Daksha-Kanyā Vaṃśa
The Daksha-Kanyā Vaṃśa is the family line of the daughters of Daksha. Daksha Prajāpati (a prajāpati is a “father of beings”) and his wife Asiknī, daughter of Pañcajana Prajāpati, had sixty daughters. They were married to great beings of the universe: Dharma, Kaśyapa Prajāpati (also called Tārkshya), Candra (the moon), Bhūta, Aṅgiras and Kṛśāśva. From their children the three worlds were filled with every kind of being: devas, ṛtus (seasons), apsarās (heavenly dancers), gandharvas (heavenly musicians), nāgas (serpent beings), pakshīs (birds), rākshasas, pitṛdevas (ancestor-devatās) and all of creation.
This account is told in Chapter 6 of the 6th Skandha of the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa. It is the main source for how the great variety of living beings in the universe came to be.
The Sixty Daughters and Their Marriages
Daksha Prajāpati, son of the Pracetās, had lost his sons, the Haryaśvas and the Śabalāśvas, and was comforted by Svāyambhuva Brahmā. Then Asiknī bore him sixty daughters, who loved their father dearly. He gave them in marriage as follows:
- 10 to Dharma
- 13 to Kaśyapa Prajāpati (Tārkshya), the first group
- 27 to Candra (these are the twenty-seven nakshatras, the lunar stars)
- 2 to Bhūta
- 2 to Aṅgiras
- 2 to Kṛśāśva
- 4 more to Kaśyapa (Tārkshya), a second group that includes Vinatā and Kadrū
The Daughters Married to Dharma
The ten wives of Dharma and their children:
| Wife | Sons |
|---|---|
| Bhānu | Devaṛshabha (and from him, Indrasena) |
| Lambā | Vidyota (lightning); from him, the Stanayitnus (devatās of the clouds) |
| Kakubh | Saṃkaṭa; from him Kīkaṭa; from Kīkaṭa the bhūdurgas (devatās of earth-fortresses) |
| Jāmi | Svarga; from him Nandi (ānanda, joy) |
| Viśvā | The Viśvedevas, who have no children of their own |
| Sādhyā | The Sādhyas; from them Arthasiddhi |
| Marutvatī | Marutvān and Jayanta; Jayanta is said to be Upendra, an aṃśa (part) of Vāsudeva |
| Muhūrtā | The devatās who preside over each muhūrta (a period of about 48 minutes); they give beings the fruits of their karma at the right time |
| Saṃkalpā | Saṃkalpa (resolve); from Saṃkalpa, Kāma (desire) |
| Vasu | Eight sons known as the Eight Vasus: Droṇa, Prāṇa, Dhruva, Arka, Agni, Dosha, Vāstu and Vibhāvasu |
The Eight Vasus and their families:
- Droṇa (with Abhimatī): Harsha, Śoka, Bhaya and others
- Prāṇa (with Ūrjasvatī): Saha, Āyu and Purojava
- Dhruva (with Dharaṇī): the various kinds of nagaras (cities)
- Arka (with Vāsanā): Tarsha and others
- Agni (with Vasordhārā): Draviṇaka and others; also, with Kṛttikā, Skanda (and from Skanda, Viśākha and others)
- Dosha (with Śarvarī): Śiśumāra, an aṃśa of Śrī Hari
- Vāstu (with Āṅgirasī): Viśvakarmā, the divine architect; from Viśvakarmā, Cākshusha Manu; from him, the Viśvedevas and Sādhyas
- Vibhāvasu (with Ushā): Vyushṭa, Rocish and Ātapa; from Ātapa, Pañcayāma (the five parts of the day that let all beings go about their work)
The Daughters Married to Candra
The twenty-seven daughters given to Candra (the moon) are the twenty-seven nakshatras: Kṛttikā and her sisters. Candra loved only Rohiṇī and neglected the other twenty-six. Angered by this, Daksha cursed him, and Candra was struck by kshaya-roga (the wasting disease, the waning of the moon). Candra pleased Daksha and won back the kalās (digits of light) he loses in the kṛshṇa-paksha (the dark fortnight). Because of the curse, Candra had no children with these daughters.
The Daughters Married to Bhūta
Two daughters were given to Bhūta. His first wife was Sarūpā, and from her crores of Rudras were born. The chief among them were Raivata, Aja, Bhava, Bhīma, Vāma, Ugra, Vṛshākapi, Ajaikapāt, Ahirbudhnya and Bahurūpa. These are the anucaras (companions) of Rudra. From Bhūta’s second wife came the bhūtas and vināyakas, beings linked with fear.
The Daughters Married to Aṅgiras
Two daughters were given to Aṅgiras Prajāpati. His first wife, Svadhā, gave birth to the Pitṛdevatās (ancestor-devatās). His second wife, Satī, took the Atharva Veda itself as her son.
The Daughters Married to Kṛśāśva
Two daughters were given to Kṛśāśva. With his first wife, Arcis, he had Dhūmrakeśa. With his second wife, Dhishaṇā, he had four sons: Vedaśiras, Devala, Vayuna and Manu.
The Thirteen Daughters Married to Kaśyapa (First Group)
These thirteen are the mothers of most of the beings in the universe. Their names are said to be auspicious:
| Wife | Children |
|---|---|
| Aditi | The twelve Ādityas (see below) |
| Diti | The daityas: Hiraṇyakaśipu, Hiraṇyāksha, and, through the Puṃsavana Vrata (a sacred vow), the forty-nine Maruts |
| Danu | Sixty-one dānava sons, including Dvimūrdhā, Śambara, Arishṭa, Hayagrīva, Vibhāvasu, Ayomukha, Śaṅkuśiras, Svarbhānu, Kapila, Aruṇa, Pulomā, Vṛshaparvā, Ekacakra, Anutāpana, Dhūmrakeśa, Virūpāksha, Vipracitti and Durjaya; also Rāhu (born to Vipracitti and Siṃhikā, along with a hundred Ketus) |
| Kāshṭhā | Horses and other one-hoofed animals |
| Arishṭā | Gandharvas |
| Surasā | Rākshasas |
| Ilā | Trees and plants |
| Muni | The groups of apsarās |
| Krodhavaśā | Venomous serpents (visha-sarpa) and other poisonous creatures |
| Tāmrā | Eagles, gṛdhras (vultures) and other birds of prey |
| Surabhi | Cattle, buffalo and other two-hoofed animals |
| Saramā | Wild animals of prey |
| Timi | Water creatures (jala-jantus) |
The Four Daughters Married to Kaśyapa (Second Group)
| Wife | Children |
|---|---|
| Vinatā | Garuḍa and Anūru. Garuḍa became the divine vāhana (carrier) of Bhagavān Yajñeśvara Śrī Hari. Anūru became the sārathi (charioteer) of Sūrya. |
| Kadrū | Many nāgas (serpents) |
| Pataṅgī | Pakshīs (birds) |
| Yāminī | Śalabhas (locusts and grasshoppers) |
The Twelve Ādityas, Sons of Aditi
Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa himself came down as an aṃśa-avatāra (a partial descent) in the family of Aditi. The twelve Ādityas, sons of Aditi and Kaśyapa, are:
- Vivasvān (Sūrya)
- Aryamā
- Pūshā
- Tvashṭā
- Savitā
- Bhaga
- Dhātā
- Vidhātā
- Varuṇa
- Mitra
- Indra
- Vāmana, the avatāra of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa who measured the three worlds in three steps
The family of Vivasvān (Sūrya):
- With Saṃjñā: Śrāddhadeva (Vaivasvata) Manu, and the twins Yama and Yamunā; and, when Saṃjñā took the form of a mare, the Aśvinī Kumāras
- With Chāyā (his second wife): Śanaiścara (Śani), Sāvarṇi Manu, and a daughter, Tapatī, who married King Saṃvaraṇa
Aryamā: with Mātṛkā he had the Carshaṇīs, beings gifted with viveka-jñāna (the power to tell right from wrong), on whom Brahmā modelled the human race.
Pūshā: had no children. Long ago, at Daksha’s yajña (sacred fire offering), when Vīrabhadra destroyed the yajña, Pūshā had grinned at Śiva, and Vīrabhadra knocked out his teeth. This is why Pūshā eats only ground flour (pishṭa).
Tvashṭā’s family: Tvashṭā married Racanā, a daughter of the daityas. Their sons were Saṃniveśa and the mighty Viśvarūpa. This is the same Viśvarūpa whom the devas made their purohita (family priest) when Bṛhaspati left them, and who taught Indra the Nārāyaṇa Kavaca (a protective stotra).
The Dānava Daughters and Their Families
The text names the dānava daughters Upadānavī, Hayaśiras, Pulomā and Kālakā:
- Upadānavī was married to Hiraṇyāksha, and Hayaśiras to Kratu
- Pulomā and Kālakā were married to Kaśyapa at Brahmā’s direction
- From Pulomā came the Paulomas, and from Kālakā the Kālakeyas, both fierce groups of dānavas. Sixty thousand of them (the Nivātakavacas) used to disturb yajñas. Arjuna alone killed them when he visited Indra’s svarga.
Rāhu and the Ketus: Vipracitti and Siṃhikā (a daughter of Hiraṇyakaśipu) had one hundred and one sons. The eldest was Rāhu, who became a graha (planet). The other hundred are the Ketus.
Why This Account Matters
The Daksha-Kanyā Vaṃśa is the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa’s account of how the great variety of the universe came about through the marriages of Daksha’s daughters into many families. Their children range from the twelve Ādityas to the daityas, from the twenty-seven nakshatras to the gandharvas, and from Garuḍa to the creatures of the ocean. This shows the Purāṇic teaching that all life, with or without awareness, comes from one source and can be traced back to the great Prajāpatis appointed by Brahmā. The line of the Ādityas is the highest thread of all, for it reaches its peak in Vāmana, the avatāra of Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa.
Sources
- Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 6th Skandha, Chapter 6