Mahabharata – 146

by

Sankar Mukherjee

and

Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
              Aadivamsavatarana Parva

PBharata race Samvarana,Kuru & Hasti

Vaisampyana the narrator of the Mahabharata was in fact addressing king Janamejaya & telling him & the wise concourse as to the past of different dynasties of ancient India Oh king Janamejaya!we heard that  during the rule of Samvarana,the son of Riksha, there was a great loss of people from famine,drought, & out break of virulent diseases.And during this time  the princes of the Bharata race were attacked  by the enemies.The king of Panchala with his four limbed army consisting of the chariot  force the elephant force the horse force & foot soldiers swooped upon the empire of Samvarana.Samvarana then with his wife and ministers,sons and relatives,fled in fear, and took shelter in the forest on the banks of the Sindhu extending to the foot of the mountains.There the Bharatas lived for  a thousand years within their fort.There, one day the great sage Vasishtha visited the Bharatas, who,honured the sage by coming out of the fort & worshipped him by offerring arghya.

They addressed the sage saying,be you our priest,Oh illustrious one!We will endeavour to regain our lost kingdom.Vasishtha agreed to the proposal of  the Bharatas & became their priest.Vasishtha then installed the Bharata prince as the over lord of all the Kshatriyas on earth.We heard that  the king Samvarana regained the capital of the Bharata race.It was the best among the capitals on the earth. Once more he made all the kings pay tribute to him.The powerful king Samvarana performed many sacrifices. 

Samvarana begot on his wife,Tapati, the daughter of Surya or Sun god,a son named Kuru. Kuru was exceedingly virtuous, and therefore,he was installed on the throne by his subjects.It is after his name that the clan called Kuru-jangala was famous in the world. The great ascetic Kuru  with his powers of meditation  made the land famous by the name Kurukshetra.And it has been heard by us that Kuru's wife Vahini, brought forth five sons.They were  Aswavan( also known as Avikshita), Abhishyanta, Chaitraratha, Muni & Janamejaya. And the eldest Avikshita begot eight sons.They were known as Parikshita, Savalaswa, Adiraja, Viraja, Salmali,Ucchaisrava,Bhangakara & Jitari of great kshatriya prowess.Parikshita had seven sons.They were Janamejaya, Kakshasena and Ugrasena,Chitrasena, Indrasena,Sushena & Bhimasena.Janamejaya had eight sons.They were all of great strength and became famous all over the world.And they were all accomplished in religion & economics & were kind to all creatures.They were Dhritarashtra, Pandu,Valhika, Nishadha,Jamvunada, Kundodara,Padati & Vasati.Among them Dhritarashtra was the king.Dhritarashtra had eleven sons.They were   Kundika, Hasti, Vitarka, Kratha,Kundina, Harihsrava,Indrabha, Sumanyu, Pratipa, Dharmanetra & Sunetra.Among them the last three were famous globaly. Pratipa became specially famous & unrivalled on earth.Pratipa begot three sons,------- Devapi,Santanu, &Valhika.Devapi adopted the ascetic course of life,for achieving peace & harmony.And the kingdom was obtained by the mighty chariot warriors Santanu and Valhika. The narrator of the Mahabharata at the place of snake sacrifice  at Kuruskhetra said to the king Janamejaya -- O monarch!, Besides, there were born in the race of Bharata numberless other great mighty  monarchs like the divine rishis in virtue and ascetic power.There by the clan of Pururava grew into the race of Manu.From Bharata the founder of  the Bharata dynasty,the rulers were famous.In the race of Bharata were born numerous divine countless mighty chariot-warriors,of great prowess who by their number swelled the dynasty into gigantic proportions.I am  only telling you the story of the divine righteous kings among them.