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
"Vaisampayana said, 'Hear now, as I recite the recorded genealogy, that is
sacred and subservient to religion, profit and pleasure, of these royal
sages--Daksha, the lord of creation, Manu, the son of Surya, Bharata, Ruru,
Puru, and Ajamidha. I shall also recite to thee, O sinless one, the
genealogies of the Yadavas and of the Kurus and of the king of the Bharata
line. These genealogies are sacred and their recitation is a great act of
propitiation. That recitation conferreth wealth, fame and long life. And,
O sinless one, all these I have named shone in their splendour and were
equal unto the great Rishis in energy.
"'Prachetas had ten sons who were all devoted to asceticism and possessed
of every virtue. They burnt, of old, by the fire emanating from their
mouths, several plants of poisonous and innumerable large trees that had
covered the Earth and became a source of great discomfort to man. After
these ten, was born another named Daksha. It is from Daksha that all
creatures have sprung. Therefore is he, O tiger among men, called the
Grandfather. Born of Prachetas the Muni Daksha, uniting himself with
Virini, begat a thousand sons of rigid vows, all like himself. And Narada
taught these thousand sons of Daksha the excellent philosophy of Sankhya
as a means of salvation. And, O Janamejaya, the lord of creation, Daksha,
then, from the desire of making creatures, begat fifty daughters. And he
made all of them his appointed daughters (so that their sons might be his
sons also for the performance of all religious acts). And he bestowed ten
of his daughters on Dharma, and thirteen on Kasyapa. And he gave twenty-
seven to Chandra, who are all engaged in indicating time. And Kasyapa, the
son of Marichi, begat on the eldest of his thirteen wives, the Adityas,
the celestials endued with great energy and having Indra as their head and
also Vivaswat (the Sun). And of Vivaswat was born the lord Yama. And
Martanda (Vivaswat) also begat another son after Yama, gifted with great
intelligence and named Manu. And Manu was endued with great wisdom and
devoted to virtue. And he became the progenitor of a line. And in Manu's
race have been born all human beings, who have, therefore, been called
Manavas. And it is of Manu that all men including Brahmanas, Kshatriyas,
and others have been descended, and are, therefore, all called Manavas.
Subsequently, O monarch, the Brahmanas became united with the Kshatriyas.
And those sons of Manu that were Brahmanas devoted themselves to the study
of the Vedas. And Manu begat ten other children named Vena, Dhrishnu,
Narishyan, Nabhaga, Ikshvaku, Karusha, Saryati, the eighth, a daughter
named Ila, Prishadhru the ninth, and Nabhagarishta, the tenth. They all
betook themselves to the practices of Kshatriyas. Besides these, Manu had
fifty other sons on Earth. But we heard that they all perished,
quarrelling with one another. The learned Pururavas was born of Ila. It
hath been heard by us that Ila was both his mother and father.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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