Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Volume 1).pdf/237

This page needs to be proofread.
ADI PARVA
223

in all. But none of them was 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 vain. The monarch then performed a great sacri. fice and through grace of Bharadwaja obtained a son named Bhumanyu. And then Bharata, the great descendant of Puru, regarding himself as really possessing a son, installed, O foremost one of Bharata's race, that son as his heir-apparent. And Bhumanya begat upon his wife, Pushkarini six sons named Suhotra, Suhotri, Subavi, Suyaju, and Diviratha. The eldest of them all, Suhotra, obtained the throne and performed many Rajastyas and horse-sacrifice. 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 of gems of gold. And the Earth afflicted with the weight of numberless human being and elephants, horses, and cars, was, as it were, about to sink. And during the virtuous reign of Subotra the surface of the whole Earth was dotted all over with hundreds and thousands of sacrificial stakes. And the lord of Earth, Suhotra, begat upon his wife Aikshaki three sons, viz.. Ajamina, Sumida, and Purumida. The eldest of them, Ajamida, was the perpetrator of the royal line. And he begat six sons,Riksha was born of the womb of Dhumini, Dusmanta and Parameshthin, of Nili, and Jahnyu, Jala, and Rupina, were born in that of Keshini. All the tribes of the Panchalas are descended from Dushmanta and Parameshthin. And the Kushikas are the sons of Jahnyu of immeasur. able prowess. And Riksha who was older than both Jala and Rupina became king. And Riksha begat Samvarana, the prepetuator of the royal line. And, O king, ic hath been heard by us that while Samvarana, the son of Riksha, was ruling the Earth, there happened a great loss of people from famine, pestilence, drought, and disease. And the Bharata princes were beaten by the troops of enemies. And the Panchalas setting out to invade the whole Earth with their four kinds of troops soon brought the whole Earth under their sway. And with their ten Akshauhinis the king of the Panchalas defeated the Bharata prince. Sam varana then with his wife and ministers, sons. and relatives, fled in fear, and took shelter in the forest on the banks of the Sindhu extending to the foot of the mountains. There the Bhara tas lived for a full thousand years, within their fort. And after they had lived there a thousand years, one day the illustrious Rishi Vasishtha approached the exiled Bharatas, who, on going out, saluted the Rishi and worshipped him by the offer of Arghya. And entertaining him with reverence, they represented everything unto that illustrious Rishi. And after he was seated on his seat, the king himself approached the Rishi