PURU

 

Location of Kunind relative to other groups: the Audumbaras, the Vemak's, the Vrishnis, the Yaudheyas, the Paurav's and the Arjunyan's

Ram Swarup Joon writes about Puru: Yayati's second son succeeded his father to the throne and his descendants ruled for thousand of years. Advancing from Haridwar, king Hasti founded Hastinapur as his capital and the Pandava rule was established over Indraprasth.

 

A large number of gotras originated after the name of the famous kings of this dynasty.

 

The earliest gotra adopted by the Puru dynasty was Atrey.

 

According to the "Shiv Puran", Shiv's wife was insulted his in the Yagya by king Daksh. Shiv therefore sent his general named Vir Bhadra from the country named Shiv Jat and he cut off the head of Daksh.

 

A study of the genealogical tables of the Dholpur dynasty give us an account of one branch of Puru dynasty.

 

According to these genealogical tables, the descendents of Paunbhadra came to be known as Pauniya and settled down in Rajasthan, Haryana and Brij.

 

The descendants of Kalahan Bhadra came to be known as Kalhan and settled down in Southern Gujrat and Kathiawar.

 

The descendants of Atisur Bhadra came to be known as Anjana or Anjilet and settled down in Malwa, Mewar, Marwar and Dhundhar.

 

The descendants of Jakhbhadra came to be known as Jakhar and settled down in Jammu and Kashmir, Sindh and Punjab.

 

The descendants of Brahmabhadra came to be known as Bhimarolaya and settled down in Jhelum and the descendants of Dahi Bhadra came to be known as Dahiya and settled down in the Punjab and other lands.

 

Puru of Mahabharat :

Puru was son of Yayati and Sharmishtha. The mother of Anu and Puru, (whom the Jats claim as their progenitors), was Sarmishtha, the princess of King Vrshaparvan (Pargiter, F.E.,: AIHT, pp. 56-7).

 

Sons of Puru and Sharmishtha :

 

Yayati had three sons from Sharmishtha – 1. Druhyu 2. Anu and 3. Puru.

 

Sons of Puru and Devyani :

Yayati had two sons from Devayani – 1. Yadu and 2. Turvasu.

 

Story of Devayani and Sharmishtha :

When Devyani came to know about the relationship of Yayati and Sharmishtha and their three sons she felt shocked and betrayed. Devyani went away to her father's house. Shukracharya was displeased with the king, and cursed that he would lose his youth and become an old man immediately. As soon as Shukracharya uttered his curse Yayati became an old man. Shukracharya also said that his curse once uttered could not be taken back and added that the only concession he could give was that if Yayati wanted he could give his old age to someone and take their youth from them. Yayati was relieved at the reprieve he was given and confident that his sons would willingly exchange their youth with him. Yayati went back to his kingdom. Yayati requested all his five sons one by one to give their youth to him to enjoy the worldly happiness. All the sons except Puru rejected his demand. So Yayati took the youth of Puru and enjoyed all the subjects. Puru became the successor King of Yayati.

 

Puru tribe :

The Purus were a tribe, or a confederation of tribes, mentioned many times in the Rigved, formed around 3180 B.C.E. RV 7.96.2 locates them at the banks of the Sarasvati River. There were several factions of Purus, one being the Bharatas. Purus rallied many other tribes against King Sudas of the Bharat, but were defeated in the Battle of the Ten Kings (RV 7.18, etc.,).

 

India's famous name Bharat or Bharat-Varsh is actually named after a descendant of the Puru dynasty King Bharat (2860 B.C.E.). There were two main Vedic cultures in ancient India. The first was a northern kingdom centered on the Sarasvati-Drishadvati river region dominated by the Purus and the Ikshvakus that produced the existent Ved texts that we have. The second was a southern culture along the coast of the Arabian Sea and into the Vindhya Mountains, dominated by the Turvashas and Yadus and extending into groups yet further south. These northern and southern groups vied for supremacy and influenced each other in various ways as the Ved's and Puran's indicate. The northern or Bharat culture ultimately prevailed, making India the land of Bharat or Bharatavarsh and its main ancient literary record the Ved's, though militarily the Yadus remained strong throughout history.

 

Kuru was born after 25 generations of Puru's dynasty, and after 15 generations of Kuru, Kauravas and Pandavas were born. These were the same renowned Kaurav and Pandavs who fought the epic battle of Mahabharat. The dynasty of king Yadu - Andhak, Vrasni and Bhoj, under the leadership of Shree Krishna, helped the Pandavas win the battle. According to Puranic tradition, the war occurred 95 generations after Manu Vaivasvata. The Puranas state that there are 1,050 years between Parikshit of the Kurus and the last Kuru king at the time of Mahapadma Nanda.

 

The King Porus of Alexander's time seem to reflect the old tribal name. Kosambi mentioned that the Puru name perhaps survived in the modern Punjabi surname Puri, while Naval Viyogi (1966) mentions in his work on the IVC that the modern Punjabi surname Puri may possibly originate with the Puru tribe. Buddha Prakash (1964) mentions that the Puru clan probably survived in Punjab under the name of Puri.

 

Jat Gotras originated from Puru :

  • Badak
  • Bamraulia
  • Dahiya
  • Jakhar
  • Kalhan
  • Mahla
  • Pawar
  • Phour
  • Poras
  • Punariya
  • Punia
  • Puru
  • Purwar

Description of fifty generations of Purvansh :

 

The creation has originated from the Supreme Father Brahma, hence the description of fifty generations of the Purvansha after him is as follows. You can find out their generation from the given numbers.

 

1. Prajapati became proficient with Parampita Brahma.

2. From Daksh came Aditi.

3. From Aditi came Vivaswan.

4. From Vivaswan came Manu, in whose name we are called Manav (human beings).

5. From Manu came Ila (Ela).

6. From Ela came Pururava and who married Urvashi and also held the position of Indra.

7. From Purarava came Ayu.

8. From Ayu came Nahush.

 

9. Nahush's had an elder son, Yeti, who became a monk, so his second son, Yayati, became king. All the Ancestry came from the sons of Yayati. Yayati had five sons. Yadu and Tervasu from Devayani, Dhuhu and Anu from Sharmistha. Yadukul of Yadavas started from Yadu, in which Shri Krishna was born later. From Tarvasu came Malech, from Dhuhu came Bhoj and Puru. From Puru esteem Puruvansh Started. Anu's lineage did not last long.

10. From Puru and Kaushalya came Janmajey.

11. Ffrom Janmajey and Ananta came Prachiwan.

12. Prachiwan was married to Ashmiki and had Samyati.

13. Samyati was married to Warangi and had Ahamyati.

14. Ahamyati was married to Bhanumati and had Sarvabhaum.

15. Sarvabhaum was married to Sunanda and had Jayatsen.

16. Jayatsen was married to Shushrava and had Avachin.

17. Avachin was married to Maryada and had Arih.

18. Arih was married to Khalvamgi and had Mahabhaum.

19. Mahabhaum was married to Shuyasha and had Anutanaye.

20. Anutanaye was married to Kama and had Akrodhan.

21. Akrodhan was married to Karambha and had Devathiti.

22. Devatithi was married to Marayada and had Arih.

23. Arih was married to Sudeva and had Krush.

24. Krush was married to Jawala and had Matinar.

25. Matinar was married to Saraswati and had Tamsu.

26. Tamsu was married to Kalindi and had Eileen.

27. Eileen was married to Rathantari and had Dushyant.

28. Dushyant was married to Shakuntala and had Bharat and by the name of Bharat our country (India)is called Bharat.

29. Bharat was married to Sunanda and had Bhamanyu.

30. Bhamanyu was married to Vijay and had Suhotra.

31. Suhotra was married to Suvarna and had Hasti after whom the entire state was named Hastinapur.

32. Hasti was married to Yashodhara and had Vikunthan.

33. Vikunthan was married to Sudeva and had Jamidh.

34. The Ajmidh's son was Samvaran.

35. Samvaran was Married to Tapti and had Kuru on whose name this dynasty was called Kuru dynasty.

36. Kuru was married to Shubhangi and had Vidurath.

37. Vidurath was married to Sampriya and had Anavashva.

38. Anashva was married to Amruta and had Parikshit.

39. Parikshit was married to Suyusha and had Bhimsen.

40. Bhimsen was married to Kumari and had Pratishrava.

41. Pratishrava had Prateep.

42. Pratip was married to Sunanda and had Shantanu.

43. Shantanu was married to Ganga and had devvrat Ganga, which later became famous as Bhishm . Bhishm's dynasty did not move forward because he had vowed to remain a life-long brahchari. Shantanu's second wife Satyavati had Chitrangad and Vichitravirya . Chitrangad died in his youth. Vichitravirya had two queens, Ambika and Ambalaika. Vichichitravirya too died before the birth of his child, but with the grace of Maharishi Vyas, his dynasty went ahead.

44. With the grace of Maharishi Vyas on Vichitravirya , Dhritarashtra was born from Ambika, Pandu from Ambalaika and Vidur were born from Ambika's maid.

45. From Dhritarashtra, Duryodhana Dushasan, etc. 100 sons were born and a daughter called Dushala. He also had a son called Yuyust from a Vaishya girl who was younger than Duryodhan and older than Dushasan. Even after so many sons, their dynasty did not move forward because their entire dynasty was destroyed in the war of Mahabharat. The Pandu progeny were unable to be born due to the curse of the Kindam Rishi. He ordered his two wives to produce children with the mantra of sage Durvasa. From Dharmaraj and Kunti Yudhisthir was born, the Pavandev, Bhim was born and from Lord Indra, Arjun was born. From Madri and Ashwnikumar, Nakul and Sahadeva born. There was a difference of one year in the birth of these five. The day Bheem was born, Duryodhana was also born on the same day.

46. Draupadi and Yudhisthir had Prativindhya and from Devika Yudey was born while. Sutsom was born from Draupadi and Bhim, from Jalndhara Swarg was born and from Hidimba Gatorgatch was born. Gathorgatch's son was Barbarik . From Nakul and Draupadi, Shatniks and Karenumati and from Karenumati Nirmitra was born. Shrutkarma was born from Draupadi and Sahadev and Suhotra from Vijaya. The descendants of these four brothers did not work.

Arjun had Shrutkirti from Draupadi, Subhadra from Abhimanyu, Ulupi from Elawan, and from Chitrangada he had Babruvahan. Of these, only Abhimanyu 's dynasty went ahead.

47. Abhimanyu's and Uttara had Parikshit. He was bitten by snake called Takshak under the curse of the Sage and he died.

48. Parikshit had Janmejaye. He got a snake sacrifice to avenge his father's death, in which many castes of snakes ended, but Takshak survived.

49. Janamejay had Shatanik and Shankukarna.

50. Shatanki had son Ashwameghdatt.

This is a description of the Purvansh in a nutshell.