engaged in hostilities with the Brahmans, in the pride of his strength, and seized their jewels, as they exclaimed against his oppression. Sanatkumára came from the sphere of Brahmá, to teach him the rules of duty; but Purúravas did not accept his instructions; and the king, deprived of understanding by the pride of his power, and actuated by avarice, was, therefore, ever accursed by the offended great sages, and was destroyed."

विप्रैः स विग्रहं चक्रे वीर्योन्मत्तः पुरूरवाः ।
जहार च स विप्राणां रत्नान्युत्क्रोशतामपि ॥
सनत्कुमारस्तं राजन्ब्रह्मलोकादुपेत्य ह ।
अनुदर्श ततञ्चक्रे प्रत्यगृह्णान्न चाप्यसी ॥
ततो महर्षिभिः क्रुद्धैः सद्यः शप्तो व्यनश्यत ।
लोभान्वितो बलमदान्नष्टसंज्ञो नराधिपः ॥

CHAPTER VII.

Sons of Purúravas. Descendants of Amávasu.

Indra born as

Gádhi. Legend of Richíka and Satyavatí. Birth of Jamadagni and Viśwámitra. Parasuráma, the son of the former. (Legend of Parasuráma.) Śunab'sepha and others, the sons of Viśwámitra, forming the Kausika race.

PURÚRAVAS had six sons,-Áyus, Dhímat, Amávasu, Viśwávasu, Satáyus, and Śrutáyus.' The son of

1 Considerable variety prevails in these names; and the Matsya, Padma, Brahma, and Agni enumerate eight. The lists are as

*

follows:

The list of the Brahma is that of the Mahábhárata, with the addition of Satayus and Viśwáyus; and the Padma agrees with the Matsya.

* The Harivaṁśa, śl. 1372, 1373, and again in l. 1413, 1414, gives seven, namely, Viśwȧyus and Śrutáyus, besides the names of the Mahábhárata, Dhimat excepted; for the word dhimán, as is shown by the context, must be taken to qualify Amȧvasu.

† Ádi-parvan, §l. 3149.

IX., XV., 1.

§ Reference to the originals of the passages above, suggests grave doubts as to this name. to the Agni-purána.

2

Amávasu was Bhíma;1 his son was Kánchana; his son

3

was Suhotra, whose son was Jahnu.* This prince, whilst performing a sacrifice, saw the whole of the place overflowed by the waters of the Ganges. Highly offended at this intrusion, his eyes red with anger, he united the spirit of sacrifice with himself, by the power of his devotion, and drank up the river. The gods and sages, upon this, (came to him, and) appeased his indignation, and reobtained Gangá from him, in the capacity of his daughter; (whence she is called Jáhnaví).*

The son of Jahnu was Sumantu;"§ his son was Ajaka;

1 Son of Vijaya: Bhagavata. This line of princes is followed only in our text, the Váyu, Brahma, and Hari Vamsa, and the Bhagavata.

2 Kanchanaprabha: Brahma. ||

3 Hotraka: Bhagavata.

The Brahma Purána and Hari Vamsa add, of this prince, that he was the husband of Káverí, the daughter of Yuvanáśwa, who, by the imprecation of her husband, became the Káverí river; another indication of the Dakshina origin of these works. T The Hari Vamsa has another Jahnu, to whom it gives the same spouse, as we shall hereafter see.

*

**

5 Sunuta:++ Brahma. Púru: Bhagavata.

According to the Vayu-purána, his mother was Keśiki. The Harivamsa calls her Keśini.

+ Váťa.

+

Yajnapurusha. See Vol. I., p. 61, note 1; p. 163, note *.

§ This name I find in only one MS.; one other has Sudhanu; and all the rest have Sujantu. Professor Wilson's Bengal translation has Sujahnu. The Váyu-purána reads Suhotra.

|| Both Kanchanaprabha and Kanchana: Váyu-puráňa, and Harivaṁşa. The Váyu-purána recounts the same legend.

** Where?

I find Sunaha, apparently.

his son was Balákáśwa;' his son was Kuśá,2* who had four sons,Kuśámba,† Kuśanabha, Amúrtaraya,‡ and Amávasu. Kuśámba, being desirous of a son,

1 Valaka: § Brahma. Ajaka: Bhagavata.

? The Brahma Purána and Hari Vamsa add, that Kúśa was in alliance with the Pahlavas and foresters.

3 Qur authorities differ as to these names:

The Rámáyana|||| has Kusámba, Kuśanábha, Amúrtarajas, ¶¶ and Vasu; and makes them, severally, the founders of Kauśámbí, of Mahodaya (which afterwards appears the same as Kanoj), Dharmáranya, and Girivraja; the latter being in the mountainous part of Magadha.

* The Bhagavata-purána has Jahnu, Púru, Baláka, Ajaka, Kusa. † Kusika, here and below, in one MS. The Vaidik tradition assigns him to the family of Ishiratha.

So read all my. MSS. but one, which gives Amúrtiraya. See the Mahábhárata, Sánti-parvan, l. 6194. I have displaced the Translator's "Amurttaya". His Hindu-made English version has Amúrta.

§ This seems very doubtful. Probably the reading is Baláka.

|| See note *, above.

¶ My MSS. give Kuśámba or Kuśastamba.

** In both the Brahma-purána and the Harivamsa I find Kuśámba. Indeed, I have nowhere met with "Kuśáśwa", as son of Kusa.

Corrected from "Kuśámba". Kuśámbu is, of course, a gross error;

but it is characteristic of the Bhagavata-purána.

#Judging from my MSS., I conjecture that the correct reading may be Amúrtarajasa.

§§ Corrected from "Amurttaraya".

||| Bála-káńda, XXXII., 3—8. ¶¶ Corrected from "Amurttarajasa.”

engaged in devout penance, to obtain one who should be equal to Indra. Observing the intensity of his devotions, Indra was alarmed, lest a prince of power like his own should be engendered, and determined, therefore, to take upon himself the character of Kusámba's son.1 He was, accordingly, born as Gádhi,* of the race of Kusa (Kausika). Gádhi had a daughter named Satyavatí. Řichíka, of the descendants of Bhrigu, demanded her in marriage. The king was very unwilling to give his daughter to a peevish old Brahman, and demanded of him, as the nuptial present, a thousand fleet horses, whose colour should be white,† with one black ear. Richíka, having propitiated Varuna, the god of ocean, obtained from him, at (the holy place called) Aswatírtha, a thousand such steeds, and, giving them to the king, espoused his daughter.2

1 The Brahma and Hari Vamsa make Gádhi the son of Kuśika; the Váyu‡ and Bhagavata, of Kusámba;§ the Rámáyana, || of Kuśanabha.

2 The Rámáyana notices the marriage, but has no legend. The Mahábhárata, Vana Parvan, has a rather more detailed narration, but much the same as in the text. According to the commentator, Aswatirtha is in the district of Kanoj; perhaps, at the confluence of the Kálanadi with the Ganges. The agency of the god of Ocean, in procuring horses, is a rather curious additional coincidence between Varuna and Neptune.

* Anciently, Gáthin. See Professor Wilson's Translation of the Rigveda, Vol. I., p. 27, note a.

+ Induvarchas.

But the Translator, according to note 3 in the preceding page, did not find Kuśámba in the Váyu-purána. It appears there, however, and as convertible with Kuśika. See Vol. III., p. 16, notes, l. 1.

§ Correct by note in the last page. || Bála-káńda, XXXIV., 5.