The information furnished are based on the Mythology dictionary from mypundith.com very much edited for briefness and interest
Sincerely,
Gopala Krishnan 7-8-2009
Re posted on 4-6-2020 with slight editing. R.Gopala krishnan
CONTINUED FROM PART2
20.AURVA
Sage Aurva was the son of Urva and grandson of sage Bhrigu. He is described in the Maha-bharata as Born of the sage Chyavana by his wife Arushi. Kindly note sage Chyavana and Aurva appear in the pravara of Srivatsa gothra.
The Maha-bharata relates that a king named Krita-virya was very liberal to his priests of the race of Bhrigu, and that they grew rich upon his munificence. After his death, his descendants, who had fallen into poverty, begged help from the Bhrigus, and met with no liberal response. Some of them buried their money, and when this was discovered the impoverished Kshatriyas slew all the Bhrigus down to the children in the womb.
One woman concealed her unborn child her thigh, and the Kshatriyas being informed of this, sought the child to kill it, but the child "issued forth from its mother's thigh with lustre and blinded the persecutors.
From being produced from the thigh (uru), the child received the name of Aurva. The sage's austerities alarmed both gods and men, And for a long time sage Aurva refused to mitigate his wrath against the Kshatriyas, but at the persuasion of the Pitris, he cast the fire of his anger into the sea, where it became a being with the face of a horse called Haya -siras.
While he was living in the forest he prevented the wife of King Bahu from burning herself with her husband's corpse. The queen was pregnant at that time. Thus he saved the life of her son, with whom she had been pregnant seven years.
When the child was born he was called Sagara (ocean); Aurva was his preceptor, and bestowed on him the Agneyastra, or fiery weapon with which he conquered the barbarians who invaded his country.
Aurva had a son named Richika. Richika was father of Jamadagni and we know Jamadagni was father of sage Parasurama.
The Hari-vamsa gives another version of the legend about the offspring of Aurva. The sage was urged by his friends to beget children. He consented, but he foretold that his progeny would live by the destruction of others. Then he produced from his thigh a devouring fire, which cried out with a loud voice, "I am hungry; let me consume the world." Please note the name Jamadagni.
The various regions were soon in flames. Brahma interfered to save his creation, and promised the son of Aurva a suitable abode and maintenance.
The abode was at Badavi -mukha, the mouth of the ocean. He and the newly produced fire were to consume the world together at the end of each age (pralaya), and at the end of time to devour ail things with the Gods, Asuras, and Rakshasas.
The name Aurva thus signifies, shortly, the submarine fire. It is also called Badavanala and Samvarttaka. It is represented as a flame with a horse's head, and is also called Kaka-dhwaja, from carrying a banner on which there is a crow.
(Note – I am very happy to present this much information about Aurva. Aurva appear as the 4th sage in the Pravara of Sreevatsa Gothra to which I too belong. There have been at least 20-25 queries to me for details of Srivatsa gothra if I recollect)
21AYUS
Ayus was the first-born son of Pururavas and Urvasi. I have already detailed Pururuvas- Urvashi story a few days back. Ayus was the father of Nahusha, Kshattra-vriddha, Rambha, Raja, and Anenas.
22.BABHRU-VAHANA
Babruvahana was the son of Arjuna by his wife Chitrangadi. He was adopted as the son of his maternal grandfather, and reined at Manipura as his successor. He dwelt there in a palace of great splendour, surrounded with wealth and signs of power.
When Arjuna went to Manipura with the horse intended for the Aswa-medha after Mahabharata war, there was a quarrel between Arjuna and King Babhru-vahana, and the latter killed his father with an arrow.
Repenting of his deed, he determined to kill himself, but he obtained from his stepmother, the Naga princess Ulupi, a gem that restored Arjuna to life.
He returned with his father to Hastinapura. The description of this combat has been translated from the Maha-bharata by Troyer in his Raja Tarangini, i. p. 578.
23 BALA-RAMA
(Bala-bhadra and Bala. deva are other forms of this name.)
Balarama was the elder brother of SriKrishna. When Krishna is regarded as a full manifestation of Vishnu, Bala-rama is recognized as the seventh Avatara or incarnation in his place.
Epic Maha-bharata, places them more upon an equality. It says that Vishnu took two hairs, a white and a black one, and these became Bala Rama and Krishna.
Bala Rama was of fair complexion and Krishna was very dark. As soon as Bala-rama was born, he was carried away to Gokula to preserve his life from the tyrant Kansa, and he was there nurtured by Nanda as a child of Rohini.
He and Krishna grew up together, and he took part in many of Krishna's boyish freaks and adventures. His earliest exploit was the killing of the great Asura Dhenuka, who had the form of an ass. This demon attacked him, but Bala-rama seized his assailant, whirled him round by his legs till he was dead, and cast his carcase into a tree. Another Asura attempted to carry off Bala-rama -on his shoulders, but the boy beat out the demon's brains with his fists.
When Krishna went to Mathura, Bala-rama accompanied him, and manfully supported him till Kansa was killed.
Once, when Bala-rama was intoxicated, he called upon the Yamuna river to come to him, that he might bathe; but his command not being heeded, he plunged his ploughshare into the river, and dragged the waters whithersoever he went, until they were obliged to assume a human form and beseech his forgiveness. This action gained for him the title Yamuna-bhid and KaIindi -karshana, breaker or dragger of the Yamuna.
He killed Rukmin in a gambling brawl. When Samba, son of Krishna, was detained as a prisoner at Hastinapura by Dur-yodhana, Bala-rama demanded his release. When it was refused, he thrust his ploughshare under the ramparts of the city, and drew them towards him, thus compelling the Kauravas to give up their prisoner.
Lastly, he killed the great ape Dwivida, who had stolen his weapons and derided him. These are some of the incidents in the life of Bala-rama, as related in the Puranas.
In the Maha-bharata Balarama has more of a human character. He taught both Dur-yodhana and Chime the use of the mace. Though he liked the Pandavas, he refused to take an active part with them or with the Kauravas in the war. He witnessed the combat between Duryodhana and Bhima, and beheld the foul blow struck by the latter, which made him so indignant that he seized his weapons, and was with difficulty restrained by Krishna from falling upon the Pandavas.
He died just before Krishna, as he sat under a banyan tree in the outskirts of Dwaraka.
Bala-rama was a Madhu-priya and was as much addicted to wine as his brother Krishna was devoted to the fair sex. He was also irascible in temper, and sometimes quarrelled even with Krishna: The Puranas represent them as having a serious difference about the Syamantaka jewel.
His wife was Revati, daughter of King Raivata, and he was very faithful to her. By her he had two sons, Nisatha and Ulmuka. He is represented as of fair complexion, and, wearing Nilavastra, `clad in a dark-blue vest.'
There is a temple for Balarama along with Krishna at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala state.
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