CHAPTER TWELVE
The Dynasty of Kuśa, the Son of Lord Rāmacandra
This chapter describes the dynasty of Kuśa, the son of Lord Rāmacandra. The members of this dynasty are descendants of Śaśāda, the son of Mahārāja Ikṣvāku.
Following in the genealogical table of Lord Rāmacandra’s dynasty, Kuśa, the Lord’s son, was followed consecutively by Atithi, Niṣadha, Nabha, Puṇḍarīka, Kṣemadhanvā, Devānīka, Anīha, Pāriyātra, Balasthala, Vajranābha, Sagaṇa and Vidhṛti. These personalities ruled the world. From Vidhṛti came Hiraṇyanābha, who later became the disciple of Jaimini and propounded the system of mystic yoga in which Yājñavalkya was initiated. Following in this dynasty were Puṣpa, Dhruvasandhi, Sudarśana, Agnivarṇa, Śīghra and Maru. Maru attained full perfection in the practice of yoga, and he still lives in the village of Kalāpa. At the end of this Age of Kali, he will revive the dynasty of the sun-god. Next in the dynasty were Prasuśruta, Sandhi, Amarṣaṇa, Mahasvān, Viśvabāhu, Prasenajit, Takṣaka and Bṛhadbala, who was later killed by Abhimanyu. Śukadeva Gosvāmī said that these were all kings who had passed away. The future descendants of Bṛhadbala will be Bṛhadraṇa, Ūrukriya, Vatsavṛddha, Prativyoma, Bhānu, Divāka, Sahadeva, Bṛhadaśva, Bhānumān, Pratīkāśva, Supratīka, Marudeva, Sunakṣatra, Puṣkara, Antarikṣa, Sutapā, Amitrajit, Bṛhadrāja, Barhi, Kṛtañjaya, Raṇañjaya, Sañjaya, Śākya, Śuddhoda, Lāṅgala, Prasenajit, Kṣudraka, Raṇaka, Suratha and Sumitra. All of them will become kings one after another. Sumitra, coming in this Age of Kali, will be the last king in the Ikṣvāku dynasty; after him, the dynasty will be extinguished.
śrī-śuka uvāca
kuśasya cātithis tasmān
niṣadhas tat-suto nabhaḥ
puṇḍarīko ’tha tat-putraḥ
kṣemadhanvābhavat tataḥ
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; kuśasya — of Kuśa, the son of Lord Rāmacandra; ca — also; atithiḥ — Atithi; tasmāt — from him; niṣadhaḥ — Niṣadha; tat-sutaḥ — his son; nabhaḥ — Nabha; puṇḍarīkaḥ — Puṇḍarīka; atha — thereafter; tat-putraḥ — his son; kṣemadhanvā — Kṣemadhanvā; abhavat — became; tataḥ — thereafter.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The son of Rāmacandra was Kuśa, the son of Kuśa was Atithi, the son of Atithi was Niṣadha, and the son of Niṣadha was Nabha. The son of Nabha was Puṇḍarīka, and from Puṇḍarīka came a son named Kṣemadhanvā.
devānīkas tato ’nīhaḥ
pāriyātro ’tha tat-sutaḥ
tato balasthalas tasmād
vajranābho ’rka-sambhavaḥ
devānīkaḥ — Devānīka; tataḥ — from Kṣemadhanvā; anīhaḥ — from Devānīka came the son named Anīha; pāriyātraḥ — Pāriyātra; atha — thereafter; tat-sutaḥ — the son of Anīha; tataḥ — from Pāriyātra; balasthalaḥ — Balasthala; tasmāt — from Balasthala; vajranābhaḥ — Vajranābha; arka-sambhavaḥ — derived from the sun-god.
The son of Kṣemadhanvā was Devānīka, Devānīka’s son was Anīha, Anīha’s son was Pāriyātra, and Pāriyātra’s son was Balasthala. The son of Balasthala was Vajranābha, who was said to have been born from the effulgence of the sun-god.
sagaṇas tat-sutas tasmād
vidhṛtiś cābhavat sutaḥ
tato hiraṇyanābho ’bhūd
yogācāryas tu jaimineḥ
śiṣyaḥ kauśalya ādhyātmaṁ
yājñavalkyo ’dhyagād yataḥ
yogaṁ mahodayam ṛṣir
hṛdaya-granthi-bhedakam
sagaṇaḥ — Sagaṇa; tat — this (Vajranābha’s); sutaḥ — son; tasmāt — from him; vidhṛtiḥ — Vidhṛti; ca — also; abhavat — was born; sutaḥ — his son; tataḥ — from him; hiraṇyanābhaḥ — Hiraṇyanābha; abhūt — became; yoga-ācāryaḥ — the propounder of the philosophy of yoga; tu — but; jaimineḥ — because of accepting Jaimini as his spiritual master; śiṣyaḥ — disciple; kauśalyaḥ — Kauśalya; ādhyātmam — spiritual; yājñavalkyaḥ — Yājñavalkya; adhyagāt — studied; yataḥ — from him (Hiraṇyanābha); yogam — the mystic performances; mahā-udayam — highly elevated; ṛṣiḥ — Yājñavalkya Ṛṣi; hṛdaya-granthi-bhedakam — mystic yoga, which can loosen the knots of material attachment in the heart.
The son of Vajranābha was Sagaṇa, and his son was Vidhṛti. The son of Vidhṛti was Hiraṇyanābha, who became a disciple of Jaimini and became a great ācārya of mystic yoga. It is from Hiraṇyanābha that the great saint Yājñavalkya learned the highly elevated system of mystic yoga known as ādhyātma-yoga, which can loosen the knots of material attachment in the heart.
puṣpo hiraṇyanābhasya
dhruvasandhis tato ’bhavat
sudarśano ’thāgnivarṇaḥ
śīghras tasya maruḥ sutaḥ
puṣpaḥ — Puṣpa; hiraṇyanābhasya — the son of Hiraṇyanābha; dhruvasandhiḥ — Dhruvasandhi; tataḥ — from him; abhavat — was born; sudarśanaḥ — from Dhruvasandhi, Sudarśana was born; atha — thereafter; agnivarṇaḥ — Agnivarṇa, the son of Sudarśana; śīghraḥ — Śīghra; tasya — his (Agnivarṇa’s); maruḥ — Maru; sutaḥ — son.
The son of Hiraṇyanābha was Puṣpa, and the son of Puṣpa was Dhruvasandhi. The son of Dhruvasandhi was Sudarśana, whose son was Agnivarṇa. The son of Agnivarṇa was named Śīghra, and his son was Maru.
so ’sāv āste yoga-siddhaḥ
kalāpa-grāmam āsthitaḥ
kaler ante sūrya-vaṁśaṁ
naṣṭaṁ bhāvayitā punaḥ
saḥ — he; asau — the personality known as Maru; āste — still existing; yoga-siddhaḥ — perfection in the power of mystic yoga; kalāpa-grāmam — the place named Kalāpa-grāma; āsthitaḥ — he is still living there; kaleḥ — of this Kali-yuga; ante — at the end; sūrya-vaṁśam — the descendants of the sun-god; naṣṭam — after being lost; bhāvayitā — Maru will begin by begetting a son; punaḥ — again.
Having achieved perfection in the power of mystic yoga, Maru still lives in a place known as Kalāpa-grāma. At the end of Kali-yuga, he will revive the lost Sūrya dynasty by begetting a son.
At least five thousand years ago, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī ascertained the existence of Maru in Kalāpa-grāma and said that Maru, having achieved a yoga-siddha body, would continue to exist until the end of Kali-yuga, which is calculated to continue for 432,000 years. Such is the perfection of mystic power. By controlling the breath, the perfect yogī can continue his life for as long as he likes. Sometimes we hear from the Vedic literature that some personalities from the Vedic age, such as Vyāsadeva and Aśvatthāmā, are still living. Here we understand that Maru is also still living. We are sometimes surprised that a mortal body can live for such a long time. The explanation of this longevity is given here by the word yoga-siddha. If one becomes perfect in the practice of yoga, he can live as long as he likes. The demonstration of some trifling yoga-siddha does not constitute perfection. Here is a factual example of perfection: a yoga-siddha can live as long as he likes.
tasmāt prasuśrutas tasya
sandhis tasyāpy amarṣaṇaḥ
mahasvāṁs tat-sutas tasmād
viśvabāhur ajāyata
tasmāt — from Maru; prasuśrutaḥ — Prasuśruta, his son; tasya — of Prasuśruta; sandhiḥ — a son named Sandhi; tasya — his (Sandhi’s); api — also; amarṣaṇaḥ — a son named Amarṣaṇa; mahasvān — the son of Amarṣaṇa; tat — his; sutaḥ — son; tasmāt — from him (Mahasvān); viśvabāhuḥ — Viśvabāhu; ajāyata — took birth.
From Maru was born a son named Prasuśruta, from Prasuśruta came Sandhi, from Sandhi came Amarṣaṇa, and from Amarṣaṇa a son named Mahasvān. From Mahasvān, Viśvabāhu took his birth.
tataḥ prasenajit tasmāt
takṣako bhavitā punaḥ
tato bṛhadbalo yas tu
pitrā te samare hataḥ
tataḥ — from Viśvabāhu; prasenajit — a son named Prasenajit was born; tasmāt — from him; takṣakaḥ — Takṣaka; bhavitā — would take birth; punaḥ — again; tataḥ — from him; bṛhadbalaḥ — a son named Bṛhadbala; yaḥ — he who; tu — but; pitrā — by father; te — your; samare — in the fight; hataḥ — killed.
From Viśvabāhu came a son named Prasenajit, from Prasenajit came Takṣaka, and from Takṣaka came Bṛhadbala, who was killed in a fight by your father.
ete hīkṣvāku-bhūpālā
atītāḥ śṛṇv anāgatān
bṛhadbalasya bhavitā
putro nāmnā bṛhadraṇaḥ
ete — all of them; hi — indeed; ikṣvāku-bhūpālāḥ — kings in the dynasty of Ikṣvāku; atītāḥ — all of them are dead and gone; śṛṇu — just hear; anāgatān — those who will come in the future; bṛhadbalasya — of Bṛhadbala; bhavitā — there will be; putraḥ — a son; nāmnā — by the name; bṛhadraṇaḥ — Bṛhadraṇa.
All these kings in the dynasty of Ikṣvāku have passed away. Now please listen as I describe the kings who will be born in the future. From Bṛhadbala will come Bṛhadraṇa.
ūrukriyaḥ sutas tasya
vatsavṛddho bhaviṣyati
prativyomas tato bhānur
divāko vāhinī-patiḥ
ūrukriyaḥ — Ūrukriya; sutaḥ — son; tasya — of Ūrukriya; vatsavṛddhaḥ — Vatsavṛddha; bhaviṣyati — will take birth; prativyomaḥ — Prativyoma; tataḥ — from Vatsavṛddha; bhānuḥ — (from Prativyoma) a son named Bhānu; divākaḥ — from Bhānu a son named Divāka; vāhinī-patiḥ — a great commander of soldiers.
The son of Bṛhadraṇa will be Ūrukriya, who will have a son named Vatsavṛddha. Vatsavṛddha will have a son named Prativyoma, and Prativyoma will have a son named Bhānu, from whom Divāka, a great commander of soldiers, will take birth.
sahadevas tato vīro
bṛhadaśvo ’tha bhānumān
pratīkāśvo bhānumataḥ
supratīko ’tha tat-sutaḥ
sahadevaḥ — Sahadeva; tataḥ — from Divāka; vīraḥ — a great hero; bṛhadaśvaḥ — Bṛhadaśva; atha — from him; bhānumān — Bhānumān; pratīkāśvaḥ — Pratīkāśva; bhānumataḥ — from Bhānumān; supratīkaḥ — Supratīka; atha — thereafter; tat-sutaḥ — the son of Pratīkāśva.
Thereafter, from Divāka will come a son named Sahadeva, and from Sahadeva a great hero named Bṛhadaśva. From Bṛhadaśva will come Bhānumān, and from Bhānumān will come Pratīkāśva. The son of Pratīkāśva will be Supratīka.
bhavitā marudevo ’tha
sunakṣatro ’tha puṣkaraḥ
tasyāntarikṣas tat-putraḥ
sutapās tad amitrajit
bhavitā — will be born; marudevaḥ — Marudeva; atha — thereafter; sunakṣatraḥ — Sunakṣatra; atha — thereafter; puṣkaraḥ — Puṣkara, a son of Sunakṣatra; tasya — of Puṣkara; antarikṣaḥ — Antarikṣa; tat-putraḥ — his son; sutapāḥ — Sutapā; tat — from him; amitrajit — a son named Amitrajit.
Thereafter, from Supratīka will come Marudeva; from Marudeva, Sunakṣatra; from Sunakṣatra, Puṣkara; and from Puṣkara, Antarikṣa. The son of Antarikṣa will be Sutapā, and his son will be Amitrajit.
bṛhadrājas tu tasyāpi
barhis tasmāt kṛtañjayaḥ
raṇañjayas tasya sutaḥ
sañjayo bhavitā tataḥ
bṛhadrājaḥ — Bṛhadrāja; tu — but; tasya api — of Amitrajit; barhiḥ — Barhi; tasmāt — from Barhi; kṛtañjayaḥ — Kṛtañjaya; raṇañjayaḥ — Raṇañjaya; tasya — of Kṛtañjaya; sutaḥ — son; sañjayaḥ — Sañjaya; bhavitā — will take birth; tataḥ — from Raṇañjaya.
From Amitrajit will come a son named Bṛhadrāja, from Bṛhadrāja will come Barhi, and from Barhi will come Kṛtañjaya. The son of Kṛtañjaya will be known as Raṇañjaya, and from him will come a son named Sañjaya.
tasmāc chākyo ’tha śuddhodo
lāṅgalas tat-sutaḥ smṛtaḥ
tataḥ prasenajit tasmāt
kṣudrako bhavitā tataḥ
tasmāt — from Sañjaya; śākyaḥ — Śākya; atha — thereafter; śuddhodaḥ — Śuddhoda; lāṅgalaḥ — Lāṅgala; tat-sutaḥ — the son of Śuddhoda; smṛtaḥ — is well known; tataḥ — from him; prasenajit — Prasenajit; tasmāt — from Prasenajit; kṣudrakaḥ — Kṣudraka; bhavitā — will take birth; tataḥ — thereafter.
From Sañjaya will come Śākya, from Śākya will come Śuddhoda, and from Śuddhoda will come Lāṅgala. From Lāṅgala will come Prasenajit, and from Prasenajit, Kṣudraka.
raṇako bhavitā tasmāt
surathas tanayas tataḥ
sumitro nāma niṣṭhānta
ete bārhadbalānvayāḥ
raṇakaḥ — Raṇaka; bhavitā — will take birth; tasmāt — from Kṣudraka; surathaḥ — Suratha; tanayaḥ — the son; tataḥ — thereafter; sumitraḥ — Sumitra, the son of Suratha; nāma — by the name; niṣṭhā-antaḥ — the end of the dynasty; ete — all the above-mentioned kings; bārhadbala-anvayāḥ — in the dynasty of King Bṛhadbala.
From Kṣudraka will come Raṇaka, from Raṇaka will come Suratha, and from Suratha will come Sumitra, ending the dynasty. This is a description of the dynasty of Bṛhadbala.
ikṣvākūṇām ayaṁ vaṁśaḥ
sumitrānto bhaviṣyati
yatas taṁ prāpya rājānaṁ
saṁsthāṁ prāpsyati vai kalau
ikṣvākūṇām — of the dynasty of King Ikṣvāku; ayam — this (what has been described); vaṁśaḥ — descendants; sumitra-antaḥ — Sumitra being the last king of this dynasty; bhaviṣyati — will appear in the future, while the Kali-yuga still continues; yataḥ — because; tam — him, Mahārāja Sumitra; prāpya — getting; rājānam — as a king in that dynasty; saṁsthām — culmination; prāpsyati — gets; vai — indeed; kalau — at the end of Kali-yuga.
The last king in the dynasty of Ikṣvāku will be Sumitra; after Sumitra there will be no more sons in the dynasty of the sun-god, and thus the dynasty will end.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Ninth Canto, Twelfth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Dynasty of Kuśa, the Son of Lord Rāmacandra.”