SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 9

S'rî S'uka said: 'Harita was the son of King Rohita [see previous chapter] and his son Campa built a city called Campâpurî. After him there was Sudeva who also had a son called Vijaya.

S'ukadeva Gosvami continued: The son of Rohita was Harita, and Harita's son was Campa, who constructed the town of Campâpurî. The son of Campa was Sudeva, and his son was Vijaya. (Vedabase)

Text 2

Bharuka was the son of Vijaya, he had one called Vrika and Vrika had Bâhuka of whom all the land he had was taken away by his enemies so that the king had to enter the forest with his wife.

The son of Vijaya was Bharuka, Bharuka's son was Vrika, and Vrika's son was Bâhuka. The enemies of King Bâhuka took away all his possessions, and therefore the King entered the order of vânaprastha and went to the forest with his wife. (Vedabase)

Text 3

When he had died of old age wanted his queen to die along with him but sage Aurva, who understood that she was pregnant with a son in her womb, forbade it.

Bâhuka died when he was old, and one of his wives wanted to die with him, following the satî rite. At that time, however, Aurva Muni, knowing her to be pregnant, forbade her to die. (Vedabase)

Text 4

The co-wives finding out gave her poison with her food, but with the poison was Sagara ['with poison'] born, who became an emperor of great repute. His sons were responsible for the place called Gangâsâgara.

Knowing that she was pregnant, the co-wives of the wife of Bâhuka conspired to give her poison with her food, but it did not act. Instead, the son was born along with the poison. Therefore he became famous as Sagara ["one who is born with poison"]. Sagara later became the emperor. The place known as Gangâsâgara was excavated by his sons. (Vedabase)

Text 5-6:

He didn't kill the antisocial [Tâlajanghas, or tree-people], the ones opposing [the Yavanas, also: invaders like the Muslims and the Europeans], the godless [the S'akâs], the ruffians [Haihayas] nor the barbarians [Barbaras]. Instead made he, to the orders of the guru, them appear in odd dresses, shaved clean, wearing mustaches or sometimes tolerated he them as people with loose hair, being half-shaven, without any underwear or not being clad at all.

Sagara Mahârâja, following the order of his spiritual master, Aurva, did not kill the uncivilized men like the Tâlajanghas, Yavanas, S'akas, Haihayas and Barbaras. Instead, some of them he made dress awkwardly, some of them he shaved clean but allowed to wear mustaches, some of them he left wearing loose hair, some he half shaved, some he left without underwear, and some without external garments. Thus these different clans were made to dress differently, but King Sagara did not kill them. (Vedabase)

Text 7

He was to the words of Aurva in yoga with the Supersoul of all vedic knowledge and the enlightened, and with horse sacrifices of worship unto the Lord, the Original Self and Controller. Some day he discovered that the horse that was used for the sacrifice had been stolen by Purandara [Indra, see also 4.19: 17].

Following the instructions of the great sage Aurva, Sagara Mahârâja performed as'vamedha sacrifices and thus satisfied the Supreme Lord, who is the supreme controller, the Supersoul of all learned scholars, and the knower of all Vedic knowledge, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But Indra, the King of heaven, stole the horse meant to be offered at the sacrifice. (Vedabase)

Text 8

The proud sons born from Sumati [a wife of Sagara] then were ordered by their father to turn the entire country up side down to find out where the horse had gone to.

[King Sagara had two wives, Sumati and Kes'inî.] The sons of Sumati, who were very proud of their prowess and influence, following the order of their father, searched for the lost horse. While doing so, they dug into the earth very extensively. (Vedabase)

Text 9-10

In the northeastern direction they saw the horse near the âs'rama of Kapila and said: 'Now we know where that horse-thief with his eyes closed lives; kill him, kill him that sinner!' While thus the sixty thousand men of Sagara with their weapons raised approached him, opened the muni at that very moment his eyes.

Thereafter, in the northeastern direction, they saw the horse near the âs'rama of Kapila Muni. "Here is the man who has stolen the horse," they said. "He is staying there with closed eyes. Certainly he is very sinful. Kill him! Kill him!" Shouting like this, the sons of Sagara, sixty thousand all together, raised their weapons. When they approached the sage, the sage opened His eyes. (Vedabase)

Text 11

With their minds stolen [by Indra] and in offense with such a great personality [as Kapila see also 3.25-33], self-ignited their bodies instantly and turned they to ashes.

By the influence of Indra, the King of heaven, the sons of Sagara had lost their intelligence and disrespected a great personality. Consequently, fire emanated from their own bodies, and they were immediately burned to ashes. (Vedabase)

Text 12

It is not the opinion of the saintly to say that the sons of the emperor were thus burnt to ashes by the anger of the muni, for how could with him [Him] as the abode of goodness by whose grace the entire universe is purified, the mode of ignorance dominate and anger rise - how can earthly dust pollute the ether?

It is sometimes argued that the sons of King Sagara were burned to ashes by the fire emanating from the eyes of Kapila Muni. This statement, however, is not approved by great learned persons, for Kapila Muni's body is completely in the mode of goodness and therefore cannot manifest the mode of ignorance in the form of anger, just as the pure sky cannot be polluted by the dust of the earth. (Vedabase)

Text 13

With him who so thoroughly explained the world analytically [see 3.25-33] and in this world is there as a boat with which a seeker can cross over the ocean of nescience that in one's mortal existence is so hard to overcome, how can there, with a learned person elevated in transcendence, be a sense of distinction between friend and foe? [such a one is always jubilant: prasannâtmâ]

Kapila Muni enunciated in this material world the Sânkhya philosophy, which is a strong boat with which to cross over the ocean of nescience. Indeed, a person eager to cross the ocean of the material world may take shelter of this philosophy. In such a greatly learned person, situated on the elevated platform of transcendence, how can there be any distinction between enemy and friend? (Vedabase)

Text 14

He who born from Kes'inî [Sagara's other wife] was called Asamañjasa had as a prince a son of his own known as Ams'umân who always did the best he could for his grandfather.

Among the sons of Sagara Mahârâja was one named Asamañjasa, who was born from the King's second wife, Kes'inî. The son of Asamañjasa was known as Ams'umân, and he was always engaged in working for the good of Sagara Mahârâja, his grandfather. (Vedabase)

Text 15-16:

Formerly a yogi, as he could remember from another life, had Asamañjasa fallen down from the path of yoga because of bad association and personally proven himself a most disturbing way. Behaving badly was he of trouble for everybody in the society and had he, sporting with his relatives, been acting unkind throwing all the boys into the river the Sarayû.

Formerly, in his previous birth, Asamañjasa had been a great mystic yogi, but by bad association he had fallen from his exalted position. Now, in this life, he was born in a royal family and was a jati-smara; that is, he had the special advantage of being able to remember his past birth. Nonetheless, he wanted to display himself as a miscreant, and therefore he would do things that were abominable in the eyes of the public and unfavorable to his relatives. He would disturb the boys sporting in the River Sarayû by throwing them into the depths of the water. (Vedabase)

Text 17

Of these acts [the boys had disappeared] was he by his father banned who gave up his love for him. By the power of yoga [though] managed he to present the boys and went he away.

Because Asamañjasa engaged in such abominable activities, his father gave up affection for him and had him exiled. Then Asamañjasa exhibited his mystic power by reviving the boys and showing them to the King and their parents. After this, Asamañjasa left Ayodhyâ. (Vedabase)