Chapter 6 - Progeny of Dakṣa’s Daughters

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Śuka said:

1. Then comforted by the self-born god Brahmā, Prācetasa Dakṣa begot on Asiknī sixty daughters who were affectionate to their father.

2. He gave ten daughters (in marriage) to Dharma, the presiding deity of righteousness, thirteen to sage Ka (Kaśyapa), twenty-seven to the Moon-god, two each to sages Bhūta, Aṅgiras and Kṛśāśva and the rest to Tārkṣya, another name of Kaśyapa.

3. Now, hear from me their names along with those of their offspring whose children and children’s children (descendants) have populated completely the three worlds.

4. (The names of Dharma’s wives are): Bhānu, Lambā, Kakubh, Jāmi, Viśvā, Sādhyā, Marutvatī, Vasu, Muhūrtā, Saṅkalpā. Now listen to (the names of the sons).

5. From Bhānu was born Devaṛṣabha. His son was Indrasena. From Lambā was born Vidyota who gave birth to (deities presiding over) cloud.

6. Saṅkaṭa was born from Kakubh. His son was Kīkaṭa, from whom were begotten the spirits presiding over the fortresses on the earth. Svarga was the son of Jāmi. From him was born Nandi.

7. From Viśva were begotten the Viśvedevas who are said to be childless. Sādhyā gave birth to a group of gods known as Sādhya whose son was Arthasiddhi.

8. From Marutvatī were born (the forty-nine) Maruts (wind-gods) and Jayanta who was a part manifestation of Vāsudeva and whom they know as Upendra.

9. From Muhūrtā were born the race of gods called Mauhūrtikas who verily bestow upon living beings fruit appropriate to the particular period of time (when an act is performed at that time).

10. Saṅkalpā gave birth to Saṅkalpa (the deity presiding over thought process). It is declared that the god of love is born of Saṅkalpa. Vasu gave birth to eight sons called Vasus. Hear from me their names (now).

11. (Their names are): Droṇa, Prāna, Dhruva, Arka, Agni, Doṣa, Vasu, Vibhāvasu. Droṇa begot from his wife Abhimati children called Harṣa, Śoka, Bhaya and others (the presiding deities of joy, sorrow, fear etc.).

12. Prāṇa begot Sahas, Āyus, Purojava from his wife Ūrjasvatī. Dharaṇī (the earth), the wife of Dhruva, gave births to various towns and cities.

13. Vāsanā was the wife of Arka (the Sun-god). Their sons like Tarṣa and others were well known. Dhārā was the wife of the Vasu called Agni, and their sons were Dravi- ṇaka and others.

14. And Skanda was the son of Kṛttikā (another wife of Agni). From him were born Viśākha and others. Doṣa had by Śarvarī, a son called Śiśumāra (the deity of the stellar sphere) who was an aṃśa (digit) of Hari.

15. From Aṅgirasī, the wife of Vasu, was born Viśvakarmā, the architect of gods. The name of his wife was Ākṛti. From her were born Cākṣusa, (the sixth) Manu. Viśvedevas and Sādhya gods were the sons of Manu.

16. From Vibhāvasu, Uṣā gave birth to Vyuṣṭa, Rociṣa and Ātapa. From Ātapa was born Pañcayāma (the deity presiding over the day-time) who keeps created beings awake and alert to their duties.

17-18. Sarūpā, the wife of Bhūta, gave birth to crores of Rudras (the deities entrusted with the duty of destruction), the chief among them were the eleven, namely, Raivata, Aja, Bhava, Bhīma, Vāma, Ugra, Vṛṣākapi. Ajaikapāda, Ahirbudhnya, Bahurūpa and Mahān. From Bhūtā, another wife of Bhūta, were born the terrible Bhūtas and evil-spirits (called Vināyakas) who were the attendants of Rudras.

19. Svadhā, the wife of Prajāpati Aṅgiras, gave birth to the manes (Pitṛs). Satī, another wife of Aṅgiras, accepted the Veda called Atharva—Aṅgiras—as her son

20. Krśāśva begot from his wife Arcis, Dhūmrakeśa as the son, and on Dhiṣaṇā four sons, viz. Vedaśiras, Devala, Vayuna and Manu.

21-22. Tārkṣya which was another name of the sage Kaśyapa, had four wives, namely, Vinatā, Kadrū, Pataṅgī and Yāminī. Pataṅgī gave birth to birds; Yāminī to locusts. Vinatā had a son called Garuḍa who was the vehicle of directly the Lord of Sacrifices (Viṣṇu). She had another son called Aruṇa (the thighless) who is the charioteer of the Sun-god. Kadrū, mothered serpents of various species.

23. Oh descendant of Bharata! The presiding deities of Kṛttikā and other twenty-seven constellations of stars, were wedded to the Moon, but due to the curse of Dakṣa, he was affected by consumption and had no issue from them.

24. Having propitiated Dakṣa again, he regained his digits which decreased in the dark half of the month but had no children. Now, listen to the auspicious names of the mothers of the world (viz. Kaśyapa’s wives).

25-26. The following are the names of the wives of Kaśyapa who gave birth to this world; Aditi, Diti, Danu, Kāṣṭhā, Ariṣṭā, Surasā, Ilā, Muni, Krodhavaśā, Tāmrā, Surabhi, Saramā and Timi. From Timi were born aquatic beings; from Saramā, tiger and other carnivorous animals.

27. From Surabhi, were created buffalo, cow and other beasts with cloven hooves; from Tāmrā, hawks, vultures and other birds of prey; from Muni, the bevy of celestial damsels.

28. Oh King! Serpents like Dandaśūka and others were the offspring of Krodhavaśā; the vegetable kingdom, of Ilā, and the Yakṣas and Rakṣasas of Surasā.

29. The Gandharvas (celestial singers) were born of Ariṣṭā; beasts with uncloven feet (e.g. horses, donkeys etc.), of Kāṣṭhā; Danu had sixty-one sons. Listen to the names of the prominent ones in them:

1. -31. (They are:) Dvimūrdhan, Śambara, Ariṣṭa, Hayagrīva, Vibhāvasu, Ayomukha, Śaṅkuśiras, Svarbhānu, Kapila, Aruṇa, Puloman, Vṛṣaparvan, Ekacakra, Anutāpana, Dhūmrakeśa, Virūpākṣa, Vipracitti and Durjaya.

32. As is reported, Namuci married Suprabhā, the daughter of Svarbhānu. The mighty Yayāti, the son of Nahuṣa, was wedded to Śarmiṣṭhā, the daughter of Vṛṣaparvan.

33. Danu’s son Vaiśvānara had four daughters who were very beautiful to look at. They are: Upadānavī, Hayaśirā, Pulomā and Kālakā.

34. Out of them, Upadānavī was married to Hiraṇyākṣa and Hayaśirā to Kratu. Oh King, Kaśyapa married Pulomā and Kālakā, the two daughters of Vaiśvānara.

35. The great sage Kaśyapa married them as he was directed to do so by god Brahmā. The sons of Pulomā were the Dānavas known as Kālakeyas who were famous for their warlike nature.

36. Out of them, sixty-thousand sons known as Nivātakavacas who used to disturb sacrifices, were killed by your father’s father single-handedly, while he paid a visit to Svarga and wanted to please Indra.

37. Vipracitti begot on his wife Siṃhikā one hundred and one sons. The eldest of them was Rāhu who got a position in the planetary system, along with the remaining hundred sons who were named Ketu.

38. Now, listen from me in due sequence, the details of the race of Aditi wherein the Almighty God Nārāyaṇa incarnated by his own aṃśa. (digit).

39. The sons of Aditi were: Vivasvān, Aryaman, Pūṣan, Tvaṣṭṛ, Savitṛ, Bhaga, Dhātṛ, Vidhātṛ, Varuṇa, Mitra, Indra and Trivikrama (Vāmana). (These are the presiding deities of the orb of the Sun each month).

40. The highly fortunate Saṃjñā, the wife of Vivasvat, gave birth to Śrāddhadeva, the Maṅu and a twin called the Yama god and (his sister) Yamī. That very Saṃjñā became a female horse and gave birth to the twin gods Aśvinīkumāras, on this earth.

41. Chāyā (another wife of Vivasvat) gave birth to Śanaiścara, the presiding deity of the planet Saturn, and Sāvarṇi Manu. She gave birth to a daughter also called Tapatī who chose in marriage Saṃvaraṇa as her husband.

42. Mātṛkā was the wife of Aryaman. Their sons were called Garṣaṇi (for they possessed wisdom of what should and what should not be done). From them were evolved the human kind by god Brahmā.

43. Pūṣan was childless. He got his teeth broken formerly as he exhibited his teeth in laughing at Śiva when he was enraged at Dakṣa, and Pūṣan had to subsist on flour.

44. The girl Racanā, the younger sister of the Daityas, became the spouse of Tvaṣṭṛ. From them were born sons namely Saṃniveśa and the mighty Viśvarūpa.

45. The host of gods selected him (for preceptorship) even though he was the nephew (sister’s son) of their enemies, as they were forsaken by their preceptor Bṛhaspati who was insulted by them.