Vaishampāyana said:—O foremost of Bharatas, Vivaswata Manu had nine sons
after him—Ikshwāku, Nābhaga, Dhrishnu, Sharyāti, Narishyan, Prangsha,
Nābhagarishtha, Korusha and Prishadhra (1–2). O king, desirous of
progeny the patriarch Manu performed a sacrifice before Mitra and Varuna
(3). O descendant of Bharata, before the birth of these nine sons of
his, Muni offered oblation to the portions of Mitra and Varuna in the
present sacrifice. When this oblation was offered, the gods, Gandharvas,
men and ascetics attained to great delight and exclaimed. "Oh! wonderful
is his ascetic energy! Oh! Wonderful is his knowledge of scriptures
(4–6)." The tradition is, that in that sacrifice was born Ilā, clad in a
celestial raiment, adorned with celestial ornaments and equipped with a
celestial armour (7). Manu, with a rod of chastisement in his hand, said
to her: "Follow me, O fair one." She gave the following moral reply to
that Patriarch desirous of offspring (8).
Ilā said:—"O best of speakers, I am born of the energy of Mitra and
Varuna and so I shall go to them. Do not destroy my morality (9)."
Having said this to Manu Ilā approached Mitra and Varuna and that fair
one with folded hands said to them, "I am born of your energy; Manu has
asked me to follow him. Tell me what I shall do (10-11)". Hear from me
what Mitra and Varuna did say to the pious and chaste Ilā who had
addressed them thus (12). "O you fair one of beautiful hips, we have
been pleased with your virtue, humility, self restraint and truthfulness
(13). Therefore O great lady, you will be celebrated as our daughter, O
fair one, you will be the son of Manu, perpetuating his race, celebrated
in the three worlds by the name of Sudyumna. You will be pious, beloved
of the world and multiply the race of Manu (14–15)." While she, on
hearing this, was about to return to her father (Manu), she was invited,
on the way, by Buddha, for conjugal purposes (16). Then Soma’s son
Buddha begat on her Pururava. Having given birth to that son Ilā became
Pradyumna (17). O descendant of Bharata, the three kinsmen of
Sudyumna-Uutkala, Gaya and the energetic Vinatashwa were greatly pious
(18), O king, the northern quarter was under Utkala, the western under
Vinatashwa and the city Gayā was under Gaya (19). O subduer of foes,
Manu having entered the sun, his sons divided the earth into ten parts
(20). The eldest of them Ikshwaku obtained the central portion by whose
sacrificial stakes the earth, with her forests and mines, has been
marked (21). On account of his partaking of the nature of a female
Sudyumna did not obtain this (central region). According to the words of
Vasishtha, the high-souled pious king Sudyumna was installed in the
province of Pratishtāna.¹⁶ O foremost of Kurus. Having obtained that
kingdom the highly illustrious Sudyumna conferred it on Pururava and he
himself reigned in Partishtana. Utkala had three sons celebrated in the
three worlds Dhristaka, Amvarisha and Danda (22-24). Amongst them the
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