Turvasu
Turvasu
Kalā has other meanings too: see all meanings of Kalā. Dushyanta has other meanings too: see all meanings of Dushyanta. Kerala has other meanings too: see all meanings of Kerala.
Turvasu is a son of King Yayāti, son of Nahusha, and of Devayānī, the daughter of Śukra. He was the younger brother of Yadu. When Yayāti divided the earth among his sons, he placed Turvasu in the south-east. Turvasu refused to take his father’s old age, and by Yayāti’s śāpa his line merged into the line of Puru; Bhagavān Śiva later freed him from that śāpa at Puru’s prayer.
Birth and share of the earth
The Brahma Purāṇa tells that Yayāti took as his wives Devayānī, the daughter of Uśanas (Śukra), and Śarmishṭhā, the daughter of the asura Vṛshaparvan. Devayānī bore Yadu and Turvasu; Śarmishṭhā bore Druhyu, Anu and Pūru.
Yayāti conquered the whole earth with its oceans and seven dvīpas, divided it into five parts and gave them to his sons. The east he gave to the eldest, Yadu; in the middle he consecrated Pūru; and in the south-east (āgneya) he placed Turvasu. “By them this earth is ruled with dharma even today.”
The old age refused
In his old age Yayāti asked Yadu to take his old age and give him his youth. Yadu refused, and Yayāti, overcome by anger, pronounced a śāpa that his progeny would have no kingdom. He asked all his sons the same, and when the four refused, he pronounced the same śāpa on them. Pūru alone took his father’s old age.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 12
Per Gautamī Māhātmya
Brahmā tells Nārada that Devayānī bore two sons, Yadu and Turvasu, who were like sons of devas and resembled Śukra in form and features. Devayānī grieved that Śarmishṭhā had three sons while she had two, and Śukra pronounced a śāpa on Yayāti that he would become old; then he softened it with a vara, that Yayāti might pass the old age to any son he wished. Yayāti declared that only the son who received it would be king, and that he would pronounce a śāpa on any son who refused.
Yadu said “No”, and Yayāti pronounced a śāpa on him and told Turvasu his wish. Turvasu too would not receive his father’s old age, and after pronouncing a śāpa on him, Yayāti turned to Druhyu, then to Anu, and at last to Puru, who accepted it.
When Yayāti was satisfied and asked for his old age back, Puru would not give up what he had accepted and went to perform tapas on the southern bank of the Gaṅgā. After a long time Bhagavān Śiva was pleased and offered him a vara. Puru asked Bhagavān Śiva to destroy the old age his father had gained through the śāpa, and to free his brothers from the śāpas their father had pronounced. Saying “So be it”, Bhagavān Śiva destroyed the old age and freed Puru’s brothers, Turvasu among them, from their śāpas. The place is the Yayāta tīrtha, where Bhagavān Śiva is called Kālañjara.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 76
His line
The Sūta tells the munis the vaṃśa of Turvasu. Turvasu’s son was Vahni; his son Gobhānu; his son Aiśānu; his son Karandhama; and his son Marutta. Marutta performed yajñas with abundant dakshiṇā. He had no son, only a daughter, Saṃyatā, who was given as yajña-dakshiṇā to Saṃvarta. Thus, by the śāpa of Yayāti, the vaṃśa of Turvasu merged into the vaṃśa of Puru. From Dushyanta of this line came Karūroma and Āhlīda, whose four sons were Pāṇḍya, Kerala, Kāla and the Coḷa king.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 13
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapters 12–13; Gautamī Māhātmya, Chapter 76