FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.16.29

विश्वामित्रस्य चैवासन् पुत्रा एकशतं नृप । मध्यमस्तु मधुच्छन्दा मधुच्छन्दस एव ते ॥ २९ ॥
viśvāmitrasya caivāsan
[vishvaamitrasya chaivaasan]
putrā eka-śataṁ nṛpa
[putraa eka-shatam nripa]
madhyamas tu madhucchandā
[madhyamas tu madhuchchandaa]
madhucchandasa eva te
[madhuchchandasa eva te]
viśvāmitrasya — of Viśvāmitra ca — also eva — indeed āsan — there were putrāḥ — sons eka-śatam — 101 nṛpa — O King Parīkṣit madhyamaḥ — the middle one tu — indeed madhucchandāḥ — known as Madhucchandā madhucchandasaḥ — named the Madhucchandās eva — indeed te — all of them.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
viśvāmitrasya caivāsan
viśvāmitrasya
of Viśvāmitra
ca
also
putrā eka-śataṁ nṛpa
madhyamas tu madhucchandā
madhucchandasa eva te
eva
indeed
āsan
there were
putrāḥ
sons
eka-śatam
101
nṛpa
O King Parīkṣit
madhyamaḥ
the middle one
tu
indeed
madhucchandāḥ
known as Madhucchandā
madhucchandasaḥ
named the Madhucchandās
eva
indeed
te
all of them.
O King Parīkṣit, Viśvāmitra had 101 sons, of whom the middle one was known as Madhucchandā. In relation to him, all the other sons were celebrated as the Madhucchandās.

In this connection, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura quotes this statement from the Vedas: tasya ha viśvāmitrasyaika-śataṁ putrā āsuḥ pañcāśad eva jyāyāṁso madhucchandasaḥ pañcāśat kanīyāṁsaḥ. “Viśvāmitra had 101 sons. Fifty were older than Madhucchandā and fifty younger.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O King! Viśvāmitra had 101 sons, of whom the middle one was known as Madhucchandā. In relation to him, all the other sons were celebrated as the Madhucchandās. He had one hundred and one sons (eka-śatam). Śruti says tasya ha viśvāmitrasyaika-śataṁ putrā āsuḥ pañcāśad eva jyāyāṁso madhucchandasaḥ pañcāśat kanīyāṁsaḥ: Viśvāmitra had 101 sons, fifty of which were older than Madhucchandā and fifty younger. (Ṛg Veda, Aitareya Brāhmaṇa 7.15.7) They were all called by the same name since he was the principal in the group. When placing bricks for a sacrifice one brick is purified by the famous prāṇa-bhṛta mantra and is called prāna-bhṛt. All other bricks are called prāṇa-bhrt since they are related to the principal brick.
Viśvāmitra has 101 sons, fifty older and fifty younger than Madhucchandā in the middle. Families come in unequal sizes; positions in birth order shape the destinies that follow.
Reflection Questions
  • How has my position in birth order shaped responsibilities I have accepted or avoided?
  • Whose position in my own family deserves more attention than I give it?
📝 My note

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