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2024-05-08, 10:10 PM |
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Chapter 7:
The Descendants of King
Mândhâtâ
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'The most prominent son of
Mândhâtâ named Ambarîsha [after the
Ambarîsha of Nâbhâga, see 9.4: 13], was accepted by his
grandfather Yuvanâs'va as his son and he had a son called
Yauvanâs'va who on his turn had a son named Hârîta.
These [three descendants, Ambarisha, Yauvanâs'va and
Hârîta,] became the most prominent members of the
Mândhâtâ dynasty.
(2) Purukutsa [another
son of Mândhâtâ] was
taken to the lower
regions by his wife Narmadâ upon
the order of the
king of the serpents [Vâsuki]. She had been given to him in marriage
by her serpent
brothers. (3) He, empowered by Lord Vishnu,
killed the Gandharvas there who
deserved
it
to
be
punished
[because
of
their
enmity].
From
the serpents he
[therefore] received the benediction that they who remember this incident are
protected against snakes.
(4) The son of Purukutsa named Trasaddasyu [named
after the other one 9.6: 32-34] was the father of Anaranya. His son carried the name
Haryas'va [after 9.6: 23-24]. From him there was Prâruna and Prâruna's son
was Tribandhana. (5-6) From
Tribandhana
there was a son named Satyavrata [after the Manu, see 8.24: 10], who,
being cursed by his father [for kidnapping a brahmin daughter at her
marriage], had acquired the status of an outcaste [candâla]
and
thus
was called Tris'anku ['afraid of the heavens'].
By
the prowess of Kaus'ika [sage Vis'vâmitra] he went to heaven
[still present in his body] where he, having fallen down
because of the demigods, [half way during his fall]
by the sage's supreme power acquired a fixed position. In that position
he today still can be seen hanging down with
his
head
from
the
sky
[in
the
form of a constellation]. (7)
Tris'anku's son was Haris'candra because of whom there existed a great quarrel between Vis'vâmitra and Vasishthha in which the two
for many years were [like two] birds [*].
(8) He
was very morose because he had no successor. On the advise of
Nârada he took shelter of Varuna whom he asked: 'Oh lord, may
there be a son from my loins?'
(9) Oh Mahârâja, then he said: 'And if
he turns out to be a hero, I will
sacrifice him to you, if you desire'. Varuna accepted that offer and a son
was born who was named Rohita ['to
the blood'].
(10) Varuna
thus said to him: 'A son has been born. Will you offer him as a
sacrifice to me?' Haris'candra then replied: 'An animal is sacrificed
when ten days have passed [since its birth]. Then it is considered
fit
for
being
sacrificed.'
(11) Ten days later he returned and said: 'Be now
of sacrifice then!' Haris'candra said: 'When the teeth of an animal
have appeared, it will be fit for being sacrificed.'
(12) When the teeth had grown Varuna said:
'Sacrifice now!', whereupon Haris'candra replied: 'When he looses his
[milk] teeth, then he will be fit.'
(13) 'The
teeth
of the animal have fallen out.' Varuna said, 'be of sacrifice now!' The
reply was:
'Only when the teeth of the 'sacrificial animal' have grown back it is
pure!'
(14) After they had grown back Varuna said:
'You offer now!' Haris'candra then said: 'When he can defend himself as a warrior with a shield oh King, then
this 'sacrificial
animal' will be pure.'
(15) With his mind thus controlled
by the affection for his son, he cheated the god with words about the
time
[that it would take] and made him wait. (16) Rohita
aware
of
what
his
father
intended
to
do,
trying
to
save
his
life,
took his
bow and arrows and left for the forest. (17) When he heard that his father because of
Varuna was plagued with dropsy and had grown a large belly, Rohita wanted to
return
to
the
capital,
but
Indra
denied
him
to
go
there.
(18) Indra
ordered him to travel around the
world to visit holy places and sites of pilgrimage. Thereupon he lived
in the forest for one year. (19) Again and again for a second, a third, a
fourth and a fifth year Indra
in the form of an old brahmin appeared before him and told him the same. (20) The sixth year
that Rohita wandered in the forest, he went to the capital where he
bought Ajîgarta's second son S'unahs'epha to serve as
the 'animal of sacrifice'. He offered him to his father while bringing
his
obeisances. (21) After the [worldly life of the] man in the yajña [**] was sacrificed to Varuna
and the other demigods, Haris'candra
was freed
from the dropsy and became famous as one of the great persons of history. (22)
Vis'vâmitra
was
during
the
sacrifice
offering
the
oblations
[the
Hotâ],
the
self-realized
Jamadagni led the
recitations of the [Yajur Veda] mantras [as the Adhvaryu], Vasishthha
was the leading brahmin [the brahmâ] and Ayâsya
recited the [Sâma Veda] hymns [as the udgâtâ]. (23)
Indra was very pleased and
gave
him a golden chariot. I will give an account of the glories of
S'unahs'epha when I describe the sons of Vis'vâmitra.
(24) It pleased Vis'vâmitra
very much to see truthfulness,
solidity and forbearance in the ruler [Haris'candra] and his wife and
therefore he gave them the imperishable knowledge. (25-26) [The
ruler]
subdued his ignorance through a specific process of meditation in which
he gave up his material ambition. He merged his mind with the
earth, the earth with the water, the water with the fire, the fire with
the air and the air with the sky. Next he merged the sky with the cause
of manifestation and this false ego [this ahankâra] he
merged with the totality of matter. Finally he merged that
completeness [of the mahat-tattva] with the spiritual knowledge
in all its branches. Thus completely
freed
from
being
bound
materially
he,
through loving self-realization and liberating
transcendental bliss, remained with the Imperceptible and Inconceivable
One.'
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