The Vishnu Purana: Book IV: Chapter XIX | Internet Sacred Text Archive

CHAP. XIX.

Descendants of Puru. Birth of Bharata, the son of Dushyanta: his sons killed: adopts Bharadwája or Vitatha. Hastin, founder of Hastinapur. Sons of Ajámíd́ha, and the races derived from them, as Pánchálas, &c. Kripa and Kripí found by Śántanu. Descendants of Riksha, the son of Ajámíd́ha. Kurukshetra named from Kuru. Jarásandha and others, kings of Magadhá.

THE son of Puru was Janamejaya; his son was Práchinvat; his son was Pravíra; his son was Manasyu; his son was Bhayada 1; his son was Sudyumna 2; his son was Bahugava 3; his son was Samyáti 4; his son was Ahamyáti 5; his son was Raudráśwa 6, who had ten sons, Riteyu 7, Kaksheyu, Sthańd́ileyu, Ghriteyu, Jaleyu, Sthaleyu, Santateyu, Dhaneyu, Vaneyu, and Vrateyu 8. The son of Riteyu was Rantinára 9,

whose sons were Tansu, Apratiratha, and Dhruva 10. The son of the second of these was Kańwa, and his son was Medhátithi, from whom the Káńwáyána Brahmanas 11 descended. Anila 12 was the son of Tansu, and he had four sons, of whom Dushyanta was the elder 13. The son of

[paragraph continues] Dushyanta was the emperor Bharata; a verse explanatory of his name is chaunted by the gods; "The mother is only the receptacle; it is the father by whom a son is begotten. Cherish thy son, Dushyanta; treat not Śakuntalá with disrespect. Sons, who are born from the paternal loins, rescue their progenitors from the infernal regions. Thou art the parent of this boy; Śakuntalá has spoken truth." From the expression 'cherish,' Bharaswa, the prince was called Bharata 14.

Bharata had by different wives nine sons, but they were put to death by their own mothers, because Bharata 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, Bharata sacrificed to the Maruts, and they gave him Bharadwája, the son of Vrihaspati by Mamata 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 Vrihaspati, 'cherish this child of two fathers' (bhara dwá-jam). 'No, Vrihaspati,' replied Mamatá, 'do you take care of him.' So saying, they both abandoned him; but from their expressions the boy was called Bharadwája." He was also termed Vitatha, in allusion to the unprofitable (vitatha) birth of the sons of Bharata 15. The son of Vitatha was

[paragraph continues] Bhavanmanyu 16; his sons were many, and amongst them the chief were Vrihatkshatra, Mahávíryya, Nara, and Garga 17. The son of Nara was Sankriti; his sons were Ruchiradhí and Rantideva 18. The son of Garga