The Sons of Ikshva'ku.

CANTO CX.: THE SONS OF IKSHVA'KU. ²

Then spake Vasishtha who perceived
That Ráma's soul was wroth and grieved:

' Well knows the sage J'av'ali all
The changes that the world befall;
And but to lead thee to revoke
Thy purpose were the words he spoke.
Lord of the world, now hear from me
How first this world began to be.
First water was, and naught beside;
There earth was formed that stretches wide.
Then with the Gods from out the same
The Self-existent Brahm'a came.
Then Brahm'a  ^1b in a boar's disguise
Bade from the deep this earth arise;
Then, with his sons of tranquil soul,
He made the world and framed the whole,
From subtlest ether Brahm'a rose:
No end, no loss, no change he knows.
A son had he, Mar'ichi styled,
And Ka'syap was Mar'ichi's child.
From him Vivasvat sprang: from him
Manu, whose fame shall ne'er be dim.
Manu, who life to mortals gave,
Begot Ikshv'aku good and brave:
First of Ayodhya's kings was he,
Pride of her famous dynasty.
From him the glorious Kukshi sprang,
Whose fame through all the regions rang,
Rival of Kukshi's ancient fame.
His heir the great Vikukshi came.
His son was V'ana, lord of might,
His Anaranya, strong in fight.
No famine marred his blissful reign,
No drought destroyed the kindly grain;
Amid the sons of virtue chief,
His happy realm ne'er held a thief,
His son was Prithn, glorious name,
From him the wise Tri'sanku came:
Embodied to the skies he went
For love of truth preeminent.
He left a son renowned afar,
Known by the name of Dhundhum'ar,
His son succeeding bore the name
Of Yuvan'as'va dear to fame.
He passed away. Him followed then
His son M'andh'at'a, king of men.
His son was blest in high emprise,
Susandhi, fortunate and wise.
Two noble sons had he, to wit
Dhruvasandhi and Prasenajit,
Bharat was Dhruvasandhi's son:
His glorious arm the conquest won,
Against his son King Asit, rose
In fierce array his royal foes,
Haihayas, T'alajanghas styled,
And S'as'ivindhus fierce and wild.

p. 220

Long time he strove, but forced to yield
Fled from his kingdom and the field.
The wives he left had both conceived--
So is the ancient tale believed:--
One, of her rival's hopes afraid,
Fell poison in the viands laid.
It chanced that Chyavan, Bhrigu's child,
Had wandered to the pathless wild
Where proud Hima'laya's lovely height
Detained him with a strange delight.
Then came the other widowed queen
With lotus eyes and beauteous mien,
Longing a noble son to bear,
And wooed the saint with earnest prayer.
When thus Kal'indi', fairest dame
With reverent supplication came,
To her the holy sage replied:
'O royal lady, from thy side
A glorious son shall spring ere long,
Righteous and true and brave and strong;
He, scourge of foes and lofty-souled,
His ancient race shall still uphold.'
   Then round the sage the lady went,
And bade farewell, most reverent.
Back to her home she turned once more,
And there her promised son she bore.
Because her rival mixed the bane
To render her conception vain,
And her unripened fruit destroy,
Sagar she called her rescued boy. ¹
He, when he paid that solemn rite, ²
Filled living creatures with affright:
Obedient to his high decree
His countless sons dug out the sea.
Prince Asamanj was Sagar's child:
But him with cruel sin defiled
And loaded with the people's hate
His father banished from the state.
To Asamanj his consort bare
Bright Ans'uma'n his valiant heir.
Ans'uma'n's son, Dili'pa famed,
Begot a son Bhagi'rath named.
From him renowned Kakutstha came:
Thou bearest still the lineal name,
Kakutstha's son was Raghu: thou
Art styled the son of Raghu now,
From him came Purusha'dak bold,
Fierce hero of gigantic mould:
Kalma'shapa'da s name he bore,
Because his feet were spotted o'er.
Sankhan his son, to manhood grown,
Died sadly with his host o'erthrown,
But ere he perished sprang from him
Sudars'an fair in face and limb.
From beautiful Sudarsa'n came
Prince Agnivarna, bright as flame.
His son was S'ighragn, for speed
Unmatched; and Maru was his seed.

Prasusruka was Maru's child:
His son was Ambari'sha styled.
Nahush was Ambari'sha's heir
With hand to strike and heart to dare.
His son was good Na'bha'g, from youth
Renowned for piety and truth.
From great Na'bha'g sprang children two
Aja and Suvrat pure and true.
From Aja Das'aratha came,
Whose virtuous life was free from blame
His eldest son art thou: his throne,
O famous Kama, is thine own.
Accept the sway so justly thine.
And view the world with eyes benign.
For ever in Iksava'ku's race
The eldest takes his father's place,
And while he lives no son beside
As lord and king is sanctified.
   The rule by Raghu's children kept
     Thou must not spurn to-day.
   This realm of peerless wealth accept,
     And like thy father sway.'

Footnotes

219:1 The verses in a different metre with which some cantos end are all to be regarded with suspicion. Schlegel regrets that he did not exclude them all from his edition. These lines are manifestly spurious. See Additional Notes.

219:2 This genealogy is a repetition with slight variation of that given in Book I. Canto LXX.

219:1b In Gorresio's recension identified with Vishnu. See Muir's Sanskrit Texts, Vol.IV pp 29, 30.

220:1 From sa with, and aara poison.

220:2 See Book I. Canto XL.