Sūta (born at Pṛthu’s Yajña)
Sūta, “the bard”
Sūta has other meanings too: see all meanings of Sūta.
The Sūta of Pṛthu‘s time was a very wise (mahā-medhāvī) praise-singer, born at a yajña on the sutyā day, the day of the soma-pressing, together with the wise Māgadha. The two were born for Pṛthu, the very first of all kings to receive the abhisheka of the rājasūya. At the bidding of the munis the two praised the emperor Pṛthu, son of Vena, singing of the deeds he was yet to do, and Pṛthu gave the Sūta the sea-coast land of Anūpa. From that time the praises sung in the world are chiefly blessings, carried on by the sūtas, māgadhas and vandis. He is not the Sūta who tells the Brahma Purāṇa to the munis.
Born for Pṛthu
Telling the line of Aṅga and Vena, Lomaharshaṇa tells the munis that Pṛthu, born from the churned right hand of Vena, ruled this earth, and after his name the earth is called Pṛthivī. That lord of the earth was the very first of all kings to receive the abhisheka of the rājasūya yāga. For him two skilled ones were born: a Sūta and a Māgadha. He is the great one who made the earth a cow and milked from her the milk of crops for the life of the people.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 2
Born at the yajña
The Sūta Lomaharshaṇa tells the munis the account of Pṛthu. The ṛshis churned the right hand of Vena, and Pṛthu arose, holding the bow Ajagava and divine arrows, blazing like fire. The ocean, the rivers, Brahmā and the devas anointed him, and he delighted the people whom his father had oppressed. In his reign the waters grew firm under his feet, the earth gave crops without ploughing and the cows became kāmadhenus. At this time, at a yajña, on the sutyā day, the very wise Sūta was born, and in that same yajña the wise Māgadha was born too.
The praise of Pṛthu
The munis called the two great ones to praise the emperor Pṛthu. The Sūta and the Māgadha said to the ṛshis: “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: “Think of the good deeds he is going to do, and sing those.” So they sang of his life to come.
From that time, the stavas (praises) sung in the world are chiefly blessings, and they are carried on by the sūtas, the māgadhas and the vandis (bards).
The gift of Anūpa
Greatly pleased with their praise, Pṛthu gave the Sūta the land on the sea-coast called Anūpa, and gave the Māgadha the land of Magadha. Then the maharshis told the people that this king would give them all their livelihoods, and the people ran to the son of Vena.
Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 4
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa, Chapters 2, 4