Vyasadev
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Chapter 21
The Dynasty of Bharata: the Story of Rantideva
This Twenty-first Chapter describes the dynasty born from Mahārāja Bharata, the son of Mahārāja Duṣmanta, and it also describes the glories of Rantideva, Ajamīḍha and others.
The son of Bharadvāja was Manyu, and Manyu's sons were Bṛhatkṣatra, Jaya, Mahāvīrya, Nara and Garga. Of these five, Nara had a son named Sańkṛti, who had two sons, named Guru and Rantideva. As an exalted devotee, Rantideva saw every living entity in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore he completely engaged his mind, his words and his very self in the service of the Supreme Lord and His devotees. Rantideva was so exalted that he would sometimes give away his own food in charity, and he and his family would fast. Once, after Rantideva spent forty-eight days fasting, not even drinking water, excellent food made with ghee was brought to him, but when he was about to eat it a brāhmaṇa guest appeared. Rantideva, therefore, did not eat the food, but instead immediately offered a portion of it to the brāhmaṇa. When the brāhmaṇa left and Rantideva was just about to eat the remnants of the food, a śūdra appeared. Rantideva therefore divided the remnants between the śūdra and himself. Again, when he was just about to eat the remnants of the food, another guest appeared. Rantideva therefore gave the rest of the food to the new guest and was about to content himself with drinking the water to quench his thirst, but this also was precluded, for a thirsty guest came and Rantideva gave him the water. This was all ordained by the Supreme Personality of Godhead just to glorify His devotee and show how tolerant a devotee is in rendering service to the Lord. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, being extremely pleased with Rantideva, entrusted him with very confidential service. The special power to render the most confidential service is entrusted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to a pure devotee, not to ordinary devotees.
Garga, the son of Bharadvāja, had a son named Śini, and Śini's son was Gārgya. Although Gārgya was a kṣatriya by birth, his sons became brāhmaṇas. The son of Mahāvīrya was Duritakṣaya, whose sons were of a kṣatriya king, they also achieved the position of brāhmaṇas. The son of Bṛhatkṣatra constructed the city of Hastināpura and was known as Hastī. His sons were Ajamīḍha, Dvimīḍha and Purumīḍha.
From Ajamīḍha came Priyamedha and other brāhmaṇas and also a son named Bṛhadiṣu. The sons, grandsons and further descendants of Bṛhadiṣu were Bṛhaddhanu, Bṛhatkāya, Jayadratha, Viśada and Syenajit. From Syenajit came four sons — Rucirāśva, Dṛḍhahanu, Kāśya and Vatsa. From Rucirāśva came a son named Pāra, whose sons were Pṛthusena and Nīpa, and from Nīpa came one hundred sons. Another son of Nīpa was Brahmadatta. From Brahmadatta came Viṣvaksena; from Viṣvaksena, Udaksena; and from Udaksena, Bhallāṭa.
The son of Dvimīḍha was Yavīnara, and from Yavīnara came many sons and grandsons, such as Kṛtimān, Satyadhṛti, Dṛḍhanemi, Supārśva, Sumati, Sannatimān, Kṛtī, Nīpa, Udgrāyudha, Kṣemya, Suvīra, Ripuñjaya and Bahuratha. Purumīḍha had no sons, but Ajamīḍha, in addition to his other sons, had a son named Nīla, whose son was Śānti. The descendants of Śānti were Suśānti, Puruja, Arka and Bharmyāśva. Bharmyāśva had five sons, one of whom, Mudgala, begot a dynasty of brāhmaṇas. Mudgala had twins — a son, Divodāsa, and a daughter, Ahalyā. From Ahalyā, by her husband, Gautama, Śatānanda was born. The son of Śatānanda was Satyadhṛti, and his son was Śaradvān. Śaradvān's son was known as Kṛpa, and Śaradvān's daughter, known as Kṛpī, became the wife of Droṇācārya.
9.21.1
vitathasya sutān manyor
bṛhatkṣatro jayas tataḥ
mahāvīryo naro gargaḥ
sańkṛtis tu narātmajaḥ
(1) The son of Vyâsadeva said: 'From Vitatha [the name of Bharadvâja because he was given to Bharata] his son Manyu there were Brihatkshatra, Jaya, Mahâvîrya, Nara and Garga. Of them had Nara the son Sankriti.
9.21.2
(2) Sankriti had Guru and Rantideva, o scion of Pându; the glories of Rantideva are sung in this world and the next.
9.21.3-5
viyad-vittasya dadato
sakuṭumbasya sīdataḥ
vyatīyur aṣṭa-catvāriḿśad
toyaḿ prātar upasthitam
atithir brāhmaṇaḥ kāle
(3-5) Living on what fate provided took he [Rantideva] pleasure in distributing to others whatever grain of food he had. Always penniless he with all his family members lived very sober and had to suffer a lot. One morning when forty-eight days had passed and he even was deprived of drinking water, it so happened that he received different foodstuffs, prepared with ghee and milk, and water. With the family all shaky of suffering thirst and hunger arrived that very moment a brahmin guest of Rantideva who also wanted to eat.
9.21.6
tasmai saḿvyabhajat so 'nnam
ādṛtya śraddhayānvitaḥ
(6) He, with great respect and faith conceiving the Lord as residing in each [see B.G. 5: 18], gave him his share of the food after which, having eaten, the twice-born one left from there.
Rantideva perceived the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every living being, but he never thought that because the Supreme Lord is present in every living being, every living being must be God. Nor did he distinguish between one living being and another. He perceived the presence of the Lord both in the brāhmaṇa and in the caṇḍāla. This is the true vision of equality, as confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (5.18):
vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste]." A paṇḍita, or learned person, perceives the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in every living being. Therefore, although it has now become fashionable to give preference to the so-called daridra-nārāyaṇa, or "poor Nārāyaṇa," Rantideva had no reason to give preference to any one person. The idea that because Nārāyaṇa is present in the heart of one who is daridra, or poor, the poor man should be called daridra-nārāyaṇa is a wrong conception. By such logic, because the Lord is present within the hearts of the dogs and hogs, the dogs and hogs would also be Nārāyaṇa. One should not mistakenly think that Rantideva subscribed to this view. Rather, he saw everyone as part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ). It is not that everyone is the Supreme Godhead. Such a theory, which is propounded by the Māyāvāda philosophy, is always misleading, and Rantideva would never have accepted it.
9.21.7
athānyo bhokṣyamāṇasya
(7) Thereafter when he had divided the food for the family and just was about to eat arrived another one, a s'ûdra, whom he, remembering the Lord, gave the food allotted to him, the king.
Because King Rantideva saw everyone as part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he never distinguished between the brāhmaṇa and the śūdra, the poor and the rich. Such equal vision is called sama-darśinaḥ (paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18]). One who has actually realized that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated in everyone's heart and that every living being is part of the Lord does not make any distinction between the brāhmaṇa and the śūdra, the poor (daridra) and the rich (dhanī). Such a person sees all living beings equally and treats them equally, without discrimination.
9.21.8
sagaṇāya bubhukṣate
(8) With the s'ûdra gone arrived there another guest surrounded by dogs who said: 'O king, provide me with food for me and my hungry dogs!'
9.21.9
(9) He, the one in power, gave with great respect the dogs and their master whatever that remained of the food, honoring them with his obeisances.
9.21.10
tac caika-paritarpaṇam
pāsyataḥ pulkaso 'bhyāgād
apo dehy aśubhāya me
(10) Only the drinking water remained of the food and that also had to satisfy one out-caste who, arriving there when the king was about to drink, asked him: 'Please give me some water, even though I'm lowborn!'
9.21.11
(11) Hearing the pitiable words of him so very exhausted spoke he, deeply touched, out of compassion these nectarean words:
Mahārāja Rantideva's words were like amṛta, or nectar, and therefore, aside from rendering bodily service to an aggrieved person, by his words alone the King could save the life of anyone who might hear him.
9.21.12
antaḥ-sthito yena bhavanty aduḥkhāḥ
(12) 'I do not desire from the Supreme Controller to attain the great of the eight perfections [siddhi's], nor do I ask for the cessation of a repeated birth; I accept all hardship in my stay among all the living beings so that they may become free from suffering.
Vāsudeva Datta made a similar statement to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, requesting the Lord to liberate all living entities in His presence. Vāsudeva Datta submitted that if they were unfit to be liberated, he himself would take all their sinful reactions and suffer personally so that the Lord might deliver them. A Vaiṣṇava is therefore described as being para-duḥkha-duḥkhī, very much aggrieved by the sufferings of others. As such, a Vaiṣṇava engages in activities for the real welfare of human society.
9.21.13
sarve nivṛttāḥ kṛpaṇasya jantor
jijīviṣor jīva-jalārpaṇān me
(13) I am freed fom all the hunger, thirst, fatigue and a shaky body, as also from the poverty, distress, lamentation, depression and bewilderment, with my handing over my water to maintain the life of this poor soul desiring to stay alive!'
9.21.14
pulkasāyādadād dhīro
(14) Thus expressing himself gave he, that sober kindhearted ruler, although he of thirst was on the verge of death, the drinking water to the out-caste.9.21.15
tasya tribhuvanādhīśāḥ
(15) Then manifested before him the controllers of the three worlds, the gods who for those desiring the fruits bestow all results, themselves in their true identities because it [their previous appearances in the form of the brahmin, the man with the dogs, the s'ûdra and the outcaste] had all been creations of the illusory energy of Vishnu.
9.21.16
sa vai tebhyo namaskṛtya
(16) He being true with them as someone of no material aspirations for any benefit or possessions [see B.G. 7: 20] offered them his obeisances, concentrating in his mind upon Vâsudeva, the Supreme Lord as the ultimate goal.
If one wants to become a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord, one should not hanker to take benedictions from the demigods. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.20), kāmais tais tair hṛta jñānāḥ prapadyante 'nya-devatāḥ: those befooled by the illusion of the material energy worship gods other than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, although Rantideva was personally able to see Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, he did not hanker to take material benefits from them. Rather, he fixed his mind upon Lord Vāsudeva and rendered devotional service unto Him. This is the sign of a pure devotee, whose heart is not adulterated by material desires.
anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaḿ
ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
[Madhya 19.167]
"One should render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa favorably and without desire for material profit or gain through fruitive activities or philosophical speculation. That is called pure devotional service."9.21.17
īśvarālambanaḿ cittaḿ
kurvato 'nanya-rādhasaḥ
(17) Fixing his consciousness in fully taking shelter with the Supreme Controller was he without deviation willing to serve only, o King, and was the illusory energy of the three modes nothing but a dream to him [see also B.G 7: 14 and 9: 34].
As it is said:
kṛṣṇa — sūrya-sama; māyā haya andhakāra
Just as there is no chance that darkness can exist in the sunshine, in a pure Kṛṣṇa conscious person there can be no existence of māyā. The Lord Himself says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.14):
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī
"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it." If one wants to be free from the influence of māyā, the illusory energy, one must become Kṛṣṇa conscious and always keep Kṛṣṇa prominent within the core of his heart. In Bhagavad-gītā (9.34) the Lord advises that one always think of Him (man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māḿ namaskuru). In this way, by always being Kṛṣṇa-minded or Kṛṣṇa conscious, one can surpass the influence of māyā (māyām etāḿ taranti te [Bg. 7.14]). Because Rantideva was Kṛṣṇa conscious, he was not under the influence of the illusory energy. The word svapnavat is significant in this connection. Because in the material world the mind is absorbed in materialistic activities, when one is asleep many contradictory activities appear in one's dreams. When one awakens, however, these activities automatically merge into the mind. Similarly, as long as one is under the influence of the material energy he makes many plans and schemes, but when one is Kṛṣṇa conscious such dreamlike plans automatically disappear.
9.21.18
tat-prasańgānubhāvena
rantidevānuvartinaḥ
(18) Those associating to the lead of him, all followers of Rantideva, became first-class yogi 's all devoted to Lord Nârâyana [see also B.G. 6: 47]. The best yogīs or mystics are the devotees, as confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (6.47):
yoginām api sarveṣāḿ
mad-gatenāntarātmanā
"Of all yogīs, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all." The best yogī is he who constantly thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within the core of the heart. Because Rantideva was the king, the chief executive in the state, all the residents of the state became devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, by the king's transcendental association. This is the influence of a pure devotee. If there is one pure devotee, his association can create hundreds and thousands of pure devotees. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said that a Vaiṣṇava is meritorious in proportion to the number of devotees he has created. A Vaiṣṇava becomes superior not simply by jugglery of words but by the number of devotees he has created for the Lord. Here the word rantidevānuvartinaḥ indicates that Rantideva's officers, friends, relatives and subjects all became first-class Vaiṣṇavas by his association. In other words, Rantideva is confirmed herein to be a first-class devotee, or mahā-bhāgavata. Mahat-sevāḿ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ: [SB 5.5.2] one should render service to such mahātmās, for then one will automatically achieve the goal of liberation. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has also said, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: one cannot be liberated by his own effort, but if one becomes subordinate to a pure Vaiṣṇava, the door to liberation is open.9.21.19-20
gargāc chinis tato gārgyaḥ
duritakṣayo mahāvīryāt
puṣkarāruṇir ity atra
bṛhatkṣatrasya putro 'bhūd
dhastī yad-dhastināpuram
(19-20) From Garga [see verse 1] there was S'ini, from him appeared Gârgya, of whom despite of his kshatriya birth a whole line of brahmins originated. From Mahâvîrya there was Duritakshaya whose sons were named Trayyâruni, Kavi and Pushkarâruni. They in this line all achieved the position of brahmins. Hastî became Brihatkshatra's son who founded the city of Hastinâpura [now Delhi].
9.21.21
ajamīḍho dvimīḍhaś ca
priyamedhādayo dvijāḥ
(21) Ajamîdha, Dvimîdha and Pûrumîdha became the sons of Hastî. Ajamîdha's descendants headed by Priyamedha were all twice-born
This verse gives evidence confirming the statement of Bhagavad-gītā that the orders of society — brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra — are calculated in terms of qualities and activities (guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ). All the descendants of Ajamīḍha, who was a kṣatriya, became brāhmaṇas. This was certainly because of their qualities and activities. Similarly, sometimes the sons of brāhmaṇas or kṣatriyas become vaiśyas (brāhmaṇa-vaiśyatāḿ gatāḥ). When a kṣatriya or brāhmaṇa adopts the occupation or duty of a vaiśya (kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam [Bg. 18.44]), he is certainly counted as a vaiśya. On the other hand, if one is born a vaiśya, by his activities he can become a brāhmaṇa. This is confirmed by Nārada Muni. Yasya yal-lakṣaṇaḿ proktam. The members of the varṇas, or social orders — brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra — must be ascertained by their symptoms, not by birth. Birth is immaterial; quality is essential.
9.21.22
ajamīḍhād bṛhadiṣus
tasya putro bṛhaddhanuḥ
bṛhatkāyas tatas tasya
putra āsīj jayadrathaḥ
. (22) From Ajamîdha there was Brihadishu, his son was Brihaddhanu, Brihatkâya came thereafter and his son was Jayadratha.
9.21.23
rucirāśvo dṛḍhahanuḥ
(23) His son was Vis'ada of whom Syenajit was born and his sons were Rucirâs'va, Dridhahanu, Kâs'ya and Vatsa.
9.21.24
pārasya tanayo nīpas
(24) Rucirâs'va's son was Pâra, from Pâra was Prithusena born and a son called Nîpa, who managed to generate a hundred of them.
9.21.25
(25) He in his wife Kritvî, who was the daughter of S'uka [not the one speaking this Bhâgavatam], begot Brahmâdatta, a yogi who in the womb of his wife Sarasvatî created a son called Vishvaksena.
The Śuka mentioned here is different from the Śukadeva Gosvāmī who spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the son of Vyāsadeva, is described in great detail in the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa. There it is said that Vyāsadeva maintained the daughter of Jābāli as his wife and that after they performed penances together for many years, he placed his seed in her womb. The child remained in the womb of his mother for twelve years, and when the father asked the son to come out, the son replied that he would not come out unless he were completely liberated from the influence of māyā. Vyāsadeva then assured the child that he would not be influenced by māyā, but the child did not believe his father, for the father was still attached to his wife and children. Vyāsadeva then went to Dvārakā and informed the Personality of Godhead about his problem, and the Personality of Godhead, at Vyāsadeva's request, went to Vyāsadeva's cottage, where He assured the child in the womb that he would not be influenced by māyā. Thus assured, the child came out, but he immediately went away as a parivrājakācārya. When the father, very much aggrieved, began to follow his saintly boy, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the boy created a duplicate Śukadeva, who later entered family life. Therefore, the śuka-kanyā, or daughter of Śukadeva, mentioned in this verse is the daughter of the duplicate or imitation Śukadeva. The original Śukadeva was a lifelong brahmacārī.
9.21.26
jaigīṣavyopadeśena
udaksenas tatas tasmād
bhallāṭo bārhadīṣavāḥ
(26) By the instruction of the rishi Jaigîshavya was in the past by him [Vishvaksena] a description of yoga [a so-called tantra] compiled. He had a son Udaksena and from him there was Bhallâtha. These descendants were called the Brihadishus.
9.21.27
yavīnaro dvimīḍhasya
dṛḍhanemiḥ supārśvakṛt
(27) Yavînara born of Dvimîdha had Kritimân for his son and his son well known is SatyaDhriti whose son Dridhanemi was the father of Supârs'va.
9.21.28-29
kṛtī hiraṇyanābhād yo
nīpo hy udgrāyudhas tataḥ
(28-29) Supârs'va had Sumati whose son Sannatimân had one called Kritî, who from Lord Brahmâ got the mystic power to teach in the past the six samhitâs of the Prâcyasâma verses [from the Sâma Veda]. Of him could Nîpa take his birth of whom Udgrâyudha was born and his son was Kshemya of whom next appeared Suvîra. From Suvîra was there Ripuñjaya.
9.21.30
tato bahuratho nāma
purumīḍho 'prajo 'bhavat
(30) The one from him was named Bahuratha. Pûrumîdha [the younger brother of Dvimîdha] was without a son. Of Ajamîdha took from the wife Nalinî Nîla his birth who then had S'ânti for his son.
9.21.31-33
purujo 'rkas tato 'bhavat
bharmyāśvas tanayas tasya
pañcāsan mudgalādayaḥ
yavīnaro bṛhadviśvaḥ
mudgalād brahma-nirvṛttaḿ
(31-33) S'ânti's son Sus'ânti had Pûruja, Arka was his son and from him was born Bharmyâs'va who had five sons with Mudgala as the eldest, followed by Yavînara, Brihadvis'va, Kâmpilla and Sañjaya. He prayed to them: 'My sons, if you're really capable, then take care of all the different states'. Thus received they the name the Pañcâlas [to the five states]. From Mudgala was there a line consisting of brahmins known as Maudgalya.
9.21.34
mithunaḿ mudgalād bhārmyād
(34) A non-identical twin, one male one female, was born from Mudgala, Bharmyâs'va's son. The boy was called Divodâsa and the girl was named Ahalyâ. From her marriage with Gautama was S'atânanda born [personalities also mentioned in the Ramâyana].
9.21.35
tasya satyadhṛtiḥ putro
śaradvāḿs tat-suto yasmād
(35) Of him there was a son SatyaDhriti, an expert in archery, and of S'aradvân, his son, were, simply by him seeing Urvas'î of his semen falling on a clump of s'ara grass, a male and a female child born that were a great blessing.
9.21.36
(36) During a hunt wandering in the forest saw King S'ântanu the twin whom he out of compassion took with him, naming the boy Kripa and the girl Kripî. She later became Dronâcârya's wife.
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