Raji, Indra, and the Line of Kshatravriddha

Verse 1 (vishnu.4.9.1)

रजेः पञ्च पुत्रशतान्य् अतुलवीर्यसाराण्य् आसन्

rajeḥ pañca putraśatāny atulavīryasārāṇy āsan

Raji had five hundred sons, of unequalled valor and strength.

Verse 2 (vishnu.4.9.2)

देवासुरसंग्रामारम्भे परस्परवधेप्सवो देवाश् चासुराश् च ब्रह्माणम् पप्रच्छुः

devāsurasaṁgrāmārambhe parasparavadhepsavo devāś cāsurāś ca brahmāṇam papracchuḥ

At the outset of a battle between gods and demons, both, each desiring the other's destruction, questioned Brahma —

Verse 3 (vishnu.4.9.3)

भगवन्न् अस्माकम् अत्र विरोधे कतरः पक्षो जेता भविष्यतीति

bhagavann asmākam atra virodhe kataraḥ pakṣo jetā bhaviṣyatīti

'Lord, in this conflict of ours, which side shall be victorious?'

Verse 4 (vishnu.4.9.4)

अथाह भगवान् येषाम् अर्थे रजिर् आत्तायुधो योत्स्यतीति । अथ दैत्यैर् उपेत्य रजिर् आत्मसाहाय्यदानायाभ्यर्थितः प्राह । योत्स्येऽहं भवताम् अर्थे यद्य् अहम् अमरजयाद् भवताम् इन्द्रो भविष्यामीत्य् आकर्ण्यैतत् तैर् अभिहितो न वयम् अन्यथा वदिष्यामोऽन्यथा करिष्यामोऽस्माकम् इन्द्रः प्रह्लादस् तदर्थम् अयम् उद्यम इत्य् उक्त्वा गतेष्व् असुरेषु देवैर् अप्य् असाव् अवनीपतिर् एवम् एवोक्तस् तेनापि च तथैवोक्ते देवैर् इन्द्रस् त्वं भविष्यसीति समन्विच्छितम्

athāha bhagavān yeṣām arthe rajir āttāyudho yotsyatīti | atha daityair upetya rajir ātmasāhāyyadānāyābhyarthitaḥ prāha | yotsye'haṁ bhavatām arthe yady aham amarajayād bhavatām indro bhaviṣyāmīty ākarṇyaitat tair abhihito na vayam anyathā vadiṣyāmo'nyathā kariṣyāmo'smākam indraḥ prahlādas tadartham ayam udyama ity uktvā gateṣv asureṣu devair apy asāv avanīpatir evam evoktas tenāpi ca tathaivokte devair indras tvaṁ bhaviṣyasīti samanvicchitam

The Lord said: 'That side for whose sake Raji takes up arms shall win.' Then the Daityas approached Raji and entreated his help; Raji said: 'I shall fight for your side, if, upon conquering the immortals, I become your Indra.' Hearing this, they said: 'We shall not speak or act otherwise — but our Indra is Prahlada, this endeavor is for his sake.' Having said this, the demons went away; then the gods made the same offer, and when they too agreed likewise, it was settled: 'You shall be Indra.'

Verse 5 (vishnu.4.9.5)

रजिनापि देवसैन्यसहायेनानेकैर् महास्त्रैस् तद् अशेषम् असुरबलं निषूदितम्

rajināpi devasainyasahāyenānekair mahāstrais tad aśeṣam asurabalaṁ niṣūditam

And Raji, aided by the army of the gods, destroyed the entire host of demons with many great weapons.

Verse 6 (vishnu.4.9.6)

अवजितारातिपक्षश् चेन्द्रो रजिचरणयुगलम् आत्मशिरसा निपीड्याह । भयत्राणदानाद् अस्मत्पिता बवान् अशेषलोकानाम् उत्तमो भवान् यस्याहं पुत्रस् त्रिलोकेन्द्रः

avajitārātipakṣaś cendro rajicaraṇayugalam ātmaśirasā nipīḍyāha | bhayatrāṇadānād asmatpitā bavān aśeṣalokānām uttamo bhavān yasyāhaṁ putras trilokendraḥ

The enemy defeated, Indra, pressing Raji's two feet to his own head, said: 'By granting us protection from fear, you have become our father; you are foremost of all beings, whose son I, lord of the three worlds, now am.'

Verse 7 (vishnu.4.9.7)

स चापि राजा प्रहस्याह । एवम् एवास्त्व् अनतिक्रमणीया हि वैरिपक्षाद् अप्य् अनेकविधचाटुवाक्यगर्भा प्रणतिर् इत्य् उक्त्वा स्वपुरं जगाम

sa cāpi rājā prahasyāha | evam evāstv anatikramaṇīyā hi vairipakṣād apy anekavidhacāṭuvākyagarbhā praṇatir ity uktvā svapuraṁ jagāma

That king, laughing, said: 'So let it be — for homage full of flattering words, even from a former enemy, is not to be disregarded.' Having said this, he returned to his own city.

Verse 8 (vishnu.4.9.8)

शतक्रतुर् अपीन्द्रत्वं चकार

śatakratur apīndratvaṁ cakāra

And Indra continued to hold the sovereignty of Indra.

Verse 9 (vishnu.4.9.9)

स्वर्याते तु रजौ नारदर्षिचोदिता रजिसुताः शतक्रतुम् आत्मपितृपुत्रं आचाराद् राज्यं याचितवन्तः

svaryāte tu rajau nāradarṣicoditā rajisutāḥ śatakratum ātmapitṛputraṁ ācārād rājyaṁ yācitavantaḥ

But when Raji had departed to heaven, his sons, urged by the sage Narada, asked Indra — their father's adopted son, by custom — for the kingdom.

Verse 10 (vishnu.4.9.10)

अप्रदाने चावजित्येन्द्रम् अतिबलिनः स्वयम् इन्द्रत्वं चक्रुः

apradāne cāvajityendram atibalinaḥ svayam indratvaṁ cakruḥ

When it was not given, those exceedingly mighty sons defeated Indra and themselves assumed the sovereignty of Indra.

Verse 11 (vishnu.4.9.11)

ततश् च बहुतिथे काले व्यतीते बृहस्पतिम् एकान्ते दृष्ट्वापहृतत्रैलोक्ययज्ञभागः शतक्रतुर् उवाच

tataś ca bahutithe kāle vyatīte bṛhaspatim ekānte dṛṣṭvāpahṛtatrailokyayajñabhāgaḥ śatakratur uvāca

Then, much time having passed, Indra, deprived of his share of sacrifice in the three worlds, seeing Brihaspati alone, said to him —

Verse 12 (vishnu.4.9.12)

बदरीफलमात्रम् अप्य् अर्हसि ममाप्यायनाय पुरोडाशखण्डं दातुम् इत्य् उक्तो बृहस्पतिर् उवाच । यद्य् एवं पूर्वम् एव त्वयाहं चोदितः स्यां तन् मया त्वदर्थं किम् अकर्तव्यम् इति । स्वल्पैर् एवाहोभिस् त्वां निजं पदं प्रापयिष्यामीत्य् अभिधाय तेषाम् अनुदिनाभिचारिकं बुद्धिमोहाय शक्रस्य च तेजोभिवृद्धये जुहाव । ते चापि तेन बुद्धिमोहेनाभिभूयमाना ब्रह्मद्विषो धर्मत्यागिनो वेदवादपराङ्मुखा बभूवुः

badarīphalamātram apy arhasi mamāpyāyanāya puroḍāśakhaṇḍaṁ dātum ity ukto bṛhaspatir uvāca | yady evaṁ pūrvam eva tvayāhaṁ coditaḥ syāṁ tan mayā tvadarthaṁ kim akartavyam iti | svalpair evāhobhis tvāṁ nijaṁ padaṁ prāpayiṣyāmīty abhidhāya teṣām anudinābhicārikaṁ buddhimohāya śakrasya ca tejobhivṛddhaye juhāva | te cāpi tena buddhimohenābhibhūyamānā brahmadviṣo dharmatyāgino vedavādaparāṅmukhā babhūvuḥ

'Give me, for my nourishment, even a portion of the sacred cake no bigger than a jujube fruit.' Thus addressed, Brihaspati said: 'If only you had asked me this before! What would I not do for your sake? In a few days I shall restore you to your rightful place.' So saying, he performed a daily rite of confounding sorcery to cloud their understanding and increase Indra's splendor. They, overcome by that confusion, became haters of sacred learning, abandoners of dharma, and turned away from the Vedic teachings.

Verse 13 (vishnu.4.9.13)

ततश् च तान् अपेतधर्माचारान् इन्द्रो जघान । पुरोहिताप्यायिततेजाश् च त्रिदिवम् आक्रमत् । एतद् इन्द्रस्य स्वपदच्यावनारोहणं श्रुत्वा पुरुषः स्वपदभ्रंशं दौरात्म्यं च नाप्नोति

tataś ca tān apetadharmācārān indro jaghāna | purohitāpyāyitatejāś ca tridivam ākramat | etad indrasya svapadacyāvanārohaṇaṁ śrutvā puruṣaḥ svapadabhraṁśaṁ daurātmyaṁ ca nāpnoti

Then Indra slew them all, now fallen from righteous conduct; and, his splendor strengthened by his priest, he retook the three worlds. Whoever hears this account of Indra's fall from and return to his position never suffers loss of his own station, nor falls into wickedness.

Verse 14 (vishnu.4.9.14)

रम्भस् त्व् अनपत्योऽभवत् । क्षत्रवृद्धसुतः प्रतिक्षत्रस्

rambhas tv anapatyo'bhavat | kṣatravṛddhasutaḥ pratikṣatras

Rambha, however, remained without offspring. Kshatravriddha's son was Pratikshatra.

Verse 15 (vishnu.4.9.15)

तत्पुत्रः संजयस् तस्यापि जयस् ततश् च विजयस् तस्माच् च जज्ञे कृतः । तस्य हर्षवर्धनो हर्षवर्धनसुतः सहदेवस् तस्माद् अदीनस् तस्य जयत्सेनः ततश् च संकृतिस् तत्पुत्रः क्षत्रधर्मा इत्य् एते क्षत्रवृद्धस्यातो नहुषवंशं प्रवक्ष्यामीति

tatputraḥ saṁjayas tasyāpi jayas tataś ca vijayas tasmāc ca jajñe kṛtaḥ | tasya harṣavardhano harṣavardhanasutaḥ sahadevas tasmād adīnas tasya jayatsenaḥ tataś ca saṁkṛtis tatputraḥ kṣatradharmā ity ete kṣatravṛddhasyāto nahuṣavaṁśaṁ pravakṣyāmīti

His son was Sanjaya; his son too, Jaya; from him, Vijaya; from him was born Krita; his son, Harshavardhana; Harshavardhana's son, Sahadeva; from him, Adina; his son, Jayatsena; from him, Sankriti; his son, Kshatradharma — these are the descendants of Kshatravriddha. Now I shall relate the lineage of Nahusha.