srimadbhagavatham-skandha9

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Chapter 13 and 14 Chandravamsa

 

After narrating the vamsa of Nimi, another son of Ikshvaku, whose

son was Vaidheha janaka, the one who constructed the city of Mithila, in whose vamsa the father of Seetha

, Seeradhvaja Janaka originated, Suka,started to trace the clan of the Moon. Athri

was the son of Brahma born from his mind and Moon was born from his tears of

joy and was made of nectar. He was made the master of medicinal herbs and other plants and the stars. Budha was the son

of Moon who married Ila the story of whom was narrated earlier. Pururavas was

the son of Budha and Ila who married Urvasi.Ayus was born to him and also five

other sons, one of whom, Vijaya, was the forefather of Visvamithra. Nahusha was

the son of Ayus and yayathi was his son, and the yadhuvamsa originated from one

of his sons, Yadhu.

 

The story of Yayathi is narrated in a later chapter.

 

Chapter 15 and 16- Story of Parasurama

 

Vijaya, the son of Pururavas was the forefather of Jhahnu, who

became a sage and drank the water of Ganges

when Bhageeratha was bringing her to earth and she flooded his hermitage and on

being requested by Bhageeratha sent her out from his ear, from which the river

got the name Jaahnavee. GaaDhi, the father of Visvamithra was his descendent.

 

GaaDhi had a daughter Sathyavati and a brahmin Rcheeka asked

GaaDhi for her in marriage. GaaDhi demanded a thousand horses with black ears

and white body as kanya sulka. Rcheeka got them from Varuna and married her.Satyavati

and her mother approached Rcheeka and asked him to bless them so that they will get sons. Rcheeka

prepared two charus (a preperation with rice, barley and pulses) with manthras

and gave them one each. Sathyavathi's mother thinking that Rcheeka would have

given his wife the one for the best son,

asked her for it and she agreed. Hence they exchanged the charus and ate them.

 

When Rcheeka came to know this he told his wife that she had

committed a mistake and as a result she would get a son with Kshathriya trairts

who will punish others while her mother would get a son who would become a

brhamrshi. Sathyavathi prayed to him that it should not be so and he said that

not her son but her grandson would be fierce and would punish the wrongdoers. Thus

Satyavati got Jamadhagni, whose son was Parasurama while her mother got

Visvamithra as her son, who became a brahmrshi.

 

Suka then told parikshith the story of Parasurama.Kaarthveeryarjuna,

the king of Hehaya, who had thousand arms

as a result of worshipping Dhatthathreya, came to the hermitage of Jamadhagni while Parasurama was away doing

penance, and Jamadhagni showed his hospitality fit for a king with the power of Sabala , the daughter of

kamadhenu. Seeing that Kaarthaveerya took away the cow along with her calf to

his capital. When Parasurama returned, he was furious and went to Mahishmathi,

the capital of Kaarthaveerya and

brought the cow back after killing him.

But his father who was a true brahmin chided him for that and told him to go

and do theerthyathra to atone the sin.

 

On another occasion Renuka , wife of Jamadagni, went to fetch

water from the river Ganges and saw a

gandharva playing with his wives there and was attracted by his beauty and

forgot to take the water in time for the homa of her husband. Realising that

she had tarried past the required time, returned to the hermitage and stood

there with fear. Jamadhagni, knowing what happened ordered her sons to cut her

head but they refused. Parasurama when commanded by his father did so and also

cut the heads of his brothers under the

command of his father. When his father, who was pleased with is obedience, told

him to ask for a boon, he prayed that his mother and his brothers should come

back to life and that they should forget what happened. Jamadagni granted the

boon.

 

Once when Parasurama and his brothers were away the sons of Kaarthaveerya , who were waiting for an

opportunity, came and killed Jamadhagni. Renuka cried out loud calling Parasurama

and hearing that Parasurama rushed there and finding what happened became

furious and marched with his axe and bow and arrow and killed all the

kshathriyas for 21 times and made the earth bereft of kshathriyas. Then he

fixed the head of his father to his trunk and prayed to the Lord . Jamadhagni

came to life and ascended to heaven.