Soma and Hastināpura

Vālmīki tells Rāma this account at the very end of Rāmarājya, the reign of Rāma. It tells of the birth of Soma, the founding of Hastināpura, and the Candra-vaṃśa, the line of the Moon. It follows the kings of this line down to Nala and his sons, who came to Hastināpura with their armies near the end of Rāma’s reign.

The birth of Soma

In the Kṛta Yuga the great ṛshi Atri kept a Vaiśākha Pūrṇimā. On that holy night he gazed at the bright moon, whose face shone like a beautiful woman’s. Atri’s seed fell to the earth. A son was born from that seed. He came into being through the sight of the moon (Soma), so he was named Soma.

The founding of Hastināpura

Soma grew up doing tapas (austerity) in the forest on the bank of the Jāhnavī (Gaṅgā). One day he saw a strange thing in that place. A large elephant was killed by birds. This could not happen in the usual way, and it showed the special power of that spot.

Soma thought about this marvel and decided that the land had great śakti. He built a city there and named it Hastinaśa-pura, “the city where the elephant was destroyed”. It came to be known as Hastināpura. The people of that region accepted Soma as their king.

Soma, Budha and the conquest of all worlds

Soma had a son, Budha, who grew into a powerful king. Together they set out to conquer. They won all the islands (dvīpas) and all the kingdoms of the earth. Then they went up to the higher worlds. They overcame all the devatās, drove Indra and the other devas out of Amarāvatī together with their wives, and settled in svarga.

This drew the attention of Brahmā. He did not punish them. He said, “You two are born in my vaṃśa.” He gave them a vara (a boon). From the third generation on, for the next seven generations, the kings of their line would not be beaten in battle by any being. Then Brahmā went back to Brahmaloka.

After this Indra gave his granddaughter Padmāvatī in marriage to Soma. Soma and Budha then lived happily in svarga for a long time.

Purūravas and the growing line

Budha’s son Purūravas became famous across the earth. He ruled Hastināpura with dharma. Purūravas had a son named Gavya (also called Gavvu). Gavya’s son was Alpa. Alpa’s son was Nala. In this account Nala became the most powerful king of the Candra-vaṃśa.

Nala and the age of conquest

Nala was a great conqueror. He left three of his forefathers, Purūravas, Gavya and Alpa, in Hastināpura. With the lords of the seven dvīpas he set out to conquer all the directions and to reach the great Meru. One by one he won the realms of Agni (the deva of fire), Yama and Nairṛti. Then, with Rāvaṇa and others, he went on towards Varuṇa.

At this time Rāvaṇa set out to conquer svarga. He went there with his forces, took Indra and the other devas, and brought them to Laṅkā. When Soma and Budha heard this, they got ready to fight Rāvaṇa and free the devas. Brahmā stopped them. He said, “Mahāvishṇu will take birth in human form and kill Rāvaṇa. Do not go against him. I have given Rāvaṇa a vara.” Soma took Brahmā’s advice and went to Amarāvatī.

Nala went on with his conquests. He won Varuṇa, Vāyu, Kubera and Īśāna in turn. While he travelled, the Kṛta Yuga came to its end and the Tretā Yuga went forward. He found that Rāvaṇa was no longer on the earth. He decided to go back to Hastināpura and see his forefathers.

During this long campaign Nala’s line kept growing. Nala’s son was Nādyuka. Then came Jātīkara, Vasuda, Laghuśruta, Suradha and Ajāmīḍha. So the line went on for many generations while Nala himself was still away on his campaigns.

The time of Rāma

Rāmacandra came down as an avatāra and destroyed Rāvaṇa. The devatās were freed from Laṅkā and went back to svarga. Rāma then brought all the kings of the earth under His rule, including the rulers of the seven dvīpas.

At Hastināpura, Rāma sent away the descendants of Purūravas who lived there, together with their women. He placed the vānara Susheṇa there as guardian of the city. The royal family of Purūravas lived the rest of their lives in exile.

Nala and the other lords of the seven dvīpas were elsewhere. They had accepted Rāma’s rule and lived in their own dvīpas through Rāmarājya, paying tribute. By now they had very large armies from their long campaigns.

As the eleventh thousand years of Rāmarājya came near its end, these Candra-vaṃśa kings gathered at Hastināpura in force. Nala led the lords of the seven dvīpas, together with the remaining descendants of Purūravas from Hastināpura. This set the stage for the last great battle of Rāmarājya.

Sources

• Ānanda Rāmāyaṇa, Pūrṇa Khaṇḍa, Chapter 1