons, Sumitra and Yudhájit²³⁷; from the former Anamitra and Śini were born²³⁸. The son of Anamitra was Nighna, who had two sons, Prasena and Satrájit. The divine Áditya, the sun, was the friend of the latter.

On one occasion Satrájit, whilst walking along the sea shore, addressed his mind to Súrya, and hymned his praises; on which the divinity appeared and stood before him. Beholding him in an indistinct shape, Satrájit said to the sun, "I have beheld thee, lord, in the heavens as a globe of fire: now do thou shew favour unto me, that I may see thee in thy proper form." On this the sun taking the jewel called Syamantaka from off his neck, placed it apart, and Satrájit beheld him of a dwarfish stature, with a body like burnished copper, and with slightly reddish eyes. Having offered his adorations, the sun desired him to demand a boon, and he requested that the jewel might become his. The sun presented it to him, and then resumed his place in the sky. Having obtained the spotless gem of gems, Satrájit wore it on his neck, and becoming as brilliant thereby as the sun himself, irradiating all the region with his splendour, he returned to Dwáraká. The inhabitants of that city, beholding him approach, repaired to the eternal male, Purushottama, who, to sustain the burden of the earth, had assumed a mortal form (as Krishńa), and said to him, "Lord, assuredly the divine sun is coming to visit you." But Krishńa smiled, and said, "It is not the divine sun, but Satrájit, to whom Áditya has presented the Syamantaka gem, and he now wears it: go and behold him without apprehension." Accordingly they departed. Satrájit having gone to his house, there deposited the jewel, which yielded daily eight loads of gold, and through its marvellous virtue dispelled all fear of portents, wild beasts, fire, robbers, and famine.

Achyuta was of opinion that this wonderful gem should be in the possession of Ugrasena; but although he had the power of taking it from Satrájit, he did not deprive him of it, that he might not occasion ally disagreement amongst the family. Satrájit, on the other hand, fearing that Krishńa would ask him for the jewel, transferred it to his brother Prasena. Now it was the peculiar property of this jewel, that although it was an inexhaustible source of good to a virtuous person, yet when worn by a man of bad character it was the cause of his death. Prasena having taken the gem, and hung it round his neck, mounted his horse, and went to the woods to hunt. In the chase he was killed by a lion. The lion, taking the jewel in his mouth, was about to depart, when he was observed and killed by Jámbavat, the king of the bears, who carrying off the gem retired into his cave, and gave it to his son Sukumára to play with. When some time had elapsed, and Prasena did not appear, the Yádavas began to whisper one to another, and to say, "This is Krishńa's doing: desirous of the jewel, and not obtaining it, he has perpetrated the murder of Prasena in order to get it into his possession."

When these calumnious rumours came to the knowledge of Krishńa, he collected a number of the Yádavas, and accompanied by them pursued the course of Prasena by the impressions of his horse's hoofs. Ascertaining by this means that he and his horse had been killed by a lion, he was acquitted by all the people of any share in his death. Desirous of recovering the gem, he thence followed the steps of the lion, and at no great distance came to the place where the lion had been killed by the bear. Following the footmarks of the latter, he arrived at the foot of a mountain, where he desired the Yádavas to await him, whilst he continued the track. Still guided by the marks of the feet, he discovered a cavern, and had scarcely entered it when he heard the nurse of Sukumára saying to him, "The lion killed Prasena; the lion has been killed by Jámbavat: weep not, Sukumára, the Syamantaka is your own." Thus assured of his object, Krishńa advanced into the cavern, and saw the brilliant jewel in the hands of the nurse, who was giving it as a plaything to Sukumára. The nurse soon descried his approach, and marking his eyes fixed upon the gem with eager desire, called loudly for help. Hearing her cries, Jámbavat, full of anger, came to the cave, and a conflict ensued between him and Achyuta, which lasted twenty-one days. The Yádavas who had accompanied the latter waited seven or eight days in expectation of his return, but as the foe of Madhu still came not forth, they concluded that he must have met his death in the cavern. "It could not have required so many days," they thought, "to overcome an enemy;" and accordingly they departed, and returned to Dwáraká, and announced that Krishńa had been killed.

When the relations of Achyuta heard this intelligence, they performed all the obsequial rites suited to the occasion. The food and water thus offered to Krishńa in the celebration of his Śráddha served to support his life, and invigorate his strength in the combat in which he was engaged; whilst his adversary, wearied by daily conflict with a powerful foe, bruised and battered in every limb by heavy blows, and enfeebled by want of food, became unable longer to resist him. Overcome by his mighty antagonist, Jámbavat cast himself before him and said, "Thou, mighty being, art surely invincible by all the demons, and by the spirits of heaven, earth, or hell; much less art thou to be vanquished by mean and powerless creatures in a human shape; and still less by such as we are, who are born of brute origin. Undoubtedly thou art a portion of my sovereign lord Náráyańa, the defender of the universe." Thus addressed by Jámbavat, Krishńa explained to him fully that he had descended to take upon himself the burden of the earth, and kindly alleviated the bodily pain which the bear suffered from the fight, by touching him with his hand. Jámbavat again prostrated himself before Krishńa, and presented to him his daughter Jámbavatí, as an offering suitable to a guest. He also delivered to his visitor the Syamantaka jewel. Although a gift from such an individual was not fit for his acceptance, yet Krishńa took the gem for the purpose of clearing his reputation. He then returned along with his bride Jámbavatí to Dwáraká..

When the people of Dwáraká beheld Krishńa alive and returned, they were filled with delight, so that those who were bowed down with years recovered youthful vigour; and all the Yádavas, men and women, assembled round Ánakadundubhi, the father of the hero, and congratulated him. Krishńa related to the whole assembly of the Yádavas all that had happened, exactly as it had befallen, and restoring the Syamantaka jewel to Satrájit was exonerated from the crime of which he had been falsely accused. He then led Jámbavatí into the inner apartments.

When Satrájit reflected that he had been the cause of the aspersions upon Krishńa's character, he felt alarmed, and to conciliate the prince he gave him to wife his daughter Satyabhámá. The maiden had been previously sought in marriage by several of the most distinguished Yádavas, as Akrúra, Kritavarman and Śatadhanwan, who were highly incensed at her being wedded to another, and leagued in enmity against Satrájit. The chief amongst them, with Akrúra and Kritavarman, said to Śatadhanwan, "This caitiff Satrájit has offered a gross insult to you, as well as to us who solicited his daughter, by giving her to Krishńa: let him not live: why do you not kill him, and take the jewel? Should Achyuta therefore enter into feud with you, we will take your part." Upon this promise Śatadhanwan undertook to slay Satrájit.

When news arrived that the sons of Páńd́u had been burned in the house of wax²³⁹, Krishńa, who knew the real truth, set off for Bárańávata to allay the animosity of Duryodhana, and to perform the duties his relationship required. Śatadhanwan taking advantage of his absence, killed Satrájit in his sleep, and took possession of the gem. Upon this coming to the knowledge of Satyabhámá, she immediately mounted her chariot, and, filled with fury at her father's murder, repaired to Bárańávata, and told her husband how Satrájit had been killed by Śatadhanwan in resentment of her having been married to another, and how he had carried off the jewel; and she implored him to take prompt measures to avenge such heinous wrong. Krishńa, who is ever internally placid, being informed of these transactions, said to Satyabhámá, as his eyes flashed with indignation, "These are indeed audacious injuries, but I will not submit to them from so vile a wretch. They must assail the tree, who would kill the birds that there have built their nests. Dismiss excessive sorrow; it needs not your lamentations to excite any wrath." Returning forthwith to Dwáraká, Krishńa took Baladeva apart, and said to him, "A lion slew Prasena, hunting in the forests; and now Satrájit has been murdered by Śatadhanwan. As both these are removed, the jewel which belonged to them is our common right. Up then, ascend your car, and put Śatadhanwan to death."

Being thus excited by his brother, Balaráma engaged resolutely in the enterprise; but Śatadhanwan, being aware of their hostile designs, repaired to Kritavarman, and required his assistance. Kritavarman, however, declined to assist him, pleading his inability to engage in a conflict with both Baladeva and Krishńa. Śatadhanwan thus disappointed, applied to Akrúra; but he said, "You must have recourse to some other protector. How should I be able to defend you? There is no one even amongst the immortals, whose praises are celebrated throughout the universe, who is capable of contending with the wielder of the discus, at the stamp of whose foot the three worlds tremble; whose hand makes the wives of the Asuras widows, whose weapons no host, however mighty, can resist: no one is capable of encountering the wielder of the ploughshare, who annihilates the prowess of his enemies by the glances of his eyes, that roll with the joys of wine; and whose vast ploughshare manifests his might, by seizing and exterminating the most formidable foes." "Since this is the case," replied Śatadhanwan, "and you are unable to assist me, at least accept and take care of this jewel." "I will do so," answered Akrúra, "if you promise that even in the last extremity you will not divulge its being in my possession." To this Śatadhanwan agreed, and Akrúra took the jewel; and the former mounting a very swift mare, one that could travel a hundred leagues a day, fled from Dwáraká.

When Krishńa heard of Śatadhanwan's flight, he harnessed his four horses, Śaivya, Sugríva, Meghapushpa, and Baláhaka, to his car, and, accompanied by Balaráma, set off in pursuit. The mare held her speed, and accomplished her hundred leagues; but when she reached the country of Mithilá, her strength was exhausted, and she dropped down and died. Śatadhanwan²⁴⁰ dismounting, continued his flight on foot. When his pursuers came to the place where the mare had perished, Krishńa said to Balaráma, "Do you remain in the car, whilst I follow the villain on foot, and put him to death; the ground here is bad; and the horses will not be able to drag the chariot across it." Balaráma accordingly stayed with the car, and Krishńa followed Śatadhanwan on foot: when he had chased him for two kos, he discharged his discus, and, although Śatadhanwan was at a considerable distance, the weapon struck off his head. Krishńa then coining up, searched his body and his dress for the Syamantaka jewel, but found it not. He then returned to Balabhadra, and told him that they had effected the death of Śatadhanwan to no purpose, for the precious gem, the quintessence of all worlds, was not upon his person. When Balabhadra heard this, he flew into a violent rage, and said to Vásudeva, "Shame light upon you, to be thus greedy of wealth! I acknowledge no brotherhood with you. Here lies my path. Go whither you please; I have done with Dwáraká, with you, with all our house. It is of no use to seek to impose upon me with thy perjuries." Thus reviling his brother, who fruitlessly endeavoured to appease him, Balabhadra went to the city of Videha, where Janaka²⁴¹ received him hospitably, and there he remained. Vásudeva returned to Dwáraká. It was during his stay in the dwelling of Janaka that Duryodhana, the son of Dhritarásht́ra, learned from Balabhadra the art of fighting with the mace. At the expiration of three years, Ugrasena and other chiefs of the Yádavas, being satisfied that Krishńa had not the jewel, went to Videha, and removed Balabhadra's suspicions, and brought him home.

Akrúra, carefully considering the treasures which the precious jewel secured to him, constantly celebrated religious rites, and, purified with holy prayers²⁴², lived in affluence for fifty-two years; and through the virtue of that gem there was no dearth nor pestilence in the whole country²⁴³. At the end of that period, Śatrughna, the great grandson of Satwata, was killed by the Bhojas, and as they were in bonds of alliance with Akrúra, he accompanied them in their flight from Dwáraká. From the moment of his departure various calamities, portents, snakes, dearth, plague, and the like, began to prevail; so that he whose emblem is Garúda called together the Yádavas, with Balabhadra and Ugrasena, and recommended them to consider how it was that so many prodigies should have occurred at the same time. On this Andhaka, one of the elders of the Yadhu race, thus spake: "Wherever Śwaphalka, the father of Akrúra, dwelt, there famine, plague, dearth, and other visitations were unknown. Once when there was want of rain in the kingdom of Kásirájá, Śwaphalka was brought there, and immediately there fell rain from the heavens. It happened also that the queen of Káśírájá conceived, and was quick with a daughter; but when the time of delivery arrived, the child issued not from the womb. Twelve years passed away, and still the girl was unborn. Then Káśírájá spake to the child, and said, 'Daughter, why is your birth thus delayed? come forth; I desire to behold you, why do you inflict this protracted suffering upon your mother?' Thus addressed, the infant answered, 'If, father, you will present a cow every day to the Brahmans, I shall at the end of three years more be born.' The king accordingly presented daily a cow to the Brahmans, and at the end of three years the damsel came into the world. Her father called her Gándiní, and he subsequently gave her to Śwaphalka, when he came to his palace for his benefit. Gándiní, as long as she lived, gave a cow to the Brahmans every day. Akrúra was her son by Śwaphalka, and his birth therefore proceeds from a combination of uncommon excellence. When a person such as he is, is absent from us, is it likely that famine, pestilence, and prodigies should fail to occur? Let him then he invited to return: the faults of men of exalted worth must not be too severely scrutinized."

Agreeably to the advice of Audhaka the elder, the Yádavas sent a mission, headed by Keśava, Ugrasena, and Balabhadra, to assure Akrúra that no notice would be taken of any irregularity committed by him; and having satisfied him that he was in no danger, they brought him back to Dwáraká. Immediately on his arrival, in consequence of the properties of the jewel, the plague, dearth, famine, and every other calamity and portent, ceased. Krishńa, observing this, reflected²⁴⁴ that the descent of Akrúra from Gándiní and Śwaphalka was a cause wholly disproportionate to such an effect, and that some more powerful influence must be exerted to arrest pestilence and famine. "Of a surety," said he to himself, "the great Syamantaka jewel is in his keeping, for such I have heard are amongst its properties. This Akrúra too has been lately celebrating sacrifice after sacrifice; his own means are insufficient for such expenses; it is beyond a doubt that he has the jewel." Having come to this conclusion, he called a meeting of all the Yádavas at his house, under the pretext of some festive celebration. When they were all seated, and the. purport of their assembling had been explained, and the business accomplished, Krishńa entered into conversation with Akrúra, and, after laughing and joking, said to him, "Kinsman, you are a very prince in your liberality; but we know very well that the precious jewel which was stolen by Sudhanwan was delivered by him to you, and is now in your possession, to the great benefit of this kingdom. So let it remain; we all derive advantage from its virtues. But Balabhadra suspects that I have it, and therefore, out of kindness to me, shew it to the assembly." When Akrúra, who had the jewel with him, was thus taxed, he hesitated what he should do. "If I deny that I have the jewel," thought he, "they will search my person, and find the gem hidden amongst my clothes. I cannot submit to a search." So reflecting, Akrúra said to Náráyańa, the cause of the whole world, "It is true that the Syamantaka jewel was entrusted to me by Śatadhanwan, when he went from hence. I expected every day that you would ask me for it, and with much inconvenience therefore I have kept it until now. The charge of it has subjected me to so much anxiety, that I have been incapable of enjoying any pleasure, and have never known a moment's ease. Afraid that you would think me unfit to retain possession of a jewel so essential to the welfare of the kingdom, I forbore to mention to you its being in my hands; but now take it yourself, and give the care of it to whom you please." Having thus spoken, Akrúra drew forth from his garments a small gold box, and took from it the jewel. On displaying it to the assembly of the Yádavas, the whole chamber where they sat was illuminated by its radiance. "This," said Akrúra, "is the Syamantaka gem, which was consigned to me by Śatadhanwan: let him to whom it belongs now take it."

When the Yádavas beheld the jewel, they were filled with astonishment, and loudly expressed their delight. Balabhadra immediately claimed the jewel as his property jointly with Achyuta, as formerly agreed upon; whilst Satyabhámá, demanded it as her right, as it had originally belonged to her father. Between these two Krishńa considered himself as an ox between the two wheels of a cart, and thus spake to Akrúra in the presence of all the Yádavas: "This jewel has been exhibited to the assembly in order to clear my reputation; it is the joint right of Balabhadra and myself, and is the patrimonial inheritance of Satyabhámá. But this jewel, to be of advantage to the whole kingdom, should be taken charge of by a person who leads a life of perpetual continence: if worn by an impure individual, it will be the cause of his death. Now as I have sixteen thousand wives, I am not qualified to have the care of it. It is not likely that Satyabhámá will agree to the conditions that would entitle her to the possession of the jewel; and as to Balabhadra, he is too much addicted to wine and the pleasures of sense to lead a life of self-denial. We are therefore out of the question, and all the Yádavas, Balabhadra, Satyabhámá, and myself, request you, most bountiful Akrúra, to retain the care of the jewel, as you have done hitherto, for the general good; for you are qualified to have the keeping of it, and in your hands it has been productive of benefit to the country. You must not decline compliance with our request." Akrúra, thus urged, accepted the jewel, and thenceforth wore it publicly round his neck, where it shone with dazzling brightness; and Akrúra moved about like the sun, wearing a garland of light.

He who calls to mind the vindication of the character of Krishńa from false aspersions, shall never become the subject of unfounded accusation in the least degree, and living in the full exercise of his senses shall be cleansed from every sin²⁴⁵.

Chapter XIV

Descendants of Śini, of Anamitra, of Śwaphalka and Chitraka, of Andhaka. The children of Devaka and Ugrasena. The descendants of Bhajamána. Children of Śúra: his son Vasudeva: his daughter Prithá married to Páńd́u: her children Yudhisht́hira and his brothers; also Karńa by Áditya. The sons of Páńd́u by Mádrí. Husbands and children of Śúra's other daughters. Previous births of Śiśupála.

THE younger brother of Anamitra was Śini; his son was Satyaka; his son was Yuyudhána, also known by the name of Sátyaki; his son was Asanga; his son was Túni²⁴⁶; his son was Yugandhara²⁴⁷. These princes were termed Śaineyas.

In the family of Anamitra, Priśni was born; his son was Śwaphalka²⁴⁸, the sanctity of whose character has been described: the younger brother of Śwaphalka was named Chitraka. Śwaphalka had by Gándiní, besides Akrúra, Upamadgu, Mridura, Śárimejaya, Giri, Kshatropakshatra, Śatrughna, Arimarddana, Dharmadhris, Dhrisht́asarman, Gandhamojávaha, and Prativáha. He had also a daughter, Sutárá²⁴⁹.

Devavat and Upadeva were the sons of Akrúra. The sons of Chitrika were Prithu and Vipritha, and many others²⁵⁰. Andhaka had four sons, Kukkura, Bhajamána, Śuchi²⁵¹, Kambalavarhish. The son of Kukkura was Vrisht́a²⁵²; his son was Kapotaroman; his son was Viloman²⁵³; his son was Bhava²⁵⁴, who was also called Chandanodakadundubhi²⁵⁵; he was a friend of the Gandharba Tumburu; his son was Abhijit; his son was Punarvasu; his son was Áhuka, and he had also a daughter named Áhukí. The sons of Áhuka were Devaka and Ugrasena. The former had four sons, Devavat, Upadevá, Sudeva, and Devarakshita, and seven daughters, Vrikadevá, Upadevá, Devarakshitá, Śrídevá, Śántidevá, Sahadevá, and Devakí: all the daughters were married to Vasudeva. The sons of Ugrasena were Kansa, Nyagrodha, Sunáman, Kanka, Śanku, Subhúmi, Rásht́rapála, Yuddhamusht́hi, and Tusht́imat; and his daughters were Kansá, Kansavatí, Sutanu, Rásht́rapálí, and Kankí.

The son of Bhajamána²⁵⁶ was Vidúratha; his son was Śúra; his son was Śamin²⁵⁷; his son was Pratíkshatra²⁵⁸; his son was Swayambhoja²⁵⁹; his son was Hridika, who had Kritavarman, Śatadhanu, Devamíd́husha, and others²⁶⁰. Śúra, the son of Devamíd́husha²⁶¹, was married to Márishá, and had by her ten sons. On the birth of Vasudeva, who was one of these sons, the gods, to whom the future is manifest, foresaw that the divine being would take a human form in his family, and thereupon they sounded with joy the drums of heaven: from this circumstance Vasudeva was also called Ánakadunbubhi²⁶². His brothers were Devabhága, Devaśravas, Anádhrisht́i, Karundhaka, Vatsabálaka, Śrinjaya, Śyáma, Śamíka, and Gańd́úsha; and his sisters were Prithá, Śrutadevá, Śrutakírttí, Śrutaśravas, and Rájádhideví.

Śúra had a friend named Kuntibhoja, to whom, as he had no children, the presented in due form his daughter Pritha. She was married to Pańd́u, and bore him Yudhisht́hira, Bhíma, and Arjuna, who were in fact the sons of the deities Dharma, Váyu (air), and Indra. Whilst she was yet unmarried, also, she had a son named Karńa, begotten by the divine Áditya (the sun). Pańd́u had another wife, named Mádrí, who had by the twin sons of Áditya, Násatya and Dasra, two sons, Nakula and Sahadeva²⁶³.

Śrutadevá was married to the Kárusha prince Vriddhaśarman, and bore him the fierce Asura Dantavaktra. Dhrisht́aketu, raja of Kaikeya²⁶⁴, married Śrutakírtti, and had by her Santarddana and four other sons, known as the five Kaikeyas. Jayasena, king of Avanti, married Rájádhideví, and had Vinda and Anavinda. Śrutaśravas was wedded to Damaghosha, raja of Chedi, and bore him Śiśupála²⁶⁵. This prince was in a former existence the unrighteous but valiant monarch of the Daityas, Hirańyakaśipu, who was killed by the divine guardian of creation (in the man-lion Avatára). He was next the ten-headed sovereign Rávańa, whose unequalled prowess, strength, and power were overcome by the lord of the three worlds, Ráma. Having been killed by the deity in the form of Rághava, he had long enjoyed the reward of his virtues in exemption from an embodied state, but had now received birth once more as Śiśupála, the son of Damaghosha, king of Chedi. In this character he renewed, with greater inveteracy than ever, his hostile hatred towards the god surnamed Puńd́arikáksha, a portion of the supreme being, who had descended to lighten the burdens of the earth; and was in consequence slain by him: but from the circumstance of his thoughts being constantly engrossed by the supreme being, Śiśupála was united with him after death; for the lord giveth to those to whom he is favourable whatever they desire, and he bestows a heavenly and exalted station even upon those whom he slays in his displeasure.

Chapter XV

Explanation of the reason why Śiśupála in his previous births as Hirańyakaśipu and Rávańa was not identified with Vishńu on being slain by him, and was so identified when killed as Śiśupála. The wives of Vasudeva: his children: Balaráma and Krishńa his sons by Devakí: born apparently of Rohińí and Yasodá. The wives and children of Krishńa. Multitude of the descendants of Yadu.

MAITREYA.--Most eminent of all who cultivate piety, I am curious to hear from you, and you are able to explain to me, how it happened that the same being who when killed by Vishńu as Hirańyakaśipu and Rávańa obtained enjoyments which, though scarcely attainable by the immortals, were but temporary, should have been absorbed into the eternal Hari when slain by him in the person of Śiśupála.

PARÁŚARA.--When the divine author of the creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe accomplished the death of Hirańyakaśipu, he assumed a body composed of the figures of a lion and a man, so that Hirańyakaśipu was not aware that his destroyer was Vishńu: although therefore the quality of purity, derived from exceeding merit, had been attained, yet his mind was perplexed by the predominance of the property of passion; and the consequence of that intermixture was, that he reaped, as the result of his death by the hands of Vishńu, only unlimited power and enjoyment upon earth, as Daśánana, the sovereign of the three spheres; he did not obtain absorption into the supreme spirit, that is without beginning or end, because his mind was not wholly dedicated to that sole object. So also Daśánana being entirely subject to the passion of love, and engrossed completely by the thoughts of Jánakí, could not comprehend that the son of Daśaratha whom he beheld was in reality the divine Achyuta. At the moment of his death he was impressed with the notion that his adversary was a mortal, and therefore the fruit he derived from being slain by Vishńu was confined to his birth in the illustrious family of the kings of Chedi, and the exercise of extensive dominion. In this situation many circumstances brought the names of Vishńu to his notice, and on all these occasions the enmity that had accumulated through successive births influenced his mind; and in speaking constantly with disrespect of Achyuta, he was ever repeating his different appellations. Whether walking, eating, sitting, or sleeping, his animosity was never at rest, and Krishńa was ever present to his thoughts in his ordinary semblance, having eyes as beautiful as the leaf of the lotus, clad in bright yellow raiment, decorated with a garland, with bracelets on his arms and wrists, and a diadem on his head; having four robust arms, bearing the conch, the discus, the mace, and the lotus. Thus uttering his names, even though in malediction, and dwelling upon his image, though in enmity, he beheld Krishńa, when inflicting his death, radiant with resplendent weapons, bright with ineffable splendour in his own essence as the supreme being, and all his passion and hatred ceased, and he was purified front every defect. Being killed by the discus of Vishńu at the instant he thus meditated, all his sins were consumed by his divine adversary, and he was blended with him by whose might he had been slain. I have thus replied to your inquiries. He by whom the divine Vishńu is named or called to recollection, even in enmity, obtains a reward that is difficult of attainment to the demons and the gods: how much greater shall be his recompense who glorifies the deity in fervour and in faith!

Vasudeva, also called Ánakadandubhi, had Rohińí, Pauraví²⁶⁶, Bhadrá, Madirá, Devakí, and several other wives. His sons by Rohińí were Balabhadra, Sárańa, Śaru, Durmada, and others. Balabhadra espoused Revatí, and had by her Nisat́ha and Ulmuka. The sons of Śarańa were Mársht́i, Mársht́imat, Śíśu, Satyadhriti, and others. Bhadráśwa, Bhadrabáhu, Durgama, Bhúta, and others, were born in the family of Rohińí (of the race of Puru). The sons of Vasudeva by Madirá were Nanda, Upananda, Krítaka, and others. Bhadrá bore him Upanidhi, Gada, and others. By his wife Vaiśálí he had one son named Kauśika. Devakí bore him six sons, Kírttimat, Susheńa, Udáyin, Bhadrasena, Rijudaśa, and Bhadradeha; all of whom Kansa put to death²⁶⁷.

When Devakí was pregnant the seventh time, Yoganidrá (the sleep of devotion), sent by Vishńu, extricated the embryo from its maternal womb at midnight, and transferred it to that of Rohińí; and from having been thus taken away, the child (who was Balaráma) received the name of Sankarshańa. Next, the divine Vishńu himself, the root of the vast universal tree, inscrutable by the understandings of all gods, demons, sages, and men, past, present, or to come, adored by Brahmá and all the deities, he who is without beginning, middle, or end, being moved to relieve the earth of her load, descended into the womb of Devakí, and was born as her son Vásudeva. Yoganidrá, proud to execute his orders, removed the embryo to Yasodá, the wife of Nanda the cowherd. At his birth the earth was relieved from all iniquity; the sun, moon, and planets shone with unclouded splendour; all fear of calamitous portents was dispelled; and universal happiness prevailed. From the moment he appeared, all mankind were led into the righteous path in him.

Whilst this powerful being resided in this world of mortals, he had sixteen thousand and one hundred wives; of these the principal were Rukminí, Satyabhámá, Jámbavatí, Játahaśiní, and four others. By these the universal form, who is without beginning, begot a hundred and eighty thousand sons, of whom thirteen are most renowned, Pradyumna, Chárudeshńa, Sámba, and others. Pradyumna married Kakudwatí, the daughter of Rukmin, and had by her Aniruddha. Aniruddha married Subhadrá, the granddaughter of the same Rukmin, and she bore him a son named Vajra. The son of Vajra was Báhu; and his son was Sucháru²⁶⁸.

In this manner the descendants of Yadu multiplied, and there were many hundreds of thousands of them, so that it would be impossible to repeat their names in hundreds of years. Two verses relating to them are current: "The domestic instructors of the boys in the use of arms amounted to three crores and eighty lacs (or thirty-eight millions). Who shall enumerate the whole of the mighty men of the Yádava race, who were tens of ten thousands and hundreds of hundred thousands in number?" Those powerful Daityas who were killed in the conflicts between them and the gods were born again upon earth as men, as tyrants and oppressors; and, in order to check their violence, the gods also descended to the world of mortals, and became members of the hundred and one branches of the family of Yadu. Vishńu was to them a teacher and a ruler, and all the Yádavas were obedient to his commands.

Whoever listens frequently to this account of the origin of the heroes of the race of Vrishńi, shall be purified from all sin, and obtain the sphere of Vishńu.

Chapter XVI

Descendants of Turvasu.

PARÁŚARA.--I shall now summarily give you an account of the descendants of Turvasu.

The son of Turvasu was Vahni²⁶⁹; his son was Gobánu²⁷⁰; his son was Traiśámba²⁷¹; his son was Karandhama; his son was Marutta. Marutta had no children, and he therefore adopted Dushyanta, of the family of Puru; by which the line of Turvasu merged into that of Puru²⁷². This took place in consequence of the malediction denounced on his son by Yayáti²⁷³.

Chapter XVII

Descendants of Druhyu.

THE son of Druhyu was Babhru; his son was Setu; his son was Áradwat²⁷⁴; his son was Gándhára²⁷⁵; his son was Dharma²⁷⁶; his son was Dhrita²⁷⁷; his son was Duryáman²⁷⁸; his son was Prachetas, who had a hundred sons, and they were the princes of the lawless Mlechchhas or barbarians of the north²⁷⁹.

Chapter XVIII

Descendants of Anu. Countries and towns named after some of them, as Anga, Banga, and others.

ANU²⁸⁰, the fourth son of Yayáti, had three sons, Sabhánara, Chákshusha, and Paramekshu²⁸¹. The son of the first was Kálánara²⁸²; his son was Śrinjaya; his son was Puranjaya; his son was Janamejaya; his son was Mahámani²⁸³; his son was Mahámanas, who had two sons, Uśínara and Titikshu. Uśínara had five sons, Śivi, Trińa²⁸⁴, Gara²⁸⁵, Krimi, Dárvan²⁸⁶. Śivi had four sons, Vrishadarbha, Suvíra, Kaikeya, and Madra²⁸⁷. Titikshu had one son, Ushadratha²⁸⁸; his son was Hema²⁸⁹; his son was Sutapas; his son was Bali, on whose wife five sons were begotten by Dírghatamas, or Anga, Banga, Kalinga, Suhma, and Puńd́ra²⁹⁰; and their descendants, and the five countries they inhabited, were known by the same names²⁹¹.

The son of Anga was Pára²⁹²; his son was Divaratha; his son was Dharmaratha²⁹³; his son was Chitraratha; his son was Romapáda²⁹⁴, also called Daśaratha, to whom, being childless, Daśaratha, the son of Aja, gave his daughter Śántá to be adopted²⁹⁵. After this, Romapáda had a son named Chaturanga; his son was Prithuláksha; his son was Champa, who founded the city of Champá²⁹⁶. The son of Champa was Haryyanga; his son was Bhadraratha, who had two sons, Vrihatkarman and Vrihadratha. The son of the first was Vrihadbhánu²⁹⁷; his son was Vrihanmanas; his son was Jayadratha, who, by a wife who was the daughter of a Kshatriya father and Brahmani mother, had a son named Vijaya²⁹⁸; his son was Dhriti; his son was Dhritavrata; his son was Satyakarman; his son was Adhiratha²⁹⁹, who found Karna in a basket on the banks of the Ganges, where he had been exposed by his mother, Pritha. The son of Karńa was Vrishasena³⁰⁰. These were the Anga kings. You shall next hear who were the descendants of Puru.

Chapter XIX

Descendants of Puru. Birth of Bharata, the son of Dushyanta: his sons killed: adopts Bharadwája or Vitatha. Hastin, founder of Hastinapur. Sons of Ajámíd́ha, and the races derived from them, as Pánchálas, &c. Kripa and Kripí found by Śántanu. Descendants of Riksha, the son of Ajámíd́ha. Kurukshetra named from Kuru. Jarásandha and others, kings of Magadhá.

THE son of Puru was Janamejaya; his son was Práchinvat; his son was Pravíra; his son was Manasyu; his son was Bhayada³⁰¹; his son was Sudyumna³⁰²; his son was Bahugava³⁰³; his son was Samyáti³⁰⁴; his son was Ahamyáti³⁰⁵; his son was Raudráśwa³⁰⁶, who had ten sons, Riteyu³⁰⁷, Kaksheyu, Sthańd́ileyu, Ghriteyu, Jaleyu, Sthaleyu, Santateyu, Dhaneyu, Vaneyu, and Vrateyu³⁰⁸. The son of Riteyu was Rantinára³⁰⁹, whose sons were Tansu, Apratiratha, and Dhruva³¹⁰. The son of the second of these was Kańwa, and his son was Medhátithi, from whom the Káńwáyána Brahmanas³¹¹ descended. Anila³¹² was the son of Tansu, and he had four sons, of whom Dushyanta was the elder³¹³. The son of 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 Śakuntalá with disrespect. Sons, who are born from the paternal loins, rescue their progenitors from the infernal regions. Thou art the parent of this boy; Śakuntalá has spoken truth." From the expression 'cherish,' Bharaswa, the prince was called Bharata³¹⁴.

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 Bharadwája, 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 dwá-jam). 'No, Vrihaspati,' replied Mamatá, 'do you take care of him.' So saying, they both abandoned him; but from their expressions the boy was called Bharadwája." He was also termed Vitatha, in allusion to the unprofitable (vitatha) birth of the sons of Bharata³¹⁵. The son of Vitatha was Bhavanmanyu³¹⁶; his sons were many, and amongst them the chief were Vrihatkshatra, Mahávíryya, Nara, and Garga³¹⁷. The son of Nara was Sankriti; his sons were Ruchiradhí and Rantideva³¹⁸. The son of Garga was Sini³¹⁹, and their descendants called Gárgyas and Śainyas, although Kshatriyas by birth, became Brahmans³²⁰. The son of Mahávíryya was Urukshaya³²¹, who had three sons, Trayyáruńa, Pushkarin, and Kapi³²²; the last of whom became a Brahman. The son of Vrihatkshatra was Suhotra³²³, whose son was Hastin, who founded the city of Hastinápur³²⁴. The sons of Hastin were Ajamíd́ha³²⁵, Dwimíd́ha, and Purumíd́ha. One son of Ajamíd́ha was Kańwa, whose son was Medhátithi³²⁶; his other son was Vrihadishu, whose son was Vrihadvasu³²⁷; his son was Vrihatkarman³²⁸; his son was Jayadratha³²⁹; his son was Viśwajit³³⁰; his son was Senajit, whose sons were Ruchiráśwa, Káśya, Drid́hadhanush, and Vasahanu³³¹. The son of Ruchiráśwa was Prithusena; his son was Pára; his son was Nípa; he had a hundred sons, of whom Samara, the principal, was the ruler of Kámpilya³³². Samara had three sons, Pára, Sampára, Sadaśwa. The son of Pára was Prithu; his son was Sukriti; his son was Vibhrátra³³³; his son was Anuha, who married Kritwí, the daughter of Śuka (the son of Vyása), and had by her Brahmadatta³³⁴; his son was Viśwaksena; his son was Udaksena³³⁵; and his son was Bhallát́a³³⁶.

The son of Dwimíd́ha³³⁷ was Yavínara; his son was Dhritimat³³⁸; his son was Satyadhriti; his son was Drid́hanemi; his son was Supárśwa³³⁹; his son was Sumati; his son was Sannatimat; his son was Krita, to whom Hirańyanábha taught the philosophy of the Yoga, and he compiled twenty-four Sanhitás (or compendia) for the use of the eastern Brahmans, who study the Sáma-veda³⁴⁰. The son of Krita was Ugráyudha, by whose prowess the Nípa race of Kshatriyas was destroyed³⁴¹; his son was Kshemya; his son was Suvíra; his son was Nripanjaya³⁴²; his son was Bahuratha. These were all called Pauravas.

Ajamíd́ha had a wife called Níliní, and by her he had a son named Níla; his son was Śánti; his son was Śuśánti; his son was Purujánu³⁴³; his son was Chakshu³⁴⁴; his son was Haryyaśwa³⁴⁵, who had five sons, Mudgala, Śrinjaya³⁴⁶, Vrihadishu, Pravíra³⁴⁷, and Kámpilya³⁴⁸. Their father said, "These my five (pancha) sons are able (alam) to protect the countries;" and hence they were termed the Pánchálas³⁴⁹. From Mudgala descended the Maudgalya Brahmans³⁵⁰: he had also a son named Bahwaśwa³⁵¹, who had two children, twins, a son and daughter, Divodása and Ahalyá. The son of Śaradwat or Gautama by Ahalyá was Śatánanda³⁵²; his son was Satyadhriti, who was a proficient in military science. Being enamoured of the nymph Urvaśí, Satyadhriti was the parent of two children, a boy and a girl. Śántanu, a Raja, whilst hunting, found these children exposed in a clump of long Śara grass; and, compassionating their condition, took them, and brought them up. As they were nurtured through pity (kripá), they were called Kripa and Kripí. The latter became the wife of Drońa, and the mother of Aswattháman.

The son of Divodása was Mitráyu³⁵³; his son was Chyavana; his son was Sudása; his son was Saudása, 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 Dhrisht́adyumna; his son was Drisht́aketu.

Another son of Ajamíd́ha was named Riksha³⁵⁴; his son was Samvarańa; his son was Kuru, who gave his name to the holy district Kurukshetra; his sons were Sudhanush, Jahnu, Paríkshit, and many others³⁵⁵. The son of Sudhanush was Suhotra; his son was Chyavana; his son was Krítaka³⁵⁶; his son was Uparichara the Vasu³⁵⁷, who had seven children, Vrihadratha, Pratyagra, Kuśámba, Mávella, Matsya, and others. The son of Vrihadratha was Kuśágra; his son was Rishabha³⁵⁸; his son was Pushpavat; his son was Satyadhrita³⁵⁹; his son was Sudhanwan; and his son was Jantu. Vrihadratha had another son, who being born in two parts, which were put together (sandhita) by a female fiend named Jará, he was denominated Jarásandha³⁶⁰; his son was Sahadeva; his son was Somápi³⁶¹; his son was Srutaśravas³⁶². These were kings of Magadhá.

Chapter XX

Descendants of Kuru. Devápi abdicates the throne: assumed by Śántanu: he is confirmed by the Brahmans: Bhíshma his son by Gangá: his other sons. Birth of Dhritarásht́ra, Páńd́u, and Vidura. The hundred sons of Dhritarásht́ra. The five sons of Páńd́u: married to Draupadí: their posterity. Paríkshit, the grandson of Arjuna, the reigning king.

PARÍKSHIT, the son of Kuru, had four sons, Janamejaya, Śrutasena, Ugrasena, and Bhímasena³⁶³. The son of Jahnu was Suratha; his son was Vidúratha; his son was Sárvabhauma; his son was Jayasena Árávin; his son was Ayutáyus; his son was Akrodhana; one of his sons was Devatithi, and another was called Riksha; his son was Dilípa; his son was Pratípa, who had three sons, Devápi, Śántanu, and Báhlíka. The first adopted in childhood a forest life, and Śántanu became king. Of him this verse is spread through the earth; "Śántanu is his name, because if he lays his hands upon an old man, he restores him to youth, and by him men obtain tranquillity (śánti)."

In the kingdom over which Śántanu ruled there was no rain for twelve years. Apprehensive that the country would become a desert, the king assembled the Brahmans, and asked them why no rain fell, and what fault he had committed. They told him that he was as it were a younger brother married before an elder, for he was in the enjoyment of the earth, which was the right of his elder brother Devápi. "What then am I to do?" said the Rájá: to which they replied, "Until the gods shall be displeased with Devápi, by his declining from the path of righteousness, the kingdom is his, and to him therefore you should resign it." When the minister of the king, Asmarisárin, heard this, he collected a number of ascetics who taught doctrines opposed to those of the Vedas, and sent them into the forest; where meeting with Devápi, they perverted the understanding of the simple-minded prince, and led him to adopt heretical notions. In the meantime, Śántanu being much distressed to think that he had been guilty of the offence intimated by the Brahmans, sent them before him into the woods, and then proceeded thither himself, to restore the kingdom to his elder brother. When the Brahmans arrived at the hermitage of Devápi, they informed him, that, according to the doctrines of the Vedas, succession to a kingdom was the right of the elder brother: but he entered into discussion with them, and in various ways advanced arguments which had the defect of being contrary to the precepts of the Vedas. When the Brahmans heard this, they turned to Śántanu, and said, "Come hither, Rájá; you need give yourself no further trouble in this matter; the dearth is at an end: this man is fallen from his state, for he has uttered words of disrespect to the authority of the eternal, untreated Veda; and when the elder brother is degraded, there is no sin in the prior espousals of his junior." Śántanu thereupon returned to his capital, and administered the government as before; and his elder brother Devápi being degraded from his caste by repeating doctrines contrary to the Vedas, Indra poured down abundant rain, which was followed by plentiful harvests³⁶⁴.

The son of Báhlíka was Somadatta, who had three sons, Bhúri, Bhúriśravas, and Śala³⁶⁵.

The son of Śántanu was the illustrious and learned Bhíshma, who was born to him by the holy river-goddess, Gangá; and he had by his wife Satyavatí two sons, Chitrángada and Vichitravíryya. Chitrángada, whilst yet a youth, was killed in a conflict with a Gandharba, also called Chitrángada. Vichitravíryya married Ambá and Ambaliká, the daughters of the king of Káśí; and indulging too freely in connubial rites, fell into a consumption, of which he died. By command of Satyavatí, my son Krishńa-dwaipáyana, ever obedient to his mother's wishes³⁶⁶, begot upon the widows of his brother the princes Dhritarásht́ra and Páńd́u, and upon a female servant, Vidura. Dhritarásht́ra had Duryodhana, Duhsáśana, and other sons, to the cumber of a hundred. Páńd́u having incurred the curse of a deer, whose mate he had killed in the chase, was deterred from procreating children; and his wife Kuntí, bare to him in consequence three sons, who were begotten by the deities Dharma, Váyu, and Indra; namely, Yudhisht́hira, Bhíma, and Arjuna: and his wife Mádrí had two sons, Nakula and Sahadeva, by the celestial sons of Aświní. These had each a son by Draupadí. The son of Yudhisht́hira was Prativindhya; of Bhíma, Śrutasoma; of Arjuna, Śrutakírtti; of Nakula, Śatáníka; and of Sahadeva, Śrutakarman. The Páńd́avas had also other sons³⁶⁷. By his wife Yaudheyí, Yudhisht́hira had Devaka. The son of Bhíma by Hid́imbá was Ghat́otkacha, and he had also Sarvatraga by his wife Káśí. The son of Sahadeva by Vijayá was Suhotra; and Niramitra was the son of Nakula by Kareńumatí. Arjuna had Irávat by the serpent-nymph Ulupí; Babhruváhana, who was adopted as the son of his maternal grandfather, by the daughter of the king of Manipura; and, by his wife Subhadrá Abhimanyu, who even in extreme youth was renowned for his valour and his strength, and crushed the chariots of his foes in fight. The son of Abhimanyu by his wife Uttará was Paríkshit, who, after the Kurus were all destroyed, was killed in his mother's womb by the magic Bráhma weapon, hurled by Aswattháman: he was however restored to life by the clemency of that being whose feet receive the homage of all the demons and the gods, and who for his own pleasure had assumed a human shape (Krishńa). This prince, Paríkshit, now reigns over the whole world with undivided sway³⁶⁸.

Chapter XXI

Future kings. Descendants of Paríkshit, ending with Kshemaka.

I WILL now enumerate the kings who, will reign in future periods³⁶⁹. The present monarch, Paríkshit³⁷⁰, will have four sons, Janamejaya, Śrutasena, Ugrasena, and Bhímasena³⁷¹. The son of Janamejaya will be Śatáníka³⁷², who will study the Vedas under Yájnyawalkya, and military science with Kripa; but becoming dissatisfied with sensual enjoyments, he will acquire spiritual knowledge from the instructions of Śaunaka, and ultimately obtain salvation. His son will be Aswamedhadatta (a son given by the gods in reward for the sacrifice of a horse³⁷³); his son will be Asíma-krishńa³⁷⁴; his son will be Nichakra³⁷⁵, who will remove the capital to Kauśámbí, in consequence of Hastinápura being washed away by the Ganges; his son will be Ushńa³⁷⁶; his son will be Chitraratha; his son will be Vrishńimat³⁷⁷; his son will be Susheńa; his son will be Sunítha³⁷⁸; his son will be Richa³⁷⁹; his son will be Nrichakshu³⁸⁰; his son will be Sukhíhala³⁸¹; his son will be Pariplava; his son will be Sunaya³⁸²; his son will be Medhávin; his son will be Nripanjaya³⁸³; his son will be Mridu³⁸⁴; his son will be Tigma³⁸⁵; his son will be Vrihadratha; his son will be Vasudána³⁸⁶; and his son will be another Śatáníka; his son will be Udayana³⁸⁷; his son will be Ahínara³⁸⁸; his son will be Khańd́apáni³⁸⁹; his son will be Niramitra³⁹⁰; his son will be Kshemaka³⁹¹: of him this verse is recited; "The race which gave origin to Brahmans and Kshatriyas, and which was purified by regal sages, terminated with Kshemaka; in the Kali age³⁹²."

Chapter XXII

Future kings of the family of Ikshwáku, ending with Sumitra.

I WILL now repeat to you the future princes of the family of Ikshwáku³⁹³.

The son of Vrihadbala³⁹⁴ will be Vrihatkshańa³⁹⁵; his son will be Urukshepa³⁹⁶; his son will be Vatsa³⁹⁷; his son will be Vatsavyúha³⁹⁸; his son will be Prativyoman³⁹⁹; his son will be Divákara; his son will be Sahadeva⁴⁰⁰; his son will be Vrihadaśwa⁴⁰¹; his son will be Bhánuratha⁴⁰²; his son will be Supratítha⁴⁰³; his son will be Marudeva⁴⁰⁴; his son will be Sunakshatra; his son will be Kinnara⁴⁰⁵; his son will be Antaríksha; his son will be Suvarna⁴⁰⁶; his son will be Amitrajit⁴⁰⁷; his son will be Vrihadrája⁴⁰⁸; his son will be Dharman⁴⁰⁹; his son will be Kritanjaya; his son will be Rańanjaya; his son will be Sanjaya; his son will be Śákya⁴¹⁰; his son will be Śuddhodana⁴¹¹; his son will be Rátula⁴¹²; his son will be Prasenajit; his son will be Kshudraka; his son will be Kuńd́aka⁴¹³; his son will be Suratha⁴¹⁴; his son will be Sumitra. These are the kings of the family of Ikshwáku, descended from Vrihadbala. This commemorative verse is current concerning them; "The race of the descendants of Ikshwáku will terminate with Sumitra: it will end in the Kali age with him⁴¹⁵."

Chapter XXIII

Future kings of Magadhá: descendants of Vrihadratha.

I WILL now relate to you the descendants of Vrihadratha, who will be the kings of Magadhá. There have been several powerful princes of this dynasty, of whom the most celebrated was Jarásandha; his son was Sahadeva; his son is Somápi⁴¹⁶; his son will be Śrutavat⁴¹⁷; his son will be Ayutáyus⁴¹⁸; his son will be Niramitra⁴¹⁹; his son will be Sukshatra⁴²⁰; his son will be Vrihatkarman⁴²¹; his son will be Senajit⁴²²; his son will be Śrutanjaya⁴²³; his son will be Vipra⁴²⁴; his son will be Śuchi⁴²⁵; his son will be Kshemya⁴²⁶; his son will be Suvrata⁴²⁷; his son will be Dharma⁴²⁸; his son will be Suśuma⁴²⁹; his son will be Drid́hasena⁴³⁰; his son will be Sumati⁴³¹; his son will be Suvala⁴³²; his son will be Suníta⁴³³; his son will be Satyajit⁴³⁴; his son will be Viśwajit⁴³⁵; his son will be Ripunjaya⁴³⁶. These are the Várhadrathas, who will reign for a thousand years⁴³⁷.

Chapter XXIV

Future kings of Magadhá. Five princes of the line of Pradyota. Ten Śaiśunágas. Nine Nandas. Ten Mauryas. Ten Śungas. Four Kańwas. Thirty Ándhrabhrityas. Kings of various tribes and castes, and periods of their rule. Ascendancy of barbarians. Different races in different regions. Period of universal iniquity and decay. Coming of Vishńu as Kalki. Destruction of the wicked, and restoration of the practices of the Vedas. End of the Kali, and return of the Krita, age. Duration of the Kali. Verses chanted by Earth, and communicated by Asita to Janaka. End of the fourth book.

THE last of the Vríhadratha dynasty, Ripunjaya, will have a minister named Sunika⁴³⁸, who having killed his sovereign, will place his son Pradyota upon the throne⁴³⁹: his son will be Pálaka⁴⁴⁰; his son will be Viśákhayúpa⁴⁴¹; his son will be Janaka⁴⁴²; and his son will be Nandivarddhana⁴⁴³. These five kings of the house of Pradyota will reign over the earth for a hundred and thirty-eight years⁴⁴⁴.

The next prince will be Śiśunaga⁴⁴⁵; his son will be Kákavarńa⁴⁴⁶; his son will be Kshemadharman⁴⁴⁷; his son will be Kshatraujas⁴⁴⁸; his son will be Vidmisára⁴⁴⁹; his son will be Ájátaśatru⁴⁵⁰; his son will be Dharbaka⁴⁵¹; his son will be Udayáśwa⁴⁵²; his son will also be Nandivarddhana; and his son will be Mahánandi⁴⁵³. These ten Śaiśunágas will be kings of the earth for three hundred and sixty-two years⁴⁵⁴.

The son of Mahánanda will be born of a woman of the Śúdra or servile class; his name will be Nanda, called Mahápadma, for he will be exceedingly avaricious⁴⁵⁵. Like another Paraśuráma, he will be the annihilator of the Kshatriya race; for after him the kings of the earth will be Śúdras. He will bring the whole earth under one umbrella: he will have eight sons, Sumálya and others, who will reign after Mahápadma; and he and his sons⁴⁵⁶ will govern for a hundred years. The Brahman Kaut́ilya will root out the nine Nandas⁴⁵⁷.

Upon the cessation of the race of Nanda, the Mauryas will possess the earth, for Kant́ilya will place Chandragupta⁴⁵⁸ on the throne: his son will be Vindusára⁴⁵⁹; his son will be Aśokavarddhana⁴⁶⁰; his son will be Suyaśas⁴⁶¹; his son will be Daśaratha; his son will be Sangata; his son will be Śáliśúka; his son will be Somaśarmman; his son will be Saśadharman⁴⁶²; and his successor will be Vrihadratha. These are the ten Mauryas, who will reign over the earth for a hundred and thirty-seven years⁴⁶³.

The dynasty of the Śungas will next become possessed of the sovereignty; for Pushpamitra, the general of the last Maurya prince, will put his master to death, and ascend the throne⁴⁶⁴: his son will be Agnimitra⁴⁶⁵; his son will be Sujyesht́ha⁴⁶⁶; his son will be Vasumitra⁴⁶⁷; his son will be Árdraka⁴⁶⁸; his son will be Pulindaka⁴⁶⁹; his son will be Ghoshavasu⁴⁷⁰; his son will be Vajramitra⁴⁷¹; his son will be Bhágavata⁴⁷²; his son will be Devabhúti⁴⁷³. These are the ten Śungas, who will govern the kingdom for a hundred and twelve years⁴⁷⁴.

Devabhúti, the last Śunga prince, being addicted to, immoral indulgences, his minister, the Kańwa named Vasudeva will murder him, and usurp the kingdom: his son will be Bhúmimitra; his son will be Náráyańa; his son will be Suśarman. These four Káńwas will be kings of the earth for forty-five years⁴⁷⁵.

Suśarman the Káńwa will be killed by a powerful servant named Śipraka, of the Ándhra tribe, who will become king, and found the Ándhrabhritya dynasty⁴⁷⁶: he will be succeeded by his brother Krishńa⁴⁷⁷; his son will be Śrí Śátakarńi⁴⁷⁸; his son will be Púrnotsanga⁴⁷⁹; his son will be Śátakarńi (2nd)⁴⁸⁰; his son will be Lambodara⁴⁸¹; his son will be Ivílaka⁴⁸²; his son will be Meghaswáti⁴⁸³; his son will be Patumat⁴⁸⁴; his son will be Arisht́akarman⁴⁸⁵; his son will be Hála⁴⁸⁶; his son will be Tálaka⁴⁸⁷; his son will be Pravilasena⁴⁸⁸; his son will be Sundara, named Śátakarńi⁴⁸⁹; his son will be Chakora Śátakarńi⁴⁹⁰; his son will be Śivaswáti⁴⁹¹; his son will be Gomatiputra⁴⁹²; his son will be Pulimat⁴⁹³; his son will be Śivaśrí Śátakarńi⁴⁹⁴; his son will be Śivaskandha⁴⁹⁵; his son will be Yajnaśrí⁴⁹⁶; his son will be Vijaya⁴⁹⁷; his son will be Chandraśrí⁴⁹⁸; his son will be Pulomárchish⁴⁹⁹. These thirty Andhrabhritya kings will reign four hundred and fifty-six years⁵⁰⁰.

After these, various races will reign, as seven Ábhíras, ten Garddhabas, sixteen Śakas, eight Yavanas, fourteen Tusháras, thirteen Muńd́as, eleven Maunas, altogether seventy-nine princes⁵⁰¹, who will be sovereigns of the earth for one thousand three hundred and ninety years; and then eleven Pauras will be kings for three hundred years⁵⁰². When they are destroyed, the Kailakila Yavanas will be kings; the chief of whom will be Vindhyaśakti; his son will be Puranjaya; his son will be Rámachandra; his son will be Adharma, from whom will be Varánga, Kritanandana, Śudhinandi, Nandiyaśas, Śiśuka, and Pravíra; these will rule for a hundred and six years⁵⁰³. From them will proceed thirteen sons; then three Báhlíkas, and Pushpamitra, and Pat́umitra, and others, to the number of thirteen, will rule over Mekala⁵⁰⁴. There will be nine kings in the seven Koalas, and there will be as many Naishadha princes⁵⁰⁵.

In Magadhá a sovereign named Viśwasphat́ika will establish other tribes; he will extirpate the Kshatriya or martial race, and elevate fishermen, barbarians, and Brahmans, and other castes, to power⁵⁰⁶. The nine Nágas will reign in Padmávati, Kántipuri, and Mathurá; and the Guptas of Magadhá along the Ganges to Prayága⁵⁰⁷. A prince named Devarakshita will reign, in a city on the sea shore, over the Kośalas, Od́ras, Puńd́ras, and Támraliptas⁵⁰⁸. The Guhas will possess Kálinga, Máhihaka, and the mountains of Mahendra⁵⁰⁹. The race of Mańidhanu will occupy the countries of the Nishádas, Naimishikas, and Kálatoyas⁵¹⁰. The people called Kanakas will possess the Amazon country, and that called Múshika⁵¹¹. Men of the three tribes, but degraded, and Ábhíras and Śúdras, will occupy Śaurásht́ra, Avanti, Śúra, Arbuda, and Marubhúmi: and Śúdras, outcastes, and barbarians will be masters of the banks of the Indus, Dárvika, the Chandrabhágá, and Káshmir⁵¹².

These will all be contemporary monarchs, reigning over the earth; kings of churlish spirit, violent temper, and ever addicted to falsehood and wickedness. They will inflict death on women, children, and cows; they will seize upon the property of their subjects; they will be of limited power, and will for the most part rapidly rise and fall; their lives will be short, their desires insatiable, and they will display but little piety. The people of the various countries intermingling with them will follow their example, and the barbarians being powerful in the patronage of the princes, whilst purer tribes are neglected, the people will perish⁵¹³. Wealth and piety will decrease day by day, until the world will be wholly depraved. Then property alone will confer rank; wealth will be the only source of devotion; passion will be the sole bond of union between the sexes; falsehood will be the only means of success in litigation; and women will be objects merely of sensual gratification. Earth will be venerated but for its mineral treasures⁵¹⁴; the Brahmanical thread will constitute a Brahman; external types (as the staff and red garb) will be the only distinctions of the several orders of life; dishonesty will be the universal means of subsistence; weakness will be the cause of dependance; menace and presumption will be substituted for learning; liberality will be devotion; simple ablution will be purification⁵¹⁵; mutual assent will be marriage; fine clothes will be dignity⁵¹⁶; and water afar off will be esteemed a holy spring. Amidst all castes he who is the strongest will reign over a principality thus vitiated by many faults. The people, unable to bear the heavy burdens imposed upon them by their avaricious sovereigns, will take refuge amongst the valleys of the mountains, and will be glad to feed upon wild honey, herbs, roots, fruits, flowers, and leaves: their only covering will be the bark of trees, and they will be exposed to the cold, and wind, and sun, and rain. No man's life will exceed three and twenty years. Thus in the Kali age shall decay constantly proceed, until the human race approaches its annihilation.

When the practices taught by the Vedas and the institutes of law shall nearly have ceased, and the close of the Kali age shall be nigh, a portion of that divine being who exists of his own spiritual nature in the character of Brahma, and who is the beginning and the end, and who comprehends all things, shall descend upon earth: he will be born in the family of Vishńuyaśas, an eminent Brahman of Sambhala village, as Kalki, endowed with the eight superhuman faculties. By his irresistible might he will destroy all the Mlechchhas and thieves, and all whose minds are devoted to iniquity. He will then reestablish righteousness upon earth; and the minds of those who live at the end of the Kali age shall be awakened, and shall be as pellucid as crystal. The men who are thus changed by virtue of that peculiar time shall be as the seeds of human beings, and shall give birth to a race who shall follow the laws of the Krita age, or age of purity. As it is said; "When the sun and moon, and the lunar asterism Tishya, and the planet Jupiter, are in one mansion, the Krita age shall return⁵¹⁷."

Thus, most excellent Muni, the kings who are past, who are present, and who are to be, have been enumerated. From the birth of Paríkshit to the coronation of Nanda it is to be known that 1015 years have elapsed⁵¹⁸. When the two first stars of the seven Rishis (the great Bear) rise in the heavens, and some lunar asterism is seen at night at an equal distance between them, then the seven Rishis continue stationary in that conjunction for a hundred years of men⁵¹⁹. At the birth of Paríkshit they were in Maghá, and the Kali age then commenced, which consists of 1200 (divine) years. When the portion of Vishńu (that had been born from Vasudeva) returned to heaven, then the Kali age commenced. As long as the earth was touched by his sacred feet, the Kali age could not affect it. As soon as the incarnation of the eternal Vishńu had departed, the son of Dharma, Yudhisht́hira, with his brethren, abdicated the sovereignty. Observing unpropitious portents, consequent upon Krishńa's disappearance, he placed Paríkshit upon the throne. When the seven Rishis are in Purváshád́há, then Nanda will begin to reign⁵²⁰, and thenceforward the influence of the Kali will augment.

The day that Krishńa shall have departed from the earth will be the first of the Kali age, the duration of which you shall hear; it will continue for 360,000 years of mortals. After twelve hundred divine years shall have elapsed, the Krita age shall be renewed.

Thus age after age Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śúdras, excellent Brahman, men of great souls, have passed away by thousands; whose names and tribes and families I have not enumerated to you, from their great number, and the repetition of appellations it would involve. Two persons, Devápi of the race of Puru, and Maru of the family of Ikshwáku, through the force of devotion continue alive throughout the whole four ages, residing at the village of Kalápa: they will return hither in the beginning of the Krita age, and, becoming members of the family of the Manu, give origin to the Kshatriya dynasties⁵²¹. In this manner the earth is possessed through every series of the three first ages, the Krita, Treta, and Dwápara, by the sons of the Manu; and some remain in the Kali age, to serve as the rudiments of renewed generations, in the same way as Devápi and Maru are still in existence.

I have now given you a summary account of the sovereigns of the earth; to recapitulate the whole would be impossible even in a hundred lives. These and other kings, who with perishable frames have possessed this ever-during world, and who, blinded with deceptive notions of individual occupation, have indulged the feeling that suggests, "This earth is mine--it is my son's--it belongs to my dynasty," have all passed away. So, many who reigned before them, many who succeeded them, and many who are yet to come, have ceased, or will cease, to be. Earth laughs, as if smiling with autumnal flowers, to behold her kings unable to effect the subjugation of themselves. I will repeat to you, Maitreya, the stanzas that were chanted by Earth, and which the Muni Asita communicated to Janaka, whose banner was virtue. "How great is the folly of princes, who are endowed with the faculty of reason, to cherish the confidence of ambition, when they themselves are but foam upon the wave. Before they have subdued themselves, they seek to reduce their ministers, their servants, their subjects, under their authority; they then endeavour to overcome their foes. 'Thus,' say they, 'will we conquer the ocean-circled earth;' and, intent upon their project, behold not death, which is not far off. But what mighty matter is the subjugation of the sea-girt earth to one who can subdue himself. Emancipation from existence is the fruit of self-control. It is through infatuation that kings desire to possess me, whom their predecessors have been forced to leave, whom their fathers have not retained. Beguiled by the selfish love of sway, fathers contend with sons, and brothers with brothers, for my possession. Foolishness has been the character of every king who has boasted, 'All this earth is mine--every thing is mine--it will be in my house for ever;' for he is dead. How is it possible that such vain desires should survive in the hearts of his descendants, who have seen their progenitor, absorbed by the thirst of dominion, compelled to relinquish me, whom he called his own, and tread the path of dissolution? When I hear a king sending word to another by his ambassador, 'This earth is mine; immediately resign your pretensions to it;' I am moved to violent laughter at first, but it soon subsides in pity for the infatuated fool."

These were the verses, Maitreya, which Earth recited, and by listening to which ambition fades away like snow before the sun. I have now related to you the whole account of the descendants of the Manu; amongst whom have flourished kings endowed with a portion of Vishńu, engaged in the preservation of the earth. Whoever shall listen reverently and with faith to this narrative, proceeding from the posterity of Manu, shall be purified entirely from all his sins, and, with the perfect possession of his faculties, shall live in unequalled affluence, plenty, and prosperity. He who has heard of the races of the sun and moon, of Ikshwá.ku, Jahnu, Mańd́hátri, Sagara, and Raghu, who have all perished; of Yayáti, Nahusha, and their posterity, who are no more; of kings of great might, resistless valour, and unbounded wealth, who have been overcome by still more powerful time, and are now only a tale; he will learn wisdom, and forbear to call either children, or wife, or house, or lands, or wealth, his own. The arduous penances that have been performed by heroic men obstructing fate for countless years, religious rites and sacrifices of great efficacy and virtue, have been made by time the subject only of narration. The valiant Prithu traversed the universe, every where triumphant over his foes; yet he was blown away, like the light down of the Simal tree, before the blast of time. He who was Kártavíryya subdued innumerable enemies, and conquered the seven zones of the earth; but now he is only the topic of a theme, a subject for affirmation and contradiction⁵²². Fie upon the empire of the sons of Raghu, who triumphed over Daśánana, and extended their sway to the ends of the earth; for was it not consumed in an instant by the frown of the destroyer? Mańd́hátri, the emperor of the universe, is embodied only in a legend; and what pious man who hears it will ever be so unwise as to cherish the desire of possession in his soul? Bhagíratha, Sagara, Kakutstha, Daśánana, Ráma, Lakshmana, Yudhisht́hira, and others, have been. Is it so? Have they ever really existed? Where are they now? we know not! The powerful kings who now are, or who will be, as I have related them to you, or any others who are unspecified, are all subject to the same fate, and the present and the future will perish and be forgotten, like their predecessors. Aware of this truth, a wise man will never be influenced by the principle of individual appropriation; and regarding them as only transient and temporal possessions, he will not consider children and posterity, lands and property, or whatever else is personal, to be his own.

Footnotes

1. The complete series of the different dynasties is found elsewhere only in the Váyu, the Brahmáńd́a (which is the same), the Matsya, and the Bhágavata Puráńas. The Bráhma P. and the Hari Vanśa, the Agni, Linga, Kúrma, and Garud́a Puráńas have lists of various extent, but none beyond the families of Páńd́u and Krishńa. The Márkańd́eya contains an account of a few of the kings of the solar dynasty alone; and the Padma, of a part of the solar and lunar princes only, besides accounts of individuals. In the Rámáyańa, Mahábhárata, and in the other Puráńas, occasional short genealogies and notices of individual princes occur. In general there is a tolerable conformity, but this is not invariably the case, as we shall have occasion to observe.

2. In the historical passages of all the Puráńas in which such occur, and especially in the Vishńu and Váyu, verses, apparently the fragments of a more ancient narrative, are frequently cited. It may also be noticed, as a peculiarity of this part of the Puráńa, that the narration is in prose.

3. Daksha is elsewhere said to have been one of the mind-born sons of Brahmá, or to have been the son of the Prachetasas: see p. 115. n. 5.

4. According to the nomenclature sometimes followed, and as we shall have reason to conclude intended in this place, there are ten sons of Manu. The commentator regards them, however, as but nine, considering Nabhága-nedisht́a but one name, or Nedisht́a the father of Nábhága. The number is generally stated to be nine, although there is some variety in the names, particularly in this name, which occurs Nábhágadisht́a, Nábhágarisht́ha; and also separated, as Nábhága, Nabhaga, or Nabhága; Nedisht́a, Disht́a, and Arisht́a: the latter, as in the Kúrma, distinctly stated, ###. Again, ### Bráhma P. The commentator on the Hari Vanśa quotes the Vedas for Nábhágadisht́a: ### but the name occurs as Nábhánedisht́ha in the Aitareya Bráhmańa of the Rigveda, where a story is told of his being excluded from all share of his inheritance, on the plea of his being wholly devoted to a religious life. See also As. Res. VIII. 384. The name as ordinarily written, Na-bhága, 'no-share,' has nevertheless an obvious connexion with the legend. The name of Nriga is found only in our text, the Padma, and the Bhágavata: the Váyu has Najava. Pránśu is also the reading of the Váyu and Agni, but not of the rest, which have Veńa, Vanya, Dańd́a, Kuśanábha or Kavi, in its place. The Mahábhárata, Adi P., p. 113, has Veńa, Dhrishńu, Narishyanta, Nábhága, Ikshwáku, Kárúsha, Śaryáti, Ilá, Prishadhra, and Nábhágárisht́a. The Padma P., in the Pátála Khańd́a, says there were 'ten,' and names them Ikshwáku, Nriga, Disht́a, Dhrisht́a, Karúsha, Śaryáti, Narishyanta, Prishadhra, Nábhága, and Kavi.

5. 'That sacrifice being wrongly offered, through the improper invocations of the Hotri.' It is also read 'frustrated.' This is rather a brief and obscure allusion to what appears to be an ancient legend, and one that has undergone various modifications. According to the Matsya, no change of sex took place in the first instance. The eldest son of Manu was Ida or Ila, whom his father appointed sovereign of the seven Dwípas. In his progress round his dominions, Ila came to the forest of Śambhu or Śiva; entering into which, he was changed to a female, Ilá, agreeably to a promise made formerly by Śiva to Párvatí, who had been once unseasonably broken in upon by some sages, that such a transformation should be inflicted on every male who trespassed upon the sacred grove. After a season, the brothers of Ila sought for him, and finding him thus metamorphosed, applied to Vaśisht́ha, their father's priest, to know the cause. He explained it to them, and directed them to worship Śiva and his bride. They did so, accordingly; and it was announced by the deities, that, upon the performance of an Aśwamedha by Ikshwáku, Ila should become a Kimpurusha, named Sudyumna, and that he should be a male one month, and a female another month, alternately. The Váyu, which is followed by most of the other authorities, states, that upon Manu's offering their share of the sacrifice to Mitra and Varuńa, instead of a boy, a girl was born: according to the Vedas. Manu desired her to follow him; whence her name Ilá (from ila or id́a, 'come'. There, however, Manu propitiates Mitra and Varuńa, and the girl Ilá is changed into the boy Ila or Sudyumna by their favour: as the Márkańd́eya. Sudyumna's subsequent change to a female again, is told much as in the Matsya; but his being alternately male and female is not mentioned in the Váyu any more than it is in our text. The Bhágavata agrees in that respect with the Matsya, but it has evidently embellished the earlier part of the legend by the introduction of another character, Śraddhá, the wife of the Manu. It is said that it was by her instigation, as she was desirous of having a girl, that the ministering Brahmans altered the purpose of the rite, in consequence of which a girl, instead of a boy, was born. The similarity of the name has induced the learned author of the Origin of Pagan Idolatry to conceive that he has found the Ila of the Hindus in the Il or Ilus of the Phœnicians. "The Phœnician Il is the masculine Ila of the Hindus and Indo-Scythæ, and Ila was a title of Manu or Buddha, who was preserved in the ark at the time of the deluge:" I. 156: and he thence concludes that Ila must be Noah; whilst other circumstances in his Phœnician history identify him with Abraham. I. 159. Again; "Ilus or Il is a regular Cuthic name of Buddha, which the Phœnicians, I have no doubt, brought with them; for Buddha or Manu, in the character of Ina, is said to have married his own daughter, who is described as the offspring of an ancient personage that was preserved in an ark at the time of the deluge." I. 223. Now whatever connexion there may be between the names of Ila, Il, Ilus, Ilium, Ilá 'the earth,' and Ilos 'slime,' there is no very obvious resemblance between the Pauráńik legends of Ilá and the Mosaic record; nor do the former authorize the particulars of Ina stated by Mr. Faber, on the authority probably of Col. Wilford. The Manu Satyavrata, who was preserved in the ark, is never called Ila, nor is he the father of Ilá. Buddha was not so preserved, nor is Ila ever a title of Buddha. Budha (not Buddha), the husband of Ilá, never appears as her father, nor is he a Manu, nor is she the daughter of any ancient personage preserved in an ark. There is not therefore, as far as I am aware, any circumstance in the history of Ila or Ilá which can identify either with Abraham or Noah.

6. The Matsya calls the name of the third Haritáśwa; the Váyu &c., Vinatáśwa; the Márkańd́eya, Vinaya; and the Bhágavata, Vimala. All but the last agree in stating that Utkala (Orissa) and Gaya in Behar are named after the two first. The Matsya calls the third the sovereign of the east, along with the Kauravas; the Váyu makes him king of the west. The Bhágavata calls them all three rulers of the south.

7. The authorities agree in this location of Sudyumna. Pratisht́hána was situated on the eastern side of the confluence of the Ganges and Jumna; the country between which rivers was the territory of the direct male descendants of Vaivaswata. In the Hari Vaasa it is said that he reigned in Pratisht́hána, having killed Dhrisht́aka, Ambarísha, and Dańd́a. M. Langlois had no doubt 79-4: in his copy, as he renders it, 'Il donna naissance à trois enfans;' though, as he observes, Hamilton had called these the sons of Ikshwáku. The Bráhma P. has not this passage, nor does the commentator on the Hari Vanśa give any explanation; neither does any thing of the kind occur elsewhere. We have however, subsequently in the text, Dańd́a named as a son of Ikshwáku; and in the Padma P., Srisht́i Khańd́a, and in the Uttara Khańd́a of the Rámáyáńa, we have a detailed narrative of Dańd́a, the son of Ikshwáku, whose country was laid waste by an imprecation of Bhárgava, whose daughter that prince had violated. His kingdom became in consequence the Dańd́aka forest. The Mahábhárata, Dána Dharma, alludes to the same story. If therefore the preferable reading of the Hari Vanśa be Suta, 'son,' it is at variance with all other authorities. At the same time it must be admitted, that the same work is singular in asserting any collision between Dańd́a and his brothers and Sudyumna, and the passage seems to have grown out of that careless and ignorant compilation which the Hari Vanśa so perpetually presents. It is not improbably a gratuitous perversion of this passage in the Matsya; 'Ambarísha was the son of Nábhága; and Dhrisht́a had three sons.'

8. This story has been modified apparently at different periods, according to a progressive horror of the crime. Our text simply states the fact. The Váyu says he was hungry, and not only killed, but ate the cow of his spiritual preceptor, Chyavana. In the Márkańd́eya he is described as being out a hunting, and killing the cow of the father of Bábhravya, mistaking it for a Gavaya or Gayal. The Bhágavata, as usual, improves upon the story, and says that Prishadhra was appointed by his Guru Vaśisht́ha to protect his cattle. In the night a tiger made his way into the fold, and the prince in his haste, and in the dark, killed the cow upon which he had fastened, instead of the tiger. In all the authorities the effect is the same, and the imprecation of the offended sage degraded Prishadhra to the caste of a Śúdra. According to the Bhágavata, the prince led a life of devotion, and perishing in the flame of a forest, obtained final liberation. The obvious purport of this legend, and of some that follow, is to account for the origin of the different castes from one common ancestor.

9. The Bhágavata also places the Kárúshas in the north; but the country of the Kárúshas is usually placed upon the Parípátra or Vindhya mountains (see p. 186. n. 13).

10. The Váyu has Nábhága, the son of Arisht́a; the Márkańd́eya has, the son of Disht́a; the Bhágavata also calls him the son of Disht́a. According to that authority, he became a Vaiśya by his actions. The other Puráńas generally agree that the descendants of this person became Vaiśyas; but the Matsya and Váyu do not notice it. The Márkańd́eya details a story of Nábhága's carrying off and marrying the daughter of a Vaiśya; in consequence of which he was degraded, it is said, to the same caste, and deprived of his share of the patrimonial sovereignty, which his son and successor recovered. The Bráhma P. and Hari Vanśa assert that two sons of Nábhágárisht́a again became Brahmans; but the duties of royalty imply the Kshatriya caste of his posterity; and the commentator on our text observes that the son of Nábhága was born before his father's degradation, and consequently the race continued Kshatriya; an assertion unsupported by any authority, and it must therefore appear that .a race of Vaiśya princes was recognised by early traditions.

11. Bhanandana: Bhágavata.

12. Vatsapríti: Bhágavata. Vatsasrí: Márkańd́eya. The latter has a story of the destruction of the Daitya Kujámbha by Vidúratha, the father of Sunandá, the wife a of Vatsasrí. The Váyu has Sahasrári.

13. Pramati: Bhágavata.

14. According to the Márkańd́eya, the priests of the royal family conspired against this prince, and were put to death by his ministers.

15. Chakshusha: Bhágavata.

16. Víra: Márkańd́eya.

17. Rambha precedes Vivinśati: Bhágav.

18. Baláśwa or Balakáśwa or Subaláśwa, according to the Márkańd́eya, which explains his name Karandhama to denote his creation of an army, when besieged by his revolted tributaries, by breathing on his hands.

19. Both forms occur, as the commentator observes. The Márkańd́eya has a long story of this prince's carrying off the daughter of Viśála, king of Vaidiśa. Being attacked and captured by his confederated rivals, he was rescued by his father, but was so much mortified by his disgrace, that he vowed never to marry nor reign. The princess, also becoming an ascetic, met with him in the woods, and they were finally espoused; but Avikshit kept his other vow, and relinquished his succession in favour of his son, who succeeded to the kingdoms of both Karandhama and Viśála,

20. Most of our authorities quote the same words, with or without addition. The Váyu adds, that the sacrifice was conducted by Samvartta, whom the Bhágavata terms a Yogi, the son of Angiras; and that Vrihaspati was so jealous of the splendour of the rite, that a great quarrel ensued between him and Samvartta. How it involved the king is not told, but apparently in consequence, Marutta, with his kindred and friends, was taken by Samvartta to heaven. According to the Márkańd́eya, Marutta was so named from the paternal benediction, 'May the winds be thine,' or 'be propitious to thee.' He reigned, agreeably to that record, 85000 years.

21. Omitted in the Bhágavata.

22. A rather chivalric and curious story is told of Dama in the Márkańd́eya. His bride Sumaná, daughter of the king Daśárha, was rescued by him from his rivals. One of them, Bapushmat, afterwards killed Marutta, who had retired into the woods, after relinquishing his crown to his son. Dama in retaliation killed Bapushmat, and made the Pińd́a, or obsequial offering to his father, of his flesh: with the remainder he fed the Brahmans of Rákshasa origin: such were the kings of the solar race.

23. The Bhágavata has Bandhavat, Oghavat, and Bandha.

24. The Váyu and Bhágavata both add that she was the wife of Viśravas, and mother of Kuvera. In the Linga P. she is said to have been the wife of Pulastya, and mother of Viśravas. The weight of authority is in favour of the former statement. See p. 83. n. 5.

25. The Bhágavata names three sons, Viśála, Śúnyabandhu, and Dhúmaketu. Vaiśálí is a city of considerable renown in Indian tradition, but its site is a subject of some uncertainty. Part of the difficulty arises from confounding it with Viśálá, another name of Ujayin; ### Hemachandra. Also in the Megha Dúta; 'Having arrived at Avanti, proceed to the illustrious city before indicated, Viśálá.' 'To the city Ujjayiní, named Viśálá. Comment. Vaiśálí however appears to be very differently situated. According to the Buddhists, amongst whom it is celebrated as a chief seat of the labours of Śákhya and his first disciples, it is the same as Prayága or Allahabad; but the Rámáyańa (I. 45) places it much lower down, on the north bank of the Ganges, nearly opposite to the mouth of the Sone; and it was therefore in the modern district of Sáran, as Hamilton (Genealogies of the Hindus) conjectured. In the fourth century it was known to the Chinese traveller Fa-hian as Phi-she-li, on the right bank of the Gandak, not far from its confluence with the Ganges. Account of the Foe-küe-ki: Trans. R. As. Soc. no. IX. p. 128.

26. Dhumráksha and Samyama: Bhágavata.

27. The text is clear enough; but, as elsewhere noticed (Hindu Theatre, II. 296), the commentator on the Bhágavata interprets the parallel passage, very differently, or 'Kriśáśwa with Devaja,' or, as some copies read, Devaka or Daivata, as if there were two sons of Samyama.

28. The Bhágavata changes the order of these two, making Janamejaya the son of Sumati; or Pramati, Váyu. Sumati, king of Vaiśálí, is made cotemporary with Ráma: Rámáyańa, I.47. 17. The dynasty of Vaiśála kings is found only in our text, the Váyu, and Bhágavata. Hamilton places them from 1920 to 1240 B. C.; but the latter is incompatible with the date he assigns to Ráma, of 1700 B. C. The co-temporary existence of Sumati and Ráma, however, is rather unintelligible, as, according to our lists, the former is the thirty-fourth, and the latter the sixtieth, from Vaivaswata Manu.

29. The circumstances of their marriage, of Chyavana's appropriating a share of offerings to the Aswiní Kumáras, and of sis quarrel with Indra in consequence, are old in detail in the Bhágavata and Padma Puráńas.

30. In most of the other Puráńas, Reva or Raiva. The Linga and Matsya insert Rochamána before him; and the Bhágavata adds to Ánartta, Uttánavarhish and Bhúrisheńa.

31. The Bhágavata ascribes the foundation of Kuśasthalí to Revata, who built it, it is said, within the sea. The subsequent legend shews that it was the same, or on the same spot, as Dwáraká; and Ánartta was therefore part of Cutch or Guzerat. See p. 190. n. 77.

32. So called from its many Dwáras or gateways: ### Váyu.

33. The object of this legend, which is told by most of the authorities, is obviously to account for the anachronism of making Balaráma cotemporary with Raivata; the one early in the Treta age, and the other at the close of the Dwápara.

34. According to the Váyu, the brothers of Raivata founded a celebrated race called Śáryáta, from Śaryáti. The Bráhma P. says they took refuge in secret places (gahana); for which the Hari Vanśa substitutes (parvata gańa) mountains. The Váyu has neither, and says merely that they were renowned in all regions.

35. So the Váyu, Linga, Agni, Bráhma, and Hari Vanśa. The Matsya names three sons of Dhrisht́a, Dhrisht́aketu, Chitranátha, and Rańadhrisht́a. The Bhágavata adds, that the sons of Dhrisht́a obtained Brahmanhood upon earth, though born Kshatriyas.

36. But who is Nabhága? for, as above observed, c. 1. n. 2, the son of the Manu is Nabhága-nedisht́a, and there is in that case no such person as Nabhága: on the other hand, if Nabhága and Nedisht́a he distinct names, we have ten sons of Vaivaswata, as in the Bhágavata. The descendants of Nedisht́a, through his son Nabhága, have been already specified; and after all, therefore, we must consider the text as intending a distinct person by the name Nabhága; and such a name does occur in the lists of the Agni, Kúrma, Matsya, and Bhágavata, unquestionably distinct from that with which it is also sometimes compounded. The Bhágavata repeats the legend of the Aitareya Bráhmańa, with some additions, and says that Nabhága having protracted his period of study beyond the usual age, his brothers appropriated his share of the patrimony. On his applying for his portion, they consigned their father to him, by whose advice he assisted the descendants of Angiras in a sacrifice, and they presented him with all the wealth that was left at its termination. Rudra claimed it as his; and Nabhága acquiescing, the god confirmed the gift, by which he became possessed of an equivalent for the loss of territory. Most of the authorities recognise but one name here, variously read either Nabhága or Nábhága, the father of Ambarísha. The Váyu, as well as the Bhágavata, concurs with the text.

37. The Bhágavata considers Ambarísha as a king, who reigned apparently on the banks of the Yamuná. He is more celebrated as a devout worshipper of Vishńu, whose discus protected him from the wrath of Durvásas, and humbled that choleric saint, who was a portion of Śiva: a legend which possibly records a struggle between two sects, in which the votaries of Vishńu, headed by Ambarísha, triumphed.

38. The Agni, Bráhma, and Matsya stop with Ambarísha. The Váyu and Bhágavata proceed as in the text, only the latter adds to Virúpa, Ketumat and Śambhu.

39. The same verse is cited in the Váyu, and affords an instance of a mixture of character, of which several similar cases occur subsequently. Kshatriyas by birth, become Brahmans by profession; and such persons are usually considered as Ángirasas, followers or descendants of Angiras, who may have founded a school of warrior-priests. This is the obvious purport of the legend of Nabhága's assisting the sons of Angiras to complete their sacrifice, referred to in a former note, although the same authority has devised a different explanation. Rathínara (or Rathítara, as read in some copies, as well as by the Bhágavata and Váyu) being childless, Angiras begot on his wife sons radiant with divine glory, who as the sons of the monarch by his wife were Kshatriyas, but were Brahmans through their actual father. This however is an afterthought, not warranted by the memorial verse cited in our text.

40. So the Bhágavata.

41. The Matsya says that Indra (Devarát́) was born as Vikukshi, and that Ikshwáku had one hundred and fourteen other sons, who were kings of the countries south of Meru; and as many who reigned north of that mountain. The Váyu and most of the other authorities agree in the number of one hundred, of whom fifty, with Śakuni at their head, are placed in the north; and forty-eight in the south, according to the Váyu, of whom Vimati was the chief. The same authority specifies also Nimi and Dańd́a as sons of Ikshwáku, as does the Bhágavata, with the addition of their reigning in the central regions. The distribution of the rest in that work is twenty-five in the west, as many in the east, and the rest elsewhere; that is, the commentator adds, north and south. It seems very probable that by these sons of Ikshwáku we are to understand colonies or settlers in various parts of India.

42. See p. 322, 323.

43. The Váyu states that he was king of Ayodhyá, after the death of Ikshwáku. The story occurs in all the authorities, more or less in detail.

44. The Váyu says it was in the war of the starling and the stork; a conflict between Vaśisht́ha and Viswámitra, metamorphosed into birds, according to the Bhágavata; but that work assigns it to a different period, or the reign of Hariśchandra. If the tradition have any import, it may refer to the ensigns of the contending parties; for banners, with armorial devices, were, as we learn from the Mahábhárata, invariably borne by princes and leaders.

45. The Bhágavata adds, that he captured the city of the Asuras, situated in the west; whence his name Puranjaya, 'victor of the city:' he is also termed Paranjaya, 'vanquisher of foes:' he is also called Indraváha, 'borne by Indra.'

46. Suyodhana: Matsya, Agni, Kúrma.

47. Viśwaka: Linga. Viśwagandhi: Bhágav. Visht́aráśwa: Bráhma P. and Hari V.

48. Ándhra: Váyu. Áyu: Agni. Chandra: Bhágavata.

49. Śávasta and Śávasti: Bhágav. Śravastí: Matsya, Linga, and Kúrma, which also say that Śravastí was in the country of Gaura, which is eastern Bengal; but it is more usually placed in Kośala, by which a part of Oude is commonly understood. In my Dictionary I have inserted Śrávantí, upon the authority of the Trikáńd́a Śesha, but it is no doubt an error for Śrávasti; it is there also called Dharmapattana, being a city of some sanctity in the estimation of the Buddhists. It is termed by Fa-Hian, She-wei; by Hwan Tsang, She-lo-va-si-ti; and placed by both nearly in the site of Fyzabad in Oude. Account of the Foe-kue-ki.

50. This legend is told in much more detail in the Váyu and Bráhma Puráńas. Dhundhu hid himself beneath a sea of sand, which Kuvalyáśwa and his sons dug up, undeterred by the flames which checked their progress, and finally destroyed most of them. The legend originates probably in the occurrence of some physical phenomenon, as an earthquake or volcano.

51. The series of names agrees very well to Sanhatáśwa, called Varhańáśwa in the Bhágavata. We have there some variations, and some details not noticed in our text. The Váyu, Bráhma, Agni, Linga, Matsya, and Kúrma, ascribe two sons to Sanhatáśwa, whom the two first name Kriśáśwa and Akriśáśwa, and the rest Kriśáśwa and Rańáśwa. Senajit or Prasenajit is generally, though not always, termed the son of the younger brother; but the commentator on the Hari Vanśa calls him the son of Sanhatáśwa, whilst the Matsya, Agni, Linga, and Kúrma omit him, and make Mándhátri the son of Rańáśwa. The mother of Prasenajit and the wife of Akriśáśwa or Sanhatáśwa, according to the different interpretations, was the daughter of Himavat, known as Drishadvatí, the river so termed (p. 181, n. 7.) The wife of Yuvanáśwa, according to the Váyu, or of Prasenajit, according to the Bráhma, was Gaurí, the daughter of Rantínara, who, incurring the imprecation of her husband, became the Báhudá river (p. 181. n. 6). The Bráhma and Hari Vanśa call Yuvanáśwa her son; but in another place the Hari Vanśa contradicts itself, calling Gaurí the daughter of Matímara, of the race of Puru, the mother of Mándhátri; here following apparently the Matsya, in which it is so stated. The Bráhma P. is not guilty of the inconsistency. The Váyu of course gives the title to Mándhátri, with the addition that he was called Gaurika, after his mother. Mándhátri's birth from Gaurí is the more remarkable, as it is incompatible with the usual legend given in our text and in the Bhágavata, which seems therefore to have been of subsequent origin, suggested by the etymology of the name. In the Bhágavata, Mándhátri is also named Trasadasyu, or the terrifier of thieves.

52. The Váyu cites this same verse and another, with the remark, that they were uttered by those acquainted with the Puráńas and with genealogies.

53. The Bráhma and Agni omit Ambarísha, for whom the Matsya substitutes Dharmasena. The following legend of Saubhari occurs elsewhere only in the Bhágavata, and there less in detail.

54. The great Nidhi: a Nidhi is a treasure, of which there are several belonging to Kuvera; each has its guardian spirit, or is personified.

55. Of Mamatá, 'mineness;' the notion that wives, children, wealth, belong to an individual, and are essential to his happiness.

56. So Manu; "Having reposited, as the law directs, the holy fires in his breast," &c. VI. 25.

57. The Váyu, Linga, Kúrma, and Bhágavata agree in this series; the others omit it.

58. The words of the text are ###, and the commentator explains the phrase, 'the Angirasa Brahmans, of whom the Hárita family was the chief.' The Linga reads, 'Harita was the son of Yuvanáśwa, whose sons were the Háritas; they were on the part (or followers) of Angiras, and were Brahmans with the properties of Kshatriyas.' The Váyu has, 'Harita was the son of Yuvanáśwa, from whom were many called Háritas; they were sons of Angiras, and Brahmans with the properties of Kshatriyas.' The Bhágavata has only, These (Ambarísha, Purukutsa, and Harita) were, according to Śridhara Swámi's comment, the chiefs of Mándhátri's descendants, being founders of three several branches: or it may mean, he says, merely that they had Mándhátri for their progenitor, Mándhátri being by some also named Angiras, according to Aśwaláyana. It may be questioned if the compilers of the Puráńas, or their annotators, knew exactly what to make of this and similar phrases, although they were probably intended to intimate that some persons of Kshatriya origin became the. disciples of certain Brahmans, particularly of Angiras, and afterwards founders of schools of religious instruction themselves. Mándhátri himself is the author of a hymn in the Rig-veda. As. Res. VIII. 385. Hárita is the name of an individual sage, considered as the son of Chyavana, and to whom a work on law is attributed. It is probably rather that of a school, however, than of an individual.

59. Narmadá, the personified Nerbudda river, was, according to the Bhágavata, the sister of the Nágas.

60. We have some varieties here. Instead of Trasadasyu the Matsya has Dussaha, whom it makes the husband of Narmadá, and father of Sambhúti, the father of Tridhanwan. The Bhágavata omits Sambhúti; the Linga makes him the brother of Trasadasyu; and the Agni has in his place Sudhanwan.

61. Vrishadaśwa: Váyu. The Matsya, Agni, and Bráhma omit all between Sambhúta and Tridhanwan. The Bhágavata has a rather different series, or Anarańya, Haryyaśwa, Aruńa, Tribandhana, Triśanku. As Anarańya is famous in Hindu story, and Trayyáruńa is a contributor to the Rig-veda, their omission shews careless compilation.

62. The Váyu states he was banished by his father for his wickedness (Adharma). The Bráhma P. and Hari Vanśa detail his iniquity at length; and it is told more concisely in the Linga. He carried off the betrothed wife of another man, one of the citizens according to the two former, of Vidarbha according to the latter: for this, his father, by the advice of Vaśisht́ha, banished him, and he took refuge with Śwapákas. The Rámáyańa has a different story, and ascribes Triśanku's degradation to the curse of the sons of Vaśisht́ha, to whom the king had applied to conduct his sacrifice, after their father had refused to do so. Before that, he is described as a pious prince, and the object of his sacrifice was to ascend to heaven.

63. The occurrence of the famine, and Satyavrata's care of the wife and family of Viśwámitra, are told, with some variations, in the Váyu, which has been followed by the Bráhma and Hari Vanśa. During the famine, when game finis he kills the cow of Vaśisht́ha; and for the three crimes of displeasing his father, killing a cow, and eating flesh not previously consecrated, he acquires the name of Triśanku (tri, 'three,' śanku, 'sin'). Vaśisht́ha refusing to perform his regal inauguration, Viśwámitra celebrates the rites, and on his death elevates the king in his mortal body to heaven. The Rámáyańa relates the same circumstance, but assigns to it a different motive, Viśwámitra's resentment of the refusal of the gods to attend Triśanku's sacrifice. That work also describes the attempt of the gods to cast the king down upon earth, and the compromise between them and Viśwámitra, by which Triśanku was left suspended, head downwards, in mid-air, forming a constellation in the southern hemisphere, along with other new planets and stars formed by Viśwámitra. The Bhágavata has an allusion to this legend, saying that Triśanku is still visible in heaven. The Váyu furnishes some further information from an older source. Both my copies leave a blank where it is marked, and a similar passage does not elsewhere occur; but the word should probably be ###, and the whole may be thus rendered: 'Men acquainted with the Puráńas recite these two stanzas; "By the favour of Viśwámitra the illustrious Triśanku shines in heaven along with the gods, through the kindness of that sage. Slowly passes the lovely night in winter, embellished by the moon, decorated with three watches, and ornamented with the constellation Triśanku:"' This legend is therefore clearly astronomical, and alludes possibly to some reformation of the sphere by Viśwámitra, under the patronage of Triśanku, and in opposition to a more ancient system advocated by the school of Vaśisht́ha. It might be no very rash conjecture, perhaps, to identify Triśanku with Orion, the three bright stars of whose belt may have suggested the three Śankus (stakes or pins) which form his name.

64. The Pauráńik lists generally dismiss Hariśchandra very summarily, but he makes a conspicuous figure in legends of an apparently later date. In the Mahábhárata, Sabhá Parva, it is stated that he resides in the court of Indra, to which he was elevated for his performance of the Rájasúya sacrifice, and for his unbounded liberality. This seems to have served as the groundwork of the tale told in the Márkańd́eya and Padma Puráńas, of his having given his whole country, his wife and son, and finally himself, to Viśwámitra, in satisfaction of his demands for Dakshińá. In consequence he was elevated with his subjects to heaven, from whence, having been insidiously led by Náreda to boast of his merits, he was again precipitated. His repentance of his pride, however, arrested his downward descent, and he and his train paused in mid-air. The city of Hariśchandra is popularly believed to be at times still visible in the skies. The indignation of Vaśisht́ha at Viśwámitra's insatiableness produced a quarrel, in which their mutual imprecations changed them to two birds, the Śaráli, a sort of Turdus, and the Baka, or crane. In these forms they fought for a considerable term, until Brahmá interposed, and reconciled them. The Bhágavata alludes to this story, in its notice of Hariśchandra; but the Váyu refers the conflict to the reign of a different prince: see c. 2. n. 11. According to the Śiva P., Hariśchandra was an especial worshipper of that deity; and his wife Satyavatí was a form of Jayá, one of Durga's handmaids.

65. Also read Rohita. Traces of his name appear in the strong holds of Rotas, in Behar and in the Panjab. The Bhágavata has a legend of his having been devoted to Varuńa, before his birth, by his father, who having on various pleas deferred offering his son as promised, was afflicted by a dropsy. Rohita at last purchased Śunahśephas, who was offered as a victim in his stead: see hereafter, note on Śunahśephas.

66. Omitted: Agni, Linga, and Matsya.

67. Omitted: Agni. Dhundhu: Linga and Kúrma. Champa, founder of Champamáliní: Bhágavata. But all other authorities make Champa a different person, a descendant of Anga: see family of Ann, of the lunar race.

68. Kuruka: Linga and Kúrma. Bharuka: Bhágavata.

69. Descendants of Yadu. The first springs from a prince who is the twelfth, and t́he second from one who is the eighteenth, in the lunar line, and both are thus cotemporary with a prince who is the thirty-fifth of the solar dynasty. The Váyu adds, that they were assisted by Śakas, Yavanas, Kámbojas, Páravas, and Pahlavas.

70. The Haihayas we shall have farther occasion to notice. The Śakas are, no doubt, the Sacæ or Sakai of the classical geographers, Scythians and Indo-Scythians, Turk or Tartar tribes, who established themselves, about a century and a half before our era, along the western districts of India, and who are not improbably connected with our Saxon forefathers. The Yavanas are the Ionians or Greeks. The Kámbojas were a people on the northwest of India, of whom it is said that they were remarkable for a capital breed of horses. There is an apparent trace of their name in the Caumogees of Kaferistan, who may have retreated to the mountains before the advance of the Turk tribes. (Elphinstone's Caubul, 619: see also before, p. 194. n. 146.) The Páradas and Pahlavas or Pahnavas may designate other bordering tribes in the same direction, or on the confines of Persia. Along with these, in the legend that follows, the Bhágavata enumerates Barbaras. The Váyu adds Máhishikas, Chaulas, Dárvas, and Khasas: the two former of which are people on the Malabar and Coromandel coasts; the two latter are usually placed amongst the mountaineers of the Hindu Kosh. The Bráhma P. lengthens the list with the Kolas, the forest races of eastern Gondwana; the Sarpas and thep. 375 Keralas, who are the people of Malabar. The Hari Vanśa still farther extends the enumeration with the Tusharas or Tokharas, the Turks of Tokharestan; the Chinas, Chinese; the Mádras, people in the Panjab; the Kishkindhas, in Mysore; Kauntalas, along the Narbudda; Bangas, Bengalis; Śálwas, people in western India; and the Konkanas, or inhabitants of the Concan. It is evident from the locality of most of the additions of the last authority, that its compiler or corrupter has been a native of the Dekhin.

71. And Kámbojas: Váyu.

72. The Asiatic nations generally shave the head either wholly or in part. Amongst the Greeks it was common to shave the fore part of the head, a custom introduced, according to Plutarch, by the Abantes, whom Homer calls ὄπιθεν κομοῶντες and followed, according to Xenophon, by the Lacedæmonians. It may be doubted, however, if the Greeks or Ionians ever shaved the head completely. The practice prevails amongst the Mohammedans, but it is not universal. The Śakas, Scythians or Tartars, shave the fore part of the head, gathering the hair at the back into a long tail, as do the Chinese. The mountaineers of the Himalaya shave the crown of the head, as do the people of Kaferistan, with exception of a single tuft. What Oriental people wore their hair long, except at the back of the head, is questionable; and the usage would be characteristic rather of the Teutonic and Gothic nations. The ancient Persians had long bushy beards, as the Persepolitan sculptures demonstrate. In Chardin's time they were out of fashion, but they were again in vogue in that country in the reign of the last king, Fateh Shuh.

73. So the Váyu, &c.; and a similar statement is given in Manu, X. 44, where to the Śakas, Yavanas, Kámbojas, Páradas, and Pahnavas, are added the Pańd́aras (people of western Bengal), Od́ras (those of Orissa), Dráviras (of the Coromandel coast), Chinas (Chinese), Kirátas (mountaineers), and Daradas (Durds of the Hindu Koh). From this passage, and a similar one in the Rámáyańa, in which the Chinas are mentioned, the late Mr. Klaproth inferred those works to be not older than the third century B. C., when the reigning dynasty of Thsin first gave that name to China (see also p. 194. n. 145.) It was probable, he supposed, that the Hindus became acquainted with the Chinese only about 200 B. C., when their arms extended to the Oxus; but it is difficult to reconcile this date with the difference of style between the Rámáyańa particularly and the works of the era of Vikramáditya. It would seem more likely that the later appellations were interpolated. It must have been a period of some antiquity, when all the nations from Bengal to the Coromandel coast were considered as Mlechchhas and outcasts.

74. So the Rámáyańa. Sumati is called the daughter of Arisht́anemi: the Mahábhárata calls her Śaivyá. The story of Sagara and his descendants is told at length in the Rámáyańa, first book, and in the Mahábhárata, Vana Parva, III. 106, et seq., as well as in most of the Puráńas.

75. Or Panchajana: Bráhma.

76. The Bhágavata has, for a Puráńa, some curious remarks on this part of the story, flatly denying its truth. 'The report is not true, that the sons of the king were scorched by the wrath of the sage; for how can the quality of darkness, made up of anger, exist in a world-purifying nature, consisting of the quality of goodness; the dust of earth, as it were, in the sky? How should mental perturbation distract that sage, who was one with the supreme, and who has promulgated that Sankhyá philosophy, which is a strong vessel, by which he who is desirous of liberation passes over the dangerous ocean of the world by the path of death?'

77. Ságara is still the name of the ocean, and especially of the bay of Bengal, at the mouth of the Ganges. On the shore of the island called by the same name, tradition places a Kapiláśrama, or hermitage of Kapila, which is still the scene of an annual pilgrimage. Other legends assign a very different situation for the abode of the ascetic, or the foot of the Himálaya, where the Ganges descends to the plains. There would be no incompatibility, however, in the two sites, could we imagine the tradition referred to a period when the ocean washed, as it appears once to have done, the base of the Himálaya, and Saugor (Ságara) was at Harídwar.

78. Or Khat́wánga: Bráhma and Hari Vanśa: but this is apparently an error. See note 14.

79. Omitted: Matsya and Agni. Viśruta: Linga.

80. Nábhin: Bhágavata.

81. Ayutáyus: Váyu, Linga, and Kúrma. Śrutáyus: Agni. Ayutajit: Bráhma.

82. 'knowing the heart of the dice.' The same epithet, as well as that of 'friend of Nala,' is given him in the Váyu, Bhágavata, and Bráhma Puráńas, and in the Hari Vanśa, and leaves no doubt of their referring to the hero of the story told in the Mahábhárata. Nara however, as we shall hereafter see, is some twenty generations later than Rituparńa in the same family; and the Váyu therefore thinks it necessary to observe that two Nalas are noticed in the Puráńas, and the one here adverted to is the son of Vírasena; whilst the other belongs to the family of Ikshwáku. The same passage occurs in the Bráhma P. and Hari V.; and the commentator on the latter observes, 'Nala the son of Nishadha is different from Nala the son of Vírasena.' It is also to be observed, that the Nala of the tale is king of Nishadha, and his friend Rituparńa is king of Ayodhya. The Nala of the race of Ikshwáku is king of Ayodhyá: he is the son of Nishadha, however, and there is evidently some confusion between the two. We do not find Vírasena or his son in any of the lists. See n. 19.

83. There is considerable variety in this part of the lists, but the Váyu and Bhágavata agree with our text. The Matsya and others make Kalmáshapáda the son or grandson of Rituparńa, and place Sarvakáma or Sarvakarman after him. See further on.

84. The Váyu, Agni, Bráhma, and Hari Vanśa read Amitrasaha, 'foe-enduring;' but the commentator on our text explains it Mitra, a name of Vaśisht́ha, Saha, 'able to bear' the imprecation of; as in the following legend, which is similarly related in the Bhágavata. It is not detailed in the Váyu. A full account occurs in the Mahábhárata, Ádi P., s. 176, but with many and important variations. Kalmáshapáda, whilst hunting, encountered Śaktri, the son of Vaśisht́ha, in the woods; and on his refusing to make way, struck the sage with his whip. Śaktri cursed the king to become a cannibal; and Viswámitra, who had a quarrel with Vaśisht́ha, seized the opportunity to direct a Rákshas to take possession of the king, that he might become the instrument of destroying the family of the rival saint. Whilst thus influenced, Mitrasaha, a Brahman, applied to Kalmáshapáda for food, and the king commanded his cook to dress human flesh, and give it to the Brahman, who, knowing what it was, repeated the curse of Śaktri, that the king should become a cannibal; which taking effect with double force, Kalmáshapáda began to eat men. One of his first victims was Śaktri, whom he slew and ate; and then killed and devoured, under the secret impulse of Viśwámitra's demon, all the other sons of Vaśisht́ha. Vaśisht́ha however liberated him from the Rákshas who possessed him, and restored him to his natural character. The imprecation of the Brahman's wife, and its consequences, are told in the Mahábhárata as in the text; but the story of the water falling on his feet appears to have grown out of the etymology of his name, which might have referred to some disease of the lower extremities, the prince's designation being at length, Mitrasaha Saudása Kalmáshapáda, or Mitrasaha, son of Sudása, with the swelled feet.

85. His name Múlaka, or 'the root,' refers also to his being the stem whence the Kshatriya races again proceeded. It may be doubted if the purport of his title Náríkavacha is accurately explained by the text.

86. This prince is confounded with an earlier Dilípa by the Bráhma P. and Hari Vanśa.

87. The term for his obtaining final liberation is rather unusual; 'By whom the three worlds were affected or beloved:' the three worlds being identified with their source, or the supreme. The text says of this stanza ###, and the Váyu, citing it, says ###, the legend is therefore from the Vedas.

88. The lists here differ very materially, as the following comparison will best shew:

Vishńu. Matsya. Rámáyańa.
Kalmáshapáda Kalmáshapáda Kalmáshapáda
Aśmaka Sarvakarman Śankana
Múlaka Anarańya Sudarśana
Daśaratha Nighna Agnivarńa
Ilavila Anamitra Śighraga
Viśwasaha Raghu Maru
Dilípa Dilípa Prasusruka
Dírghabáhu Aja Ambarísha
Raghu Dírghabáhu Nahusha
Aja Ajapála Yayáti
Daśaratha Daśaratha Nábhága
Aja
Daśaratha.
The Váyu, Bhágavata, Kúrma, and Linga agree with our text, except in the reading of a few names; as Śataratha for Daśaratha the first; Vairivíra for Ilavila; and Kritasarman, Vriddhasarman, or Vriddhakarman, for Viśwasaha. The Agni and Bráhma and Hari Vanśa agree with the second series, with similar occasional exceptions; shewing that the Puráńas admit two series, differing in name, but agreeing in number. The Rámáyańa, however, differs from both in a very extraordinary manner, and the variation is not limited to the cases specified, as it begins with Bhagíratha, as follows:

Puráńas. Rámáyańa.
Bhagíratha Bhagíratha
Śruta Kakutshtha
Nábhága Raghu
Ambarísha Kalmáshapáda
Sindhudwípa
Ayutáśwa
Rituparńa
Sarvakáma
Sudása
Kalmáshapáda.

The entire Pauráńik series comprises twenty descents, and that of the Rámáyańa sixteen. Some of the last names of the poem occur amongst the first of those of the Puráńas, but there is an irreconcilable difference in much of the nomenclature. The Agni, under the particular account of the descent of Ráma, has for his immediate predecessors Raghu, Aja, Daśaratha, as in our text; and the author of the Raghu Vanśa agrees with the Puráńas from Dilípa downwards.

89. This is an epitome of the Rámáyańa, the heroic poem of Válmíki, on the subject of Ráma's exploits. A part of the Rámáyańa was published, with a translation by Messrs. Carey and Marshman, several years since; but a much more correct edition of the text of the two first books, with a Latin translation of the first, and part of the second, have been more recently published by Professor Schlegel; a work worthy of his illustrious name. A summary of the story may be found in Sir Wm. Jones's Works, Maurice's Hindustan, Moor's Pantheon, &c. It is also the subject of the Uttara Ráma Charitra in the Hindu Theatre, in the introduction to which an outline of the whole is given. The story is therefore, no doubt, sufficiently familiar even to English readers. It seems to be founded on historical fact; and the traditions of the south of India uniformly ascribe its civilization, the subjugation or dispersion of its forest tribes of barbarians, and the settlement of civilized Hindus, to the conquest of Lanká by Ráma.

90. The Váyu specifies the countries or cities over which they reigned. Anguda and Chitraketu, as the Váyu terms the latter, governed countries near the Himálaya, the capitals of which were Ángadi and Chandravaktrá. Taksha and Pushkara were sovereigns of Gandhára, residing at Takshaśílá and Pushkaravatí. Subáhu and Śúrasena reigned at Mathurá; and in the latter we might be satisfied to find the Śúrasenas of Arrian, but that there is a subsequent origin, of perhaps greater authenticity, in the family of Yadu, as we shall hereafter see. 'Kuśa built Kuśasthalí on the brow of the Vindhya, the capital of Kośalá; and Lava reigned at Śrávastí (see p. 355. 361) in Uttara (northern) Kośalá:' &c. The Raghu Vaasa describes Kuśa as returning from Kuśavati to Ayodhyá, after his father's death; but it seems not unlikely that the extending power of the princes of the Doab, of the lunar family, compelled Ráma's posterity to retire more to the west and south.

91. The Bhágavata is the only Puráńa that omits this name, as if the author had been induced to correct the reading in order to avoid the necessity of recognising two Nalas. See above, n. 9.

92. Here again we have two distinct series of princes, independently of variations of individual names. Instead of the list of the text, with which the Váyu and Bhágavata nearly, and the Bráhma and Hari Vanśa indifferently conform, we have in the Matsya, Linga, Kúrma, and Agni the following: Ahínagu, Sahasráśwa, Sahasráya or Sahasrabala, Chandrávaloka, Tárapíd́a or Tárádhíśa, Chandragiri, Bhánúratha or Bhánumitra, and Śrútáyus, with whom the list ends, except in the Linga, which adds Báhula, killed by Abhimanyu: enumerating therefore from Deváníka but seven or eight princes to the great war, instead of twenty-three, as in the other series. The Raghu Vaasa gives much the same list as our text, ending with Agnivarńa.

93. Bala: Bhágavata. Nala: Hari V.

94. Sthala: Bhágavata. Śala: Váyu and Bráhma. Śila: Raghu Vanśa.

95. Omitted: Bhágavata.

96. Śankha: Bráhma. Khagana: Bhág.

97. Dúshitáśwa: Váyu. Adhyúshitáśwa: Bráhma. Vidhriti: Bhágavata.

98. Omitted: Bráhma and Bhágavata.

99. Omitted: Bráhma and Hari V.: but included with similar particulars by the Váyu, Bhágavata, and Raghu Vanśa: see also p. 283, where Kauśalya is likewise given as the synonyme of Hirańyagarbha, being, as the commentator observes, his Visheshańam, his epithet or attribute, born in, or king of, Kośalá. The Váyu accordingly terms him ###, but in the Bhágavata the epithet Kauśalya is referred by the commentator to Yájnawalkya, the pupil of Hirańyanábha. The author of the Raghu Vanśa, not understanding the meaning of the term, has converted Kauśalya into the son of Hirańyanábha. Raghu V. 18. 27. The Bhágavata, like our text, calls the prince the pupil of Jaimini. The Váyu, more correctly, 'the pupil of the sage's grandson.' There seems to be, however, something unusual in the account given of the relation borne by the individuals named to each other. As a pupil of Jaimini, Hirańyanábha is a teacher of the Sáma-veda (see p. 283), but Yájnawalkya is the teacher of the Vájasaneyi branch of the Yajush (p. 281). Neither of them is specified by Mr. Colebrooke amongst the authorities of the Pátanjala or Yoga philosophy; nor does either appear as a disciple of Jaimini in his character of founder of the Mímánsá school. Trans. R. As. Soc. vol. I.

100. Arthasiddhi: Bráhma P. and Hari V.

101. Maruta: Bráhma P. and Hari V. These authorities omit the succeeding four names.

102. Sahaswat: Váyu.

103. Viśwasaha: Bhágavata.

104. The list closes here, as the author of the Puráńas, Vyása, is cotemporary with the great war. The line of Ikshwáku is resumed prophetically in the twenty-second chapter.

105. None of the authorities, except the Váyu and Bhágavata, contain the series of kings noticed in this chapter.

106. This shews that the Hindus were not unacquainted with the Egyptian art of embalming dead bodies. In the Káśí Khańd́a, s. 30, an account is given of a Brahman who carries his mother's bones, or rather her corpse, from Setuhandha or Rámeśwara to Káśí. For this purpose he first washes it with the five excretions of a cow, and the five pure fluids, or milk, curds, ghee, honey, and sugar. He then embalms it with Yakshakarddama, a composition of Agallochum, camphor, musk, saffron, sandal, and a resin called Kakkola; and envelopes it severally with Netra vastra, flowered muslin; Pat́t́amvara, silk; Surasa vastra, coarse cotton; Mánjisht́ha, cloth dyed with madder; and Nepala Kambala, nepal blanketing. He then covers it with pure clay, and puts the whole into a coffin of copper, Támra samput́a. These practices are not only unknown, but would be thought impure in the present day.

107. These legends are intended to explain, and were probably suggested by, the terms Vaideha and Mithilá, applied to the country upon the Gandak and Kai rivers, the modern Tirhut. The Rámáyańa places a prince named Mithi between Nimi and Janaka, whence comes the name Mithilá. In other respects the list of kings of Mithilá agrees, except in a few names. Janaka the successor of Nimi is different from Janaka who is celebrated as the father of Síta. One of them, which, does not appear, is also renowned as a philosopher, and patron of philosophical teachers. Mahábhárata, Moksha Dharma. According to the Váyu P., Nimi founded a city called Jayantapur, near the Áśrama of Gautama. The remains of a city called Janakpur, on the northern skirts of the district, are supposed to indicate the site of a city founded by one of the princes so named.

108. This identifies Síradhwaja with the second Janaka, the father-in-law of Ráma. The story of Sítá's birth, or rather discovery, is narrated in the Aránya Khańd́a of the Rámáyańa, the Vana Parva of the Mahábhárata, and in the Váyu, Brahma Vaivartta, Káliká, and other Puráńas.

109. The Rámáyańa says, 'of Sankaśya,' which is no doubt the correct reading. Fa Hian found the kingdom of Sang-kia-shi in the Doab, about Mainpuri. Account of the Foe-kuë-ki. The Bhágavata makes Kuśadhwaja the son of Síradwaja.

110. The Bhágavata differs from our authority here considerably, by inserting several princes between Kúsadhwaja and Bhánumat; or, Dharmadhwaja, who has two sons, Kritadhwaja and Kháńd́ikya; the former is the father of Keśidhwaja, the latter of Bhánumat. See the last book of the Vishńu.

111. Śakuni, and the last of the series, according to the Váyu,

112. Between this prince and Śuchi the series of the Bhágavata is Sanadhwaja, Urddhwaketu, Aja, Purujit. The following variations are from the same authority.

113. Chitraratha.

114. Kshemadhí.

115. Omitted.

116. Samaratha.

117. Omitted.

118. Upaguru.

119. Upagupta.

120. Vaswananta.

121. Yuyudhána, Subháshańa, Śruta.

122. Śunaka.

. ## is the reading of all the copies; but why the future verb, 'will be,' is used does not appear.

124. Descendants of two of the other sons of the Manu are noticed in the Bhágavata; from Nriga, it is said, proceeded Sumati, Bhútajyotish, Vasu, Pratíka, Oghavat, and his sister Oghavatí, married to Sudarśana. The Linga gives three sons to Nriga, Vrisha, Dhrisht́aka, and Rańadhrisht́a, and alludes to a legend of his having been changed to a lizard by the curse of a Brahman. Narishyanta's descendants were Chitrasena, Daksha, Madhwat, Púrva, Indrasena, Vítihotra, Satyaśrava, Uruśravas, Devadatta, Agniveśya, also called Játukarńa, a form of Agni, and progenitor of the Ágniveśya Brahmans. In the Bráhma P. and Hari V. the sons of Narishyat, whom the commentator on the latter considers as the same with Narishyanta, are termed Sacas, Sacæ or Scythians; whilst, again, it is said that the son of Narishyanta was Dama, or, as differently read, Yams. As this latter affiliation is stated in the authorities, it would appear as if this Narishyanta was one of the sons of the Manu; but this is only a proof of the carelessness of the compilation, for in the Vishńu, Váyu, and Márkańd́eya Puráńas, Narishyanta, the father of Dama, is the son of Marutta, the fourteenth of the posterity of Disht́a or Nedisht́a.

125. The Váyu says the essence of Soma (Somatwa) issued from the eyes of Atri, and impregnated the ten quarters. The Bhágavata says merely that Soma was born from the eyes of Atri. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. give a grosser name to the effusion.

126. 'He who knows.' Much erroneous speculation has originated in confounding this Budha, the son of Soma, and regent of the planet Mercury, 'he who knows,' the intelligent, with Buddha, any deified mortal, or 'he by whom truth is known;' or, as individually applicable, Gautama or Śákya, son of the Raja Śuddhodana, by whom the Buddhists themselves aver their doctrines were first promulgated. The two characters have nothing in common, and the names are identical only when one or other is misspelt.

127. The story of Purúravas is told much in the same strain as follows, though with some variations, and in greater or less detail, in the Váyu, Matsya, Vámana, Padma, and Bhágavata Puráńas. It is also referred to in the Mahábhárata, vol. I. p. 113. It is likewise the subject of the Vikrama and Urvaśí of Kálídása, in which drama the incidents offensive to good taste are not noticed. See Hindu Theatre, vol. I. p. 587. The Matsya Puráńa, besides this story, which is translated in the introduction to the drama, has in another part, c. 94, an account of a Purúravas, who, in the Chákshusha Manwantara, was king of Mad́ra, and who by the worship of Vishńu obtained a residence with the Gandharbas.

128. One copy has sixty-one years; the Bráhma P. and Hari V. have fifty-nine: one period is as likely as the other.

129. It does not appear why this passage is repeated. The length of the sticks, conformably to the number of syllables in the usual form of the Gayatrí, would be twenty-four inches. The Bhágavata attaches to the operation a piece of mysticism of a Tántrika origin: Purúravas, whilst performing the attrition, mentally identifies himself and Urvaśí with the two sticks, and repeats the Mantra, ###.

130. The division of one fire into three is ascribed to Purúravas by the Mahábhárata and the rest. The commentator on the former specifies them as the Gárhapatya, Dakshińa, and Áhavaníya, which Sir Wm. Jones, Manu, II. 231, renders nuptial, ceremonial, and sacrificial fires; or rather, 1. household, that which is perpetually maintained by a householder; 2. a fire for sacrifices, placed to the south of the rest; and 3. a consecrated fire for oblations; forming the Tretágni, or triad of sacred fires, in opposition to the Laukika, or merely temporal ones. To Purúravas it would appear the triple arrangement was owing; but there are some other curious traditions regarding him, which indicate his being the author of some important innovations in the Hindu ritual. The Bhágavata says, that before his time there was but one Veda, one caste, one fire, and one god, Náráyańa; and that, in the beginning of the Treta age, Purúravas made them all 'three:' that is, according to the commentator, the ritual was then instituted: The Matsya P. has an account of this prince's going to the orbit of the sun and moon at every conjunction, when oblations to progenitors are to be offered, as if obsequial rites had originated with Purúravas. The Mahábhárata states some still more remarkable particulars. 'The glorious Purúravas, endowed, although a mortal, with the properties of a deity, governing the thirteen islands of the ocean, engaged in hostilities with the Brahmans in the pride of his strength, and seized their jewels, as they exclaimed against his oppression. Sanatkumára came from the sphere of Brahmá to teach him the rules of duty, but Purúravas did not accept his instructions, and the king, deprived of understanding by the pride of his power, and actuated by avarice, was therefore ever accursed by the offended great sages, and was destroyed.'

131. Considerable variety prevails in these names, and the Matsya, Padma, Bráhma, and Agni enumerate eight. The lists are as follows:

Mahábhárata. Matsya. Agni. Kúrma. Bhágavata.
Áyus Áyus Áyus Áyus Áyus
Dhímat Dhritimat Dhímat Máyus Śrutáyus
Amávasu Vasu Vasu Amáyus Satyáyus
Drid́háyus Drid́háyus Uśráyus Viśwáyus Ráya
Vanáyus Dhanáyus Antáyus Śatáyus Vijaya
Śatáyus Śatáyus Śatáyus Śrutáyus Jaya
Aśwáyus Ritáyus
Divijáta Divijáta.

The list of the Bráhma is that of the Mahábhárata, with the addition of Śatáyus and Viśwáyus; and the Padma agrees with the Matsya.

132. Son of Vijaya: Bhágavata. This line of princes is followed only in our text, the Váyu, Bráhma, and Hari V., and the Bhágavata.

133. Kánchanaprabha: Bráhma.

134. Hotraka: Bhágavata.

135. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. add of this prince, that he was the husband of Káverí, the daughter of Yuvanáśwa, who by the imprecation of her husband became the Káverí river: another indication of the Dakshina origin of these works. The Hari V. has another Jahnu, to whom it gives the same spouse, as we shall hereafter see.

136. Sunuta: Bráhma. Puru: Bhágavata.

137. Valaka: Bráhma. Ajaka: Bhágavata.

138. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. add that Kúśa was in alliance with the Pahlavas and foresters.

139. Our authorities differ as to these names:

Váyu. Bráhma and Hari V. Bhágavata.
Kuśáśwa or,
Kuśasthamba Kuśáśwa Kuśámba
Kuśanábha Kuśanábha Kuśanábha
Amurttarayasa Amurttimat Amurttaraya
Vasu Kuśika Vasu.

The Rámáyańa has Kuśámba, Kuśanábha, Amurttarayasa, and Vasu; and makes them severally the founders of Kauśámbi, of Mahodaya (which afterwards appears the same as Kanoj), Dharmárańya, and Girivraja; the latter being in the mountainous part of Magadhá. I. s. 29.

140. The Bráhma and Hari V. make Gádhi the son of Kuśika; the Váyu and Bhágavata, of Kuśánaba; the Rámáyańa, of Kuśanábha.

141. The Rámáyańa notices the marriage, but has no legend. The Mahábhárata, Vans P., has a rather more detailed narration, but much the same as in the text. According to the commentator, Aśwatírtha is in the district of Kanoj; perhaps at the confluence of the Kálanadí with the Ganges. The agency of the god of Ocean in procuring horses, is a rather curious additional coincidence between Varuńa and Neptune.

142. In the Mahábhárata, Bhrigu, the father of Richíka, prepares the Charu.

143. So the Rámáyańa, after stating that Satyavatí followed her husband in death, adds, that she became the Kauśikí river; the Cosi, which, rising in Nepal, flows through Puraniya into the Ganges, opposite nearly to Rájamahal.

144. The text omits the story of Paraśuráma, but as the legend makes a great figure in the Vaishńava works in general, I have inserted it from the Mahábhárata, where it is twice related, once in the Vana Parva, and once in the Rájadharma section of the Śánti Parva. It is told also at length in the ninth book of the Bhágavata, in the Padma and Agni Puráńas, &c.

145. The circumstances of Richíka's marriage, and the birth of Jamadagni and Viśwámitra, are told much in the same manner as in our text both in the Mahábhárata and Bhágavata.

146. In the beginning of the legend occurs the account of Kárttavíryárjuna, with the addition that he oppressed both men and gods. The latter applying to Vishńu for succour, he descended to earth, and was born as Paraśuráma, for the especial purpose of putting the Haihaya king to death.

147. In the Rájadharma the sons of the king carry off the calf. The Bhágavata makes the king seize upon the cow, by whose aid Jamadagni had previously entertained Arjuna and all his train: borrowing, no doubt, these embellishments from the similar legend of Vaśisht́ha and Viśwámitra, related in the Rámáyańa.

148. The characteristic weapon of Ráma is however an axe (paraśu), whence his name Ráma, 'with the axe.' It was given to him by Śiva, whom the hero propitiated on mount Gandhamádana. He at the same time received instruction in the use of weapons generally, and the art of war. Rája Dharma.

149. This more than 'thrice slaying of the slain' is explained in the Rájadharma to mean, that he killed the men of so many generations, as fast as they grew up to adolescence.

150. It is sometimes read Narotsedha, 'as high as a man.'

151. The story, as told in the Rájadharma section, adds, that when Ráma had given the earth to Kaśyapa, the latter desired him to depart, as there was no dwelling for him in it, and to repair to the seashore of the south, where Ocean made for him (or relinquished to him) the maritime district named Śúrpáraka. The traditions of the Peninsula ascribe the formation of the coast of Malabar to this origin, and relate that Paraśuráma compelled the ocean to retire, and introduced Brahmans and colonists from the north into Kerala or Malabar. According to some accounts he stood on the promontory of Dilli, and shot his arrows to the south, over the site of Kerala. It seems likely that we have proof of the local legend being at least as old as the beginning of the Christian era, as the mons Pyrrhus of Ptolemy is probably the mountain of Paraśu or Paraśuráma. See Catalogue of Mackenzie Collection, Introd. p. xcv. and vol. II. p. 74. The Rájadharma also gives an account of the Kshatriyas who escaped even the thrice seven times repeated destruction of their race. Some of the Haihayas were concealed by the earth as women; the son of Viduratha, of the race of Puru, was preserved in the Riksha mountain, where he was nourished by the bears; Sarvakarman, the son of Saudása, was saved by Paráśara, performing the offices of a Śúdra; Gopati, son of Śivi, was nourished by cows in the forests; Vatsa, the son of Pratarddana, was concealed amongst the calves in a cow-pen; the son of Deviratha was secreted by Gautama on the banks of the Ganges; Vrihadratha was preserved in Gridhrakúta; and descendants of Marutta were saved by the ocean. From these the lines of kings were continued; but it does not appear from the ordinary lists that they were ever interrupted. This legend however, as well as that of the Rámáyańa, b. I. c. 52, no doubt intimates a violent and protracted struggle between the Brahmans and Kshatriyas for supreme domination in India, as indeed the text of the Mahábhárata more plainly denotes, as Earth is made to say to Kaśyapa, 'The fathers and grandfathers of these Kshatriyas have been killed by the remorseless Ráma in warfare on my account.'

152. The story of Śunahśephas is told by different authorities, with several variations. As the author of various Śúktas in the Rich, he is called the son of Ajigartta. The Rámáyańa makes him the middle son of the sage Richíka, sold to Ambarísha, king of Ayodhyá, by his parents, to be a victim in a human sacrifice offered p. 405 by that prince. He is set at liberty by Viśwámitra, but it is not added that he was adopted. The Bhágavata concurs in the adoption, but makes Śunahśephas the son of Viśwámitra's sister, by Ajigartta of the line of Bhrigu, and states his being purchased as a victim for the sacrifice of Hariśchandra (see n. 9. p. 372). The Váyu makes him a son of Richíka, but alludes to his being the victim at Hariśchandra's sacrifice. According to the Rámáyańa, Viswámitra called upon his sons to take the place of Śunahśephas, and on their refusing, degraded them to the condition of Cháńd́álas. The Bhágavata says, that fifty only of the hundred sons of Viswámitra were expelled their tribe, for refusing to acknowledge Śunahśephas or Devaráta as their elder brother. The others consented; and the Bhágavata expresses this; 'They said to the elder, profoundly versed in the Mantras, We are your followers:' as the commentator; ###. The Rámáyańa also observes, that Śunahśephas, when bound, praised Indra with Richas or hymns of the Rig-veda. The origin of the story therefore, whatever may be its correct version, must be referred to the Vedas; and it evidently alludes to some innovation in the ritual, adopted by a part only of the Kauśika families of Brahmans.

153. The Bhágavata says one hundred sons, besides Devaráta and others, as Asht́aka, Hárita, &c. Much longer lists of names are given in the Váyu, Bhágavata, Bráhma, and Hari V. The two latter specify the mothers. Thus Devaśravas, Kati (the founder of the Kátyáyanas), and Hiranyáksha were sons of Śilavatí; Reńuka, Gálava, Sankriti, Mudgala, Madhuchchandas, and Devala were sons of Reńu; and Asht́aka, Kachchhapa, and Hárita were the sons of Drishadvatí. The same works enumerate the Gotras, the families or tribes of the Kauśika Brahmans: these are, Párthivas, Devarátas, Yájnawalkyas, Sámarshanas, Údumbaras, Dumlánas, Tarakáyanas, Munchátas, Lohitas, Renus, Karishus, Babhrus, Páninas, Dhyánajyápyas, Śyálantas, Hiranyákshas, Śankus, Gálavas, Yamadútas, Devalas, Śálankáyanas, Báshkalas, Dadativádaras, Śauśratas, Śaindhaváyanas, Nishńátas, Chunchulas, Śálankrityas, Sankrityas, Vádarańyas, and an infinity of others, multiplied by intermarriages with other tribes, and who, according to the Váyu, were originally of the regal caste, like Viswámitra; but, like him, obtained Brahmanhood through devotion. Now these Gotras, or some of them at least, no doubt existed, partaking more of the character of schools of doctrine, but in which teachers and scholars were very likely to have become of one family by intermarrying; and the whole, as well as their original founder, imply the interference of the Kshatriya caste with the Brahmanical monopoly of religious instruction and composition.

154. Dharmavriddha: Váyu. Vriddhaśarman: Matsya. Yajnaśarman: Padma.

155. Darbha: Agni. Dambha: Padma.

156. Vipápman: Agni and Matsya. Vidáman: Padma. The two last authorities proceed no farther with this line.

157. Sunahotra: Váyu, Bráhma.

158. Káśya: Bhágavata.

159. Sála: Váyu, Bráhma, Hari V.: whose son was Ársht́isena, father of Charanta; Váyu: of Kaśyapa; Bráhma and Hari V.

160. Here is probably an error, for the Váyu, Bhágavata, and Bráhma agree in making Śunaka the son of Ghritsamada, and father of Śaunaka.

161. The expression is 'The originator or causer of the distinctions (or duties) of the four castes.' The commentator, however, understands the expression to signify, that his descendants were of the four castes. So also the Váyu: 'The son of Ghritsamada was Śunaka, whose son was Śaunaka. Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śúdras were born in his race; Brahmans by distinguished deeds.' The existence of but one caste in the age of purity, however incompatible with the legend which ascribes the origin of the four tribes to Brahmá, is every where admitted. Their separation is assigned to different individuals, whether accurately to any one may be doubted; but the notion indicates that the distinction was of a social or political character.

162. Káśiya: Bráhma.

163. Dírghatapas: Váyu. Ghritsatamas: Agni. The Bhágavata inserts a Rásht́ra before this prince, and the Váyu a Dharma after him.

164. The eight branches of medical science are, 1. Śalya, extraction of extraneous bodies; 2. Śaláká, treatment of external organic affections: these two constitute surgery: 3. Chikitsá, administration of medicines, or medical treatment in general; 4. Bhútavidyá, treatment of maladies referred to demoniac possession; 5. Kaumárabhritya, midwifery and management of children; 6. Agada, alexipharmacy; 7. Rasáyana, alchemical therapeutics; 8. Bajikarańa, use of aphrodisiacs. Dhanwantari, according to the Brahma Vaivartta P., was preceded in medical science by Átreya, Bharadwája, and Charaka: his pupil Śuśruta is the reputed author of a celebrated work still extant. It seems probable that Káśí or Benares was at an early period a celebrated school of medicine.

165. Some rather curious legends are connected with this prince in the Váyu and Bráhma Puráńas, and Hari Vanśa, and especially in the Káśí Khańd́a of the Skánda Puráńa. According to these authorities, Śiva and Párvatí, desirous of occupying Káśí, which Divodása possessed, sent Nikumbha, one of the Gańas of the former, to lead the prince to the adoption of Buddhist doctrines; in consequence of which he was expelled from the sacred city, and, according to the Váyu, founded another on the banks of the Gomatí. We have, however, also some singular, though obscure intimations of some of the political events of this and the succeeding reign. The passage of the Váyu is, 'The king Divodása, having slain the hundred sons of Bhadraśreńya, took possession of his kingdom, which was conquered by that hero. The son of Bhadraśreńya, celebrated by the name of Durdama, was spared by Divodása, as being an infant. Pratarddana was the son of Divodása by Drishadvatí; and by that great prince, desirous of destroying all enmity, (was recovered) that (territory) which had been seized by that young boy (Durdama).' This is not very explicit, and something is wanted to complete the sense. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. tell the story twice over, chiefly in the words of the Váyu, but with some additions. In ch. 29. we have, first, the first three lines of the above extract; then comes the story of Benares being deserted; we then have the two next lines; then follow, 'That prince (Durdama) invading his patrimonial possessions, the territory which Divodása had seized by force was recovered by the gallant son of Bhadhraśreńya, Durddama, a warrior desirous, mighty king, p. 408 to effect the destruction of his foes.' Here the victory is ascribed to Durddama, in opposition to what appears to be the sense of the Váyu, and what is undoubtedly that of our text, which says that he was called Pratarddana from destroying the race of Bhadraśreńya, and Śatrujit from vanquishing all his foes. By Vairasya anta, 'the end of hostility or enmity,' is obviously not to be understood here, as M. Langlois has intimated, a friendly pacification, but the end or destruction of all enemies. In the 32d chapter of the Hari Vanśa we have precisely the same lines, slightly varied as to their order; but they are preceded by this verse; 'The city (that on the Gomati), before the existence of Benares, of Bhadraśreńya, a pious prince of the Yadu race: This verse is not in the Bráhma P. After giving the rest of the above quotation, except the last line, the passage proceeds, 'The king called Asht́aratha was the son of Bhímaratha; and by him, great king, a warrior desirous of destroying his foes was (the country) recovered, the children (of Durdama) being infants.' According to the same authority, we are here to understand Bhímaratha and Asht́aratha as epithets of Divodása and Pratarddana. From these scanty and ill-digested notices it appears, that Divodása, on being expelled from Benares, took some city and district on the Gomati from the family of Bhadraśreńya; that Durdama recovered the country, and that Pratarddana again conquered it from his descendants. The alternation concerned apparently only bordering districts, for the princes of Máhíshmati and of Káśí continue, in both an earlier and a later series, in undisturbed possession of their capitals and their power.

166. The Váyu, Agni, Bráhma P., and Hari V. interpose two sons of Pratarddana, Garga or Bharga and Vatsa; and they make Vatsa the father of Alarka, except the Bráhma, which has Śatrujit and Ritadhwaja as two princes following Vatsa.

167. The Váyu, Bráhma, and Hari V. repeat this stanza, and add that Alarka enjoyed such protracted existence through the favour of Lopamudrá, and that having p. 409 lived till the period at which the curs upon terminated, he killed the Rákshas Kshemaka, by whom it had been occupied after it was abandoned by Divodása, and caused the city to be reinhabited. The Hari V. agrees as usual with the Bráhma, except in the reading of one or two names. It is to be observed, however, that the Agni makes the Káśí princes the descendants of Vitatha, the successor of Bharata. The Bráhma P. and Hari V., determined apparently to be right, give the list twice over, deriving it in one place from Kshatravriddha, as in our text, the Váyu, and the Bhágavata; and in another, with the Agni, from Vitatha. The series of the Bráhma, however, stops with Lauhi, the son of Alarka, and does not warrant the repetition which the carelessness of the compiler of the Hari Vanśa has superfluously inserted.

168. Several varieties occur, in the series that follows, as the comparative lists will best shew:

Bhágavata. Bráhma. Váyu. Agni.
Alarka Alarka Alarka Alarka
Santati Sannati Sannati Dharmaketu
Sunítha Sunítha Sunítha Vibhu
Suketana Kshema Suketu Sukumára
Dharmaketu Ketumat Dhrisht́aketu Satyaketu
Satyaketu Suketu Veńuhotra
Dhrisht́aketu Dharmaketu Gárgya
Sukumára Satyaketu Gargabhúmi
Vítihotra Vibhu Vatsabhúmi
Bhárga Anartta
Bhargabhúmi Sukumára
Dhrisht́aketu
Veńuhotri
Bharga
Vatsabhúmi.

169. Our text is clear enough, and so is the Bhágavata, but the Váyu, Bráhma, and Hari V. contain additions of rather doubtful import. The former has, 'The son of Veńuhotra was the celebrated Gárgya; Gargabhúmi was the son of Gárgya; and Vatsa, of the wise Vatsa: virtuous Brahmans and Kshatriyasp. 410 were the sons of these two.' By the second Vatsa is perhaps meant Vatsabhúmi; and the purport of the passage is, that Gárgya (or possibly rather Bharga, one of the sons of Pratarddana) and Vatsa were the founders of two races (Bhúmi, 'earth,' implying 'source' or founder', who were Kshatriyas by birth, and Brahmans by profession. The Bráhma and Hari V., apparently misunderstanding this text, have increased the perplexity. According to them, the son of Veńuhotra was Bharga; Vatsabhúmi was the son of Vatsa; and Bhargabhúmi (Bhrigubhúmi, Bráhma) was from Bhárgava. 'These sons of Angiras were born in the family of Bhrigu, thousands of great might, Brahmans, Kshatriyas and Vaiśyas.' The commentator has, 'Another son of Vatsa, the father of Alarka, is described, Vatsabhúmi, &c. From Bhárgava, the brother of Vatsa. (They were) Angirasas from Gálava belonging to that family, (and were born) in the family of Bhrigu from the descent of Viśwámitra.' The interpretation is not very clear, but it authorizes the notion above expressed, that Vatsa and Bharga, the sons of Pratarddana, are the founders of two races of Kshatriya-Brahmans.

170. On the subject of note 12. some farther illustration is derivable from the Mahábhárata, Śánti P. Dána-dharma. Haryaśwa the king of the Káśis, reigning between the Ganges and the Yamuná, or in the Do-ab, was invaded and slain by the Haihayas, a race descended, according to this authority, from Śaryáti, the son of Manu (see p. 358). Sudeva, the son of Haryaśwa, was also attacked and defeated by the same enemies. Divodása, his son, built and fortified Benares as a defence against the Haihayas, but in vain, for they took it, and compelled him to fly. He sought refuge with Bharadwája, by whose favour he had a son born to him, Pratardana, who destroyed the Haihayas under their king Vítihavya, and reestablished the kingdom of Káśí. Vítihavya, through the protection of Bhrigu, became a Brahman. The Mahábhárata gives a list of his descendants, which contains several of the names of the Kaśya dynasty of the text; thus, Ghritsamada is said to be his son, and the two last of the line are Śunaka and Śaunaka. See n. 7.

171. The Matsya says he taught the sons of Raji the Jinadharma or Jain religion.

172. The Bhágavata enumerates however, as his descendants, Rabhasa, Gambhíra, and Akriya, whose posterity became Brahmans. The same authority gives as the descendants of Anenas, the fourth son of Áyus, Śuddha, Śuchi, Trikakud, and Śántákhya.

173. The Váyu agrees with our text in making Pratipaksha (Pratikshatra) the son of Kshattravriddha; but the Bráhma P. and Hari V. consider Anenas to be the head of this branch of the posterity of Áyus. The Bhágavata substitutes Kuśa, the Leśa, of our text, the grandson of Kshatravriddha, for the first name; and this seems most likely to be correct. Although the different MSS. agree in reading ### it should be perhaps ### the patronymic Kshátravriddha; making then, as the Bhágavata does, Pratíkshatra the son of the son of Kshatravriddha.

174. Jaya: Bhágavata, Váyu.

175. Vijaya: Váyu. Krita: Bhágavata,

176. Haryaśwa: Bráhma, Hari V. Haryavana: Bhágavata.

177. The last of the list: Váyu. Ahína: Bhágavata.

178. Kshatravriddha: Bráhma, Hari V.

179. The Bhágavata refers briefly to the story of Nahusha, which is told in the Mahábhárata more than once, in the Vana Parva, Udyoga P., Dána Dharma P., and others; also in the Pádma and other Puráńas. He had obtained the rank of Indra; but in his pride, or at the suggestion of Śachí, compelling the Rishis to bear his litter, he was cursed by them to fall from his state, and reappear upon earth as a serpent. From this form he was set free by philosophical discussions with Yudhisht́hira, and received final liberation. Much speculation, wholly unfounded, has been started by Wilford's conjecture that the name of this prince, with Deva, 'divine,' prefixed, a combination which never occurs, was the same as Dionysius or Bacchus. Authorities generally agree as to the names of the first three of his sons: in those of the others there is much variety, and the Matsya, Agni, and Padma have seven names, as follows omitting the three first of the text:

Matsya. Agni. Padma. Linga.
Udbhava Udbhava Udbhava Śaryáti
Panśchi Panchaka Pava Champaka
Sunyáti Pálaka Viyáti Andhaka
Meghayáti Megha Meghayáti

180. Or, as his name implies, he became a devotee, a Yati: Bhágavata, &c.

181. The story is told in great detail in the Adi Parvan of the Mahábhárata, also in the Bhágavata, with some additions evidently of a recent taste. Śarmisht́há, the daughter of Vrishaparvan, king of the Daityas, having quarrelled with Devayání, the daughter of Śúkra (the religious preceptor of the same race), had her thrown into a well. Yayáti, hunting in the forest, found her, and taking her to her father, with his consent espoused her. Devayání, in resentment of Śarmisht́há's treatment, demanded that she should become her handmaid; and Vrishaparvan, afraid of Śukra's displeasure, was compelled to comply. In the service of his queen, however, Yayáti beheld Śarmisht́há, and secretly wedded her. Devayání complaining to her father of Yayáti's infidelity, Śukra inflicted on him premature decay, with permission to transfer it to any one willing to give him youth and strength in exchange, as is related in the text. The passage specifying the sons of Yayáti is precisely the same in the Mahábhárata p. 414 as in our text, and is introduced in the same way.

182. Bhrigutunga, according to the Bráhma.

183. The elder brothers were made Mańd́ala-nripas, kings of circles or districts: Bhágavata. The situation of their governments is not exactly agreed upon.

Váyu and Bráhma Bhágavata.
Padma. and Hari V.
Turvasu South-east South-east West
Druhyu West West South-east
Yadu South-west South South
Anu North North North
The Linga describes the ministers and people as expostulating with Yayáti, for illegally giving the supremacy to the youngest son; but he satisfies them by shewing that he was justified in setting the seniors aside, for want of filial duty. The Mahábhárata, Udyoga P. Gálava Charitra, has a legend of Yayáti's giving a daughter to the saint Gálava, who through her means obtains from different princes eight hundred horses, white with one black ear, as a fee for his preceptor Viswámitra. Yayáti, after his death and residence in Indra's heaven, is again descending to earth, when his daughter's sons give him the benefit of their devotions, and replace him in the celestial sphere. It has the air of an old story. A legend in some respects similar has been related in our text.

184. Or, 'in which Krishńa was born.' It might have been expected, from the importance of this genealogy, that it would have been so carefully preserved, that the authorities would have closely concurred in its details. Although, however, the leading specifications coincide, yet, as we shall have occasion to notice, great and irreconcilable variations occur.

185. The two first generally agree. There are differences in the rest; as,

Váyu. Bráhma. Bhágavata. Kúrma.
Níla Nala Nala Níla
Ajita Anjika Aripu Jina
Raghu Payoda Aripu Raghu
The Bráhma and Hari V. read Sahasráda for the first name; and the Linga has Balasani in place of Nala. The Agni makes Śatajit also a son of Yadu.

186. Veńuhaya: Bhágavata, &c. Uttánahaya: Padma. Vet́t́ahaya: Matsya. They were the sons of Sahasráda: Bráhma and Hari V.

187. Dharmatantra: Váyu. Dharma: Kúrma.

188. Kírtti: Váyu.

189. Sanjneya: Váyu. Sankana: Agni. Sahanja of Sahanjani pura: Bráhma. Sanjnita: Linga. Sanhana: Matsya. Sohanji: Bhágavata.

190. By whom the city of Máhíshmatí on the Narbadda was founded: Bráhma P., Hari V.

191. So the Bhágavata; but the Váyu, more correctly, has Bhadrasreńya. See p. 407. n. 12.

192. Kanaka: Váyu, &c. Varaka: Linga. Andhaka: Kúrma.

193. According to the Váyu, Kárttavírya was the aggressor, invading Lanká, and there taking Rávańa prisoner. The circumstances are more usually narrated as in our text.

194. See page 402. Kárttavírya's fate was the consequence of an imprecation denounced by Ápava or Vaśisht́ha, the son of Varuńa, whose hermitage had been burnt, according to the Mahábhárata, Rája-dharma, by Chitrabhánu, or Fire, to whom the king had in his bounty presented the world. The Váyu makes the king himself the incendiary, with arrows given him by Súrya to dry up the ocean.

195. Urjjita: Bhágavata.

196. Vrishabha: Bhágavata. Dhrisht́a: Matsya. Dhrishńa: Kúrma. Prishokta: Padma. Vrishńi: Linga. Krishńáksha: Bráhma.

197. Krishńa, in all except the Bhágavata.

198. King of Avanti: Bráhma and Hari Vanśa.

199. Ananta: Váyu and Agni; elsewhere omitted.

200. Durjaya only: Váyu, Matsya.

201. This Madhu, according to the Bhágavata, was the son of Kárttavírya. The Bráhma and Hari V. make him the son of Vrisha, but do not say whose son Vrisha was. The commentator on the latter asserts that the name is a synonyme of Payoda, the son of Yadu, according to his authority, and to that alone.

202. The Bhágavata agrees with our text, but the Bráhma, Hari V., Linga, and Kúrma make Vrishańa the son of Madhu, and derive the family name of Vrishńis or Várshńeyas from him.

203. The text takes no notice of some collateral tribes, which appear to merit remark. Most of the other authorities, in mentioning the sons of Jayadhwaja, observe that from them came the five great divisions of the Haihaya tribe. These, according to the Váyu, were the Tálajanghas, Vítihotras, Ávantyas, Tuńd́ikeras, and Játas. The Matsya and Agni omit the first, and substitute Bhojas; and the latter are included in the list in the Bráhma, Padma, Linga, and Hari V. For Játas the reading is Sanjátas or Sujátas. The Bráhma P. has also Bháratas, who, as well as the Sujátas, are not commonly specified, it is said, 'from their great number.' They are in all probability invented by the compiler out of the names of the text, Bharata and Sujáti. The situation of these tribes is central India, for the capital of the Tálajanghas was Máhishmatí or Chulí-Maheswar, still called, according to Col. Tod, Sahasra-báhuki-basti, 'the village of the thousand-armed;' that is, of Kárttavíryya. Annals of Rajasthan, I. 39. n. The Tuńd́ikeras and Vítihotras are placed in the geographical lists behind the Vindhyan mountains, and the termination -kaira is common in the valley of the Narmadá, as Bairkaira, &c., or we may have Tuńd́ikera abbreviated, as Tuńd́ari on the Tapti. The Ávantyas were in Ujayin, and the Bhojas were in the neighbourhood probably of Dhár in Malwa. These tribes must have preceded, then, the Rajput tribes, by whom these countries are now occupied, or Rahtores, Chauhans, Pawars, Gehlotes, and the rest. There are still some vestiges of them, and a tribe of Haihayas still exists, at the top of the valley of Sohagpur in Bhagel-khańd́, aware of their ancient lineage, and though p. 419 few in number, celebrated for their valour. Tod's Rajasthan, I. 39. The scope of the traditions regarding them, especially of their overrunning the country, along with Śakas and other foreign tribes, in the reign preceding that of Sagara (see p. 373), indicates their foreign origin also; and if we might trust to verbal resemblances, we might suspect that the Hayas and Haihayas of the Hindus had some connexion with the Hia, Hoiei-ke, Hoiei-hu, and similarly denominated Hun or Turk tribes, who make a figure in Chinese history. Des Guignes, Histoire des Huns, I. 7, 55, 231. II. 253, &c. At the same time it is to be observed that these tribes do not make their appearance until some centuries after the Christian era, and the scene of their first exploits is far from the frontiers of India: the coincidence of appellation may be therefore merely accidental. In the word Haya, which properly means 'a horse,' it is not impossible, however, that we have a confirmatory evidence of the Scythian origin of the Haihayas, as Col. Tod supposed; although we cannot with him imagine the word 'horse' itself is derived from haya. Rajasthan, I. 76.

204. In the Bráhma P. and Hari V. we have two families from Krosht́ri; one which is much the same as that of the text; the other makes short work of a long story, as we shall again notice.

205. Vajravat: Kúrma.

206. Śánti: Kúrma. Swáha: Matsya. Triśanku Linga.

207. Vishánsu: Agni. Rishabha: Linga. Kuśika: Kúrma. Ruśeku: Bhágavata.

208. Or articles the best of their kind; seven animate, and seven inanimate; a wife, a priest, a general, a charioteer, a horse, an elephant, and a body of foot soldiers; or, instead of the last three, an executioner, an encomiast, a reader of the Vedas; and a chariot, an umbrella, a jewel, a sword, a shield, a banner, and a treasure.

209. The text states this in plain prose, but the Váyu quotes a verse which makes out but a hundred hundred or 10,000 sons.

210. The Matsya has the first, third, and fifth of our text, and Prithudharma, Prithukírtti, and Prithumat. The Kúrma has also six names, but makes as many successions.

211. Suyajna: Agni, Bráhma, Matsya. Dharma: Bhágavata.

212. Ushat: Bráhma, Hari V.

213. Śitíkshu: Agni. Śineyus: Bráhma. Purujit: Bhágavata. The Váyu has Maruta and Kambalavarhish, brothers, instead.

214. Considerable variety prevails here. The Bráhma and Hari V. have Marutta the Rájarshi (a gross blunder, see p. 352), Kambalavarhish, Śataprasúti, Rukmakavacha: the Agni--Marutta, Kambalavarhish, Rukmeshu: whilst the Bhágavata makes Ruchaka son of Uśanas, and father to the five princes who in the text are the grandsons of Rukmakavacha.

215. The Bhágavata has Rukmeshu, Rukman, Jyámagha, Prithu, and Purujit. The p. 421 Váyu reads the two last names Parigha and Hari. The Bráhma and Hari V. insert Parajit as the father of the five named as in the text.

216. Most of the other authorities mention that the elder of the five brothers, Rukmeshu, succeeded his father in the sovereignty; and that the second, Prithurukman, remained in his brother's service. Pálita and Harita were set over Videha (Linga) or Tirhut, and Jyámagha went forth to settle where he might: according to the Váyu he conquered Madhyadeśa (the country along the Narmadá), Mekalá, and the Śuktimat mountains. So the Bráhma P. states that he established himself along the Rikshavat mountain, and dwelt in Śuktimati. He names his son, as we shall see, Vidarbha: the country so called is Berar, and amongst his descendants we have the Chaidyas or princes of Boghelkand, and Chandail, and Dasárha, more correctly perhaps Dasarńa, Chattisgher; so that this story of Jyámagha's adventures appears to allude to the first settlement of the Yádava tribes along the Narmadá, more to the south and west than before.

217. The Bhágavata has Kuśa; the Matsya, Kauśika: all the authorities agree in specifying three sons.

218. Lomapáda: Agni.

219. Vastu: Váyu. Kriti: Agni.

220. Áhuti: Váyu. Iti: Padma. Dyuti: Matsya. Bhriti: Kúrma. This latter is singular in carrying on the line of Romapáda for twelve generations farther.

221. The Bhágavata, however, makes the princes of Chedi continuous from Romapáda; as, Babhru, Dhriti, Uśíka, Chedi--the Chaidyas, amongst whom were Damaghosha and Śiśupála.

222. Kumbhi: Padma.

223. Dhrisht́a: Váyu. Dhrisht́i: Matsya,

224. Nivritti: Váyu. Nidhriti: Agni. The Bráhma makes three sons, Avanta, Daśárha, and Balivrishahan. In the Linga it is said of Dasárha that he was 'destroyer of the host of copper (faced; European?) foes.'

225. Vikala: Matsya.

226. Nararatha: Bráhma, Hari V.

227. Drid́haratha: Agni. Devaráta: Linga.

228. Soma: Linga. Devanakshatra: Padma.

229. There is great variety in the succeeding appellations:

Bhágavata. Váyu. Bráhma. Matsya. Padma. Kúrma.
Madhu Madhu Madhu Madhu Madhu Madhu
Kuruvaśa Manu Manavaśas Uruvas Puru Kuru
Anu Puruvatsa Purudwat Purudwat Punarvasu Anu
Puruhotra Áyu Purudwat Satwa Madhu and Satwa Jantu Jantu Ansa
Satwata Satwata Satwata Satwata Satwata Andhaka Satwata
The Linga has Purushaprabhu, Manwat, Pratarddana, Satwata; and the Agni, Dravavasu, Puruhuta, Jantu, and Sátwata. Some of these originate, no doubt, in the blunders of copyists, but they cannot all be referred to that source.

230. The Agni acknowledges but four sons. but all the rest agree in the number, and mostly in the names, Mahábhoja is sometimes read Mahabhága.

231. Krimi: Bráhma, Agni, Kúrma.

232. Panava: Váyu. Kramańa: Bráhma. Kripańa: Padma. Kinkińa: Bhágavata.

233. Dhrisht́hi: Bhágavata, Bráhma.

234. The Bráhma and Hari V. add to the first three Śara and Puranjaya, and to the second Dásaka.

235. By the Parńáśá river: Bráhma P.: a river in Malwa.

236. These are made incorrectly the descendants of Babhru in the Hari V.

237. The Bhágavata, Matsya, and Váyu p. 425 agree in the main, as to the genealogy that follows, with our text. The Váyu states that Vrishńi had two wives, Mádrí and Gándhárí; by the former he had Yudhájit and Anamitra, and by the latter Sumitra and Devamíd́hush. The Matsya also names the ladies, but gives Sumitra to Gándhárí, and makes Mádrí the mother of Yudhájit, Devamíd́husha, Anamitra, and Śini. The Agni has a similar arrangement, but substitutes Dhrisht́a for Vrishńi, and makes him the fifteenth in descent from Satwata. The Linga, Padma, Bráhma P., and Hari V. have made great confusion by altering, apparently without any warrant, the name of Vrishńi to Krosht́ri.

238. The Bhágavata makes them sons of Yudhájit; the Matsya and Agni, as observed in the preceding note, his brothers as well as Sumitra's.

239. This alludes to events detailed in the Mahábhárata.

240. The Váyu calls Sudhanwan or Śatadhanwan king of Mithilá.

241. A rather violent anachronism to make Janaka cotemporary with Balaráma.

242. The text gives the commencement of the prayer, but the commentator does not say whence it is taken: 'Oh, goddess! the murderer of a Kshatriya or Vaiśya, engaged in religious duties, is the slayer of a Brahman;' i. e. the crime is equally heinous. Perhaps the last word should be ### 'is.'

243. Some of the circumstances of this marvellous gem seem to identify it with a stone of widely diffused celebrity in the East, and which, according to the Mohammedan writers, was given originally by Noah to Japhet; the Hijer al mattyr of the Arabs, Sang yeddat of the Persians, and Jeddah tash of the Turks, the possession of which secures rain and fertility. The author of the Habib us Seir gravely asserts that this stone was in the hands of the Mongols in his day, or in the tenth century.

244. Krishńa's reflecting, the commentator observes, is to be understood of him only as consistent with the account here given of him, as if he were a mere man; for, as he was omniscient, there was no occasion for him to reflect or reason. Krishńa however appears in this story in a very different light from that in which he is usually represented; and the adventure, it may be remarked, is detached from the place in which we might have expected to find it, the narrative of his life, which forms the subject of the next book.

245. The story of the Syamantaka gem occurs in the Bhágavata, Váyu, Matsya, Bráhma, and Hari V., and is alluded to in other Puráńas. It may be considered as one common to the whole series. Independently of the part borne in it by Krishńa, it presents a curious and no doubt a faithful picture of ancient manners, in the loose self-government of a kindred clan, in the acts of personal violence which are committed, in the feuds which ensue, in the public meetings which are held, and the part that is taken by the elders and by the women in all the proceedings of the community.

246. Bhúti: Váyu. Kuni: Bhágavata. Dyumni: Matsya.

247. The Agni makes these all brother's sons of Satyaka, and adds another, Rishabha, the father of Śwaphalka.

248. The authorities are not agreed here. Śwaphalka, according to the Agni, as just remarked, comes from Śini, the son of Anamitra. The Bhágavata, instead of Priśni, has Vrishńi, son of Anamitra; the Bráhma and Hari V. have Vrishńi; and the Agni, Prishńi, son of Yudhájit. The Matsya also makes Yudhájit the ancestor of Akrúra, through Rishabha and Jayanta. Yudhájit in the Bráhma, &c. is the son of Krosht́ri.

249. The different authorities vary in the reading of these names, though they generally concur in the number.

250. The Matsya and Padma call them sons of Akrúra, but no doubt incorrectly.

251. Śami: Váyu. Śaśi: Matsya. Śini Agni. This last makes them the sons of Babhru, and calls the first Sundara.

252. Vrishńi: Bhágavata, Váyu, Matsya, &c. Dhrisht́a: Agni. Dhrishńu: Bráhma, Hari V.

253. The Bhágavata puts Viloman first. The Linga makes it an epithet of Kapotaroman, saying he was Vilomaja, 'irregularly begotten.' In place of Viloman we have Raivata, Váyu; Taittiri, Matsya; Tittiri, Agni.

254. Nava: Agni. Bala: Linga. Nala: Matsya. Tomas: Kúrma. Anu: Bhágavata.

255. The Matsya, Váyu, and Agni agree with our text. The Linga, Padma, and Kúrma read Ánakadundubhi as a synonyme of Bala. The Bráhma and Hari V. have no such name, but here insert Punarvasu, son of Taittiri. The Bhágavata has a different series, or Anu, Andhaka, Dundubhi, Arijit, Punarvasu, Áhuka.

256. This Bhajamána is the son of Andhaka, according to all the best authorities; so the Padma calls this branch the Ándhakas. The Agni makes him the son of Babhru.

257. Váta, Niváta, Śamin: Váyu.

258. Sonáśwa: Matsya. Sonáksha: Padma. Śini: Bhájavata.

259. Bhojaka: Agni. Bhoja: Padma.

260. Ten sons: Matsya, &c.

261. Devárha: Váyu, Padma, Agni, and Matsya; and a different series follows, or Kambalavarhish, Asamaujas, Samaujas, Sudanstra, Suvaśa, Dhrisht́a, Anamitra, Nighna, Satrájit. They all make Vasudeva the son of Śúra, however; but the three first leave it doubtful whether that Śúra was the son of Bhajamána or not. The Bhágavata and Bráhma agree with the text, which is probably correct. The Bráhma has Śúra son of Devamíd́hush, although it does not specify the latter amongst the sons of Hridika.

262. Ánaka a larger, and Dundubhi a smaller drum.

263. The Mahábhárata is the best authority for these circumstances.

264. The Padma calls him king of Kashmir.

265. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. make Śrutadevá mother of Śiśupála, and Prithukírtti of Dantavaktra.

266. Pauraví is rather a title attached to a second Rohińí, to distinguish her from the first, the mother of Balaráma: she is also said by the Váyu to be the daughter of Báhlíka.

267. The enumeration of our text is rather imperfect. The Váyu names the wives of Vasudeva, Pauraví, Rohińí, Madirá, Rudrá, Vaiśákhí, Devakí; and adds two bondmaids, Sugandhí and Vanarají. The p. 440 Bráhma P. and Hari V. name twelve wives, and two slaves; Rohiní, Madirá, Vaiśákhí, Bhadrá, Sunámní, Sahadevá, Śántidevá, Śrídevá, Devarakshitá, Vrikadeví, Upadeví, Devaki; and Śantanu and Báravá. The children of the two slaves, according to the Váyu, were Puńd́ra, who became a king, and Kapila, who retired to the woods. In the Bhágavata we have thirteen wives, Pauraví, Rohińí, Bhadrá, Madirá, Rochaná, Ilá, Devakí, Dhritadeví, Śántidevá, Upadeví, Śrídevá, Devarakshitá, and Sahadevá: the last seven in this and the preceding list are the daughters of Devaka.

268. The wives and children of Krishńa are more particularly described in the next book. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. add some details of the descendants of Vasudeva's brothers: thus Devabhága is said to be the father of Uddhava; Anadhrisht́i of Devaśravas, a great scholar or Pańd́it. Devaśravas, another brother of Vasudeva, p. 441 had Śatrughna and another son called Ekalavya, who for some cause being exposed when an infant, was found and brought up by the Nishádas, and was thence termed Nishádin. Vatsavat (Vatsabálaka) and Gańd́úsha being childless, Vasudeva gave his son Kauśika to be adopted by the former, and Krishńa gave Chárudeshńa and three others to the latter. Kanaka (Karundhaka) had two sons, Tantrija and Tantripála. Aváksrinjima (Śrinjaya) had also two, Víra and Aśwahanu. The gracious Śamíka became as the son (although the brother) of Śyáma, and disdaining the joint rule which the princes of the house of Bhoja exercised, made himself paramount. Yudhisht́hira was his friend. The extravagant numbers of the Yádavas merely indicate that they were, as they undoubtedly were, a powerful and numerous tribe, of whom many traces exist in various parts of India.

269. Varga: Agni.

270. Bhánumat: Bhágavata, which also inserts Bhaga before him.

271. Tribhánu: Váyu. Triśánu: Bráhma. Traiśáli: Agni. Triśári: Matsya.

272. Besides Bharata, who, as will be hereafter seen, was the son of Dushyanta, the Váyu, Matsya, Agni, and Bráhma Puráńas enumerate several descendants in this line, for the purpose evidently of introducing, as the posterity of Turvasu, the nations of the south of India: the series is Varuttha, (Karutthama, Bráhma), Ándíra (Ákríra, Bráhma); whose sons are Páńd́ya, Karńát́a, Chola, Kerala; the Hari V. adds Kola, and the Agni very incorrectly Gandhára.

273. The curse alluded to is the failure of his line (Prajásamuchcheda), denounced upon Turvasu as the punishment of refusing to take his father's infirmities upon him (see p. 414). He was also sentenced to rule over savages and barbarians, Mlechchhas, or people not Hindus. The Mahábhárata adds that the Yavanas sprang from Turvasu. As sovereign of the southeast, he should be the ancestor of the people of Arracan, Ava, &c.; but the authorities cited in the preceding note refer the nations of the Peninsula to him, and consequently consider them as Mlechchhas. Manu also places the Dráviras or Tamuls amongst Mlechchhas; and these and similar passages indicate a period prior to the introduction of Hinduism into the south of India.

274. Also Áraddha in MSS., and Árat́t́a, Matsya, which last seems to be the preferable reading. The Váyu has Áruddha; the Bráhma, Angárasetu; but Árat́t́a is a northern country, contiguous to, or synonymous with, Gándhára.

275. Of Gándhára it is said in the Váyu that it is a large country named after him, and is famous for its breed of horses: ###. The Matsya reads the beginning of the second line ###, shewing that Árat́t́a and Gándhára are much the same. See p. 191. n. 83.

276. The Bráhma P. and Hari V., in opposition to all the rest, make Dharma and his successors the descendants of Anu.

277. Ghrita: Agni.

278. Durdama: Váyu and Bhágavata. The Matsya, Bráhma, and Agni insert a Vidupa, Duduha, or Vidula, before Prachetas.

279. So the Bhágavata and Matsya. The Mahábhárata says the descendants of Druhya are the Vaibhojas, a people unacquainted with the use of cars or beasts of burden, and who travel on rafts: they have no kings.

280. By some unaccountable caprice the Bráhma P. and Hari V., unsupported by any other authority, here substitute for Anu the name of Kaksheyu, a descendant of Puru, and transfer the whole series of his posterity to the house of Puru.

281. Paksha and Parapaksha: Váyu. Parameshu: Matsya. Paroksha: Bhágavata.

282. Kálánala: Váyu. Koláhala: Matsya.

283. Maháśála: Agni. Maháśíla: Bhágav.

284. Nriga: Agni. Vana: Bhágavata.

285. Nava: Matsya. Śama: Bhágavata.

286. Vrata: Agni. Suvrata: Matsya. Daksha: Bhágavata. According to the Bráhma P. and Hari V. the five sons of Uśínara were the ancestors of different tribes. Śivi was the progenitor of the Śaivas; Nriga of the Yaudheyas; Nava of the Navarásht́ras; Vrata of the Ámbasht́has; and Krimi founded the city Krimilá.

287. Bhadra and Bhadraka: Matsya, Agni. These sons of Śivi give name to different provinces and tribes in the west and north-west of India.

288. Rushadratha: Agni. Tushadratha: Matsya.

289. Pheńa: Agni. Sena: Matsya.

290. Odra, or in some copies Andhra: Bhágavata.

291. See p. 185. n. 3; p. 188. n. 46, 49, 50; and p. 190. n. 73. Of Suhma it may be remarked, that it is specified in the Siddhánta Kaumudí as an example of Paniní's rule; 17.3.24; by which Nagara compounded with names of countries in the east becomes Nágara, as Sauhmanágara, 'produced, &c. in a city of Suhma.' The descendants of Anu, according to the Mahábhárata were all Mlechchhas. The last named work, as well as the Váyu and Matsya Puráńas, have an absurd story of the circumstances of the birth of Dírghatamas, who was the son of Ujási or Utathya, the elder brother of Vrihaspati by Mamatá, and of his begetting Anga p. 445 and the rest. They agree in assigning descendants of all four castes to them; the Váyu stating that Bali had ### and the Matsya ascribing it to a boon given by Brahmá to Bali: 'Do thou establish the four perpetual castes.' Of these, the Brahmans are known as Báleyas: ###. The Matsya calls Bali, the son of Virochana, and 'existing for a whole Kalpa;' identifying him therefore, only in a different period and form, with the Bali of the Vámana Avatára.

292. Anápána: Váyu. Khanápána: Bhágavata. Adhiváhana: Agni. Dadhivahana: Matsya.

293. This prince is said in the Váyu to have drank the Soma juice along with Indra.

294. The Matsya and Agni insert a Satyaratha.

295. This is noticed in the Rámáyańa, in the story of the hermit Rishyaśringa, to whom Śántá was given in marriage. Her adoptive father is called in the Rámáyańa, as the is in the Agni and Matsya, Lomapáda: the meaning is the same, 'hairy foot.' Rámáyańa, IX. X. See also Prelude to the Uttara Ráma Cheritra, Hindu Theatre, I. 289.

296. The Bhágavata differs here from all the other authorities in omitting Champa, the founder of Champapurí, a city of which traces still remain in the vicinity of Bhagalpur, having inserted him previously amongst the descendants of Ikshwáku (see p. 373. n. 12). Champá is every where recognised as the capital of Anga, and the translators of the Rámáyańa were very wide of the truth, when they conjectured that it might be Angwa or Ava.

297. Vrihaddarbha: Bráhma. The Bhágavata omits the two successors of Champa, and makes Vrihadratha, Vrihatkarman, and Vrihadbhánu, sons of Prithuláksha.

298. The Váyu, Matsya, and Hari V. make Vijaya the brother of Jayadratha. The Bhágavata agrees with our text. The mother of Vijaya from her origin was of the Súta caste, the genealogist and charioteer. Manu, X. 47. Her son was of the same caste, children taking the caste of the mother: consequently the descendants of Vijaya, kings of Anga, were Sútas; and this explains the contemptuous application of the term Súta to Karńa, the half brother of the Páńd́us; for he, as p. 446 will presently be mentioned, was adopted into the Anga family, and succeeded to the crown.

299. Some variety prevails in the series of princes here, but this arises from not distinguishing the collateral lines, the descendants of Jayadratha from those of Vijaya. The Váyu and Matsya give the latter as in our text, but they agree also with the Agni and Bráhma in the successors of Jayadratha, as Drid́haratha or Vrihadratha, and Janamejaya or Viśwajit.

300. Súrasena: Váyu. Vikarńa: Bráhma.

301. Abhayada: Váyu. Vítamaya: Agni. Vátáyudha: Matsya. Chárupáda: Bhágavata. The Mahábhárata, Ádi P., p. 136, 138, has two accounts of the descendants of Puru, differing materially in the beginning from each other, and from the lists of the Puráńas. In the first, Pravíra is made the son of Puru; his son is Manasyu, who has three sons, Śakta, Sanhanana, and Vágmin; and there the line stops. Another son of Puru is Raudráśwa, whose sons are Richeyu and the rest, as in our text; making them the second in descent, instead of the eleventh. In the second list, the son of Puru is Janamejaya, whose successors are Práchinvat, Samyáti, Ahamyáti, Śarvabhauma, Jayatsena, Aváchína, Ariha, Mahábhauma, Ayutanáyin, Akrodhana, Devátithi, Ariha, Riksha, Matinára, who is therefore the fifteenth from Puru, instead of the fourth as in the first account, or the twelfth as in the text.

302. Dhundu: Váyu. Śambhu: Agni. Sudhanwan: Bráhma.

303. Bahuvidha: Agni and Matsya.

304. Sampáti: Agni.

305. Omitted: Váyu. Bahuvádin: Matsya.

306. Bhadráśwa: Matsya.

307. Rájeyu: Váyu. Richeyu: Agni. They were the sons of the Apsaras Ghritáchí: or of Misrakeśí: Mahábhárata. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. have very unaccountably, and in opposition to all other authorities, transferred the whole of the descendants of Anu to this family; substituting for Anu the second name in our text, Kaksheyu. (p. 444.)

308. The Váyu names also ten daughters, Rudrá, Śúdrá, Madrá, Subhágá, Amalajá, Talá, Khalá, Gopajálá, Támrarasá, and Ratnakútí; and adds that they were married to Prabhákara, a Rishi of the race of Atri. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. have a legend of the birth of Soma, the moon, from him and one of these ten; who succeeded to the power and prerogatives of Atri. The sons of the other wives were less distinguished, but they formed families eminent amongst holy Brahmans, called Swastyátreyas.

309. Atimára or Atibhára: Bhágavata. p. 448 Antinára: Matsya. Matinára: Mahábhárata, Agni and Bráhma. According to the Matsya and Hari V. (not in the Bráhma P.), Gaurí, the daughter of this prince, was the mother of Mándhátri, of the family of Ikshwáku.

310. In place of these the Matsya has Amúrttirayas and Nrichandra, and there are several varieties in the nomenclature. In place of the first we have Vasu or Trasu, Váyu; Tansurogha, Agni; Tansurodha, Bráhma; and Sumati, Bhágavata. Pratiratha is read for the second in the Agni and Brahmá; and for the third, Suratha, Agni; Subáhu, Hari V.

311. Medhátithi is the author of many hymns in the Rig-veda, and we have therefore Brahmans and religious teachers descended from Kshatriyas.

312. Malina: Váyu. Raibhya: Bhágavata. Dharmanetra: Bráhma P. The Hari V. omits him, making sad blundering work of the whole passage. Thus the construction is such as to intimate that Tansu or Tansurodha had a wife named Ilá, the daughter of Medhátithi; that is, his brother's great-granddaughter: but this, as the commentator observes, is contrary to common sense, and he would read it therefore, 'The daughter of him who was named Ilin;' a Raja so called: but in the Váyu and Matsya we have Iliná, the daughter of Yama, married to Tansu, and mother of Malina or Anila; more correctly perhaps Ailina. The blunder of the Hari V. therefore arises from the compiler's reading Yasya, 'of whom,' instead of Yamasya, 'Yama.' It is not an error of transcription, for the metre requires Yasya, and the remark of the commentator proves the correctness of the reading. The name occurs Ílina, the son of Tansu, in the Mahábhárata, agreeably to the Anuvanśa śloka, which is there quoted. 'Saraswatí bore Tansu to Matinára, and Tansu begot a son, Ílina, by Kálingí.'

313. The Váyu, Matsya, and Bhágavata agree with our text in making these the grandsons of Tansu: even the Bráhma P. concurs, but the Hari V. makes them his sons, having apparently transformed Tansosuta, the son of Tansu, into a synonyme of Tansu, or Tansurodha; as in these parallel passages: 'The son of Tansu was the illustrious sage Dharmanetra: Upadánaví had from him four excellent sons.' Bráhma P. 'Tansurodha was a royal sage, the illustrious institutor of laws. Upadánaví had four sons from Tansurodha.' Hari V. The commentator explains Dharmanetra to be 'institutor p. 449 of laws.' We have Upadánaví before, as the daughter of Vrishaparvan the Daitya, married to Hirańyáksha. Hamilton (Buchanan) calls her the wife of Sughora. The four sons are named in other authorities, with some variations: Dushyanta, Sushyanta or Rishyanta or Sumanta, Pravíra and Anagha or Naya. The Mahábhárata enumerates five, Dushyanta, Śúra, Bhíma, Vasu, and Pravasu, but makes them the sons of Ílina and grandsons of Tansu.

314. These two Ślokas are taken from the Mahábhárata, Ádi Parvan, p. 112, and are part of the testimony borne by a heavenly messenger to the birth of Bharata. They are repeated in the same book, in the account of the family of Puru, p. 139. They occur, with a slight variation of the order, in other Puráńas, as the Váyu, &c., and shew the greater antiquity of the story of Śakuntalá, although they do not narrate it. The meaning of the name Bharata is differently explained in Śakuntalá; he is said to be so called from supporting' the world: he is also there named Śarvadamana, 'the conqueror of all.'

315. The Bráhma P. and Hari V., the latter especially, appear to have modified this legend, with the view perhaps of reconciling those circumstances which are related of Bharadwája as a sage with his p. 450 history as a king. Whilst therefore they state that Bharadwája was brought by the winds to Bharata, they state that he was so brought to perform a sacrifice, by which a son was born, whom Bharadwája also inaugurated. In the Váyu, Matsya, and Agni, however, the story is much more consistently narrated; and Bharadwája, being abandoned by his natural parent, is brought by the winds, as a child, not as a sage; and being adopted by Bharata, is one and the same with Vitatha, as our text relates. Thus in the Váyu, the Maruts bring to Bharata, already sacrificing for progeny, Bharadwája, the son of Vrihaspati; and Bharata receiving him, says, "This Bharadwája shall be Vitatha." The Matsya also says, the Maruts in compassion took the child, and being pleased with Bharata's worship, gave it to him, and he was named Vitatha. And the Agni tells the whole story in one verse: 'Then the son of Vrihaspati, being taken by the winds; Bharadwája was transferred with sacrifice, and was Vitatha.' The account given in the Bhágavata is to the same purpose. The commentator on the text also makes the matter clear enough: 'The name of Bharadwája in the condition of son of Bharata was Vitatha.' It is clear that a new-born infant could not be the officiating priest at a sacrifice for his own adoption, whatever the compiler of the Hari Vanśa may please to assert. From Bharadwája, a Brahman by birth, and king by adoption, descended Brahmans and Kshatriyas, the children of two fathers: The Mahábhárata, in the Ádi Parvan, tells the story very simply. In one place, p. 136. v. 3710, it says that Bharata, on the birth of his children proving vain, obtained from Bharadwája, by great sacrifices, a son, Bhúmanyu; and in another passage it makes Bhúmanyu the son of Bharata by Sunandá, daughter of Śarvasena, king of Káśí; p. 139. v. 3785. The two are not incompatible.

316. Manyu: Bhágavata. Suketu: Agni. But the Bráhma and Hari V. omit this and the next generation, and make Suhotra, Anuhotra, Gaya, Garga, and Kapila the sons of Vitatha: they then assign to Suhotra two sons, Káśíka and Ghritsamati, and identify them and their descendants with the progeny of Áyu, who were kings of Káśí (see p. 409. n. 15); a piece of confusion unwarranted by any other authority except the Agni.

317. Vrihat, Ahárya, Nara, Garga: Matsya.

318. Guruvírya and Trideva: Váyu. The first is called Gurudhí, Matsya; and Guru, p. 451 Bhágavata: they agree in Rantideva. The Bhágavata describes the great liberality of this prince, and his practice of Yoga. According to a legend preserved in the Megha Duta, his sacrifices of kine were so numerous, that their blood formed the river Charmanvatí, the modern Chambal.

319. Śivi: Matsya.

320. The other authorities concur in this statement; thus furnishing an additional instance of one caste proceeding from another. No reason is assigned: the commentator says it was from some cause.

321. Durbhakshaya: Váyu. Urukshat: Matsya. Duritakshaya: Bhágavata.

322. Trayyáruńi, Pushkaráruńi, Kavi; all became Brahmans: ### Matsya: and there were three chief branches of the Kávyas, or descendants of Kavi; ### Gargas, Sankritis, and Kávyas. Ibid.

323. In the Mahábhárata, Suhotra is the son of Bhúmanyu; and in one place the father of Ajamíd́ha, &c., and in another of Hastin. The Bráhma P. in some degree, and the Hari Vanśa in a still greater, have made most extraordinary confusion in the instance of this name. In our text and in all the best authorities we have three Suhotras, perfectly distinct: 1. Suhotra great-grandson of Amávasu, father of Jahnu, and ancestor of Viswámitra and the Kauśikas (see p. 308); 2. Suhotra son of Kshatravriddha, and grandson of Ayus, and progenitor of the race of Káśí kings (p. 406); and 3. Suhotra the son of Vrihatkshatra, grandson of Vitatha, and parent of Hastin. In the two blundering compilations mentioned, we have, first (Hari V. c. 20), a Suhotra son of Vrihatkshatra, of the race of Puru; his descent is not given, but, from the names which follow Suhotra, the dynasty is that of our present text: secondly (Hari V. c. 27), Suhotra son of Kánchana, of the line of Amávasu, and father of Jahnu, &c.: thirdly (Hari V. c. 29), Suhotra the son of Kshatravriddha, and progenitor of the Káśí kings: fourthly (Hari V. 32), we have the first and third of these personages confounded; Suhotra is made the son of Vitatha, and progenitor of the Káśí kings, the dynasty of whom is repeated; thus connecting them with the line of Puru instead of Áyus, in opposition to all authority. Again, we have a notable piece of confusion, and Suhotra the son of Vitatha is made the father of Vrihat, the father of the three princes who in our text and in the Hari V. (c. 20) are the sons of Hastin; and amongst whom Ajamíd́ha is made the father of Jahnu, and ancestor of the Kauśikas, instead of being, as in c. 27, and as every where else, of the family of Amávasu. The source of all this confusion is obvious. The compilers extracted all the authentic traditions accurately enough, but, puzzled by the identity of name, they have also p. 452 mixed the different accounts together, and caused very absurd and needless perplexity. It is quite clear also that the Hari Vanua does not deserve the pains taken, and taken fruitlessly, by Mr. Hamilton and M. Langlois to reduce it to consistency. It is of no weight whatever as an authority for the dynasties of kings, although it furnishes some particular details, which it has picked up possibly from authentic sources not now available.

324. It was finally ruined by the encroachments of the Ganges, but vestiges of it were, at least until lately, to be traced along the river, nearly in a line with Delhi, about sixty miles to the east.

325. In one place, son of Suhotra; in another, grandson of Hastin: Mahábhárata.

326. The copies agree in this reading, yet it can scarcely be correct. Kańwa has already been noticed as the son of Apratiratha. According to the Bhágavata, the elder son of Ajamíd́ha was Priyamedhas, from whom a tribe of Brahmans descended. The Matsya has Vrihaddhanush, and names the wife of Ajamíd́ha, Dhúminí. It also however, along with the Váyu, makes Kańwa the son of Ajamíd́ha by his wife Kesiní.

327. Vrihaddhanush: Bhágavata. Also called Vrihaddharman: Hari V.

328. Vrihatkaya: Bhágavata.

329. Satyajit: Hari V.

330. Aśwajit: Matsya. Viśada: Bhágavata.

331.
Bhágavata.Matsya.Hari V.
Ruchiráśwa Ruchiráśwa Ruchira
Káśya Káśya Śwetaketu
Drid́hahanu Drid́háśwa Mahimnára
Vatsa Vatsa k. of Avanti. Vatsa k. of Avanti.

332. Kámpilya appears to be the Kampil of the Mohammedans, situated in the Doab. It was included in southern Pánchála. The Matsya makes Samara the son of Káśya.

333. Vibhrája in MSS., also in the Váyu.

334. The Bhágavata omits the descents subsequent to Nípa, and makes Brahmadatta the son of Nípa by Sukriti. In the Hari V. is a curious legend of the different transmigrations of Brahmadatta and his six companions, who were successively as many Brahmans, then foresters, then p. 453 deer, then water-fowl, then swans, and finally Brahmans again, when with the king they obtained liberation. According to the Bhágavata, Brahmadatta composed a treatise on the Yoga, a Yoga tantra.

335. Dańd́asena: Hari V.

336. Bhalláka: Váyu. Bhalláda: Bhágavata. The Váyu makes him the last of the race. The Hari V. adds that he was killed by Karńa. The Matsya names his successor Janamejaya, when the race of the Nípas was exterminated by Ugráyudha; as noticed below.

337. So the Váyu and Bhágavata. The Matsya and Hari V., with less consistency, derive this family also from Ajamíd́ha.

338. Kritimat: Bhágavata.

339. Between these two the Váyu inserts Mahat and Rukmaratha. The Matsya, Sudhanwan, Śarvabhauma, Mahápaurava, and Rukmadhara. The Bráhma P., Sudharman, Śarvabhauma, Mahat, and Rukmaratha.

340. The Bhágavata says he was the author of six Sanhitás of the Sáma-veda. (See p. 282.)

341. The Hari V. says he killed Nípa, the grandfather of Prishata, but it had previously stated that it was the son of Bhallát́a, several descents after Nípa, who was killed by Ugráyudha: and again (c. 32), Prishata, conformably to other authorities, appears as the father of Drupada, in the family of Śrinjaya. The Hari V. relates the destruction of Ugráyudha by Bhíshma, in consequence of his demanding in marriage the widow of Śántanu: after which, Prishata, it is said, recovered possession of Kámpilya.

342. Puranjaya: Bhágavata.

343. Purujáti: Váyu. Puruja: Bhágavata. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. omit Níla and Śánti.

344. Riksha: Váyu. Prithu: Matsya. Arka: Bhágavata. Omitted: Bráhma.

345. Báhyáswa: Agni. Bhadráśwa: Mats. Bharmyaswa: Bhágavata.

346. Jaya: Matsya. Sanjaya: Bhágavata.

347. Yavínara: Agni and Bhágavata. Javínara: Matsya.

348. Kapila: Mats. Krimiláśwa: Bráhma.

349. Pánchála was at first the country north and west of Delhi, between the foot of the Himálaya and the Chambal. It was afterwards divided into northern and southern Pánchála, separated by the Ganges. Mákandi on the Ganges and Kámpilya were the chief cities of the latter; Ahikshetra in the former. The Pánchálas, according to the Mahábhárata, expelled Samvarańa from Hastinápur, but it was recovered by Kuru. The purport of the term Pánchála is similarly explained in other Puráńas. In the Mahábhárata they are the grandsons of Ajamíd́ha.

350. The Matsya says that they, as well as the Káńwas, were all followers or partisans of Angiras: ###. The Hari V. has nearly the same words.

351. Badhryáśwa: Váyu. Pancháśwa: Agni. Bandhyáśwa: Matsya. Bhármya: Bhágavata. But there is some indistinctness as to his descent. The Matsya and Hari V. give the son of Mudgala only his patronymic Maudgalya. According to the first, his son was Indrasena; and his son, Bandhyáśwa. The second makes Badhryáśwa the son of Maudgalya by Indrasena. The Bhágavata makes Bhármya, the patronymic of Mudgala, the son of Bharmyáśwa, and who is the father of Divodása and Ahalyá: ###. The commentator has, ###.

352. In the Rámayańa, Śatánanda appears as the family priest of Janaka, the father of Śítá.

353. From whom the Maitreya Brahmans were descended: Hari V. In the Matsya and Agni the son of Mitráyu is called Maitreya (see p. 3). The Bráhma P. and Hari V. here close the lineage of p. 455 Divodása: the Agni adds but one name, Somápi. They then proceed with the descendants of Śrinjaya, one of the Pánchálas, or Panchadhanush, Somadatta, Sahadeva, and then as in our text. The Váyu and Bhágavata agree with the latter in making the line continuous from Divodása. According to the Matsya and Bráhma P. the race of Ajamíd́ha became extinct in the person of Sahadeva, but Ajamíd́ha himself was reborn as Somaka, in order to continue his lineage, which was thence called the Somaka family. It was in the reign of Drupada that the possessions of the Pánchálas were divided; Drońa, assisted by the Páńd́avas, conquering the country, and ceding the southern portion again to Drupada, as related in the Mahábhárata. The two princes last named in the list figure in the great war.

354. The Hari V. gives him two brothers, Dhúmravarńa and Sudarśana. In the Mahábhárata one list agrees with the text; the other calls Samvarańa the son of Ajamíd́ha by his wife Rikshá.

355. One other is named in the Bhágavata, Matsya, Bráhma, and Agni; Animejaya, Arimarddana, and Nishadháśwa. The Hari V. has Sudhanwat in place of Jahnu; having also Sudhanush.

356. Krita: Váyu. Kritayajna: Bráhma. Krimi: Matsya. Kriti: Bhágavata.

357. The story of Uparichara, or a Vasu who by command of Indra became king of Chedi, is told in the Mahábhárata, Ádi Parvan (vol. I. p. 85). He is there said to have at first five sons, Vrihadratha, king of Magadhá, Pratyagra, Kuśámba, also called Maniváhana, Mávella, and Yadu, by his wife Giriká; afterwards he has, by Adriká, an Apsaras condemned to the form of a fish, Matsya a son, and Satyavatí or Kálí a daughter: the latter was the mother of Vyása. The same legend is referred to in the accounts of Uparichara and his family in the Bhágavata, Matsya, Hari V., &c.

358. Vrishabha: Matsya.

359. Satyahita: Váyu. Satyahita: Bhágavata. Satyadhrita or Pushya: Matsya.

360. This story is told in the 16th section of the Sabhá Parvan of the Mahábhárata, where also he is called the son of Vrihadratha. In the Váyu he is the son of Satyahita. The Agni has Satyahita, Urjja, Sambhava, Jarásandha; and the Matsya, Satyadhrita, Dhanusha, Śarva, Sambhava, Jarásandha.

361. Somádhi: Váyu. Udápi: Agni. Udáyus: Bráhma. Somavit: Matsya.

362. Śrutakarman: Agni. Śrutaśarman Bráhma.

363. This, although it occurs in other authorities, appears to be an error, for these are the sons of a subsequent Paríkshit (see the next chapter, p. 461). The Matsya omits Paríkshit here, and the Bhágavata states that he had no children. In most of the Puráńas, however, the line of Paríkshit is continued, but there is very great confusion in the lineage. According to the Váyu, Janamejaya was the son of Paríkshit, whose son was Śrutasena, whose son was Bhímasena. Janamejaya had also a son named Suratha; but Suratha was also the name of the son of Jahnu, from whom the line continues as in the text. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. also make Suratha the son both of Janamejaya and of Jahnu; and they observe that there are two Rikshas, two Paríkshits, three Bhímasenas, and two Janamejayas, in the lunar race. Some of the confusion probably originates with the Mahábhárata, which, as before noticed, gives two lists from Puru to Śántanu, differing from one another and from all the lists of the Puráńas. In the first of these lists such collateral names have been retained as appear to have furnished our text and that of other Puráńas with distinct persons: thus making the members of one fraternity so many descents. Of the two lists, however, the second is probably to be regarded as the more recent, if not more correct; for Vaiśámpáyana repeats it at Janamejaya's request, because the latter is not satisfied with the summary account which the former had first communicated to him. Mahábh. vol. I, p. 136 and p. 138.

364. The Mahábhárata merely states that Devápi retired to a religious life. The story of his heresy is narrated, much as in the text, in the Bhágavata, Váyu, &c. The Matsya adds, that he was also leprous; on which account his subjects contemned him. p. 459 He was probably set aside in favour of his younger brother, either on that account or on that of his heresy; such a disposition being conformable to Hindu law. According to the Bhágavata and Matsya he is still alive at a place called Kalápa gráma, where, in the Krita age of the next Maháyuga, he will be the restorer of the Kshatriya race.

365. The Matsya says that Báhlíka had a hundred sons or lords of the Bahlíkas.

366. Before her marriage to Śántanu, Satyavatí had a son, Krishńa-dwaipáyana or Vyása, by Paráśara: he was therefore the half brother of Vichitravíryya, and legally qualified to raise up offspring to him by his widow. This law is abrogated in the present age. The whole story of the sons of Śántanu is told at length in the Mahábhárata.

367. The Mahábhárata names some of them rather differently, and adds some particulars. Thus Yaudheya was the son of Yudhisht́hira by his wife Deviká, daughter of Govásana of the Śaivya tribe. The son of Bhímasena was Sarvaga, by Balandhará, princess of Káśí; he had also Ghat́okkacha by Hid́imbá. Abhimanyu was the p. 460 son of Arjuna by Subhadrá. The wives and sons of the other two are the same, but Kareńumatí is termed a princess of Chedí, and Vijayá of Madra.

368. In the details immediately preceding, the Puráńas generally concur, deriving them probably from the same source, the Ádi Parvan of the Mahábhárata, and employing very frequently the same words. The period at which the chapter closes is supposed to be that at which the Vyása, who arranged or compiled the Puráńas, is believed to have flourished. Paríkshit died of the bite of a snake, according to the Mahábhárata, Ádi P. The Bhágavata is supposed to have been narrated to him in the interval between the bite and its fatal effect.

369. The style now adopted is that of prophecy, as Vyása could not consistently have recorded the events which were posterior to his time.

370. Also read Paríkshita, Paríksha, and Paríkshi.

371. See p. 457. The Váyu and Matsya relate, rather obscurely, a dispute between Janamejaya and Vaiśampáyana, in consequence of the former's patronage of the Brahmans of the Vájasaneyi branch of the Yajur-veda, in opposition to the latter, who was the author of the black or original Yajush (see p. 279). Janamejaya twice performed the Aśwamedha according to the Vájasaneyi ritual, and established the Trisarví, or use of certain texts by Aśmaka and others, by the Brahmans of Anga, and by those of the middle country. He perished however in consequence, being cursed by Vaiśampáyana. Before their disagreement, Vaiśampáyana related the Mahábhárata to Janamejaya. Mahábh., Adi Parvan.

372. The reading of the text is rather, 'his (Paríkshit's) other son will be Śatáníka;' but the commentator refers 'his' to Janamejaya. The Váyu, Matsya, and Bhágavata also make Śatáníka the son of Janamejaya. The Bráhma P. has a totally different series, or Paríkshit, Súryápid́a, Chandrápid́a, Janamejaya, Satyakarńa, Śwetakarńa, Sukumára, and Ajaśyáma.

373. The Bhágavata interposes Sahasráníka. The Vrihatkathá has the same descent, but calls the son of Sahasráníka, Udayana or Vatsa. The Bhágavata has Aśwamedhaja.

374. Adhisáma k.: Váyu. Adhisoma k.: Matsya. The former states that the Váyu P. was narrated in this king's reign, in the second year of a three years' sacrifice at Kurukshetra.

375. Nemichakra: Bhágav. Vichakshus: Matsya. They agree with the text as to the removal of the capital, and the cause.

376. Ukta: Bhág. Bhúrijyesht́ha: Matsya.

377. Suchidratna, Váyu; Suchidrava, Mats.; Kaviratha, Bhág.; is interposed between Chitraratha and Vrishnímat.

378. Sutírtha: Váyu.

379. Ruchi: Váyu. Omitted: Mats. and Bhág.

380. Chitráksha: Váyu.

381. Sukhínala: Bhág.

382. Sutapas: Mats.

383. Puranjaya: Mats.

384. Úrva: Mats. Dúrva: Bhág.

385. Tigmátman: Mats. Timi: Bhágavata.

386. Sudása: Bhág. Vasudáman: Mats.

387. The Matsya concurs with the text (see above, note 5); the Bhágavata has Durdamana.

388. Vahínara: Bhág.

389. Dańd́apáni: Bhág., Váyu, Mats.

390. Nimi: Bhág.

391. Kshepaka: Váyu.

392. The same memorial verse is quoted in the Matsya and Váyu P., preceded by one which states the number of princes twenty-five. The specification however, commencing with Śatáníka, is twenty-six or twenty-seven. The passage is, ###.

393. See p. 359.

394. Vrihadratha: Váyu,

395. Vrihatkshaya: Váyu. Vrihadrańa: Bhág. Omitted: Mats.

396. Omitted: Váyu. Urukshaya: Mats. Urukriya: Bhág.

397. Omitted by all three.

398. Vatsavriddha: Bhág.

399. Prativyúha: Váyu.

400. The Bhágavata inserts Bhánu. The Matsya says that Ayodhyá was the capital of Divákara. The Váyu omits the next twelve names; probably a defect in the copies.

401. Dhruváśwa: Mats.

402. Bhánumat: Bhág. Bhávyaratha or Bhávya: Mats.

403. Pratikáśwa: Bhág. Pratípáśwa: Mats.

404. The Bhágavata and Matsya prefix a Supratípa or Supratíka.

405. Pushkara: Bhág.

406. Suparvan or Sumantra: Mats. Sutapas: Bhág.

407. Amantravit: Matsya.

408. Vrihadbrája: Bhág,

409. Omitted: Mats. Varhish: Bhág.

410. The Bhágavata and Váyu have Śákya. My copy of the Matsya has Śádhya, but the Radcliffe MS., more correctly, no doubt, Śakya.

411. In some copies Krodhodana; but it is also Śuddhodana, Mats. and Váyu; Śuddhoda, Bhág.

412. Ráhula: Váyu. Siddhártha or Pushkala: Mats. Lángala: Bhág. This and the two preceding names are of considerable chronological interest; for Śákya is the name of the author or reviver of Buddhism, whose birth appears to have occurred in the seventh, and death in the sixth century before Christ (B. C. 621-543). There can be no doubt of the individual here intended, although he is out of his place, for he was the son, not the father, of Śuddhodana, and the father of Ráhula; as he is termed in the Amara p. 464 and Haima Koshas, Śaudhodani or Śuddhodana suta the son of Śuddhodana, and Ráhulasú the parent of Ráhula: so also in the Maháwanśo, Siddhártha or Śákya is the son of Śuddhodano, and father of Ráhulo. Turnour's translation, p. 9. Whether they are rightly included amongst the princes of the race of Ikshwáku is more questionable; for Śuddhodana is usually described as a petty prince, whose capital was not Ayodhyá, but Kapila or Kapilavastu. At the same time it appears that the provinces of the Doab had passed into the possession of princes of the lunar line, and the children of the sun may have been reduced to the country north of the Ganges, or the modern Gorakhpur, in which Kapila was situated. The Buddhists do usually consider their teacher Śákya to be descended from Ikshwáku. The chronology is less easily adjusted, but it is not altogether incompatible. According to the lists of the text, Śákya, as the twenty-second of the line of Ikshwáku, is cotemporary with Ripunjaya, the twenty-second and last of the kings of Magadhá, of the family of Jarásandha; but, agreeably to the Buddhist authorities, he was the friend of Bimbasára, a king who in the Pauráńik list appears to be the fifth of the Śaiśunága dynasty, and tenth from Ripunjaya. The same number of princes does not necessarily imply equal duration of dynasty, and Ikshwáku's descendants may have outlasted those of Jarásandha; or, as is more likely--for the dynasty was obscure, and is evidently imperfectly preserved--several descents may have been omitted, the insertion of which would reconcile the Pauráńik lists with those of the Buddhists, and bring Śákya down to the age of Bimbasára. It is evident, from what occurs in other authorities, that the Aikshwákava princes are regarded as cotemporaries even of the Śaiśunága dynasty: see c. 24. n. 17.

413. Kshulika: Váyu. Kulaka or Kshullaka: Mats. Omitted: Bhág. In the Mahávíra Charitra, a work written by the celebrated Hemachandra, in the twelfth century, we have a Prasenajit, king of Magadhá, residing at Rajgriha, succeeded by Śreníka, and he by Kúlika. The Bauddhas have a Prasenajit cotemporary with Śákya, son of Mahápadma, king of Magadhá. There is some confusion of persons either in the Pauráńik genealogies or in the Buddhist and Jain traditions, but they agree in bringing the same names together about the same period.

414. Omitted: Bhág.

415. The Váyu and Bhágavata have the same stanza. We have here twenty-nine or thirty princes of the later solar line, cotemporary with the preceding twenty-six or twenty-seven of the later dynasty of the moon.

416. Somádhi; Váyu, Matsya: and they now affect greater precision, giving the years of the reigns. Somádhi 58, V.; 50, M.

417. Śrutaśravas, 67 yrs. V.; 64, M,

418. 36 yrs. V.; Apratípa, 26, M.

419. 100 yrs. V.; 40, M.

420. 8 yrs. V.; 56, M.; Sunakshatra, Bhág.

421. 23 yrs. V. and M.; Vrihatsena, Bhág.

422. 23 yrs. V.; 50, M.; Karmajit, Bhág.

423. 40 yrs. V. and M.

424. Mahábala, 25 yrs. V.; Vidhu, 28, M.

425. 58 yrs. V.; 64, M.

426. 28 yrs. V. and M.

427. 60 yrs. V.; 64, M.

428. 5 yrs. V.; Sunetra, 35, M.; Dharmanetra, Bhág.

429. 38 yrs. V.; Nivritti, 58, M.; Sama, Bhag.

430. 48 yrs. V.; Trinetra, 28, M.; Dyumatsena, Bhág.

431. 33 yrs. V.; Mahatsena, 48, M.

432. 22 yrs. V.; Netra, 33, M.

433. 40 yrs. V.; Abala, 32, M.

434. 80 yrs. V.; omitted, M.

435. 35 yrs. V.; omitted, M.

436. 50 yrs. V. and M.; Puranjaya and Viśwajit are identified, Bhág.

437. Our list and that of the Váyu specifies twenty-one kings after Sahadeva: the Bhágavata specifies twenty, and in another passage states that to be the number. My copy of the Matsya names but nineteen, and the Radcliffe but twelve; but both agree in making the total thirty-two. They all concur with the text also in stating that 1000 years had elapsed from the great war, at the death of the last Várhadratha prince; and this is more worthy of credit than the details, which are obviously imperfect.

438. Munika, Váyu; Pulika, Matsya; Śunaka, Bhág.

439. For 23 years, V. and M.

440. 24 yrs. V.; Tilaka or Bálaka, 28, M.

441. 50 yrs. V.; 53, M.

442. Ajaka, 21 yrs. V.; Súryaka, 21, M.; Rajaka, Bhág.

443. 20 yrs. V. and M.

444. This number is also specified by the Váyu and Bhágavata, and the several years of the reigns of the former agree with the total. The particulars of the Matsya compose 145 years, but there is no doubt some mistake in them.

445. Śiśunáka, who according to the Váyu and Matsya relinquished Benares to his son, and established himself at Girivraja or Rajgriha in Behar, reigns 40 years, V. and M.

446. 36 yrs. V. and M.

447. Kshemakarman, 20 yrs. V.; Kshemadharmman, 36, M.

448. 40 yrs. V.; Kshemajit or Kshemárchis, 36, M.; Kshetrajna, Bhág.

449. Vimbisara, 28 yrs. V.; Vindusena or Vindhyasena, 28, M.; Vidhisára, Bhág.

450. 25 yrs. V.; 27, M.: but the latter inserts a Kańwáyana, 9 yrs., and Bhúmimitra or Bhúmiputra, 14 yrs., before him. In this and the preceding name we have appellations of considerable celebrity in the traditions of the Bauddhas. Vidmisára, read also Vindhusára, Vilwisára, &c., is most probably their Vimbasára, who was born at the same time with Śákya, and was reigning at Rájgriha when he began his religious career. The Maháwanśo says that Siddhatto and Bimbisaro were attached p. 467 friends, as their fathers had been before them: p. 10. Śákya is said to have died in the reign of Ajátaśatru, the son of Vimbasára, in the eighth year of his reign. The Váyu transposes these names, and the Matsya still more alters the order of Ajátaśatru; but the Bhágavata concurs with our text. The Buddhist authority differs from the Puráńas materially as to the duration of the reigns, giving to Bimbisaro 52 years, and to Ajatasattu 32: the latter, according to the same, murdered his father. Maháwanśo, p. 10. We may therefore with some confidence claim for these princes a date of about six centuries B. C. They are considered co-temporary with Sudhodana, &c. in the list of the Aikshwákavas (p. 463. n. 20).

451. Harshaka, 25 yrs. V.; Vansaka, 24, M.

452. 33 yrs. V.; Udibhi or Udásin, 33, M. According to the Váyu, Udaya or Udayáśwa founded Kusumapur or Pát́aliputra, on the southern angle of the Ganges. The legends of Śákya, consistently with this tradition, take no notice of this city in his peregrinations on either bank of the Ganges. The Maháwanśo calls the son and successor of Ajátaśatru, Udayibhadako (Udayinhhadraka): p. 15.

453. 42 and 43 yrs. V.; 40 and 43, M. The Maháwanśo has in place of these, Anuruddhako, Mundo, and Nágadáso; all in succession parricides: the last deposed by an insurrection of the people: p. 15.

454. The several authorities agree in the number of ten Śaiśunágas, and in the aggregate years of their reigns, which the Matsya and the Bhágavata call 360: the Váyu has 362, with which the several periods correspond: the details of the Matsya give 363. The Váyu and Matsya call the Śaiśunágas, Kshatrabandhus, which may designate an inferior order of Kshatriyas: they also observe, that cotemporary with the dynasties already specified, the Pauravas, the Várhadrathas, and Mágadhas, there were other races of royal descent; as, Aikshwákava princes, 24: Pánchálas, 25, V.; 27, M: Kálakas or Kásakas or Káseyas, 24: Haihayas, 24, V.; 28, M.: Kálingas, 32, V.; 40, M.: Śakas, V.; Aśmakas, M., 25: Kuravas, 26: Maithilas, 28: Śúrasenas, 23: and Vitihotras, 20.

455. The Bhágavata calls him Mahápadmapati, the lord of Mahápadma; which the commentator interprets, 'sovereign of an infinite host,' or 'of immense wealth;' Mahápadma signifying 100.000 millions. The Váyu and Matsya, however, consider Mahápadma as another name of Nanda.

456. So the Bhágavata also; but it would be more compatible with chronology to consider the nine Nandas as so many descents. The Váyu and Matsya give eighty-eight years to Mahápadma, and only the remaining twelve to Sumálya and the rest of the remaining eight; these twelve years being occupied with the efforts of Kaut́ilya to expel the Nandas. The Maháwanśo, evidently intending the same events, gives names and circumstances differently; it may be doubted if with more accuracy. On the deposal of Nágadáso, the people raised to the throne the minister Susunágo, who reigned eighteen years. This prince is evidently confounded with the Śiśuuága of the Puráńas. He was succeeded by his son Kálásoko, who reigned twenty years; and he was succeeded by his sons, ten of whom reigned together for twenty-two years: subsequently there were nine, who, according to their seniority, reigned for twenty-two years. The Brahman Chanako put the ninth surviving brother, named Dhana-Nando (Rich-Nanda), to death, and installed Chandagutto. Maháwanśo, p. 15 and 21. These particulars, notwithstanding the alteration of some of the names, belong clearly to one story; and that of the Buddhists looks as if it was borrowed and modified from that of the Brahmans. The commentary on the Maháwanśo, translated by Mr. Turnour (Introduction, p. xxxviii.), calls the sons of Kálásoko 'the nine Nandas;' but another Buddhist authority, the Dípawanśo, omits Kálásoko, and says that Susunágo had ten brothers, who after his demise reigned collectively twenty-two years. Journal of the As. Soc. of Bengal, Nov. 1838, p. 930.

457. For the particulars of the story here alluded to, see the Mudrá Rákshasa, Hindu Theatre, vol. II. Kaut́ilya is also called, according to the commentator on our text, Vátsyáyana, Vishńugupta, and Cháńakya. According to the Matsya P., Kant́ilya retained the regal authority for a century; but there is some inaccuracy in the copies.

458. This is the most important name in all the lists, as it can scarcely be doubted that he is the Sandrocottus, or, as Athenæus writes more correctly, the Sandrocoptus, of the Greeks, as I have endeavoured to prove in the introduction to the Mudrá Rákshasa. The relative positions of Chandragupta, Vidmisára, or Bimbisára, and Ajátaśatru, serve to confirm the identification. Śákya was cotemporary with both the latter, dying in the eighth year of Ajátaśatru's reign. The Maháwanśo says he reigned twenty-four years afterwards; but the Váyu makes his whole reign but twenty-five years, which would place the close of it B. C. 526. The rest of the Śaiśunága dynasty, according to the Váyu and Matsya, reigned 143 or 140 years; bringing their close to B. C. 383. Another century being deducted for the duration of the Nandas, would place the accession of p. 469 Chandragupta B. C. 283. Chandragupta was the cotemporary of Seleucus Nicator, who began his reign B. C. 310, and concluded a treaty with him B. C. 305. Although therefore his date may not be made out quite correctly from the Pauráńik premises, yet the error cannot be more than twenty or thirty years. The result is much nearer the truth than that furnished by Buddhist authorities. According to the Maháwanśo a hundred years had elapsed from the death of Buddha to the tenth year of the reign of Kálásoko (p. 15). He reigned other ten years, and his sons forty-four, making a total of 154 years between the death of Śákya and the accession of Chandragupta, which is consequently placed B. C. 389, or above seventy years too early. According to the Buddhist authorities, Chan-ta-kutta or Chandragupta commenced his reign 396 B. C. Burmese Table; Prinsep's Useful Tables. Mr. Turnour, in his Introduction, giving to Kálásoko eighteen years subsequent to the century after Buddha, places Chandragupta's accession B. C. 381, which, he observes, is sixty years too soon; dating, however, the accession of Chandragupta front 323 B. C. or immediately upon Alexander's death, a period too early by eight or ten years at least. The discrepancy of dates, Mr. Turnour is disposed to think, proceeds from some intentional perversion of the buddhistical chronology. Introd. p. L. The commentator on our text says that Chandragupta was the son of Nanda by a wife named Murá, whence he and his descendants were called Mauryas. Col. Tod considers Maurya a corruption of Mori, the name of a Rajput tribe. The T́íka on the Maháwanśo builds a story on the fancied resemblance of the word to Mayúra, S. Mori, Pr. 'a peacock.' There being abundance of pea-fowl in the place where the Sákya tribe built a town, they called it Mori, and there princes were thence called Mauryas. Turnour, Introduction to the Maháwanśo, p. xxxix. Chandragupta reigned, according to the Váyu P., 24 years; according to the Maháwanśo, 34; to the Dípawasanśo, 24.

459. So the Maháwanśo, Bindusáro. Burmese Table, Bin-tu-sara. The Váyu has Bhadrasára, 25 years; the Bhágavata, Várisára. The Matsya names but four princes of this race, although it concurs with the others in stating the series to consist of ten. The names are also differently arranged, and one is peculiar: they are, Śatadhanwan, Vrihadratha, Śuka, and Daśaratha.

460. Aśoka, 36 years, Váyu; Śuka, 26, Mats.; Aśokavarddhana, Bhág.; Aśoko and Dhammaśoko, Maháwanśo. This king is the most celebrated of any in the annals of the Buddhists. In the commencement of his reign he followed the Brahmanical faith, but became a convert to that of Buddha, and a zealous encourager of it. He is said to have maintained in his palace 64,000 Buddhist priests, and to have erected 84,000 columns or topes throughout India. A great convocation of Buddhist priests was held in the eighteenth year of his reign, which was followed by missions to Ceylon and other places. According to Buddhist chronology he ascended the throne 218 years after the death of Buddha, B. C. 325. As p. 470 the grandson of Chandragupta, however, he must have been some time subsequent to this, or, agreeably to the joint duration of the reigns of Chandragupta and Bindusára, supposing the former to have commenced his reign about B. C. 315, forty-nine years later, or B. C. 266. The duration of his reign is said to have been thirty-six years, bringing it down to B. C. 230: but if we deduct these periods from the date assignable to Chandragupta, of B. C. 283, we shall place Aśoka's reign from B. C. 234 to 198. Now it is certain that a number of very curious inscriptions, on columns and rocks, by a Buddhist prince, in an ancient form of letter, and the Páli language, exist in India; and that some of them refer to Greek princes, who can be no other than members of the Seleucidan and Ptolemæan dynasties, and are probably Antiochus the Great and Ptolemy Euergetes, kings of Syria and Egypt in the latter part of the third century before Christ. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, February and March, 1838. The Indian king appears always under the appellation Piyadaśí or Priyadarśín, 'the beautiful;' and is entitled Devánam-piya, 'the beloved of the gods.' According to Buddhist authorities, the Rasawáhiní and Dípawanśo, quoted by Mr. Turnour (J. As. Soc. of Bengal, Dec. 1837, p. 1056, and Nov. 1838, p. 930), Piyadaśí or Piyadaśano is identified both by name and circumstances with Aśoka, and to him therefore the inscriptions must be attributed. Their purport agrees well enough with his character, and their wide diffusion with the traditionary report of the number of his monuments. His date is not exactly that of Antiochus the Great, but it is not very far different, and the corrections required to make it correspond are no more than the inexact manner in which both Brahmanical and Buddhist chronology is preserved may well be expected to render necessary.

461. The name of Daśaratha, in a similar ancient character as that of Piyadaśí's inscriptions, has been found at Gaya amongst Buddhist remains, and like them decyphered by Mr. Prinsep, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, Aug. 1837, p. 677. A different series of names occurs in the Váyu; or, Kuśala, 8 yrs.; Bandhupálita, Indrapálita, Daśavarman, 7 yrs.; Śatadhara, 8 yrs.; and Vrihadaśwa, 7 yrs. The Bhágavata agrees in most of the names, and its omission of Daśaratha is corrected by the commentator.

462. Śatadhanwan, Bhág.

463. The Váyu says nine Sumúrttyas reigned 137 years. The Matsya and Bhágavata have ten Mauryas, and 137 years. The detailed numbers of the Váyu and Matsya differ from their totals, but the copies are manifestly corrupt.

464. The Bhágavata omits this name, but states that there were ten Śungas, although, without Pushpamitra, only nine are named. The Váyu and Matsya have the same account of the circumstances of his accession to the throne; the former gives him a reign of sixty, the latter of thirty-six years. In a play attributed to Kálidása, the Málavikágnimitra, of which Agnimitra is the hero, his father is alluded to as the Senání or general, as if he had deposed his master in favour, not of himself, but of his son. Agnimitra is termed king of Vidiśa, not of Magadhá. Pushpamitra is represented as engaged in a conflict with the Yavanas on the Indus; thus continuing the political relations with the Greeks or Scythians of Bactria and Ariana. See Hindu Theatre, vol. I. 347.

465. 8 yrs. V.; omitted M.

466. 7 yrs. V. and M.; but the latter places him after Vasumitra; and in the drama the son of Agnimitra is called Vasumitra.

467. 8 yrs. V.; 10 yrs. M.

468. Andraka, V.; Antaka, M.: they agree in his reign, 2 years. Bhadraka, Bhág.

469. 3 yrs. V. and M.

470. 3 yrs. V.; omitted, M.; Ghosha, Bhág.

471. 9 yrs. M.

472. Bhága, M.; 32 yrs. V. and M.

473. Kshemabhúmi, V.; Devabhúmi, M.; 10 yrs. both.

474. The Bhágavata says, 'more than a hundred.' The commentator explains it: 112. The Váyu and Matsya have the same period.

475. The names of the four princes agree in all the authorities. The Matsya transfers the character of Vyasaní to the minister, with the further addition of his being a Brahman; Dwija. In the lists given by Sir Wm. Jones and Col. Wilford, the four Káńwas are said to have reigned 345 years; but in seven copies of the Vishńu P., from different parts of India, the number is, as given in the text, forty-five. There is however authority for the larger number, both in the text of the Bhágavata and the comment. The former has, #### and the latter, ### p. 472 There is no doubt therefore of the purport of the text; and it is only surprising that such a chronology should have been inserted in the Bhágavata, not only in opposition to all probability, but to other authority. The Váyu and Matsya not only confirm the lower number by stating it as a total, but by giving it in detail; thus:

Vasudeva will reign 9 years
Bhúmimitra 14
Náráyańa 12
Suśarman 10
Total 45
And six copies of the Matsya concur in this statement.

476. The expressions Andhrajátiyas and Andhrabhrityas have much perplexed Col. Wilford, who makes three races out of one, Ándhras, Andhrajátiyas, and Andhrabhrityas. As. Res. IX. 101. There is no warrant for three races in the Puráńas, although the Matsya, and perhaps the Váyu, distinguishes two, as we shall hereafter see. Our text has but one, to which all the terms may be applied. The first of the dynasty was an Ándhra by birth or caste (játiya), and a servant (bhritya) of the last of the Káńwa race. So the Váyu; ###: the Matsya; ### and the Bhágavata; ###. The terms 'an Andhra by caste' and 'a Bhritya or servant,' with the addition, in the last passage, of Vrishala, 'a Śúdra,' all apply to one person and one dynasty. Wilford has made wild work with his triad. The name of the first of this race is variously read: Sindhuka, Váyu; Śiśuka, Matsya; Balin, Bhág.; and, according to Wilford, Chhismaka in the Brahmańd́a P., and Śúdraka or Śúraka in the Kumáriká Khańd́a of the Skánda P. As. Res. IX. 107. He reigned 23 years, Váyu and Matsya. If the latter form of his name be correct, he may be the king who is spoken of in the prologue to the Mrichchhakat́í.

477. 10 yrs. V.; 18, M.

478. 56 yrs. V.; 18, M.; 10, Brahmańd́a, Wilford; Simálakarńi, Mats.; Śántakarńa, Bhág.

479. Omitted, V.; 18 yrs. M.; Paurnamása, Bhág.

480. Omitted, V. and Bhág.; 56 yrs. M.; but the latter has before him a Śrívaswáni, 18 yrs.

481. 18 yrs. M.

482. Apilaka, 12 yrs. V. and M.; Chivilika or Vivilika, Bhág.

483. Omitted, V. and M.

484. Patumávi, 24 yrs. V.; Drirhamána, Bhág.

485. Nemi-krishńa, 25 yrs. V.; Arisht́akarńi, 25 yrs. M.

486. Hála, 1 yr. V.; 5 yrs. M.; Háleya, Bhág.

487. Mandalaka, 5 yrs. M.; omitted, Bhág.

488. Puríshasena, 21 yrs. V.; Purindrasena, 5 yrs. Mats.; Puríshataru, Bhág.

489. Śátakarńi only, V. and M.; the first gives him three years, the second but one. Sunanda, Bhág.

490. Chakora, 6 months, V.; Vikarńi, 6 months, M.

491. 28 yrs. V. and M.

492. Gotamíputra, 21 yrs. V. and M.

493. Pulomat, 28 yrs. M.; Purimat, Bhág.

494. Omitted, V.; 7 yrs. M.; Medhaśiras, Bhág.

495. Omitted, V.; 7 yrs. M.

496. 29 yrs. V.; 9 yrs. M.

497. 6 yrs. V. and M.

498. Dańd́aśrí, 3 yrs. V.; Chandraśrí, 10 yrs. M.; Chandravijaya, Bhág.

499. Pulovápi, 7 yrs. V.; Pulomat, 7 yrs. M.; Sulomadhi, Bhág.

500. The Váyu and Bhágavata state also 30 kings, and 456 years; the Matsya has 29 kings, and 460 years. The actual enumeration of the text gives but 24 names; that of the Bhágavata but 23; that of the Váyu but 17. The Matsya has the whole 29 names, adding several to the list of our text; and the aggregate of the reigns amounts to 435 years and 6 months. The difference between this and the total specified arises probably from some inaccuracy in the MSS. As this list appears to be fuller than any other, it may be advisable to insert it as it occurs in the Radcliffe copy of the Matsya P.

1. Śiśuka 23 yrs.
2. Krishńa 18
3. Simalakarńi 18
4. Purnotsanga 18
5. Śrívaswáni 18
6. Śátakarńi 56
7. Lambodara 18
8. Apítaka 12
9. Sangha 18
10. Śátakarńi 18
11. Skandhaswáti 7
12. Mrigendra 3
13. Kuntalaswáti 28
14. Swátikarńa 1
15. Pulomávit 36
16. Goraksháśwaśrí 25
17. Hála 5
18. Mantalaka 5
19. Puríndrasena 5
20. Rajádaswáti 0 6 months
21. Śivaśwáti 28
22. Gautamiputra 21
23. Pulomat 28
24. Śivaśrí 7
25. Skandhaswáti 7
26. Yajnaśrí 9
27. Vijaya 6
28. Vadaśrí 10
29. Pulomat 7
Total 435 yrs. 6 m.
Several of the names vary in this list from those in my copy. The adjuncts Swáti and Śátikarńa appear to be conjoined or not with the other appellations, according to the convenience of, the metre, and seem to be the family designations or titles. The dynasty is of considerable chronological interest, as it admits of some plausible verifications. That a powerful race of Andhra princes ruled in India in the beginning of the Christian era, we learn from Pliny, who describes them as possessed of thirty fortified cities, with an army of 100,000 men and 1000 elephants. The Andræ of this writer are probably the people of the upper part of the peninsula, Andhra being the proper designation of Telingana. The Peutingerian tables, however, place the Andre-Indi on the banks of the Ganges, and the southern princes may have extended or shifted the site of their power. Towards the close of the dynasty we find names that appear to agree with those of princes of middle India, of whom mention is made by the Chinese; as, Yue-gnai (Yajnaśrí), king of Kiapili, A. D. 408; Des Guignes, I. 45; and Ho-lo-mien (Pulomán), king of Magadhá in 621; ibid. I. 56. The Pauráńik lists place these two princes more nearly together, but we cannot rely implicitly upon their accuracy. Calculating from Chandragupta downwards, the Indian date of Yajna and the Chinese Yue-gnai corresponds; for we have,
10 Mauryas 137 yrs.
10 Śungas 112
4 Kańwas 45
27 Andhras 437
731
Deduct for Chandragupta's date 312 B. C.
419 A. C.
A date remarkably near that derivable from the Chinese annals. If the Indian Pulomán be the same with the Chinese Ho-lo-mien, there must be some considerable omission in the Pauráńik dynasty. There is a farther identification in the case of Ho-lo-mien, which makes it certain that a prince of Magadhá is intended, as the place of his residence is called by the Chinese Kia-so-mo-pulo-ching and Potoli-tse-Ching; or in Sanscrit, Kusuma-pura and Pát́ali-putra. The equivalent of the latter name consists, not only in the identity of the sounds Pát́ali and Po-to-li, but in the translation of 'putra' by 'tse;' each word meaning in their respective languages 'son.' No doubt can be entertained therefore that the city intended is the metropolis of Magadhá, Pát́aliputra or Palibothra. Wilford identifies Pulomat or Pulomán with the Po-lo-muen of the Chinese; but Des Guignes interprets Po-lo-muen kuë, 'royaume des Brahmanes.' Buchanan (Hamilton), following the Bhágavata as to the name of the last king, Sulomadhi, would place him about A. D. 846; but his premises are far from accurate, p. 475 and his deduction in this instance at least is of no weight. Geneal. of the Hindus, Introd. p. 16. He supposes the Andhra kings of Magadhá to have retained their power on the Ganges until the Mohammedan invasion, or the twelfth century, when they retired to the south, and reigned at Warankal in Telingana. Inscriptions and coins, however, confirm the statement of the Puráńas, that a different dynasty succeeded to the Andhras some centuries before the Mohammedan conquests; and the Chinese also record, that upon the death of the king of Magadhá, Ho-lo-mien (Puloman?), some time before A. D. 648, great troubles in India took place. Des Guignes. Some very curious and authentic testimony to the actual existence of these Andhra kings has been lately afforded by the discovery of an ancient inscription in Guzerat, in which Rudra Dámá, the Kshatrapa or Satrap of Surasht́ra, is recorded to have repeatedly overcome Śátakarńi, king of the southern country (Dakshińapatha). The inscription is without date, but it is in an old character, and makes mention of the two Maurya princes, Chandragupta and Aśoka, as if not very long prior to its composition. Mr. J. Prinsep, to whom we are indebted for the decyphering and translating of this important document, has been also successful in decyphering the legends on a series of coins belonging to the princes of Surásht́ra, amongst whom the name of Rudra Dámá occurs; and he is inclined, although with hesitation, to place these princes about a century after Anoka, or Rudra Dámá about 153 B. C. J. As. Soc. Bengal, May 1837, and April 1838. According to the computation hazarded above from our text, the race of Andhra kings should not commence till about 20 years B. C., which would agree with Pliny's notice of them; but it is possible that they existed earlier in the south of India, although they established their authority in Magadhá only in the first centuries of the Christian era.

501. These parallel dynasties are thus particularized in our other authorities:
Ábhíras, 7, M.; 10, V; kings of Avabhriti, 7, Bhág.
Garddabhins, 10, M. V. Bhág.
Śakas, 18, M. V.; Kankas, 16, Bhág.
Yavanas, 8, M. V. Bhág.
Tusháras, 14, M. V.; Tushkaras, 14, Bhág.
Marúńd́as, 13, V.; Purúńd́as, 13, M.; Surúńd́as, 10, Bhág.
Maunas, 18, V.; Húńas, 19, M.; Maulas, 11, Bhág.
Total--85 kings, Váyu; 89, Matsya; 76, and 1399 years, Bhág.
The other two authorities give the years of each dynasty severally. The numbers are apparently intended to be the same, but those of the Matsya are palpable blunders, although almost all the MSS. agree in the reading. The chronology of the Váyu is, Ábhíras, 67 years; Garddabhins, 72; Śakas, 380; Yavanas, 82; Tusháras, 500 (all the copies of the Matsya have 7000); Marúńd́as, 200; and Mlechchhas, intending perhaps Maunas, 300 yrs. Total 1601 years, or less than 19 years to a reign. They are not however continuous, but nearly cotemporary dynasties; and if they comprise, as they probably do, the Greek and Scythian princes of the west of India, the periods may not be very wide p. 476 of the truth. The Matsya begins the list with one more dynasty, another Andhra (see n. 39), of whom there were seven: 'When the dominion of the Andhras has ceased, there shall be seven other Andhras, kings of the race of their servants; and then nine Ábhíras.' The passage of the Váyu, although somewhat similar in terms, has a different purport: 'Of these, the Andhras having passed away, there shall be seven cotemporary races; as, ten Ábhíras,' &c. The passage is differently read in different copies, but this is the only intelligible reading. At the same time it subsequently specifies a period for the duration of the Andhra dynasty different from that before given, or three hundred years, as if a different race was referred to: 'The Andhras shall possess the earth two hundred years and one hundred.' The Matsya has twice five hundred: 'The Śríparvatíya Andhras twice five hundred years.' One MS. has more consistently fifty-two years. But there is evidently something faulty in all the MSS. The expression of the Matsya, 'Śríparvatíya Andhras,' is remarkable; Śríparvat being in Telingana. There is probably some confusion of the two races, the Magadhá and Tailinga kings, in these passages of the Puráńas. The Bhágavata has a dynasty of seven Andhra kings, but of a different period (see n. 39). Col. Wilford has attempted a verification of these dynasties; in some instances perhaps with success, though certainly not in all. The Ábhíras he calls the shepherd kings of the north of India: they were more probably Greeks or Scythians or Parthians, along the lower Indus: traces of the name occur, as formerly observed, in the Abiria of Ptolemy, and the Áhírs as a distinct race still exist in Guzerat. Araish Mehfil. The Śakas are the Sacæ, and the duration of their power is not unlikely to be near the truth. The eight Yavana kings may be, as he supposes, Greek princes of Bactria, or rather of western India. The Tusháras he makes the Parthians. If the Bhágavata has the preferable reading, Tushkáras, they were the Tochari, a Scythian race. The Murúńd́as, or, as he has it, Maurúńd́as, he considers to be a tribe of Huns, the Morundæ of Ptolemy. According to the Matsya they were of Mlechchha origin, Mlechchha-sambhava. The Váyu calls them Arya-mlechchhas; quere, Barbarians of Ariana. Wilford regards the Maunas as also a tribe of Huns; and the word is in all the MSS. of the Matsya, Húńas; traces of whom may be still found in the west and south of India. Inscription at Merritch. Journ. R. As. vol. III. p. 103. The Garddabhins Wilford conjectures to be descendants of Bahram Gor, king of Persia; but this is very questionable. That they were a tribe in the west of India may be conjectured, as some strange tales prevail there of a Gandharba, changed to an ass, marrying the daughter of the king of Dhár. As. Res. VI. 35, and IX. 147; also 'Cutch' by Mrs. Postans, p. 18: fables suggested no doubt by the name Garddabha, signifying an ass. There is also p. 477 evidently some affinity between these Garddabhins and the old Gadhia Pysa, or ass-money, as vulgarly termed, found in various parts of western India, and which is unquestionably of ancient date. Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, Dec. 1835, p. 688. It may be the coinage of the Garddabha princes; Garddabla, being the original of Gadha, meaning also an ass. I have elsewhere conjectured the possibility of their being current about a century and a half before our era. Journ. R. As. Soc. vol. III. 385. Col. Tod, quoting a parallel passage in Hindi, reads, instead of Garddhabhin, Gor-ind, which he explains the Indras or lords of Gor; but the reading is undoubtedly erroneous.

502. The copies agree in reading Pauras, but the commentator remarks that it is sometimes Maunas, but they have already been specified; unless the term be repeated in order to separate the duration of this dynasty from that of the rest. Such seems to be the purport of the similar passage of the Bhágavata. These kings (Andhras, &c.) will possess the earth 1099 years, and the eleven Maulas 300.' No such name as Pauras occurs in the other authorities. The analogy of duration identifies them with the Mlechchhas of the Váyu: 'Eleven Mlechchhas will possess the earth for three centuries:' and the Váyu may refer to the Maunas, as no other period is assigned for them. The periods of the Bhágavata, 1099 and 300, come much to the same as that of our text, 1390; the one including the three centuries of the Maunas, the other stating it separately. The Váyu apparently adds it to the rest, thus making the total 1601, instead of 1390. It is evident that the same scheme is intended by the several authorities, although some inaccuracy affects either the original statement or the existing manuscripts.

503. Kilakila, Kolakila, Kolikila, Kilinakila, as it is variously read. Sir Wm. Jones's Pandit stated that he understood it to be a city in the Mahratta country (As. Res. XI. 142); and there has been found a confirmation of his belief in an inscription, where Kilagila, as it is there termed, is called the capital of Márasinha Deva, king of the Konkan. Journ. R. As. Soc. vol. IV. p. 282. This inscription dates A. D. 1058. The Puráńas refer probably to a long antecedent date, when the Greek princes, or their Indo-Scythic successors, following the course of the Indus, spread to the upper part of the western coast of the peninsula. The text calls them Yavanas; and the Váyu and Matsya say they were Yavanas in institutions, manners, and policy. The Bhágavata names five of their princes, Bhutánanda, p. 478 Bangiri, Śiśunandi, Yaśnandi, and Pravíra, who will reign 106 years, and they are therefore imperfect representatives of the series in our text. The Matsya has no farther specific enumeration of any dynasty. The Váyu makes Pravíra the son of Vindhyaśakti; the latter reigning 96 years, and the former 60: the latter is king of Kánchana puri, 'the golden city,' and is followed by four sons, whose names are not mentioned. Between Vindhyaśakti and Pravíra, however, a dynasty of kings is introduced, some of the names of which resemble those of the Kilakila princes of the text. They are, Bhogin the son of Seshanága, Sadáchandra, Nakhavat, Dhanadhamita, Vinśaja, Bhutinanda--at a period before the end of the Śungas? (the copies have ###)--Madhunandi, his younger brother Nandiyaśas; and in his race there will be three other Rájás, Dauhitra, Śiśuka, and Ripukáyán. These are called princes of Vidiśa or Videśa; the latter meaning perhaps 'foreign,' and constitute the Nága dynasty. Our text calls Vindhyaśakti a Murddhábhishikta, a warrior of a mixed race, sprung from a Brahman father and Kshatriya mother.

504. The text of this passage runs thus: ###. 'Their sons,' the commentator explains by 'thirteen sons of Vindhyaśakti and the rest.' The Bhágavata has a different statement, identifying the sons of the Vindhya race with the Báhlikas, and making them thirteen: 'The Báhlikas will be their thirteen sons.' As the commentator; 'There will be severally thirteen sons, called Báhlikas, of Bhútananda and the rest.' The following verse 'Pushpamitra, a king, and then Durmitra:' who or what they were does not appear. The commentator says, Pushpamitra was another king, and Durmitra was his son. Here is evidently careless and inaccurate compilation. The Váyu, though not quite satisfactory, accords better with our text. 'Pravíra,' it says, will have four sons: when the Vindhya race is extinct, there will be three Báhlíka kings, Supratíka, Nabhíra, who will reign thirty years, and Śakyamánábhava (quere this name), king of the Mahishas. The Pushpamitras will then be, and the Pat́umitras also, who will be seven kings of Mekalá. Such is the generation.' The plural verb with only two Báhlíka names indicates some omission, unless we correct it to it 'they two will reign;' but the following name and title, Śakyamánábhava, king of the Mahishas, seems to have little connexion with the Báhlikas. If, in a subsequent part of the citation, the reading 'trayodaśa' be correct, it must then be thirteen Pat́umitras; but it will be difficult to know what to do with Sapta, 'seven' If for Santati we might read p. 479 Saptati, 'seventy,' the sense might be, 'these thirteen kings ruled for seventy-seven years.' However this may be, it seems most correct to separate the thirteen sons or families of the Vindhya princes from the three Báhlikas, and them from the Pushpamitras and Pat́umitras, who governed Mekalá, a country on the Narbada (see p. 186. n. 18). What the Báhlikas, or princes of Balkh, had to do in this part of India is doubtful. The Durmitra of the Bhágavata has been conjectured by Col. Tod (Trans. R. As. Soc. I. 325) to be intended for the Bactrian prince Demetrius: but it is not clear that even the Bhágavata considers this prince as one of the Báhlikas, and the name occurs nowhere else.

505. For the situation of Kośalá, see p. 190. n. 79. The three copies of the Váyu read Komalá, and call the kings, the Meghas, more strong than sapient. The Bhágavata agrees with our text. The Váyu says of the Naishadhas, or kings of Nishadha, that they were all of the race of Nala. The Bhágavata adds two other races, seven Andhras (see note 63) and kings of Vaidúra, with the remark that these were all cotemporaries, being, as the commentator observes, petty or provincial rulers.

506. The Váyu has Viśwaspháńi and Viśwasphińi; the Bhágavata, Viśwasphúrtti, or in some MSS. Viśwaphúiji. The castes he establishes or places in authority, to the exclusion of the Kshatriyas, are called in all the copies of our text Kaivarttas, Pat́us, Pulindas, and Brahmans. The Váyu (three MSS.) has Kaivarttas, Panchakas, Pulindas, and Brahmans. The Bhágavata has, Pulindas, Yadus, and Mádrakas. The Váyu describes Viśwaspháńi as a great warrior, and apparently as a eunuch: He worshipped the gods and manes, and dying on the banks of the Ganges went to the heaven of Indra.

507. Such appears to be the purport of our text. The nine Nágas might be thought to mean the same as the descendants of Śesha Nága, but the Váyu has another series here, analogous to that of the text: 'The nine Náka kings will possess the city Champávatí, and the seven Nágas (?) the pleasant city Mathura. Princes of the Gupta race will possess all these countries, the banks of the Ganges to Prayága and Sáketa and Magadhá.' p. 480 This account is the most explicit, and probably most accurate, of all. The Nákas were Rájás of Bhágalpur; the Nágas, of Mathura; and the intermediate countries along the Ganges were governed by the Guptas, or Rájás of the Vaiśya caste. The Bhágavata seems to have taken great liberties with the account, as it makes Viśwasphúrtti king over Anugangá, the course of the Ganges from Haridwar, according to the commentator, to Prayága, residing at Padmávatí: omitting the Nágas altogether, and converting 'gupta' into an epithet of 'medini,' the preserved or protected earth. Wilford considers the Nágas, Nákas, and Guptas to be all the same: he says, 'Then came a dynasty of nine kings, called the nine Nágas or Nágas; these were an obscure tribe, called for that reason Guptavanśas, who ruled in Padmávati.' That city he calls Patna; but in the Málati and Mádhava, Padmávatí lies amongst the Vindhya hills. Kántipuri he makes Cotwal, near Gwalior. The reading of the Váyu, Champávati, however, obviates the necessity of all vague conjecture. According to Wilford there is a powerful tribe still called Nákas between the Jamuna and the Betwa. Of the existence and power of the Guptas, however, we have recently had ample proofs from inscriptions and coins, as in the Chandragupta and Samudragupta of the Allatabad column; Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, March and June, 1834; and Kumáragupta, Chandragupta, Samudragupta, Śaśigupta, &c. on the Archer coins, found at Kanoj and elsewhere; As. Res. XVII. pl. 1. fig. 5, 7, 13, 19; and Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, Nov. 1835, pl. 38 and 39; and in other numbers of the same Journal: in all which, the character in which the legends are written is of a period prior to the use of the modern Devanagari, and was current in all probability about the fifth century of our era, as conjectured by Mr. Prinsep: see his table of the modifications of the Sanscrit alphabet from 543 B. C. to 1200 A. D. Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, March 1838.

508. The Váyu also mentions the descendants of Devarakshita or Daivarakshitas as kings of the Kośalas, Támralipta, and the sea coast; so far conforming with our text as to include the western parts of Bengal, Tamlook, Medinipur, and Orissa. One copy reads Andhra, perhaps for Od́ra, Orissa; and one has Champá for the capital, which is probably an error, although the two other MSS., being still more faulty, do not offer the means of correction.

509. The Váyu has the same. The countries are parts of Orissa and Berar.

510. The Váyu has sons of Mańidhańya for the ruling dynasty, but names the countries those of the Naishadhas, Yudakas, Śaśikas, and Kálatoyas. The first name applies to a tract of country near p. 481 the Vindhya mountains, but the last to a country in the north. The west or southwest, however, is probably intended in this place.

511. The Stri Rájya is usually placed in Bhote. It may perhaps here designate Malabar, where polyandry equally prevails. Múshika, or the country of thieves, was the pirate coast of the Konkan. The Váyu reads Bhokshyaka or Bhokhyaka for Múshika. The Bhágavata omits all these specifications subsequent to the notice of Viwasphúrtti.

512. From this we might infer that the Vishńu P. was compiled when the Mohammedans were making their first encroachments on the west. They seem to have invaded and to have settled in Sindh early in the eighth century, although Indian princes continued on the Indus for a subsequent period. Scriptor. Arab. de rebus Indicis. Gildemeister, p. 6. They were engaged in hostilities in 698 or 700 with the prince of Kabul, in whose name, however disguised by its Mohammedan representations of Ratil, Ratbal, or Ratibal, it is not difficult to recognise the genuine Hindu appellation of Ratanpál, or Ratnapál. Their progress in this direction has not been traced; but at the period of their invasion of Sindh they advanced to Multan, and probably established themselves there and at Lahore within a century. Kashmir they did not occupy till a much later date, and the Rája Tarangini takes no notice of any attacks upon it; but the Chinese have recorded an application from the king of Kashmir, Chin-tho-lo-pi-li, evidently the Chandrápid́a of the Sanscrit, for aid against the Arabs, about A. D. 713. Gildemeister, p. 13. Although, therefore, not actually settled at the Panjab so early as the beginning, they had commenced their incursions, and had no doubt made good their footing by the end of the eighth or commencement of the ninth century. This age of the Puráńa is compatible with reference to the cotemporary race of Gupta kings, from the fourth or fifth to the seventh or eighth century; or, if we are disposed to go farther back, we may apply the passage to the Greek and Indo-Scythian princes. It seems more likely to be the former period; but in all such passages in this or other Puráńas there is the risk that verses inspired by the presence of Mohammedan rulers may have been interpolated into the original text. Had the Mohammedans of Hindustan, however, been intended by the latter, the indications would have been more distinct, and the localities assigned to them more central. Even the Bhágavata, the date of which we have good reason for conjecturing to be the middle of the twelfth century, and which influenced the form assumed about that time by the worship of Vishńu, cannot be thought to refer to the Mohammedan conquerors of p. 482 upper India. It is there stated, that rulers fallen from their castes, or Śúdras, will be the princes of Saurásht́ra, Avanti, Abhíra, Śúra, Arbuda, and Málava; and barbarians, Śúdras, and other outcastes, not enlightened by the Vedas, will possess Káshmír, Kauntí, and the banks of the Chandrabhágá and Indus.' Now it was not until the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries that the Mohammedans established themselves in Guzerat and Malwa, and the Bhágavata was unquestionably well known in various parts of India long before that time. (Account of Hindu Sects, As. Res. vol. XVI.) It cannot therefore allude to Mohammedans. By specifying the princes as seceders from the Vedas, there is no doubt that the barbarians and outcastes intended are so only in a religious sense; and we know from indisputable authorities that the western countries, Guzerat, Abu, Málava, were the chief seats, first of the Buddhists, and then of the Jainas, from a period commencing perhaps before the Christian era, and scarcely terminating with the Mohammedan conquest. Inscriptions from Abu, As. Res. vol. XVI.

513. The commentator, having no doubt the existing state of things in view, interprets the passage somewhat differently: the original is, ###. The comment explains 'strong', and adds, the Mlechchhas will be in the centre, and the Áryyas at the end:' meaning, if any thing, that the unbelievers are in the heart of the country, and the Hindus on the borders: a description, however, never correct, except as applicable to the governments; and in that case inconsistent with the text, which had previously represented the bordering countries in the hands of outcastes and heretics. All that the text intends, is to represent infidels and foreigners high in power, and the Brahmans depressed. It is not unlikely that the reading is erroneous, notwithstanding the copies concur, and that the passage should be here the same as that of the Váyu; 'Intermixed with them, the nations, adopting every where barbaric p. 483 institutions, exist in a state of disorder, and the subjects shall be destroyed.' The expression Mlechchhácháráścha being used instead of Mlechchhaścháryáścha. A passage similar to that of the text, noticing the intermixture of Hindus and barbarians, occurs in a different place (see p. 175. n. 4), and designates tare condition of India in all ages: at no period has the whole of the population followed Brahmanical Hinduism.

514. That is, there will be no Tírthas, places held sacred, and objects of pilgrimage; no particular spot of earth will have any especial sanctity.

515. Gifts will be made from the impulse of ordinary feeling, not in connexion with religious rites, and as an act of devotion; and ablution will be performed for pleasure or comfort, not religiously with prescribed ceremonies and prayers.

516. The expression Sadveśadhárin is explained to mean either one who wears fine clothes, or who assumes the exterior garb of sanctity. Either interpretation is equally allowable.

517. The Bhágavata agrees with the text in these particulars. The chief star of Tishya is δ in the constellation Cancer.

518. All the copies concur in this reading. Three copies of the Váyu assign to the same interval 1050 years: and of the Matsya five copies have the same, or 1050 years; whilst one copy has 1500 years. The Bhágavata has 1115 years; which the commentator explains, 'a thousand years and a hundred with fifteen over.' He notices nevertheless, although he does not attempt to account for the discrepancy, that the total period from Paríkshit to Nanda was actually, according to the duration of the different intermediate dynasties, as enumerated by all the authorities, fifteen centuries; viz.
Magadhá kings 1000 yrs.
Pradyota, &c. 138
Śiśunága, &c. 362
1500
The shorter period is best proportioned to the number of kings; for reckoning from Sahadeva, who was cotemporary with Paríkshit, and taking the number of the Várhadrathas from the Matsya, we have thirty-two of them, five of the Pradyota race, and ten Śaiśunágas, or in all forty-seven; which, as the divisor of 1050, gives rather more than twenty-two years to a reign. The Váyu and the Matsya further specify the interval from Nanda to Pulomat, the last of the Ándhra kings, as being 836 years; a total that does notp. 485 agree exactly with the items previously specified:
9 Nandas 100 yrs.
10 Mauryas 137
10 Śungas 112
4 Kańwas 45
29 Andhras 460
62 854
In either case the average duration of reign is not improbable, as the highest number gives less than fourteen years to each prince. It is important to remember that the reign of Paríkshit is, according to Hindu chronology, coeval with the commencement of the Kali age; and even therefore taking the longest Pauráńik interval we have but sixteen centuries between Chandragupta--or considering him as the same with Sandrocoptos, nineteen centuries B. C.--for the beginning of the Kali age. According to the chronology of our text, however, it would be but B. C. 1415; to that of the Váyu and Matsya, B. C. 1450; and to that of the Bhágavata, 1515. According to Col. Wilford's computations (As. Res. vol. IX. Chron. Table, p. 116) the conclusion of the great war took place B. C. 1370: Buchanan conjectures it to have occurred in the thirteenth century B. C. Vyása was the putative father of Páńd́u and Dhritarásht́ra, and consequently was cotemporary with the heroes of the great war. Mr. Colebrooke infers from astronomical data that the arrangement of the Vedas attributed to Vyása took place in the fourteenth century B.C. Mr. Bentley brings the date of Yudhisht́hira, the chief of the Páńd́avas, to 575 B. C. (Historical View of Hindu Astronomy, p. 67); but the weight of authority is in favour of the thirteenth or fourteenth century B. C. for the war of the Mahábhárata, and the reputed commencement of the Kali age.

519. A similar explanation is given in the Bhágavata, Váyu, and Matsya Puráńas; and like accounts from astronomical writers are cited by Mr. Colebrooke, As. Res. vol. IX. p. 358. The commentator on the Bhágavata thus explains the notion: "The two stars (Pulaha and Kratu) must rise or be visible before the rest, and whichever asterism is in a line south from the middle of those stars, is that with which the seven stars are united; and so they continue for one hundred years." Col. Wilford has also given a like explanation of the revolution of the Rishis; As. Res. vol. IX. p. 83. According to Bentley the notion originated in a contrivance of the astronomers to shew the quantity of the precession of the equinoxes. "This was by assuming an imaginary line or great circle passing through the poles of the ecliptic and the beginning of the fixed Maghá, which circle was supposed to cut some of the stars in the Great Bear. The seven stars in the Great Bear the circle so assumed was called the line of the Rishis, and being fixed to the beginning of the lunar asterism Maghá, the precession would be solved by stating the degree &c. of any moveable lunar mansion cut by that fixed line or circle as an index. Historical View of Hindu Astronomy, p. 65.

520. The Bhágavata has the same; and this agrees with the period assigned for the interval between Paríkshit and Nanda of 1050 years; as, including Maghá, we have ten asterisms to Purváshád́há, or 1000 years. The Váyu and Matsya are so very inaccurate in all the copies consulted, that it is not safe to affirm what they mean to describe. Apparently they state that at the end of the Andhra dynasty the Rishis will be in Krittiká, which furnishes other ten asterisms; the whole being nearly in accordance with the chronology of the text, as the total interval from Paríkshit to the last of the Andhras is 1050 + 836 =1886, and the entire century of each asterism at the beginning and end of the series need not be taken into account. The copies of the Matsya read, 'The seven Rishis are on a line with the brilliant Agni;' that is, with Krittiká, of which Agni is the presiding deity. The Váyu intends in all probability the same phrase, but the three copies have, ### a very unintelligible clause. Again, it seems as if they intended to designate the end of the Andhra race as the period of a complete revolution, or 2700 years; for the Váyu has, 'The races at the end of the Andhas will be after 2700 years:' the Matsya has, ### and at the close of the passage, after specifying as usual that 'the seven Rishis were in Maghá in the time of Paríkshit,' the Váyu adds, ### a passage which, though repeated in the MSS., is obviously most inaccurate; although it might perhaps be understood to intimate that the Rishis will be in the twenty-fourth asterism after the Andhra race; but that would give only 1400 years from Paríkshit to Pulomat; whilst if the twenty-fourth from Maghá was intended, it would give 2400 years: both periods being incompatible with previous specifications. The Matsya has a different reading of the second line, but one not much more satisfactory; 'A hundred years of Brahmá will be in the twenty-fourth (asterism?).' In neither of these authorities, however, is it proposed by the last-cited passages to illustrate the chronology of princes or dynasties: the specification p. 487 of the period, whatever it may be, is that of the era at which the evil influence of the Kali age is to become most active and irresistible.

521. The Bhágavata has the same. Devápi, as the commentator observes, being the restorer of the lunar, and Maru of the solar race.

522. To be the cause of Sankalpa, 'conviction,' 'belief;' and Vikalpa, 'doubt,' 'disbelief.' The Bhágavata indulges in a similar strain, and often in the same words. The whole recalls the words of the Roman satirist;

. . . I, demens, et sævas curre per Alpes,
Ut pueris placeas, et declamatio fias.

APRIL 18, 2020