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

CHAP. XXIV.

Future kings of Magadhá. Five princes of the line of Pradyota. Ten Śaiśunágas. Nine Nandas. Ten Mauryas. Ten Śungas. Four Kańwas. Thirty Ándhrabhrityas. Kings of various tribes and castes, and periods of their rule. Ascendancy of barbarians. Different races in different regions. Period of universal iniquity and decay. Coming of Vishńu as Kalki. Destruction of the wicked, and restoration of the practices of the Vedas. End of the Kali, and return of the Krita, age. Duration of the Kali. Verses chanted by Earth, and communicated by Asita to Janaka. End of the fourth book.

THE last of the Vríhadratha dynasty, Ripunjaya, will have a minister named Sunika 1, who having killed his sovereign, will place his son Pradyota upon the throne 2: his son will be Pálaka 3; his son will be Viśákhayúpa 4; his son will be Janaka 5; and his son will be Nandivarddhana 6. These five kings of the house of Pradyota will reign over the earth for a hundred and thirty-eight years 7.

The next prince will be Śiśunaga 8; his son will be Kákavarńa 9; his son will be Kshemadharman 10; his son will be Kshatraujas 11; his son will be Vidmisára 12; his son will be Ájátaśatru 13; his son will be

[paragraph continues] Dharbaka 14; his son will be Udayáśwa 15; his son will also be Nandivarddhana; and his son will be Mahánandi 16. These ten Śaiśunágas will be kings of the earth for three hundred and sixty-two years 17.

The son of Mahánanda will be born of a woman of the Śúdra or servile class; his name will be Nanda, called Mahápadma, for he will be exceedingly avaricious 18. Like another Paraśuráma, he will be the annihilator of the Kshatriya race; for after him the kings of the earth will be Śúdras. He will bring the whole earth under one umbrella: he

will have eight sons, Sumálya and others, who will reign after Mahápadma; and he and his sons 19 will govern for a hundred years. The Brahman Kaut́ilya will root out the nine Nandas 20

Upon the cessation of the race of Nanda, the Mauryas will possess the earth, for Kant́ilya will place Chandragupta 21 on the throne: his son

will be Vindusára 22; his son will be Aśokavarddhana 23; his son will be

[paragraph continues] Suyaśas 24; his son will be Daśaratha; his son will be Sangata; his son will be Śáliśúka; his son will be Somaśarmman; his son will be Saśadharman 25; and his successor will be Vrihadratha. These are the ten Mauryas, who will reign over the earth for a hundred and thirty-seven years 26.

The dynasty of the Śungas will next become possessed of the sovereignty; for Pushpamitra, the general of the last Maurya prince, will