Pracetas ..

 

75. nod 26.p.

vaiśampāyana uvāca
prajāpatestu dakṣasya manorvaivasvatasya ca
bharatasya kuro pūrorājamīḍhasya cānagha
yādavānāmimaṁ vaṁśaṁ kauravāṇāṁ ca sarvaśaḥ
tathaiva bharatānāṁ ca puṇyaṁ svastyayanaṁ mahat
dhanyaṁ yaśasyamāyuṣyaṁ kīrtayiṣyāmi te ̍ nagha
tejobhiruditāḥ sarve maharṣisamatejasaḥ

Vaiśampāyana said: O sinless one! Prajāpati Dakṣa, Vaivasvata Manu, Bharata, Kuru, Pūru, ĀJamīḍha, Yādava and all other kings of Bharata race, O sinless king, I shall now recite holly, illustrious and long live bestowing histories of these great men. They were as effulgent as sun and great Ṛṣis.

daśa prācetasaḥ putrāḥ santaḥ puṇyajanāḥ smṛtāḥ
mukhajenāgninā yaiste pūrvaṁ dagdhā mahīrūhāḥ

Pracetā had 10 sons, who were all devoted to asceticism and they all possessed every virtue. They burnt with fire of their mouth many medicinal plants.

tebhyaḥ prācetaso jajñe dakṣo dakṣādimāḥ prajāḥ
sambhūtāḥ puruṣavyāghra sa hi lokapitāmahaḥ

O lion among men, from them was born Pracetās, Dakṣa and from Dakṣa sprang all creatures. Therefore, he was called Grandsire.

vīriṇyā saha saṁgamya dakṣaḥ prācetaso muniḥ
ātmatulyānajanayat sahasraṁ saṁśitavratān

Ṛṣi Dakṣa, born of Pracetās, begot 1,000 sons, uniting with Vīriṇī. They were all of rigid vows like himself.

sahasrasaṁkhyān sambhūtān dakṣaputrāṁśca nāradaḥ
mokṣamadhyāpayāmāsa saṁkhyajñānamanuttamam

Nārada thought these 1,000 sons of Dakṣaexcellent knowledge of Sāṅkhya, means of salvation.

tataḥ pañcāśataṁ kanyāḥ putrikā abhisaṁdadhe
prajāpatiḥ prajāḥ dakṣaḥ sisṛkṣurjanamejaya

O Janameja! Lord of creation Prajāpati Dakṣa, from desire of creating more creatures, begot 50 daughters. He made them all his Putrikās.

dadau daśa sa dharmāya trayodaśa
kālasya nayane yuktāḥ saptaviṁśatimindave

He bestowed 10 daughters on Dakṣa, 13 on Kaśyapa and 27 on Candra, who were all engaged in indicating time.

trayodaśānāṁ patnīnāṁ ya tu dakṣāyaṇī varā
mārīcaḥ kaśyapastvasyāmādityān samajījanat
indrādīn vīryasampannān vivasvantamathāpi ca
vivasvataḥ suto jajñe yamo vaivasvataḥ prabhuḥ

Kaśyapa, son of Marīci, begot on his wife, daughter of Dakṣa, who was eldest among his 13 wives, Āditya, greatly effulgent celestials, Indra, being at their head and Vaivasvata also, Vaivasvata ̍ s son was born Yama, great lord.

mārtaṇḍasya manurdhīmānajāyata sutaḥ prabhuḥ
yamaścāpi suto jato khyātastasyānujaḥ prabhuḥ

Mārtaṇḍa - Vaivasvata, begot another son, who was gifted with great intelligence and was called Manu. Yama was his younger brother.

dharmātmā sa manurdhīmān yatra vaṁśaḥ pratiṭhitaḥ
manorvaṁśo mānavānāṁ tato ̍ yaṁ prathito ̍ bhavat

Manu was greatly wise and virtuous. He became progenitor of a race. Offspring of Manu were called Mānavas - human beings.

brahmakṣatrādayastasmānmanorjātāstu mānavāḥ
tato ̍ bhavanmahārāja brahmakṣatreṇa saṁgatam

It was from that all men, including Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas and others have been born. O great king! Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas were subsequently united.

brāhmaṇā mānavāsteṣāṁ sāṅgaṁ vedamadhārayan
venaṁ dhṛṣṇuṁ nariṣyantaṁ nābhāgekṣvākumeva ca
kārūṣamatha śaryātiṁ tathā caivāṣṭamīmilām
pṛṣadhraṁ navamaṁ prāhuḥ kṣatradharmaparāyaṇam
nābhāgāriṣṭadaśamān manoḥ putrān pracakṣate
pañcāśattu manoḥ putrāstathaivānye ̍ bhavan kṣitau

Those sons of Manu, who were Brāhmaṇas, became devoted to the study of the Vedas. Vena, Dhṛṣṇu, Nariṣyanta, Nābhāga, Īkṣvāku, Karūṣa, Śaryāti, 8th daughter named Ilā, 9th Pṛṣadhara, who was gifted with all the virtues of Kṣatriyas. Nābhāgāriṣṭa was 10th son of Dakṣa. Besides these, Manu had 50 other sons on Earth.

anyonyabhedāt te save vineśuriti naḥ śrutam
purūravāstato vidvānilāyāṁ samapadyata

We have heard, they all perished quarrelling with one another. Learned Purūravā was born of Ilā.

sā vai tasyābhavanmātā pitā pitā caiveti naḥ śrutam
trayodaśa samudrasya dvipānaśnan purūravāḥ

We have heard that Ilā was both father and mother of Pururāvā. He had sway over 13 islands of the sea.

amānuṣairvṛtaḥ sattvairmānuṣaḥ san mahāyaśāḥ
vipraiḥ sa vigrahaṁ cakre vīryonmattaḥ purūravāḥ
jahāra ca viprāṇāṁ ratnānyutkrośatāmapi

Though he was a human being, yet he remained always surrounded by superhuman companions. Purūravā, intoxicated with pride of power he possessed, quarrelled with Brāhmaṇas, caring little for their anger. He robbed them of their wealth.

sanatkumārastaṁ rājan brahmalokādupetya ha
anudarśaṁ tataścakre pratyagṛhṇānna cāpyasau
tato maharṣibhiḥ kruddheḥ sadyaḥ śapto vyanaśyata

Seeing this, Sanatkumāra came from the region of Brahmā and gave him good counsel, which he did not accept. Thereupon, wrath of the great Ṛṣis was intoxicated with pride of power and who lost his reason, was immediately killed by their curse.

tato varṣāsahasrāṇi yayātiraparājitaḥ
sthitaḥ sa nṛpaśārdūlasamavikramaḥ

Even when 1,000 years had thus passed away, Yayāti remained as strong and powerful as a tiger.

yayātirapi patnībhyāṁ dīrghakālaṁ vihṛtya ca
viśvācyā sahito reme punaścaitrarathe vane

He enjoyed for a long time sweet company of his 2 wives. He enjoyed with Apsara Viśvācī in the gardens of Citraratha, Gandharva king.

nādhyagacchat tadā tṛptiṁ kāmānāṁ sa mahāyaśāḥ
avetya manasā rājannimāṁ gāthāṁ tadā jagau

That illustrious man had not satiated his desires even after this. Thereupon king remembered following words of Purāṇa:

na jātu kāmaḥ kāmānāmupabhogena śāmyati
haviṣā kṛṣṇavartmeva bhūya evābhivardhate

One ̍ s desires are never satiated with enjoyments. On the other hand, with indulgence they flame up like sacrificial fire with ghee poured into it.

pṛthivī ratnasampūrṇā hiraṇyaṁ paśavaḥ striyaḥ
nālamekasya tat sarvamiti matvā śamaṁ vrajet

Even if one enjoys whole Earth, with its wealth, diamonds, gold, animals and women, still his desires will not be satiated.

75.nod 52.p.