The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Adi Parva
Religion
The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Translated into English Prose: Adi Parva
Epic literature, Sanskrit
"'And Brahman had two other sons, viz., Dhatri and Vidhatri who stayed with
Manu. Their sister is the auspicious Lakshmi having her abode amid lotuses.
And the spiritual sons of Lakshmi are the sky-ranging horses. And the
daughter born of Sukra, named Divi, became the eldest wife of Varuna. Of
her were born a son named Vala and a daughter named Sura (wine), to the
joy of the gods. And Adharma (Sin) was born when creatures (from want of
food) began to devour one another. And Adharma always destroys every
creature. And Adharma hath Niriti for his wife, whence the Rakshasas who
are called Nairitas (offspring of Niriti). And she hath also three other
cruel sons always engaged in sinful deeds. They are Bhaya (fear),
Mahabhaya (terror), and Mrityu (Death) who is always engaged in slaying
every created thing. And, as he is all-destroying, he hath no wife, and no
son. And Tamra brought forth five daughters known throughout the worlds.
They are Kaki (crow), Syeni (hawk), Phasi (hen), Dhritarashtri (goose),
and Suki (parrot). And Kaki brought forth the crows; Syeni, the hawks, the
cocks and vultures; Dhritarashtri, all ducks and swans; and she also
brought forth all Chakravakas; and the fair Suki, of amiable qualities,
and possessing all auspicious signs brought forth all the parrots. And
Krodha gave birth to nine daughters, all of wrathful disposition. And
their names were Mrigi, Mrigamanda, Hari, Bhadramana, Matangi, Sarduli,
Sweta, Surabhi, and the agreeable Surasa blessed with every virtue. And, O
foremost of men, the offspring of Mrigi are all animals of the deer
species. And the offspring of Mrigamanda are all animals of the bear
species and those called Srimara (sweet-footed). And Bhadramana begot the
celestial elephants, Airavata. And the offspring of Hari are all animals
of the simian species endued with great activity, so also all the horses.
And those animals also, that are called Go-langula (the cow-tailed), are
said to be the offspring of Hari. And Sarduli begot lions and tigers in
numbers, and also leopards and all other strong animals. And, O king, the
offspring of Matangi are all the elephants. And Sweta begat the large
elephant known by the name of Sweta, endued with great speed. And, O king,
Surabhi gave birth to two daughters, the amiable Rohini and the far-famed
Gandharvi. And, O Bharata, she had also two other daughters named Vimala
and Anala. From Rohini have sprung all kine, and from Gandharvi all
animals of the horse species. And Anala begat the seven kinds of trees
yielding pulpy fruits. (They are the date, the palm, the hintala, the tali,
the little date, the nut, and the cocoanut.) And she had also another
daughter called Suki (the mother of the parrot species). And Surasa bore a
son called Kanka (a species of long-feathered birds). And Syeni, the wife
of Aruna, gave birth to two sons of great energy and strength, named
Sampati and the mighty Jatayu. Surasa also bore the Nagas, and Kadru, the
Punnagas (snakes).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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