Ftihe Dynasty of North Paficala, Which Sprang from One of the Sons
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THE NORTH PANCALA DYNASTY BY F. E. PARGITER fTIHE dynasty of North Paficala, which sprang from one of the sons of Ajamidha, who reigned at Hastinapura, a successor of Bharata, king of the Paurava line,1 is of great importance, because not a few of its kings play an important part in the hymns of the Rigveda. Its genealogy is given by eight Puranas, the Vayu, Matsya, Harivamsa, Brahma, Visnu, Agni, Garuda, and Bhagavata. The first four are based on a common original, but now form two versions. The Vayu and Matsya2 generally agree, though with variations, the former having the older text. The Harivams'a and Brahma 3 largely agree, the former having the better text, while the latter is generally incomplete. These four give the oldest account of the genealogy. The other four have recast the account and are later, the Visnu's version being in prose.4 It is necessary, therefore, to set out only the texts of the first four, and their collated texts stand thus, immaterial variations being omitted :— Vayu and Matsya Harivamsa and Brahma Ajamidhasya Nilinyam Ajamidhat tu Nilinyam Nllah samabhavan nrpah Nilasya tapasogrena Susantir udapadyata Susantir udapadyata Purujanuh Su&antes tu Purujatih Susantes ca Riksas5 tu Purujanu-jah 1 JRAS. 1914, pp. 283-4. 2 Vayu 99, 194-211; Matsya 50, 1-16. The Brahmanda has lost it in a large lacuna. 5 Hariv. 32, 1777-94 ; Brahma 13, 93-101, most copies omitting lines 17-20 in this collated account. 4 Visnu iv, 19, 15-18 ; Agni 277, 18-25; Garuda i, 140, 17-24 ; • Bhagav. ix, 21, 30-22, 3. 5 Matsya calls him Prthu. Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. INSEAD, on 25 May 2018 at 15:35:48, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00051479 230 THE NORTH PANCALA DYNASTY Bhadrasvo1 Riksa2-dayado Bahyasvah3 Purujatitah Bhadrasva4 - tanayas tv Bahyasva-tanayah pafica ime' babhuvur amardpama51h, 0 Mudgalah Srnjayas7 caiva raja Brhadisus tatha Yavlnaras ca8 vikrantah Kampilyas caiva9 paficaraal pancanaiii raksanarthaya pancaite raksanayalam pitaitan abhyabhasata10 desanam iti nah sVutam 1 pancanam viddhipancaitan pancanaiii viddhi Pancalan sphlta janapada yutaalhi is sphita janapada vrtahu alarh samraksane tesam Pancala iti visrutah 1S Mudgalasyapi Maudgalyah Mudgalasya tu dayado • 10 Maudgalyah sumahayasah sarva ete mahatmanah * ksatropeta dvijatayah ksatrdpeta dvijatayah16 ete hy Ahgirasah paksaiii sariisritah Kanva 17-Mudgalah16 Mudgalasya18 suto jyestho19 brahmisthah20 sumahayasah16 Indi'asena yato garbham Vadhryasvam 21 pratyapadyata 15 Vadbryasvan mithunaih jajne Menakayam iti22 srutih28 Divodasas ca rajarsir Ahalya ca yasasvini.23 1 Vaj'u lalas tu. " Matsya calls him Prthu. 3 The correct form of Bhadrasva and Bahyasva is Bhrmyasva (see p. 233 infra). 4 Vayu Bheddc ca. 6 Matsya tanaydn chrnu. 8 Most Brahma MSS. sphlta janapada vrtdh. 7 Vayu Srnjayas : Matsya ca Jayas. 8 Matsya Javinaras ca. Vayu yaviydrhi capi. 9 Matsya Kapilas caiva. Hariv., Brahma Krmildsvas ca. 10 Matsya omits this line. n Matsya caiva Pancaldn. 12 Brahma te tu Pancdldh. " Matsya etdnjanapaddnviduh. 14 Hariv. sphltair janapadair vrtan, 15 Matsya reads instead— Paficala-raksino hy ete desanam iti nah srutam. 16 Brahma omits this line. " Vayu Kantha-. 18 Hariv. Maudgalyasya. 19 Matsya jajne. w Hariv. brahmarsih. 21 So 2 Vayu MSS. Vayu generally calls him Badhyaiva; Hariv. Vadhrasva ; Brahma Vadhrya. Matsya reads this line wrongly, thus— Indrasenah sutas tasya Vindhyasvas (or Van0) tasya catmajah. 22 Vayu Menakd. iti nah. 23 Brahma omits this line. Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. INSEAD, on 25 May 2018 at 15:35:48, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00051479 THE NORTH PANCALA DYNASTY 231 The account then diverges into the lineage (abbreviated) of Ahalya and her husband Saradvant, the Saradvatas, in eight or nine lines. It then returns to the main royal line thus— ata urdhvam1 pravaksyami Divodasasya santatim Divodasasya dayado brahmistho2 Mitrayur nrpah Maitreyas tu8 tatah Somo4 Maitreyas tu tatah smrtah5 ete 'pi6 sam^ritah paksam ksatr6petas tu Bhargavah 20 rajapi Cyavano vidvarhs asit Paficajanah putrah tato 'pratiratho 'bhavat7 Srfijayasya mahatmanah atha vai Cyavanad dhlman8 sutah Paiicajanasyapi Sudasah samapadyata 9 Somadatto mahlpatih Saudasah Sahadevas ca Somadattasya dayadah Sahadevo rnahayasah Sahadeva-sutas capi Somakas tasya catmajah Somako nama parthival.i Ajamldhah punar10 jatah ksine vamse tu Somakah 25 1 Most copies of the Brahma omit this and the next three lines. 2 Hariv. and Brahma brahmarsir. Matsya dharmistho, 8 So Vayu. Brahma equivalently Mitrayos tu. Hariv. turns tu into nu and reads wrongly Maitrdyano. Matsya further corrupts tatah and reads Maitrdyandvarah. 1 So Hariv. and Brahma. Matsya so 'tha. V&ynjajiie. 5 Matsya reads singulars. The Vayu text here, smrtd ete 'pi savisritdh, is a clerical blunder, omitting the first three words of this pada and adding the first three of the next line. 6 Hariv. vai : with which reading the Matsya has corrupted this pada to ete varhsyd yateh paksdh. 7 Matsya reads instead— raja Caidyavaro (or Vaidy°) nama Maitre3'asya sutah smrtali which may be right except in the name Vaidyavara and its corruption Caidyavara. Rdjd Vaidyavaro is no doubt a misreading of rdjcl vai Cyavano, so agreeing with the Vayu. The Vayu text might be read rdjd Picyavano, which at once suggests rdjd Pijavano. See p. 236 infra. 8 Similarly Matsya corrupts this to Oaidyavardd vidvan. See p. 232. 9 The Matsya by a copyist's blunder has run this line and the next into one, by omitting from samapadyata to Somakas, but it had the full text, because it agrees with the Vayu in the following lines about Sornaka. 10 Hariv. Ajamidhdt punar. Brahma Ajamldha-suto. Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. INSEAD, on 25 May 2018 at 15:35:48, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00051479 232 THE NORTH PANCALA DYNASTY Somakasya suto Jantur Somakasya suto Jantur hate tasmifl chatam yasya putra - £atam babhau babhau putranam Ajamldhasya Somakatve1 mahatmanah tesaih yavlyan Prsato Drupadasya pitabhavat2 Dhrstadyumnah sutas tasya Dhrstaketus" ca tat-sutah3 Ajamidhah smrta hy ete 30 mahatmanas tu Somakah. There may, perhaps, be a small lacuna between lines 20 and 21, where a line stating Cyavana's paternity or Srnjaya's paternity is wanted in the Vayu and Harivaihsa and Brahma. The Matsya makes Caidyavara or rather Vaidyavara, that is Cyavana (line 21, note), son of* Maitreya; and on this view Srnjaya would be the same as Maitreya Soma (assuming that Cyavana = Paficajana, as will appear), which is possible, for several of these kings had double names, as will be noticed ; but more probably Srnjaya was Maitreya's son. This Srnjaya cannot be Mudgala's brother Srnjaya (line 5), because he was a descendant of Divodasa, as line 17 expressly shows, and because, if he were Mudgala's brother, then Paftcajana as his son would have been a cousin of VadhryasVa's father, and could not have reigned two or three generations after Divodasa, as, in fact, he did according to the genealogy. It is unnecessary to set out the versions in the Visnu, Agni, Garuda, and Bhagavata. The Agni follows the Harivamsa in a general way, and the three others generally follow the Vayu. It will be sufficient to give their lists of the kings in a table alongside those of the first four Puranas. They contain some errors. Thus, they insert a king Santi before Susanti, and the Garuda 1 Matsya Somalcas te and Somakasya. 2 Matsya omits this line. 3 Matsya and Brahma omit this line. Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. INSEAD, on 25 May 2018 at 15:35:48, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0035869X00051479 THE NORTH PANCALA DYNASTY 233 makes Saudasa-Sahadeva two kings. They all leave out Modgala's son who is styled brahmistha and brahmarsi, and no doubt with reason, because apparently he did not become king. Putting aside those mistakes and the Matsya's error about Indrasena (line 14), and omitting Mudgala's son, the lists of these kings in the eight Puranas down to king Drupada and his son Dhrsta- dyuinna, who are well known from the Mahabharata, stand as in the annexed table (p. 234). Certain names have been corrupted in these lists. The correct name of No. 6 is BhrmyaSva, which the Bhagavata has preserved best,1 while all the others are badly astray; and that of No. 8 is VadhryaSva (line 14, note). The best form of No. 5's name seems to be Rksa, of which the variants Caksu and Arka (for Arksa) are easy corruptions. Caidyavara, the corruption of No. 13's name, has been noticed already, and Pancadhanusa is plainly a mistake for Pancajana, No. 13. It is obvious that Sudasa and Somadatta are one and the same, and there can be no doubt that Cyavana and Pancajana are also one. Double names occurred in this dynasty, for, as will be seen, Divodasa had the name Atithigva and also apparently Kasoju2; and Sahadeva the name Suplan.3 Line 25 says Somaka was Ajamidha reborn, and it seems probable that he had the name Ajamidha also, and that this statement is a gloss to explain the double name. The dynasty then stands thus :— 1. Nila. 6. Mudgala. 2. Sulanti. 7. VadhryaSva. 3. Purujanu (or Purujati). 8. Divodasa. 4. Rksa. 9. Mitrayu. 5. Bhrmyasva. 10. Maitreya Soma. 1 It cl6ses this dynasty with saying these Pancalas were Bharmyas (ix, 22, 3). 2 Macdonell & Keith, Vedic Index i, 15, 144.