TEXT 1
TEXT
sri-badarayanir uvaca
puror vamsam pravaksyami
yatra jato ‘si bharata
yatra rajarsayo vamsyabrahma-vamsyas ca jajnire
Sukadeva Gosvami said: O Maharaja Pariksit, descendant of Maharaja
Bharata, I shall now describe the dynasty of Puru, in which you were
born, in which many saintly kings appeared, and from which many dynasties
of brahmanas began.
TEXT 2
TEXT
janamejayo hy abhut puroh
pracinvams tat-sutas tatah
praviro ‘tha manusyur vai
tasmac carupado ‘bhavat
King Janamejaya was born of this dynasty of Puru. Janamejaya’s son was
Pracinvan, and his son was Pravira. Thereafter, Pravira’s son was
Manusyu, and from Manusyu came the son named Carupada.
TEXT 3
TEXT
tasya sudyur abhut putras
tasmad bahugavas tatah
samyatis tasyahamyati
raudrasvas tat-sutah smrtah
The son of Carupada was Sudyu, and the son of Sudyu was Bahugava.
Bahugava’s son was Samyati. From Samyati came a son named Ahamyati, from
whom Raudrasva was born.
TEXTS 4-5
TEXT
rteyus tasya kakseyuh
sthandileyuh krteyukah
jaleyuh sannateyus ca
dharma-satya-vrateyavah
dasaite ‘psarasah putra
vaneyus cavamah smrtah
ghrtacyam indriyaniva
mukhyasya jagad-atmanah
Raudrasva had ten sons, named Rteyu, Kakseyu, Sthandileyu, Krteyuka,
Jaleyu, Sannateyu, Dharmeyu, Satyeyu, Vrateyu and Vaneyu. Of these ten
sons, Vaneyu was the youngest. As the ten senses, which are products of
the universal life, act under the control of life, these ten sons of
Raudrasva acted under Raudrasva’s full control. All of them were born of
the Apsara named Ghrtaci.
TEXT 6
TEXT
rteyo rantinavo ‘bhut
trayas tasyatmaja nrpa
sumatir dhruvo ‘pratirathah
kanvo ‘pratirathatmajah
Rteyu had a son named Rantinava, who had three sons, named Sumati,
Dhruva and Apratiratha. Apratiratha had only one son, whose name was
Kanva.
TEXT 7
TEXT
tasya medhatithis tasmat
praskannadya dvijatayah
putro ‘bhut sumate rebhir
dusmantas tat-suto matah
The son of Kanva was Medhatithi, whose sons, all brahmanas, were
headed by Praskanna. The son of Rantinava named Sumati had a son named
Rebhi. Maharaja Dusmanta is well known as the son of Rebhi.
TEXTS 8-9
TEXT
dusmanto mrgayam yatah
kanvasrama-padam gatah
tatrasinam sva-prabhaya
mandayantim ramam iva
vilokya sadyo mumuhe
deva-mayam iva striyam
babhase tam vararoham
bhataih katipayair vrtah
Once when King Dusmanta went to the forest to hunt and was very much
fatigued, he approached the residence of Kanva Muni. There he saw a most
beautiful woman who looked exactly like the goddess of fortune and who
sat there illuminating the entire asrama by her effulgence. The King was
naturally attracted by her beauty, and therefore he approached her,
accompanied by some of his soldiers, and spoke to her.
TEXT 10
TEXT
tad-darsana-pramuditah
sannivrtta-parisramah
papraccha kama-santaptah
prahasan slaksnaya gira
Seeing the beautiful woman, the King was very much enlivened, and the
fatigue of his hunting excursion was relieved. He was of course very much
attracted because of lusty desires, and thus he inquired from her as
follows, in a joking mood.
TEXT 11
TEXT
ka tvam kamala-patraksi
kasyasi hrdayan-game
kim svic cikirsitam tatra
bhavatya nirjane vane
O beautiful lotus-eyed woman, who are you? Whose daughter are you?
What purpose do you have in this solitary forest? Why are you staying
here?
TEXT 12
TEXT
vyaktam rajanya-tanayam
vedmy aham tvam sumadhyame
na hi cetah pauravanam
adharme ramate kvacit
O most beautiful one, it appears to my mind that you must be the
daughter of a ksatriya. Because I belong to the Puru dynasty, my mind
never endeavors to enjoy anything irreligiously.
Sakuntala said: I am the daughter of Visvamitra. My mother, Menaka,
left me in the forest. O hero, the most powerful saint Kanva Muni knows
all about this. Now let me know, how may I serve you?
TEXT 14
TEXT
asyatam hy aravindaksa
grhyatam arhanam ca nah
bhujyatam santi nivara
usyatam yadi rocate
O King with eyes like the petals of a lotus, kindly come sit down and
accept whatever reception we can offer. We have a supply of nivara rice
that you may kindly take. And if you so desire, stay here without
hesitation.
TEXT 15
TEXT
sri-dusmanta uvaca
upapannam idam subhru
jatayah kusikanvaye
svayam hi vrnute rajnam
kanyakah sadrsam varam
King Dusmanta replied: O Sakuntala, with beautiful eyebrows, you have
taken your birth in the family of the great saint Visvamitra, and your
reception is quite worthy of your family. Aside from this, the daughters
of a king generally select their own husbands.
TEXT 16
TEXT
om ity ukte yatha-dharmam
upayeme sakuntalam
gandharva-vidhina raja
desa-kala-vidhanavit
When Sakuntala responded to Maharaja Dusmanta’s proposal with silence,
the agreement was complete. Then the King, who knew the laws of marriage,
immediately married her by chanting the Vedic pranava [omkara], in
accordance with the marriage ceremony as performed among the Gandharvas.
TEXT 17
TEXT
amogha-viryo rajarsir
mahisyam viryam adadhe
svo-bhute sva-puram yatah
kalenasuta sa sutam
King Dusmanta, who never discharged semen without a result, placed his
semen at night in the womb of his Queen, Sakuntala, and in the morning he
returned to his palace. Thereafter, in due course of time, Sakuntala gave
birth to a son.
TEXT 18
TEXT
kanvah kumarasya vane
cakre samucitah kriyah
baddhva mrgendram tarasa
kridati sma sa balakah
In the forest, Kanva Muni performed all the ritualistic ceremonies
concerning the newborn child. Later, the boy became so powerful that he
would capture a lion and play with it.
TEXT 19
TEXT
tam duratyaya-vikrantam
adaya pramadottama
harer amsamsa-sambhutam
bhartur antikam agamat
Sakuntala, the best of beautiful women, along with her son, whose
strength was insurmountable and who was a partial expansion of the
Supreme Godhead, approached her husband, Dusmanta.
TEXT 20
TEXT
yada na jagrhe raja
bharya-putrav aninditau
srnvatam sarva-bhutanam
khe vag ahasaririni
When the King refused to accept his wife and son, who were both
irreproachable, an unembodied voice spoke from the sky as an omen and was
heard by everyone present.
TEXT 21
TEXT
mata bhastra pituh putro
yena jatah sa eva sah
bharasva putram dusmanta
mavamamsthah sakuntalam
The voice said: O Maharaja Dusmanta, a son actually belongs to his
father, whereas the mother is only a container, like the skin of a
bellows. According to Vedic injunctions, the father is born as the son.
Therefore, maintain your own son and do not insult Sakuntala.
TEXT 22
TEXT
reto-dhah putro nayati
naradeva yama-ksayat
tvam casya dhata garbhasya
satyam aha sakuntala
O King Dusmanta, he who discharges semen is the actual father, and his
son saves him from the custody of Yamaraja. You are the actual procreator
of this child. Indeed, Sakuntala is speaking the truth.
TEXT 23
TEXT
pitary uparate so ‘pi
cakravarti maha-yasah
mahima giyate tasya
harer amsa-bhuvo bhuvi
Sukadeva Gosvami said: When Maharaja Dusmanta passed away from this
earth, his son became the emperor of the world, the proprietor of the
seven islands. He is referred to as a partial representation of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead in this world.
TEXTS 24-26
TEXT
cakram daksina-haste ‘sya
padma-koso ‘sya padayoh
ije mahabhisekena
so ‘bhisikto ‘dhirad vibhuh
panca-pancasata medhyair
gangayam anu vajibhih
mamateyam purodhaya
yamunam anu ca prabhuh
asta-saptati-medhyasvan
babandha pradadad vasu
bharatasya hi dausmanter
agnih saci-gune citah
sahasram badvaso yasmin
brahmana ga vibhejire
Maharaja Bharata, the son of Dusmanta, had the mark of Lord Krsna’s
disc on the palm of his right hand, and he had the mark of a lotus whorl
on the soles of his feet. By worshiping the Supreme Personality of
Godhead with a grand ritualistic ceremony, he became the emperor and
master of the entire world. Then, under the priesthood of Mamateya, Bhrgu
Muni, he performed fifty-five horse sacrifices on the bank of the Ganges,
beginning from its mouth and ending at its source, and seventy-eight
horse sacrifices on the bank of the Yamuna, beginning from the confluence
at Prayaga and ending at the source. He established the sacrificial fire
on an excellent site, and he distributed great wealth to the brahmanas.
Indeed, he distributed so many cows that each of thousands of brahmanas
had one badva [13,084] as his share.
TEXT 27
TEXT
trayas-trimsac-chatam hy asvan
baddhva vismapayan nrpan
dausmantir atyagan mayam
devanam gurum ayayau
Bharata, the son of Maharaja Dusmanta, bound thirty-three hundred
horses for those sacrifices, and thus he astonished all other kings. He
surpassed even the opulence of the demigods, for he achieved the supreme
spiritual master, Hari.
TEXT 28
TEXT
mrgan chukla-datah krsnan
hiranyena parivrtan
adat karmani masnare
niyutani caturdasa
When Maharaja Bharata performed the sacrifice known as Masnara [or a
sacrifice in the place known as Masnara], he gave in charity fourteen
lakhs of excellent elephants with white tusks and black bodies,
completely covered with golden ornaments.
TEXT 29
TEXT
bharatasya mahat karma
na purve napare nrpah
naivapur naiva prapsyanti
bahubhyam tridivam yatha
As one cannot approach the heavenly planets simply by the strength of
his arms (for who can touch the heavenly planets with his hands?), one
cannot imitate the wonderful activities of Maharaja Bharata. No one could
perform such activities in the past, nor will anyone be able to do so in
the future.
TEXT 30
TEXT
kirata-hunan yavanan
paundran kankan khasan chakan
abrahmanya-nrpams cahan
mlecchan dig-vijaye ‘khilan
When Maharaja Bharata was on tour, he defeated or killed all the
Kiratas, Hunas, Yavanas, Paundras, Kankas, Khasas, Sakas and the kings
who were opposed to the Vedic principles of brahminical culture.
TEXT 31
TEXT
jitva purasura devan
ye rasaukamsi bhejire
deva-striyo rasam nitah
pranibhih punar aharat
Formerly, after conquering the demigods, all the demons had taken
shelter in the lower planetary system known as Rasatala and had brought
all the wives and daughters of the demigods there also. Maharaja Bharata,
however, rescued all those women, along with their associates, from the
clutches of the demons, and he returned them to the demigods.
TEXT 32
TEXT
sarvan kaman duduhatuh
prajanam tasya rodasi
samas tri-nava-sahasrir
diksu cakram avartayat
Maharaja Bharata provided all necessities for his subjects, both on
this earth and in the heavenly planets, for twenty-seven thousand years.
He circulated his orders and distributed his soldiers in all directions.
TEXT 33
TEXT
sa samrad loka-palakhyam
aisvaryam adhirat sriyam
cakram caskhalitam pranan
mrsety upararama ha
As the ruler of the entire universe, Emperor Bharata had the opulences
of a great kingdom and unconquerable soldiers. His sons and family had
seemed to him to be his entire life. But finally he thought of all this
as an impediment to spiritual advancement, and therefore he ceased from
enjoying it.
TEXT 34
TEXT
tasyasan nrpa vaidarbhyah
patnyas tisrah susammatah
jaghnus tyaga-bhayat putran
nanurupa itirite
O King Pariksit, Maharaja Bharata had three pleasing wives, who were
daughters of the King of Vidarbha. When all three of them bore children
who did not resemble the King, these wives thought that he would consider
them unfaithful queens and reject them, and therefore they killed their
own sons.
TEXT 35
TEXT
tasyaivam vitathe vamse
tad-artham yajatah sutam
marut-stomena maruto
bharadvajam upadaduh
The King, his attempt for progeny frustrated in this way, performed a
sacrifice named marut-stoma to get a son. The demigods known as the
Maruts, being fully satisfied with him, then presented him a son named
Bharadvaja.
TEXT 36
TEXT
antarvatnyam bhratr-patnyam
maithunaya brhaspatih
pravrtto varito garbham
saptva viryam upasrjat
When the demigod named Brhaspati was attracted by his brother’s wife,
Mamata, who at that time was pregnant, he desired to have sexual
relations with her. The son within her womb forbid this, but Brhaspati
cursed him and forcibly discharged semen into the womb of Mamata.
TEXT 37
TEXT
tam tyaktu-kamam mamatam
bhartus tyaga-visankitam
nama-nirvacanam tasya
slokam enam sura jaguh
Mamata very much feared being forsaken by her husband for giving birth
to an illegitimate son, and therefore she considered giving up the child.
But then the demigods solved the problem by enunciating a name for the
child.
TEXT 38
TEXT
mudhe bhara dvajam imam
bhara dvajam brhaspate
yatau yad uktva pitarau
bharadvajas tatas tv ayam
Brhaspati said to Mamata, “You foolish woman, although this child was
born from the wife of one man through the semen discharged by another,
you should maintain him.” Upon hearing this, Mamata replied, “O
Brhaspati, you maintain him!” After speaking in this way, Brhaspati and
Mamata both left. Thus the child was known as Bharadvaja.
TEXT 39
TEXT
codyamana surair evam
matva vitatham atmajam
vyasrjan maruto ‘bibhran
datto ‘yam vitathe ‘nvaye
Although encouraged by the demigods to maintain the child, Mamata
considered him useless because of his illicit birth, and therefore she
left him. Consequently, the demigods known as the Maruts maintained the
child, and when Maharaja Bharata was disappointed for want of a child,
this child was given to him as his son.
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