The Lunar Dynasty

Skandha IX. Chap. 14

Sōma (the Moon) was born out of the eyes of Atri. He carried off Târa, the wife of Brihaspati (Jupiter). Brihaspati asked for his wife several times, but Sōma would not give her up. Sukra (Venus) was not on good terms with Brihaspati. So he took the side of Sōma, with his disciples, the Asuras. Śiva with his Bhûtas took the side of Brihaspati. Indra with the Devas also sided with their preceptor. The two parties engaged in fight. After some days of fight, Angiras informed Brahmâ about every thing that transpired. Brahmâ reproached Sōma. So he returned Târa to Brihaspati. Brihaspati found that Târa had conceived. “Immediately throw out the seed of another man in my field,” cried he. Târa feeling bashful brought forth at the time a lustrous son, Both Brihaspati and Sōma desired to have the son, each saying “It is mine not yours.” When they quarrelled with each other, the Devas and Rishis asked Târa who was the father of the child. The child reproved his mother for the delay in answering. Brahmâ took Târa aside and learned from her that Sōma was the father of the son, Sōma then took the child. Brahmâ seeing the deep wisdom of the child named him Budha (Mercury).

Budha had by Ilâ one son Pururavas. Nârada related his beauty and his virtues to the Devas in Svarga. Urvasi heard all that and took a fancy for the king. By the curse of Mitra Varuna, she had then a human form. Both the king and the Apsaras became attached to each other and they lived as husband and wife. But Urvasi laid down two conditions of her company with the king — (1) that the king was to preserve two rams, which the Apsaras had brought with her and (2) that the king was never to expose himself before her except in privacy. Indra sent the Gandharvas in search of Urvasi. They found her out and took away her two rams. She had a maternal affection for these animals and she cried out in despair. The king hurriedly took his arms and ran after the Gandharvas. They left the rams and fled away. The king brought them back. But in the hurry, he had forgot to cover himself and Urvasi left him. The king became disconsolate, and roamed about in search of her. After some days he found her on the banks of the Sarasvati with her 5 companions. He entreated her to come back. She promised to give her company to the king one night every year and informed him of her delicate state of health.

Urvasi came after a year, with one son. She advised the king to entreat the Gandharvas for her hands. The king did so and the Gandharvas became pleased with him. They gave him one Agnisthâli (pot of fire). The king took the Agnisthâli to be Urvasi and roamed with it in the forest. (The Gandharvas gave him the fire for the performance of sacrifice necessary for the attainment of Urvasi). The king found out his mistake at last. He then placed the fire in the forest, went home and meditated every night on Urvasi. On the approach of Tretâ, he was inspired with the three Vedas (Karma-Kânda). He then went to the place of fire and found there one Asvatha tree (the sacred fig) grown from inside a Śami tree (Śami is the name of a tree said to contain fire). He decided that the fire must be within the Asvatha tree. He took two pieces of wood (technically called Arani) from that tree and produced fire by their friction. He deemed one piece to be Urvasi and another piece to be himself and the space between the two pieces to be his son. By friction, the fire called Jatavedas came out. (Vedas is wealth, enjoyments in general. Jâta is grown. Jata-vedas is that fire from which enjoyments proceed that which gratifies all sense-desires. It is the chief fire of the Karma-kânda of the Vedas). By the invocation of the three vedas, that fire became three fold. (Âhavaniya, Gârhapatya, and Dakshinâ are the three fires perpetually kept in the household. Âhavaniya is the eastern fire which represents the relations of the house holder with the Devas. Gârhapatya is the sacred fire which the householder receives from his father and transmits to his descendants and from which fires for sacrificial purposes are lighted. It represents household and family duties. Dakhina is the southern fire. It represents all classes of duty to the Pitris). The king imagined this threefold fire to be his son (The son by his offerings sends his father’s soul to Svarga. The sacrificial fire also sends the performer to Svarga). With that fire, he performed Yajna desiring to reach the Loka (plane) of Urvasi. Prior to this in Satya Yuga, Pranava was the only Veda, Nârâyana was the only Deva, there was only one fire and only one caste. The three Vedas came only from Pururavas, at the beginning of Treta Yuga. The king attained Gandharva Loka by means of the fire. (In Satya Yuga, Satva generally prevailed in men. Therefore they were all fixed in meditation. But in Treta Yuga, Rajas prevailed and by the division of the Vedas, Karma Mârga made its appearance. Śridhara.)

[The true history of the origin of the three Vedas is thus given in veiled words. They originated in the strong desire of men in Treta Yuga for the possession of heavenly things. This gives us about two millions of years at the present day. The origin of the Vedas must not be confounded however with their existence in the present form. For that we must refer to the sacrifice of Haris Chandra, the adoption of Sunah sepha by Visvâmitra and the division amongst the Madhu Chandas brothers.]

Rishi Richika asked for the hand of Satyavati. Gadhi did not consider him to be a fit husband for his daughter. He therefore wanted to put him off and said: — “Give a dower of one thousand horses, with the lustre of moon all over their body and with one of their ears dark-coloured (Śyama). For we are sons of Kusika.”

The Rishi went to Varuna and got the horses. He gave them to the king and married Satyavati.

Satyavati and her mother both asked Richika to prepare Charu for the birth of a son to each. (Charu is an oblation of rice, barley, and pulse, boiled together. It is offered to Devas and Pitris). Richika prepared two charus and consecrated one with Brâhmana Mantra and the other with Kshatriya Mantra. The Rishi then went to bathe himself. In the meantime, the mother thought, the daughter’s Charu must be superior to hers. So she procured that from her daughter and the daughter partook of her mother’s Charu. When the Rishi returned and learned what had taken place, he said to his wife: — “What an improper thing you have done by this exchange of Charus! You shall have a fierce and terrible son, while your brother shall be the greatest in divine wisdom.”

Satyavati prayed to her husband, saying “Let it not be so.” The Rishi then said, “Then your grandson shall be all that.”

Jamadagni was born of Satyavati. She became the river Kausiki.

Jamadagni married Renukâ the daughter of Renu.

Jamadagni had several sons, Vasumat and others. The youngest was Râma (Parsurama). He is said to be an Incarnation of Vishnu. He destroyed the Haihaya Kshatriyas. He cleared the earth of Kshatriyas twenty one times.

Kârtaviryarjuna was the chief of the Haihaya clan. He got yogic powers from Datta-Atreya and also one thousand heads. He was very powerful. He was hospitably received one day by Jamadagni, with the objects yielded by his Kâma-Dhenu (a cow that yields all objects of desire). The king longed to have the cow and forcibly carried her away. Parasurâma killed the king in battle and carried back the cow. The sons of the king out of revenge killed Rishi Jamadagni while Parasurâma and his brothers were out. Incensed by this conduct of the Haihayas, Parasurâma killed all the Kshatriyas on account of their iniquities.

Jamadagni on his death became the Seventh Rishi in the constellation of the Seven Rishis.

Parasurâma will become one of the Seven Rishis in the next Manvantara. He bides his time, with axe in hand, on the Mahendra mountain.

Gadhi had his son Visvâmitra. Though a Kshatriya, he became a Brâhmana by his Tapas. He had one hundred sons. The mid son was Madhuchhandas. But they were all called Madhuchhandas. Visvâmitra adopted as his son Sunahsepha, son of Ajigarta of the clan of Bhrigu after he had been offered up to the Devas and the Rishi asked his sons to accept him as their eldest brother. Śunahśepha had been purchased as the victim of Haris Chandra’s sacrifice. He prayed to the Devas and to Prajâpati and got liberation. In the clan of Gadhi, he was known as Devarâta. In the clan of Bhrigu, he was called Sunahsepha. The elder sons of Visvâmitra did not accept him. So the Rishi cursed them to become Mlechhas. Madhuchhandas with the youngest 50 did as asked by the Rishi.

The other sons of Visvâmitra were Ashtaka, Harita, Jaya, Kratumat and others.

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