Canto 9: Liberation
SB9.22

Canto 9 · Chapter 22 · 49 verses

The Descendants of Ajamīḍha

Ajamīḍha’s descendants include Jarāsandha, the Kuru family, the sons of Pāṇḍu, and Parīkṣit’s successors.

Read on Vedabase
Connected storiesJarāsandha and the RājasūyaCyavana Muni and SukanyāBhīṣmadevaLord Paraśurāma
Who is speakingSūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitEvery voice in this chapter ›

What this chapter speaks about · the ten subjects

Chapter summary

This chapter describes the descendants of Divodāsa. It also describes Jarāsandha, who belonged to the Ṛkṣa dynasty, as well as Duryodhana, Arjuna and others.

The son of Divodāsa was Mitrāyu, who had four sons, one after another — Cyavana, Sudāsa, Sahadeva and Somaka. Somaka had one hundred sons, of whom the youngest was Pṛṣata, from whom Drupada was born. Drupada’s daughter was Draupadī, and his sons were headed by Dhṛṣṭadyumna. Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s son was Dhṛṣṭaketu.

Another son of Ajamīḍha was named Ṛkṣa. From Ṛkṣa came a son named Saṁvaraṇa, and from Saṁvaraṇa came Kuru, the king of Kurukṣetra. Kuru had four sons — Parīkṣi, Sudhanu, Jahnu and Niṣadha. Among the descendants in the dynasty from Sudhanu were Suhotra, Cyavana, Kṛtī and Uparicara Vasu. The sons of Uparicara Vasu, including Bṛhadratha, Kuśāmba, Matsya, Pratyagra and Cedipa, became kings of the Cedi state. In the dynasty from Bṛhadratha came Kuśāgra, Ṛṣabha, Satyahita, Puṣpavān and Jahu, and from Bṛhadratha through the womb of another wife came Jarāsandha, who was followed by Sahadeva, Somāpi and Śrutaśravā. Parīkṣi, the son of Kuru, had no sons. Among the descendants of Jahnu were Suratha, Vidūratha, Sārvabhauma, Jayasena, Rādhika, Ayutāyu, Akrodhana, Devātithi, Ṛkṣa, Dilīpa and Pratīpa.

The sons of Pratīpa were Devāpi, Śāntanu and Bāhlīka. When Devāpi retired to the forest, his younger brother Śāntanu became the king. Although Śāntanu, being younger, was not eligible to occupy the throne, he disregarded his elder brother. Consequently, there was no rainfall for twelve years. Following the advice of the brāhmaṇas, Śāntanu was ready to return the kingdom to Devāpi, but by the intrigue of Śāntanu’s minister, Devāpi became unfit to be king. Therefore Śāntanu resumed charge of the kingdom, and rain fell properly during his regime. By mystic power, Devāpi still lives in the village known as Kalāpa-grāma. In this Kali-yuga, when the descendants of Soma known as the candra-vaṁśa (the lunar dynasty) die out, Devāpi, at the beginning of Satya-yuga, will reestablish the dynasty of the moon. The wife of Śāntanu named Gaṅgā gave birth to Bhīṣma, one of the twelve authorities. Two sons named Citrāṅgada and Vicitravīrya were also born from the womb of Satyavatī by the semen of Śāntanu, and Vyāsadeva was born from Satyavatī by the semen of Parāśara. Vyāsadeva instructed the history of the Bhāgavatam to his son Śukadeva. Through the womb of the two wives and the maidservant of Vicitravīrya, Vyāsadeva begot Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu and Vidura.

Dhṛtarāṣṭra had one hundred sons, headed by Duryodhana, and one daughter named Duḥśalā. Pāṇḍu had five sons, headed by Yudhiṣṭhira, and each of these five sons had one son from Draupadī. The names of these sons of Draupadī were Prativindhya, Śrutasena, Śrutakīrti, Śatānīka and Śrutakarmā. Besides these five sons, by other wives the Pāṇḍavas had many other sons, such as Devaka, Ghaṭotkaca, Sarvagata, Suhotra, Naramitra, Irāvān, Babhruvāhana and Abhimanyu. From Abhimanyu, Mahārāja Parīkṣit was born, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit had four sons — Janamejaya, Śrutasena, Bhīmasena and Ugrasena.

Next Śukadeva Gosvāmī described the future sons of the Pāṇḍu family. From Janamejaya, he said, would come a son named Śatānīka, and following in the dynasty would be Sahasrānīka, Aśvamedhaja, Asīmakṛṣṇa, Nemicakra, Citraratha, Śuciratha, Vṛṣṭimān, Suṣeṇa, Sunītha, Nṛcakṣu, Sukhīnala, Pariplava, Sunaya, Medhāvī, Nṛpañjaya, Dūrva, Timi, Bṛhadratha, Sudāsa, Śatānīka, Durdamana, Mahīnara, Daṇḍapāṇi, Nimi and Kṣemaka.

Śukadeva Gosvāmī then predicted the kings of the māgadha-vaṁśa, or Māgadha dynasty. Sahadeva, the son of Jarāsandha, would beget Mārjāri, and from him would come Śrutaśravā. Subsequently taking birth in the dynasty will be Yutāyu, Niramitra, Sunakṣatra, Bṛhatsena, Karmajit, Sutañjaya, Vipra, Śuci, Kṣema, Suvrata, Dharmasūtra, Sama, Dyumatsena, Sumati, Subala, Sunītha, Satyajit, Viśvajit and Ripuñjaya.

This chapter has no story of its own in the story guide; these are the stories it connects to.

Beyond this chapter

Connected stories across the Bhāgavatam

Stories told in other chapters that this chapter's verses or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purports bring in, the other Bhāgavatam verses the purports quote, and stories in other cantos with the same themes. Each link shows the sentence it comes from.

What it teaches · The liberated kings recognize the danger of pride in temporary power. Kṛṣṇa directs them to worship Him, protect their subjects, and remain steady in happiness and distress.

This is the history of a monarchy that began with Jarāsandha and continues for one thousand years as the above-mentioned kings appear on the surface of the globe.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport · SB 9.22.49 (Text 49)

When the mother saw those two halves she rejected them, but later a she-demon named Jarā playfully joined them and said, “Come to life, come to life!” Thus the son named Jarāsandha was born.

Read the story in SB 10.71–75

Cyavana Muni and Sukanyā

SB 9.3 · Sukanyā and Cyavana Muni

What it teaches · Sukanyā acknowledged her mistake, and the heavenly physicians honored her faithfulness to her husband.

O King, the son of Divodāsa was Mitrāyu, and from Mitrāyu came four sons, named Cyavana, Sudāsa, Sahadeva and Somaka.

From Sudhanu, Suhotra was born, and from Suhotra, Cyavana.

Read the story in SB 9.3

What it teaches · Even great thinkers cannot fully understand the Lord’s plan. Bhīṣmadeva’s final prayers show the goal of fixing the mind upon Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

From Śāntanu, through the womb of his wife named Gaṅgā, came Bhīṣma, the exalted, self-realized devotee and learned scholar.

Bhīṣmadeva was the foremost of all warriors.

Read the story in SB 1.9

What it teaches · Jamadagni stresses tolerance and atonement. The account also describes how pride and sinful conduct among rulers brought destruction upon them.

When he defeated Lord Paraśurāma in a fight, Lord Paraśurāma was very satisfied with him.

The fight between Paraśurāma and Bhīṣmadeva concerns three daughters of Kāśīrāja — Ambikā, Ambālikā and Ambā — who were forcibly abducted by Bhīṣmadeva, acting on behalf of his brother Vicitravīrya.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport · SB 9.22.20 (Text 20)
Read the story in SB 9.15–16

What it teaches · The sage condemns the angry punishment of a king who should not have been condemned. His response emphasizes recognition of Parīkṣit’s devotion and consideration of his exhausted condition.

Because of your death by the Takṣaka snake, your son Janamejaya will be very angry and will perform a sacrifice to kill all the snakes in the world.

Read the story in SB 1.18