30 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The son of Vitatha was Manyu, and from Manyu came five sonsBṛhatkṣatra, Jaya, Mahāvīrya, Nara and Garga. Nara had a son named Saḍkṛti.
O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, descendant of Pāṇòu! Saḍkṛti had two sons, named Guru and Rantideva. Rantideva is glorified not only in human society but also in the society of the devatās.
vyatīyur aṣṭa-catvāriṁśad ahāny apibataḥ kila ghṛta-pāyasa-saṁyāvaṁ toyaṁ prātar upasthitam
kṛcchra-prāpta-kuṭumbasya
kṣut-tṛòbhyāṁ jāta-vepathoḥ
atithir brāhmaṇaḥ kāle
bhoktu-kāmasya cāgamat
Rantideva accepted whatever he got by the arrangement of providence, but when guests came he would give them everything, though he desired to eat. Thus he underwent considerable suffering along with the members of his family. He remained calm though he was without anything. Once, after fasting for forty-eight days without water, in the morning Rantideva, his body trembling because of hunger and thirst, was about to take some water and some food made with milk and ghee, but when he and his family were about to eat, a brāhmaṇa guest arrived.
Rantideva received his wealth (vitta) from the sky, without effort. This means he received whatever came by fate alone. Whatever came by that means he would give others in charity, even though he desired to eat.
Because Rantideva perceived the presence of the Lord everywhere, he received the guest with faith and respect and gave him a share of the food. The brāhmaṇa guest ate his share and then went away.
Thereafter, having divided the remaining food with his relatives, Rantideva was just about to eat his own share when a śūdra guest arrived. Remembering the Lord, King Rantideva gave him also a share of the food.
When Rantideva had divided up what was left after the brāhmaṇa had eaten, another guest arrived. He took a portion of the food for his family and gave that to the śūdra.
When the śūdra went away, another guest arrived, surrounded by dogs, and said, O King, Please give me something to eat along with my companions, for I desire to eat.
With great respect, King Rantideva offered the balance of the food to the dogs and the master of the dogs, who had come as guests. The King offered them all respects and obeisances.
Thereafter, only the drinking water remained, and there was only enough to satisfy one person, but when the King was just about to drink it, a caṇòāla appeared and said, O King, although I am lowborn, kindly give me some drinking water.
Aggrieved at hearing the pitiable words caṇòāla which indicated his fatigue, Mahārāja Rantideva spoke the following sweet words.
There was enough water for only one person, not two. The King thought, I should not take the water for myself. A person would not die but rather attain perfection by his body which heard with faith the Kings sweet words with his ears. What would happen then if people not only heard the words, but followed them?
I do not pray to the Supreme Lord for the eight perfections of mystic yoga, nor for salvation from repeated birth and death. I want only to stay among all the living entities and suffer all distresses on their behalf, so that they may be freed from suffering.
I shall remain among the suffering beings and take the suffering due to them. What is it I alone experience the suffering due to all jīvas. I can tolerate my suffering but I cannot tolerate the suffering of others.
By offering water to maintain the life of this poor caṇòāla, who is struggling to live, I have been freed from all hunger, thirst, fatigue, trembling of the body, moroseness, distress, lamentation and illusion.
But you should drink a little of the remaining water, since you are suffering from thirst. But I am free from hunger and thirst by offering water to save the life of a suffering living entity.
Having spoken thus, King Rantideva, although on the verge of death because of thirst, gave his own portion of water to the caṇòāla, for the King was naturally very kind and wise.
Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva, who can satisfy all materially ambitious men by giving them the rewards they desire, and who had first disguised themselves as a brāhmaṇa, śūdra and dog keeper, then manifested their real identities before King Rantideva.
Viṣṇu, Brahmā and Śiva first showed deceptive forms as a brāhmaṇa, a śūdra and dog keeper to test Rantideva. They then showed their real forms (ātmānam).
King Rantideva, with no ambition to enjoy material benefits, offered them obeisances. Free of all material desires, he fixed his superior mind with devotion on the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva.
His mind is called superior (param) because it meditated on the form and qualities of the Lord.
O Mahārāja Parīkṣit! Because King Rantideva took shelter of the Lord completely, without worshiping anyone else, māyā composed of the guṇas disappeared spontaneously like a dream.
Rantideva is further described. He did not worship anyone else (ananya-rādhasaḥ). Just as a dream disappears on its own, so māyā spontaneously disappeared for Rantideva.
All those who followed Rantideva became yogīs and devotees of Nārāyaṇa by the power of his association.
puṣkarāruṇir ity atra ye brāhmaṇa-gatiṁ gatāḥ bṛhatkṣatrasya putro bhūd dhastī yad-dhastināpuram
From Garga came a son named Śini, and his son was Gārgya. Although Gārgya was a kṣatriya, there came from him a generation of brāhmaṇas. From Mahāvīrya came a son named Duritakṣaya, whose sons were Trayyāruṇi, Kavi and Puṣkarāruṇi. Although these sons of Duritakṣaya took birth in a dynasty of kṣatriyas, they too attained the position of brāhmaṇas. Bṛhatkṣatra had a son named Hastī, who established the city of Hastināpura.
Having described the descendents of Nara, Śukadeva now describes the descendents of his brothers starting with Garga.
From King Hastī came three sons, named Ajamīòha, Dvimīòha and Purumīòha. The descendants of Ajamīòha, headed by Priyamedha, all achieved the position of brāhmaṇas.
From Ajamīòha came a son named Bṛhadiṣu, from Bṛhadiṣu came a son named Bṛhaddhanu, from Bṛhaddhanu a son named Bṛhatkāya, and from Bṛhatkāya a son named Jayadratha.
The son of Jayadratha was Viśada, and his son was Syenajit. The sons of Syenajit were Rucirāśva, Dṛòhahanu, Kāśya and Vatsa.
The son of Rucirāśva was Pāra, and the sons of Pāra were Pṛthusena and Nīpa. Nīpa had one hundred sons.
King Nīpa begot a son named Brahmadatta through the womb of his wife, Kṛtvī, who was the daughter of Śuka. And Brahmadatta, who was a great yogi, begot a son named Viṣvaksena through the womb of his wife, Sarasvatī.
Nīpa begot a son in his wife Kṛtvī, the daughter of Śuka. This Śuka is different from the narrator of the Bhāgavatam. He was born from Vyāsa through Araṇī. This is described in Hari-vaṁśa.
parāśara kulotpannaḥ śuko nāma mahā-yaśāḥ
vyāsād araṇyāṁ saṁbhūto vidhūmo gniriva jvalan.
sa tasyāṁ pita-kanyāyāṁ vīriṇyāṁ janayiṣyati.
kṛṣṇaṁ gauraṁ prabhuṁ śambhuṁ tathā bhūriśrutaṁ jayam.
kanyāṁ kīrtimatīṁ yaṣṭhīṁ yoginīṁ yogamātaram.
brahmadattasya jananīṁ mahiṣīm anuhasya ca
Śuka of great fame, born in the family of Parāśara, appeared from Vyāsa through Araṇī. He shone like a fire without smoke. He will give birth to sons named Kṛṣṇa, Gaura, Prabhu, Śambhu, and Bhūriśruta in his wife Vīriṇī,1 the daughter of the Pitṛs, as well as a daughter named Kīrtimatī,2 expert at yoga, the mother of yoga, the mother of Brahmadatta and the queen of Anuha.
Śuka, the speaker of Bhāgavatam was the first son of Vyāsa, different from the Śuka born from the womb of Araṇī. Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa describes how Vyāsa wrote Mahābhārata at the beginning of Kali-yuga. Then it describes Śukadeva as follows:
On the order of his mother, unable to tolerate the obligation to his ancestors, just an elephant cannot tolerate a post to which he is tied, Vyāsa gave up his celibacy and took the daughter of Javalī named Vīṭikā as his wife. He performed austerities with her in a hermitage, and after a long time he impregnated her. She was pregnant for eleven years and still did not give birth. In the twelfth year, Vyāsa said to the child in the womb, O child! Why are you causing such pain to your mother? Please come out of the womb. The child in the womb said, If I come out of the womb, māyā will attack me. Therefore I will remain here, meditating on the Lord. Vyāsa said, You will not be overcome by māyā. I will guarantee that. Come out of the womb. Show your face to me. Do not give pain to my wife. The child said, But I know that māyā has overcome you, since you are attached to your wife and child. I do not believe your words. Vyāsa said, Then whose words will you trust? The child said, I will trust the person who controls māyā. Vyāsa said, Then I will bring him here. Vyāsa then went to Dvārakā and explained everything to Kṛṣṇa. He brought Kṛṣṇa to his hermitage and said, O son! The Lord has come. The child said to the Lord, Please speak, O Mādhava! Māyā is like chains on the universe. If your māyā, which cannot be surpassed by anyone, will not bind me, I will leave the womb and come out. You are the guarantee, now standing outside the womb. The Lord said, You will not be affected by my māyā. By my mercy you will be liberated. Śuka came out of the womb, offered respects to the Lord and praised him. Seeing him the Lord said, O Vyāsa! Your son speaks attractively, like a parrot. Let his name be Śuka. Taking permission from Vyāsa, Kṛṣṇa mounted his chariot and returned to Dvārakā. Then Śuka left the house and Vyāsa pursued him.
Śrīdhara Svāmī however explains that Śuka born of Araṇī, seeing his father pursue him in pain of separation, produced a duplicate Śuka, and then left. The duplicate Śuka then got married and had children.
The yogī Brahmadatta (saḥ) begot a son Viṣvaksena in his wife Sarasvatī (gavi).
Following the instructions of the great sage Jaigīṣavya, Viṣvaksena compiled an elaborate description of the mystic yoga system. From Viṣvaksena, Udaksena was born, and from Udaksena, Bhallāṭa. All these sons are known as descendants of Bṛhadiṣu.
Viṣvaksena compiled a work on yoga. All the sons were descendents of Bṛhadīśu. The form bārhadīṣavāḥ is poetic license. Bārhadiṣavaḥ would be the correct form.
The son of Dvimīòha was Yavīnara, whose son was Kṛtimān. The son of Kṛtimān was well known as Satyadhṛti. From Satyadhṛti came a son named Dṛòhanemi, who became the father of Supārśva.
Supārśva-kṛt means he who gave birth to Supārśva.
saṁhitāḥ prācyasāmnāṁ vai nīpo hy udgrāyudhas tataḥ tasya kṣemyaḥ suvīro tha suvīrasya ripuñjayaḥ
From Supārśva came a son named Sumati, from Sumati came Sannatimān, and from Sannatimān came Kṛtī, who achieved mystic power from Brahmā and taught six saṁhitās of the Prācyasāma verses of the Sāma Veda. The son of Kṛtī was Nīpa; the son of Nīpa, Udgrāyudha; the son of Udgrāyudha, Kṣemya; the son of Kṣemya, Suvīra; and the son of Suvīra, Ripuñjaya.
From Ripuñjaya came a son named Bahuratha. Purumīòha was sonless. Ajamīòha had a son named Nīla by his wife known as Nalinī, and the son of Nīla was Śānti.
Other lines from Ajamīòha are now described, starting with his son Nīla.
yavīnaro bṛhadviśvaḥ kāmpillaḥ sañjayaḥ sutāḥ bharmyāśvaḥ prāha putrā me pañcānāṁ rakṣaṇāya hi
viṣayāṇām alam ime
iti pañcāla-saṁjñitāḥ
mudgalād brahma-nirvṛttaṁ
gotraṁ maudgalya-saṁjñitam
The son of Śānti was Suśānti, the son of Suśānti was Puruja, and the son of Puruja was Arka. From Arka came Bharmyāśva, and from Bharmyāśva came five sonsMudgala, Yavīnara, Bṛhadviśva, Kāmpilla and Sañjaya. Bharmyāśva prayed to his sons, O my sons, please take charge of my five states, for you are quite competent to do so. Thus his five sons were known as the Pañcālas. From Mudgala came a dynasty of brāhmaṇas known as Maudgalya.
Mudgala, the son of Bharmyāśva, had twin children, one male and the other female. The male child was named Divodāsa, and the female child was named Ahalyā. From the womb of Ahalyā by the semen of her husband, Gautama, came a son named Śatānanda.
Bārmyāt means from the son of Bharmyāśva, Mudgala.
The son of Śatānanda was Satyadhṛti, who was expert in archery, and the son of Satyadhṛti was Śaradvān. When Śaradvān met Urvaśī, he discharged semen, which fell on a clump of śara grass. From this semen were born two all-auspicious babies, one male and the other female.
While Mahārāja Śāntanu was on a hunting excursion, he saw the male and female children lying in the forest, and out of compassion he took them home. Consequently, the male child was known as Kṛpa, and the female child was named Kṛpī.
Thus ends the commentary on the Twenty-first Chapter of the Ninth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Twenty-first Chapter relates the story of Rantideva of the Puru dynasty, who pleased Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva by his generosity and patience. Vitatha (false) refers to Bharadvaja, who though a brāhmaṇa by birth, became Bharatas adopted son. Bharadvajas son was Manyu.