Part 41 (1/2)

Ambarisha with his wife once undertook to perform Dvadasi Vrata for one year. (Dvadasi is the twelfth day of the Moon. The Vrata consists in fasting on the eleventh day of the Moon and in breaking the fast on the 12th day). On one occasion he fasted for 3 consecutive days. He bathed himself in the Yamuna and wors.h.i.+pped Vishnu at Mathura. He gave plenty of riches and cattle to the Brahmanas. He then fed the Brahmanas and asked their permission to eat himself. At the time Durvasas appeared as his guest. The king received him duly and requested him to take his meals. The Ris.h.i.+ consented and went to bathe himself in the river and perform his daily rites. The king waited long for him but he did not return. There was only half a muhurta now remaining of Dvadasi. If the king did not eat any thing, his Vrata would not be observed. If he ate, he would shew disregard to a Brahmana. At this juncture, the king decided to serve both ends by taking a little water, for the Brahmanas call that both eating and non-eating. Durvasas came back. By spiritual vision, he knew what had happened and became highly enraged. He tore up a hair tuft and charged it to kill Ambarisha. The king remained unmoved.

The chakra of Vishnu consumed the destructive force sent by Durvasas and went even to destroy him. The Ris.h.i.+ ran in every direction. The Chakra followed him wherever he went. He went to Brahma and prayed to be saved.

”It is not in my power to save thee” said Brahma. ”Thou hast offended a votary of Vishnu.” He went to Siva. ”Child” said Siva ”this weapon of Vishnu is too much for me even. Go thou to Vishnu.” Durvasas went to Vishnu and prayed to be pardoned and saved. Said Vishnu: ”O Brahmana, I am dependent on my Bhaktas. I am not free. My heart is in the possession of my Bhaktas. I am dear to them. Without these my Bhaktas I do not even want myself, nor my absolute powers, for I am their sole and supreme resort. They forsake their wives, homes, children and wealth for my sake. How can I forsake them. Their heart is chained to me. They look on all with equal eyes. By devotion they win me even as chaste wives win their husbands. My service is all in all to them. They do not even desire the four Muktis, Salokya and others, though these come within their easy reach. What perishable objects can they have desire for? The Sadhus are my heart. I am the heart of the Sadhus. They do not know any one besides me nor do I know any one besides them. O Brahmana, hear what is thy only remedy. Without delay go to him who has caused this fear in thee. When force is used against Sadhus, it reacts on him who uses the force. True asceticism and wisdom are both for the salvation of the Brahmanas. But in one untrained, they produce the contrary effect.

Therefore go thou to the son of Nabhaga. Beg his pardon and thou shalt be saved.” Durvasas went back to Ambarisha and touched the feet of the king. Ambarisha became non-plussed at this act of a Brahmana and knowing the object of the Ris.h.i.+, he prayed to the Chakra to desist from its course and to save the Brahmana. The Chakra had just commenced its work of destruction, but it withdrew its energies upon the prayer of Ambarisha. Durvasas was extremely thankful and he thus praised the king.

”I see this day the greatness of Vaishnavas, O king. Thou didst pray for my welfare, though I had offended thee. There is nothing strange for those that have conquered Vishnu Himself. Thou hast been very kind to me. Thou hast favored me much. Thou didst not even think of my offence, but thou hast saved my life.” The king had waited for Durvasas all this time. He now fell at the feet of the Ris.h.i.+ and requested him to take his meals. The Ris.h.i.+ gladly did so, and also made the king take his food.

Durvasas then went to Brahma Loka. He did not return for one year and the King lived upon water only all this time, being so anxious to see the Ris.h.i.+ back. Such is the holy story of Ambarisha.

Ambarisha

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Virupa Ketumat Sambhu

Prishadasva

Rathitara

Rathitara had no children. At his request Ris.h.i.+ Angiras produced certain sons by his wife. They were known both as Rathitaras and angirasas.

[Durvasas had cursed Indra, and Indra lost all power. But after the great churning, times were changed. The divine law favoured the Devas and the wors.h.i.+ppers of Vishnu. Those who a.s.sumed a power, independently of Vishnu, were sure to find disappointment, however eminent their position might be.]

(I) IKSHVaKU.

SKANDHA IX. CHAPS. 6-13.

Ikshvaku was born out of the nostrils of Manu when sneezing. He had one hundred sons. Vikuks.h.i.+, Nimi, and Dandaka were the eldest born. Twenty five of them ruled on the east of aryavarta, twenty five on the west and twenty five in the middle. The others ruled else where. For the performance of Ashtaka Sraddha, Ikshvaku once ordered Vikuks.h.i.+ to get some good flesh. Vikuks.h.i.+ had a bagful of good game. But he was hungry and ate one rabbit out of his store.

Vasishtha found fault with this and Ikshvaku had to reject the whole of the game. The King became angry at this and he expelled his son from the kingdom. When Ikshvaku died, Vikuks.h.i.+ returned. He succeeded his father as king and was known as Sasada or Rabbiteater. Puranjaya was the son of Sasada. He was also called Indravaha and Kakutstha. The Devas had a fight with the Asuras and Indra asked for the help of Puranjaya.

Puranjaya wanted Indra to be his carrier, and the King of the Devas became a bull. Puranjaya ascended the bull on its hump. He is therefore called Indravaha or Indra-vehicled and Kakutstha or the mounter on the hump. He defeated the Asuras.

Ikshvaku

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Vikuks.h.i.+ Nimi 98 other sons (Sasada)

Puranjaya (Indra vahu Kakutstha)

Anena

Prithu

Visvagandhi

Chandra

Yuvanasva

Sravasta (He built the town Sravasti)

Brihadasva

Kuvalayasva (Dhundhumara.)

With his 21 thousand sons, Kuvalayasva killed an Asura called Dhundhu, for the good of Ris.h.i.+ Utanka. But the Asura killed all his sons, except three, with fire from his mouth. Those three were Dridhasva, Kapilasva and Bhadrasva.

Kuvalayasva or Dhundhumara.

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Dridhasva. Kapilasva. Bhadrasva.

Haryasva

Nik.u.mbha

Bahulasva

Krisasva

Senajit

Yuvanasva.

Yuvanasva had no son. So the Ris.h.i.+s performed a sacrifice directed to Indra. One night Yuvanasva became very thirsty and entered the Yajna house. He found all the Ris.h.i.+s sleeping at the time. He thought it improper to rouse the Ris.h.i.+s and drank whatever water he found near at hand. By chance that happened to be the consecrated water with the power of producing a son. When the Ris.h.i.+s rose up they did not find the water.

On enquiry, when they knew what had happened, every one wondered what the outcome would be. In time the king brought forth a son from his right side. The little thing cried out for milk. Indra said ”Do not weep, child, you shall _drink wine_ ('_Man Dhata_')” So saying he offered the child his fore finger. From this, the child was called Mandhata. Yuvanasva, by the blessing of the Ris.h.i.+s, did not meet with death at delivery. Mandhata was a very powerful king. The thieves dreaded him much. He performed many sacrifices and made many gifts. He married Indumati, daughter of Sasabindu. He had three sons Purukutsa, Ambarisha, and the Yogin Muchukunda. He had also fifty daughters.

Ris.h.i.+ Soubhari made Tapas in the waters of the Yamuna. One day he saw the pairing of a couple of fish and became excited. He requested king Mandhata to give him one daughter in marriage. The king said: ”By Svayamvara, you may get my daughter” (_i.e._ the girl must choose her own husband from amongst a number of men offering themselves as husbands.) The Ris.h.i.+ thought because he was old and decrepit therefore the king wanted to put him off. So Soubhari by yogic powers became young and beautiful. All the fifty daughters then accepted him for their husband. The Ris.h.i.+ prepared for himself all the enjoyments of life and pa.s.sed his days in company with his 50 wives. He then became disgusted with this sensual life and afterwards attained Moksha with his wives.

Yuvanasva adopted his grand son Ambarisha. Ambarisha had one son Youvanasva. His son was Harita. These three, Ambarisha, Youvanasva and Harita were the founders of the chief clans of the Mandhata Dynasty.

The elemental serpents gave their sister Narmoda in marriage to Purukutsa. Purukutsa accompanied Narmoda to Rasatala at the request of Vasuki. There he killed such Gandharvas as deserved to be killed. Those who remember this story have no fear from serpents. Such was the blessing of the elemental serpents.

Yuvanasva

Mandhata

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Purukuta Ambarisha Muchukunda m. Narmoda (adopted by Yuvanasva) (Yogin)

Trasadasya Youvanasva

Anaranya Harita

Horyasva

Praruna

Tribandhana

Satyavrata or Tri Sanku

Tri Sanku became a Chandala by the curse of his father. Ris.h.i.+ Visvamitra lifted him up to Svarga in his own mortal body. Tri Sanku is still visible in the heavens. The devas turned him with his head downwards and attempted to throw him down. Visvamitra by his power has retained him there.

[Tri Sanku is a constellation in the southern hemisphere.]:

Tri Sanku

Haris Chandra

Haris Chandra had at first no issue. He prayed to Varuna for a son, promising to offer him as a sacrifice to the Water-G.o.d. The king had a son named Rohita (Red). Varuna asked for his victim. Ten days pa.s.sed away. ”Without teething the child will not be pure.” There was teething.

”When these milk teeth fall away, then will be the time.” The milk teeth fell off. ”Let other teeth grow.” Other teeth did grow. ”But he is a Kshatriya boy. He can be pure only when he is fit to put his armour on.”

The king put off Varuna from time to time in this way, out of affection for his son. Rohita came to know of his father's promise. To save himself, he took a bow and went to the forest. There he learned that his father had an attack of dropsy, the disease caused by Varuna. So he prepared himself to go back, but Indra prevented him by persuasive words. He was put back from year to year by Indra, till his 6th. year.

He then made his way to the king. He purchased from Ajigarta his second son Sunahsepha. He saluted his father and offered the child. King Haris Chandra appeased Varuna by human sacrifice and got rid of his dropsy. In that sacrifice, Visvamitra was the Hota, Jamadagni was the Adhvaryu, Vasistha Brahma and Ayasya was the Udgata. Indra being pleased gave a golden chariot to the king. Visvamitra taught atma Vidya to Haris Chandra and he attained liberation.

[The story of Haris Chandra in this Purana follows the vedic version.

The gist of the story is that in the course of further evolution the Devas were to be propitiated by human sacrifice. But this sacrifice did not mean killing. It was the complete offering of oneself up to the service of the G.o.ds. The mission of the human victim is to constantly work for the good of the Universe and to extinguish his own personality.

Sunahsepha was not killed in the sacrifice. He was offered up to the service of the G.o.ds. After the sacrifice, he was called Devarata _i.e._ one offered to the Devas. Visvamitra adopted Devarata as his own son and he asked his hundred sons to accept him as their eldest brother. He disowned those sons that did not obey him (Bhagavata IX-16). Therefore Visvamitra took the princ.i.p.al part in this sacrifice and not Vasistha, though he was the family preceptor.]

Haris Chandra

Rohita

Harita

Champa (founder of Champa)

Sudeva