Jahnu

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Ancestry of Jahnu as per Bhagavata Purana

Jahnu (जन्हु) was a Chandravanshi King. He was sixth in the line of descent from Pururavas.

Genealogy of Jahnu

Genealogy of Jahnu as per Bhagavata Purana[1] RikshaSamvarana (m. Tapati) → KuruJahnuSurathaVidurathaSaryabhaumaJaya SenaRadhikaAyutayuAkrodhanaDevatithiRikshaDilipaPratipaVahlikaSomadattaBhuri + Bhurisravas + Sala

Jat Gotras originated from Jahnu

  • Janghu (जांघू), also spelt as Jangoo, Jangu
  • Janu (जानू)
  • Johe (जोहे): Johe gotra of Jats originated from Maharaja Jahnu (जह्नु) mentioned in Mahabharata. [2]

In Rigveda

The Rig Veda/Mandala 3/Hymn 58[3] shloka 6 writes about Jahnu as under:

पुराणमोकः सख्यं शिवं वां युवोर्नरा दरविणं जह्नाव्याम |
पुनः कर्ण्वानाः सख्या शिवानि मध्वा मदेमसह नू समानाः || [4]
"Ancient your home, auspicious is your friendship: Heroes, your wealth is with the house of Jahnu.
Forming again with you auspicious friendship, let us rejoice with draughts of meath together."

In Mahabharata

Adi Parva, Mahabharata/Mahabharata Book I Chapter 94 mentions the History of Puru and of the Pandavas. Jahnu, Jala and Rupina were born in that of Kesini. Kushikas are the sons of Jahnu of immeasurable prowess. And Riksha who was older than both Jala and Rupina became king. And Riksha begat Samvarana. While Samvarana, the son of Riksha, was ruling the earth, there happened a great loss of people from famine, pestilence, drought, and disease. And the Bharata princes were beaten by the troops of enemies. And the Panchalas setting out to invade the whole earth with their four kinds of troops soon brought the whole earth under their sway. And with their ten Akshauhinis the king of the Panchalas defeated the Bharata prince. Samvarana then with his wife and ministers, sons and relatives, fled in fear, and took shelter in the forest on the banks of the Sindhu extending to the foot of the mountains. There the Bharatas lived for a full thousand years, within their fort.

ऋक्षं भूमिन्य अथॊ नीली दुःषन्त परमेष्ठिनौ
केशिन्य अजनयज जह्नुम उभौ च जनरूपिणौ Mahabharata (1.94.28)

Anusasana Parva/Book XIII Chapter 4 mentions the ancestry of Jahnu as under: In the race of Bharata, a king of the name of Ajamidha, who performed many sacrifices and was the best of all virtuous men. His son was the great king named Jahnu. Ganga was the daughter of this high-minded prince. The farfamed and equally virtuous Sindhudwipa was the son of this prince. From Sindhudwipa sprung the great royal sage Valakaswa. His son was named Vallabha who was like a second Dharma in embodied form. His son again was Kusika who was refulgent with glory like unto the thousand-eyed Indra. Kusika's son was the illustrious King Gadhi who, being childless and desiring to have a son born unto him, repaired to the forest.

शरूयतां पार्थ तत्त्वेन विश्वामित्रॊ यथा पुरा
बराह्मणत्वं गतस तात बरह्मर्षित्वं तथैव च Mahabharata(13.4.1)
भरतस्यान्वये चैवाजमीढॊ नाम पार्थिवः
बभूव भरतश्रेष्ठ यज्वा धर्मभृतां वरः Mahabharata(13.4.2)
तस्य पुत्रॊ मना आसीज जह्नुर नाम नरेश्वरः
दुहितृत्वम अनुप्राप्ता गङ्गा यस्य महात्मनः Mahabharata(13.4.3)
तस्यात्मजस तुल्यगुणः सिन्धुद्वीपॊ महायशाः
सिन्धुद्वीपाच च राजर्षिर बलाकाश्वॊ महाबलः Mahabharata(13.4.4)
वल्लभस तस्य तनयः साक्षाद धर्म इवापरः
कुशिकस तस्य तनयः सहस्राक्षसमद्युतिः Mahabharata (13.4.5)

Jahnu and River Ganga

Rishi Jahnu appears in the story of Ganga and Bhagiratha. When Ganga came to earth after being released from lord Shiva's locks, her torrential waters wreaked havoc with Jahnu's fields and penance. Angered by this, the great sage drank up all of Ganga's waters to punish her. Seeing this, the Gods prayed to the sage to release Ganga, so that she could proceed on her mission to release the souls of the ancestors of Bhagiratha. Jahnu relented and he released Ganga from his ear. For this, the Ganga river is also known as Jahnvi (जाह्नवी), Janhavi or Jhanvi, meaning "daughter of Jahnu".

In Harsha Charita of Bana

The Harsha Charita of Bana/Chapter III mentions:

"In the midst of a great throng of recluses he beheld Bhairavacharya, who on seeing him at a distance moved like the ocean seeing the moon, and, after his disciples had first risen, rose and went forward to meet the king. Having presented a gift of Bel fruit, he pronounced a benediction in tones deep as the roar of Ganges' flood when it was vomited forth from Jahnu's ear."

The Lunar race

James Todd writes:[5]Jahnu is made the successor to Kuru ; whereas the Purana (whence my extracts) makes Parikshit the successor, who adopts the son of Jahnu. This son is Viduratha.

The Lunar races first appeared while the descendants of Ikshvaku were still flourishing, though on the eve of their decline. They had immense possibilities of spiritual evolution, and the great Aryan race seems to be connected with them. The appearance of these races is almost simultaneous with the first flow of the Ganges. For we find Jahnu, who swallowed up the Ganges in her first terrestrial course, is only sixth in the line of descent from Pururavas.

The Lunar dynasty originated in the union of Tārā, the female principle of Brihaspati (Jupiter), and the Moon. The issue was Budha (Mercury), the direct progenitor of the Lunar dynasty.

The son of Budha was Pururavas. He married Urvasi, the renowned Deva nymph. Pururavas had six sons. Vijaya gave the Adept line of the race and Ayus, the ordinary humanity.

In the line of Vijaya, we find Jahnu, purified by the assimilation of Ganga, Visvamitra, pre-eminently the Rishi of the Rig Veda and one of the seven sages who watch over the destiny of the present Manvantara, Jamadagni, another of the seven sages of our Manvantara and Parasurama one of the coming sages of the next Manvantara.

Notable Persons

External links

References


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