aṃśāvataraṇa

aṃśāvataraṇa n. descent of part of a deity

partial incarnation

title of sections 64-67 of the first book of the MBh.

aṃśāvataraṇa (1. aṃśa + avataraṇa) n. die Herabkunft der Theile (der Götter), der N. des 64ten — 67ten Kapitels im 1sten Buche des MAHĀBHĀRATA, LIA. I, 489.

aṃśāvataraṇa n. die Herabkunft der Theile (der Götter).

aṃśāvataraṇa na0 6 ta0 . bhārate ā0 pa0 64 a0 ukte
devānāṃ svasvabhāgaviśeṣeṇa vāsudevādirūpeṇa pṛthivyāmā-
virbhāvena naradehagrahaṇarūpe avataraṇe .

[Aṃśāvataraṇa(m)] (“incarnations”), comprehends the

three first chapters of Sambhavaparvan (vii), i.e. I, 65—67.

§ 85: Conformably to the consultation held between Indra

and Nārāyaṇa, the celestials were born in the lines of

brahmarṣis and rājarṣis, and they slew the Dānavas, Rā.,

G., and Snakes, etc. Janamejaya desired to hear, from the

beginning, of the births of D., Dā., G., Aps., men, Y., and

Rā.—§ 86: The six spiritual sons of Brahmán; Kāśyapa.—

§ 87: The thirteen daughters of Dakṣa (v. 2520, read Prādhā

with B. and V., and v. 2554).—§ 88: The Ādityāḥ (Viṣṇu,

the youngest and superior to them all).—§ 89: Diti's son

Hiraṇyakaśipu and his five sons.—§ 90: Prahlāda's three

sons.—§ 91: Virocana—Bali—Bāṇa (a follower of Rudra and

called also Mahākāla).—§ 92: Forty sons of Danu (only

thirty-two are enumerated, amongst them Sūryā-Candramasau,

“not to be confounded with the gods of the same name”).—

§ 93: Ten more races (vaṃśāḥ) of Danu-putrāḥ.—§ 94:

Siṃhikā's four sons (Rāhu, etc.).—§ 95: Offspring of Krūrā

(i.e. Krodhā, gaṇaḥ Krodhavaśonāma, not otherwise enumerated).

—§ 96: The four sons of Danāyus.—§ 97: The offspring of

Kālā (the Kālakeyāḥ; only four enumerated; instead of

“Krodhaḥ śatruḥ” read with B. “Krodhaśatruḥ”).—§ 98: The

upādhyāya of the Asuras was Śukra or Uśanas, son of a ṛṣi;

he had four sons who sacrificed for the Asuras (Tvaṣṭā—so

BR.—Dharas tathātriś ca dvāv[!] anyau raudrakarmiṇau;

ought we not to read Jaṭādharas or something of the sort?

PCR. has: Tvaṣṭādhara…Raudra and Karmin); they

were Brahmaloka-parāyaṇāḥ. This progeny of the Asuras and

gods is related in the Purāṇa.—§ 99: The six Vainateyāḥ.

—§ 100: The six Kādraveyāḥ.—§ 101: The sixteen Deva-

gandharvā Mauneyāḥ.—§ 102: The eight daughters of Prādhā

and the ten Devagandharvāḥ Prādheyāḥ.—§ 103: Enumera-

tion of thirteen Apsarases, daughters of Prādhā and the

Devarṣi (i.e. Kaśyapa).—§ 104: The four Gandharva-

sattamāḥ, apparently sons of Prādhā.—§ 105: Amṛtaṃ,

brāhmaṇā gāvo Gandharvāpsarasas tathā apatyaṃ Kapi-

lāyās tu Purāṇe parikīrtitaṃ.—§ 106: “Thus I have told you

about the birth of all creatures: of Gandharvas, Apsarases,

Snakes, Suparṇas, R., and M., etc.”* (I, 65).—§ 107:

Brahmaṇo mānasāḥ putrā viditāḥ ṣaṇ ṃaharṣayaḥ.—§ 108:

The Rudras, sons of Sthāṇu.—§ 109: Enumeration of the six

maharṣis (cf. § 86).—§ 110: The three sons of Aṅgiras.—

§ 111: Atri's many sons (not enumerated) were perfect

(siddhāḥ) maharṣis.—§ 112: Pulastya's offspring were Rā.,

the monkeys, K., and Y.—§ 113: Pulaha's offspring were

the Śalabhas, the lions, Kp., the tigers, Y. (PCR. reads

apparently “ṛkṣā,” i.e. bears), and wolves.—§ 114: Kratu's

sons were the companions of the Sun (Pataṅgasahacāriṇaḥ,

i.e. the Vālikhilyas; so Nīl. and PCR.).—§ 115: The ṛṣi

Prajāpati Dakṣa sprang from the right toe of Brahmán, and

Dakṣa's wife from the left toe of Brahmán; he had lost his

sons (naṣṭaputraḥ, v. § 138), but had fifty daughters, whom

he made his putrikāḥ; he bestowed ten of them on Dharma,

twenty-seven on Indu (i.e. the Moon), thirteen on Kaśyapa.

Enumeration of the ten wives of Dharma (dvārāṇy etāni

Dharmasya vihitāni Svayambhuvā). The twenty-seven wives

of Soma are all junction-stars of the nakṣatras (nakṣatra-

yoginyaḥ, VP. ii, p. 28; cf. BR. s.v., and Sūrya-Si°, ch. viii;

not enumerated).—§ 116: The Vasus (q.v.) with their

mothers and sons and grandsons, etc.; especially Kumāra (b),

Prabhāsa (c), Viśvakarman (d).—§ 117: Dharma, assuming

a human body, came out through the right breast of

Brahmán. His three sons and their wives.—§ 118: From

Marīci's son Kaśyapa sprang the gods and Asuras, “lokānāṃ

prabhavas tu saḥ.”—§ 119: Tvāṣṭrī, the wife of Savitṛ, in

the form of a mare, gave birth to the Aśvins in the skies.—

§ 120: The sons of Aditi are twelve (not enumerated); the

youngest of them is Viṣṇu, upon whom the worlds are

dependent.—§ 120 bis: “trayaśtriṃśata ity ete devās—

i.e. eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Ādityas, Prajāpati,

and Vaṣaṭkāra” (Nīl.)—“teṣām ahaṃ tava|anvayaṃ sam-

pravakṣyāmi pakṣaiś ca kulato gaṇān||Rudrāṇām aparaḥ

pakṣaḥ Sādhyānāṃ Marutāṃ tathā|Vasūnāṃ Bhārgavaṃ

vidyād Viśvedevāṃs tathaiva ca||Vainateyas tu Garuḍo balavān

Aruṇas tathā|Bṛhaspatiś ca bhagavān Ādityeṣv eva gaṇyate||

Aśvinau Guhyakān viddhi sarvauṣadhyas tathā paśūn|ete

devagaṇā, rājan, kīrtitās te 'nupūrvaśaḥ||yān kīrtayitvā

manujaḥ sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate.”—§ 121: Bhṛgu came out

ripping open the heart of Brahmán. Bhṛgu's son was Kavi,

and Kavi's son was the planet Śukra (or do Kavi, Kaviputra,

and Śukra signify one and the same person, which seems

to be the opinion of PCR.?), who was appointed by

Svayambhū to give and withhold rain, and to inflict and

remit calamities, and who by the power of asceticism

(yogācāryo) became the guru both of the Daityas and of the

gods.—§ 122: As he (Śukra) was thus employed by Vidhi

(i.e. Brahmán) in seeking welfare (yogakṣemāya), Bhṛgu

begat Cyavana, who, falling out of his mother's womb

through anger, released her (cf. § 20). Cyavana's wife was

Āruṣī, daughter of Manu; their son Aurva came out

ripping open the thigh of Āruṣī.

Bhṛgu Manu

(Kavi, § 121) Cyavana~ Āruṣī

Aurva

Ṛcīka

Jamadagni +99 others (b)

A.—B.—C.—Rāma(c) Offspring by thousands

§ 123. Brahmán

Dhātṛ and Vidhātṛ, who stayed with Manu.—Lakṣmī (b)

§ 124: Śukra's daughter Devī was the eldest wife of Varuṇa;

her children are Bala and Surā (“giving joy unto the gods”).

—§ 125: Adharma was born when creatures began to devour

each other from want of food. His wife is Nirṛti, whence the

Rākṣasas, who are called Nairṛtāḥ, and (?) Bhaya, Mahā-

bhaya, and Mṛtyu. Mrtyu has neither wife nor children.—

§ 126: Tāmrā

Kākī Śyenī Bhāsī Dhṛtarāṣṭrī Śukī

The owls

(ulūkāḥ)! The hawks. The bhāsas and

vultures. Ducks and swans,

and cakravākas. The parrots.

§ 127: Krodha had nine daughters of wrathful disposition

(Krodhavaśāḥ): I, Mṛgī (whose offspring are the deer);

II, Mṛgamandā (°the bears and sṛmaras); III, Harī (°the

monkeys, horses, and golāṅgūlas); IV, Bhadramanas (mother

of the elephant Airāvata); V, Mātaṅgī (whose offspring are

the elephants); VI, Śārdūlī (° lions, tigers, leopards, and

all strong animals); VII, Śvetā (v. 2630: diśāṃ gajan tu

Śvetākhyaṃ…ajanayad); VIII, Surabhi, who has four

daughters: (A) Rohiṇī; from whom the cows sprang;

(B) Gandharvī, the horses; (C) Vimalā; (D) Analā, whose

offspring are the seven sorts of trees that have pulpy fruits—

the date, palm, hintala, tali, the little date, the nut, and the

cocoanut, according to PCR.—and a daughter, Śukī; IX,

Surasā (mother of Kaṅka, i.e. a species of long-feathered

birds).—§ 128: Aruṇa's wife, Śyenī, gave birth to Sampāti

and Jaṭāyus.—§ 129: Surasā gave birth to the Nāgas, Kadrū

to the Pannagas (these names are, however, in reality used

indiscriminately), Vinatā to Garuḍa and Aruṇa* (I, 66).—

§ 130: Complying with the wish of Janamejaya, Vaiśam-

pāyana mentions the gods, Dānavas, etc. (see ch. 65—66 =

§§ 85—129), who were born among men, and in whom they

became incarnated. (b) Bhīṣma. (c) Dhṛtarāṣṭra. (d) Vi-

dura. Enumeration, among others (α) of the 101 sons (β) of

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (v. Dhārtarāṣṭra) (they were versed in the

Rājaśāstra), including (e) Yuyutsu, incarnations of Pulastya's

sons (i.e. the Rākṣasas), except Duryodhana, who was

a portion of Kali, and (f) a daughter, Duḥśalā. Nakula and

Sahadeva (portions of the Aśvins) were the handsomest of all

creatures. Soma set a condition for letting his son Varcas

be incarnate in Abhimanyu. (g) Draupadī's five sons

(h) (enumerated) were the Viśvas (? viśvān devagaṇān).—

§ 131 (Kuntī; (b) Karṇa).—§ 132: Incarnations of

Nārāyaṇa (Vāsudeva, i.e. Kṛṣṇa), Śeṣa (Baladeva),

Sanatkumāra (Pradyumna), 16,000 portions of the Apsarases

(the wives of Vāsudeva; born at the command of Vāsava,

i.e. Indra), Śrī (Rukmiṇī, in the line of Bhīṣmaka), Śacī

(Draupadī), Siddhi and Dhṛti (Kuntī and Mādrī), Mati

(Subalātmajā, i.e. Gāndhārī), (I, 67).

Cf. ādir aṃśāvatāraṇa(ṃ) (so B.; C. ādivaṃcāvatāraṇaṃ) =

[Ādiv]aṃśāvatāranaparvan: I, 312, 360.

Aṃśāvataraṇa nt.: Name of a section

of the Ādiparvan describing the incarnations

of portions of gods (tvayaivāṃśāvataraṇe

devabhāgāḥ prakīrtitāḥ) 1. 109. 3.

A part of the Saṃbhavaparvan where

partial descent of gods is described (saṃ-

bhavaparvaṇi … aṃśāvataraṇaṃ cātra devā-

nāṃ parikīrtitam) 1. 2. 75-76; Brahman

asked the gods, the Gandharvas, and the

Apsarases to be partially born separately

among men in order to lessen the burden of

the earth (asyā bhūmer nirasituṃ bhāraṃ

bhāgaiḥ pṛthak pṛthak/asyām eva prasūya-

dhvam … svair aṃśaiḥ saṃprasūyadhvam

yatheṣṭaṃ mānuṣeṣv iti) 1. 58. 46-47;

Indra then requested Nārāyaṇa (Hari)

to be partially born, to which request he

agreed (aṃśenāvatarasveti tathetyāha ca

taṃ hariḥ) 1. 58. 51; Nārada, seeing the

kings who had assembled for the Rājasūya

of Yudhiṣṭhira, remembered the conversation

which in the bygone days took place

(purāvṛttāṃ kathām) in the residence

of Brahman in regard to the partial incar-

nations on the earth and recognized that

what he saw before him was in fact the

assembly of the gods (devānāṃ saṃgamam)

2. 33. 11-13; at the request of Janamejaya,

Vaiśayṃpāyana narrated to him the incarna-

tions of the Dānavas and the gods 1. 61. 1-2;

this is the narration of Aṃśāvataraṇa 1. 61.

99; one is advised to listen to the recitation

of the Aṃśāvataraṇa since it brought to the

listener wealth, fame, sons, long life and

victory; one who listened to the recitation

did not perish in adverse circumstances 1. 61.

101-102.