Chapter 23 - The History of the Dynasties of Anu, Druhyu, Turvasu and Yadu

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Introductory:

For the clear understanding of the Purāṇic history the genealogies of different branches of the Lunar race are given below: These names indicate Successors to the thrones—not necessarily sons.

Anus —I Branch

Anu—>Sabhānara—>Kālanara—>Sṛñjaya—>Janamejaya—> Mahāśīla—> Mahāmanas—>Uśīnara—>Śibi—>Kaikeya

Anus —I Branch

Titikṣu—>Ruṣadratha—>Hema—>Sutapas—>Sutapā-Bali—> Aṅga—> Khanapāna—>Diviratha—>Dharmaratha—>Romapāda—> Caturaṅga—>Pṛthulākṣa Campa—> Bṛhatkarman—> Bṛhadratha—> Bṛhadbhānu—> Bṛhanmanas—>Jayadratha—> Vijaya—> Dhṛti—> Dhṛtavrata—>Satkarman—>Adhiratha—> Karṇa—>Vṛṣasena

Druhyus

Druhyu—>Babhru—>Setu—>Ārabdha—>Gāndhāra—>Dharma—>Dhṛta—> Durmanas—>Pracetas—>Prācetas

Turvasus

Turvasu—>Vahni—>Bharga—>Bhānumān—>Tribhānu—>Karandhama—>Maruta—>Duṣyanta.

Yadus: Haihaya Branch

Yadu—>Sahasrajit—> Śatajit—> Haihaya—> Dharmanetra—> Kunti—>Sohañji—>Mahiṣman—>Bhadrasena (Bhadrasenaka)—>Durmada—> Dhanaka—>Kṛtavīrya—>Arjuna—>Jayadhvaja—>Tālajaṅgha—>Vītihotra

Yadu: Main Branch

Yadu—>Kroṣṭā—>Vṛjinvan—>Svāhi—> Ruśeku—> Citraratha—> Śaśabindu—> Pṛthuśravas—> Dharma—> Uśanas—> Rucaka—>Jyāmagha—> Vidarbha

Śrī Śuka continued:

1. Anu (the son of Yayāti) had three sons—Sabhānara, Cakṣu and Parokṣa. From Sabhānara was born Kālanara, whose son was then Sṛñjaya.

2. His son was Janamejaya, who begot Mahāśīla and his son was Mahāmanas. Uśīnara and Titikṣu were the sons of Mahāmanas.

3-4. Uśīnara had four sons—Śibi, Vana, Śami and Dakṣa. Śibi’s four sons were Vṛṣādarbha, Suvīra, Madra and Kaikeya. Titikṣu’s son was Ruśadratha, and his son, Hema. Hema’s son was Sutapas from whom Bali was born.

5. On the wife of king Bali (who was childless), the sage Dīrghatamas begot six sons beginning with Aṅga, Vaṅga, Kaliṅga and also those called by the names Suhma, Puṇḍra and Āndhra.

6. These six established principalities in eastern provinces were known after their names (respectively). From Aṅga was born Khanapāna whose son was Diviratha.

7. His son was Dharmaratha whose son Citraratha had no issue. He was also known as Romapāda and was a friend of Daśaratha (king of Ayodhyā).

8-10. Daśaratha gave his daughter Śāntā (in adoption) whom Ṛṣyaśṛṅga married. When Indra did not release showers of rain, beautiful courtesans enticed away that son of a female deer, by means of dancing, vocal and instrumental music, coquettish behaviour, embraces and presents and brought him (to the king). By conducting a sacrifice (Iṣṭi) in. honour of Indra, he (propitiated Indra and) secured progeny to Romapāda (who was childless). Daśaratha who was issueless was also blessed with children by a similar sacrifice. Caturaṅga was born from Romapāda, whose son was Pṛthulākṣa.

11. Pṛthulākṣa had (three) sons viz. Bṛhadratha, Bṛhatkarmā and Bṛhadbhānu. From the first (Bṛhadratha), was born Bṛhanmanas, from whom Jayadratha appeared.

12. He begot on Sambhūti (a son called) Vijaya from whom appeared Dhṛti. Thence Dhṛtavrata whose son was Satkarmā, from whom was born Adhiratha.

13. While playing on the bank of the Gaṅgā the king found a son encased in a (floating) box, abandoned by Kuntī, as he was born before her marriage. Being issueless, he brought him up as his son.

14. Vṛṣasena was the son of Karṇa who became a king. Druhyu (another son of Yayāti) had a son called Babhru, whose son was Setu.

15. His son was Ārabdha; his son, Gāndhāra, whose son was Dharma. Dharma’s son was Dhṛta of whom Durmanas was the son. His son was Pracetas who had a hundred sons.

16. They became the rulers of the Mlecchas, and established themselves in the northern region. Turvasu (another son of Yayāti) had a son called Vahni of whom Bhaga was born. His son was Bhānumān.

17. His (Bhānumān’s) son was Tribhānu whose son was the noble-hearted Karandhama. His son was Marut. He was childless and adopted Duṣyanta of the Pūru line, as his son.

18-19. That Duṣyanta, being desirous of (one more) kingdom, returned again to his family (as Pūru’s descendant). I shall now describe to you the dynasty of Yadu, the eldest son of Yayāti—a dynasty of great religious merits and capable of removing sins. Aman who listens to the account of the (familyline of) Yadu is absolved of all sins.

20-21. It was in this dynasty that the Supreme Soul incarnated, assuming a human form. It is reported that Yadu had four sons—Sahasrajit, Kroṣṭṛ, Nala and Ripu. The son of the first (Sahasrajit) was Śatajit. He had (three) sons—Mahāhaya, Veṇuhaya and Haihaya.

22. Haihaya’s son was Dharma, whose son was Netra, the father of Kunti. From Kunti was born Sohañji whose son was Mahiṣmān; his son was Bhadrasenaka.

23. Bhadrasena’s sons were Durmada and Dhanaka, the father of Kṛtavīrya. Kṛtāgni, Kṛtavarmā and Kṛtaujāḥ [Kṛtaujas?] also were the sons of Dhanaka.

24. Arjuna, the son of Kṛtavīrya became the lord of seven continents. He became extremely proficient in Yoga through the grace of Dattātreya, himself a ray of Lord Hari.

25. Other rulers of the earth cannot definitely reach the status of Kārtavīrya, in point of performance of sacrifices, munificent donations, asceticism, spiritual (yogic) powers, scholarship, valour, victories etc.

26. For eighty five thousand years, with unabated strength...

26(A). Arjuna ruled his kingdom always remembering Lord Hari... with no dimunition in wealth of memory^[1], he enjoyed the inexhaustible (fund) of objects of six senses (including the mind, as the sixth).

27. Out of his thousand sons, only five survived the battle (with Paraśurāma). They were Jayadhavja, Śūrasena, Vṛṣabha, Madhu and Ūrjita.

28. From Jayadhvaja was born Tālajaṅgha, who had hundred sons. The family of Tālajaṅghas was destroyed by the prowess of Sagara (the Aurva).

29. Vītihotra was the eldest of Tālajaṅgha’s sons. Of Madhu (the son of Kārtavīrya Arjuna) was born Vṛṣṇi^[2]. Madhu had hundred sons of whom Vṛṣṇi was the eldest. Hence the family came to be known after Vṛṣṇi.

30. Hence they came to be designated as Mādhavas, Vṛṣṇis and Yādavas, Oh king. Of Kroṣṭṛ, the son of Yadu, appeared Vṛjinavān.

31. He had a son Svāhi whose son was Ruśeku.^[3] His son was Citraratha from whom was born a great yogin Śaśabindu of great affluence and luxurious life, as well as endowed with great moral virtues.

32. He was the master (possessor) of fourteen great jewels^[4] and the sole sovereign ruler of the entire globe of the earth and of very great renown. He had ten thousand wives.^[5]

33-34. By them he procreated a million sons. Of these, six were very prominent. Out of them, the son of Pṛthuśravas was known as Dharma. His son was Uśanas, a performer of one hundred horse-sacrifices (aśvamedhas). His son was Rucaka who had five sons. Listen (to their account).

35-36. They were called Purujit, Rukma, Rukmeṣu, Pṛthu and Jyāmagha. Jyāmagha who married Śaibyā, was childless, but he dared not take another wife through the fear (of Śaibyā). Once he brought from the enemy’s house a girl for enjoyment. Seeing her in (her husband’s) chariot, Śaibyā got enraged with her husband.

37. ‘Who is this girl made to occupy my place in the chariot, you deceitful rogue’? (demanded Śaibyā). When he replied, “Your daughter-in-law”, she smiled and spoke.

38. “I am a barren woman. How can a co-wife be my daughter-in-law?” “Oh queen! She will be suitable for marriage to the son who is to be born of you”.

39. (Bhāvāratha Dīpikā gives a dramatic description of the situation). ‘The king was perspiring and quaking through the fear of his wife. But he had all the while propitiated the fraternity of gods—Viśvedevas—and his manes, who approvingly blessed him) ‘Amen’, said the Viśvedevas and manes. After some time Śaibyā became pregnant even after her menopause), and was delivered of an auspicious son called ‘Vidarbha’, and he married the chaste girl who was already accepted as a daughter-in-law.^[6]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

v.l. anaṣṭa-viṣṇu-smaraṇaḥ—who never forgot to remember Hari any time.

[2]:

Bhāgavata Candrikā notes a v.l. according to which ‘Vītīhotra’s [Vītihotra’s?] son was Madhu from whom Vṛṣṇi was born’. The text here creates some confusion, in this half line.

[3]:

‘Uruśaṅku, according to V.R. He notes ‘Kuśeku’ as a v.l.

[4]:

SR. quotes from Mārkaṇḍeya purāṇa the following list of jewels (i.e., excellent things): An elephant, a horse, a chariot, women, an arrow, treasury, a garland of flowers, dress, wish-yielding tree, a Śakti (javelin), a noose, a gem (i.e. Ruby diamond), an umbrella and an aerial car.

[5]:

Bhāvārtha-dīpikā-prakāśa accepts this v.l. of Bhāvāratha Dīpikā:

tasya patnī-sahasrasya daśāsan sumahāyaśāḥ /

I accepted it as it is more clear than patnīsahasrāṇāṃ daśānām.

[6]:

All commentators quote Parāśara who declared Jyāmagha as the most hen-pecked husband. But even Parāśara in Viṣṇu Purāṇa 4.12.12 remarks ‘About Jyāmagha (his henpeckedness) the following verse is recited’, so the verse:

bhāryāvaśyās tu ye kecid bhaviṣyantyathavā mṛtāḥ /
teṣāṃ tu jyāmaghoḥ śreṣṭhaś śaibyāpatir abhūn nṛpaḥ //
  —Viṣṇu Purāṇa4.12.13 seems to be a traditional quotation.