Chapter 13 - Dhruva’s descendants: King Aṅga’s Abdication

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Introductory:

Chapters 13-15 give the following genealogy of Dhruva:

Sūta said:

1. After listening to (the account of) Dhruva’s ascension to the Vaikuṇṭha region as described by Maitreya, Vidura whose devotion to Lord Viṣṇu (Adhokṣaja) was intensified, proceeded again to make further queries.

Vidura said:

2. Oh strict observer of religious vows (Maitreya)! Who were those Pracetasas? Whose children were they? To whose familyline were they known to belong? Where did they have the sacrificial session?

3. I regard Nārada as a great devotee of the Lord, and as one who has directly realized the Almighty. It is he who has expounded (in the Pañcarātra Āgama) the Kriyā-Yoga (Yoga of practical devotion), in the form of the detailed procedure of worshipping Hari.

4. They say that while the Lord, the presiding deity of sacrifices, was being worshipped (by performing sacrifice) by men (Pracetasas) who were devoted to their righteous duties, Nārada, who was full of devotion, extolled him.

5. Oh Brahman, you should please narrate to me in details, all the stories of the Lord which have been related there, in that sacrifice by the divine sage (Nārada), as I long to hear them.

Maitreya said:

6. When the father (Dhruva) retired to forest, Dhruva’s (eldest) son Utkala did not wish to ascend the imperial throne and to enjoy the imperial glory.

7. From his very birth, he was of tranquil mind, unattached and of impartial outlook. He saw his Soul as pervading the world and the world abiding in his Soul.

8-9. By the fire of the uninterrupted practice of Yoga, Utkala had burnt down all the impurities of the past actions in his mind. He realized that the individual Self is the same as the tranquil Brahman in whom all differences dissolve and disappear, and who is the embodiment of the joy of pure knowledge, absolute bliss, existing everywhere. Knowing thus his own real Self, he ceased to perceive anything different from it.

10. To ignorant persons on the road, he (outwardly) appeared to be a stupid, blind, deaf, mad or a dumb man, though (in reality) he was mentally not like any of these. He was like a fire that had ceased to send out flames.

11. Considering him to be a dull idiot, the elders of the family along with the ministers, coronated the younger brother Vatsara, the son of Bhrami, as the ruler of the earth.

12. Svarvīthi, the beloved wife of Vatsara, gave birth to six sons, viz., Puspārṇa. Tigmaketu, Iṣa, Ūrja, Vasu and Jaya.

13. Puṣpārṇa had two wives—Prabhā (Day-light) and Doṣā (Night). Prātar (morning), Madhyandina (Mid-day) and Sāyam (Evening) were the sons of Prabhā (Day-light).

14. Pradoṣa (night-fall or the first part of night), Niśītha (Midnight) and Vyuṣṭa (Dawn or the late part of the night) were the three sons of Doṣā (Night). Vyuṣṭa begot from (his wife) Puṣkariṇī a son called Sarvatejas.

15. He got from his wife Ākūti a son, Cakṣus the Manu (after Svāyambhuva Manu). Manu’s queen Naḍvalā gave birth to (twelve) sinless sons.

16. (They were) Puru, Kutsa, Trita, Dyumna, Satyavat, Ṛta, Vrata, Agniṣṭoma, Atirātra, Pradyumna, Śibi and Ulmuka.

17. Ulmuka begot through his wife Puṣkaraṇī six excellent sons by name Aṅga, Sumanas, Khyāti, Kratu, Aṅgiras and Gaya.

18. Sunīthā, the wife of Aṅga, gave birth to the strong- willed (but wicked) Vena. Disgusted with his (Vena’s) wickedness, the royal sage left his capital (and retired to the forest).

19. Oh child (Vidura)! The sage whose words were (destructive) like thunderbolt, got enraged and pronounced a curse on him. (As a result of the curse he fell dead). They churned again the right hand of his dead body.

20. When there was no King, in that period, the subjects in the world, were troubled by robbers. Then Pṛthu, the first Lord of the earth (so called as he was the first founder of cities, habitations etc.) was born embodying in him an aṃśa or portion of Nārāyaṇa.

Vidura said:

21. How is it that the high-souled, pious king, who was a treasure-house of virtues and so friendly to Brāhmaṇas got such wicked progeny, that he had to leave his capital in sadness and grief.

22. Or for what offence did the sages, who were well- versed in Dharma-Śāstra, directed their curse against King Vena, who had vowed to punish the evil-doers.

23. As the king, in the capacity of the protector of his subjects, possesses the energy and the splendour of (Indra and other) world-protectors, in his own superior glory, he should not be disrespected by the subjects, even though he be at fault.

24. Oh Brahman, as you are the foremost among the knowers of para and avara^[1], please narrate to me, a devout devotee, the deeds of the son of Sunīthā.

Maitreya said:

25. The royal sage Aṅga performed a great Horse- Sacrifice (Aśvamedha). But in that sacrifice, the deities though invoked by the priests well-versed in the Vedas, did not turn up (to receive their share of the sacrificial offerings).

26. Then the sacrificial priests who were wonder-struck told the sacrificer (King Aṅga), “the deities do not accept the sacrificial oblations though poured into the fire.”

27. “Oh King, the materials for oblations are unpolluted and pure and have been devoutly procured by you. The Vedic incantations are not inefficacious, since they are chanted and used by persons of steadfast vows.

28. We do not know if the slightest disregard is shown to gods here (in this performance of sacrifice) as a result of which gods who witness the performance of this sacrificial act, do not partake of their share of oblations”.

Maitreya said:

29. Hearing the words of Brāhmaṇas, the host, the performer of the sacrifices, Aṅga became deeply grieved. With the permission of the members of the assembly, he broke his silence in order to ask them the reason of the non-acceptance of oblations.

30. “Oh Members of the sacrificial assembly! Here (in this sacrifice) deities even though invoked, do not attend. Nor do they accept their cups of Soma. Be pleased to tell me what censurable act has been committed by me.”

The Leaders of the Assembly spoke:

31. Oh King, there is not the slightest sin committed by you so far in this life. There is however one sin of your previous life on account of which you are thus issueless.

32.^[2] Oh King, the Lord, the enjoyer of sacrifices, when worshipped, will vouchsafe a son to you who are so desirous to have one. Try that way to have good progeny. May God bless you.

33. If Lord Hari, the presiding god of the sacrifices himself, is directly invoked by you for a child, all sacrificial deities (the residents of heaven) will automatically accept their respective share of oblations.

34. Hari confers upon men (his devotees) whatever desires are cherished (and sought) by them. The attainment of the desired objects, however, depends upon the manner (and devoutness) of the worship (of the Lord)

35. Thus resolved, the Brāhmaṇas offered puroḍāśa ^[3] to Viṣṇu in the form of Śipiviṣṭa^[4], for securing progeny to that king.

36. From that sacrifice arose a person adorned with gold necklace and clad in immaculate garments, bringing with him in a gold vessel ready made pāy as a (rice boiled in milk).

37. With the assent of the Brāhmaṇas the generous- minded King accepted the boiled rice in the hollow of his folded palms, smelt it and gave it to the queen joyfully.

38. Having eaten that food which had the efficacy of creating a male child, the issueless queen varīly became pregnant from her husband, and in due course of time gave birth to a son.

39. Since his childhood, the boy was attached to his maternal grandfather Mṛtyu who inherited a portion of Adharma. Hence he became unrighteous.

40. Taking up his bow and wandering as a hunter in the jungle, this wicked boy killed innocent deer. Hence people (after seeing him) would cry out “This is Vena”^[5] (the tormentor).

41. This extremely ruthless, hard hearted boy used to slay violently like beasts, boys of his own age playing on the playground.

42. Seeing that his son was so wicked, and finding that he (the king) was not successful in disciplining him in spite of different kinds of punishments, the king became sorely dejected at heart.

43. (He thought) ‘Most probably the householders who are issueless must have worshipped god for they are spared the unbearable agony caused by a wicked chjld.

44-45. Indeed what wise man will think highly of the embarrassing bondage called (his own) son if he brings evil reputation (to his father) among men and implicates him in serious unrighteousness, if he creates conflicts with all and causes unending mental torture (to his father) making his home-life full of distress.

46. (In away) I regard a bad child preferable to a good child as it is a cause of many sorrows. And a man gets disgusted with his home which is full of troubles.

47. The king who was thus dejected at heart, could not get. any sleep. At midnight he got up and leaving Vena’s mother asleep^[6] and unnoticed by other men, he departed from the palace abounding in prosperity.

48. When the subjects, royal priests, ministers, friends and relatives of the king learnt that the king had departed in disgust, they became overwhelmed with excessive grief. They searched for him all over the world (without success), just as Yogins on the wrong path do in search of the unmanifest Supreme Man hidden in their heart^[7].

49. Being unable to trace any trail of the king and having thus failed in their attempts to do so, the subjects returned to the capital. Bowing to assembled sages, they reported with tearful eyes the disappearance of their king, oh Vidura (discendant of Puru).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

para and avara: Variously interpreted as ‘past and future’. Parmātaman [Paramātman?] and products of Prakṛti, etc.

[2]:

With a view to ensuring that deities should be pleased to accept oblations from you, you should try to secure a child to you.—Bhāvāratha Dīpikā

[3]:

Puroḍāsa— a sacrificial oblation made of ground rice and offered in a kapāla or vessel. ASD. 341.

[4]:

Śipiviṣṭa (i) ‘One who has entered the sacrificial animal (the beast to be sacrificed) in the form of Sacrifice’. Bhāvāratha Dīpikā quotes a Śruti which means that Viṣṇu resides in the sacrificial animal as the spirit of the sacrifice. This form of Viṣṇu is invoked in the sacrifice specifically performed to get a son. (Putrakāmeṣṭi).

(ii) Or: from whom rays are emanating—Bhāgavata Candrikā

[5]:

Bhāvāratha Dīpikā derives the name from ven—‘to harass’ or ‘to make others full of anxiety.’

[6]:

Bhāvāratha Dīpikā thinks that the king disguised himself while Vena’s mother was sleeping.

[7]:

Bhāvāratha Dīpikā states that the king was somewhere in the town while they were searching for him outside all over the world.