Book Iv. Chapter Vii
*
"The Vishnu Purana", translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, [1840],
p. 398
Chap. Vii.
Sons of Purravas. Descendants of Amvasu. Indra born as Gdh. Legend of Richka and Satyavat. Birth of Jamadagni and Viwmitra. Paraurma the son of the former. (Legend of Paraurma.) Sunahephas and others the sons of Viwmitra, forming the Kauika race.
Purravas had six sons, yus, Dhmat, Amvasu, Viwavasu, atyus, and rutyus 1. The son of Amvasu was Bhma 2; his son was Knchana 3; his son was Suhotra 4, 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 Gang from him, in the capacity of his daughter (whence she is called Jhnav) 5.
p. 399
The son of Jahnu was Sumantu 6; his son was Ajaka; his son was Valkwa 7; his son was Ku 8, who had four sons, Kumba, Kuanbha, Amrttaya, and Amvasu 9. Kumba, 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 Kumba's son 10. He was accordingly born as Gdhi, of the race of Kua (Kauika). Gdhi had a daughter named Satyavat. Richka, 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. Richka having propitiated Varuna, the god of ocean, obtained from him, at the holy place called Awatrtha, a thousand such steeds; and giving them to the king, espoused his daughter 11.
In order to effect the birth of a son, Richka 12 prepared a dish of rice, barley, and pulse, with butter and milk, for his wife to eat; and at her
p. 400
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 Satyavat, "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." Satyavat agreed to her mother's proposal, and they exchanged messes.
When Richka returned home, and beheld Satyavat, 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." Satyavat, 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. Satyavat afterwards became the Kauik river 13. Jamadagni married Renuk, the daughter of Ren, of the
p. 401
family of Ikshwku, and had by her the destroyer of the Kshatriya race, Paraurma, who was a portion of Nryana, the spiritual guide of the universe 14.
Footnotes
398:1 Considerable variety prevails in these names, and the Matsya, Padma, Brhma, and Agni enumerate eight. The lists are as follows:
Mahbhrata.
Matsya.
Agni.
Krma.
Bhgavata.
yus
yus
yus
yus
yus
Dhmat
Dhritimat
Dhmat
Myus
rutyus
Amvasu
Vasu
Vasu
Amyus
Satyyus
Dridhyus
Dridhyus
Uryus
Viwyus
Rya
Vanyus
Dhanyus
Antyus
atyus
Vijaya
atyus
atyus
atyus
rutyus
Jaya
Awyus
Rityus
Divijta
Divijta.
[paragraph continues] The list of the Brhma is that of the Mahbhrata, with the addition of atyus and Viwyus; and the Padma agrees with the Matsya.
398:2 Son of Vijaya: Bhgavata. This line of princes is followed only in our text, the Vyu, Brhma, and Hari V., and the Bhgavata.
398:3 Knchanaprabha: Brhma.
398:4 Hotraka: Bhgavata.
398:5 The Brhma P. and Hari V. add of this prince, that he was the husband of Kver, the daughter of Yuvanwa, who by the imprecation of her husband became the Kver river: another indication of the Dakshina origin of these works. The p. 399 Hari V. has another Jahnu, to whom it gives the same spouse, as we shall hereafter see.
399:6 Sunuta: Brhma. Puru: Bhgavata.
399:7 Valaka: Brhma. Ajaka: Bhgavata.
399:8 The Brhma P. and Hari V. add that Ka was in alliance with the Pahlavas and foresters.
399:9 Our authorities differ as to these names:
Vyu.
Brhma and Hari V.
Bhgavata.
Kuwa or,
Kuasthamba
Kuwa
Kumba
Kuanbha
Kuanbha
Kuanbha
Amurttarayasa
Amurttimat
Amurttaraya
Vasu
Kuika
Vasu.
[paragraph continues] The Rmyana has Kumba, Kuanbha, Amurttarayasa, and Vasu; and makes them severally the founders of Kaumbi, of Mahodaya (which afterwards appears the same as Kanoj), Dharmranya, and Girivraja; the latter being in the mountainous part of Magadh. I. s. 29.
399:10 The Brhma and Hari V. make Gdhi the son of Kuika; the Vyu and Bhgavata, of Kunaba; the Rmyana, of Kuanbha.
399:11 The Rmyana notices the marriage, but has no legend. The Mahbhrata, Vans P., has a rather more detailed narration, but much the same as in the text. According to the commentator, Awatrtha is in the district of Kanoj; perhaps at the confluence of the Klanad with the Ganges. The agency of the god of Ocean in procuring horses, is a rather curious additional coincidence between Varuna and Neptune.
399:12 In the Mahbhrata, Bhrigu, the father of Richka, prepares the Charu.
400:13 So the Rmyana, after stating that Satyavat followed her husband in death, adds, that she became the Kauik river; the Cosi, which, rising in Nepal, flows through Puraniya into the Ganges, opposite nearly to Rjamahal.
401:14 The text omits the story of Paraurma, but as the legend makes a great figure in the Vaishnava works in general, I have inserted it from the Mahbhrata, where it is twice related, once in the Vana Parva, and once in the Rjadharma section of the nti Parva. It is told also at length in the ninth book of the Bhgavata, in the Padma and Agni Purnas, &c.
"The Vishnu Purana", translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, [1840],
p. 398
Chap. Vii.
Sons of Purravas. Descendants of Amvasu. Indra born as Gdh. Legend of Richka and Satyavat. Birth of Jamadagni and Viwmitra. Paraurma the son of the former. (Legend of Paraurma.) Sunahephas and others the sons of Viwmitra, forming the Kauika race.
Purravas had six sons, yus, Dhmat, Amvasu, Viwavasu, atyus, and rutyus 1. The son of Amvasu was Bhma 2; his son was Knchana 3; his son was Suhotra 4, 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 Gang from him, in the capacity of his daughter (whence she is called Jhnav) 5.
p. 399
The son of Jahnu was Sumantu 6; his son was Ajaka; his son was Valkwa 7; his son was Ku 8, who had four sons, Kumba, Kuanbha, Amrttaya, and Amvasu 9. Kumba, 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 Kumba's son 10. He was accordingly born as Gdhi, of the race of Kua (Kauika). Gdhi had a daughter named Satyavat. Richka, 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. Richka having propitiated Varuna, the god of ocean, obtained from him, at the holy place called Awatrtha, a thousand such steeds; and giving them to the king, espoused his daughter 11.
In order to effect the birth of a son, Richka 12 prepared a dish of rice, barley, and pulse, with butter and milk, for his wife to eat; and at her
p. 400
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 Satyavat, "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." Satyavat agreed to her mother's proposal, and they exchanged messes.
When Richka returned home, and beheld Satyavat, 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." Satyavat, 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. Satyavat afterwards became the Kauik river 13. Jamadagni married Renuk, the daughter of Ren, of the
p. 401
family of Ikshwku, and had by her the destroyer of the Kshatriya race, Paraurma, who was a portion of Nryana, the spiritual guide of the universe 14.
Footnotes
398:1 Considerable variety prevails in these names, and the Matsya, Padma, Brhma, and Agni enumerate eight. The lists are as follows:
Mahbhrata.
Matsya.
Agni.
Krma.
Bhgavata.
yus
yus
yus
yus
yus
Dhmat
Dhritimat
Dhmat
Myus
rutyus
Amvasu
Vasu
Vasu
Amyus
Satyyus
Dridhyus
Dridhyus
Uryus
Viwyus
Rya
Vanyus
Dhanyus
Antyus
atyus
Vijaya
atyus
atyus
atyus
rutyus
Jaya
Awyus
Rityus
Divijta
Divijta.
[paragraph continues] The list of the Brhma is that of the Mahbhrata, with the addition of atyus and Viwyus; and the Padma agrees with the Matsya.
398:2 Son of Vijaya: Bhgavata. This line of princes is followed only in our text, the Vyu, Brhma, and Hari V., and the Bhgavata.
398:3 Knchanaprabha: Brhma.
398:4 Hotraka: Bhgavata.
398:5 The Brhma P. and Hari V. add of this prince, that he was the husband of Kver, the daughter of Yuvanwa, who by the imprecation of her husband became the Kver river: another indication of the Dakshina origin of these works. The p. 399 Hari V. has another Jahnu, to whom it gives the same spouse, as we shall hereafter see.
399:6 Sunuta: Brhma. Puru: Bhgavata.
399:7 Valaka: Brhma. Ajaka: Bhgavata.
399:8 The Brhma P. and Hari V. add that Ka was in alliance with the Pahlavas and foresters.
399:9 Our authorities differ as to these names:
Vyu.
Brhma and Hari V.
Bhgavata.
Kuwa or,
Kuasthamba
Kuwa
Kumba
Kuanbha
Kuanbha
Kuanbha
Amurttarayasa
Amurttimat
Amurttaraya
Vasu
Kuika
Vasu.
[paragraph continues] The Rmyana has Kumba, Kuanbha, Amurttarayasa, and Vasu; and makes them severally the founders of Kaumbi, of Mahodaya (which afterwards appears the same as Kanoj), Dharmranya, and Girivraja; the latter being in the mountainous part of Magadh. I. s. 29.
399:10 The Brhma and Hari V. make Gdhi the son of Kuika; the Vyu and Bhgavata, of Kunaba; the Rmyana, of Kuanbha.
399:11 The Rmyana notices the marriage, but has no legend. The Mahbhrata, Vans P., has a rather more detailed narration, but much the same as in the text. According to the commentator, Awatrtha is in the district of Kanoj; perhaps at the confluence of the Klanad with the Ganges. The agency of the god of Ocean in procuring horses, is a rather curious additional coincidence between Varuna and Neptune.
399:12 In the Mahbhrata, Bhrigu, the father of Richka, prepares the Charu.
400:13 So the Rmyana, after stating that Satyavat followed her husband in death, adds, that she became the Kauik river; the Cosi, which, rising in Nepal, flows through Puraniya into the Ganges, opposite nearly to Rjamahal.
401:14 The text omits the story of Paraurma, but as the legend makes a great figure in the Vaishnava works in general, I have inserted it from the Mahbhrata, where it is twice related, once in the Vana Parva, and once in the Rjadharma section of the nti Parva. It is told also at length in the ninth book of the Bhgavata, in the Padma and Agni Purnas, &c.
