Māgadha (Bard of Pṛthu)
Māgadha, “the one of Magadha”
Māgadha has other meanings too: see all meanings of Māgadha.
Māgadha is the wise bard who was born, together with the Sūta, for Pṛthu, the son of Vena, the first of all kings to receive the abhisheka of the rājasūya. The two sang Pṛthu’s praise, and from them comes the praise sung by the bards of the world. Pṛthu gave the Māgadha the land of Magadha.
Born for Pṛthu
In the line of Cākshusha Manu, the Brahma Purāṇa tells, the ṛshis churned the right hand of Vena and Pṛthu arose, holding a bow, wearing armour and blazing like fire. For him two skilled ones were born, a Sūta and a Māgadha.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 2
The first praise
The Sūta Lomaharshaṇa tells the munis that at a yajña, on the day of the soma-pressing, the very wise Sūta was born, and in that same yajña the wise Māgadha was also born. The munis called them to praise the emperor Pṛthu. The two answered: “We are those who praise the devas and the ṛshis and please them. Who is this one, what is his name, what deeds has he done, what are his marks, what is his fame? We do not know. He looks very radiant, but with what shall we praise him?” The munis told them to think of the good deeds he was going to do and sing those, and they praised the life he would live. From that time the praises sung in the world are chiefly blessings, carried on by the sūtas, māgadhas and vandis. Greatly pleased, Pṛthu gave the Sūta the sea-coast land of Anūpa and the Māgadha the land of Magadha.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 4
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapters 2, 4