॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Wednesday, 26 October 2022 IV.01 - Genealogy of Dattatreya, Nara-Narayana and others.
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Sage Maitreya begins to furnish the genealogy of Manu’s successors through his sons and daughters.
Svayambhuva Manu gave his daughter Akuti to Prajapati Ruchi on the condition that her son would be handed back to him for adoption. Ruchi was an advanced Brahmin sage and his son born through was Yajna, an incarnation of the Lord. Once adopted, Yajna married the daughter of Akuti and Ruchi, Dakshina, who was born as a partial incarnation of Sri Lakshmi. The twelve sons of Yajna and Dakshina were named together called Toshitas, all gods. Yajna himself became Indra.
Devahuti, Manu’s other daughter, has been described in detail already, as she married Kardama and begot nine daughters and Bhagavan Kapila.
Marichi became the first of the Sapta Rishis. Kardama’s daughter Kala married Marichi and begot Sage Kashyapa and daughter Purnima. One of Purnima’s daughters was Devakulya who later emerged as the holy Ganga from Vishnu’s feet.
Anasuya married Sage Atri and begot the famous trio of Dattatreya, Chandra and Durvasa.
Their birth is narrated here in brief.
Sage Atri embarked on a severe penance to propitiate the Supreme Being and obtain the boon of worthy progeny. While Atri was engaged in these severe austerities, a blazing fire came out of his head by virtue of his Pranayama, and that fire was seen by the three principal gods of the three worlds, the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. In response, the three gods approached the hermitage of Atri, accompanied by gods, the Gandharvas, the Siddhas, the Vidyadharas and the Nagas.
The sage was standing on one leg, but as soon as he saw that the three gods had appeared before him, he was so pleased to see them all together that despite great difficulty he approached them on one leg.
Thereafter he began to offer prayers to the three gods, who were seated on different carriers — Nandi the bull, Hamsa the swan and Garuda the eagle. The Trinity held in their hands Damaru the drum, Vedic symbol the kuśa grass and Sudarshna Chakra, the discus. The sage fell straight down from the vertical to the horizontal and said this prayer,
अत्रिरुवाच
विश्वोद्भवस्थितिलयेषु विभज्यमानैर्मायागुणैरनुयुगं विगृहीतदेहा:।
ते ब्रह्मविष्णुगिरिशा: प्रणतोऽस्म्यहं वस्तेभ्य: क एव भवतां म इहोपहूत: ॥
T: Oh, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, you are the Supreme Being who have divided Yourself into three bodies by accepting the three Gunas, for creation, sustenance and dissolution in every time cycle. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all of you and beg to inquire whom of you three I have called by my prayer.”
“I called for the Supreme Being, desiring a son like Him, and I thought of Him alone. I know He is far beyond any mental speculation of man. Now all the three of you have come here. Kindly let me know for what reason you have come, for I am greatly bewildered about this.”
The Trinity smiled and replied, “Oh, Sage, you have been perfect in your austerities, and your prayer shall not be in vain. We are together that Supreme Being. You will have sons who will represent a partial manifestation of our potency, and because we desire all good fortune for you, those three sons will glorify your reputation throughout the world.”
The Trinity disappeared. Soon, Atri’s wife Anasuya begot Chandra, an amsha (partial incarnation) of Brahma. Dattatreya, the amsha of Vishnu. Durvasa, the famous sage of yore, the amsha of Shiva.
Sage Angira and Shraddha had daughters and a son, Brihaspati, who became the preceptor of the gods.
Pulastya begot in his wife, Havirbhu, Agastya, the celebrated sage, and Vishrava. Vishrava begot Kubera, and his step-brothers, Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana.
After narrating the names of other progeny, the descendants of Sage Bhrigu and Khyati are listed.
In that lineage were born Sage Markandeya and sage Shukracharya also called Ushana and Kavi.
Manu’s daughter Prasuti married Daksha and begot sixteen daughters. Thirteen married Dharma, one married Agni, one went away to the world of Pitris, and the last, Sati, married Lord Shiva.
Dharma and Murti gave birth to Sri Nara-Narayana. This duo is the famous one dwelling in Badarikashrama. On their birth, the entire world was full of joy. Everyone’s mind became tranquil. All around, the air, the rivers and the mountains became pleasant. The duo’s arrival was celebrated in the heavens. The gods made a fervent prayer, knowing this manifestation of Maha Vishnu was going to ameliorate the condition of the entire creation.
Sage Maitreya says that Nara-Narayana later became Arjuna-Sri Krishna!
Daksha’s sixteenth daughter, Sati, was the wife of Lord Shiva. Upon seeing the disrespect shown by her father Daksha to the supreme god, Lord Shiva, Sati immolated herself.
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
