I have thus related to you briefly the families of the various kings. To relate them at length would be impossible in a hundred lives.
The kings mentioned above and others, who assuming frail bodies have ruled over the ever-during world, and being binded by illusions have indulged the feeling—"This earth is mine—it is my son's—it belongs to my dynasty," have gone away. Those who reigned before them, those who succeeded them, those who will be kings in future, have ceased and shall cease to be. The earth, with her autumnal flowers, as if smiles, beholding the king eager for conquest and fightings. Hear, O Maitrya, I shall now recite some verses that were chanted by Earth and which the Muni Asita communicated to Janaka, whose banner was virtue, "How greatly are the princes, although reasonable, mistaken, that they consider themselves immortal when they themselves are but foam upon the wave. Before they have subdued themselves they endeavour to reduce their ministers, their servant, their subjects to subjection; they then attempt to defeat their enemies. They say 'We shall by and by subdue the sea-girt earth?' Their minds being thus always taken up with those thoughts, they cannot perceive the near approach of death. The subjugation of the sea-girt earth is not so very difficult for him who has subdued him; for the final liberation is another fruit of self-control. It is through ignorance that the kings wish to possess me whom their predecessors have been constrained to leave and whom their fathers have not kept, by the selfish love of power fathers fight with sons and brothers with brothers for occupying me. All the kings who reigned on this earth and who are now dead foolishly thought—'All this earth is mine—every thing is mine, it will be in my house for ever for he is dead.' How is it possible that such vain desires should be cherished by his descendants, who have seen their progenitor, on account of the thirst of dominion, compelled to desert me, whom he called his own and tread the path of dissolution. When I hear a king communicating to another through his ambassador, ‘This earth is mine—you give up all your claims for it,' I laugh at first but that laughter is soon turned into pity for the infatuated fool".
Parāçara said:—These were the verses, Maitreya, which Earth chanted, hearing which ambition melts away like snow before the sun. I have now given you a complete account of the descendants of Manu amongst whom many were endowed with a portion of Vishnu engaged in the preservation of the universe.
He, who hears reverentially from the beginning to the end, of the account of this family of Manu, gets his heart purified and all this sins are removed. Hearing of the description of the illustrious solar and lunar dynasties, people, with their faculties perfect, shall live in unequalled affluence, plenty and prosperity. He who has heard of the races of Ikshawku, Jahnu, Mindhāta, Sagara, Abiksheta, Raghu, Yayati, and Nahusha, who have all perished and of other wealthy kings gifted with great strength and power, who have been subdued by still more powerful time and are now only tales, will learn wisdom and forbear to call either children, or wife, or house or lands or wealth his own. Those heroic men, who have performed penances for many years with uplifted hands, those who have celebrated many sacrifices, have been left by time as subjects of narration. That Pritbu, even, whose discus dissevered many an enemy, who unobstructed travelled all over the regions, has been destroyed by the last of time like the light down of the Simal tree. Even Karlaviryya, who defeated numberless enemies and conquered the seven Zones of the earth, exists now only as the topic of a theme, a subject for affirmation or contradiction. The riches, of the kings Dashānana, Raghava, Abikoluta and others, which dazzled all the quarters, have all been reduced to ashes by the very frown of time. Oh! fie upon such wealth. The lord paramount of the earth, by the name of Māndhāta now exists only in name. And what pious man, hearing this story, will be so foolish as to cherish the desire of possession in his soul? Bhagiratha, Sagara, Kākutstha, Dasānana, Rāma, Lakshmana, Yudhishthira and others have been. Is it so? Have they really existed? Where are they now? We know not! The kings, who are now reigning, who shall be kings in future, and those whose names have not been specified, shall all remain only in names like their predecessors. The wise man, cognizant of this, will not cherish attachment even for his own self—what to speak of children, lands and properties.
THE END OF PART IV.
PART V.
SECTION I.
Maitreya said:—You have described to me at length the origin and spread of the families of kings. I wish to hear in particular, O venerable saint, why Vishnu incarnated a portion of himself in the family of Yadus. Tell me, O Muni, what actions did the illustrious and excellent Purusha perform in his descent upon the earth.
Parāçara said:—I shall relate to you, O Maitreya, what you have requested me to do—the birth, of a portion of Vishnu and the benefits which his actions conferred upon the world. O great Muni, Vasudeva espoused the illustrious god-like Devaki, the daughter of Devaka. After their marriage, Kansa, the increaser of the race of Bhoja, drove their car as charioteer. A voice was heard in the sky, loud and deep as thunder, which addressing Kansa, said—"O foolish, the eighth child of this damsel, whom thou art carrying in the car, along with her husband, shall destroy thy life".
Hearing this the highly powerful Kansa uplifted his sword and was about to slay Devaki when Vasudeva said—"O thou having long arms, Devaki should not be slain by thee; I shall hand over to thee every child that she shall bring forth".