Viṣṇu Purāṇa | Book 4 - Chapter 12

Chapter XII

Descendants of Kroṣṭri. Jyāmagha's connubial affection for his wife Śaivyā: their descendants kings of Vidarbha and Chedi.

KROṢṬRI, the son of Yadu, had a son named Vrijinīvat; his son was Svāhī; his son was Ruṣadru; his son was Chitraratha; his son was Śaśavindu, who was lord of the fourteen great gems; he had a hundred thousand wives and a million of sons.

The most renowned of them were Prithuyaśas, Prithukarman, Prithujaya, Prithukīrtti, Prithudāna, and Prithuśravas.

The son of the last of these six was Tamas; his son was Uśanas, who celebrated a hundred sacrifices of the horse; his son was Śiteyus; his son was Rukmakavacha; his son was Parāvrit, who lead five sons, Rukméshu, Prithurukman, Jyāmagha, Pālita, and Harita.

To this day the following verse relating to Jyāmagha is repeated:

"Of all the husbands submissive to their wives, who have been or who will be, the most eminent is the king Jyāmagha, who was the husband of Śaivyā."

Śaivyā was barren; but Jyāmagha was so much afraid of her, that he did not take any other wife.

On one occasion the king, after a desperate conflict with elephants and horse, defeated a powerful foe, who abandoning wife, children, kin, army, treasure, and dominion, fled.

When the enemy was put to flight, Jyāmagha beheld a lovely princess left alone, and exclaiming: "Save me, father! Save me, brother!" as her large eyes rolled wildly with affright.

The king was struck by her beauty, and penetrated with affection for her, and said to himself:

"This is fortunate; I have no children, and am the husband of a sterile bride; this maiden has fallen into my hands to rear up to me posterity:

I will espouse her; but first I will take her in my car, and convey her to my palace, where I must request the concurrence of the queen in these nuptials."

Accordingly he took the princess into his chariot, and returned to his own capital.

When Jyāmagha's approach was announced, Śaivyā came to the palace gate, attended by the ministers, the courtiers, and the citizens, to welcome the victorious monarch:

but when she beheld the maiden standing on the left hand of the king, her lips swelled and slightly quivered with resentment, and she said to Jyāmagha:

"Who is this light-hearted damsel that is with you in the chariot?"

The king unprepared with a reply, made answer precipitately, through fear of his queen: "This is my daughter-in-law."

"I have never had a son," re-joined Śaivyā, "and you have no other children. Of what son of yours then is this girl the wife?"

The king disconcerted by the jealousy and anger which the words of Śaivyā displayed, made this reply to her in order to prevent further contention:

"She is the young bride of the future son whom thou shalt bring forth."

Hearing this, Śaivyā smiled gently, and said, "So be it;" and the king entered into his great palace.

In consequence of this conversation regarding the birth of a son having taken place in an auspicious conjunction, aspect, and season, the queen, although passed the time of women, became shortly afterwards pregnant, and bore a son.

His father named him Vidarbha, and married him to the damsel he had brought home. They had three sons, Kratha, Kaiśika, and Romapāda.

The son of Romapāda was Babhru, and his son was Dhriti. The son of Kaiśika was Chedi, whose descendants were called the Chaidya kings.

The son of Kratha was Kunti; his son was Vṛṣṇi; his son was Nirvriti; his son was Dasārha; his son was Vyoman; his son was Jīmūta; his son was Vikriti; his son was Bhīmaratha;

his son was Navaratha; his son was Daśaratha; his son was Śakuni; his son was Karambhi; his son was Devarāta; his son was Devakṣatra; his son was Madhu; his son was Anavaratha;

his son was Kuruvatsa; his son was Anuratha; his son was Puruhotra; his son was Anśu; his son was Satwata, from whom the princes of this house were termed Sātwatas.

This was the progeny of Jyāmagha; by listening to the account of whom, a man is purified from his sins.