26 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: In beginning a sacrifice, Nimi, the son of Ikṣvāku, requested the Vasiṣṭha to take the post of chief priest. At that time, Vasiṣṭha replied, "My dear Mahārāja Nimi, I have already accepted the same post in a sacrifice begun by Lord Indra.
"I shall return here after finishing the sacrifice for Indra. Kindly wait for me until then." Mahārāja Nimi remained silent, and Vasiṣṭha performed the sacrifice for Lord Indra.
Pratipālaya means wait for me. Gṛha-patiḥ refers to King Nimi.
Mahārāja Nimi, being intelligent, understood that this life is flickering, and instead of waiting for Vasiṣṭha, began performing the sacrifice with other priests.
Knowing that this life is uncertain, since he was very intelligent (ātmavān), he performed the sacrifice with other priests.
After completing the sacrifice for King Indra, the guru Vasiṣṭha returned and found that his disciple Mahārāja Nimi had disobeyed his instructions. Thus Vasiṣṭha cursed him, saying, "May the material body of Nimi, who considers himself learned, immediately fall."
Having completed Indras sacrifice Vasiṣṭha returned, and saw that his disciple Nimi had ignored his instruction.
Mahārāja Nimi countercursed his guru who was on the path of irreligion. "Your body should also fall, because of your greed and ignorance of dharma.
His guru was on the path of adharma since he had greed for donations from Indra and Nimi.
After saying this, Mahārāja Nimi, who was expert in the science of spiritual knowledge, gave up his body. Vasiṣṭha, the great-grandfather, gave up his body also, but through the semen discharged by Mitra and Varuṇa when they saw Urvaśī, he was born again.
Vasiṣṭha (prapitāmaḥ) gave up his body but was born from Mitra and Varuṇa. On seeing Urvaśī they discharged semen which was kept in a pot. Śruti says kumbhe retaḥ siṣicatuḥ samānam: they discharged their semen in a pot in equal amounts. (Ṛg Veda 7.33.13)
The body relinquished by Mahārāja Nimi was preserved in fragrant substances. At the end of the Satra sacrifice the great sages made a request to all the devatās assembled there.
Tad-deham means the body of Nimi.
"If you are satisfied with this sacrifice and if you are actually able to do so, kindly bring Mahārāja Nimis body back to life." The devatās agreed, but Mahārāja Nimi said, "Please do not imprison me again in a material body."
If you are pleased and capable, then bring his body to life. The devatās said Let it be so (tathā).
The sages who recognize the Lord, suffering fear of separation from the body, therefore do not desire to attain a material body. Rather they worship the Lords lotus feet.
Since it is impossible to worship the lotus feet of the Lord without a body, please give me a spiritual body as an associate of the Lord. This is the esoteric meaning of his request.
I do not wish to accept a material body, for such a body is the source of all distress, lamentation and fear, everywhere in the universe, just a fish in water will die from other aquatics.
I do not desire to accept a body. Even in water the fish dies from other water creatures. Other creatures in other places also die by their very nature.
The devatās said: Let Mahārāja Nimi live without a gross body, and being situated in a subtle body, let him be manifest or unmanifest to common materially embodied people as he wishes.
The sages requested that the Kings body should be revived. The King requested to not have a material body. Since the devatās could not fulfill the third request for a spiritual body, they spoke with a desire to give the first two requests. Let him dwell without a body (videhaḥ). And let him be visible to men, in a subtle body. By these to benedictions he would live and be free from bondage of a material body. Thus the two requests were fulfilled.
Thereafter, understanding the dangerous situation for the people without a king, the sages churned Mahārāja Nimi's material body, from which, as a result, a son was born.
Because he was born in an unusual way, the son was called Janaka, and because he was born from the dead body of his father, he was known as Vaideha. Because he was born from the churning of his father's material body, he was known as Mithila, by whom the city called Mithilā was constructed.
Because of his extraordinary birth he was called Janaka.
O King Parīkṣit, from Mithila came a son named Udāvasu; from Udāvasu, Nandivardhana; from Nandivardhana, Suketu; and from Suketu, Devarāta.
From Devarāta came a son named Bṛhadratha and from Bṛhadratha a son named Mahāvīrya, who became the father of Sudhṛti. The son of Sudhṛti was known as Dhṛṣṭaketu, and from Dhṛṣṭaketu came Haryaśva. From Haryaśva came a son named Maru.
Mahāvīrya was the father of Sudhṛta.
The son of Maru was Pratīpaka, and the son of Pratīpaka was Kṛtaratha. From Kṛtaratha came Devamīòha; from Devamīòha, Viśruta; and from Viśruta, Mahādhṛti.
From Mahādhṛti was born a son named Kṛtirāta, from Kṛtirāta was born Mahāromā, from Mahāromā came a son named Svarṇaromā, and from Svarṇaromā came Hrasvaromā.
From Hrasvaromā came a son named Śīradhvaja (also called Janaka). When Śīradhvaja was plowing a field for sacrifice, from the front of his plow appeared a daughter named Sītā. Thus he was known as Śīradhvaja.
While plowing the field Sītā, the wife of Rāma, appeared from the front of his plow. Therefore he was called Śiradhvaja, one who has fame (dhvaja) because of a plow (śīra).
The son of Śīradhvaja was Kuśadhvaja, and the son of Kuśadhvaja was King Dharmadhvaja, who had two sons, namely Kṛtadhvaja and Mitadhvaja.
khāṇòikyaḥ karma-tattva-jño bhītaḥ keśidhvajād drutaḥ bhānumāṁs tasya putro 'bhūc chatadyumnas tu tat-sutaḥ
O Mahārāja Parīkṣit! The son of Kṛtadhvaja was Keśidhvaja, and the son of Mitadhvaja was Khāṇòikya. The son of Kṛtadhvaja was expert in knowledge of ātma, and the son of Mitadhvaja was expert in Vedic ritualṣ. Khāṇòikya fled in fear of Keśidhvaja. The son of Keśidhvaja was Bhānumān, and the son of Bhānumān was Śatadyumna.
Khāṇòikya fled (drutaḥ) from Keśidhvaja. Keśidhvajas son was Bhānumān.
The son of Śatadyumna was named Śuci. From Śuci, Sanadvāja was born, and from Sanadvāja came a son named Ūrjaketu. The son of Ūrjaketu was Aja, and the son of Aja was Purujit.
The son of Purujit was Ariṣṭanemi, and his son was Śrutāyu. Śrutāyu begot a son named Supārśvaka, and Supārśvaka begot Citraratha. The son of Citraratha was Kṣemādhi, who became the king of Mithilā.
The son of Kṣemādhi was Samaratha, and his son was Satyaratha. The son of Satyaratha was Upaguru, and the son of Upaguru was Upagupta, a partial expansion of the fire-god.
Agni-sambhavaḥ means born as a partial expansions of Agni.
The son of Upagupta was Vasvananta, the son of Vasvananta was Yuyudha, the son of Yuyudha was Subhāṣaṇa, and the son of Subhāṣaṇa was Śruta. The son of Śruta was Jaya, from whom there came Vijaya. The son of Vijaya was Ṛta.
The son of Ṛta was Śunaka, the son of Śunaka was Vītahavya, the son of Vītahavya was Dhṛti, and the son of Dhṛti was Bahulāśva. The son of Bahulāśva was Kṛti, and his son was Mahāvaśī.
O King! All the kings of the dynasty of Mithila, skilled in ātmā-vidyā, were free from the duality of material existence, though staying at home.
Thus ends the commentary on the Thirteenth Chapter of the Ninth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Thirteenth Chapter completes the description of the sun dynasty by describing the descendants from Ikṣvākus son Nimi, containing stories of Viṣṇu and his devotees.