Vyasa gives but fifty-seven princes of the Solar line, from Vaivaswata Menu to llama ; and no list which had come under Colonel Tod's observation exhibits for the same period more than fifty-eight of the I.unar race.
lkshwaku was the first islio tnoved to the east ward and founded Ayodliya.
Iludha (Nfercury) founded the Lunar line, but we are not told who established their first amital, Poorng, though we are authorized to infer that it was founded by I'ooru, the sixth in defseent from A succession of fifty-seven princes occupied Ayodliya front lkshwaku to Rama.
From Yayat's sons the Lunar races descend in unequal lengths.
The lines from Yadu, concluding with Krishna and his cousin Kansa, exhibit fifty.seven and fifty nine descents from Yayat, while Yudishtra, Sul, Jarasandlia, and Vahoorita, all contemporariem of Krishna and Kansa, are fifty-one, forty-six, and forty - seven generations respectively, frotn the common ancestor Yayat. The author, after the invocation to the mother protectress, Oin! sacomb bari mata ! says, ` I write the name of the thirty six royal tribes."I'lle bard Chund says, Of the thirty-six races, the four Agnicula are the greatest : the rest are born of woman, but these front fire.' Rama of tho Ramaynna is described as the son of lkshwakti and grandson of Menu. llis original abode is described as the mountains of the west. Ile was the first of the dynasties of Ondh. And the Solar dynasty held sway in Ayodhya. the modern Oudh, till the result of the great war, the Maliabliamta, when they were forced to give tray by their cousins of the Lunar line.
The Rajput race WAS at an early period divided into tbe two great Solar and Lunar dynasties, the former having its seat of empire in Oudh, and the latter in Dehli. Struggles for the pre-eminence were carried on with sanguinary obstinacy between these tribes. To fight, Wan the duty of the Kshatriya, as Krishna told the hero Arjuna, smitten with sorrow at the idea of ,slaughtering his own kinsmen in battle. 0 Krishna,' said the hero, I seek not victory nor a kingdom. I will not fight ! What shall wu do with a kingdom, or with life itself, when we have slain all these ?' Krishna had no such qualms. Yon belono.,' ho replied, to the military class, and your day is to fight.' And Arjuna fought.
The dynasties which succeeded the great beacons of the Solar and Lunar races, are three in number, —1st, the Suryavansa, descendants of Rama ; the Induvansa, descendants of Pandit through Yudislitra ; 3d. the Induransa, descendants of Jarasandlia, monarch of Rajgraha. The 'Unarm. and Agni Puranas are the authorities for the lilies from Rama and Jarasandha ; while that of Pandit is from the Raj-Taringini and Rajnoli. The existing Itajput tribes of the Solar race chain descent from Lava and Cush the two elder sm,s of Rama ; and Colonel Tod does uot believe that any existing tribes trace their ancestry to his other children, or to his brothers. i'rom the eldest son Lava, the rana rulers of Mewar claim descent • so do the Bir-gujar tribe, formerly powerfdl within tho confines of the present Amber, whose representative now dwells at Anup shahr on the Ganges. From Cush descended
the Cushwaha princes of Nirwar and Amber, and their numerous clans. Amber, though the first in power, is but a scion of Nirwar, trans planted about the 9th century, whose chief, the representative of the celebrated prince Nala, enjoys but a suaall district of all his ancient possessions. The house of Marwar also claims leseent from this stem, which appears to originate iu an error of the genealogists confounding the race of Cush with the Causika of Kanouj and Causambi. Nor do the Solar genealogists admit this assmned pedigree. The Amber prince in his genealogies traces the descent of the Mewar family from Rama to Sumitra through Lava, the eldest brother, and not through Cush, as in some copies of the Pnranas, and in that whence Sir William Jones bad his lists. 1Vhatever dignity attaches to the pediaree claimed by the Amber prince, every prince mid every Hindu of learning admitsthe claims of the princes of Mewar as heir to the chair of Rama ; and a degree ca reverence has consequently attached, not only to his person, but to the seat of his power. When Madhaji Sindia was called by the rana to reduce a traitorous noble in Chitore, such was the reverence which actuated that (in other respects) little scrupulous chieftain, that he could not be prevailed on to point his cannon on the walls within which consent established the throne of Rama. The rana himself, then a youth, had to begin the attack, and fired a cannon against his own ancient abode. In the very early periods, the princes of the Solar line, like the Egyptians and Romans, combined the offices of the priest hood with kingly power, and this whether Brah manical or Buddhist. Many of the royal line, before and subsequent to Rama, passed great part of their lives as ascetics; and in ancient sculpture and drawings, the head is as often adorned with the braided lock of the ascetic, as with the diadem of royalty. Ferislita, also, translating from ancient authorities, says to the sante effect, that in the reign of Mahraj, king of Kanonj, a Brahman came from Persia, who introduced magic, idolatry, and the worship of the stars; ' so that there is no want of authority for the introduction of new tenets of faith. Even now the ratio., of Mewar mingles spiritual duties with those of royalty, and when he attends the temple of the tutelary deity of his race, he performs himself all the offices of the high-priest for the day. In this point a strong resemblance exists to many of the races of anti quity. There seems to be no doubt that amongst the Aryans, whilst they were approaching India, and whilst the worship of nature under the Vedic system of religion prevailed, the householder was his own priest, and performed all the religious duties in sacrifices and worship. The head of the house was, in fact, his own household priest, and to the present clay every head of a IIindu house performs all the religious sacrifices of his house hold. — Wilson's Glossary ; Tod's Rajasthan, p. 215.