12.049
Library: Enquired by Yudhisthira, Krishna tells the story of Gadi, Vishvamitra, Jamadajni, Kārtavīrya, and Paraśurāma, on the way to Kurukshetra.
Vāsudeva said:
O son of Kunti, listen to what I have heard about Rāma, as told by the great sages—the reason and the story of his birth.
Just as Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma) slew crores of Kṣatriyas, those who were born again in royal dynasties in Bhārata were again slain.
Ajahnu was the son of Jahnu; Ballava was his son, and Kuśika, known as a knower of dharma, was his son, the king.
He performed intense austerities on earth, equal to Indra, desiring to obtain a son who would be unconquered and the lord of the three worlds, thus indeed.
O Bhārata, seeing him performing severe austerities, Indra, the thousand-eyed Purandara, himself, capable of granting a son, went there.
O king, the lord of the lords of the world attained sonship; his son, named Gādhi, was born—Kauśika, Indra, the slayer of Pāka.
O king, he had a daughter named Satyavati, O lord. Gadhi gave her to Rcika, the son of the sage.
Then, O son of Kunti, O delight of the Kurus, the descendant of Bhṛgu, being pleased, caused the sacrificial oblation of Gādhi to be offered for the sake of a son, in the same way.
Ṛcīka, the Bhārgava, having called his wife, said: "This offering should be administered by you, and this one by your mother as well."
A brilliant son will be born to her, a foremost among kṣatriyas; he will be invincible to kṣatriyas in the world, and will be the destroyer of the foremost among kṣatriyas.
O auspicious one, your son, who is steadfast, endowed with austerity, tranquil in nature, and the best among the twice-born, will offer this oblation.
Having thus spoken to his wife, Ṛcīka, the wise descendant of Bhṛgu, devoted to austerities, certainly went to the forest.
At that very time, King Gādhi, who was on a pilgrimage with his wife, arrived at the hermitage of Ṛcīka.
O king, Satyavati, taking the two offerings as instructed by her husband, calmly and joyfully reported it to her mother.
But the mother, O son of Kunti, gave her own oblation to her daughter. Then she made that oblation, unknown to others, established in herself.
Then Satyavati bore the embryo, who was destined to destroy the Kṣatriyas, and whose form was brilliant and terrifying to behold.
Ṛcīka, having seen her through meditation, then said to his own wife of excellent complexion, "O tiger among kings."
O auspicious one, because you have been deformed by your mother due to the exchange of the offering, indeed, a son of great strength and cruel deeds will be born to you.
Indeed, your brother, endowed with austerity and having attained the state of Brahman, will be born. Truly, the entire universe as Brahman has been offered there by me through austerity.
Thus addressed by her husband, the greatly fortunate Satyavati then fell at his feet, trembling, and said this.
O venerable one, today you should not speak such words. You will have a son who is a fallen brāhmaṇa, O great sage.
Ṛcīka said:
O auspicious one, this desire was not intended by me in you. The son may be one of fierce deeds; the offering and the mother are the cause.
Satyavati said:
O sage, you, who could create even worlds if you desired, what then prevents me from obtaining a peaceful and upright son, O best of those who recite?
Ṛcīka said:
O auspicious one, I have never before spoken a falsehood, not even among my own people; how then could I utter an untruth, having established the fire with mantras for the preparation of the oblation?
Satyavati said:
May such a grandson be here, mine and yours indeed; may I obtain a son who is peaceful and upright, O best of those who recite.
Ṛcīka said:
O best-complexioned lady, there is no distinction for me between my son and my grandson. O auspicious one, as you have spoken, so it will be.
Vāsudeva said:
Then Satyavati gave birth to a son, Jamadagni, a descendant of Bhṛgu, who was peaceful, devoted to austerities, and the embodiment of tranquility.
Viśvāmitra, the heir Gādhi and son of Kuśika, attained the assembly of Brahmarṣis, united with all and with Brahman.
Jamadagni, descendant of Ṛcīka, begot a son who was very fierce, master of all knowledge, excellent and adept in the science of archery—Rāma, the destroyer of kṣatriyas, blazing like fire.
But at this very time, Arjuna, the powerful and illustrious son of Kṛtavīrya, a Kṣatriya of the Haihaya lineage, appeared.
He burned the entire earth, with its seven islands and cities, by the strength of his own arm and weapons in battle, upholding righteousness and supreme virtue.
O descendant of Kuru, the thousand-armed valiant one, having begged from Citrabhānu (the Sun) due to thirst, then gave alms to Agni (the Fire-god).
The powerful Citrabhanu, with the intention to burn, set fire to villages, towns, hamlets, and cities with his arrows.
By the power of that chief among men, the great ascetic burned the mountains and forests of Kārtavīrya.
He, together with the Haihaya, burned down the deserted hermitage forest belonging to the son of Varuṇa, as the Sun, kindled by the wind, blazed forth.
O infallible one, after driving him away, he cursed Arjuna out of anger. O great king, when the hermitage was burnt by the powerful Kārtavīrya.
Because you, out of delusion, did not abandon this forest of mine and it has been burnt, therefore, Rama will cut off your arms in battle, Arjuna.
But Arjuna, O great king, is always strong, of peaceful nature, devoted to Brahman, a protector, a giver, and heroic, O Bhārata.
His sons, powerful by nature, became, due to a curse, the cause of their father's death; they were always arrogant and cruel.
O best of the Bharatas, the calf-bringers stayed with Jamadagni's cow. Kārtavīrya, the wise lord of the Haihayas, was unaware of this.
Then, O king, Paraśurāma, having cut off Arjuna's arms, brought back the crying calf from their inner apartments to his own hermitage.
But then, the sons of Arjuna, being unwise, gathered together and went to the hermitage of the great-souled Jamadagni, unaware.
O king, they severed the head from the body with arrow-tipped shafts for the sake of the sacrificial grass, when the great-souled Rāma had departed.
Then Rama, enraged by his father's murder, vowed to rid the earth of kṣatriyas and took up his weapon.
Then that powerful Bhṛgu hero, having attacked, quickly slew all the sons and grandsons of Kārtavīrya.
O king, Bhārgava, filled with supreme wrath, slew the thousands of Haihayas and made the earth muddy with blood.
Thus, he, endowed with great brilliance, after making the earth devoid of kṣatriyas, being overcome by supreme compassion, went to the forest.
Then, after several thousand years had passed, the lord, who was naturally prone to anger, became intensely agitated.
O great king, Parāvasu, the great ascetic, son of Raibhya and grandson of Viśvāmitra, having cast (something), spoke in the assembly of people.
O Rāma, were not those who assembled at the sacrifice at the fall of Yayāti, such as Pratardana and others, Kṣatriyas?
O Rama, you are false to your vow and boast in public. Out of fear of the warrior Kṣatriyas, you have taken refuge in the mountain.
Hearing that the earth was being repopulated by hundreds of kṣatriyas, the descendant of Bhṛgu (Paraśurāma) again took up his weapon.
From that time, O king, those Kṣatriyas who were revived by him in hundreds grew and became mighty and powerful rulers of the earth.
He again quickly killed them, even the children, O king. But then, the earth was once more filled by those still in the womb.
Every time one was born, he killed the embryo again and again. The Kṣatriya women then did not protect some of their sons.
The lord, having made the earth devoid of kṣatriyas twenty-one times, then gave it as a gift to Kaśyapa at the conclusion of the aśvamedha sacrifice.
But Kaśyapa, illustrious and holding the ladle, addressed the king and spoke these words for the sake of the remaining kṣatriyas.
O great sage, go to the far shore of the southern ocean. O Rāma, you must not stay here in my domain at any time.
Then, out of fear of Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma), the ocean created the region of Śūrpāraka for him, forming the western land on the earth.
But Kaśyapa, the great king, after accepting this earth and establishing the order of Brahmins, truly entered the great forest.
Then, O best of the Bharatas, the Śūdras and Vaiśyas, without acting independently, remained with the wives of the foremost of the twice-born.
In a world without a ruler, the strong oppress the weak, and no one truly has sovereignty over wealth here.
Then, as time passed, the earth, no longer protected according to the law by the kṣatriyas, the guardians of dharma, descended into the netherworld.
Kaśyapa then supported the earth with his thigh. Therefore, O king, the earth, which was sinking at that time, is called 'Urvi' by him.
Then, having addressed the protectors, the earth gave herself. The goddess, having pleased Kaśyapa, gave the strong-armed Kṣatriyas.
O sage, there are Kṣatriya chiefs among men, protected by those endowed with Brahman, born in the family of the Haihayas; may they protect me.
O brāhmaṇa, there is a descendant of Paurava, the son of Viḍūratha, O lord, who was raised by the Ṛkṣas on the Ṛkṣavatī mountain.
Thus, the heir of Saudāsa was protected by Parāśara, the compassionate sacrificer of immeasurable energy.
He who performs all actions for that sage, like a śūdra, is indeed called 'one who does all actions'; may he protect me, O king.
O sage, may the son of Śibi, the illustrious Gopati by name, who was protected by cows in the forest, protect me.
May the greatly renowned Vatsa, son of Pratardana, who was nourished by calves in the cowshed, protect me, O king.
Aṅga, the grandson of Dadhivāhana and son of Diviratha, was also protected by Gautama on the bank of the Gaṅgā.
Bṛhadratha, the mighty-armed and most fortunate, was protected by langurs at Gṛdhrakūṭa, being preceded by prosperity on earth.
But in the lineage of Marutta, three Kṣatriyas of Turvasa, equal to the lord of the Maruts in heroism, were protected by the ocean.
Let these well-known Kṣatriya heirs everywhere properly protect me; then I shall remain steadfast and unmoved.
The fathers and grandfathers of these were also slain in battle for my sake by Rāma, whose deeds are effortless.
I must certainly honour them, without any doubt. For I do not wish to be protected always by someone who is not valiant.
Then Kaśyapa gathered those appointed by the earth and anointed as kings the Kṣatriyas who were recognized for their valor.
O Pāṇḍava, the sons and grandsons of those whose lineages are established—thus, this is what happened in former times, which you ask me about.
Vaiśampāyana said:
Thus speaking, the foremost of the Yadus swiftly departed in that chariot to Yudhishthira, the most eminent among the upholders of dharma, just as the Blessed Lord, like the sun, enters the three worlds with his rays.
