Haryaśvas, Sons of Daksha
Haryaśva · hari-aśva, “they of the bay horses”
Asiknī has other meanings too: see all meanings of Asiknī.
The Haryaśvas are the sons of Prajāpati Daksha and Prasūti, who were born of the right and left thumbs of Brahmā. The Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa tells that Haryaśva and his brothers were ready to create, but Devarshi Nārada turned them away from creation. Seeing this, Daksha brought forth sixty daughters. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa tells this to Yudhishṭhira in his brief account of the Bhuvana-kośa.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 2
The Brahma Purāṇa tells that the Haryaśvas were five thousand, born to Daksha of Asiknī, the daughter of Vīraṇa. Nārada told them that they could not create without knowing the measure of the earth, and they went to the four directions, never to return; the thousand brothers born after them followed their track and did not return either.
Per Brahma Purāṇa
Lomaharshaṇa tells the munis that, at the command of Svayambhū, Daksha first created beings by his mind, but that offspring did not grow much. Wishing to increase it by the dharma of union, he took as wife Asiknī, the daughter of Prajāpati Vīraṇa, a tapasvinī (one rich in tapas) able to bear the worlds. In her he begot five thousand sons, and they became known as the Haryaśvas.
The sons of Daksha came forth wishing to increase the prajās. Devarshi Nārada saw them and said: “Why should you do this work of creation? Do not. You are fools. You do not know the measure (pramāṇa) of this earth, and without knowing it you think of begetting offspring. How will those who do not know what is below, what is above and what is between beget children?” Hearing this, the Haryaśvas went away to the four directions. Like rivers that enter the ocean and do not turn back, they have not returned to this day. So the sons met their end, and Nārada received Daksha’s śāpa (curse).
When the Haryaśvas had gone, Daksha begot another thousand sons in the daughter of Vīraṇa. They remembered Nārada’s words and said together: “The Devarshi spoke well. Let us also follow the track of our elder brothers; knowing the measure of the earth, then let us create.” They too went in all directions and have not returned to this day. From that time, the Purāṇa says, a brother who goes searching for a brother’s track perishes there and does not return; one who knows this should not do so. Knowing the loss of his sons, Daksha then begot sixty daughters.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 3
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 2
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 3