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Shreemad
Bhagavatam
Canto
9
Chapters 21 to 24
Chapter Twenty-one The Dynasty of Bharata
1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: Because Bharadvaja was delivered by the Marut demigods, he was known as Vitatha. The son of Vitatha was Manyu, and from Manyu came five sons—Brhatksatra, Jaya, Mahavirya, Nara and Garga. Of these five, the one known as Nara had a son named Sankrti.
2. O Maharaja Pariksit, descendant of Pandu, Sankrti had two sons, named Guru and Rantideva. Rantideva is famous in both this world and the next, for he is glorified not only in human society but also in the society of the demigods.
3-5. Rantideva never endeavored to earn anything. He would enjoy whatever he got by the arrangement of providence, but when guests came he would give them everything. Thus he underwent considerable suffering, along with the members of his family. Indeed, he and his family members shivered for want of food and water, yet Rantideva always remained sober. Once, after fasting for forty-eight days, in the morning Rantideva received some water and some foodstuffs made with milk and ghee, but when he and his family were about to eat, a brahmana guest arrived.
6. Because Rantideva perceived the presence of the Supreme Godhead everywhere, and in every living entity, he received the guest with faith and respect and gave him a share of the food. The brahmana guest ate his share and then went away.
7. Thereafter, having divided the remaining food with his relatives, Rantideva was just about to eat his own share when a sudra guest arrived. Seeing the sudra in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, King Rantideva gave him also a share of the food.
8. When the sudra went away, another guest arrived, surrounded by dogs, and said, “O King, I and my company of dogs are very hungry. Please give us something to eat.”
9. With great respect, King Rantideva offered the balance of the food to the dogs and the master of the dogs, who had come as guests. The King offered them all respects and obeisances.
10. Thereafter, only the drinking water remained, and there was only enough to satisfy one person, but when the King was just about to drink it, a candala appeared and said, “O King, although I am lowborn, kindly give me some drinking water.”
11. Aggrieved at hearing the pitiable words of the poor fatigued candala, Maharaja Rantideva spoke the following nectarean words.
12. I do not pray to the Supreme Personality of Godhead for the eight perfections of mystic yoga, nor for salvation from repeated birth and death. I want only to stay among all the living entities and suffer all distresses on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering.
13. By offering my water to maintain the life of this poor candala, who is struggling to live, I have been freed from all hunger, thirst, fatigue, trembling of the body, moroseness, distress, lamentation and illusion.
14. Having spoken thus, King Rantideva, although on the verge of death because of thirst, gave his own portion of water to the candala without hesitation, for the King was naturally very kind and sober.
15. Demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, who can satisfy all materially ambitious men by giving them the rewards they desire, then manifested their own identities before King Rantideva, for it was they who had presented themselves as the brahmana, sudra, candala and so on.
16. King Rantideva had no ambition to enjoy material benefits from the demigods. He offered them obeisances, but because he was factually attached to Lord Visnu, Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he fixed his mind at Lord Visnu’s lotus feet.
17. O Maharaja Pariksit, because King Rantideva was a pure devotee, always Krishna conscious and free from all material desires, the Lord’s illusory energy, maya, could not exhibit herself before him. On the contrary, for him maya entirely vanished, exactly like a dream.
18. All those who followed the principles of King Rantideva were totally favored by his mercy and became pure devotees, attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana. Thus they all became the best of yogis.
19-20. From Garga came a son named Sini, and his son was Gargya. Although Gargya was a ksatriya, there came from him a generation of brahmanas. From Mahavirya came a son named Duritaksaya, whose sons were Trayyaruni, Kavi and Puskararuni. Although these sons of Duritaksaya took birth in a dynasty of ksatriyas, they too attained the position of brahmanas. Brhatksatra had a son named Hasti, who established the city of Hastinapura [now New Delhi].
21. From King Hasti came three sons, named Ajamidha, Dvimidha and Purumidha. The descendants of Ajamidha, headed by Priyamedha, all achieved the position of brahmanas.
22. From Ajamidha came a son named Brhadisu, from Brhadisu came a son named Brhaddhanu, from Brhaddhanu a son named Brhatkaya, and from Brhatkaya a son named Jayadratha.
23. The son of Jayadratha was Visada, and his son was Syenajit. The sons of Syenajit were Rucirasva, Krdhahanu, Kasya and Vatsa.
24. The son of Rucirasva was Para, and the sons of Para were Prthusena and Nipa. Nipa had one hundred sons.
25. King Nipa begot a son named Brahmadatta through the womb of his wife, Krtvi, who was the daughter of Suka. And Brahmadatta, who was a great yogi, begot a son named Visvaksena through the womb of his wife, Sarasvati.
26. Following the instructions of the great sage Jaigisavya, Visvaksena compiled an elaborate description of the mystic yoga system. From Visvaksena, Udaksena was born, and from Udaksena, Bhallata. All these sons are known as descendants of Brhadisu.
27. The son of Dvimidha was Yavinara, whose son was Krtiman. The son of Krtiman was well known as Satyadhrti. From Satyadhrti came a son named Drdhanemi, who became the father of Suparsva.
28-29. From Suparsva came a son named Sumati, from Sumati came Sannatiman, and from Sannatiman came Krti, who achieved mystic power from Brahma and taught six samhitas of the Pracyasama verses of the Sama Veda. The son of Krti was Nipa; the son of Nipa, Udgrayudha; the son of Udgrayudha, Ksemya; the son of Ksemya, Suvira; and the son of Suvira, Ripunjaya.
30. From Ripunjaya came a son named Bahuratha. Purumidha was sonless. Ajamidha had a son named Nila by his wife known as Nalini, and the son of Nila was Santi.
31-33. The son of Santi was Susanti, the son of Susanti was Puruja, and the son of Puruja was Arka. From Arka came Bharmyasva, and from Bharmyasva came five sons—Mudgala, Yavinara, Brhadvisva, Kampilla and Sanjaya. Bharmyasva prayed to his sons, “O my sons, please take charge of my five states, for you are quite competent to do so.” Thus his five sons were known as the Pancalas. From Mudgala came a dynasty of brahmanas known as Maudgalya.
34. Mudgala, the son of Bharmyasva, had twin children, one male and the other female. The male child was named Divodasa, and the female child was named Ahalya. From the womb of Ahalya by the semen of her husband, Gautama, came a son named Satananda.
35. The son of Satananda was Satyadhrti, who was expert in archery, and the son of Satyadhrti was Saradvan. When Saradvan met Urvasi, he discharged semen, which fell on a clump of sara grass. From this semen were born two all-auspicious babies, one male and the other female.
36. While Maharaja Santanu was on a hunting excursion, he saw the male and female children lying in the forest, and out of compassion he took them home. Consequently, the male child was known as Krpa, and the female child was named Krpi. Krpi later became the wife of Dronacarya.
Chapter Twenty-two The Descendants of Ajamidha
1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, the son of Divodasa was Mitrayu, and from Mitrayu came four sons, named Cyavana, Sudasa, Sahadeva and Somaka. Somaka was the father of Jantu.
2. Somaka had one hundred sons, of whom the youngest was Prsata. From Prsata was born King Drupada, who was opulent in all supremacy.
3. From Maharaja Drupada, Draupadi was born. Maharaja Drupada also had many sons, headed by Dhrstadyumna. From Dhrstadyumna came a son named Dhrstaketu. All these personalities are known as descendants of Bharmyasva or as the dynasty of Pancala.
4-5. Another son of Ajamidha was known as Rksa. From Rksa came a son named Samvarana, and from Samvarana through the womb of his wife, Tapati, the daughter of the sun-god, came Kuru, the King of Kuruksetra. Kuru had four sons—Pariksi, Sudhanu, Jahnu and Nisadha. From Sudhanu, Suhotra was born, and from Suhotra, Cyavana. From Cyavana, Krti was born.
6. The son of Krti was Uparicara Vasu, and among his sons, headed by Brhadratha, were Kusamba, Matsya, Pratyagra and Cedipa. All the sons of Uparicara Vasu became rulers of the Cedi state.
7. From Brhadratha, Kusagra was born; from Kusagra, Rsabha; and from Rsabha, Satyahita. The son of Satyahita was Puspavan, and the son of Puspavan was Jahu.
8. Through the womb of another wife, Brhadratha begot two halves of a son. When the mother saw those two halves she rejected them, but later a she-demon named Jara playfully joined them and said, “Come to life, come to life!” Thus the son named Jarasandha was born.
9. From Jarasandha came a son named Sahadeva; from Sahadeva, Somapi; and from Somapi, Srutasrava. The son of Kuru called Pariksi had no sons, but the son of Kuru called Jahnu had a son named Suratha.
10. From Suratha came a son named Viduratha, from whom Sarvabhauma was born. From Sarvabhauma came Jayasena; from Jayasena, Radhika; and from Radhika, Ayutayu.
11. From Ayutayu came a son named Akrodhana, and his son was Devatithi. The son of Devatithi was Rksa, the son of Rksa was Dilipa, and the son of Dilipa was Pratipa.
12-13. The sons of Pratipa were Devapi, Santanu and Bahlika. Devapi left the kingdom of his father and went to the forest, and therefore Santanu became the king. Santanu, who in his previous birth was known as Mahabhisa, had the ability to transform anyone from old age to youth simply by touching that person with his hands.
14-15. Because the King was able to make everyone happy for sense gratification, primarily by the touch of his hand, his name was Santanu. Once, when there was no rainfall in the kingdom for twelve years and the King consulted his learned brahminical advisors, they said, “You are faulty for enjoying the property of your elder brother. For the elevation of your kingdom and home, you should return the kingdom to him.”
16-17. When the brahmanas said this, Maharaja Santanu went to the forest and requested his elder brother Devapi to take charge of the kingdom, for it is the duty of a king to maintain his subjects. Previously, however, Santanu’s minister Asvavara had instigated some brahmanas to induce Devapi to transgress the injunctions of the Vedas and thus make himself unfit for the post of ruler. The brahmanas deviated Devapi from the path of the Vedic principles, and therefore when asked by Santanu he did not agree to accept the post of ruler. On the contrary, he blasphemed the Vedic principles and therefore became fallen. Under the circumstances, Santanu again became the king, and Indra, being pleased, showered rains. Devapi later took to the path of mystic yoga to control his mind and senses and went to the village named Kalapagrama, where he is still living.
18-19. After the dynasty of the moon-god comes to an end in this age of Kali, Devapi, in the beginning of the next Satya-yuga, will reestablish the Soma dynasty in this world. From Bahlika [the brother of Santanu] came a son named Somadatta, who had three sons, named Bhuri, Bhurisrava and Sala. From Santanu, through the womb of his wife named Ganga, came Bhisma, the exalted, self-realized devotee and learned scholar.
20. Bhismadeva was the foremost of all warriors. When he defeated Lord Parasurama in a fight, Lord Parasurama was very satisfied with him. By the semen of Santanu in the womb of Satyavati, the daughter of a fisherman, Citrangada took birth.
21-24. Citrangada, of whom Vicitravirya was the younger brother, was killed by a Gandharva who was also named Citrangada. Satyavati, before her marriage to Santanu, gave birth to the master authority of the Vedas, Vyasadeva, known as Krishna Dvaipayana, who was begotten by Parasara Muni. From Vyasadeva, I [Sukadeva Gosvami] was born, and from him I studied this great work of literature, Srimad-Bhagavatam. The incarnation of Godhead Vedavyasa, rejecting his disciples, headed by Paila, instructed Srimad-Bhagavatam to me because I was free from all material desires. After Ambika and Ambalika, the two daughters of Kasiraja, were taken away by force, Vicitravirya married them, but because he was too attached to these two wives, he had a heart attack and died of tuberculosis.
25. Badarayana, Sri Vyasadeva, following the order of his mother, Satyavati, begot three sons, two by the womb of Ambika and Ambalika, the two wives of his brother Vicitravirya, and the third by Vicitravirya’s maidservant. These sons were Dhrtarastra, Pandu and Vidura.
26. Dhrtarastra’s wife, Gandhari, gave birth to one hundred sons and one daughter, O King. The oldest of the sons was Duryodhana, and the daughter’s name was Duhsala.
27-28. Pandu was restrained from sexual life because of having been cursed by a sage, and therefore his three sons Yudhisthira, Bhima and Arjuna were begotten through the womb of his wife, Kunti, by Dharmaraja, by the demigod controlling the wind, and by the demigod controlling the rain. Pandu’s second wife, Madri, gave birth to Nakula and Sahadeva, who were begotten by the two Asvini-kumaras. The five brothers, headed by Yudhisthira, begot five sons through the womb of Draupadi. These five sons were your uncles.
29. From Yudhisthira came a son named Prativindhya, from Bhima a son named Srutasena, from Arjuna a son named Srutakirti, and from Nakula a son named Satanika.
30-31. O King, the son of Sahadeva was Srutakarma. Furthermore, Yudhisthira and his brothers begot other sons in other wives. Yudhisthira begot a son named Devaka through the womb of Pauravi, and Bhimasena begot a son named Ghatotkaca through his wife Hidimba and a son named Sarvagata through his wife Kali. Similarly, Sahadeva had a son named Suhotra through his wife named Vijaya, who was the daughter of the king of the mountains.
32. Nakula begot a son named Naramitra through his wife named Karenumati. Similarly, Arjuna begot a son named Iravan through his wife known as Ulupi, the daughter of the Nagas, and a son named Babhruvahana by the womb of the princess of Manipura. Babhruvahana became the adopted son of the king of Manipura.
33. My dear King Pariksit, your father, Abhimanyu, was born from the womb of Subhadra as the son of Arjuna. He was the conqueror of all atirathas [those who could fight with one thousand charioteers]. From him, by the womb of Uttara, the daughter of Viradraja, you were born.
34. After the Kuru dynasty was annihilated in the Battle of Kuruksetra, you also were about to be destroyed by the brahmastra atomic weapon released by the son of Dronacarya, but by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, you were saved from death.
35. My dear King, your four sons—Janamejaya, Srutasena, Bhimasena and Ugrasena—are very powerful. Janamejaya is the eldest.
36. Because of your death by the Taksaka snake, your son Janamejaya will be very angry and will perform a sacrifice to kill all the snakes in the world.
37. After conquering throughout the world and after accepting Tura, the son of Kalasa, as his priest, Janamejaya will perform asvamedha-yajnas, for which he will be known as Turaga-medhasat.
38. The son of Janamejaya known as Satanika will learn from Yajnavalkya the three Vedas and the art of performing ritualistic ceremonies. He will also learn the military art from Krpacarya and the transcendental science from the sage Saunaka.
39. The son of Satanika will be Sahasranika, and from him will come the son named Asvamedhaja. From Asvamedhaja will come AsimaKrishna, and his son will be Nemicakra.
40. When the town of Hastinapura [New Delhi] is inundated by the river, Nemicakra will live in the place known as Kausambi. His son will be celebrated as Citraratha, and the son of Citraratha will be Suciratha.
41. From Suciratha will come the son named Vrstiman, and his son, Susena, will be the emperor of the entire world. The son of Susena will be Sunitha, his son will be Nrcaksu, and from Nrcaksu will come a son named Sukhinala.
42. The son of Sukhinala will be Pariplava, and his son will be Sunaya. From Sunaya will come a son named Medhavi; from Medhavi, Nrpanjaya; from Nrpanjaya, Durva; and from Durva, Timi.
43. From Timi will come Brhadratha; from Brhadratha, Sudasa; and from Sudasa, Satanika. From Satanika will come Durdamana, and from him will come a son named Mahinara.
44-45. The son of Mahinara will be Dandapani, and his son will be Nimi, from whom King Ksemaka will be born. I have now described to you the moon-god’s dynasty, which is the source of brahmanas and ksatriyas and is worshiped by demigods and great saints. In this Kali-yuga, Ksemaka will be the last monarch. Now I shall describe to you the future of the Magadha dynasty. Please listen.
46-48. Sahadeva, the son of Jarasandha, will have a son named Marjari. From Marjari will come Srutasrava; from Srutasrava, Yutayu; and from Yutayu, Niramitra. The son of Niramitra will be Sunaksatra, from Sunaksatra will come Brhatsena, and from Brhatsena, Karmajit. The son of Karmajit will be Sutanjaya, the son of Sutanjaya will be Vipra, and his son will be Suci. The son of Suci will be Ksema, the son of Ksema will be Suvrata, and the son of Suvrata will be Dharmasutra. From Dharmasutra will come Sama; from Sama, Dyumatsena; from Dyumatsena, Sumati; and from Sumati, Subala.
49. From Subala will come Sunitha; from Sunitha, Satyajit; from Satyajit, Visvajit; and from Visvajit, Ripunjaya. All of these personalities will belong to the dynasty of Brhadratha, which will rule the world for one thousand years.
Chapter Twenty-three The Dynasties of the Sons of Yayati
1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: Anu, the fourth son of Yayati, had three sons, named Sabhanara, Caksu and Paresnu. O King, from Sabhanara came a son named Kalanara, and from Kalanara came a son named Srnjaya.
2. From Srnjaya came a son named Janamejaya. From Janamejaya came Mahasala; from Mahasala, Mahamana; and from Mahamana two sons, named Usinara and Titiksu.
3-4. The four sons of Usinara were Sibi, Vara, Krmi and Daksa, and from Sibi again came four sons, named Vrsadarbha, Sudhira, Madra and atma-tattva-vit Kekaya. The son of Titiksu was Rusadratha. From Rusadratha came Homa; from Homa, Sutapa; and from Sutapa, Bali.
5. By the semen of Dirghatama in the wife of Bali, the emperor of the world, six sons took birth, namely Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Suhma, Pundra and Odra.
6. These six sons, headed by Anga, later became kings of six states in the eastern side of India. These states were known according to the names of their respective kings. From Anga came a son named Khalapana, and from Khalapana came Diviratha.
7-10. From Diviratha came a son named Dharmaratha, and his son was Citraratha, who was celebrated as Romapada. Romapada, however, was without issue, and therefore his friend Maharaja Dasaratha gave him his own daughter, named Santa. Romapada accepted her as his daughter, and thereafter she married Rsyasrnga. When the demigods from the heavenly planets failed to shower rain, Rsyasrnga was appointed the priest for performing a sacrifice, after being brought from the forest by the allurement of prostitutes, who danced, staged theatrical performances accompanied by music, and embraced and worshiped him. After Rsyasrnga came, the rain fell. Thereafter, Rsyasrnga performed a son-giving sacrifice on behalf of Maharaja Dasaratha, who had no issue, and then Maharaja Dasaratha had sons. From Romapada, by the mercy of Rsyasrnga, Caturanga was born, and from Caturanga came Prthulaksa.
11. The sons of Prthulaksa were Brhadratha, Brhatkarma and Brhadbhanu. From the eldest, Brhadratha, came a son named Brhanmana, and from Brhanmana came a son named Jayadratha.
12. The son of Jayadratha, by the womb of his wife Sambhuti, was Vijaya, and from Vijaya, Dhrti was born. From Dhrti came Dhrtavrata; from Dhrtavrata, Satkarma; and from Satkarma, Adhiratha.
13. While playing on the bank of the Ganges, Adhiratha found a baby wrapped up in a basket. The baby had been left by Kunti because he was born before she was married. Because Adhiratha had no sons, he raised this baby as his own. [This son was later known as Karna.]
14. O King, the only son of Karna was Vrsasena. Druhyu, the third son of Yayati, had a son named Babhru, and the son of Babhru was known as Setu.
15. The son of Setu was Arabdha, Arabdha’s son was Gandhara, and Gandhara’s son was Dharma. Dharma’s son was Dhrta, Dhrta’s son was Durmada, and Durmada’s son was Praceta, who had one hundred sons.
16. The Pracetas [the sons of Praceta] occupied the northern side of India, which was devoid of Vedic civilization, and became kings there. Yayati’s second son was Turvasu. The son of Turvasu was Vahni; the son of Vahni, Bharga; the son of Bharga, Bhanuman.
17. The son of Bhanuman was Tribhanu, and his son was the magnanimous Karandhama. Karandhama’s son was Maruta, who had no sons and who therefore adopted a son of the Puru dynasty [Maharaja Dusmanta] as his own.
18-19. Maharaja Dusmanta, desiring to occupy the throne, returned to his original dynasty [the Puru dynasty], even though he had accepted Maruta as his father. O Maharaja Pariksit, let me now describe the dynasty of Yadu, the eldest son of Maharaja Yayati. This description is supremely pious, and it vanquishes the reactions of sinful activities in human society. Simply by hearing this description, one is freed from all sinful reactions.
20-21. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, the Supersoul in the hearts of all living entities, descended in His original form as a human being in the dynasty or family of Yadu. Yadu had four sons, named Sahasrajit, Krosta, Nala and Ripu. Of these four, the eldest, Sahasrajit, had a son named Satajit, who had three sons, named Mahahaya, Renuhaya and Haihaya.
22. The son of Haihaya was Dharma, and the son of Dharma was Netra, the father of Kunti. From Kunti came a son named Sohanji, from Sohanji came Mahisman, and from Mahisman, Bhadrasenaka.
23. The sons of Bhadrasena were known as Durmada and Dhanaka. Dhanaka was the father of Krtavirya and also of Krtagni, Krtavarma and Krtauja.
24. The son of Krtavirya was Arjuna. He [Kartaviryarjuna] became the emperor of the entire world, consisting of seven islands, and received mystic power from Dattatreya, the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus he obtained the mystic perfections known as asta-siddhi.
25. No other king in this world could equal Kartaviryarjuna in sacrifices, charity, austerity, mystic power, education, strength or mercy.
26. For eighty-five thousand years, Kartaviryarjuna continuously enjoyed material opulences with full bodily strength and unimpaired memory. In other words, he enjoyed inexhaustible material opulences with his six senses.
27. Of the one thousand sons of Kartaviryarjuna, only five remained alive after the fight with Parasurama. Their names were Jayadhvaja, Surasena, Vrsabha, Madhu and Urjita.
28. Jayadhvaja had a son named Talajangha, who had one hundred sons. All the ksatriyas in that dynasty, known as Talajangha, were annihilated by the great power received by Maharaja Sagara from Aurva Rsi.
29. Of the sons of Talajangha, Vitihotra was the eldest. The son of Vitihotra named Madhu had a celebrated son named Vrsni. Madhu had one hundred sons, of whom Vrsni was the eldest. The dynasties known as Yadava, Madhava and Vrsni had their origin from Yadu, Madhu and Vrsni.
30-31. O Maharaja Pariksit, because Yadu, Madhu and Vrsni each inaugurated a dynasty, their dynasties are known as Yadava, Madhava and Vrsni. The son of Yadu named Krosta had a son named Vrjinavan. The son of Vrjinavan was Svahita; the son of Svahita, Visadgu; the son of Visadgu, Citramtha; and the son of Citraratha, Sasabindu. The greatly fortunate Sasabindu, who was a great mystic, possessed fourteen opulences and was the owner of fourteen great jewels. Thus he became the emperor of the world.
32. The famous Sasabindu had ten thousand wives, and by each he begot a lakh of sons. Therefore the number of his sons was ten thousand lakhs.
33. Among these many sons, six were the foremost, such as Prthusrava and Prthukirti. The son of Prthusrava was known as Dharma, and his son was known as Usana. Usana was the performer of one hundred horse sacrifices.
34. The son of Usana was Rucaka, who had five sons—Purujit, Rukma, Rukmesu, Prthu and Jyamagha. Please hear of these sons from me.
35-36. Jyamagha had no sons, but because he was fearful of his wife, Saibya, he could not accept another wife. Jyamagha once took from the house of some royal enemy a girl who was a prostitute, but upon seeing her Saibya was very angry and said to her husband, “My husband, you cheater, who is this girl sitting upon my seat on the chariot?” Jyamagha then replied, “This girl will be your daughter-in-law.” Upon hearing these joking words, Saibya smilingly replied.
37. Saibya said, “I am sterile and have no co-wife. How can this girl be my daughter-in-law? Please tell me.” Jyamagha replied, “My dear Queen, I shall see that you indeed have a son and that this girl will be your daughter-in-law.”
38. Long, long ago, Jyamagha had satisfied the demigods and Pitas by worshiping them. Now, by their mercy, Jyamagha’s words came true. Although Saibya was barren, by the grace of the demigods she became pregnant and in due course of time gave birth to a child named Vidarbha. Before the child’s birth, the girl had been accepted as a daughter-in-law, and therefore Vidarbha actually married her when he grew up.
Chapter Twenty-four Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead
1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: By the womb of the girl brought by his father, Vidarbha begot three sons, named Kusa, Kratha and Romapada. Romapada was the favorite in the dynasty of Vidarbha.
2. The son of Romapada was Babhru, from whom there came a son named Krti. The son of Krti was Usika, and the son of Usika was Cedi. From Cedi was born the king known as Caidya and others.
3-4. The son of Kratha was Kunti; the son of Kunti, Vrsni; the son of Vrsni, Nirvrti; and the son of Nirvrti, Dasarha. From Dasarha came Vyoma; from Vyoma came Jimuta; from Jimuta, Vikrti; from Vikrti, Bhimaratha; from Bhimaratha, Navaratha; and from Navaratha, Dasaratha.
5. From Dasaratha came a son named Sakuni and from Sakuni a son named Karambhi. The son of Karambhi was Devarata, and his son was Devaksatra. The son of Devaksatra was Madhu, and his son was Kuruvasa, from whom there came a son named Anu.
6-8. The son of Anu was Puruhotra, the son of Puruhotra was Ayu, and the son of Ayu was Satvata. O great Aryan King, Satvata had seven sons, named Bhajamana, Bhaji, Divya, Vrsni, Devavrdha, Andhaka and Mahabhoja. From Bhajamana by one wife came three sons—Nimloci, Kinkana and Dhrsti. And from his other wife came three other sons—Satajit, Sahasrajit and Ayutajit.
9. The son of Devavrdha was Babhru. Concerning Devavrdha and Babhru there are two famous songs of prayer, which were sung by our predecessors and which we have heard from a distance. Even now I hear the same prayers about their qualities [because that which was heard before is still sung continuously].
10-11. “It has been decided that among human beings Babhru is the best and that Devavrdha is equal to the demigods. Because of the association of Babhru and Devavrdha, all of their descendants, numbering 14,065, achieved liberation.” In the dynasty of King Mahabhoja, who was exceedingly religious, there appeared the Bhoja kings.
12. O King, Maharaja Pariksit, who can suppress your enemies, the sons of Vrsni were Sumitra and Yudhajit. From Yudhajit came Sini and Anamitra, and from Anamitra came a son named Nighna.
13. The two sons of Nighna were Satrajita and Prasena. Another son of Anamitra was another Sini, and his son was Satyaka.
14. The son of Satyaka was Yuyudhana, whose son was Jaya. From Jaya came a son named Kuni and from Kuni a son named Yugandhara. Another son of Anamitra was Vrsni.
15. From Vrsni came the sons named Svaphalka and Citraratha. From Svaphalka by his wife Gandini came Akrura. Akrura was the eldest, but there were twelve other sons, all of whom were most celebrated.
16-18. The names of these twelve were Asanga, Sarameya, Mrdura, Mrduvit, Giri, Dharmavrddha, Sukarma, Ksetropeksa, Arimardana, Satrughna, Gandhamada and Pratibahu. These brothers also had a sister named Sucara. From Akrura came two sons, named Devavan and Upadeva. Citraratha had many sons, headed by Prthu and Viduratha, all of whom were known as belonging to the dynasty of Vrsni.
19. Kukura, Bhajamana, Suci and Kambalabarhisa were the four sons of Andhaka. The son of Kukura was Vahni, and his son was Viloma.
20. The son of Viloma was Kapotaroma, and his son was Anu, whose friend was Tumburu. From Anu came Andhaka; from Andhaka, Dundubhi; and from Dundubhi, Avidyota. From Avidyota came a son named Punarvasu.
21-23. Punarvasu had a son and a daughter, named Ahuka and Ahuki respectively, and Ahuka had two sons, named Devaka and Ugrasena. Devaka had four sons, named Devavan, Upadeva, Sudeva and Devavardhana, and he also had seven daughters, named Santideva, Upadeva, Srideva, Devaraksita, Sahadeva, Devaki and Dhrtadeva. Dhrtadeva was the eldest. Vasudeva, the father of Krishna, married all these sisters.
24. Kamsa, Sunama, Nyagrodha, Kanka, Sanku, Suhu, Rastrapala, Dhrsti and Tustiman were the sons of Ugrasena.
25. Kamsa, Kamsavati, Kanka, Surabhu and Rastrapalika were the daughters of Ugrasena. They became the wives of Vasudeva’s younger brothers.
26. The son of Citraratha was Viduratha, the son of Viduratha was Sura, and his son was Bhajamana. The son of Bhajamana was Sini, the son of Sini was Bhoja, and the son of Bhoja was Hrdika.
27. The three sons of Hrdika were Devamidha, Satadhanu and Krtavarma. The son of Devamidha was Sura, whose wife was named Marisa.
28-31. Through Marisa, King Sura begot Vasudeva, Devabhaga, Devasrava, Anaka, Srnjaya, Syamaka, Kanka, Samika, Vatsaka and Vrka. These ten sons were spotlessly pious personalities. When Vasudeva was born, the demigods from the heavenly kingdom sounded kettledrums. Therefore Vasudeva, who provided the proper place for the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, was also known as Anakadundubhi. The five daughters of King Sura, named Prtha, Srutadeva, Srutakirti, Srutasrava and Rajadhidevi, were Vasudeva’s sisters. Sura gave Prtha to his friend Kunti, who had no issue, and therefore another name of Prtha was Kunti.
32. Once when Durvasa was a guest at the house of Prtha’s father, Kunti, Prtha satisfied Durvasa by rendering service. Therefore she received a mystic power by which she could call any demigod. To examine the potency of this mystic power, the pious Kunti immediately called for the sun-god.
33. As soon as Kunti called for the demigod of the sun, he immediately appeared before her, and she was very much surprised. She told the sun-god, “I was simply examining the effectiveness of this mystic power. I am sorry I have called you unnecessarily. Please return and excuse me.”
34. The sun-god said: O beautiful Prtha, your meeting with the demigods cannot be fruitless. Therefore, let me place my seed in your womb so that you may bear a son. I shall arrange to keep your virginity intact, since you are still an unmarried girl.
35. After saying this, the sun-god discharged his semen into the womb of Prtha and then returned to the celestial kingdom. Immediately thereafter, from Kunti a child was born, who was like a second sun-god.
36. Because Kunti feared people’s criticisms, with great difficulty she had to give up her affection for her child. Unwillingly, she packed the child in a basket and let it float down the waters of the river. O Maharaja Pariksit, your great-grandfather the pious and chivalrous King Pandu later married Kunti.
37. Vrddhasarma, the King of Karusa, married Kunti’s sister Srutadeva, and from her womb Dantavakra was born. Having been cursed by the sages headed by Sanaka, Dantavakra had formerly been born as the son of Diti named Hiranyaksa.
38. King Dhrstaketu, the King of Kekaya, married Srutakirti, another sister of Kunti’s. Srutakirti had five sons, headed by Santardana.
39. Through the womb of Rajadhidevi, another sister of Kunti’s, Jayasena begot two sons, named Vinda and Anuvinda. Similarly, the king of the Cedi state married Srutasrava. This king’s name was Damaghosa.
40. The son of Srutasrava was Sisupala, whose birth has already been described [in the Seventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam]. Vasudeva’s brother named Devabhaga had two sons born of his wife, Kamsa. These two sons were Citraketu and Brhadbala.
41. Vasudeva’s brother named Devasrava married Kamsavati, by whom he begot two sons, named Suvira and Isuman. Kanka, by his wife Kanka, begot three sons, named Baka, Satyajit and Purujit.
42. King Srnjaya, by his wife, Rastrapalika, begot sons headed by Vrsa and Durmarsana. King Syamaka, by his wife, Surabhumi, begot two sons, named Harikesa and Hiranyaksa.
43. Thereafter, King Vatsaka, by the womb of his wife, Misrakesi, who was an Apsara, begot sons headed by Vrka. Vrka, by his wife, Durvaksi, begot Taksa, Puskara, Sala and so on.
44. From Samika, by the womb of his wife, Sudamani, came Sumitra, Arjunapala and other sons. King Anaka, by his wife, Karnika, begot two sons, namely Rtadhama and Jaya.
45. Devaki, Paumvi, Rohini, Bhadra, Madira, Rocana, Ila and others were all wives of Anakadundubhi [Vasudeva]. Among them all, Devaki was the chief.
46. Vasudeva, by the womb of his wife Rohini, begot sons such as Bala, Gada, Sarana, Durmada, Vipula, Dhruva, Krta and others.
47-48. From the womb of Pauravi came twelve sons, including Bhuta, Subhadra, Bhadrabahu, Durmada and Bhadra. Nanda, Upananda, Krtaka, Sura and others were born from the womb of Madira. Bhadra [Kausalya] gave birth to only one son, named Kesi.
49. Vasudeva, by another of his wives, whose name was Rocana, begot Hasta, Hemangada and other sons. And by his wife named Ila he begot sons headed by Uruvalka, all of whom were chief personalities in the dynasty of Yadu.
50. From the womb of Dhrtadeva, one of the wives of Anakadundubhi [Vasudeva], came a son named Viprstha. The sons of Santideva, another wife of Vasudeva, were Prasama, Prasita and others.
51. Vasudeva also had a wife named Upadeva, from whom came ten sons, headed by Rajanya, Kalpa and Varsa. From Srideva, another wife, came six sons, such as Vasu, Hamsa and Suvamsa.
52. By the semen of Vasudeva in the womb of Devaraksita, nine sons were born, headed by Gada. Vasudeva, who was religion personified, also had a wife named Sahadeva, by whose womb he begot eight sons, headed by Sruta and Pravara.
53-55. The eight sons born of Sahadeva such as Pravara and Sruta, were exact incarnations of the eight Vasus in the heavenly planets. Vasudeva also begot eight highly qualified sons through the womb of Devaki. These included Kirtiman, Susena, Bhadrasena, Rju, Saminardana, Bhadra and Sankarsana, the controller and serpent incarnation. The eighth son was the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself—Krishna. The highly fortunate Subhadra, the one daughter, was your grandmother.
56. Whenever the principles of religion deteriorate and the principles of irreligion increase, the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead Sri Hari, appears by His own will.
57. O King, Maharaja Pariksit, but for the Lord’s personal desire, there is no cause for His appearance, disappearance or activities. As the Supersoul, He knows everything. Consequently there is no cause that affects Him, not even the results of fruitive activities.
58. The Supreme Personality of Godhead acts through His material energy in the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this cosmic manifestation just to deliver the living entity by His compassion and stop the living entity’s birth, death and duration of materialistic life. Thus He enables the living being to return home, back to Godhead.
59. Although the demons who take possession of the government are dressed like men of government, they do not know the duty of the government. Consequently, by the arrangement of God, such demons, who possess great military strength, fight with one another, and thus the great burden of demons on the surface of the earth is reduced. The demons increase their military power by the will of the Supreme, so that their numbers will be diminished and the devotees will have a chance to advance in Krishna consciousness.
60. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, with the cooperation of Sankarsana, Balarama, performed activities beyond the mental comprehension of even such personalities as Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. [For instance, Krishna arranged the Battle of Kuruksetra to kill many demons for the relief of the entire world.]
61. To show causeless mercy to the devotees who would take birth in the future in this age of Kali, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, acted in such a way that simply by remembering Him one will be freed from all the lamentation and unhappiness of material existence. [In other words, He acted so that all future devotees, by accepting the instructions of Krishna consciousness stated in Bhagavad-gita, could be relieved from the pangs of material existence.]
62. Simply by receiving the glories of the Lord through purified transcendental ears, the devotees of the Lord are immediately freed from strong material desires and engagement in fruitive activities.
63-64. Assisted by the descendants of Bhoja, Vrsni, Andhaka, Madhu, Surasena, Dasarha, Kuru, Srnjaya and Pandu, Lord Krishna performed various activities. By His pleasing smiles, His affectionate behavior, His instructions and His uncommon pastimes like raising Govardhana Hill, the Lord, appearing in His transcendental body, pleased all of human society.
65. Krishna’s face is decorated with ornaments, such as earrings resembling sharks. His ears are beautiful, His cheeks brilliant, and His smiling attractive to everyone. Whoever sees Lord Krishna sees a festival. His face and body are fully satisfying for everyone to see, but the devotees are angry at the creator for the disturbance caused by the momentary blinking of their eyes.
66. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, known as lila-purusottama, appeared as the son of Vasudeva but immediately left His father’s home and went to Vrndavana to expand His loving relationship with His confidential devotees. In Vrndavana the Lord killed many demons, and afterwards He returned to Dvaraka, where according to Vedic principles He married many wives who were the best of women, begot through them hundreds of sons, and performed sacrifices for His own worship to establish the principles of householder life.
67. Thereafter, Lord Sri Krishna created a misunderstanding between family members just to diminish the burden of the world. Simply by His glance, He annihilated all the demoniac kings on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra and declared victory for Arjuna. Finally, He instructed Uddhava about transcendental life and devotion and then returned to His abode in His original form.
Canto 10 Chapters 1 to 5 >
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