Viṣṇu Purāṇa | Book 4 - Chapter 19

Chapter XIX

Descendants of Puru. Birth of Bhārata, the son of Duṣyanta: his sons killed: adopts Bharadvāja or Vitatha. Hastin, founder of Hastinapur. Sons of Ajāmīḍha, and the races derived from them, as Pānchālas, etc. Kripa and Kripī found by Śāntanu. Descendants of Rikṣa, the son of Ajāmīḍha. Kurukṣetra named from Kuru. Jarāsandha and others, kings of Magadhā.

THE son of Puru was Janamejaya; his son was Prāchinvat; his son was Pravīra; his son was Manasyu; his son was Bhayada; his son was Sudyumna; his son was Bahugava;

his son was Samyāti; his son was Ahamyāti; his son was Raudrāśva, who had ten sons, Riteyu, Kakṣeyu, Sthaṇḍileyu, Ghriteyu, Jaleyu, Sthaleyu, Santateyu, Dhaneyu, Vaneyu, and Vrateyu.

The son of Riteyu was Rantināra, whose sons were Tansu, Apratiratha, and Dhruva. The son of the second of these was Kaṇwa, and his son was Medhātithi, from whom the Kāṇvāyāna Brāhmaṇas descended.

Anila was the son of Tansu, and he had four sons, of whom Duṣyanta was the elder. The son of Duṣyanta was the emperor Bhārata; a verse explanatory of his name is chanted by the gods:

"The mother is only the receptacle; it is the father by whom a son is begotten. Cherish thy son, Duṣyanta; treat not Śakuntalā with disrespect.

Sons, who are born from the paternal loins, rescue their progenitors from the infernal regions. Thou art the parent of this boy; Śakuntalā has spoken truth."

From the expression 'cherish,' Bharaswa, the prince was called Bhārata.

Bhārata had by different wives nine sons, but they were put to death by their own mothers, because Bhārata remarked that they bore no resemblance to him, and the women were afraid that he would therefore desert them.

The birth of his sons being thus unavailing, Bhārata sacrificed to the Maruts, and they gave him Bharadvāja, the son of Brihaspati by Mamatā the wife of Utathya, expelled by the kick of Dirghatamas, his half-brother, before his time.

This verse explains the purport of his appellation:

"'Silly woman,' said Brihaspati, 'cherish this child of two fathers' (bhara dvā-jam).

'No, Brihaspati,' replied Mamatā, 'do you take care of him.'

So saying, they both abandoned him; but from their expressions the boy was called Bharadvāja."

He was also named Vitatha, in allusion to the unprofitable (vitatha) birth of the sons of Bhārata. The son of Vitatha was Bhavanmanyu; his sons were many, and amongst them the chief were Vrihatkṣatra, Mahāvīryya, Nara, and Garga.

The son of Nara was Sankriti; his sons were Ruchiradhī and Rantideva.

The son of Garga was Sini, and their descendants called Gārgyas and Śainyas, although Kṣatriyas by birth, became Brahmans. The son of Mahāvīryya was Urukṣaya, who had three sons, Trayyāruṇa, Pushkarin, and Kapi; the last of whom became a Brahman.

The son of Vrihatkṣatra was Suhotra, whose son was Hastin, who founded the city of Hastināpur. The sons of Hastin were Ajamīḍha, Dvimīḍha, and Purumīḍha.

One son of Ajamīḍha was Kaṇwa, whose son was Medhātithi; his other son was Vrihadishu, whose son was Vrihadvasu; his son was Vrihatkarman; his son was Jayadratha; his son was Viśvajit; his son was Senajit, whose sons were Ruchirāśva, Kāśya, Driḍhadhanuṣ, and Vasahanu.

The son of Ruchirāśva was Prithusena; his son was Pāra; his son was Nīpa: he had a hundred sons, of whom Samara, the principal, was the ruler of Kāmpilya.

Samara had three sons, Pāra, Sampāra, Sadaśva. The son of Pāra was Prithu; his son was Sukriti; his son was Vibhrātra; his son was Anuha, who married Kritvī, the daughter of Śuka (the son of Vyāsa), and had by her Brahmadatta; his son was Viṣvaksena; his son was Udaksena; and his son was Bhallāṭa.

The son of Dvimīḍha was Yavīnara; his son was Dhritimat; his son was Satyadhriti; his son was Driḍhanemi; his son was Supārśva; his son was Sumati; his son was Sannatimat;

his son was Krita, to whom Hiraṇyanābha taught the philosophy of the Yoga, and he compiled twenty-four Saṁhitās (or compendia) for the use of the eastern Brahmans, who study the Sāma-veda.

The son of Krita was Ugrāyudha, by whose prowess the Nīpa race of Kṣatriyas was destroyed; his son was Kṣemya; his son was Suvīra; his son was Nripanjaya; his son was Bahuratha.

These were all called Pauravas.

Ajamīḍha had a wife called Nīlinī, and by her he had a son named Nīla; his son was Śānti; his son was Śuśānti; his son was Purujānu; his son was Chakṣu; his son was Haryyaśva, who had five sons, Mudgala, Śrinjaya, Vrihadishu, Pravīra, and Kāmpilya.

Their father said: "These my five (pañcha) sons are able (alam) to protect the countries;" and hence they were termed the Pānchālas.

From Mudgala descended the Mudgala Brahmans: he had also a son named Bahvaśva, who had two children, twins, a son and daughter, Dvādaśa and Ahalyā.

The son of Śaradwat or Gautama by Ahalyā was Śatānanda; his son was Satyadhriti, who was a proficient in military science. Being enamoured of the nymph Urvaśī, Satyadhriti was the parent of two children, a boy and a girl.

Śantanu, a Raja, whilst hunting, found these children exposed in a clump of long Śara grass; and, compassionating their condition, took them, and brought them up.

As they were nurtured through pity (kripā), they were called Kripā and Kripī. The latter became the wife of Droṇa, and the mother of Asvatthāman.

The son of Dvādaśa was Mitrāyu; his son was Chyavana; his son was Sudāsa; his son was Saudāsa, also called Sahadeva; his son was Somaka; he had a hundred sons, of whom Jantu was the eldest, and Pṛṣata the youngest.

The son of Pṛṣata was Drupada; his son was Dhriṣṭadyumna; his son was Dhriṣṭaketu.

Another son of Ajamīḍha was named Rikṣa; his son was Samvaraṇa; his son was Kuru, who gave his name to the holy district Kurukṣettra; his sons were Sudhanuṣ, Jahnu, Parīkṣit, and many other.

The son of Sudhanuṣ was Suhotra; his son was Chyavana; his son was Krītaka; his son was Uparichara the Vāsu, who had seven children, Brihadratha, Pratyagra, Kuśāmba, Māvella, Matsya, and others.

The son of Brihadratha was Kuśāgra; his son was Riṣabha; his son was Puṣpavat; his son was Satyadhrita; his son was Sudhanvā; and his son was Jantu.

Brihadratha had another son, who being born in two parts, which were put together (sandhita) by a female friend named Jarā, he was denominated Jarāsandha; his son was Sahadeva; his son was Somāpi; his son was Srutaśravas.

These were kings of Magadhā.