Book Iv. Chapter Xv
*
"The Vishnu Purana", translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, [1840],
p. 438
Chap. Xv.
Explanation of the reason why iupla in his previous births as Hiranyakaipu and Rvana was not identified with Vishnu on being slain by him, and was so identified when killed as iupla. The wives of Vasudeva: his children: Balarma and Krishna his sons by Devak: born apparently of Rohin and Yasod. The wives and children of Krishna. 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 Vishnu as Hiranyakaipu and Rvana 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 iupla.
Parara.--When the divine author of the creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe accomplished the death of Hiranyakaipu, he assumed a body composed of the figures of a lion and a man, so that Hiranyakaipu was not aware that his destroyer was Vishnu: 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 Vishnu, only unlimited power and enjoyment upon earth, as Danana, 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 Danana being entirely subject to the passion of love, and engrossed completely by the thoughts of Jnak, could not comprehend that the son of Daaratha 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 Vishnu 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 Vishnu to his notice, and on all these occasions the enmity that had accumulated through successive births influenced his
p. 439
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 Krishna 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 Krishna, 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 Vishnu 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 Vishnu 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 nakadandubhi, had Rohin, Paurav 1, Bhadr, Madir, Devak, and several other wives. His sons by Rohin were Balabhadra, Srana, aru, Durmada, and others. Balabhadra espoused Revat, and had by her Nisatha and Ulmuka. The sons of arana were Mrshti, Mrshtimat, u, Satyadhriti, and others. Bhadrwa, Bhadrabhu, Durgama, Bhta, and others, were born in the family of Rohin (of the race of Puru). The sons of Vasudeva by Madir were Nanda, Upananda, Krtaka, and others. Bhadr bore him Upanidhi, Gada, and others. By his wife Vail he had one son named Kauika. Devak bore him six sons, Krttimat, Sushena, Udyin, Bhadrasena, Rijudaa, and Bhadradeha; all of whom Kansa put to death 2.
p. 440
When Devak was pregnant the seventh time, Yoganidr (the sleep of devotion), sent by Vishnu, extricated the embryo from its maternal womb at midnight, and transferred it to that of Rohin; and from having been thus taken away, the child (who was Balarma) received the name of Sankarshana. Next, the divine Vishnu 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 Brahm 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 Devak, and was born as her son Vsudeva. Yoganidr, proud to execute his orders, removed the embryo to Yasod, 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 Rukmin, Satyabhm, Jmbavat, Jtahain, 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, Chrudeshna, Smba, and others. Pradyumna married Kakudwat, the daughter of Rukmin, and had by her Aniruddha. Aniruddha married Subhadr, the granddaughter of the same Rukmin, and she bore him a son named Vajra. The son of Vajra was Bhu; and his son was Suchru 3.
p. 441
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 Ydava 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. Vishnu was to them a teacher and a ruler, and all the Ydavas were obedient to his commands.
Whoever listens frequently to this account of the origin of the heroes of the race of Vrishni, shall be purified from all sin, and obtain the sphere of Vishnu.
Footnotes
439:1 Paurav is rather a title attached to a second Rohin, to distinguish her from the first, the mother of Balarma: she is also said by the Vyu to be the daughter of Bhlka.
439:2 The enumeration of our text is rather imperfect. The Vyu names the wives of Vasudeva, Paurav, Rohin, Madir, Rudr, Vaikh, Devak; and adds two bondmaids, Sugandh and Vanaraj. The p. 440 Brhma P. and Hari V. name twelve wives, and two slaves; Rohin, Madir, Vaikh, Bhadr, Sunmn, Sahadev, ntidev, rdev, Devarakshit, Vrikadev, Upadev, Devaki; and antanu and Brav. The children of the two slaves, according to the Vyu, were Pundra, who became a king, and Kapila, who retired to the woods. In the Bhgavata we have thirteen wives, Paurav, Rohin, Bhadr, Madir, Rochan, Il, Devak, Dhritadev, ntidev, Upadev, rdev, Devarakshit, and Sahadev: the last seven in this and the preceding list are the daughters of Devaka.
440:3 The wives and children of Krishna are more particularly described in the next book. The Brhma P. and Hari V. add some details of the descendants of Vasudeva's brothers: thus Devabhga is said to be the father of Uddhava; Anadhrishti of Devaravas, a great scholar or Pandit. Devaravas, another brother of Vasudeva, p. 441 had atrughna and another son called Ekalavya, who for some cause being exposed when an infant, was found and brought up by the Nishdas, and was thence termed Nishdin. Vatsavat (Vatsablaka) and Gandsha being childless, Vasudeva gave his son Kauika to be adopted by the former, and Krishna gave Chrudeshna and three others to the latter. Kanaka (Karundhaka) had two sons, Tantrija and Tantripla. Avksrinjima (rinjaya) had also two, Vra and Awahanu. The gracious amka became as the son (although the brother) of yma, and disdaining the joint rule which the princes of the house of Bhoja exercised, made himself paramount. Yudhishthira was his friend. The extravagant numbers of the Ydavas merely indicate that they were, as they undoubtedly were, a powerful and numerous tribe, of whom many traces exist in various parts of India.
"The Vishnu Purana", translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, [1840],
p. 438
Chap. Xv.
Explanation of the reason why iupla in his previous births as Hiranyakaipu and Rvana was not identified with Vishnu on being slain by him, and was so identified when killed as iupla. The wives of Vasudeva: his children: Balarma and Krishna his sons by Devak: born apparently of Rohin and Yasod. The wives and children of Krishna. 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 Vishnu as Hiranyakaipu and Rvana 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 iupla.
Parara.--When the divine author of the creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe accomplished the death of Hiranyakaipu, he assumed a body composed of the figures of a lion and a man, so that Hiranyakaipu was not aware that his destroyer was Vishnu: 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 Vishnu, only unlimited power and enjoyment upon earth, as Danana, 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 Danana being entirely subject to the passion of love, and engrossed completely by the thoughts of Jnak, could not comprehend that the son of Daaratha 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 Vishnu 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 Vishnu to his notice, and on all these occasions the enmity that had accumulated through successive births influenced his
p. 439
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 Krishna 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 Krishna, 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 Vishnu 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 Vishnu 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 nakadandubhi, had Rohin, Paurav 1, Bhadr, Madir, Devak, and several other wives. His sons by Rohin were Balabhadra, Srana, aru, Durmada, and others. Balabhadra espoused Revat, and had by her Nisatha and Ulmuka. The sons of arana were Mrshti, Mrshtimat, u, Satyadhriti, and others. Bhadrwa, Bhadrabhu, Durgama, Bhta, and others, were born in the family of Rohin (of the race of Puru). The sons of Vasudeva by Madir were Nanda, Upananda, Krtaka, and others. Bhadr bore him Upanidhi, Gada, and others. By his wife Vail he had one son named Kauika. Devak bore him six sons, Krttimat, Sushena, Udyin, Bhadrasena, Rijudaa, and Bhadradeha; all of whom Kansa put to death 2.
p. 440
When Devak was pregnant the seventh time, Yoganidr (the sleep of devotion), sent by Vishnu, extricated the embryo from its maternal womb at midnight, and transferred it to that of Rohin; and from having been thus taken away, the child (who was Balarma) received the name of Sankarshana. Next, the divine Vishnu 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 Brahm 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 Devak, and was born as her son Vsudeva. Yoganidr, proud to execute his orders, removed the embryo to Yasod, 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 Rukmin, Satyabhm, Jmbavat, Jtahain, 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, Chrudeshna, Smba, and others. Pradyumna married Kakudwat, the daughter of Rukmin, and had by her Aniruddha. Aniruddha married Subhadr, the granddaughter of the same Rukmin, and she bore him a son named Vajra. The son of Vajra was Bhu; and his son was Suchru 3.
p. 441
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 Ydava 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. Vishnu was to them a teacher and a ruler, and all the Ydavas were obedient to his commands.
Whoever listens frequently to this account of the origin of the heroes of the race of Vrishni, shall be purified from all sin, and obtain the sphere of Vishnu.
Footnotes
439:1 Paurav is rather a title attached to a second Rohin, to distinguish her from the first, the mother of Balarma: she is also said by the Vyu to be the daughter of Bhlka.
439:2 The enumeration of our text is rather imperfect. The Vyu names the wives of Vasudeva, Paurav, Rohin, Madir, Rudr, Vaikh, Devak; and adds two bondmaids, Sugandh and Vanaraj. The p. 440 Brhma P. and Hari V. name twelve wives, and two slaves; Rohin, Madir, Vaikh, Bhadr, Sunmn, Sahadev, ntidev, rdev, Devarakshit, Vrikadev, Upadev, Devaki; and antanu and Brav. The children of the two slaves, according to the Vyu, were Pundra, who became a king, and Kapila, who retired to the woods. In the Bhgavata we have thirteen wives, Paurav, Rohin, Bhadr, Madir, Rochan, Il, Devak, Dhritadev, ntidev, Upadev, rdev, Devarakshit, and Sahadev: the last seven in this and the preceding list are the daughters of Devaka.
440:3 The wives and children of Krishna are more particularly described in the next book. The Brhma P. and Hari V. add some details of the descendants of Vasudeva's brothers: thus Devabhga is said to be the father of Uddhava; Anadhrishti of Devaravas, a great scholar or Pandit. Devaravas, another brother of Vasudeva, p. 441 had atrughna and another son called Ekalavya, who for some cause being exposed when an infant, was found and brought up by the Nishdas, and was thence termed Nishdin. Vatsavat (Vatsablaka) and Gandsha being childless, Vasudeva gave his son Kauika to be adopted by the former, and Krishna gave Chrudeshna and three others to the latter. Kanaka (Karundhaka) had two sons, Tantrija and Tantripla. Avksrinjima (rinjaya) had also two, Vra and Awahanu. The gracious amka became as the son (although the brother) of yma, and disdaining the joint rule which the princes of the house of Bhoja exercised, made himself paramount. Yudhishthira was his friend. The extravagant numbers of the Ydavas merely indicate that they were, as they undoubtedly were, a powerful and numerous tribe, of whom many traces exist in various parts of India.
