Vayu Purana

सूत उवाच।। बाहोर्व्यसनिनस्तस्य हृतं राज्यं पुरा किल। हैहयैस्तालजंवैश्च शकैः सार्द्धं समागतैः ।। २६.

The Sūta said: The kingdom of Bāhu, who was afflicted, was once taken away by the Haihayas, Tāla-jaṅghas, and the Śakas who had assembled together.

यवनाः पारदाश्चैव काम्बोजाः पह्लवास्तथा। हैहयार्थं पराक्रान्ता एते पञ्चगणास्तदा ।। २६.

The Yavanas, Pāradas, Kāmbojas, and Pahlavas likewise, these five groups then advanced for the sake of the Haihayas.

हृतं राज्यं बलीयोभिरेभिः क्षत्रियपुङ्गवैः । हृतराज्यस्तदा बाहुः संन्यस्य नु तदा नृपः। वनं प्रविश्य धर्म्मात्मा सह पत्न्या तपोऽचरत् ।। २६.

The kingdom was seized by these powerful leaders among the Kṣatriyas; Bāhu, deprived of his kingdom, renounced it, and, entering the forest with his wife, practiced austerity with a righteous heart.

कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य तोयार्थं प्रस्थितो नृपः। वृद्धत्वाद्दुर्ब्बलत्वाच्च अन्तरा स ममार च ।। २६.

Then, after some time, the king set out to fetch water; due to old age and weakness, he died along the way.

पत्नी तु यादवी तस्य सगर्भा पृष्ठतोऽन्वगात् । सपत्न्या तु गरस्तस्यै दत्तो गर्भजिघांसया ।। २६.

His wife, a Yādava woman, who was pregnant, followed behind him; her co-wife gave her poison, intending to destroy the unborn child.

सा तु भर्तुश्चितां कृत्वा वह्नौ तं समरोहयत्। और्वस्तां भार्गवो दृष्ट्वा कारुण्याद्विन्यवर्त्तयत् ।। २६.

She prepared her husband's funeral pyre and placed him in the fire; Aurva, the descendant of Bhṛgu, saw her and, out of compassion, restrained her.

तस्याश्रमे तु तङ्गर्भं सागरेण तदा सह। व्यजायत महाबाहुं सगरं नाम धार्मिकम् ।। २६.

In his hermitage, she gave birth to the child together with the poison; a mighty-armed, righteous son named Sagara was born.

और्वस्तु जातकर्मादीन् कृत्वा तस्य महात्मनः। अध्याप्य वेदशास्त्राणि ततोऽस्त्रं प्रत्यपादयत् ।। २६.

Aurva performed the birth rites for the great-souled child, taught him the Vedas and scriptures, and then bestowed upon him a weapon.

जामदग्न्यात्तदाग्नेयमसुरैरपि दुःसहम्। स तेनास्त्रबलेनैव बलेन च समन्वितः । जघान हैहयान् क्रुद्धो रुद्रः पशुगणानिव ।। २६.

He received the fire weapon from Jāmadagnya, which even the demons could not withstand; empowered by that weapon and his own strength, he angrily slew the Haihayas, as Rudra would slay herds of beasts.

ततः शकान् सयवनान् काम्बोजान् पारदांस्तथा। पह्लवांश्चैव निःशेषान् कर्तुं व्यवसितो नृपः ।। २६.

Then the king resolved to destroy the Śakas, Yavanas, Kāmbojas, Pāradas, and Pahlavas completely.

ते वध्यमाना वीरेण सगरेण महात्मना। वसिष्ठं शरणं सर्व्वे प्रपन्नाः शरणैषिणः ।। २६.

As they were being slain by the mighty Sagara, all those seeking refuge approached Vasiṣṭha for protection.

वसिष्ठस्तान् तथेत्युक्त्वा समयेन महामुनिः । सगरं वारयामास तेषान्दत्त्वाऽभयन्तदा ।। २६.

Vasiṣṭha, the great sage, having agreed to their request, restrained Sagara and granted them assurance at that time.

सगरः स्वाम्प्रतिज्ञाञ्च गुरोर्वास्यं निशम्य च। धर्म्मं जघान तेषां वै वेषान्यत्वं चकार ह ।। २६.

Sagara, hearing his teacher’s promise and residence, acted according to dharma for them, and changed their appearance.

अर्द्धं शकानां शिरसो मुण्डयित्वा व्यसर्जयत्। यवनानां शिरः सर्वं काम्बोजानान्तथैव च।। २६.

He shaved half the heads of the Śakas and sent them away; he shaved the entire heads of the Yavanas and likewise the Kāmbojas.

पारदा मुक्तकेशाश्च पह्लवाः श्मश्रु धारिणः। निःस्वाध्यायवषट्काराः कृतास्तेन महात्मना ।। २६.

The Pāradas were made to keep their hair loose, the Pahlavas to wear beards; all were deprived of Vedic recitation and ritual utterances by that great soul.

शका यवनकाम्बोजाः पह्लवाः पारदैः सह। केलिस्पर्शा माहिषिका दार्वाश्चोलाः खसास्तथा ।। २६.

The Śakas, Yavanas, Kāmbojas, Pahlavas, and Pāradas, along with the Kelisparśas, Māhiṣikas, Dārvās, Colas, and Khasas,

सर्व्वे ते क्षत्रियगणा धर्म्मस्तेषां निराकृतः। वसिष्ठवचनात्पूर्वं सगरेण महात्मना ।। २६.

All these groups of Kṣatriyas had their dharma rejected by Sagara, the great soul, as previously instructed by Vasiṣṭha.

स धर्मविजयी राजा विजित्येमां वसुन्धराम्। अश्वं विचारयामास वाजिमेधाय दीक्षितः ।। २६.

That king, victorious in dharma, having conquered this earth, sent forth the horse, being initiated for the Aśvamedha sacrifice.

तस्य चारयतः सोऽश्वः समुद्रे पूर्वदक्षिणे। वेलासमीपेऽपहृतो भूमिञ्चैव प्रवेशितः ।। २६.

While he was letting the horse roam, it was taken near the shore of the eastern and southern ocean, and entered the earth.

स तन्देशं सुतैः सर्वैः खनयामास पार्थिवः। आसेदुश्च ततस्तस्मिंस्तदन्तस्ते महार्णवे ।। २६.

The king, with all his sons, dug up that region, and they reached the end of it in the great ocean.

तमादिपुरुषं देवं हरिं कृष्णं प्रजापतिम्। विष्णुं कपिलरूपेण हंसं नारायणं प्रभुम् ।। २६.

There they saw the primordial deity, Hari, Kṛṣṇa, Prajāpati, Viṣṇu in the form of Kapila, Haṃsa, Nārāyaṇa, the Lord.

तस्य चक्षुः समासाद्य तेजस्तत् प्रतिपद्यते। दग्धाः पुत्रास्तदा सर्वे चत्वारस्त्ववशेषिताः ।। २६.

When they approached his gaze, they received his radiance; then all the sons were burned, with only four left.

बर्हिकेतुः सकेतुश्च तथा धर्म्मरतस्त्रयः। शूरः पञ्चवनश्चैव तस्य वंशकराः प्रभो ।। २६.

Barhiketu, Saketu, and three devoted to dharma, Śūra and Pañcavana—these were the progenitors of his lineage, O Lord.

प्रादाच्च तस्य भगवान् हरिर्नारायणो वरान्। अक्षयत्वं स्ववंशस्य वाजिमेधशतं तथा। विभुं पुत्रं समुद्रञ्च स्वर्गे वासं तथाक्षयम् ।। २६.

The blessed Hari, Nārāyaṇa, granted him boons: undiminished lineage, a hundred Aśvamedha sacrifices, a mighty son, the ocean, and eternal residence in heaven.

स समुद्रोऽश्वमादाय वन्ददे (?) सरितांपतिः। सागरत्वं च लेभे स कर्मणा तेन तस्य वै ।। २६.

The ocean, having taken the horse, paid homage to the lord of rivers; by that act, he attained the status of 'Sāgara.'

तं चाश्वमेधिकं सोऽश्वं समुद्रात् प्राप्य पार्थिवः। आजहाराश्वमेधानां शतं चैव पुनः पुनः ।। २६.

The king, retrieving the horse from the ocean, performed a hundred Aśvamedha sacrifices again and again.

षष्टिपुत्रसहस्राणि दग्धान्यश्वानुसारिणाम्। तेषां नारायणं तेजः प्रविष्टानां महात्मनाम्। पुत्राणान्तु सहस्राणि षष्टिस्तु इति नः श्रुतम् ।। २६.

Sixty thousand sons who followed the horse were burned; their radiance entered Nārāyaṇa. Of the sons, sixty thousand—so we have heard.

ऋषय ऊचुः।. सगरस्यात्मजा राज्ञः कथं जाता महाबलाः। विक्रान्ताः षष्टिसाहस्रा विधिना केन वा वद ।। २६.

The sages said: How were the mighty sons of King Sagara born? Tell us by what means sixty thousand valiant ones came to be.

सूत उवाच।। द्वे पत्न्यौ सगरस्यास्तां तपसा दग्धकिल्बिषे। ज्येष्ठा विदर्भदुहिता केशिनी नाम नामतः ।। २६.

The Sūta said: Sagara had two wives, purified by austerity; the elder was the daughter of the Vidarbha king, named Keśinī.