Canto CXXXII - Nariṣyanta’s exploits

^[1]

Marutta gave the kingdom to his son Nariṣyanta—Nariṣyanta resolved to do some great deed and performed a great sacrifice at which he enriched the brāhmans for life—Consequently he could not induce any brāhmans to attend a second sacrifice except after great difficulty—All brāhmans then were themselves offering sacrifices.

Krauṣṭuki spoke:

Adorable sir, thou hast narrated all Marutta’s exploits; the wish to hear completely about his descendants prevails in me. I wish to hear of those among his descendants, as thou describest them, who were lords of the earth, worthy of sovereignty, and endowed with valour, O great muni.

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Marutta’s son was famed as Nariṣyanta^[2]; he was the eldest and indeed the best of the eighteen sons. And for eighty-five thousands of years the lordly kṣatriya Marutta enjoyed the entire earth. After ruling the kingdom according to his own righteousness, after offering peerless sacrifices, he anointed his eldest son Nariṣyanta as king and departed to the forest. With his mind concentrated on one idea the king practised great austerities there. He ascended to the sky, covering the heaven and earth with his glory, O hrāhman.

His son Nariṣyanta, being wise, pondered thus, considering how his father had acted and other kings also,—

“In my family my ancestors have been high-souled kings. Offerers of sacrifices, they protected the earth righteously, being powerful; and they were givers of riches; they turned not back in battle. But who is able to imitate the exploits of those high-souled kings? Yet the righteous deed which they^[3] did with sacrifices and other offerings, that I wish to do; and that is not feasible; what can I do? The earth is protected according to righteousness; what virtue has the king in this? If he does not duly protect, a king is sinful and goes.to hell. If he has riches, a king must certainly offer great sacrifices, and must bestow gifts; what is there wonderful herein? A king is the refuge of those who are perishing. High birth and shame and anger, dependance on hostile folk and one’s own rules of righteousness ensure that there is no fleeing from battle. As all this has been well achieved by my ancestors and by my father Marutta, who now can do it so well? What then shall I do, that has not been done by those ancestors, who were sacrificers, choice men, gentle, and who turned not back from battle, whose manliness did not fail in great battles and conflicts^[4]? With whose deed shall I coming strive unappalledly? Moreover those kings, my ancestors, themselves performed sacrifices unweariedly, but did not have them performed by others ; I will do that.”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

After deliberating thus the king performed a single sacrifice, the like of which, made splendid by the lavishing of riches, no one else had performed. Now after giving very great wealth to the twice-born brahmans, enough for life, the king further gave them a hundred times as much food at the sacrifice, and cattle, clothing, ornaments and granaries and other gifts. Thus he intoxicated each one of them who dwelt in the earth. Consequently when the king began a sacrifice again, he got no twice-born brahmans then to conduct it after the sacrifice had been begun. Whatever brāhmans the king selects for the business of sacrificial priesthood,^[5] they said everyone to him,—

“We have consecrated ourselves for a sacrifice elsewhere. Choose thou some one else; the riches which thou didst lavish among us, there is no end thereof. Yet thou mayest give wealth to others at thy sacrifices.”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

And the lord of the whole earth obtained no brāhmans then as sacrificial priests. He began then to give a gift on the space outside the sacrificial altar. Neverthless they did not accept it at all, having their houses full of wealth. In order to give again to a twice-born brahman he spoke thus, being dejected,—

“Alas! it is very splendid that there is no poor brāhman anywhere in the earth: and it is not splendid that this treasury is useless to one who does not sacrifice. No one undertakes sacrificial priesthood^[6]; all folk among the twice-born are sacrificing, and do not assent when we are giving a gift.”

Mārkaṇḍeya spoke:

Prostrating himself then before some twice-born brahmans again and again in faith, he appointed them sacrificial priests at his own sacrifice. They performed the great sacrifice. And this was “very surprising,—when that sacrifice offered by the king took place, all folk of the twice-born on the earth were offering sacrifices at that time; no one was present as a spectator thereat. Some of the twice-born were having sacrifices offered, and some of them were themselves offering sacrifices. Whenever king Nariṣyanta sacrificed, people might make a sacrifice on the earth entirely with the riches given by that giver. Now in the eastern region there were more than one hundred and eighty million sacrifices; in the west seventy millions^[7] in sooth; in the south fourteen tens of millions; and in the north there were then fifty tens of millions of sacrifices at one time, O brāhman muni, when Nariṣyanta was sacrificing. Such, O brāhman, was Marutta’s son king Nariṣyanta of yore, righteous in soul, famed for his strength and manliness.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Canto cxxxiii in the Calcutta edition.

[2]:

He and his descendants are given in Viṣṇu Purāṇa IV. i. He must be distinguished from Nariṣyanta or Nariṣya one of the sons of Manu Vaivasvata see page 583.

[3]:

For tena read tair yat as in the Bombay edition, from battle, whose manliness did not fail in great battles and conflicts*? With whose deed shall I coming strive unappalledly? Moreover those kings, my ancestors, themselves performed sacrifices unweariedly, but did not have them performed by others; I will do that.”

[4]:

For mahat-saṅgrāma-saṃsargā visaṃvādita-pauruṣāḥ read mahat-saṅgrāma-sammardeṣv avisaṃvādi-yauruṣāḥ as in the Bombay and Poona editions.

[5]:

For ārttijua-karmaṇi read ārtvijya-karmaṇi.

[6]:

For ārttijyam read ārtvijyam.

[7]:

For koṭyā read koṭyo as in the Poona edition.