महिषी त्व् अजमीढस्य धूमिनी पुत्रगृद्धिनी पतिव्रता महाभागा कुलजा मुनिसत्तमाः
Ajamīḍha's chief queen was Dhūminī, eager for sons, devoted to her husband, highly fortunate, and born of a noble family, O best of sages.
सा च पुत्रार्थिनी देवी व्रतचर्यासमन्विता ततो वर्षायुतं तप्त्वा तपः परमदुश्चरम्
That goddess, longing for a son and devoted to vows, performed severe austerities for ten thousand years.
हुत्वाग्निं विधिवत् सा तु पवित्रा मितभोजना अग्निहोत्रकुशेष्व् एव सुष्वाप मुनिसत्तमाः
She offered the sacred fire according to rite, lived on moderate food, and slept upon kusa grass at the fire altar, O best of sages, remaining pure.
धूमिन्या स तया देव्या त्व् अजमीढः समीयिवान् ऋक्षं संजनयाम् आस धूम्रवर्णं सुदर्शनम्
With that goddess Dhūminī, Ajamīḍha united and begot Ṛkṣa, who was of dusky hue and handsome appearance.
ऋक्षात् संवरणो जज्ञे कुरुः संवरणात् तथा यः प्रयागाद् अतिक्रम्य कुरुक्षेत्रं चकार ह
From Ṛkṣa was born Saṃvaraṇa, and from Saṃvaraṇa, Kuru; he, crossing Prayāga, established Kurukṣetra.
पुण्यं च रमणीयं च पुण्यकृद्भिर् निषेवितम् तस्यान्ववायः सुमहान् यस्य नाम्नाथ कौरवाः
That land, sacred and delightful, frequented by the righteous, produced a great lineage, known by his name as the Kauravas.
कुरोश् च पुत्राश् चत्वारः सुधन्वा सुधनुस् तथा परीक्षिच् च महाबाहुः प्रवरश् चारिमेजयः
Kuru had four sons: Sudhanvan, Sudhanus, Parīkṣit the mighty-armed, and the eminent Arimejaya.
परीक्षितस् तु दायादो धार्मिको जनमेजयः श्रुतसेनो ऽग्रसेनश् च भीमसेनश् च नामतः
Parīkṣit's heir was the righteous Janamejaya; and Janamejaya's sons were Śrutasena, Agrasena, and Bhīmasena by name.
एते सर्वे महाभागा विक्रान्ता बलशालिनः जनमेजयस्य पुत्रस् तु सुरथो मतिमांस् तथा
All these were greatly fortunate, valiant, and mighty; and Janamejaya’s son was Suratha, wise as well.
सुरथस्य तु विक्रान्तः पुत्रो जज्ञे विदूरथः विदूरथस्य दायाद ऋक्ष एव महारथः
Suratha’s powerful son was born as Viduratha; and Viduratha’s heir was Ṛkṣa, a great chariot-warrior.
द्वितीयस् तु भरद्वाजान् नाम्ना तेनैव विश्रुतः द्वाव् ऋक्षौ सोमवंशे ऽस्मिन् द्वाव् एव च परीक्षितौ
The second was renowned as Bharadvāja by name; thus, in this lunar dynasty, there were two Ṛkṣas and two Parīkṣits.
भीमसेनास् त्रयो विप्रा द्वौ चापि जनमेजयौ ऋक्षस्य तु द्वितीयस्य भीमसेनो ऽभवत् सुतः
There were three Bhīmasenas, O brāhmaṇas, and two Janamejayas; and the second Ṛkṣa’s son was Bhīmasena.
प्रतीपो भीमसेनात् तु प्रतीपस्य तु शांतनुः देवापिर् बाह्लिकश् चैव त्रय एव महारथाः
From Bhīmasena came Pratīpa, and from Pratīpa, Śāṃtanu; and Devāpi and Bāhlika—these three were great chariot-warriors.
शांतनोस् त्व् अभवद् भीष्मस् तस्मिन् वंशे द्विजोत्तमाः बाह्लिकस्य तु राजर्षेर् वंशं शृणुत भो द्विजाः
From Śāṃtanu was born Bhīṣma, O best of brāhmaṇas, and now hear, O twice-born, of the royal sage Bāhlika’s lineage.
बाह्लिकस्य सुतश् चैव सोमदत्तो महायशाः जज्ञिरे सोमदत्तात् तु भूरिर् भूरिश्रवाः शलः
Bāhlika’s son was the illustrious Somadatta; from Somadatta were born Bhūri, Bhūriśravā, and Śala.
उपाध्यायस् तु देवानां देवापिर् अभवन् मुनिः च्यवनपुत्रः कृतक इष्ट आसीन् महात्मनः
Devāpi became the preceptor of the gods, a sage, son of Cyavana, named Kṛtaka, beloved among the great-souled.
शांतनुस् त्व् अभवद् राजा कौरवाणां धुरंधरः शांतनोः संप्रवक्ष्यामि वंशं त्रैलोक्यविश्रुतम्
Śāṃtanu became king, the upholder of the Kauravas; I shall now recount the lineage of Śāṃtanu, famed throughout the three worlds.
गाङ्गं देवव्रतं नाम पुत्रं सो ऽजनयत् प्रभुः स तु भीष्म इति ख्यातः पाण्डवानां पितामहः
He begot a son named Devavrata, born of Gaṅgā; he is known as Bhīṣma, the grandsire of the Pāṇḍavas.
काली विचित्रवीर्यं तु जनयाम् आस भो द्विजाः शांतनोर् दयितं पुत्रं धर्मात्मानम् अकल्मषम्
Kālī gave birth to Vicitravīrya, O brāhmaṇas, the beloved, righteous, and sinless son of Śāṃtanu.
कृष्णद्वैपायनाच् चैव क्षेत्रे वैचित्रवीर्यके धृतराष्ट्रं च पाण्डुं च विदुरं चाप्य् अजीजनत्
And from Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana, in the field of Vicitravīrya, were born Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura.
धृतराष्ट्रस् तु गान्धार्यां पुत्रान् उत्पादयच् छतम् तेषां दुर्योधनः श्रेष्ठः सर्वेषाम् अपि स प्रभुः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra begot a hundred sons upon Gāndhārī; among them, Duryodhana was the foremost, ruling over all.
पाण्डोर् धनंजयः पुत्रः सौभद्रस् तस्य चात्मजः अभिमन्योः परीक्षित् तु पिता पारीक्षितस्य ह
Arjuna, son of Pāṇḍu, had a son Saubhadra; his son was Abhimanyu, and Parīkṣit was the son of Abhimanyu.
पारीक्षितस्य काश्यायां द्वौ पुत्रौ संबभूवतुः चन्द्रापीडस् तु नृपतिः सूर्यापीडश् च मोक्षवित्
Parīkṣit had two sons by Kāśyā: one was King Candrāpīḍa, and the other Sūryāpīḍa, knower of liberation.
चन्द्रापीडस्य पुत्राणां शतम् उत्तमधन्विनाम् जानमेजयम् इत्य् एवं क्षात्रं भुवि परिश्रुतम्
Candrāpīḍa had a hundred sons, all excellent archers; among them, Janamejaya was renowned as a kṣatriya on earth.
तेषां ज्येष्ठस् तु तत्रासीत् पुरे वारणसाह्वये सत्यकर्णो महाबाहुर् यज्वा विपुलदक्षिणः
Of them, the eldest in the city called Vāraṇasā was Satyakarṇa, mighty-armed, a performer of sacrifices, generous with gifts.
सत्यकर्णस्य दायादः श्वेतकर्णः प्रतापवान् अपुत्रः स तु धर्मात्मा प्रविवेश तपोवनम्
Satyakarṇa’s heir was the valiant Śvetakarṇa; but he, though righteous, had no son and entered the forest for ascetic life.
तस्माद् वनगता गर्भं यादवी प्रत्यपद्यत सुचारोर् दुहिता सुभ्रूर् मालिनी ग्राहमालिनी
Therefore, while in the forest, the Yadava woman, the beautiful, well-formed, dark-eyed daughter Mālinī, conceived a child.
संभूते स च गर्भे च श्वेतकर्णः प्रजेश्वरः अन्वगच्छत् कृतं पूर्वं महाप्रस्थानम् अच्युतम्
When the child was conceived and growing in the womb, Śvetakarṇa, lord of creatures, followed the previous great departure of Acyuta.
सा तु दृष्ट्वा प्रियं तं तु मालिनी पृष्ठतो ऽन्वगात् सुचारोर् दुहिता साध्वी वने राजीवलोचना
Seeing her beloved, Mālinī, the virtuous, lotus-eyed daughter with graceful form, followed him from behind in the forest.
पथि सा सुषुवे बाला सुकुमारं कुमारकम् तम् अपास्याथ तत्रैव राजानं सान्वगच्छत
On the path, the young girl gave birth to a delicate boy; abandoning him there, she continued to follow the king.