Dharmanetra (son of Taṃsu)
Dharmanetra · dharma-netra, “whose eye is dharma”
Dharmanetra has other meanings too: see all meanings of Dharmanetra.
Dharmanetra is a rājarshi of the line of Pūru, the son of Taṃsu and of Ilā, the brahmavādinī daughter of Matināra. The Brahma Purāṇa calls him mighty, valiant and a brahmavādī, one who speaks of Brahman. With his wife Upadānavī he had four sons, of whom the eldest was Dushyanta, the father of the cakravartin Bharata. He is a different king from Dharmanetra, the son of Haihaya.
His line
The munis ask the Sūta for the line of Pūru, and after the Aṅga kings the Sūta tells the line of Ṛceyu, son of Raudrāśva. Ṛceyu’s son was Matināra. Matināra had three sons, all supremely righteous, knowers of the Veda, devoted to brāhmaṇas and true to their word; two are named, Vasurodha and Subāhu. Matināra’s daughter was Ilā, who, though a woman, became a brahmavādinī.
Ilā was the wife of Taṃsu, and their son was the rājarshi Dharmanetra. Dharmanetra’s wife was Upadānavī, and their four sons were Dushyanta, Sushmanta, Pravīra and Anagha.
To Dushyanta, of Śakuntalā, was born Bharata, also famed as Sarvadamana, who had the strength of ten thousand elephants and was a cakravartin. Bhārata-varsha is named after him, and its people are called the Bhāratas.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 13
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 13