Table of Contents
The Origins of the Lunar Dynasty
Recap:
Janamejaya had wanted to know about Bharata, and Vaishampayan then told him and all others gathered there, the story of Dushyanta and Shakuntala, and about their son Bharata.
Janamejaya asked Vaishampayan, ‘We have heard from you about Bharata. Bharata was born in the lunar lineage, Chandra’s dynasty. I am curious to know from you, how this lineage originated from Chandra? On behalf of all gathered here, I request you to share this in detail.’
Vaishampayan said, ‘I will answer your question. As you will recollect, Marichi was Brahma’s son. Kashyapa was Marichi’s son. Surya was Kashyapa’s son and Surya’s son was Vaivasvata. Vaivasvata had a sister, the beautiful Ila. Budha was the son of Chandra, and he married Ila. With Budha, Ila had a son named Pururava, who went on to become a great king. He went on to rule the eighteen islands. He spent his days in the company of the apsara, Urvashi, and through her he had a son called Ayu. After Pururava, Ayu became the king. Ayu’s son was Nahusha and after Ayu, Nahusha was crowned the king. He was a great king and so widespread was his fame, that he was once invited to take over and rule in place of Indra, for some time. During this period, he was cursed by a brahmin to become a snake.
On earth, Nahusha had a son called Yayati. Yayati too was a great and noble king who was cursed by Shukracharya to become old, prematurely. He transferred his old age to his son, Puru, and ruled for many years. ‘
Hearing this, Janamejaya said, ‘O great One, please tell us in detail. What did Yayati do, that caused him to get cursed by rishi Shukracharya?’
Analysis
This is a short chapter about how the Lunar dynasty came about.
Let me go through this.
Character Flaws
This talks about kings and their downfalls. It talks about heights up to which mankind can go, before they fall. Nahusha was a mortal king, happily ruling his kingdom when he was invited to rule in place of Indra, who was temporarily absent. Where Indra went is a separate story and I will touch on that when I reach Vana parva, where Yudhistir comes face to face with Nahusha, his ancestor. For now, let me talk about the king Nahusha. He was invited to rule swarga. His life goals were met, actually he had exceeded his goals. He was in heaven. This achievement made him vulnerable. He realized he was the king of heaven and he became proud. That pride brought about his downfall when he was cursed by a brahmin to become a snake.
Yayati faced a different issue. Unlike his father, he remained on earth and later went on to marry rishi Shukracharya’s daughter. For a mistake that he committed, he was cursed to lose his youth. As a king he had conquered lands but he had been unable to conquer his love for his own self. He was so attached to his sensory pleasures that he decided to exchange his old age with his son’s youth.
So, while a flaw in Nahusha’s character caused him to turn into a snake, Yayati’s attachment to physical enjoyment caused him to lose his youth.
A king can be great but they still have to be accountable for their actions. The curses are nothing but Karma. The kings did something and they suffered because of that.
Names and their meanings
Before proceeding further, let me go through some characters and the meaning of their names.
| Name | Etymological Meaning | Contextual Fit in the Passage |
|---|---|---|
| Surya & Vaivasvata | Surya: or the Illuminator. Vaivasvata: literally meaning the one who descended from Vivasvan (another name for Surya). Vivasvan means the radiant one or the bright one. | They represent the Solar lineage. |
| Ila | Ila means Earth and also speech. | Her marriage to Budha makes her the mother of the Lunar Dynasty. |
| Budha | Budha means Wise. The word Buddhi is linked to Budha, so while Budha is the personification, buddhi is the actual faculty = the act of knowing or the act of understanding. The planet Mercury is called Budha. | He represents understanding. His marriage with Ila produced the first king of the lunar dynasty, Pururava. |
| Pururava | The word literally means ‘The one who cries loudly’ and this could also mean ‘The one who is widely praised by all’. | He was able to rule all the islands of the earth and win the companionship of apsara, Urvashi. |
| Ayu | Ayu means life. | He signifies the continuation of the lineage of the dynasty on earth. |
| Nahusha | Nahusha comes from the Sanskrit word Nah meaning to bind or to connect. | A king so righteous that he was able to bridge the gap between humans and the devas. |
| Yayati | The word has its origins in the word Ya meaning To go. This literally means a wanderer. | His story revolves around desire, and how he ‘went forward’ with fulfilling his desires. |
| Puru | Puru means Abundant. | His heart was abundant with selflessness and duty. |
| Shukracharya | Shukra means to purify or the one who radiates and Acharya is teacher, so the word means the teacher of purity, or the radiant teacher. | Shukra is the name of Venus and that is the brightest planet. Despite being pure and radiant himself, he chose to guide the Asuras. |
Understanding the geography
Both Vyasa and Kashidas say Pururava conquered the ‘islands’. The numbers vary. Vyasa said 13 while Kashidas said 18. That could be because as geographical discoveries took place, the numbers increased. The question is – what are these ‘islands’?
In regular terms, these ‘islands’ refer to different landmasses separated by rivers or seas. Ruling all of them means that Pururava and his descendants unified the entire earth before internal family divisions later fragmented the empire. To say a king ruled these islands means his administration covered the entire planet and even worlds beyond. That could explain why Pururava could interact directly with Urvashi and why Nahusha could be invited to rule in place of Indra. Bharatvarsha was viewed as the centre of the earth. The earth was seen as a lotus or as a series of concentric circles. The central island was Jambu Dvipa where Bharatvarsha was located. The outer islands represent distant lands or even other worlds.
As per the Puranas, the Earth is divided into concentric island-continents, separated by concentric oceans. Jambudvipa is the innermost continent where humans live. Jambudvipa itself is divided into nine regions and the southern most region of Jambudvipa is Bharatvarsha. Here the word Varsha does not mean Year, but means region. While the spelling of the Sanskrit word Varsha is the same in both contexts, the meaning differs.
Textual References
This chapter was about the lunar dynasty. Details about this can be found in the 9th canto of Shrimad Bhagavatam. The fourth book of the Vishnu Purana has the details and it also talks about Ila and Sudyumna, where Sudyumna became Ila and married Budha. Matsya Purana chapters 24 – 34 have this and include the story of Yayati and his curse.
Before I end this post, I thought I will share something here. So far, I have spoken about Bharatvarsha named after Bharata, son of Shakuntala. Vishnu Purana, Book 2 says Bharatvarsha was named after Bharata, son of King Rishabha. Bhagavata Purana Canto 5 also mentions Bharata, son of Rishabha, after whom Bharatvarsha got its name.
The Mahabharata of Vyasa is more detailed in the breakdown of the dynasty. Kashidas's work can be considered a summary (yet has most details covered)
Conclusion
Next week, I will start with the reason for Yayati’s curse. That will start with Kacha and then introduce Devayani, Rishi Shukracharya’s daughter.
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