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2024-03-28, 8:59 PM |
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Chapter
21: The Dynasty of
Bharata: the Story of Rantideva
(1) The son of Vyâsadeva said: 'From Manyu, the son of Vitatha [the name Bharadvâja carried
because he was given to Bharata], there were the sons Brihatkshatra,
Jaya, Mahâvîrya, Nara and Garga. Nara had a son called Sankriti. (2) From Sankriti there were Guru and
Rantideva,
oh scion of Pându. The glories of Rantideva are sung in this
world and the next. (3-5) Subsisting
on
that
what
fate
provided
he
[Rantideva]
took
pleasure
in
distributing to
others whatever grain of food he
had. Being very poor he with all his family members lived most
soberly and had to suffer a lot. One morning when forty-eight days had
passed and he even was deprived of drinking water, he happened to
receive water and different foodstuffs prepared with ghee and milk.
While the family was shaky because of
the thirst and hunger they suffered, that very moment a brahmin guest
arrived who also liked to eat. (6)
Rantideva conceived of the
Lord as
residing in each and everyone [see B.G. 5:
18] and thus he with great respect and faith gave him his share of the food. After the brahmin had eaten he departed. (7) When he had divided the food for the
family and was just about to eat, someone else arrived, a s'ûdra,
whom he, thinking of the Lord, gave the food that was reserved for him,
the king. (8) After the s'ûdra had left yet
another guest arrived who was surrounded by dogs. He said: 'Oh
King, please provide me and my hungry dogs with food!'
(9) He, the one in power, honored them with his obeisances and with great respect gave
all the food that was left over
to the dogs and their master. (10)
Of the food only the drinking
water remained and that too had to satisfy some outcaste who, arriving
there when the king was about to drink, asked him: 'I am just lowborn, but please give me some water!'
(11) Hearing the pitiable words of the
exhausted man he, being deeply moved, compassionately spoke the
following nectarean
words: (12) 'I do
not desire to attain the greatness of the eight perfections of the
Supreme Lord [siddhis] or the cessation of repeated births. I accept all hardship
in my staying among all the embodied living
beings so that they are freed from their unhappiness. (13)
Handing
over
my
water
to save this poor soul struggling for his life, I am freed from all the hunger,
thirst, fatigue and shaking of my body, as also from all the poverty,
distress,
lamentation, depression and bewilderment!' (14) Thus
expressing himself that sober, kindhearted ruler gave the drinking water to the outcaste, even
though he himself was on the
verge of death because of his
thirst. (15) Then the controllers
of the three worlds, the gods who grant those who desire the fruits all
results, manifested themselves before him in their true identities because they [in their
previous appearances in the form of the brahmin, the man with the dogs,
the s'ûdra and the outcaste] all had been
creations
of
the
illusory
energy
of
Vishnu. (16) Being true to them as someone without
material aspirations for any
benefit or possessions [see B.G. 7:
20], he offered them his
obeisances while he concentrated his mind upon Vâsudeva, the
Supreme
Lord as the ultimate goal. (17)
Because
he
who
had
nothing in mind but being of service focussed his consciousness on the Supreme
Controller oh King, the illusory
energy of
the [three] material qualities meant nothing more to him than a dream [see also B.G. 7:
14 and 9:
34]. (18)
All the ones associated with his lead, all
the followers of Rantideva, became first-class [bhakti] yogis fully
devoted to Lord
Nârâyana [see also B.G. 6:
47].
(19-20) From Garga [see verse 1] there
was S'ini and his son was Gârgya
from whom despite of his kshatriya
birth an entire line of brahmins originated. From Mahâvîrya
there was Duritakshaya whose sons were named Trayyâruni, Kavi and
Pushkarâruni. They all acquired in this line the position of
brahmins. Brihatkshatra's
son
Hastî founded the city of
Hastinâpura
[now Delhi]. (21)
Ajamîdha, Dvimîdha and Purumîdha became the sons of
Hastî. Ajamîdha's descendants were headed by Priyamedha.
They were all brahmins. (22)
From Ajamîdha there was Brihadishu,
his son was Brihaddhanu, Brihatkâya succeeded him and he fathered
a son called Jayadratha. (23)
His son was
Vis'ada from whom Syenajit was born. Rucirâs'va,
Dridhahanu, Kâs'ya and Vatsa were the sons of Syenajit.
(24) Rucirâs'va's
son
was
Pâra
and
from
him
Prithusena
and
Nîpa
were born. Nîpa
generated hundred sons. (25) He had
Brahmadatta
with his wife Kritvî,
who was the
daughter of S'uka [not the one speaking this Bhâgavatam]. That
son was a yogi who with his wife Sarasvatî produced a son called
Vishvaksena. (26) By
him [Vishvaksena] was according
to the instruction of the rishi
Jaigîshavya a description of
yoga [a so-called tantra] compiled. He begot a son called
Udaksena who became the father of Bhallâtha. These descendants
were called the
Brihadishus. (27) Yavînara the son of Dvimîdha had
a son called Kritimân. He fathered a memorable son called
Satyadhriti whose
son Dridhanemi was the father of Supârs'va. (28-29) Supârs'va
had
Sumati
whose
son
Sannatimân
had
one
called
Kritî.
He received from
Lord
Brahmâ the mystic power and taught six samhitâs
of Prâcyasâma verses [from the Sâma Veda]. From
him
Nîpa could take his birth who brought Udgrâyudha into the
world. Udgrâyudha's son was called Kshemya and from him next
Suvîra appeared. Suvîra then had the son
Ripuñjaya. (30) His son was named Bahuratha. Purumîdha
[the younger
brother of Dvimîdha] was without a son. Ajamîdha had with
his wife Nalinî the son Nîla who on his turn begot
S'ânti. (31-33) S'ânti's son
Sus'ânti had the son Puruja. Arka was his son and from him Bharmyâs'va was born. He had five sons: Mudgala, the
eldest one, Yavînara, Brihadvis'va, Kâmpilla and
Sañjaya. He told them: 'My sons, since you all have the
competence, please
take care of the five states.' They thus received the
name the Pañcâlas [after the five states]. From Mudgala
there was a line consisting of brahmins
that was known as Maudgalya. (34) Mudgala,
Bharmyâs'va's
son
was
the
father
of
a
non-identical twin, one male and one female. The boy was called
Divodâsa and the girl
was named Ahalyâ. S'atânanda
was
born
from her marriage with
Gautama [these are names that are also mentioned in the
Ramâyana]. (35) From
him there
was a son called Satyadhriti, who was an expert in archery.
S'aradvân,
who was his son, gave life to a male
and
female
child. Simply
by seeing Urvasî his semen had fallen on a clump of s'ara grass.
The children were a
great blessing. (36) During
a
hunt
wandering
around
king
S'ântanu
saw
the
twin. Out of
compassion he then took
them home. The boy he called Kripa and the girl Kripî. She later
became Dronâcârya's wife.'
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