The Vishnu Purana: Book IV: Chapter VIII

The Vishnu Purana, translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, [1840], at sacred-texts.com

CHAP. VIII.

Sons of Áyus. Line of Kshatravriddha, or kings of Káśí. Former birth of Dhanwantarí. Various names of Pratarddana. Greatness of Alarka.

ÁYUS, the eldest son of Purúravas, married the daughter of Ráhu (or Áráhu), by whom he had five sons, Nahusha, Kshatravriddha 1, Rambha 2, Raji, and Anenas 3.

The son of Kshatravriddha was Suhotra 4, who had three sons, Káśa 5, Leśa 6, and Ghritsamada. The son of the last was Śaunaka 7, who first established the distinctions of the four castes 8. The son of Káśa was Kaśirájá 9; his son was Dírghatamas 10; his son was Dhanwantari, whose nature was exempt from human infirmities, and who in every existence had been master of universal knowledge. In his past life (or when he was produced by the agitation of the milky sea), Náráyańa had conferred upon him the boon, that he should subsequently be born in the

family of Kásirájá, should compose the eightfold system of medical science 11, and should be thereafter entitled to a share of offerings made to the gods. The son of Dhanwantari was Ketumat; his son was Bhímaratha; his son was Divodása 12; his son was Pratarddana, so

named from destroying the race of Bhadraśreńya. He had various other appellations, as Śatrujit, 'the victor over his foes,' from having vanquished all his enemies; Vatsa, or 'child,' from his father's frequently calling him by that name; Ritadhwaja, 'he whose emblem was truth,' being a great observer of veracity; and Kuvalayáśwa, because he had a horse (aśwa) called Kuvalaya 13. The son of this prince was Alarka, of whom this verse is sung in the present day; "For sixty thousand and sixty hundred years no other youthful monarch except Alarka, reigned over the earth 14." The son of Alarka was

[paragraph continues] Santati 15; his son was Sunítha; his son was Suketu; his son was Dharmaketu; his son was Satyaketu; his son was Vibhu; his son was Suvibhu; his son was Sukumára; his son was Dhrisht́aketu; his son was Vaińahotra; his son was Bharga; his son was Bhargabhúmi; from whom also rules for the four castes were promulgated 16. These are the Káśya

princes, or descendants of Káśa 17. We will now enumerate the descendants of Raji.

Footnotes

406:3 Vipápman: Agni and Matsya. Vidáman: Padma. The two last authorities proceed no farther with this line.

406:6 Sála: Váyu, Bráhma, Hari V.: whose son was Ársht́isena, father of Charanta; Váyu: of Kaśyapa; Bráhma and Hari V.

406:7 Here is probably an error, for the Váyu, Bhágavata, and Bráhma agree in making Śunaka the son of Ghritsamada, and father of Śaunaka.

406:8 The expression is 'The originator or causer of the distinctions (or duties) of the four castes.' The commentator, however, understands the expression to signify, that his descendants were of the four castes. So also the Váyu: 'The son of Ghritsamada was Śunaka, whose son was Śaunaka. Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śúdras were born in his race; Brahmans by distinguished deeds.' The existence of but one caste in the age of purity, however incompatible with the legend which ascribes the origin of the four tribes to Brahmá, is every where admitted. Their separation is assigned to different individuals, whether accurately to any one may be doubted; but the notion indicates that the distinction was of a social or political character.

406:10 Dírghatapas: Váyu. Ghritsatamas: Agni. The Bhágavata inserts a Rásht́ra before this prince, and the Váyu a Dharma after him.

407:11 The eight branches of medical science are, 1. Śalya, extraction of extraneous bodies; 2. Śaláká, treatment of external organic affections: these two constitute surgery: 3. Chikitsá, administration of medicines, or medical treatment in general; 4. Bhútavidyá, treatment of maladies referred to demoniac possession; 5. Kaumárabhritya, midwifery and management of children; 6. Agada, alexipharmacy; 7. Rasáyana, alchemical therapeutics; 8. Bajikarańa, use of aphrodisiacs. Dhanwantari, according to the Brahma Vaivartta P., was preceded in medical science by Átreya, Bharadwája, and Charaka: his pupil Śuśruta is the reputed author of a celebrated work still extant. It seems probable that Káśí or Benares was at an early period a celebrated school of medicine.

407:12 Some rather curious legends are connected with this prince in the Váyu and Bráhma Puráńas, and Hari Vanśa, and especially in the Káśí Khańd́a of the Skánda Puráńa. According to these authorities, Śiva and Párvatí, desirous of occupying Káśí, which Divodása possessed, sent Nikumbha, one of the Gańas of the former, to lead the prince to the adoption of Buddhist doctrines; in consequence of which he was expelled from the sacred city, and, according to the Váyu, founded another on the banks of the Gomatí. We have, however, also some singular, though obscure intimations of some of the political events of this and the succeeding reign. The passage of the Váyu is, 'The king Divodása, having slain the hundred sons of Bhadraśreńya, took possession of his kingdom, which was conquered by that hero. The son of Bhadraśreńya, celebrated by the name of Durdama, was spared by Divodása, as being an infant. Pratarddana was the son of Divodása by Drishadvatí; and by that great prince, desirous of destroying all enmity, (was recovered) that (territory) which had been seized by that young boy (Durdama).' This is not very explicit, and something is wanted to complete the sense. The Bráhma P. and Hari V. tell the story twice over, chiefly in the words of the Váyu, but with some additions. In ch. 29. we have, first, the first three lines of the above extract; then comes the story of Benares being deserted; we then have the two next lines; then follow, 'That prince (Durdama) invading his patrimonial possessions, the territory which Divodása had seized by force was recovered by the gallant son of Bhadhraśreńya, Durddama, a warrior desirous, mighty king, p. 408 to effect the destruction of his foes.' Here the victory is ascribed to Durddama, in opposition to what appears to be the sense of the Váyu, and what is undoubtedly that of our text, which says that he was called Pratarddana from destroying the race of Bhadraśreńya, and Śatrujit from vanquishing all his foes. By Vairasya anta, 'the end of hostility or enmity,' is obviously not to be understood here, as M. Langlois has intimated, a friendly pacification, but the end or destruction of all enemies. In the 32d chapter of the Hari Vanśa we have precisely the same lines, slightly varied as to their order; but they are preceded by this verse; 'The city (that on the Gomati), before the existence of Benares, of Bhadraśreńya, a pious prince of the Yadu race: This verse is not in the Bráhma P. After giving the rest of the above quotation, except the last line, the passage proceeds, 'The king called Asht́aratha was the son of Bhímaratha; and by him, great king, a warrior desirous of destroying his foes was (the country) recovered, the children (of Durdama) being infants.' According to the same authority, we are here to understand Bhímaratha and Asht́aratha as epithets of Divodása and Pratarddana. From these scanty and ill-digested notices it appears, that Divodása, on being expelled from Benares, took some city and district on the Gomati from the family of Bhadraśreńya; that Durdama recovered the country, and that Pratarddana again conquered it from his descendants. The alternation concerned apparently only bordering districts, for the princes of Máhíshmati and of Káśí continue, in both an earlier and a later series, in undisturbed possession of their capitals and their power.

408:13 The Váyu, Agni, Bráhma P., and Hari V. interpose two sons of Pratarddana, Garga or Bharga and Vatsa; and they make Vatsa the father of Alarka, except the Bráhma, which has Śatrujit and Ritadhwaja as two princes following Vatsa.

408:14 The Váyu, Bráhma, and Hari V. repeat this stanza, and add that Alarka enjoyed such protracted existence through the favour of Lopamudrá, and that having p. 409 lived till the period at which the curs upon terminated, he killed the Rákshas Kshemaka, by whom it had been occupied after it was abandoned by Divodása, and caused the city to be reinhabited. The Hari V. agrees as usual with the Bráhma, except in the reading of one or two names. It is to be observed, however, that the Agni makes the Káśí princes the descendants of Vitatha, the successor of Bharata. The Bráhma P. and Hari V., determined apparently to be right, give the list twice over, deriving it in one place from Kshatravriddha, as in our text, the Váyu, and the Bhágavata; and in another, with the Agni, from Vitatha. The series of the Bráhma, however, stops with Lauhi, the son of Alarka, and does not warrant the repetition which the carelessness of the compiler of the Hari Vanśa has superfluously inserted.

409:15 Several varieties occur, in the series that follows, as the comparative lists will best shew:

Bhágavata.	Bráhma.	Váyu.	Agni.
Alarka	Alarka	Alarka	Alarka
Santati	Sannati	Sannati	Dharmaketu
Sunítha	Sunítha	Sunítha	Vibhu
Suketana	Kshema	Suketu	Sukumára
Dharmaketu	Ketumat	Dhrisht́aketu	Satyaketu
Satyaketu	Suketu	Veńuhotra
Dhrisht́aketu	Dharmaketu	Gárgya
Sukumára	Satyaketu	Gargabhúmi
Vítihotra	Vibhu	Vatsabhúmi
Bhárga	Anartta
Bhargabhúmi	Sukumára
	Dhrisht́aketu
	Veńuhotri
	Bharga
	Vatsabhúmi.

409:16 Our text is clear enough, and so is the Bhágavata, but the Váyu, Bráhma, and Hari V. contain additions of rather doubtful import. The former has, 'The son of Veńuhotra was the celebrated Gárgya; Gargabhúmi was the son of Gárgya; and Vatsa, of the wise Vatsa: virtuous Brahmans and Kshatriyasp. 410 were the sons of these two.' By the second Vatsa is perhaps meant Vatsabhúmi; and the purport of the passage is, that Gárgya (or possibly rather Bharga, one of the sons of Pratarddana) and Vatsa were the founders of two races (Bhúmi, 'earth,' implying 'source' or founder', who were Kshatriyas by birth, and Brahmans by profession. The Bráhma and Hari V., apparently misunderstanding this text, have increased the perplexity. According to them, the son of Veńuhotra was Bharga; Vatsabhúmi was the son of Vatsa; and Bhargabhúmi (Bhrigubhúmi, Bráhma) was from Bhárgava. 'These sons of Angiras were born in the family of Bhrigu, thousands of great might, Brahmans, Kshatriyas and Vaiśyas.' The commentator has, 'Another son of Vatsa, the father of Alarka, is described, Vatsabhúmi, &c. From Bhárgava, the brother of Vatsa. (They were) Angirasas from Gálava belonging to that family, (and were born) in the family of Bhrigu from the descent of Viśwámitra.' The interpretation is not very clear, but it authorizes the notion above expressed, that Vatsa and Bharga, the sons of Pratarddana, are the founders of two races of Kshatriya-Brahmans.

410:17 On the subject of note 12. some farther illustration is derivable from the Mahábhárata, Śánti P. Dána-dharma. Haryaśwa the king of the Káśis, reigning between the Ganges and the Yamuná, or in the Do-ab, was invaded and slain by the Haihayas, a race descended, according to this authority, from Śaryáti, the son of Manu (see p. 358). Sudeva, the son of Haryaśwa, was also attacked and defeated by the same enemies. Divodása, his son, built and fortified Benares as a defence against the Haihayas, but in vain, for they took it, and compelled him to fly. He sought refuge with Bharadwája, by whose favour he had a son born to him, Pratardana, who destroyed the Haihayas under their king Vítihavya, and reestablished the kingdom of Káśí. Vítihavya, through the protection of Bhrigu, became a Brahman. The Mahábhárata gives a list of his descendants, which contains several of the names of the Kaśya dynasty of the text; thus, Ghritsamada is said to be his son, and the two last of the line are Śunaka and Śaunaka. See n. 7.