ते ऽभिरुह्य रथान्सर्वे प्रयाता नृपते नृपाः आक्रामन्तो दिवं भान्ति धर्मेणावृत्य रोदसी
All the kings, O ruler, mounted the chariots and set forth, ascending to the heavens, shining as they cover earth and sky with righteousness.
अहं मन्ये पूर्वमेको ऽभिगन्ता सखा चेन्द्रः सर्वथा मे महात्मा कस्मादेवं शिबिरौशीनरो ऽयम् एको ऽत्ययात् सर्वं वेगेन वाहान्
I think I will be the first to go ahead, and Indra, my friend of great soul, will surely accompany me; but why did this Śibi, king of the Ushinaras, alone urge his steeds forward with such speed?
अददाद्देवयानाय यावद्वित्तमनिन्दितः उशीनरस्य पुत्रो ऽयं तस्माच्छ्रेष्ठो हि वः शिबिः
He gave to Devayāna all his wealth, blamelessly; this is the son of Ushinara, and thus Śibi is indeed the best among you.
दानं शौचं सत्यमथो ह्य् अहिंसा ह्रीः श्रीस्तितिक्षा समतानृशंस्यम् राजन्त्येतान्यथ सर्वाणि राज्ञि शिबौ स्थितान्यप्रतिमे सुबुद्ध्या एवं वृत्तं ह्रीनिषेवी बिभर्ति तस्माच्छिबिर् अभिगन्ता रथेन
Charity, purity, truth, nonviolence, modesty, fortune, patience, equanimity, and compassion—all these virtues, O king, are established in Śibi, unmatched in wisdom; thus, one who practices modesty and upright conduct bears these, and so Śibi will ascend the chariot.
अथाष्टकः पुनरेवान्वपृच्छन् मातामहं कौतुकादिन्द्रकल्पम् पृच्छामि त्वां नृपते ब्रूहि सत्यं कुतश्च कश्चासि कथं त्वमागाः कृतं त्वया यद्धि न तस्य कर्ता लोके त्वदन्यो ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियो वा
Then Ashtaka again, out of curiosity, questioned his maternal grandfather, who was like Indra: 'I ask you, O king, tell me the truth—who are you, where do you come from, how did you arrive? What you have done, no other Brahmin or Kshatriya in the world could accomplish.'
ययातिरस्मि नहुषस्य पुत्रः पूरोः पिता सार्वभौमस्त्विहासम् गुह्यं मन्त्रं मामकेभ्यो ब्रवीमि मातामहो भवतां सुप्रकाशः
I am Yayāti, son of Nahusha, father of Puru, sovereign of the earth; I reveal to you, my grandsons, this secret teaching, O grandfather, which is well known among you.
सर्वाम् इमां पृथिवीं निर्जिगाय ऋद्धां महीमददां ब्राह्मणेभ्यः मेध्यानश्वान्नैकशस् तान्सुरूपांस् तदा देवाः पुण्यभाजो भवन्ति
I conquered all this earth, rich and abundant, and gave it to the Brahmins, along with pure horses, many beautiful ones; then the gods became recipients of merit.
अदामहं पृथिवीं ब्राह्मणेभ्यः पूर्णामिमामखिलान्नैः प्रशस्ताम् गोभिः सुवर्णैश्च धनैश्च मुख्यैर् अश्वाः सनागाः शतशस्त्वर्बुदानि
I gave the earth to the Brahmins, filled with all kinds of excellent food, praised cattle, gold, and chief treasures, horses with elephants by the hundreds and tens of thousands.
सत्येन मे द्यौश्च वसुंधरा च तथैवाग्निर्ज्वलते मानुषेषु न मे वृथा व्याहृतमेव वाक्यं सत्यं हि सन्तः प्रतिपूजयन्ति
By truth, both heaven and earth, and likewise fire, burn among men; not a single word of mine is spoken in vain, for the virtuous honor only truth.
यो नः सर्वजितं सर्वं यथावृत्तं निवेदयेत् अनसूयुर् द्विजाग्न्येभ्यः स भजेन्नः सलोकताम्
Whoever reports to the twice-born and to the sacred fires all our deeds, as they truly happened, without envy, shall share our world.
एवं राजन्स महात्मा ययातिः स्वदौहित्रैस्तारितो मित्रवर्यैः त्यक्त्वा महीं परमोदारकर्मा स्वर्गं गतः कर्मभिर्व्याप्य पृथ्वीम्
Thus, O king, the great-souled Yayāti was carried across by his grandsons, the best of friends; abandoning the earth, performing most noble deeds, he went to heaven, having spread his actions across the world.
एवं सर्वं विस्तरतो यथावद् आख्यातं ते चरितं नाहुषस्य वंशो यस्य प्रथितं पौरवेयो यस्मिञ्जातस्त्वं मनुजेन्द्रकल्पः
Thus, everything has been narrated to you in detail, as it happened—the deeds of Nahusha's line, whose fame is established in the Paurava dynasty, in which you were born, O king among men.
इत्येतच्छौनकाद्राजा शतानीको निशम्य तु विस्मितः परया प्रीत्या पूर्णचन्द्र इवाबभौ
Hearing this from Shaunaka, King Shatanika was amazed and, filled with great joy, shone like the full moon.
पूजयामास नृपतिर् विधिवच्चाथ शौनकम् रत्नैर्गोभिः सुवर्णैश्च वासोभिर्विविधैस्तथा
Then the king duly honored Shaunaka with jewels, cows, gold, and various kinds of garments.
प्रतिगृह्य ततः सर्वं यद्राज्ञा प्रहितं धनम् दत्त्वा च ब्राह्मणेभ्यश्च शौनको ऽन्तरधीयत
Shaunaka accepted all the wealth that the king had offered, and after giving it to the Brahmins, he disappeared.
ययातेर्वंशमिच्छामः श्रोतुं विस्तरतो वद यदुप्रभृतिभिः पुत्रैर् यदा लोके प्रतिष्ठितम्
We wish to hear in detail about the lineage of Yayati—tell us how it became established in the world through his sons, beginning with Yadu.
यदोर्वंशं प्रवक्ष्यामि ज्येष्ठस्योत्तमतेजसः विस्तरेणानुपूर्व्या च गदतो मे निबोधत
I will recount the lineage of Yadu, the eldest and most powerful; listen as I narrate it in order and in detail.
यदोः पुत्रा बभूवुर्हि पञ्च देवसुतोपमाः महारथा महेष्वासा नामतस्तान्निबोधत
Yadu had five sons, equal to the sons of the gods, great chariot-warriors and mighty archers—hear their names from me.
सहस्रजिर् अथो ज्येष्ठः क्रोष्टुर्नीलो ऽन्तिको लघुः सहस्रजेस्तु दायादः शतजिर्नाम पार्थिवः
Sahasrajit was the eldest, then came Kroshtu, Nila, Antika, and Laghu; Sahasrajit's heir was a king named Shatajit.
शतजेरपि दायादास् त्रयः परमकीर्तयः हैहयश्च हयश्चैव तथा वेणुहयश्च यः
Shatajit also had three illustrious heirs: Haihaya, Haya, and Venuhaya.
हैहयस्य तु दायादो धर्मनेत्रः प्रतिश्रुतः धर्मनेत्रस्य कुन्तिस्तु संहतस्तस्य चात्मजः
Haihaya's heir was the renowned Dharmanetra; Dharmanetra's son was Kunti, and his son was Samhata.
संहतस्य तु दायादो महिष्मान्नाम पार्थिवः आसीन्महिष्मतः पुत्रो रुद्रश्रेण्यः प्रतापवान्
Samhata's heir was the king named Mahishman; Mahishman's son was the valiant Rudrashrenya.
वाराणस्याम् अभूद्राजा कथितं पूर्वमेव तु रुद्रश्रेण्यस्य पुत्रो ऽभूद् दुर्दमो नाम पार्थिवः
He became king in Varanasi, as previously mentioned; Rudrashrenya's son was a king named Durdama.
दुर्दमस्य सुतो धीमान् कनको नाम वीर्यवान् कनकस्य तु दायादाश् चत्वारो लोकविश्रुताः
Durdama's son was the wise and powerful Kanaka; Kanaka had four sons, renowned in the world.
कृतवीर्यः कृताग्निश्च कृतवर्मा तथैव च कृतौजाश्च चतुर्थो ऽभूत् कृतवीर्यात्ततो ऽर्जुनः
They were Kritavirya, Kritagni, Kritavarma, and the fourth was Kritaujas; from Kritavirya was born Arjuna.
जातः करसहस्रेण सप्तद्वीपेश्वरो नृपः वर्षायुतं तपस्तेपे दुश्चरं पृथिवीपतिः
This king Arjuna was born with a thousand arms, lord of the seven islands; he performed severe austerities for ten thousand years.
दत्तमाराधयामास कार्तवीर्यो ऽत्रिसम्भवम् तस्मै दत्ता वरास्तेन चत्वारः पुरुषोत्तम
Kārtavīrya worshipped Dattatreya, the son of Atri; to him, Dattatreya granted four supreme boons.
पूर्वं बाहुसहस्रं तु स वव्रे राजसत्तमः अधर्मं चरमाणस्य सद्भिश्चापि निवारणम्
First, the best of kings asked for a thousand arms; then, for the power to restrain the wicked, and to prevent unrighteousness by the virtuous.
युद्धेन पृथिवीं जित्वा धर्मेणैवानुपालनम् संग्रामे वर्तमानस्य वधश्चैवाधिकाद्भवेत्
To conquer the earth by battle, to rule it righteously, and, in war, to have the right to slay those who exceed their bounds.
तेनेयं पृथिवी सर्वा सप्तद्वीपा सपर्वता सप्तोदधिपरिक्षिप्ता क्षात्त्रेण विधिना जिता
By him, the entire earth with its seven islands, mountains, and encircled by seven oceans, was conquered according to the Kshatriya law.