ADI PARV MAHABHARAT BOOK 1 CHAPTER 89

Adi Parv, Mahabharat / Mahabharat Book I Chapter 89 : English

SECTION XCIV : History of Puru and Pandavas (Aila dynasty)

(Sambhav Parv continued)

Ancestry of Yayati as per Bhagavat Puran

Genealogy of Puru :

Puru (wife: Paushti) → 1.Pravir, 2.Iswara and 3. Raudraswa

1. Pravira (w:Suraseni) → Manasyu (w:Sauviri) → Subhru, Sahana, and Vagmi.

3. Raudraswa (w:Misrakesi) → Richeyu (=Anadhrishti) (+9 more) → Matinara → Tansu (+3 more) → Ilina (w:Rathantara → Dushmanta (w:Sakuntala) (+4 more) → Bharat → Bhumanyu (Pushkarini) → Suhotra (w:Aikshaki) (+5 more) → Ajamidha (w: Dhumini) → Riksha → Samvaran (w:Tapati) (migrated to Sindhu River) → Kuru (w:Vahini) → Abhishyavanta → Parikshit → Janmejay → Dhritrashtra (+Pandu & 6 more) → Pratip (+2 more) → Santanu

"Janmejay said, 'O adorable one, I desire to hear the histories of those kings who were descended from Puru. O tell me of each as he was possessed of prowess and achievements. I have, indeed, heard that in Puru's line there was not a single one who was wanting in good behaviour and prowess, or who was without sons. O thou of ascetic wealth, I desire to hear the histories in detail of those famous monarchs endued with learning and all accomplishments.'

"Vaisampayana said, 'Asked by thee, I shall tell thee all about the heroic-kings in Puru's line, all equal unto Indra in prowess, possessing great affluence and commanding the respect of all for their accomplishments.

• "Puru had by his wife Paushti three sons, Pravira, Iswara, and Raudraswa, all of whom were mighty car-warriors. Amongst them, Pravira was the perpetuator of the dynasty.

• Pravir had by his wife Suraseni a son named Manasyu. And the latter of eyes like lotus-petals had his sway over the whole Earth bounded by the four seas. And

• Manasyu had for his wife Sauviri. And he begat upon her three sons called Subhru, Sahana, and Vagmi. And they were heroes in battle and mighty car-warriors. The intelligent and virtuous

• Raudraswa begat upon the Apsara Misrakesi ten sons who were all great bowmen. And they all grew up into heroes, performing numerous sacrifices in honour of the gods. And they all had sons, were learned in all branches of knowledge and ever devoted to virtue. They are Richeyu, and Kakshepu and Krikepu of great prowess; Sthandilepu, and Vanepu, and Sthalepu of great fame; Tejepu of great strength and intelligence; and Satyepu of the prowess of Indra; Dharmepu, and Sannatepu the tenth of the prowess of the celestials. Amongst them all,

• Richepu became the sole monarch of the whole earth and was known by the name of Anadhrishti. And in prowess he was like unto Vasava amongst the celestials. And

• Anadhristi had a son of the name of Matinara who became a famous and virtuous king and performed the Rajasuya and the horse-sacrifice. And

• Matinar had four sons of immeasurable prowess, viz., Tansu, Mahan, Atiratha, and Druhyu of immeasurable glory. (Amongst them,

• Tansu of great prowess became the perpetrator of Puru's line). And he subjugated the whole earth and acquired great fame and splendour. And

• Tansu begat a son of great prowess named Ilina. And he became the foremost of all conquerors and brought the whole world under his subjection. And

• Ilina begat upon his wife Rathantar five sons with Dushmant at their head, all equal in might unto the five elements. They were

• Dushmant, Sura, Bhima, Pravasu, and Vasu. And, O Janamejaya, the eldest of them, Dushmanta, became king. And

• Dushmant had by his wife Sakuntala an intelligent son named Bharat who became king. And Bharat gave his name to the race of which he was the founder. And it is from him that the fame of that dynasty hath spread so wide. And

• Bharat begat upon his three wives nine sons in all. But none of them were like their father and so Bharat was not at all pleased with them. Their mothers, therefore, became angry and slew them all. The procreation of children by Bharat, therefore, became vain. The monarch then performed a great sacrifice and through the grace of Bharadwaja obtained a son named *Bhumanyu. And then Bharat, the great descendant of Puru, regarding himself as really possessing a son, installed, O foremost one of Bharat's race, that son as his heir-apparent. And

• Bhumanyu begat upon his wife, Pushkarini six sons named Suhotra, Suhotri, Suhavih, Sujeya, Vitatha and Richika. The eldest of them all, *Suhotra, obtained the throne and performed many Rajasuyas and horse-sacrifices. And Suhotra brought under his sway the whole earth surrounded by her belt of seas and full of elephants, kine and horses, and all her wealth of gems of gold. And the earth afflicted with the weight of numberless human beings and elephants, horses, and cats, was, as it were, about to sink. And during the virtuous reign of Suhotra the surface of the whole earth was dotted all over with hundreds and thousands, of sacrificial stakes. And the lord of the earth,

• Suhotra, begat, upon his wife Aikshaki three sons, viz., Ajamidha, Sumidha, and Purumidha. The eldest of them,

• Ajamidha, was the perpetuator of the royal line. And he begat six sons,--

• Riksha was born of the womb of Dhumini,

• Dushmanta and Parameshthin, of Nili, and

• Jahnu, Jana and Rupina were born in that of Kesini. All the tribes of the

• Panchalas are descended from Dushmanta and Parameshthin. And the

• Kushikas are the sons of Jahnu of immeasurable prowess. And Riksha who was older than both Jana and Rupina became king. And

• Riksha begat Samvarana, the perpetuator of the royal line. And, O king, it hath been heard by us that while Samvarana, the son of Riksha, was ruling the earth, there happened a great loss of people from famine, pestilence, drought, and disease. And the Bharat princes were beaten by the troops of enemies. And the Panchalas setting out to invade the whole earth with their four kinds of troops soon brought the whole earth under their sway. And with their ten Akshauhinis the king of the Panchalas defeated the Bharat prince. Samvarana then with his wife and ministers, sons and relatives, fled in fear, and took shelter in the forest on the banks of the Sindhu extending to the foot of the mountains. There the Bharats lived for a full thousand years, within their fort. And after they had lived there a thousand years, one day the illustrious Rishi Vasishtha approached the exiled Bharats, who, on going out, saluted the Rishi and worshipped him by the offer of Arghya. And entertaining him with reverence, they represented everything unto that illustrious Rishi. And after he was seated on his seat, the king himself approached the Rishi and addressed him, saying, 'Be thou our priest, O illustrious one! We will endeavour to regain our kingdom.' And Vasishtha answered the Bharats by saying, 'Om' (the sign of consent). It hath been heard by us that Vasishtha then installed the Bharat prince in the sovereignty of all the Kshatriyas on earth, making by virtue of his Mantras this descendant of Puru the veritable horns of the wild bull or the tusks of the wild elephants. And the king retook the capital that had been taken away from him and once more made all monarchs pay tribute to him. The powerful Samvarana, thus installed once more in the actual sovereignty of the whole earth, performed many sacrifices at which the presents to the Brahmanas were great.

Ancestry of Kuru as per Bhagavat Puran

• "Samvarana begat upon his wife, Tapati, the daughter of Surya, a son named Kuru. This Kuru was exceedingly virtuous, and therefore, he was installed on the throne by his people. It is after his name that the field called Kuru Jangala has become so famous in the world. Devoted to asceticism, he made that field (Kurukshetra) sacred by practising asceticism there. And it has been heard by us that Kuru's highly intelligent wife, Vahini, brought forth five sons, viz.,

• Ashvavanta, Abhishyavanta, Chaitraratha, Muni and the celebrated Janamejaya. And

• Abhishvata begat Parikshit the powerful, Shavalashva, Abhiraja, Viraja, Shalmala of great physical strength, Uchaihsravas, Bhadrakara and Jitari the eighth. In the race of these were born, as the fruit of their pious acts seven mighty car-warriors with Janamejaya at their head. And unto

• Parikshit were born sons who were all acquainted with (the secrets of) religion and profit. And they were named Kakshasena and Ugrasena, and Chitrasena endued with great energy, and Indrasena and Sushena and Bhimasena. And the sons of

• Janmejay were all endued with great strength and became celebrated all over the world. And they were Dhritarashtra who was the eldest, and Pandu and Valhika, and Nishadha endued with great energy, and then the mighty Jamvunada, and then Kundodara and Padati and then Vasati the eighth. And they were all proficient in morality and profit and were kind to all creatures. Among them Dhritrashtra became king. And

• Dhritrashtra had eight sons, viz., Kundika, Hasti, Vitarka, Kratha the fifth, Havihsravas, Indrabha, and Bhumanyu the invincible, and

• Dhritrashtra had many grandsons, of whom three only were famous. They were, O king, Pratipa, Dharmanetra, Sunetra. Among these three, Pratipa became unrivalled on earth. And, O bull in Bharat's race, *Pratipa begat three sons, viz., Devapi, Santanu, and the mighty car-warrior Valhika. The eldest Devapi adopted the ascetic course of life, impelled thereto by the desire of benefiting his brothers. And the kingdom was obtained by Santanu and the mighty car-warrior Valhik.

"O monarch, besides, there were born in the race of Bharat numberless other excellent monarchs endued with great energy and like unto the celestial Rishis themselves in virtue and ascetic power. And so also in the race of Manu were born many mighty car-warriors like unto the celestials themselves, who by their number swelled the Aila dynasty into gigantic proportions.'"

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