विष्णुपुराणम् — चतुर्थांशः

Summary AI Viṣṇu manifests as Brahmā to begin the lineage of Manu. Manu’s child, Ilā, bears Purūravas to Budha. King Raivata-Kakudmin travels to the realm of Brahmā with his daughter Revatī. He listens to celestial music for ages, returning to find a diminished world. He marries Revatī to Balarāma, who uses a plow to adjust her height for the current age.

४.२

चतुर्थांशे द्वितीयोऽध्यायः

The lineage of Ikṣvāku and Saubhari.

Summary AI Ikṣvāku arises from Manu, initiating a lineage where Vikukṣi earns the name Śaśāda. Purañjaya defeats demons while mounted on the hump of Indra. Yuvanāśva births Māndhātṛ from his side. The sage Saubhari marries fifty princesses and commissions Viśvakarman to build palaces. Realizing the futility of attachment, he retreats to the forest to attain the state of Acyuta.

४.३

चतुर्थांशे तृतीयोऽध्यायः

Purukutsa and Sagara regain the kingdom.

Summary AI Purukutsa enters Rasātala via the Narmadā to defeat the Mauneya Gandharvas. Triśaṅku ascends to heaven in his physical body. His descendant Sagara is born alongside poison. Trained by Aurva, Sagara reconquers the earth, subduing the Haihayas and forcing rival tribes to abandon Vedic rites.

४.४

चतुर्थांशे चतुर्थोऽध्यायः

King Sagara and the Ikṣvāku lineage.

Summary AI Sagara’s sixty thousand sons perish when they confront the sage Kapila. Bhagīratha brings the Gaṅgā from heaven to purify their remains. King Kalmāṣapāda bears a curse of spotted feet after a conflict with Vasiṣṭha. Rāma slays Rāvaṇa and rules Ayodhyā. The lineage continues toward the king Maru, who awaits the next age in the village of Kalāpa.

४.५

चतुर्थांशे पञ्चमोऽध्यायः

King Nimi and the birth of Janaka.

Summary AI Vasiṣṭha curses King Nimi to lose his physical form. Nimi chooses to dwell within the eyelids of all living beings, creating the nimeṣa. Sages churn Nimi's body to produce Janaka. His descendants in Mithilā pursue ātmavidyā and include Sītā’s father, Sīradhvaja.

४.६

चतुर्थांशे षष्ठोऽध्यायः

Soma’s lineage and the threefold fire.

Summary AI Soma seizes Tārā, igniting a war between gods and demons. Brahmā restores Tārā to Bṛhaspati, and she bears Budha. Budha’s son Purūravas lives with the apsaras Urvaśī. When Urvaśī vanishes, Purūravas fashions fire-sticks. By performing sacrifices, he divides the single original fire into three and attains the celestial realm.

४.७

चतुर्थांशे सप्तमोऽध्यायः

Jahnu's descendants and Paraśurāma.

Summary AI Jahnu drinks the Gaṅgā, later adopting the river as his daughter. His descendant Gādhi demands a thousand black-eared horses from Ṛcīka as a bride-price for Satyavatī. An exchange of ritual caru results in the birth of Jamadagni and the kṣatriya Viśvāmitra becoming a sage. Jamadagni’s son, Paraśurāma, appears as an incarnation of Nārāyaṇa to destroy the kṣatriya order.

४.८

चतुर्थांशे अष्टमोऽध्यायः

The genealogy of the Kāśī kings.

Summary AI Āyu begets five sons. From Kṣatravṛddha, the lineage of Kāśī begins. Śaunaka establishes the cāturvarṇya system. Dhanvantari takes birth as the king of Kāśī to divide āyurveda into eight parts. His successor, Pratardana, earns the name Śatrujit by defeating the Bhadraśreṇya clan. Alarka rules the earth for sixty-six thousand years.

४.९

चतुर्थांशे नवमोऽध्यायः

Indra regains heaven from the sons of Raji.

Summary AI The Devas accept Raji as their leader to triumph in the war between gods and demons. Raji destroys the Asura host and restores Indra. After Raji dies, his sons seize heaven. Bṛhaspati performs rituals to delude the sons, leading them to abandon the Vedas. Their loss of virtue allows Indra to slay them and reclaim his throne.

४.१०

चतुर्थांशे दशमोऽध्यायः

King Yayāti trades his old age for youth.

Summary AI King Yayāti asks his sons to trade their youth for his infirmity caused by a curse from Śukra. Yadu and the elder brothers refuse, but the youngest, Pūru, accepts. After a thousand years, Yayāti realizes that desire increases like fire fed by havis. He returns Pūru’s youth, installs him as sovereign, and retires to the forest.

४.११

चतुर्थांशे एकादशोऽध्यायः

४.१२

चतुर्थांशे द्वादशोऽध्यायः

King Jyāmagha’s lie and the birth of a son.

Summary AI King Jyāmagha, submissive to his wife Śaivyā, captures a princess and claims she is their daughter-in-law. Despite her age, Śaivyā conceives a son, Vidarbha, to fulfill this promise. Vidarbha marries the princess, establishing the branch of the Caidya and Sātvata kings. Hearing this record removes a person's sins.

४.१३

चतुर्थांशे त्रयोदशोऽध्यायः

Kṛṣṇa clears his name by finding a lost jewel.

Summary AI Satrājit receives the syamantaka jewel from Āditya. When Satrājit’s brother Prasena disappears, the Yādavas accuse Kṛṣṇa of theft. Kṛṣṇa tracks a lion to the cave of the bear king Jāmbavān. After a twenty-one-day battle, he recovers the jewel. Kṛṣṇa identifies the stone after Śatadhanvan murders Satrājit, but permits Akrūra to keep it.

४.१४

चतुर्थांशे चतुर्दशोऽध्यायः

The Vṛṣṇi family and Śiśupāla.

Summary AI Vasudeva is born to Śūra amidst celestial kettledrums, earning the name Ānakadundubhi. He marries Devakī, while his sister Pṛthā bears the Pāṇḍavas. The soul of Hiraṇyakaśipu is reborn as Daśānana and Śiśupāla. Slain by Kṛṣṇa, Śiśupāla achieves sāyujya union through fixed concentration, showing that divine opposition results in a celestial state.

४.१५

चतुर्थांशे पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः

Śiśupāla’s salvation and Kṛṣṇa’s family.

Summary AI Śiśupāla attains sāyujya with the Lord because constant focus fixed the image of the deity in his mind. This focus leads to dissolution into Brahman. Kṛṣṇa begets Balarāma through Rohiṇī and Kṛṣṇa through Devakī. Kṛṣṇa takes sixteen thousand wives, fathering an extensive lineage. These descendants multiply until the Yādavas number in the millions.

४.१६

चतुर्थांशे षोडशोऽध्यायः

Kṛṣṇa kills the demon Keśī.

Summary AI The horse-demon Keśī gallops into Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa thrusts his arm into the beast’s mouth, where it expands and shatters the demon’s teeth. The horse splits into two halves. Witnessing this, Nārada grants Kṛṣṇa the name Keśava for slaying the creature. Kṛṣṇa returns to Gokula where the gopīs await him.

४.१७

चतुर्थांशे सप्तदशोऽध्यायः

The descendants of Druhyu rule northern tribes.

Summary AI Babhru succeeds Druhyu, beginning a line that reaches Gāndhāra. The lineage continues through Pracetas. His son, Śatadharma, extends sovereignty over the many mleccha tribes living in these territories, shifting the focus of the dynasty toward the borders of the north.

४.१८

चतुर्थांशे अष्टादशोऽध्यायः

The descendants of Anu and discovery of Karṇa.

Summary AI King Bali begets five sons who establish the kingdoms of Aṅga, Vaṅga, Kaliṅga, Suhya, and Paiṇḍra. In the Aṅga line, King Romapāda adopts Śāntā. The descent continues to Atiratha, who discovers the infant Karṇa in a basket on the Gaṅgā, concluding the record of this royal branch.

४.१९

चतुर्थांशे ऊनविंशोऽध्यायः

The lineage and branches of the Pūru dynasty.

Summary AI The lineage of Pūru descends through Duṣyanta and Bharata. This house produces the city-builder Hastin and expands into branches such as the Pañcāla. Jarāsandha is born in two halves and joined by an ogress. Kuru establishes the field of Kurukṣetra, marking the sacred center of this expanding royal line.

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चतुर्थांशे विंशोऽध्यायः

The royal Kuru lineage and birth of Parīkṣit.

Summary AI Śantanu assumes the throne while his brother Devāpi retires to the forest. When drought strikes, Devāpi’s rejection of the Vedas restores rain and legitimizes Śantanu’s rule. The lineage proceeds through Bhīṣma, leading to the Pāṇḍavas. After the Kuru extinction, divine power restores life to the infant Parīkṣit.

४.२१

चतुर्थांशे एकविंशोऽध्यायः

४.२२

चतुर्थांशे द्वाविंशोऽध्यायः

The future kings ending with Sumitra.

Summary AI Successors continue the ikṣvāku line into the future. The genealogy includes Śuddhodana and Rāhula. An anuvamśa verse notes that this royal succession ends with Sumitra. His reign marks the final point for the dynasty as the Kali age progresses, bringing the long lineage to a close.

४.२३

चतुर्थांशे त्रयोविंशोऽध्यायः

Future kings of Magadha.

Summary AI Future kings of the Bṛhadratha lineage rule Magadha starting with Sahadeva, the son of Jarāsandha. Successors including Senajit and Śuci follow. The lineage concludes with the reign of Ripuñjaya. These rulers maintain authority over the region for a period of one thousand years, passing the throne across many generations.

४.२४

चतुर्थांशे चतुर्विंशोऽध्यायः

Future kings rule until Kalki restores order.

Summary AI Low-born kings seize power as the Kaliyuga advances. Rulers abandon righteousness, forcing people to flee into mountains. To restore order, Kalki manifests in Śambala village and destroys the barbarian hosts. The Earth laughs at kings who battle for her possession. This history reveals the power of Time, which reduces mighty monarchs to stories.

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