Indian Antiquary Vol 40

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 42

86
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JANUARY, 1911.
Brahmanas, and from the latter Pratihara Kshatriyas. We have a similar instance also, I think, in the case of Kadambas. The founder of this family, as we have seen above, was Mayurasarman. That he was a Brahmana is clearly shown by his honorific suffix surman and by the actual use of the word vipra in the well-known Talgund inscription. But his own son bears the designation of varman appropriate to a Kshatriya only. This shows that Mayûrasar man too, like Harichandra, must have married a Kshatriya woman, and consequently was the originator of a Kshatriya family. But against this view is the fact that the Pratihâras and Kadambas are nowhere in inscriptions or elsewhere known as Brahma-Kshatris. A third explanation also can be adduced with regard to the origin of this composite name. In the Puranas we find at least two old royal families that are called Brahma-Kshatra. Thus the Váya-purana in chapter 99 has the following verses:
अचानुचोक गीतो विप्रैः पुराभिः ।
ब्रह्मक्षत्रस्य यो योनि वंशो देवर्षिसत्कृतः || २७८
क्षेमकं प्राप्य राजानं संस्थां प्राप्स्यति वै कलौ ।
इत्येष पौरवो वंशो यथावदनुकीर्तितः ॥ २७९
In the Vishnu-purana occurs the following verse at the end of Aisa IV, chapter 21 :
ब्रह्मक्षत्वस्य यो योनिर्देशो राजर्षिसत्कृतः ।
क्षेमकं प्राप्य राजानं स संस्थां प्राप्स्यते कलौ ॥
Here the Paurava family is called Brahma-Kshatra, and with regard to its signification, the commentator on the Vishnupurdna says: ब्रह्मणः ब्राह्मणस्य क्षत्रस्य क्षत्रियस्य च योनः कारणं पूर्व यथोक्तस्वात् । This means that from the Paurava family emanated both the Brahmana and Kshatriya families. We know that the parents of Puru, who was the progenitor of the Pauravas were Yayâti and Sarmishṭhâ, both unquestionably of the Kshatriya caste. Hence the question will naturally arise, how and what Brahmana families could have sprung from Purn? Chapter 19 of Book IV of the Vishnupurána answers it. In part 9 of the chapter we have गर्गाच्छिनित्ततो गार्ग्या सैन्याः क्षत्रोपेता द्विजातयो बभूवुः in part 10 occur the words अजमीढारकण्वः कण्वान्मेधातिथिर्यतः काण्यायना द्विजाः and in part 16 the words मुगालाच्च क्षत्रोपेता द्विजातयो बभूवुः. The ' expression क्षत्रोपेता द्विजातयो बभूवुः is explained in the commentary by क्षत्रिया एव केनचित्कारणेन ब्राह्मणाश्च बभूवुः. From these quotations it is clear that no less than four Brahmanic families. originated from Puru, viz., Gârgya, Sainya, Kânvâyana and Maudgalya. This is the reason why the Paurava family is styled Brahma-Kshatra. Yayâti and Sarmishțhâ had also another son called Anu. One of his descendants called Vijaya is spoken as a Brahma-Kshatra. The verse in the Hariva:héa runs thus:
जयद्रथस्तु राजेन्द्र यशोदेध्यां व्यजायत ।
ब्रह्मक्षवीत्तरः सत्यां विजयो नाम विद्युतः || १७०७
The prose passage in the Vishnu-purána corresponding to it, is: ब्रह्मक्षत्रान्तरालसंभूत्यां 50 परम्यां विजयं नाम पुत्रमजीजनत् ।
The passage is explained by the commentator in the following words:
प्रातिलोम्येन ब्रह्मक्षत्रयोरन्तराले संकरे संभूतिर्जन्म यस्याः तस्याः सुतायां परम्यां । ब्राह्मण्यां क्षत्रियाज्जातः
सूत इति स्मृतेः । अतो माढवद्वर्णसंकरा इति वचनाद्विजयः
सूत एव | अतश्च कणपि तद्वंश्यत्यात्सूतस्वन ख्यातः ।
There is a little confusion in the commentary here, but what the commentator means is that Vijaya's mother's mother was born of a Kshatriya father and Brahmana mother, and that he is, therefore, called Brahma-Kshatra, i. e., Sûta, after the caste of his mother. This
80. In the Bhagavata-purdra, Sathbhlti is given as the name of Vijaya's mother. But this is a mistako, His mother's name was Satya, as given by the Harivahia and Vayu purana.