Born to rule or Fit to Rule : Vamshavali Uvacha I The Kanyakubja case and Varna Change The Primogenture Epics, Puranas, Aryanakas, Brahamans and Upanishadas give us enough information on what it meant to be a King and what it means to act as King. The succession of Puru lineage gives enough information to indicate they never practised Primogeniture. The earth was inherited by Vivasvana’s son Vaivasta Manu and his nine sons. They formed the first kingdoms. So all our kingdoms should be Surya Vanshi, why is not so in Epic Age? How the heck the Lunar kingdoms come into formation if the entire earth was given just to Manu’s sons. Nine sons of Vaivasta Manu formed the original nine kingdoms. There is no chance of any other dynasty coming in. Use the social mores and misconceptions of your era, how is a lunar dynasty possible? Please answer that before continuing. Vichar Kijye. Because men are equal to women. Sons are equal to daughters. Ila, daughter of Vaivasta Manu married Budha, son of Chandra and her son Pururava was given a portion of earth by his uncles, his maternal uncles, MAMA mein ma do baar aata hai! By logic of majority of the members of group based on parochial patriarchal personal preferences of political process, Lunar dynasty is impossible. But Lunar dynasty existed, prospered and overtook Solars by the time of Epic age. Pururavas had several wives, the Queen Ira is supposed to be founder of Iranian lines, lady Urvashi (“one who lives in UR”) is more famous. One of the stipulations of marriage with Pururavas for Urvashi was to take care of two Ram who were always kept close by. (In his excavations in ancient City of UR, Sir Leonard Wooley discovered in a queen’s tomb, two beautiful and intricately carved Rams, the bodies covered in fleece of shell and heads and legs made of gold. He dated the tomb to 3300 BC. AJ Karandikar covered it in his marathi book Background of Mahabharata (written in Marathi) so I am not familiar with his conclusions on that.). Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan counted 95 generations from Yayati to Yudhishthara, they counted kings (so Pratipa, Devapi, Bahalika, Santanu, Chitrangada, Vichitravirya , regency of Bheeshma, Pandu, Dhritrashtra, Yudhishthara, Duryodhana, Yudhishthara all will be counted.). Others have counted to 128 (just expanding the same king lists). I would be happy with 50 to 60 generations of named kings and inferences of generational change. Though I agree many names and generations may have been skipped for not standing out. (for example Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan supposed 30 generations between Rama and Krishna though we can at most find 13 named generations in all lists.) Anyway, all their counts at 18 or 28 years to a generation go back to 32nd cen BC for Yayati. Wooley’s tomb tallies but archaeology is full of coincidences. Pururavas who gave us the three Agnis and used the Asvathha wood for its Arani sticks for yagna preparation had several sons from Urvashi also. Ayu, Dhiman, Amavasu, Visvayu or Visvavasu, Shatayu and Gatayu. His other sons included Dhrdhaayu, Vrittimana, Dvijata and Subahu etc. Several founded kingdoms from their shares of the original kingdom. There was no single eldest son succession. Ayus was the main successor, son of SECOND wife of Pururava. The third son of second wife, Amavasu would found the Kanyakubja line. Ayus did not have sons for a long long time and he eventually much later had sons born to him. Nahusha, Vrdhhakarma, Raji, Dambha and Viprapama (the famous ones, he had more sons) came very late in life of their father who had retired to forest. Ayus had selected his third brother’s son Bhima as he chose as the most able of the generation and as his successor. (CHOSE against primogeniture or any eldest nonsense). Bhima I conquered the world and ruled as Kanchanaprabha (some Puranas call the successful father son pair of Bhima and Kanchanprabha). When, his aunt, daughter of Asura Svarabhanu finally had sons including Nahusha et all, he or his son happily chose Nahusha as the successor, in preference to his own scholarly son Suhotra. To Suhotra, he left nothing as Suhotra wanted nothing. (His own son he disinherited in favour of his cousin who was more able and thus Fit to rule.) Nahusha was later promoted as Indra (indicating the right choice Kanchanprabha made). When Nahusha left to take up the position, he gave his cousin Suhotra’s able son Jahnu the kingdom of Kanyakubja. He gave his third brother Raji the kingdom of Lunar line. (NOT HIS SONS AND NOT EVEN Vrddhkarma his second brother who he bypassed if they followed Primogeniture.) (Later when Nahusha lost Indrapada, it was younger brother Raji and later his five sons who succeeded as Indra one after another, the succession of Rajeyas (sons of Raji) as Indras is why we call King as RAJA.) Raji also lead and won the 12th Devasura sangrama for the side of Good against the Danavas. Kannauj Line Jahnu married River Kaveri and Ganga was born as his daughter Jahnaavi. Jahnu was possibly an avatar of Agastya as many of stories of Jahnu are repeated in Agastya cycle. Jahnu’s descendents became Rishis and it was a descendant Jahnu IIn who drank up Ganga who Bhagiratha beseeched in future (40th generation or so). Other than Rishis, Jahnu and Kaveri had Kshatriya sons too including Suhotra II, his son was Ajaka. His son was Balkasva. He had three sons Gaya, Shila and Kusha. It was youngest Kusha selected for throne (though Gaya and Shila have their own destinies and stories, I am not writing stories from the certain Puranas under an oath.). Kusha had several sons including Kusasva, Kusanabha, Kusastamba, Amurtayayashas and Vasu. They were called Kaushikas. Kusha chose his middle son, Kusatambha as next king who was renowned for his piety and austerities. Satakratu the Indra blessed and was born as his son Gadhi. Gadhi’s daughter Satyavati married Rcika, son of Bhargava Kavya. Later he had a son Vishwamitra and maternal grandson Jamadagni born at same time. Gadhi was not the first in his family to achieve Brahmanhooda, neither he was last. He achieved Brahminhood for his deeds and was blessed by Brahma himself (Vayu Purana Vol 38 page 704, second part chapter 29, verse 84.) His son Visvamitra had several nephews Jamadgni, Sunashepa, Sunahpuchha et all. Visvamitra’s grandnephew is Parasurama. Visvamitra would later adopt Sunashepa as his eldest son. He would exile many of his sons who would form kingdoms all over the world. Visvamitra also eventually achieved the Brahmarishi position. He founded 7 kahstriya and eighteen Brahmin lineages. Pandavas, Bheeshma, Yajnavalkya, Karushas, Akrura, Asita, Devala and Dhaumya, et all are descended from him as are Yudhihsthara’s disciples Galava, Devalya, Salankayana and Baskala. From Gadhi’s other sons, other Brahman families descended included Brahmin branches Sosrumas and Saindhavayanas. Astaka, son of Drisdavati by Visvamitra was recognized eventually by Sunashepa as the premier Jahnu descendent. It was his lineage in which Ganga was reborn again and again and eventually became mother to Bheeshma. Vayu Purana and Aitreya Brahmana speak again and again of very high mobility of the castes. It describes Yajna, Dana, Penance, Renunciation and Gyana in increasing order of merit as ways to be raised to brahminhood or any hood. There are several Paurnika lists of changes of varna: one such lists the Kings who achieved Brahminhood: Gadhi and Vishwamitra, Mandhata, Sankrti, Kapi and his son Purukutsa both, Satya, Anrhavan, Prthu, Asrtisena, Ajamidha the great Kuru king, Bhaganya (father of Drupada’s Purohita Bharga Vyoma, he was also descended from King Divodasa, his cousins from Uncle Vatsa took the name Vatsayana), Anya, Kaksiva, Sijaya and many others, Rathitara, Runda, Vishnuvrdhha and many more. These are big lists and in many places, and they are among direct evidence of very clear and widespread social mobility not even possible in current day and age.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 03:42:16 +0000