ASIKNI II . A wife of Dakṣa. Dakṣaprajāpati, son of
Brahmā, commenced creation with his own mind. When
he found that it was not conducive to the propagation
of the species he pondered over the subject once more
and decided to effect it by the sexual union of the male
and the female. He, therefore, married Asikni daughter
of Vīraṇaprajāpati. There is a version in the seventh
Skandha of Devī Bhāgavata that Vīraṇī was born of
the left thumb of Brahmā.
[Footnote] *) It was Mahāviṣṇu who gave Dakṣa his wife, Asikni, when Dakṣa was doing penance in Vindhya. (Ṣaṣṭa Skandha, Bhāgavata). Then the virile Dakṣa-
prajāpati begot by Asikni five thousand Haryaśvas with
a view to propagating his species and the Haryaśvas
also evinced great desire to increase their number.
Knowing this devarṣi Nārada of enchanting words
approached them and said “Oh, Haryaśvas, I under-
stand you, energetic young men, are going to continue
creation. Phew! You are children who have not cared
to understand the ins and outs or ups and downs of this
earth and then how do you think you can create
people? You are all endowed with the power to move
about on all sides without any obstruction and you are
only fools if you do not attempt so find out the limits
of this earth”. Hearing this they started on a tour to
different sides of the earth to find out its boundaries.
Just like worms fallen into the ocean the Haryaśvas have
never returned so far.
When he found that the Haryaśvas were lost the mighty
Dakṣa begot in the daughter of Vīraṇī a thousand sons
called Śabalāśvas. They were also desirous of propaga-
tion but were also persuaded by the words of Nārada to
follow the footsteps of their elder brothers. They dis-
cussed it among themselves and said “The words of the
Maharṣi are right. We must also follow the course taken
by our brothers. It is wise to commence creation after
knowing the size of the earth.” They also went to
different sides and never returned just like rivers falling
into the ocean. The loss of the Śabalāśvas infuriated
Dakṣa and he cursed Nārada.
Again to commence creation Dakṣa got of Asikni sixty
girls. Of these ten he gave to Dharmadeva, thirteen
to Kaśyapa, twentyseven to Soma and four to Ariṣṭa-
nemi. Two were given to Bahuputra, two to Aṅgiras
and two to the scholar Kṛśāśva. Dharmadeva's wives
were Arundhatī, Vasu, Yamī, Lambā, Bhānu, Marut-
vatī, Saṅkalpā, Muhūrtā, Sādhyā and Viśvā. Of Viśvā
were born Viśvedevas. Sādhya delivered the Sādhyas,
Maruṭva, the Marutvans and Vasu, Vasus. Bhānus were
born of Bhānu. From Muhūrta came Muhūrtābhimānis
and from Lambā, Ghoṣa and from Yamī, Nāgavīthī.
(Chapter 15, Anuśāsana Parva, 1; Viṣṇu Purāṇa and
Skandha 6, Bhāgavata).