(Adivansavatarana Parva continued)
" said, 'There was a king of the name of Uparichara. That monarch was devoted to virtue. He was very much addicted also to hunting. That king of the Paurava race, called also Vasu, conquered the excellent and delightful kingdom of Chedi under instructions from . Some time after, the king gave up the use of arms and, dwelling in a secluded retreat, practised the most severe austerities. The gods with at their head once approached the monarch during this period, believing that he sought the headship of the gods, by those severe austerities of his. The celestials, becoming objects of his sight, by soft speeches succeeded in winning him away from his ascetic austerities.'
"The gods said, 'O lord of the earth, thou you shouldst should take care so that virtue may not sustain a diminution on earth! Protected by thee you, virtue itself will in return protect the universe.' And said, 'O king, protect virtue on earth attentively and rigidly. Being virtuous, thou you shalt shall, for all time, behold (in after life) many sacred regions. And though I am of Heaven, and thou you art of earth, yet art thou you my friend and dear to me. And, O king of men, dwell thou you in that region on earth which is delightful, and aboundeth abounds in animals, is sacred, full of wealth and corn, is well-protected like heaven, which is of agreeable climate, graced with every object of enjoyment, and blessed with fertility. And, O monarch of Chedi, this thy your dominion is full of riches, of gems and precious stones, and containeth contains, besides, much mineral wealth. The cities and towns of this region are all devoted to virtue; the people are honest and contented; they never lie even in jest. Sons never divide their wealth with their fathers and are ever mindful of the welfare of their parents. Lean cattle are never yoked to the plough or the cart or engaged in carrying merchandise; on the other hand, they are well-fed and fattened. In Chedi the four orders are always engaged in their respective vocations. Let nothing be unknown to thee you that happens in the three worlds. I shall give thee you a crystal car such as the celestials alone are capable of carrying the car through mid air. Thou you alone, of all mortals on earth, riding on that best of cars, shall course through mid-air like a celestial endued with a physical frame. I shall also give thee you a triumphal garland of unfading lotuses, with which on, in battle, thou you shall not be wounded by weapons. And, O king, this blessed and incomparable garland, widely known on earth as 's garland, shall be thy your distinctive badge.
"The slayer of Vritra () also gave the king, for his gratification, a bamboo pole for protecting the honest and the peaceful. After the expiry of a year, the king planted it in the ground for the purpose of worshipping the giver thereof of it, viz., . From that time forth, O monarch, all kings, following Vasu's example, began to plant a pole for the celebration of 's worship. After erecting the pole they decked it with golden cloth and scents and garlands and various ornaments. And the god is worshipped in due form with such garlands and ornaments. And the god, for the gratification of the illustrious Vasu, assuming the form of a swan, came himself to accept the worship thus offered. And the god, beholding the auspicious worship thus made by Vasu, that first of monarchs, was delighted, and said unto to him, 'Those men, and kings also, who will worship me and joyously observe this festival of mine like the king of Chedi, shall have glory and victory for their countries and kingdom. Their cities also shall expand and be ever in joy.'
"King Vasu was thus blessed by the gratified , the high-souled chief of the gods. Indeed, those men who cause this festivity of to be observed with gifts of land, of gems and precious stones, become the respected of the world. And king Vasu, the lord of Chedis bestowing boons and performing great sacrifices and observing the festivity of , was much respected by . And from Chedi he ruled the whole world virtuously. And for the gratification of , Vasu, the lord of the Chedis, observed the festivity of .
"And Vasu had five sons of great energy and immeasurable prowess. And the emperor installed his sons as governors of various provinces.
"And his son was installed in Magadha and was known by the name of Maharatha. Another son of his was Pratyagraha; and another, Kusamva, who was also called Manivahana. And the two others were Mavella, and of great prowess and invincible in battle.
"These, O monarch, were the sons of that royal sage of mighty energy. And the five sons of Vasu planted kingdoms and towns after their own names and founded separate dynasties that lasted for long ages.
"And when king Vasu took his seat in that crystal car, with the gift of , and coursed through the sky, he was approached by Gandharvas and Apsaras (the celestial singers and dancers). And as he coursed through the upper regions, he was called Uparichara. And by his capital flowed a river called Suktimati. And that river was once attacked by a life-endued mountain called Kolahala maddened by lust. And Vasu, beholding the foul attempt, struck the mountain with his foot. And by the indentation caused by Vasu's stamp, the river came out (of the embraces of Kolahala). But the mountain begat on the river two children that were twins. And the river, grateful to Vasu for his having set her free from Kolahala's embraces, gave them both to Vasu. And the son was made the generalissimo to his forces by Vasu, that best of royal sages and giver of wealth and punisher of enemies. And the daughter called Girika, was wedded by Vasu.
'And Girika, the wife of Vasu, after her menstrual course, purifying herself by a bath, represented her state unto to her lord. But that very day the Pitris of Vasu came unto to that best of monarchs and foremost of wise men, and asked him to slay deer (for their Sraddha). And the king, thinking that the command of the Pitris should not be disobeyed, went a-hunting thinking of Girika alone who was gifted with great beauty and like unto to another Sri herself. And the season being the spring, the woods within which the king was roaming, had become delightful like unto to the gardens of the himself. There were Asokas and Champakas and Chutas and Atimuktas in abundance: and there were Punnagas and Karnikaras and Vakulas and Divya Patalas and Patalas and Narikelas and Chandanas and Arjunas and similar other beautiful and sacred trees resplendent with fragrant flowers and sweet fruits. And the whole forest was maddened by the sweet notes of the kokila and echoed with the hum of maddened bees. And the king became possessed with desire, and he saw not his wife before him. Maddened by desire he was roaming hither here and thither there, when he saw a beautiful Asoka decked with dense foliage, its branches covered with flowers. And the king sat at his ease in the shade of that tree. And excited by the fragrance of the season and the charming odours of the flowers around, and excited also by the delicious breeze, the king could not keep his mind away from the thought of the beautiful Girika. And beholding that a swift hawk was resting very near to him, the king, acquainted with the subtle truths of Dharma and Artha, went unto to him and said, 'Amiable one, carry thou you this seed (semen) for my wife Girika and give it unto to her. Her season hath has arrived.'
"The hawk, swift of speed, took it from the king and rapidly coursed through the air. While thus passing, the hawk was seen by another of his species. Thinking that the first one was carrying meat, the second one flew at him. The two fought with each other in the sky with their beaks. While they were fighting, the seed fell into the waters of the Yamuna. And in those waters dwelt an Apsara of the higher rank, known by the name of Adrika, transformed by a Brahmana's curse into a fish. As soon as Vasu's seed fell into the water from the claws of the hawk, Adrika rapidly approached and swallowed it at once. That fish was, some time after, caught by the fishermen. And it was the tenth month of the fish's having swallowed the seed. From the stomach of that fish came out a male and a female child of human form. The fishermen wondered much, and wending unto to king Uparichara (for they were his subjects) told him all. They said, 'O king, these two beings of human shape have been found in the body of a fish!' The male child amongst the two was taken by Uparichara. That child afterwards became the virtuous and truthful monarch Matsya.
"After the birth of the twins, the Apsara herself became freed from her curse. For she had been told before by the illustrious one (who had cursed her) that she would, while living in her piscatorial form, give birth to two children of human shape and then would be freed from the curse. Then, according to these words, having given birth to the two children, and been killed by the fishermen, she left her fish-form and assumed her own celestial shape. The Apsara then rose up on the path trodden by the Siddhas, the Rishis and the Charanas.
"The fish-smelling daughter of the Apsara in her piscatorial form was then given by the king unto to the fishermen, saying, 'Let this one be thy your daughter.' That girl was known by the name of . And gifted with great beauty and possessed of every virtue, she of agreeable smiles, owing to contact with fishermen, was for some time of the fishy smell. Wishing to serve her (foster) father she plied a boat on the waters of the Yamuna.
"While engaged in this vocation, was seen one day by the great Rishi , in course of his wanderings. As she was gifted with great beauty, an object of desire even with an anchorite, and of graceful smiles, the wise sage, as soon as he beheld her, desired to have her. And that bull amongst Munis addressed the daughter of Vasu of celestial beauty and tapering thighs, saying, 'Accept my embraces, O blessed one!' replied, 'O holy one, behold the Rishis standing on either bank of the river. Seen by them, how can I grant thy your wish?'
"Thus addressed by her, the ascetic thereupon then created a fog (which existed not before and) which enveloped the whole region in darkness. And the maiden, beholding the fog that was created by the great Rishi wondered much. And the helpless one became suffused with the blushes of bashfulness. And she said, 'O holy one, note that I am a maiden under the control of my father. O sinless one, by accepting your embraces my virginity will be sullied. O best of Brahmanas, my virginity being sullied, how shall I, O Rishi, be able to return home? Indeed, I shall not then be able to bear life. Reflecting upon all this, O illustrious one, do that which should be done.' That best of Rishis, gratified with all she said, replied, "Thou you shall remain a virgin even if thou you grantest grant my wish. And, O timid one, O beauteous lady, solicit the boon that thou you desirest. O thou you of fair smiles, my grace hath has never before proved fruitless.' Thus addressed, the maiden asked for the boon that her body might emit a sweet scent (instead of the fish-odour that it had). And the illustrious Rishi thereupon then granted that wish of her heart.
"Having obtained her boon, she became highly pleased, and her season immediately came. And she accepted the embraces of that Rishi of wonderful deeds. And she thenceforth became known among men by the name of Gandhavati (the sweet-scented one). And men could perceive her scent from the distance of a yojana. And for this she was known by another name which was Yojanagandha (one who scatters her scent for a yojana all around). And the illustrious , after this, went to his own asylum.
"And gratified with having obtained the excellent boon in consequence of which she became sweet-scented and her virginity remained unsullied conceived through 's embraces. And she brought forth the very day, on an island in the Yamuna, the child begot upon her by and gifted with great energy. And the child, with the permission of his mother, set his mind on asceticism. And he went away saying, 'As soon as thou you rememberest remember me when occasion comes, I shall appear unto to thee you.'
"And it was thus that was born of through . And because he was born in an island, he was called (Dwaipa or islandborn). And the learned , beholding that virtue is destined to become lame by one leg each yuga (she having four legs in all) and that the period of life and the strength of men followed the yugas, and moved by the desire of obtaining the favour of Brahman and the Brahmanas, arranged the Vedas. And for this he came to be called (the arranger or compiler). The boon-giving great one then taught Sumanta, Jaimini, Paila, his son Suka, and , the Vedas having the Mahabharata for their fifth. And the compilation of the Bharata was published by him through them separately.
"Then , of great energy and fame and of immeasurable splendour, and sprung from the component parts of the Vasus, was born in the womb of through king . And there was a Rishi of the name of Animandavya of great fame. And he was conversant with the interpretations of the Vedas, was illustrious, gifted with great energy, and of great reputation. And, accused of theft, though innocent, the old Rishi was impaled. He thereupon then summoned and told him these words, 'In my childhood I had pierced a little fly on a blade of grass, O ! I recollect that one sin: but I cannot call to mind any other. I have, however, since practised penances a thousandfold. Hath has not that one sin been conquered by this my asceticism? And because the killing of a Brahmana is more heinous than that of any other living thing, therefore, hast have thou you, O , been sinful. Thou you shalt shall, therefore, be born on earth in the Sudra order.' And for that curse was born a Sudra in the form of the learned of pure body who was perfectly sinless. And the Suta was born of in her maidenhood through . And he came out of his mother's womb with a natural coat of mail and face brightened by ear-rings. And himself, of world-wide fame, and worshipped of all the worlds, was born of Devaki through , for the benefit of the three worlds. He is without birth and death, of radiant splendour, the Creator of the universe and the Lord of all! Indeed, he who is the invisible cause of all, who knoweth knows no deterioration, who is the all-pervading soul, the centre round which everything moveth moves, the substance in which the three attributes of Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas co-inhere, the universal soul, the immutable, the material out of which hath has been created this universe, the Creator himself, the controlling lord, the invisible dweller in every object, progenitor of this universe of five elements, who is united with the six high attributes, is the Pranava or Om of the Vedas, is infinite, incapable of being moved by any force save his own will, illustrious, the embodiment of the mode of life called Sannyasa, who floated on the waters before the creation, who is the source whence from where hath has sprung this mighty frame, who is the great combiner, the uncreate, the invisible essence of all, the great immutable, bereft of those attributes that are knowable by the senses, who is the universe itself, without beginning, birth, and decay,--is possessed of infinite wealth, that Grandsire of all creatures, became incarnate in the race of the Andhaka-Vrishnis for the increase of virtue.
"And and Kritavarma, conversant with (the use of) weapons possessed of mighty energy, well-versed in all branches of knowledge, and obedient to in everything and competent in the use of weapons, had their births from Satyaka and Hridika. And the seed of the great Rishi of severe penances, kept in a pot, began to develop. And from that seed came (the pot-born). And from the seed of , fallen upon a clump of reeds, were born two that were twins, the mother of (called Kripi), and of great strength. Then was born , of the splendour of himself, from the sacrificial fire. And the mighty hero was born with bow in hand for the destruction of . And from the sacrificial altar was born () resplendent and handsome, of bright features and excellent beauty. Then was born the disciple of , viz., Nagnajit, and also . And from was born a son, , who from the curse of the gods became the slayer of creatures and the foe of virtue. And unto to him was also born a daughter (), the mother of . And both were well-versed in the arts of acquiring worldly profits. And from was born, in the soil of , , the lord of men, and of great strength. And from also born, in the Sudra caste, the wise and intelligent , conversant with both religion and profit, and free from all sins. And unto to by his two wives were born five sons like the celestials. The eldest of them was . And was born (of the seed) of (, the ); and of the wolf's stomach was born of Marut (the ), and , blessed with good fortune and the first of all wielders of weapons, was born of ; and and , of handsome features and ever engaged in the service of their superiors, were born of the twin Aswins. And unto to the wise were born a hundred sons, viz., and others, and another, named , who was born of a vaisya woman. And amongst those hundred and one, eleven, viz., , Duhsaha, Durmarshana, , , Vivinsati, Jaya, Satyavrata, Purumitra, and by a Vaisya wife, were all Maharathas (great car-warriors). And was born of , the sister of through , and was, therefore, the grandson of the illustrious . And unto to the five Pandavas were born five sons by (their common wife) . And these princes were all very handsome and conversant with all branches of knowledge. From was born Pritivindhya; from , Sutasoma; from , Srutakirti; from , Satanika; and from , Srutasena of great prowess; and , in the forest begot on a son named . And from was born a daughter who was afterwards transformed into a male child. Sikhandini was so transformed into a male by Yaksha named Sthuna from the desire of doing her good.
"In that great battle of the Kurus came hundreds of thousands of monarchs for fighting against one another. The names of the innumerable host I am unable to recount even in ten thousand years. I have named, however, the principal ones who have been mentioned in this history.'"