Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/313

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ADI PARVA.
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came a famous and virtuous king. And he performed both the Rajashuya and the horse-sacrifice. And Matinara had four sons of inmeasurable prowess, viz, Tansu, Mahan, Atiratha, and Drahyu of inmeasurabie glory. Amongst them Tansu of great prowess became the perpetuator of Puru's line. And he subjugated the whole earth and acquired great fame and splendour. And Tansu begat a son of great prowess named Ilina. And he was the foremost of all conquerors and he brought the whole world under his subjection. And Ilina begat in his wife Rathantarya five sons with Dushmanta as their head, all equal in might unto the five elements. They were Dushmanta, Shura, Bhima, Pravashu, and Vasu. And, O Janamejaya, the eldest of them Dushmanta became king. And from Dushmanta was born by his wife Sakuntala an intelligent son named Bharata who became king. And Bharata gave his name to the race of which he was the founder. And it is from him that the fame of that dynasty hath spread so wide. And Bharata begat in his three wives altogether nine sons. But none of them were like their father and so Bharata was not at all pleased with them. Their mothers therefore became angry and slew them all. The procreation of children by Bharata therefore became in vain. The monarch then performed a great sacrifice and through the grace of Bharadwaja obtained a son of name Bhumanyu. And then Bharata the great descendant of Puru, regarding himself as really possessing a son, installed, O thou foremost of the Bharata race, that son as his heir-apparent. And Bhumanyu begat in his wife Pushkarini six sons of name Suhotra, Suhota, Suhavi, Suyaju, and Diviratha. The eldest of them all, Suhotra, obtained the throne and performed many Rajashuya and horse-sacrifices. And Suhotra brought under his sway the whole Earth surrounded by her belt of seas, and full of elephants, kine, and horses, and all her wealth in gems and gold. And the Earth afflicted with the weight of numberless human beings and elephants, horses, and cars, was as it were about to sink. And during the virtuous reign of Suhotra the surface of the whole earth was dotted all over with hundreds and thousands of sacrificial stakes. And the Earth became full of corn and