Harivamsha MahA PurANam - bhaviShya Parva
    atha chaturadhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH
    haMsaDimbhakotpattiH
    harivamsha in the mahAbharata - bhaviShyaparva
    Lesson 104 - birth of hamsa and Dimbhaka
vaishampAyana uvAcha
AsIchChAlveShu rAjendra brahmadatto nR^ipottamaH |
nAmnA rAjansa pUtAtmA sarvabhUtadayAparaH ||3-104-1
vaishampAyana said:
O the indra of kings! (O janamejaya!) In the land of shAlva, there was the best among kings named brahmadatta. O king! He was having a pure soul, having kindness towards all beings.
pa~nchayaj~naparo nityaM jitAtmA vijitendriyaH |
brahmavidvedavichchaiva sadA yaj~namayaH shivaH ||3-104-2
He was proficient in doing all the five sacrifices (see translator's note) as prescribed. He always controlled his senses with his soul. He was knowledgeable on brahma as well as vedas. He was auspicious with sacrifices.
tasya bhArye mahIpAla rUpaudAryaguNAnvite |
babhUvatuH susaMpanne anapatye nR^ipottama ||3-104-3
sa tAbhyAM mumude rAjA shachyA chakra ivAmbare |
O king of the earth! (janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued ) He had two beautiful wives with qualities of kindness. They were enriched with wealth but had no children, O the best among kings! The king (brahmadatta) enjoyed with his wives as shakra (indra) enjoyed with shachi in the heaven.
nAmnA mitrasaho nAma sakhA chAsIdddvijottamaH ||3-104-4
tasya rAj~no mahAyogI vedavedAntatatparaH |
The king (brahmadatta) had a friend named mitrasaha, the best among the twice-borns, a great one yoked with yoga), one who was expert in vedas as well as the purpose of veda-s.
anapatyaH sa viprendro yathA rAjA babhUva ha ||3-104-5
Just like the king, the indra of the twice-borns (mitrasaha) also was without any children.
sa rAjA sahitastAbhyAmarchayAmAsa sha~Nkaram |
putrArthaM shUlinaM sharvaM dashavarShANyananyadhIH ||3-104-6
The king along with his wives worshipped sha~Nkara, the auspicious lord who provides prosperity, sharva, the lord who holds the spear, for obtaining sons, for ten years, with his intellect not on any other matter.
sa vipro vaiShNavaM satraM putrArthe samayojayat |
As for the brahmin (mitrasaha), he conducted a sacrifice for viShNu for obtaining sons.
architastena rAjendra sha~Nkaro nIlalohitaH ||3-104-7
AtmAnaM darshayamAsA svapne rAjAnamabravIt |
The auspicious lord sha~Nkara, who provides prosperity, the dark blue and red coloured lord worshipped by the indra of kings (brahmadatta) showed himself in the dream and told the king as follows:
prIto.asmi tava bhadraM te varaM varaya suvrata ||3-104-8
I am pleased with you. Let there be good to you. O the one who performed a good penance! Accept a boon from me.
atha rAjA jagannAthamuvAchedaM smayanniva |
putrau mama bhavetAM hi tathetyuktvA vR^iShadhvajaH ||3-104-9
The king smiled and told the lord of the universe as follows: I shall have two sons. Then the lord having bull as his flag (shiva) said: Let it be so.
antardhAnaM gataH shambhuH pratibuddhastato nR^ipaH |
Then shambhu (shiva) disappeared and the king woke up (from the dream).
so.api mitrasaho vidvAndevaM keshavamavyayam ||3-104-10
pa~nchavarShaM jagannAthamarchayAmAsa bhaktitaH |
The wise one, mitrasaha worshipped the lord, the lord of the universe, the eternal keshava (kR^iShNa) with devotion for five years.
architastena vipreNa devadevo janArdanaH ||3-104-11
putramekaM dadau tasmai svAtmanA sadR^ishaM hariH |
The lord of gods, janArdana (viShNu), hari, worshipped by the brahmin (mitrasaha) gave a son, similar to himself, to him (mitrasaha).
te bhArye garbhamAdhattAM tejasA sha~Nkarasya ha ||3-104-12
The wives of the king conceived pregnancies with the splendor of the auspicious lord sha~Nkara, who provides prosperity.
viprabhAryA mahArAja vaiShNavaM teja Adadhat |
O the great king! (O janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) The wife of the brahmin conceived due to the splendor of viShNu.
mahiShyau te mahAvIrye putrau sha~Nkaranirmitau ||3-104-13
asUyetAM mahIpAla krameNaiva nR^ipasya ha |
O the protector of the earth! (O janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) Both queens of the king delivered in order, highly valiant sons with the splendor of lord sha~Nkara, the auspicious lord who provides prosperity.
sa tayoshcha mahArAja nAmakarmAdikAH kriyAH ||3-104-14
chakAra vidhivatsarvA viprebhyo.adAnmahaddhanam |
O the great king! (O janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) The rituals of both the children such as naming ceremony, etc., were done as prescribed and all the brahmins were given great wealth.
sa cha vipro vinItAtmA putramekaM hi labdhavAn ||3-104-15
sAkShAdiva jagannAthaM sthitaM putrAtmanA nR^ipa |
O king (O janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) The brahmin (mitrasaha) with humble soul also got one son as if the lord of the world, viShNu , himself was appearing with the soul of son.
jAtakarmAdikaM sarvaM brAhmaNaH sa chakAra ha ||3-104-16
All the rituals of the birth were performed by the brahmin.
tau kumArAvayaM chaiva trayaH savayaso.abhavan |
vedAnadhItya te sarvA~nChrutvA chAnvIkShikIM tathA ||3-104-17
Both the sons of the king and this son of the Brahmin - all three were of the same age. All of them studied the veda-s and understood anvIkShiki (logic, enquiry, philosophy) by listening.
dhanurvede tathAstre cha nipuNAste.abhavaMstadA |
haMso jyeShTho nR^ipasuto Dimbhako.anantaro.abhavat ||3-104-18
Afterwards they learned the technique of using bow and arrow and became experts in it. haMsa was the elder son of the king and Dimbhaka was the younger son.
sa cha viprasuto rAja~njanArdana iti smR^itaH |
anyonyaM mitratAM yAtAH sarve chaiva kumArakAH ||3-104-19
O king! (O janamejaya! vaishampAyana continued) The son of the brahmin was called janArdana. All the (three) boys became friends to each other.
iti shrImahAbhArate khileShu harivaMshe bhaviShyaparvaNi haMsaDimbhakotpattau chaturadhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH
This is one hundred and fourth lesson of bhaviShyaparva, harivaMsha, mahAbhArata, birth of hamsa and Dimbhaka
Translator's Note:
One who is in the stage of householder in his life (gR^ihasthAshrami) is supposed to conduct five essential sacrifices (pa~nchamahAyaj~na): devayaj~na, brahmayaj~na, pitR^iyaj~na, manuShyayaj~na and bhUtayaj~na. See for example, bR^ihadAraNyaka upaniShad, adhyAya 1, brAhmaNa 4, mantra 16.
    nIlakaNTha commentary
iti shrImahAbhArate khileShu harivamshe bhaviShyaparvaNi TIkAyAM chaturadhikashatatamo.adhyAyaH
##i-translated by G. Schaufelberger, schaufel @ wanadoo.fr January 15 2009
Proof-read by K S Rmachandran, ramachandran_ksr @ yahoo.ca.
If you find any errors compared to Chitrashala Press edition, send corrections to A. Harindranath harindranath_a @ yahoo.com
Translated to English by A. Purushothaman [purushothaman_avaroth @ yahoo.com] and A. Harindranath
May 4, 2013##