Chapter Seventeen
The Dynasties of the Sons of Pururava
1-3. Sukadeva Gosvami said: From Pururava came a son named Ayu, whose very powerful sons were Nahusa, Ksatravrddha, Raji, Rabha and Anena. O Maharaja Pariksit, now hear about the dynasty of Ksatravrddha. Ksatravrddha’s son was Suhotra, who had three sons, named Kasya, Kusa and Grtsamada. From Grtsamada came Sunaka, and from him came Saunaka, the great saint, the best of those conversant with the Rg Veda.
4. The son of Kasya was Kasi, and his son was Rastra, the father of Dirghatama. Dirghatama had a son named Dhanvantari, who was the inaugurator of the medical science and an incarnation of Lord Vasudeva, the enjoyer of the results of sacrifices. One who remembers the name of Dhanvantari can be released from all disease.
5. The son of Dhanvantari was Ketuman, and his son was Bhimaratha. The son of Bhimaratha was Divodasa, and the son of Divodasa was Dyuman, also known as Pratardana.
6. Dyuman was also known as Satrujit, Vatsa, Rtadhvaja and Kuvalayasva. From him were born Alarka and other sons.
7. Alarka, the son of Dyuman, reigned over the earth for sixty-six thousand years, my dear King Pariksit. No one other than him has reigned over the earth for so long as a young man.
8. From Alarka came a son named Santati, and his son was Sunitha. The son of Sunitha was Niketana, the son of Niketana was Dharmaketu, and the son of Dharmaketu was Satyaketu.
9. O King Pariksit, from Satyaketu came a son named Dhrstaketu, and from Dhrstaketu came Sukumara, the emperor of the entire world. From Sukumara came a son named Vitihotra; from Vitihotra, Bharga; and from Bharga, Bhargabhumi.
10. O Maharaja Pariksit, all of these kings were descendants of Kasi, and they could also be called descendants of Ksatravrddha. The son of Rabha was Rabhasa, from Rabhasa came Gambhira, and from Gambhira came a son named Akriya.
11. The son of Akriya was known as Brahmavit, O King. Now hear about the descendants of Anena. From Anena came a son named Suddha, and his son was Suci. The son of Suci was Dharmasarathi, also called Citrakrt.
12. From Citrakrt was born a son named Santaraja, a self-realized soul who performed all kinds of Vedic ritualistic ceremonies and therefore did not beget any progeny. The sons of Raji were five hundred, all very powerful.
13. On the request of the demigods, Raji killed the demons and thus returned the kingdom of heaven to Lord Indra. But Indra, fearing such demons as Prahlada, returned the kingdom of heaven to Raji and surrendered himself at Raji’s lotus feet.
14. Upon Raji’s death, Indra begged Raji’s sons for the return of the heavenly planet. They did not return it, however, although they agreed to return Indra’s shares in ritualistic ceremonies.
15. Thereafter, Brhaspati, the spiritual master of the demigods, offered oblations in the fire so that the sons of Raji would fall from moral principles. When they fell, Lord Indra killed them easily because of their degradation. Not a single one of them remained alive.
16. From Kusa, the grandson of Ksatravrddha, was born a son named Prati. The son of Prati was Sanjaya, and the son of Sanjaya was Jaya. From Jaya, Krta was born, and from Krta, King Haryabala.
17. From Haryabala came a son named Sahadeva, and from Sahadeva came Hina. The son of Hina was Jayasena, and the son of Jayasena was Sankrti. The son of Sankrti was the powerful and expert fighter named Jaya. These kings were the members of the Ksatravrddha dynasty. Now let me describe to you the dynasty of Nahusa.
