Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The most promi nent among the sons of Māndhātā was he who is celebrated as Ambarīṣa. Ambarīṣa was ac cepted as son by his grandfather Yuvanāśva. Ambarīṣa’s son was Yauvanāśva, and Yauvanāśva’s son was Hārīta. In Māndhātā’s dynasty, Ambarīṣa, Hārīta and Yauvanāśva were very prominent. (1) The serpent brothers of Narmadā gave Narmadā to Purukutsa. Being sent by Vāsuki, she took Purukutsa to the lower region of the universe. (2) There in Rasātala, the lower region of the universe, Purukutsa, be ing empowered by Lord Viṣṇu, was able to kill all the Gandharvas who deserved to be killed. Purukutsa received the benediction from the serpents that anyone who remembers this his tory of his being brought by Narmadā to the lower region of the universe will be assured of safety from the attack of snakes. (3)

The son of Purukutsa was Trasaddasyu, who was the fa ther of Anaraṇya. Anaraṇya’s son was Har yaśva, the father of Prāruṇa. Prāruṇa was the father of Tribandhana. (4) The son of Tribandhana was Satyavrata, who is celebrated by the name Triśaṅku. Because he kidnapped the daughter of a brāhmaṇa when she was being married, his father cursed him to become a caṇḍāla, lower than a śūdra. Thereafter, by the influence of Viśvāmitra, he went to the higher planetary system, the heavenly planets, in his material body, but because of the prowess of the demigods he fell back downward. Nonethe less, by the power of Viśvāmitra, he did not fall all the way down; even today he can still be seen hanging in the sky, head downward. (5-6)

The son of Triśaṅku was Hariścandra. Be cause of Hariścandra there was a quarrel be tween Viśvāmitra and Vasiṣṭha, who for many years fought one another, having been trans formed into birds. (7) Hariścandra had no son and was therefore extremely morose. Once, therefore, following the advice of Nārada, he took shelter of Varuṇa and said to him, “My lord, I have no son. Would you kindly give me one?” (8) O King Parīkṣit, Hariścandra begged Varuṇa, “My lord, if a son is born to me, with that son I shall perform a sacrifice for your sat isfaction.” When Hariścandra said this, Varuṇa replied, “Let it be so.” Because of Varuṇa’s benediction, Hariścandra begot a son named Rohita. (9)

Thereafter, when the child was born, Varuṇa approached Hariścandra and said, “Now you have a son. With this son you can offer me a sacrifice.” In answer to this, Hariścandra said, “After ten days have passed since an animal’s birth, the animal becomes fit to be sacrificed.” (10) After ten days, Varuṇa came again and said to Hariścandra, “Now you can perform the sacrifice.” Hariścandra replied, “When an animal grows teeth, then it becomes pure enough to be sacrificed.” (11) When the teeth grew, Varuṇa came and said to Hariścan dra, “Now the animal has grown teeth, and you can perform the sacrifice.” Hariścandra replied, “When all its teeth have fallen out, then it will be fit for sacrifice.” (12)

When the teeth had fallen out, Varuṇa returned and said to Hariścandra, “Now the animal’s teeth have fallen out, and you can perform the sacrifice.” But Hariścandra replied, “When the animal’s teeth grow in again, then he will be pure enough to be sacrificed.” (13) When the teeth grew in again, Varuṇa came and said to Hariścandra, “Now you can perform the sacrifice.” But Hariścandra then said, “O King, when the sac rificial animal becomes a kṣatriya and is able to shield himself to fight with the enemy, then he will be purified.” (14) Hariścandra was cer tainly very much attached to his son. Because of this affection, he asked the demigod Varuṇa to wait. Thus Varuṇa waited and waited for the time to come. (15)

Rohita could understand that his father intended to offer him as the animal for sacrifice. Therefore, just to save him self from death, he equipped himself with bow and arrows and went to the forest. (16) When Rohita heard that his father had been attacked by dropsy due to Varuṇa and that his abdomen had grown very large, he wanted to return to the capital, but King Indra forbade him to do so. (17) King Indra advised Rohita to travel to dif ferent pilgrimage sites and holy places, for such activities are pious indeed. Following this in struction, Rohita went to the forest for one year. (18) In this way, at the end of the second, third, fourth and fifth years, when Rohita wanted to return to his capital, the King of heaven, Indra, approached him as an old brāhmaṇa and for bade him to return, repeating the same words as in the previous year. (19)

Thereafter, in the sixth year, after wandering in the forest, Rohita returned to the capital of his father. He pur chased from Ajīgarta his second son, named Śunaḥśepha. Then he offered Śunaḥśepha to his father, Hariścandra, to be used as the sacrificial animal and offered Hariścandra his respectful obeisances. (20) Thereafter, the famous King Hariścandra, one of the exalted persons in his tory, performed grand sacrifices by sacrificing a man and pleased all the demigods. In this way his dropsy created by Varuṇa was cured. (21) In that great human sacrifice, Viśvāmitra was the chief priest to offer oblations, the perfectly self-realized Jamadagni had the responsibility for chanting the mantras from the Yajur Veda, Vasiṣṭha was the chief brahminical priest, and the sage Ayāsya was the reciter of the hymns of the Sāma Veda. (22)

King Indra, being very pleased with Hariścandra, offered him a gift of a golden chariot. Śunaḥśepha’s glories will be presented along with the description of the son of Viśvāmitra. (23) The great sage Viśvāmitra saw that Mahārāja Hariścandra, along with his wife, was truthful, forbearing and concerned with the es sence. Thus he gave them imperishable knowledge for fulfillment of the human mis sion. (24) Mahārāja Hariścandra first purified his mind, which was full of material enjoyment, by amalgamating it with the earth. Then he amalgamated the earth with water, the water with fire, the fire with the air, and the air with the sky. Thereafter, he amalgamated the sky with the total material energy, and the total ma terial energy with spiritual knowledge. This spiritual knowledge is realization of one’s self as part of the Supreme Lord. When the self-re alized spiritual soul is engaged in service to the Lord, he is eternally imperceptible and incon ceivable. Thus established in spiritual knowledge, he is completely freed from mate rial bondage. (25-26)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Ambarīṣa had three sons, named Virūpa, Ketumān and Śambhu. From Virūpa came a son named Pṛṣadaśva, and from Pṛṣadaśva came a son named Rathītara. (1) Rathītara had no sons, and therefore he re quested the great sage Aṅgirā to beget sons for him. Because of this request, Aṅgirā begot sons in the womb of Rathītara’s wife. All these sons were born with brahminical prowess. (2) Hav ing been born from the womb of Rathītara’s wife, all these sons were known as the dynasty of Rathītara, but because they were born from the semen of Aṅgirā, they were also known as the dynasty of Aṅgirā. Among all the progeny of Rathītara, these sons were the most promi nent because, owing to their birth, they were considered brāhmaṇas. (3)

The son of Manu was Ikṣvāku. When Manu was sneezing, Ikṣvāku was born from Manu’s nostrils. King Ikṣvāku had one hundred sons, of whom Vikukṣi, Nimi and Daṇḍakā were the most prominent. (4) Of the one hundred sons, twenty-five became kings in the western side of Āryāvarta, a place between the Himālaya and Vindhya mountains. Another twenty-five sons became kings in the east of Āryāvarta, and the three principal sons became kings in the mid dle. The other sons became kings in various other places. (5) During the months of January, February and March, oblations offered to the forefathers are called aṣṭakā-śrāddha. The śrād dha ceremony is held during the dark fortnight of the month. When Mahārāja Ikṣvāku was per forming his oblations in this ceremony, he or dered his son Vikukṣi to go immediately to the forest to bring some pure flesh. (6)

Thereafter, Ikṣvāku’s son Vikukṣi went to the forest and killed many animals suitable for being offered as oblations. But when fatigued and hungry he became forgetful and ate a rabbit he had killed. (7) Vikukṣi offered the remnants of the flesh to King Ikṣvāku, who gave it to Vasiṣṭha for puri fication. But Vasiṣṭha could immediately un derstand that part of the flesh had already been taken by Vikukṣi, and therefore he said that it was unfit to be used in the śrāddha ceremony. (8) When King Ikṣvāku, thus informed by Va siṣṭha, understood what his son Vikukṣi had done, he was extremely angry. Thus he ordered Vikukṣi to leave the country because Vikukṣi had violated the regulative principles. (9)

Having been instructed by the great and learned brāhmaṇa Vasiṣṭha, who discoursed about the Absolute Truth, Mahārāja Ikṣvāku became re nounced. By following the principles for a yogī, he certainly achieved the supreme perfec tion after giving up his material body. (10) Af ter his father’s disappearance, Vikukṣi returned to the country and thus became the king, ruling the planet earth and performing various sacri fices to satisfy the Supreme Personality of God head. Vikukṣi later became celebrated as Śaśāda. (11) The son of Śaśāda was Purañjaya, who is also known as Indravāha and sometimes as Kakutstha. Please hear from me how he re ceived different names for different activities. (12) Formerly, there was a devastating war be tween the demigods and the demons. The dem igods, having been defeated, accepted Pura ñjaya as their assistant and then conquered the demons. Therefore this hero is known as Pura ñjaya, “he who conquered the residence of the demons.” (13)

Purañjaya agreed to kill all the demons, on the condition that Indra would be his carrier. Because of pride, Indra could not accept this proposal, but later, by the order of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, Indra did accept it and became a great bull carrier for Purañjaya. (14) Well protected by armor and desiring to fight, Purañjaya took up a transcendental bow and very sharp arrows, and, while being highly praised by the demigods, he got up on the back of the bull [Indra] and sat on its hump. Thus he is known as Kakutstha. Being empowered by Lord Viṣṇu, who is the Supersoul and the Su preme Person, Purañjaya sat on the great bull and is therefore known as Indravāha. Sur rounded by the demigods, he attacked the resi dence of the demons in the west. (15-16)

There was a fierce battle between the demons and Purañjaya. Indeed, it was so fierce that when one hears about it one’s hairs stand on end. All the demons bold enough to come before Purañjaya were immediately sent to the residence of Yamarāja by his arrows. (17) To save them selves from the blazing arrows of Indravāha, which resembled the flames of devastation at the end of the millennium, the demons who re mained when the rest of their army was killed fled very quickly to their respective homes. (18) After conquering the enemy, the saintly king Purañjaya gave everything, including the enemy’s riches and wives, to Indra, who carries a thunderbolt. For this he is celebrated as Pura ñjaya. Thus Purañjaya is known by different names because of his different activities. (19) The son of Purañjaya was known as Anenā, Anenā’s son was Pṛthu, and Pṛthu’s son was Viśvagandhi. Viśvagandhi’s son was Candra, and Candra’s son was Yuvanāśva. (20)

The son of Yuvanāśva was Śrāvasta, who con structed a township known as Śrāvastī Purī. The son of Śrāvasta was Bṛhadaśva, and his son most prominent. (4) Of the one hundred sons, twenty-five became kings in the western side of Āryāvarta, a place between the Himālaya and Vindhya mountains. Another twenty-five sons became kings in the east of Āryāvarta, and the three principal sons became kings in the mid dle. The other sons became kings in various other places. (5) During the months of January, February and March, oblations offered to the forefathers are called aṣṭakā-śrāddha. The śrād dha ceremony is held during the dark fortnight of the month. When Mahārāja Ikṣvāku was per forming his oblations in this ceremony, he or dered his son Vikukṣi to go immediately to the forest to bring some pure flesh. (6)

Thereafter, Ikṣvāku’s son Vikukṣi went to the forest and killed many animals suitable for being offered as oblations. But when fatigued and hungry he became forgetful and ate a rabbit he had killed. (7) Vikukṣi offered the remnants of the flesh to King Ikṣvāku, who gave it to Vasiṣṭha for puri fication. But Vasiṣṭha could immediately un derstand that part of the flesh had already been taken by Vikukṣi, and therefore he said that it was unfit to be used in the śrāddha ceremony. (8) When King Ikṣvāku, thus informed by Va siṣṭha, understood what his son Vikukṣi had done, he was extremely angry. Thus he ordered Vikukṣi to leave the country because Vikukṣi had violated the regulative principles. (9) Hav ing been instructed by the great and learned brāhmaṇa Vasiṣṭha, who discoursed about the Absolute Truth, Mahārāja Ikṣvāku became re nounced. By following the principles for a yogī, he certainly achieved the supreme perfec tion after giving up his material body. (10)

After his father’s disappearance, Vikukṣi returned to the country and thus became the king, ruling the planet earth and performing various sacri fices to satisfy the Supreme Personality of God head. Vikukṣi later became celebrated as Śaśāda. (11) The son of Śaśāda was Purañjaya, who is also known as Indravāha and sometimes as Kakutstha. Please hear from me how he re ceived different names for different activities. (12) Formerly, there was a devastating war be tween the demigods and the demons. The dem igods, having been defeated, accepted Pura ñjaya as their assistant and then conquered the demons. Therefore this hero is known as Pura ñjaya, “he who conquered the residence of the demons.” (13) Purañjaya agreed to kill all the demons, on the condition that Indra would be his carrier. Because of pride, Indra could not accept this proposal, but later, by the order of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, Indra did accept it and became a great bull carrier for Purañjaya. (14)

Well protected by armor and desiring to fight, Purañjaya took up a transcendental bow and very sharp arrows, and, while being highly praised by the demigods, he got up on the back of the bull [Indra] and sat on its hump. Thus he is known as Kakutstha. Being empowered by Lord Viṣṇu, who is the Supersoul and the Su preme Person, Purañjaya sat on the great bull and is therefore known as Indravāha. Sur rounded by the demigods, he attacked the resi dence of the demons in the west. (15-16) There was a fierce battle between the demons and Pu rañjaya. Indeed, it was so fierce that when one hears about it one’s hairs stand on end. All the demons bold enough to come before Purañjaya were immediately sent to the residence of Yamarāja by his arrows. (17) To save them selves from the blazing arrows of Indravāha, which resembled the flames of devastation at the end of the millennium, the demons who re mained when the rest of their army was killed fled very quickly to their respective homes. (18)

After conquering the enemy, the saintly king Purañjaya gave everything, including the enemy’s riches and wives, to Indra, who carries a thunderbolt. For this he is celebrated as Pura ñjaya. Thus Purañjaya is known by different names because of his different activities. (19) The son of Purañjaya was known as Anenā, Anenā’s son was Pṛthu, and Pṛthu’s son was Viśvagandhi. Viśvagandhi’s son was Candra, and Candra’s son was Yuvanāśva. (20) The son of Yuvanāśva was Śrāvasta, who con structed a township known as Śrāvastī Purī. The son of Śrāvasta was Bṛhadaśva, and his son  was Kuvalayāśva. In this way the dynasty in creased. (21) To satisfy the sage Utaṅka, the greatly powerful Kuvalayāśva killed a demon named Dhundhu. He did this with the assis tance of his twenty-one thousand sons. (22)

O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, for this reason Kuvalayāśva is celebrated as Dhundhumāra [“the killer of Dhundhu”]. All but three of his sons, however, were burned to ashes by the fire emanating from Dhundhu’s mouth. The remaining sons were Dṛḍhāśva, Kapilāśva and Bhadrāśva. From Dṛḍhāśva came a son named Haryaśva, whose son is celebrated as Nikumbha. (23-24) The son of Nikumbha was Bahulāśva, the son of Bahulāśva was Kṛśāśva, the son of Kṛśāśva was Senajit, and the son of Senajit was Yuvanāśva. Yuvanāśva had no sons, and thus he retired from family life and went to the for est. (25) Although Yuvanāśva went into the forest with his one hundred wives, all of them were very morose. The sages in the forest, how ever, being very kind to the King, began very carefully and attentively performing an Indra yajña so that the King might have a son. (26)

Being thirsty one night, the King entered the arena of sacrifice, and when he saw all the brāhmaṇas lying down, he personally drank the sanctified water meant to be drunk by his wife. (27) When the brāhmaṇas got up from bed and saw the waterpot empty, they inquired who had done this work of drinking the water meant for begetting a child. (28) When the brāhmaṇas came to understand that the King, inspired by the supreme controller, had drunk the water, they all exclaimed “Alas! The power of provi dence is real power. No one can counteract the power of the Supreme.” In this way they of fered their respectful obeisances unto the Lord. (29) Thereafter, in due course of time, a son with all the good symptoms of a powerful king came forth from the lower right side of King Yuvanāśva’s abdomen. (30) The baby cried so much for breast milk that all the brāhmaṇas were very unhappy. “Who will take care of this baby?” they said. Then Indra, who was wor shiped in that yajña, came and solaced the baby. “Do not cry,” Indra said. Then Indra put his in dex finger in the baby’s mouth and said, “You may drink me.” (31)

Because Yuvanāśva, the father of the baby, was blessed by the brāhmaṇas, he did not fall a victim to death. Af ter this incident, he performed severe austeri ties and achieved perfection in that very spot. (32) Māndhātā, the son of Yuvanāśva, was the cause of fear for Rāvaṇa and other thieves and rogues who caused anxiety. O King Parīkṣit, because they feared him, the son of Yuvanāśva was known as Trasaddasyu. This name was given by King Indra. By the mercy of the Su preme Personality of Godhead, the son of Yuvanāśva was so powerful that when he be came emperor he ruled the entire world, con sisting of seven islands, without any second ruler. (33-34)

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is not different from the auspicious aspects of great sacrifices, such as the ingredi ents of the sacrifice, the chanting of Vedic hymns, the regulative principles, the performer, the priests, the result of the sacrifice, the arena of sacrifice, and the time of sacrifice. Knowing the principles of self-realization, Māndhātā worshiped that transcendentally situated Su preme Soul, the Supreme Personality of God head, Lord Viṣṇu, who comprises all the demi gods. He also gave immense charity to the brāhmaṇas, and thus he performed yajña to worship the Lord. (35-36) All places, from where the sun rises on the horizon, shining bril liantly, to where the sun sets, are known as the possession of the celebrated Māndhātā, the son of Yuvanāśva. (37) Māndhātā begot three sons in the womb of Bindumatī, the daughter of Śaśabindu. These sons were Purukutsa, Ambarīṣa, and Mucukunda, a great mystic yogī. These three brothers had fifty sisters, who all accepted the great sage Saubhari as theirhusband. (38)

Saubhari Ṛṣi was engaged in austerity, deep in the water of the river Yamunā, when he saw a pair of fish engaged in sexual affairs. Thus he perceived the pleasure of sex life, and induced by this desire he went to King Māndhātā and begged for one of the King’s daughters. In re sponse to this request, the King said, “O brāhmaṇa, any of my daughters may accept any husband according to her personal selection.” (39-40) Saubhari Muni thought: I am now fee ble because of old age. My hair has become grey, my skin is slack, and my head always trembles. Besides, I am a yogī. Therefore women do not like me. Since the King has thus rejected me, I shall reform my body in such a way as to be desirable even to celestial women, what to speak of the daughters of worldly kings. (41-42)

Thereafter, when Saubhari Muni became quite a young and beautiful person, the messen ger of the palace took him inside the residential quarters of the princesses, which were ex tremely opulent. All fifty princesses then ac cepted him as their husband, although he was only one man. (43) Thereafter, the princesses, being attracted by Saubhari Muni, gave up their sisterly relationship and quarreled among themselves, each one of them contending, “This man is just suitable for me, and not for you.” In this way there ensued a great disagree ment. (44)

Because Saubhari Muni was expert in chanting mantras perfectly, his severe auster ities resulted in an opulent home, with gar ments, ornaments, properly dressed and deco rated maidservants and manservants, and vari eties of parks with clear-water lakes and gar dens. In the gardens, fragrant with varieties of flowers, birds chirped and bees hummed, sur rounded by professional singers. Saubhari Muni’s home was amply provided with valua ble beds, seats, ornaments, and arrangements for bathing, and there were varieties of sandal wood creams, flower garlands, and palatable dishes. Thus surrounded by opulent parapher nalia, the muni engaged in family affairs with his numerous wives. (45-46)

Māndhātā, the King of the entire world, consisting of seven is lands, was struck with wonder when he saw the household opulence of Saubhari Muni. Thus he gave up his false prestige in his position as em peror of the world. (47) In this way, Saubhari Muni enjoyed sense gratification in the material world, but he was not at all satisfied, just as a fire never ceases blazing if constantly supplied with drops of fat. (48) Thereafter, one day while Saubhari Muni, who was expert in chanting mantras, was sitting in a secluded place, he thought to himself about the cause of his falldown, which was simply that he had associated himself with the sexual affairs of the fish. (49) Alas! While practicing austerity, even within the depths of the water, and while observing all the rules and regula tions practiced by saintly persons, I lost the re sults of my long austerities simply by associa tion with the sexual affairs of fish. Everyone should observe this falldown and learn from it. (50)

A person desiring liberation from material bondage must give up the association of per sons interested in sex life and should not em ploy his senses externally [in seeing, hearing, talking, walking and so on]. One should always stay in a secluded place, completely fixing his mind at the lotus feet of the unlimited Person ality of Godhead, and if one wants any associ ation at all, he should associate with persons similarly engaged. (51) In the beginning I was alone and engaged in performing the austerities of mystic yoga, but later, because of the associ ation of fish engaged in sex, I desired to marry. Then I became the husband of fifty wives, and in each of them I begot one hundred sons, and thus my family increased to five thousand members. By the influence of the modes of ma terial nature, I became fallen and thought that I would be happy in material life. Thus there is no end to my material desires for enjoyment, in this life and the next. (52)

In this way he passed his life in household affairs for some time, but then he became detached from material enjoy ment. To renounce material association, he ac cepted the vānaprastha order and went to the forest. His devoted wives followed him, for they had no shelter other than their husband. (53) When Saubhari Muni, who was quite con versant with the self, went to the forest, he per formed severe penances. In this way, in the fire at the time of death, he ultimately engaged him self in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (54) O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, by ob serving their husband progressing in spiritual existence, Saubhari Muni’s wives were also able to enter the spiritual world by his spiritual power, just as the flames of a fire cease when the fire is extinguished. (55)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: When thus advised by Lord Viṣṇu, Durvāsā Muni, who was very much harassed by the Sudarśana cakra, imme diately approached Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. Being very much aggrieved, the muni fell down and clasped the King’s lotus feet. (1) When Durvāsā touched his lotus feet, Mahārāja Am barīṣa was very much ashamed, and when he saw Durvāsā attempting to offer prayers, be cause of mercy he was aggrieved even more. Thus he immediately began offering prayers to the great weapon of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (2) Mahārāja Ambarīṣa said: O Sudarśana cakra, you are fire, you are the most powerful sun, and you are the moon, the master of all lu minaries. You are water, earth and sky, you are the air, you are the five sense objects [sound, touch, form, taste and smell], and you are the senses also. (3)

O most favorite of Acyuta, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you have thousands of spokes. O master of the material world, destroyer of all weapons, original vision of the Personality of Godhead, I offer my re spectful obeisances unto you. Kindly give shel ter and be auspicious to this brāhmaṇa. (4) O Sudarśana wheel, you are religion, you are truth, you are encouraging statements, you are sacrifice, and you are the enjoyer of the fruits of sacrifice. You are the maintainer of the entire universe, and you are the supreme transcenden tal prowess in the hands of the Supreme Per sonality of Godhead. You are the original vi sion of the Lord, and therefore you are known as Sudarśana. Everything has been created by your activities, and therefore you are all-per vading. (5)

O Sudarśana, you have a very aus picious hub, and therefore you are the upholder of all religion. You are just like an inauspicious comet for the irreligious demons. Indeed, you are the maintainer of the three worlds, you are full of transcendental effulgence, you are as quick as the mind, and you are able to work wonders. I can simply utter the word “namaḥ,” offering all obeisances unto you. (6) O master of speech, by your effulgence, full of religious principles, the darkness of the world is dissi pated, and the knowledge of learned persons or great souls is manifested. Indeed, no one can surpass your effulgence, for all things, mani fested and unmanifested, gross and subtle, su perior and inferior, are but various forms of you that are manifested by your effulgence. (7) O indefatigable one, when you are sent by the Su preme Personality of Godhead to enter among the soldiers of the Daityas and the Dānavas, you stay on the battlefield and unendingly sep arate their arms, bellies, thighs, legs and heads. (8)

O protector of the universe, you are engaged by the Supreme Personality of Godhead as His all-powerful weapon in killing the envious en emies. For the benefit of our entire dynasty, kindly favor this poor brāhmaṇa. This will cer tainly be a favor for all of us. (9) If our family has given charity to the proper persons, if we have performed ritualistic ceremonies and sac rifices, if we have properly carried out our oc cupational duties, and if we have been guided by learned brāhmaṇas, I wish, in exchange, that this brāhmaṇa be freed from the burning caused by the Sudarśana cakra. (10) If the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second, who is the reservoir of all transcenden tal qualities, and who is the life and soul of all living entities, is pleased with us, we wish that this brāhmaṇa, Durvāsā Muni, be freed from the pain of being burned. (11)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: When the King offered prayers to the Sudarśana cakra and Lord Viṣṇu, because of his prayers the Su darśana cakra became peaceful and stopped burning the brāhmaṇa known as Durvāsā Muni. (12) Durvāsā Muni, the greatly powerful mys tic, was indeed satisfied when freed from the fire of the Sudarśana cakra. Thus he praised the qualities of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa and offered him the highest benedictions. (13) Durvāsā Muni said: My dear King, today I have experienced the greatness of devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for alt hough I have committed an offense, you have prayed for my good fortune. (14) For those who have achieved the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of the pure devotees, what is impossible to do, and what is impossible to give up? (15)

What is impossible for the serv ants of the Lord? By the very hearing of His holy name one is purified. (16) O King, over looking my offenses, you have saved my life. Thus I am very much obliged to you because you are so merciful. (17) Expecting the return of Durvāsā Muni, the King had not taken his food. Therefore, when the sage returned, the King fell at his lotus feet, pleasing him in all respects, and fed him sump tuously. (18) Thus the King respectfully re ceived Durvāsā Muni, who after eating varie ties of palatable food was so satisfied that with great affection he requested the King to eat also, saying, “Please take your meal.” (19) Durvāsā Muni said: I am very pleased with you, my dear King. At first I thought of you as an ordinary human being and accepted your hospitality, but later I could understand, by my own intelligence, that you are the most exalted devotee of the Lord. Therefore, simply by see ing you, touching your feet and talking with you, I have been pleased and have become obliged to you. (20) All the blessed women in the heavenly planets will continuously chant about your spotless character at every moment, and the people of this world will also chant your glories continuously. (21)

ŚrīŚukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Thus be ing satisfied in all respects, the great mystic yogī Durvāsā took permission and left, contin uously glorifying the King. Through the sky ways, he went to Brahmaloka, which is devoid of agnostics and dry philosophical speculators. (22) Durvāsā Muni had left the place of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, and as long as he had not returnedfor one complete yearthe King had fasted, maintaining himself simply by drinking water. (23) After one year, when Durvāsā Muni had re turned, King Ambarīṣa sumptuously fed him all varieties of pure food, and then he himself also ate. When the King saw that the brāhmaṇa Durvāsā had been released from the great dan ger of being burned, he could understand that by the grace of the Lord he himself was also powerful, but he did not take any credit, for everything had been done by the Lord. (24)

In this way, because of devotional service, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, who was endowed with varieties of transcendental qualities, was com pletely aware of Brahman, Paramātmā and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus he executed devotional service perfectly. Because of his devotion, he thought even the topmost planet of this material world no better than the hellish planets. (25) Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Thereafter, because of his advanced position in devotional life, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, who no longer desired to live with material things, retired from active family life. He di vided his property among his sons, who were equally as qualified, and he himself took the or der of vānaprastha and went to the forest to concentrate his mind fully upon Lord Vāsudeva. (26) Anyone who chants this narration or even thinks of this narration about the activities of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa certainly becomes a pure devotee of the Lord. (27) By the grace of the Lord, those who hear about the activities of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the great devotee, cer tainly become liberated or become devotees without delay. (28)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The son of Nabhaga named Nābhāga lived for a long time at the place of his spiritual master. Therefore, his brothers thought that he was not going to become a gṛhastha and would not return. Con sequently, without providing a share for him, they divided the property of their father among themselves. When Nābhāga returned from the place of his spiritual master, they gave him their father as his share. (1) Nābhāga inquired, “My dear brothers, what have you given to me as my share of our father’s property?” His elder brothers answered, “We have kept our father as your share.” But when Nābhāga went to his fa ther and said, “My dear father, my elder broth ers have given you as my share of property,” the father replied, “My dear son, do not rely upon their cheating words. I am not your prop erty.” (2)

Nābhāga’s father said: All the de scendants of Aṅgirā are now going to perform a great sacrifice, but although they are very in telligent, on every sixth day they will be bewil dered in performing sacrifice and will make mistakes in their daily duties. (3) Nābhāga’s father continued: “Go to those great souls and describe two Vedic hymns pertaining to Vaiśvadeva. When the great sages have com pleted the sacrifice and are going to the heav enly planets, they will give you the remnants of the money they have received from the sacri fice. Therefore, go there immediately.” Thus Nābhāga acted exactly according to the advice of his father, and the great sages of the Aṅgirā dynasty gave him all their wealth and then went to the heavenly planets. (4-5)

Thereafter, while Nābhāga was accepting the riches, a black-looking person from the north came to him and said, “All the wealth from this sacrificial arena belongs to me.” (6) Nābhāga then said, “These riches belong to me. The great saintly persons have delivered them to me.” When Nābhāga said this, the black-looking person replied, “Let us go to your father and ask him to settle our disagree ment.” In accordance with this, Nābhāga in quired from his father. (7) The father of Nābhāga said: Whatever the great sages sacri ficed in the arena of the Dakṣa-yajña, they of fered to Lord Śiva as his share. Therefore, eve rything in the sacrificial arena certainly belongs to Lord Śiva. (8) Thereupon, after offering obeisances to Lord Śiva, Nābhāga said: O wor shipable lord, everything in this arena of sacri fice is yours. This is the assertion of my father. Now, with great respect, I bow my head before you, begging your mercy. (9)

Lord Śiva said: Whatever your father has said is the truth, and you also are speaking the same truth. There fore, I, who know the Vedic mantras, shall ex plain transcendental knowledge to you. (10) Lord Śiva said, “Now you may take all the wealth remaining from the sacrifice, for I give it to you.” After saying this, Lord Śiva, who is most adherent to the religious principles, disap peared from that place. (11) If one hears and chants or remembers this narration in the morning and evening with great attention, he cer tainly becomes learned, experienced in under standing the Vedic hymns, and expert in self realization. (12) From Nābhāga, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa took birth. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was an exalted devotee, celebrated for his great merits. Although he was cursed by an infallible brāhmaṇa, the curse could not touch him. (13)

King Parīkṣit inquired: O great personality, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was certainly most exalted and meritorious in character. I wish to hear about him. How surprising it is that the curse of a brāhmaṇa, which is insurmountable, could not act upon him. (14) Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Am barīṣa, the most fortunate personality, achieved the rule of the entire world, consisting of seven islands, and achieved inexhaustible, unlimited opulence and prosperity on earth. Although such a position is rarely obtained, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa did not care for it at all, for he knew very well that all such opulence is material. Like that which is imagined in a dream, such opulence will ultimately be destroyed. The King knew that any nondevotee who attains such opulence merges increasingly into material nature’s mode of darkness. (15-16)

Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, and of the saintly persons who are the Lord’s devotees. Because of this devotion, he thought of the entire universe as being as insignificant as a piece of stone. (17)

Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always engaged his mind in meditating upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, his words in describing the glories of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord’s temple, and his ears in hearing the words spoken by Kṛṣṇa or about Kṛṣṇa. He en gaged his eyes in seeing the Deity of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa’s temples and Kṛṣṇa’s places like Ma thurā and Vṛndāvana, he engaged his sense of touch in touching the bodies of the Lord’s dev otees, he engaged his sense of smell in smelling the fragrance of tulasī offered to the Lord, and he engaged his tongue in tasting the Lord’s prasāda. He engaged his legs in walking to the holy places and temples of the Lord, his head in bowing down before the Lord, and all his de sires in serving the Lord, twenty-four hours a day. Indeed, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa never desired anything for his own sense gratification. He en gaged all his senses in devotional service, in various engagements related to the Lord. This is the way to increase attachment for the Lord and be completely free from all material de sires. (18-20)

In performing his prescribed du ties as king, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always offered the results of his royal activities to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who is the en joyer of everything and is beyond the percep tion of material senses. He certainly took ad vice from brāhmaṇas who were faithful devo tees of the Lord, and thus he ruled the planet earth without difficulty. (21) In desert coun tries where there flowed the river Sarasvatī, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa performed great sacrifices like the aśvamedha-yajña and thus satisfied the master of all yajñas, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such sacrifices were performed with great opulence and suitable paraphernalia and with contributions of dakṣiṇā to the brāhmaṇas, who were supervised by great personalities like Vasiṣṭha, Asita and Gautama, representing the king, the performer of the sacrifices. (22)

In the sacrifice arranged by Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the members of the assembly and the priests [espe cially hotā, udgātā, brahmā and adhvaryu] were gorgeously dressed, and they all looked exactly like demigods. They eagerly saw to the proper performance of the yajña. (23) The citizens of the state of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa were accus tomed to chanting and hearing about the glori ous activities of the Personality of Godhead. Thus they never aspired to be elevated to the heavenly planets, which are extremely dear even to the demigods. (24) Those who are sat urated with the transcendental happiness of ren dering service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead are uninterested even in the achieve ments of great mystics, for such achievements do not enhance the transcendental bliss felt by a devotee who always thinks of Kṛṣṇa within the core of his heart. (25)

The king of this planet, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, thus performed devotional service to the Lord and in this en deavor practiced severe austerity. Always sat isfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead by his constitutional activities, he gradually gave up all material desires. (26) Mahārāja Am barīṣa gave up all attachment to household af fairs, wives, children, friends and relatives, to the best of powerful elephants, to beautiful chariots, carts, horses and inexhaustible jewels, and to ornaments, garments and an inexhausti ble treasury. He gave up attachment to all of them, regarding them as temporary and mate rial. (27) Being very pleased by the unalloyed devotion of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gave the King His disc, which is fearful to enemies and which always protects the devotee from enemies and adversi ties. (28)

To worship Lord Kṛṣṇa, Mahārāja Am barīṣa, along with his queen, who was equally qualified, observed the vow of Ekādaśī and Dvādaśī for one year. (29) In the month of Kārtika, after observing that vow for one year, after observing a fast for three nights and after bathing in the Yamunā, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa worshiped the Supreme Personality of God head, Hari, in Madhuvana. (30) Following the regulative principles of mahābhiṣeka, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa performed the bathing ceremony for the Deity of Lord Kṛṣṇa with all paraphernalia, and then he dressed the Deity with fine cloth ing, ornaments, fragrant flower garlands and other paraphernalia for worship of the Lord. With attention and devotion, he worshiped Kṛṣṇa and all the greatly fortunate brāhmaṇas who were free from material desires. (31-32)

Thereafter, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa satisfied all the guests who arrived at his house, especially the brāhmaṇas. He gave in charity sixty crores of cows whose horns were covered with gold plate and whose hooves were covered with silver plate. All the cows were well decorated with garments and had full milk bags. They were mild-natured, young and beautiful and were ac companied by their calves. After giving these cows, the King first sumptuously fed all the brāhmaṇas, and when they were fully satisfied, he was about to observe the end of Ekādaśī, with their permission, by breaking the fast. Ex actly at that time, however, Durvāsā Muni, the great and powerful mystic, appeared on the scene as an uninvited guest. (33-35)

After standing up to receive Durvāsā Muni, King Ambarīṣa offered him a seat and para phernalia of worship. Then, sitting at his feet, the King requested the great sage to eat. (36) Durvāsā Muni gladly accepted the request of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, but to perform the regula tive ritualistic ceremonies he went to the river Yamunā. There he dipped into the water of the auspicious Yamunā and meditated upon the im personal Brahman. (37) In the meantime, only a muhūrta of the Dvādaśī day was left on which to break the fast. Consequently, it was impera tive that the fast be broken immediately. In this dangerous situation, the King consulted learned brāhmaṇas. (38)

The King said: “To transgress the laws of re spectful behavior toward the brāhmaṇas is cer tainly a great offense. On the other hand, if one does not observe the breaking of the fast within the time of Dvādaśī, there is a flaw in one’s ob servance of the vow. Therefore, O brāhmaṇas, if you think that it will be auspicious and not irreligious, I shall break the fast by drinking water.” In this way, after consulting with the brāhmaṇas, the King reached this decision, for according to brahminical opinion, drinking wa ter may be accepted as eating and also as not eating. (39-40) O best of the Kuru dynasty, af ter he drank some water, King Ambarīṣa, med itating upon the Supreme Personality of God head within his heart, waited for the return of the great mystic Durvāsā Muni. (41) After ex ecuting the ritualistic ceremonies to be per formed at noon, Durvāsā returned from the bank of the Yamunā. The King received him well, offering all respects, but Durvāsā Muni, by his mystic power, could understand that King Ambarīṣa had drunk water without his permission. (42)

Still hungry, Durvāsā Muni, his body trembling, his face curved and his eye brows crooked in a frown, angrily spoke as fol lows to King Ambarīṣa, who stood before him with folded hands. (43) Alas, just see the be havior of this cruel man! He is not a devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. Being proud of his material opu lence and his position, he considers himself God. Just see how he has transgressed the laws of religion. (44) Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, you have invited me to eat as a guest, but instead of feed ing me, you yourself have eaten first. Because of your miSBehavior, I shall show you some thing to punish you. (45) As Durvāsā Muni said this, his face became red with anger. Up rooting a bunch of hair from his head, he cre ated a demon resembling the blazing fire of devastation to punish Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. (46)

Taking a trident in his hand and making the sur face of the earth tremble with his footsteps, that blazing creature came before Mahārāja Am barīṣa. But the King, upon seeing him, was not at all disturbed and did not move even slightly from his position. (47) As fire in the forest im mediately burns to ashes an angry snake, so, by the previous order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His disc, the Sudarśana cakra, im mediately burnt to ashes the created demon to protect the Lord’s devotee. (48) Upon seeing that his own attempt had failed and that the Su darśana cakra was moving toward him, Durvāsā Muni became very frightened and be gan to run in all directions to save his life. (49) As the blazing flames of a forest fire pursue a snake, the disc of the Supreme Personality of Godhead began following Durvāsā Muni. Durvāsā Muni saw that the disc was almost touching his back, and thus he ran very swiftly, desiring to enter a cave of Sumeru Mountain. (50)

Just to protect himself, Durvāsā Muni fled everywhere, in all directionsin the sky, on the surface of the earth, in caves, in the ocean, on different planets of the rulers of the three worlds, and even on the heavenly planetsbut wherever he went he immediately saw follow ing him the unbearable fire of the Sudarśana cakra. (51) With a fearful heart, Durvāsā Muni went here and there seeking shelter, but when he could find no shelter, he finally approached Lord Brahmā and said, “O my lord, O Lord Brahmā, kindly protect me from the blazing Su darśana cakra sent by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (52)

Lord Brahmā said: At the end of the dvi parārdha, when the pastimes of the Lord come to an end, Lord Viṣṇu, by a flick of His eye brows, vanquishes the entire universe, includ ing our places of residence. Such personalities as me and Lord Śiva, as well as Dakṣa, Bhṛgu and similar great saints of which they are the head, and also the rulers of the living entities, the rulers of human society and the rulers of the demigodsall of us surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, bowing our heads, to carry out His orders for the benefit of all living entities. (53-54) When Durvāsā, who was greatly afflicted by the blazing fire of the Sudarśana cakra, was thus refused by Lord Brahmā, he tried to take shelter of Lord Śiva, who always resides on his planet, known as Kailāsa. (55)

Lord Śiva said: My dear son, I, Lord Brahmā and the other demigods, who rotate within this universe under the misconception of our great ness, cannot exhibit any power to compete with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for innu merable universes and their inhabitants come into existence and are annihilated by the simple direction of the Lord. (56) Past, present and future are known to me [Lord Śiva], Sanat-kumāra, Nārada, the most revered Lord Brahmā, Kapila [the son of Devahūti], Apāntaratama [Lord Vyāsadeva], Devala, Yamarāja, Āsuri, Marīci and many saintly persons headed by him, as well as many others who have achieved perfection. Nonethe less, because we are covered by the illusory energy of the Lord, we cannot understand how ex pansive that illusory energy is. You should simply approach that Supreme Personality of Godhead to get relief, for this Sudarśana cakra is intolerable even to us. Go to Lord Viṣṇu. He will certainly be kind enough to bestow all good fortune upon you. (57-59)

Thereafter, be ing disappointed even in taking shelter of Lord Śiva, Durvāsā Muni went to Vaikuṇṭha-dhāma, where the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, resides with His consort, the god dess of fortune. (60) Durvāsā Muni, the great mystic, scorched by the heat of the Sudarśana cakra, fell at the lotus feet of Nārāyaṇa. His body trembling, he spoke as follows: O infalli ble, unlimited Lord, protector of the entire uni verse, You are the only desirable objective for all devotees. I am a great offender, my Lord. Please give me protection. (61) O my Lord, O supreme controller, without knowledge of Your unlimited prowess I have offended Your most dear devotee. Very kindly save me from the reaction of this offense. You can do every thing, for even if a person is fit for going to hell, You can deliver him simply by awakening within his heart the holy name of Your Lord ship. (62)

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said to the brāhmaṇa: I am completely under the con trol of My devotees. Indeed, I am not at all in dependent. Because My devotees are com pletely devoid of material desires, I sit only within the cores of their hearts. What to speak of My devotee, even those who are devotees of My devotee are very dear to Me. (63) O best of the brāhmaṇas, without saintly persons for whom I am the only destination, I do not desire to enjoy My transcendental bliss and My su preme opulences. (64) Since pure devotees give up their homes, wives, children, relatives, riches and even their lives simply to serve Me, without any desire for material improvement in this life or in the next, how can I give up such devotees at any time? (65) As chaste women bring their gentle husbands under control by service, the pure devotees, who are equal to everyone and completely attached to Me in the core of the heart, bring Me under their full con trol. (66)

My devotees, who are always satis fied to be engaged in My loving service, are not interested even in the four principles of libera tion [sālokya, sārūpya, sāmīpya and sārṣṭi], alt hough these are automatically achieved by their service. What then is to be said of such perish able happiness as elevation to the higher plane tary systems? (67) The pure devotee is always within the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them. (68)

O brāhmaṇa, let Me now advise you for your own protection. Please hear from Me. By offending Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, you have acted with self-envy. Therefore you should go to him immediately, without a moment’s delay. One’s so-called prowess, when employed against the devotee, certainly harms he who employs it. Thus it is the subject, not the object, who is harmed. (69) For a brāhmaṇa, austerity and learning are certainly auspicious, but when acquired by a person who is not gentle, such austerity and learning are most dangerous. (70) O best of the brāhmaṇas, you should therefore go immedi ately to King Ambarīṣa, the son of Mahārāja Nābhāga. I wish you all good fortune. If you can satisfy Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, then there will be peace for you. (71)

ŚrīŚukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O King, Śaryāti, another son of Manu, was a ruler com pletely aware of Vedic knowledge. He gave in structions about the functions for the second day of the yajña to be performed by the de scendants of Aṅgirā. (1) Śaryāti had a beautiful lotus-eyed daughter named Sukanyā, with whom he went to the forest to see the āśrama of Cyavana Muni. (2) While that Sukanyā, sur rounded by her friends, was collecting various types of fruits from the trees in the forest, she saw within the hole of an earthworm two things glowing like luminaries. (3) As if induced by providence, the girl ignorantly pierced those two glowworms with a thorn, and when they were pierced, blood began to ooze out of them. (4)

Thereupon, all the soldiers of Śaryāti were immediately obstructed from passing urine and stool. Upon perceiving this, Śaryāti spoke to his associates in surprise. (5) How strange it is that one of us has attempted to do something wrong to Cyavana Muni, the son of Bhṛgu. It certainly appears that someone among us has polluted this āśrama. (6) Being very much afraid, the girl Sukanyā said to her father: I have done something wrong, for I have ignorantly pierced these two luminous substances with a thorn. (7) After hearing this statement by his daughter, King Śaryāti was very much afraid. In various ways, he tried to appease Cyavana Muni, for it was he who sat within the hole of the earth worm. (8)

King Śaryāti, being very contempla tive and thus understanding Cyavana Muni’s purpose, gave his daughter in charity to the sage. Thus released from danger with great dif ficulty, he took permission from Cyavana Muni and returned home. (9) Cyavana Muni was very irritable, but since Sukanyā had gotten him as her husband, she dealt with him carefully, according to his mood. Knowing his mind, she performed ser vice to him without being bewildered. (10) Thereafter, some time having passed, the Aśvinī-kumāra brothers, the heavenly physi cians, happened to come to Cyavana Muni’s āśrama. After offering them respectful obei sances, Cyavana Muni requested them to give him youthful life, for they were able to do so. (11)

Cyavana Muni said: Although you are ineli gible to drink soma-rasa in sacrifices, I promise to give you a full pot of it. Kindly arrange beauty and youth for me, because they are at tractive to young women. (12) The great phy sicians, the Aśvinī-kumāras, very gladly ac cepted Cyavana Muni’s proposal. Thus they told the brāhmaṇa, “Just dive into this lake of successful life.” [One who bathes in this lake has his desires fulfilled.] (13) After saying this, the Aśvinī-kumāras caught hold of Cyavana Muni, who was an old, diseased invalid with loose skin, white hair, and veins visible all over his body, and all three of them entered the lake. (14) Thereafter, three men with very beautiful bodily features emerged from the lake. They were nicely dressed and decorated with ear rings and garlands of lotuses. All of them were of the same standard of beauty. (15)

The chaste and very beautiful Sukanyā could not distin guish her husband from the two Aśvinī kumāras, for they were equally beautiful. Not understanding who her real husband was, she took shelter of the Aśvinī-kumāras. (16) The Aśvinī-kumāras were very pleased to see Sukanyā’s chastity and faithfulness. Thus they showed her Cyavana Muni, her husband, and after taking permission from him, they re turned to the heavenly planets in their plane. (17) Thereafter, King Śaryāti, desiring to per form a sacrifice, went to the residence of Cya vana Muni. There he saw by the side of his daughter a very beautiful young man, as bright as the sun. (18) After receiving obeisances from his daughter, the King, instead of offering blessings to her, appeared very displeased and spoke as follows. (19)

O unchaste girl, what is this that you have desired to do? You have cheated the most respectable husband, who is honored by everyone, for I see that because he was old, diseased and therefore unattractive, you have left his company to accept as your husband this young man, who appears to be a beggar from the street. (20) O my daughter, who were born in a respectable family, how have you degraded your consciousness in this way? How is it that you are shamelessly main taining a paramour? You will thus degrade the dynasties of both your father and your husband to hellish life. (21) Sukanyā, however, being very proud of her chastity, smiled upon hearing the rebukes of her father. She smilingly told him, “My dear father, this young man by my side is your actual son-in-law, the great sage Cyavana, who was born in the family of Bhṛgu.” (22)

Thus Sukanyā explained how her husband had received the beautiful body of a young man. When the King heard this he was very surprised, and in great pleasure he em braced his beloved daughter. (23) Cyavana Muni, by his own prowess, enabled King Śaryāti to perform the soma-yajña. The muni offered a full pot of soma-rasa to the Aśvinī-kumāras, although they were unfit to drink it. (24) King Indra, being perturbed and angry, wanted to kill Cyavana Muni, and there fore he impetuously took up his thunderbolt. But Cyavana Muni, by his powers, paralyzed Indra’s arm that held the thunderbolt. (25) Alt hough the Aśvinī-kumāras were only physi cians and were therefore excluded from drink ing soma-rasa in sacrifices, the demigods agreed to allow them henceforward to drink it. (26) King Śaryāti begot three sons, named Ut tānabarhi, Ānarta and Bhūriṣeṇa. From Ānarta came a son named Revata. (27)

O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, subduer of enemies, this Revata con structed a kingdom known as Kuśasthalī in the depths of the ocean. There he lived and ruled such tracts of land as Ānarta, etc. He had one hundred very nice sons, of whom the eldest was Kakudmī. (28) Taking his own daughter, Re vatī, Kakudmī went to Lord Brahmā in Brah maloka, which is transcendental to the three modes of material nature, and inquired about a husband for her. (29) When Kakudmī arrived there, Lord Brahmā was engaged in hearing musical performances by the Gandharvas and had not a moment to talk with him. Therefore Kakudmī waited, and at the end of the musical performances he offered his obeisances to Lord Brahmā and thus submitted his long-standing desire. (30) After hearing his words, Lord Brahmā, who is most powerful, laughed loudly and said to Kakudmī: O King, all those whom you may have decided within the core of your heart to accept as your son-in-law have passed away in the course of time. (31)

Twenty-seven catur-yugas have already passed. Those upon whom you may have de cided are now gone, and so are their sons, grandsons and other descendants. You cannot even hear about their names. (32) O King, leave here and offer your daughter to Lord Baladeva, who is still present. He is most pow erful. Indeed, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose plenary portion is Lord Viṣṇu. Your daughter is fit to be given to Him in char ity. (33) Lord Baladeva is the Supreme Person ality of Godhead. One who hears and chants about Him is purified. Because He is always the well-wisher of all living entities, He has de scended with all His paraphernalia to purify the entire world and lessen its burden. (34)

Having received this order from Lord Brahmā, Kakudmī offered obeisances unto him and re turned to his own residence. He then saw that his residence was vacant, having been aban doned by his brothers and other relatives, who were living in all directions because of fear of such higher living beings as the Yakṣas. (35) Thereafter, the King gave his most beautiful daughter in charity to the supremely powerful Baladeva and then retired from worldly life and went to Badarikāśrama to please Nara Nārāyaṇa (36)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thereafter, when his son Sudyumna had thus gone to the forest to accept the order of vānaprastha, Vaivasvata Manu [Śrāddhadeva], being desirous of getting more sons, performed severe austerities on the bank of the Yamunā for one hundred years. (1) Then, because of this desire for sons, the Manu known as Śrāddhadeva worshiped the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the demigods. Thus he got ten sons exactly like himself. Among them all, Ikṣvāku was the eld est. (2) Among these sons, Pṛṣadhra, following the order of his spiritual master, was engaged as a protector of cows. He would stand all night with a sword to give the cows protection. (3)

Once at night, while it was raining, a tiger en tered the land of the cowshed. Upon seeing the tiger, all the cows, who were lying down, got up in fear and scattered here and there on the land. (4) When the very strong tiger seized the 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. (5-6) Because the tiger’s ear had been cut by the edge of the sword, the tiger was very afraid, and it fled from that place, while bleeding on the street. (7) 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. (8)

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 kṣatriya. Instead, you shall take birth as a śūdra because of killing the cow.” (9) When the hero Pṛṣadhra was thus cursed by his spiritual master, he accepted the curse with folded hands. Then, having con trolled his senses, he took the vow of brahmac arya, which is approved by all great sages. (10)

Thereafter, Pṛṣadhra gained relief from all re sponsibilities, became peaceful in mind, and established control over all his senses. Being unaffected by material conditions, being pleased with whatever was available by the grace of the Lord to maintain body and soul to gether, and being equal toward everyone, he gave full attention to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, who is the transcenden tal Supersoul, free from material contamina tion. Thus Pṛṣadhra, fully satisfied in pure knowledge, always keeping his mind on the Su preme Personality of Godhead, achieved pure devotional service to the Lord and began trav eling all over the world, without affection for material activities, as if he were deaf, dumb and blind. (11-13) With this attitude, Pṛṣadhra be came a great saint, and when he entered the for est and saw a blazing forest fire, he took this opportunity to burn his body in the fire. Thus he achieved the transcendental, spiritual world. (14)

Being reluctant to accept material enjoy ment, Manu’s youngest son, whose name was Kavi, gave up the kingdom before attaining full youth. Accompanied by his friends, he went to the forest, always thinking of the self-effulgent Supreme Personality of Godhead within the core of his heart. Thus he attained perfection. (15) From Karūṣa, another son of Manu, came the Kārūṣa dynasty, a family of kṣatriyas. The Kārūṣa kṣatriyas were the kings of the northern direction. They were celebrated protectors of brahminical culture and were all firmly reli gious. (16) 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. (17)

The son of Vasu was Pratīka, whose son was Oghavān. Oghavān’s son was also known as Oghavān, and his daughter was Og havatī. Sudarśana married that daughter. (18) From Nariṣyanta came a son named Citrasena and from him a son named Ṛkṣa. From Ṛkṣa came Mīḍhvān, from Mīḍhvān came Pūrṇa, and from Pūrṇa came Indrasena. (19) From In drasena came Vītihotra, from Vītihotra came Satyaśravā, from Satyaśravā came the son named Uruśravā, and from Uruśravā came Devadatta. (20) From Devadatta came a son known as Ag niveśya, who was the fire-god Agni himself. This son, who was a celebrated saint, was well known as Kānīna and Jātūkarṇya. (21) O King, from Agniveśya came a brahminical dynasty known as Āgniveśyāyana. Now that I have de scribed the descendants of Nariṣyanta, let me describe the descendants of Diṣṭa. Please hear from me. (22)

Diṣṭa had a son by the name Nābhāga. This Nābhāga, who was different from the Nābhāga described later, became a vaiśya by occupa tional 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. (23-24) The son of Viviṁśati was Rambha, whose son was the great and religious King Khanīnetra. O King, the son of Khanīnetra was King Karandhama. (25) From Karandhama came a son named Avīkṣit, and from Avīkṣit a son named Marutta, who was the emperor. The great mystic Saṁvarta, the son of Aṅgirā, engaged Marutta in performing a sacrifice [yajña]. (26)

The sacrificial para phernalia of King Marutta was extremely beau tiful, for everything was made of gold. Indeed, no other sacrifice could compare to his. (27) In that sacrifice, King Indra became intoxicated by drinking a large quantity of soma-rasa. The brāhmaṇas received ample contributions, and therefore they were satisfied. For that sacrifice, the various demigods who control the winds of fered foodstuffs, and the Viśvedevas were members of the assembly. (28) Marutta’s son was Dama, Dama’s son was Rājyavardhana, Rājyavardhana’s son was Sudhṛti, and his son was Nara. (29) The son of Nara was Kevala, and his son was Dhund humān, whose son was Vegavān. Vegavān’s son was Budha, and Budha’s son was Tṛṇa bindu, who became the king of this earth. (30) The best of the Apsarās, the highly qualified girl named Alambuṣā, accepted the similarly qualified Tṛṇabindu as her husband. She gave birth to a few sons and a daughter known as Ilavilā. (31)

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. (32) Tṛṇabindu had three sons, named Viśāla, Śūnyabandhu and Dhūmraketu. Among these three, Viśāla created a dynasty and constructed a palace called Vaiśālī. (33) The son of Viśāla was known as Hemacandra, his son was Dhūmrākṣa, and his son was Saṁyama, whose sons were Devaja and Kṛśāśva. (34) The son of Kṛśāśva was Somadatta, who performed aśva medha sacrifices and thus satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. By worshiping the Supreme Lord, he achieved the most ex alted post, a residence on the planet to which great mystic yogīs are elevated. The son of Somadatta was Sumati, whose son was Ja namejaya. All these kings appearing in the dyn asty of Viśāla properly maintained the cele brated position of King Tṛṇabindu. (35-36)

King Parīkṣit said: My lord, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, you have elaborately described all the periods of the various Manus and, within those periods, the wonderful activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has un limited potency. I am fortunate to have heard all of this from you. (1) Satyavrata, the saintly king of Draviḍadeśa who received spiritual knowledge at the end of the last millennium by the grace of the Supreme, later became Vaivasvata Manu, the son of Vivasvān, in the next manvantara [period of Manu]. I have re ceived this knowledge from you. I also under stand that such kings as Ikṣvāku were his sons, as you have already explained. (2-3) O greatly fortunate Śukadeva Gosvāmī, O great brāhmaṇa, kindly describe to us separately the dynasties and characteristics of all those kings, for we are always eager to hear such topics from you. (4)

Kindly tell us about the abilities of all the celebrated kings born in the dynasty of Vaivasvata Manu, including those who have already passed, those who may appear in the fu ture, and those who exist at present. (5) Sūta Gosvāmī said: When Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the greatest knower of religious prin ciples, was thus requested by Mahārāja Parīkṣit in the assembly of all the scholars learned in Vedic knowledge, he then proceeded to speak. (6) Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O King, sub duer of your enemies, now hear from me in great detail about the dynasty of Manu. I shall explain as much as possible, although one could not say everything about it, even in hun dreds of years. (7)

The transcendental Supreme Person, the Supersoul of all living entities, who are in different statuses of life, high and low, existed at the end of the millennium, when nei ther this manifested cosmos nor anything else but Him existed. (8) O King Parīkṣit, from the navel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead was generated a golden lotus, on which the four-faced Lord Brahmā took his birth. (9) From the mind of Lord Brahmā, Marīci took birth, from the semen of Marīci, Kaśyapa ap peared, and from Kaśyapa, by the womb of Dakṣa’s daughter Aditi, Vivasvān took birth. (10) O King, best of the Bhārata dynasty, from Vivasvān, by the womb of Saṁjñā, Śrād dhadeva Manu was born. Śrāddhadeva Manu, having conquered his senses, begot ten sons in the womb of his wife, Śraddhā. The names of these sons were Ikṣvāku, Nṛga, Śaryāti, Diṣṭa, Dhṛṣṭa, Karūṣaka, Nariṣyanta, Pṛṣadhra, Nabhaga and Kavi. (11-12)

Manu at first had no sons. Therefore, in or der to get a son for him, the great saint Vasiṣṭha, who was very powerful in spiritual knowledge, performed a sacrifice to satisfy the demigods Mitra and Varuṇa. (13) During that sacrifice, Śraddhā, Manu’s wife, who was observing the vow of subsisting only by drinking milk, ap proached the priest offering the sacrifice, of fered obeisances to him and begged for a daughter. (14) Told by the chief priest “Now offer oblations,” the person in charge of obla tions took clarified butter to offer. He then re membered the request of Manu’s wife and per formed the sacrifice while chanting the word “vaṣaṭ.” (15) Manu had begun that sacrifice for the sake of getting a son, but because the priest was diverted by the request of Manu’s wife, a daughter named Ilā was born. Upon seeing the daughter, Manu was not very satisfied. Thus he spoke to his guru, Vasiṣṭha, as follows. (16)

My lord, all of you are expert in chanting the Vedic mantras. How then has the result been opposite to the one desired? This is a matter for lamentation. There should not have been such a reversal of the results of the Vedic mantras. (17) You are all self-controlled, well balanced in mind, and aware of the Absolute Truth. And because of austerities and penances you are completely cleansed of all material contamina tion. Your words, like those of the demigods, are never baffled. Then how is it possible that your determination has failed? (18) The most powerful great-grandfather Va siṣṭha, after hearing these words of Manu, un derstood the discrepancy on the part of the priest. Thus he spoke as follows to the son of the sun-god. (19)

This discrepancy in the ob jective is due to your priest’s deviation from the original purpose. However, by my own prow ess I shall give you a good son. (20) Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King Parīkṣit, after the most famous and powerful Vasiṣṭha made this decision, he offered prayers to the Supreme Person, Viṣṇu, to transform Ilā into a male. (21) The Supreme Personality of God head, the supreme controller, being pleased with Vasiṣṭha, gave him the benediction he de sired. Thus Ilā was transformed into a very fine male named Sudyumna. (22)

O King Parīkṣit, that hero Sudyumna, ac companied by a few ministers and associates and riding on a horse brought from Sindhupra deśa, once went into the forest to hunt. He wore armor and was decorated with bows and ar rows, and he was very beautiful. While follow ing the animals and killing them, he reached the northern part of the forest. (23-24) There in the north, at the bottom of Mount Meru, is a forest known as Sukumāra where Lord Śiva always enjoys with Umā. Sudyumna entered that for est. (25) O King Parīkṣit, as soon as Sudyumna, who was expert in subduing ene mies, entered the forest, he saw himself trans formed into a female and his horse transformed into a mare. (26) When his followers also saw their identities transformed and their sex re versed, they were all very morose and just looked at one another. (27)

Mahārāja Parīkṣit said: O most powerful brāhmaṇa, why was this place so empowered, and who made it so powerful? Kindly answer this question, for I am very eager to hear about this. (28) Śukadeva Gosvāmī answered: Great saintly persons who strictly observed the spiritual rules and regulations and whose own effulgence dis sipated all the darkness of all directions once came to see Lord Śiva in that forest. (29) When the goddess Ambikā saw the great saintly per sons, she was very much ashamed because at that time she was naked. She immediately got up from the lap of her husband and tried to cover her breast. (30) Seeing Lord Śiva and Pārvatī engaged in sexual affairs, all the great saintly persons im mediately desisted from going further and de parted for the āśrama of Nara-Nārāyaṇa. (31)

Thereupon, just to please his wife, Lord Śiva said, “Any male entering this place shall imme diately become a female!” (32) Since that time, no male had entered that forest. But now King Sudyumna, having been transformed into a fe male, began to walk with his associates from one forest to another. (33) Sudyumna had been transformed into the best of beautiful women who excite sexual de sire and was surrounded by other women. Upon seeing this beautiful woman loitering near his āśrama, Budha, the son of the moon, immedi ately desired to enjoy her. (34) The beautiful woman also desired to accept Budha, the son of the king of the moon, as her husband. Thus Budha begot in her womb a son named Purūravā. (35) I heard from reliable sources that King Sudyumna, the son of Manu, having thus achieved femininity, remembered his fa milial spiritual master, Vasiṣṭha. (36)

Upon seeing Sudyumna’s deplorable condi tion, Vasiṣṭha was very much aggrieved. Desir ing for Sudyumna to regain his maleness, Va siṣṭha again began to worship Lord Śaṅkara [Śiva]. (37) O King Parīkṣit, Lord Śiva was pleased with Vasiṣṭha. Therefore, to satisfy him and to keep his own word to Pārvatī, Lord Śiva said to that saintly person, “Your disciple Sudyumna may remain a male for one month and a female for the next. In this way he may rule the world as he likes.” (38-39) Thus being favored by the spiritual master, according to the words of Lord Śiva, Sudyumna regained his desired maleness every alternate month and in this way ruled the kingdom, alt hough the citizens were not satisfied with this. (40) O King, Sudyumna had three very pious sons, named Utkala, Gaya and Vimala, who be came the kings of the Dakṣiṇā-patha. (41) Thereafter, when the time was ripe, when Sudyumna, the king of the world, was suffi ciently old, he delivered the entire kingdom to his son Purūravā and entered the forest. (42)