31 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thereafter, when his son Sudyumna had gone to the forest, Vaivasvata Manu [Śrāddhadeva], desirous of getting more sons, performed austerities on the bank of the Yamunā for one hundred years.
Then, because of this desire for sons Śrāddhadeva worshiped the Supreme Lord and obtained ten sons exactly like himself. Among them all, Ikṣvāku was the eldest.
Among these sons, Pṛṣadhra, following the order of his guru, was engaged as a protector of cows. He would stand all night with a sword with great attention.
Pṛṣadhra had no descendents. The reason is explained. Khaòga-pāṇeḥ means he would stay awake all night with a sword in his hand. Yattḥaḥ means with attention.
One time at night a tiger entered the cowshed. Upon seeing the tiger, all the cows, which were lying down, got up in fear and scattered here and there in the pen.
khaògam ādāya tarasā pralīnoòu-gaṇe niśi ajānann acchinod babhroḥ śiraḥ śārdūla-śaḍkayā
When the very strong tiger seized a cow, the cow screamed in distress and fear, and Pṛṣadhra, hearing the screaming, immediately followed the sound. He took up his sword, but because the stars were covered by clouds, he mistook the cow for the tiger and mistakenly cut off the cows' head with great force.
Because clouds covered the star, he is took a cow for the tiger.
Because the tiger's ear had been cut by the edge of the sword, the tiger fled in great fear from that place, while bleeding on the path.
The tigers ear was cut by the striking of the tip of his sword.
In the morning, when Pṛṣadhra, who was quite able to subdue his enemy, saw that he had killed the cow although at night he thought he had killed the tiger, he was very unhappy.
Vyuṣṭāyām means when night passed.
Although Pṛṣadhra had committed the sin unknowingly, his family priest, Vasiṣṭha, cursed him, saying, "In your next life you shall not be able to become a a fallen kṣatriya. Instead, you shall take birth as a śūdra."
The guru cursed him though he killed the cow unintentionally (akāmataḥ). He did not give instructions on atonement, but out of anger cursed him because his intelligence had disappeared. That is because the actions of a family priest are subject to great ignorance. Viśvarūpa expressed this as follows:
akiñcanānāṁ hi dhanaṁ śiloñchanaṁ
teneha nirvartita-sādhu-satkriyaḥ
kathaṁ vigarhyaṁ nu karomy adhīśvarāḥ
paurodhasaṁ hṛṣyati yena durmatiḥ
Those who are detached maintain themselves honestly by collecting grains left in the harvested field, or left on the grain market floor. O rulers! How can I take up the condemned profession of a priest which gives joy only to the foolish?
SB 6.7.36
Vasiṣṭha cursed him, saying that he could not even become a fallen kṣatriya, but only a śūdra.
When the hero Pṛṣadhra was thus cursed by his guru, he accepted the curse with folded hands. Controlling his senses, he took the vow of brahmacarya.
With folded hands he accepted the curse as mercy. He had devotion to guru. He did not say Why did uselessly you curse me without reflecting first? Though cursed by his guru, remaining faithful to guru, he attained liberation without obstacles. That is the lesson of this story. Muni-priyam means a vow of celibacy.
vimukta-saḍgaḥ śāntātmā saṁyatākṣo 'parigrahaḥ yad-ṛcchayopapannena kalpayan vṛttim ātmanaḥ
ātmany ātmānam ādhāya
jñāna-tṛptaḥ samāhitaḥ
vicacāra mahīm etāṁ
jaòāndha-badhirākṛtiḥ
Fixing himself with complete devotion in pure Lord Vāsudeva, the antaryāmī, becoming the friend of all beings, seeing them all equally, becoming detached from material life, controlling his mind and senses, not accepting charity from anyone, subsisting on whatever came of its own accord, fixing his mind on the Lord, and satisfied with knowledge, he traveled over the earth as if dumb, blind and deaf.
He fixed his mind (ātmanam) on the Lord (ātmani). He was satisfied with knowledge (and did not engage in it anymore), but was not fully satisfied with bhakti, wanting more and more.
With this way of life, Pṛṣadhra, having entered the forest, saw a blazing forest fire, which had arisen there. The sage, having burned up his body in the fire, achieved Kṛṣṇa.
Upayyukta-karaṇaḥ means he burned up his body. Param brahma means Kṛṣṇa.
Being reluctant to accept material enjoyment, Manu's youngest son, whose name was Kavi, gave up the kingdom, and when still of kaiśora age, went to the forest with his friends. Thinking of the self-effulgent Supreme Lord within the core of his heart, he attained the Lord.
Kavi also had no descendents. He gave up the kingdom with his friends and entered the forest.
From Karūṣa, another son of Manu, came the Kārūṣa dynasty, a family of kṣatriyas. The Kārūṣa kṣatriyas, ruling the northern direction, were protectors of brahminical culture and were all firmly religious.
From the son of Manu named Dhṛṣṭa came a kṣatriya caste called Dhārṣṭa, whose members achieved the position of brāhmaṇas in this world. Then, from the son of Manu named Nṛga came Sumati. From Sumati came Bhūtajyoti, and from Bhūtajyoti came Vasu.
Brahma-bhūyam means they attained the position of brāhmaṇas. Nṛgasya vaṁśaḥ means son of Nṛga.
The son of Vasu was Pratīka, whose son was Oghavān. Oghavān's son was also known as Oghavān, and his daughter was Oghavatī. Sudarśana married that daughter.
Oghavat-pitā means whose father was Oghavān. Thus the son was also named Oghavān.
From Nariṣyanta (another son of Manu) came a son named Citrasena and from him a son named Ṛkṣa. From Ṛkṣa came Mīòhvān, from Mīòhvān came Pūrṇa, and from Pūrṇa came Indrasena.
From Indrasena came Vītihotra, from Vītihotra came Satyaśravā, from Satyaśravā came the son named Uruśravā, and from Uruśravā came Devadatta.
From Devadatta came a son known as Agniveśya, who was the fire-god Agni himself. This son, who was a great sage, was well known as Kānīna and Jātūkarṇya.
Agniveśya was known as Kānīna and Jātūkarṇa.
O King, from Agniveśya came a brahminical dynasty known as Āgniveśyāyana. Now that I have described the descendants of Nariṣyanta, let me describe the descendants of Diṣṭa (another son of Manu). Please hear from me.
vatsaprīteḥ sutaḥ prāṁśus tat-sutaṁ pramatiṁ viduḥ khanitraḥ pramates tasmāc cākṣuṣo 'tha viviṁśatiḥ
Diṣṭa had a son by the name Nābhāga. This Nābhāga, who was different from the Nābhāga described later, became a vaiśya by occupational duty. The son of Nābhāga was known as Bhalandana, the son of Bhalandana was Vatsaprīti, and his son was Prāṁśu. Prāṁśu's son was Pramati, Pramati's son was Khanitra, Khanitra's son was Cākṣuṣa, and his son was Viviṁśati.
Anyaḥ means a different from another person called Nābhāga discussed later.
The son of Viviṁśati was Rambha, whose son was religious King Khanīnetra. O King, the son of Khanīnetra was King Karandhama.
From Karandhama came a son named Avīkṣit, and from Avīkṣit a son named Marutta, who became the emperor. The great mystic Saṁvarta, the son of Aḍgirā, engaged Marutta in performing a sacrifice.
The sacrificial paraphernalia of King Marutta was extremely beautiful, for everything was made of gold. No other sacrifice could compare to his.
Whatever utensils he had were made of splendid gold.
In that sacrifice, King Indra was satisfied by drinking soma-rasa. The brāhmaṇas were satisfied by ample contributions. For that sacrifice, the various wind devatās offered foodstuffs, and the Viśvedevas were members of the assembly.
The brāhmaṇas were satisfied with the contributions.
Marutta's son was Dama, Dama's son was Rājyavardhana, Rājyavardhana's son was Sudhṛti, and his son was Nara.
The son of Nara was Kevala, and his son was Dhundhumān, whose son was Vegavān. Vegavān's son was Budha, and Budha's son was the great king Tṛṇabindu.
The best of the Apsarās, named Alambuṣā, accepted the similarly qualified Tṛṇabindu as her husband. She gave birth to a few sons and a daughter known as Ilavilā.
From her there were sons like Viśāla.
After the great saint Viśravā, the master of mystic yoga, received absolute knowledge from his father, he begot in the womb of Ilavilā the greatly celebrated son known as Kuvera, the giver of money.
Receiving the highest knowledge from his father, he begot Ilavilā.
Tṛṇabindu had three sons, named Viśāla, Śūnyabandhu and Dhūmraketu. Among these three, Viśāla created a dynasty and constructed a city called Vaiśālī.
Of Tṛṇabindhu (tasya) there were three sons.
The son of Viśāla was known as Hemacandra, his son was Dhūmrākṣa, and his son was Saṁyama, whose sons were Devaja and Kṛśāśva.
saumadattis tu sumatis tat-putro janamejayaḥ ete vaiśāla-bhūpālās tṛṇabindor yaśodharāḥ
The son of Kṛśāśva was Somadatta, who, by aśvamedha sacrifices, worshipped the Supreme lord and achieved the most exalted post, attained by the best of yogīs. The son of Somadatta was Sumati, whose son was Janamejaya. All these kings appearing in the dynasty of Viśāla properly maintained the celebrated position of King Tṛṇabindu.
Thus ends the commentary on the Second Chapter of the Ninth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Second Chapter, Vaivasvata Manus dynasty is described briefly. Pṛṣadhra, rejected by his guru, does not give him up, and attains the supreme.