Chapter 50

“Vasudeva said, ‘Listen, O son of Kunti, to the story of Rama’s energyand powers and birth as heard by me from great Rishis discoursing uponthe subject. Listen to the story of how millions of Kshatriyas were slainby Jamadagni’s son and how those that sprung again in the diverse royal.races in Bharata were again slaughtered. Jadu had a son named Rajas.Rajas had a son named Valakaswa. King Valakaswa had a son named Kusika ofrighteous behaviour. Resembling the thousand-eyed Indra on earth, Kusikaunderwent the austerest of penances from desire of attaining the chief ofthe three worlds for a son. Beholding him engaged in the austerest ofpenances and competent to beget a son, the thousand-eyed Purandarahimself inspired the king (with his force). The great lord of the threeworlds, the chastiser of Paka, O king, then became Kusika’s son known bythe name of Gadhi. Gadhi had a daughter, O monarch, of the name ofSatyavati. The puissant Gadhi gave her (for wife) unto Richika, adescendant of Bhrigu. Her lord of Bhrigu’s race, O delighter of theKurus, became highly gratified with her for the purity of her behaviour.He cooked the sacrificial food consisting of milk and rice for givingunto Gadhi (her sire) a son. Calling his wife, Richika of Bhrigu’s racesaid, ‘This portion of the sanctified food should be taken by thee, andthis (other) portion by thy mother. A son will be born of her that willblaze with energy and be a bull among Kshatriyas. Invincible byKshatriyas on earth, he will be the slayer of the foremost of Kshatriyas.As regards thee, O blessed lady, this portion of the food will give theea son of great wisdom, an embodiment of tranquillity, endued with asceticpenances, and the foremost of Brahmanas. Having said these words unto hiswife, the blessed Richika of Bhrigu’s race, setting his heart onpenances, proceeded to the woods. About this time, king Gadhi, resolvedupon a pilgrimage to the holy waters, arrived with his queen at theretreat, of Richika. Satyavati, upon this, O king, taking the twoportions of the sanctified food, cheerfully and in great haste,represented the worlds of her lord unto her mother. The queen-mother, Oson of Kunti, gave the portion intended for herself unto her daughter,and herself took from ignorance the portion intended for the latter. Uponthis, Satyavati, her body blazing with lustre, conceived a child ofterrible form intended to become the exterminator of the Kshatriyas.Beholding a Brahmana child lying within her womb, that tiger among theBhrigus said unto his wife of celestial beauty these words: ‘Thou hastbeen deceived by the, mother, O blessed lady, in consequence of thesubstitution of the sanctified morsels. Thy son will become a person ofcruel deeds and vindictive heart. Thy brother again (born of thy mother)will be a Brahmana devoted to ascetic penances. Into the sanctified foodintended for thee had been placed the seed of the supreme and universalBrahma, while into that intended for thy mother had been placed the sumtotal of Kshatriya energy. In consequence, however, of the substitutionof the two portions, O blessed lady, that which had been intended willnot happen. Thy mother will obtain a Brahmana child while thou wiltobtain a son that will become a Kshatriya.’ Thus addressed by her lord,the highly blessed Satyavati prostrated herself and placing her head athis feet, trembling, said, ‘It behoveth thee not, O holy one, to speaksuch words unto me, viz., ‘Thou shalt obtain a wretch among Brahmanas(for thy son).’

“Richika said, ‘This was not intended by me, O blessed lady, in respectof thee. A son of fierce deeds has been conceived by thee simply inconsequence of the substitution of the sanctified morsels.’

“Satyavati replied saying, ‘If thou wishest, O sage, thou canst createother worlds, what need then be said of a child? It behoveth thee, Opuissant one, to give me a son that shall be righteous and devoted topeace.’

“Richika said, ‘Never was falsehood spoken by me before, O blessed lady,even in jest. What need then be said of (such a solemn occasion as)preparing sanctified food with the aid of Vedic formulae after ignitingt. fire? It was ordained of yore by Destiny, O amiable one! I haveascertained it all by my penances. All the descendants of thy father willbe possessed of Brahmanic virtues.’

“Satyavati said, ‘O puissant one, let our grandson be such, but, Oforemost of ascetics, let me have a son of tranquil pursuits.’

“Richika said, ‘O thou of the fairest complexion, there is nodistinction, I conceive, between a son and a grandson. It will be, Oamiable one, as thou sayest.’

“Vasudeva continued, ‘Then Satyavati brought forth a son in Bhrigu’s racewho was devoted to penances and characterised by tranquil pursuits, viz.,Jamadagni of regulated vows. Kusika’s son Gadhi begot a son namedViswamitra. Possessed of every attribute of a Brahmana, that son (thoughborn in the Kshatriya order) was equal to a Brahmana. Richika (thus)begot Jamadagni, that ocean of penances. Jamadagni begot a son of fiercedeeds. The foremost of men, that son mastered the sciences, including thescience of arms. Like unto a blazing fire, that son was Rama, theexterminator of the Kshatriyas. Having gratified Mahadeva on themountains of Gandhamadana, he begged weapons of that great god,especially the axe of fierce energy in his hands. In consequence of thatunrivalled axe of fiery splendour and irresistible sharpness, he becameunrivalled on earth. Meanwhile the mighty son of Kritavirya, viz., Arjunaof the Kshatriya order and ruler of the Haihayas, endued with greatenergy, highly virtuous in behaviour, and possessed of a thousand armsthrough the grace of (the great Rishi) Dattatreya, having subjugated inbattle, by the might of his own arms, the whole earth with her mountainsand seven islands, became a very powerful emperor and (at last) gave awaythe earth unto the Brahmanas in a horse-sacrifice. On a certain occasion,solicited by the thirsty god of fire, O son of Kunti, the thousand-armedmonarch of great prowess gave alms unto that deity. Springing from thepoint of his shafts, the god of fire, possessed of great energy, desirousof consuming (what was offered), burnt villages and towns and kingdomsand hamlets of cowherds. Through the prowess of that foremost of men,viz., Kritavirya of great energy, the god of fire burnt mountains andgreat forests. Assisted by the king of the Haihayas, the god of fire,caused by the wind to blaze forth with energy consumed the uninhabitedbut delightful retreat of the high-souled Apava. Possessed of greatenergy, Apava, O mighty-armed king, seeing his retreat consumed by thepowerful Kshatriya, cursed that monarch in wrath, saying, ‘Since, OArjuna, without excepting these my specious woods, thou hast burnt them,therefore, Rama (of Bhrigu’s race) will lop off thy (thousand) arm. Themighty Arjuna, however, of great prowess, always devoted to peace, everregardful of Brahmanas and disposed to grant protection (unto all class),and charitable and brave, O Bharata, did not think of that cursedenounced on him by that high-souled Rishis. His powerful sons, alwayshaughty and cruel, in consequence of that course, became the indirectcause of his death. The princes, O bull of Bharata’s race, seize andbrought away the calf of Jamadagni’s homa cow, without the knowledge ofKritavirya, the ruler of the Haihayas. For this reason a dispute tookplace between the high-souled Jamadagni (and the Haihayas). The puissantRama, the son of Jamadagni, filled with wrath, lopped off the arms ofArjuna and brought back, O monarch, his sire’s calf which was wanderingwithin the inner enclosures of the king’s palace. Then the foolish son ofArjuna, repairing together to the retreat of the high-souled Jamadagni,felled with the points of their lances, O king, the head of the Rishifrom off his trunk while the celebrated Rama was out for fetching sacredfuel and grass. Inflamed with wrath at the death of his father andinspired with vengeance, Rama vowed to free the earth of Kshatriyas andtook up arms. Then that tiger among the Bhrigus, possessed of greatenergy, putting forth his prowess, speedily slaughtered all the sons andgrandsons of Kritavirya. Slaughtering thousands of Haihayas in rage, thedescendent of Bhrigu, O king, made the earth miry with blood. Possessedof great energy, he quickly reft the earth of all Kshatriyas. Filled thenwith compassion, he retired into the woods. Afterwards, when somethousands of years had passed away, the puissant Rama, who was wrathfulby nature, had imputations cast upon him (of cowardice). The grandson ofViswamitra and son of Raivya, possessed of great ascetic merit, namedParavasu, O monarch, began to cast imputations on Rama in public, saying,’O Rama, were not those righteous men, viz., Pratardana and others, whowere assembled at a sacrifice at the time of Yayati’s fall, Kshatriyas bybirth? Thou art not of true vows, O Rama! Thine is an empty boast amongpeople. Through fear of Kshatriya heroes thou hast betaken thyself to themountains. The descendant of Bhrigu, hearing these words of Paravasu,once more took up arms and once more strewed the earth with hundreds ofKshatriya bodies. Those Kshatriyas, however, O king, counting byhundreds, that were spared by Rama, multiplied (in time) and becamemighty monarchs on earth. Rama once more slaughtered them quickly, notsparing the very children, O king! Indeed, the earth became once morestrewn with the bodies of Kshatriya children of premature birth. As soonas Kshatriya children were born, Rama slaughtered them. Some Kshatriyaladies, however, succeeded in protecting their children (from Rama’swrath). Having made the earth destitute of Kshatriyas for thrice seventimes, the puissant Bhargava, at the completion of a horse-sacrifice,gave away the earth as sacrificial present unto Kasyapa. For preservingthe remnant of the Kshatriyas, Kasyapa, O king, pointing with his handthat still held the sacrificial ladle, said these words, O great sage,repair to the shores of the southern ocean. It behoveth thee not, O Rama,to reside within (what is) my dominion.’ At these words, Ocean suddenlycreated for Jamadagni’s son, on his other shore, a region calledSurparaka. Kasyapa also, O monarch, having accepted the earth in gift,and made a present of it unto the Brahmanas, entered the great forest.Then Sudras and Vaisyas, acting most wilfully, began to unite themselves,O bull of Bharata’s race, with the wives of Brahmanas. When anarchy setsin on earth, the weak are oppressed by the strong, and no man is masterof his own property. Unprotected duly by Kshatriyas observant of virtue,and oppressed by the wicked in consequence of that disorder, the earthquickly sank to the lowest depths. Beholding the earth sinking from fear,the high-souled Kasyapa held her on his lap; and since the great Rishiheld her on his lap (uru) therefore is the earth known by the name ofUrvi. The goddess earth, for protection’s sake, gratified Kasyapa andbegged of him a king.

“The Earth said, ‘There are, O, regenerate one, some foremost ofKshatriyas concealed by me among women. They were born in the race ofHaihayas. Let them, O sage, protect me. There is another person of Puru’srace, viz., Viduratha’s son, O puissant one, who has been brought upamong bears in the Rikshavat mountains. Another, viz., the son ofSaudasa, has been protected, through compassion, by Parasara ofimmeasurable energy and ever engaged in sacrifices. Though born in one ofthe regenerate orders, yet like a Sudra he does everything for that Rishiand has, therefore, been named Sarvakarman (servant of all work). Sivi’sson of great energy, viz., Gopati by name, has been brought up in theforest among kine. Let him, O sage, protect me. Pratardana’s son, namedVatsa of great might, has been brought up among calves in a cowpen. Letthat one of the royal order protect me. Dadhivahana’s grandson andDiviratha’s son was concealed and protected on the banks of Ganga by thesage Gautama. His name is Vrihadratha. Possessed of great energy andadorned with numerous blessed qualities, that blessed prince has beenprotected by wolves and the mountains of Gridhrakuta. Many Kshatriyasbelonging to the race of Maratta have been protected. Equal unto the lordof Maruts in energy, they have been brought up by Ocean. These childrenof the Kshatriya order have been heard of as existing in differentplaces. They are living among artisans and goldsmiths. If they protect meI shall then stay unmoved. Their sires and grandsires have been slain formy sake by Rama Of great prowess. It is my duty, O great sage, to seethat their funeral rites are duly performed. I do not desire that Ishould be protected by my present rulers. Do thou, O sage, speedily makesuch arrangements that I may exist (as before).’

“Vasudeva continued, ‘The sage Kasyapa then, seeking out those Kshatriyasof great energy whom the goddess had indicated, installed them duly askings (for protecting her). Those Kshatriya races that are now extent arethe progeny of those princes. That which thou hast questioned me, O sonof Panda, happened in days of yore even thus.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Conversing thus with Yudhishthira, thatforemost of righteous persons, the high-souled Yadava hero proceededquickly on that car, illumining all the points of the compass like thedivine Surya himself.'”