Vayu Purana

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.

कनीयसी तु या तस्य पत्नी परमधर्मिणी। अरिष्टनेमिदुहिता रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि ।। २६.

The youngest among his wives, supremely virtuous, was the daughter of Ariṣṭanemi, unmatched in beauty upon the earth.

और्वस्ताभ्यां वरं प्रादात् तपसाराधितः प्रभुः। एका जनिष्यते पुत्रं वंशकर्त्तारमीप्सितम्। षष्टिपुत्रं सहस्राणि द्वितीया जनयिष्यति ।। २६.

Urva, having been worshipped by them through austerity, granted a boon: one wife will bear a single son, desired as the creator of the lineage; the second will give birth to sixty thousand sons.

मुनेस्तु वचनं श्रुत्वा केशिनी पुत्रमेककम्। वंशस्य कारणं श्रेष्ठा जग्राह नृपसंसदि ।। २६.

Hearing the sage’s words, Keśinī chose to bear one son, the best, as the cause of the lineage, in the assembly of kings.

षष्टिपुत्रसहस्राणि सुपर्णभगिनी तथा। महात्मनस्तु जग्राह सुमतिः पोषणे नृपः ।। २६.

The sister of Suparṇa, likewise, accepted the nurturing of sixty thousand sons, and the king Sumati undertook their care.

अथ काले गते ज्येष्ठा ज्येष्ठं पुत्रं व्यजायत। असमञ्ज इति ख्यातं काकुत्स्थं सगरात्मजम् ।। २६.

Then, as time passed, the eldest wife gave birth to her eldest son, known as Asamañja, the son of Sagara, of the Kakutstha line.

सुमतिस्त्वपि जज्ञे वै गर्भन्तुम्बं यशस्विनी। षष्टिपुत्रसहस्राणि तुम्बमध्याद्विनिःसृताः ।। २६.

Sumati too gave birth, the illustrious one, to a womb shaped like a jar; from its midst emerged sixty thousand sons.

घृतपूर्णेषु कुम्भेषु तान् गर्भान् न्यदधत्ततः। धात्रीश्चैकैकशः प्रादात् तावतीः पोषणे नृपः ।। २६.

She placed those embryos in jars filled with ghee; the king provided a nurse for each, for their nourishment.

ततो नवसु मासेषु समुत्तस्थुर्यथासुखम्। कुमारास्ते महाभागाः सगरप्रीतिवर्द्धनाः ।। २६.

After nine months, those noble sons arose comfortably, increasing Sagara’s delight.

कालेन महता चैव चौवनं प्रतिपेदिरे। षष्टिपुत्रसहस्राणि तेषामश्वानुसारिणाम् ।। २६.

In due course, those sixty thousand sons, followers of the horse, entered the forest.

स तु ज्येष्ठो नरव्याघ्रः सगरस्यात्मसम्भवः। असमञ्ज इति ख्यातो बर्हिकेतुर्महाबलः ।। २६.

The eldest, a tiger among men, born of Sagara, was known as Asamañja, mighty and bearing the sacrificial crest.