01.092
Shantanu gifted with a son “Gangadatta”.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
tataḥ pratīpo rājā sa sarvabhūtahite rataḥ. niṣasāda samā bahvīrgaṅgātīragato japan ॥1॥
Then King Pratīpa, engaged in the welfare of all beings, sat for many years on the bank of the Gaṅgā, chanting sacred mantras.
tasya rūpaguṇopetā gaṅgā śrīriva rūpiṇī. uttīrya salilāttasmāllobhanīyatamākṛtiḥ ॥2॥
Gaṅgā, endowed with beauty and virtues, rose from the water like the goddess of fortune herself, possessing the most alluring form.
adhīyānasya rājarṣerdivyarūpā manasvinī. dakṣiṇaṁ śālasaṅkāśamūruṁ bheje śubhānanā ॥3॥
The intelligent and divinely beautiful lady, while the royal sage was chanting, sat upon his right thigh, which resembled a śāla tree, her face shining with auspiciousness.
pratīpastu mahīpālastāmuvāca manasvinīm. karavāṇi kiṁ te kalyāṇi priyaṁ yatte'bhikāṅkṣitam ॥4॥
But King Pratīpa spoke to the intelligent lady, “O auspicious one, what shall I do for you? Tell me what is dear and desired by you.”
stryuvāca॥
The woman said:
tvāmahaṁ kāmaye rājan kuruśreṣṭha bhajasva mām. tyāgaḥ kāmavatīnāṁ hi strīṇāṁ sadbhirvigarhitaḥ ॥5॥
I desire you, O King, best of the Kurus. Accept me. For the rejection of desirous women is indeed censured by the virtuous.
pratīpa uvāca॥
Pratīpa said:
nāhaṁ parastriyaṁ kāmādgaccheyaṁ varavarṇini. na cāsavarṇāṁ kalyāṇi dharmyaṁ tadviddhi me vratam ॥6॥
I would never approach another’s wife out of desire, O splendid lady. Nor one of a different class. Know that this is my righteous vow, O auspicious one.
stryuvāca॥
The woman said:
nāśreyasyasmi nāgamyā na vaktavyā ca karhicit. bhaja māṁ bhajamānāṁ tvaṁ rājan kanyāṁ varastriyam ॥7॥
I am not unworthy, nor unapproachable, nor to be shunned in any way. Accept me, O king — I am a maiden desiring you, an excellent woman.
pratīpa uvāca॥
Pratīpa said:
mayātivṛttam etatte yan māṁ codayasi priyam. anyathā pratipannaṁ māṁ nāśayed dharmaviplavaḥ ॥8॥
This act you urge upon me, though dear, is forbidden by me. Acting otherwise would lead to a downfall, as the ruin of dharma destroys a man.
prāpya dakṣiṇamūruṁ me tvam āśliṣṭā varāṅgane. apatyānāṁ snuṣāṇāṁ ca bhīru viddhyetadāsanam ॥9॥
O excellent-limbed lady, you have embraced my right thigh. Know, O bashful one, this is the seat meant for the wives of sons and daughters-in-law.
savyataḥ kāminībhāgas tvayā sa ca vivarjitaḥ. tasmād ahaṁ nācariṣye tvayi kāmaṁ varāṅgane ॥10॥
By sitting on my right thigh, O lovely-limbed one, you avoided the left, the seat of the beloved. Therefore, I shall not indulge in desire with you.
snuṣā me bhava kalyāṇi putrārthe tvāṁ vṛṇomyaham. snuṣāpakṣaṁ hi vāmoru tvam āgamya samāśritā ॥11॥
Become my daughter-in-law, O auspicious one; I choose you for the sake of my son. For you have approached and taken refuge in the position of a daughter-in-law, O lovely-thighed one.
stryuvāca॥
The woman said:
evam apy astu dharmajña saṁyujyeyaṁ sutena te. tvadbhaktyaiva bhajiṣyāmi prakhyātaṁ bhārataṁ kulam ॥12॥
So be it, O knower of dharma. Let me be united with your son. Through devotion to you alone, I shall serve the renowned Bhārata lineage.
pṛthivyāṁ pārthivā ye ca teṣāṁ yūyaṁ parāyaṇam. guṇā na hi mayā śakyā vaktuṁ varṣaśatair api ॥ kulasya ye vaḥ prasthitās tat sādhutvam anuttamam ॥13॥
You are the supreme refuge of the kings on earth. Your virtues cannot be fully described even in hundreds of years by me. The ancestors of your lineage possess unsurpassed virtue.
sa me nābhijanajñaḥ syād ācareyaṁ ca yad vibho. tat sarvam eva putras te na mīmāṁseta karhicit ॥14॥
Even if your son is unaware of my noble birth and I act in some way, O lord, still your son should never question me for any of it.
evaṁ vasantī putre te vardhayiṣyāmy ahaṁ priyam. putraiḥ puṇyaiḥ priyaiś cāpi svargaṁ prāpsyati te sutaḥ ॥15॥
Thus dwelling with your son, I shall increase his joy. Through dear and virtuous sons, your son shall also attain heaven.
vaiśampāyana uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
tathety uktvā tu sā rājaṁs tatraivāntaradhīyata. putrajanma pratīkṣaṁs tu sa rājā tadadhārayat ॥16॥
Having said “So be it,” she vanished there itself, O King. And the king, awaiting the birth of a son, held that vow in his heart.
etasminneva kāle tu pratīpaḥ kṣatriyarṣabhaḥ. tapastepe sutasyārthe sabhāryaḥ kurunandana ॥17॥
At that very time, Pratīpa, the foremost among Kṣatriyas, performed austerities with his wife for the sake of obtaining a son, O joy of the Kurus.
tayoḥ samabhavat putro vṛddhayoḥ sa mahābhiṣaḥ. śāntasya jajñe santānas tasmād āsīt sa śantanuḥ ॥18॥
To them, in their old age, a son was born — he was Mahābhiṣa. From Śānta was born the offspring who became known as Śantanu.
saṁsmaraṁś cākṣayāṁl lokān vijitān svena karmaṇā. puṇyakarmakṛd evāsīc chantanuḥ kurusattama ॥19॥
Śantanu, best of the Kurus, remembered the imperishable worlds he had attained by his own deeds, for he was truly a doer of meritorious acts.
pratīpaḥ śantanuṁ putraṁ yauvanasthaṁ tato'nvaśāt. purā māṁ strī samabhyāgāc chantano bhūtaye tava ॥20॥
Pratīpa then appointed his son Śantanu, who was in the prime of youth. Long ago, a woman had approached me, Śantanu, for your sake.
tvām āvrajed yadi rahaḥ sā putra varavarṇinī. kāmayānābhirūpāḍhyā divyā strī putrakāmyayā. sā tvayā nānuyoktavyā kāsi kasyāsi vāṅgane ॥21॥
If, O son, that beautiful lady approaches you in private, desiring a son and full of divine beauty, do not ask her — “Who are you? Whose are you, O fair-limbed lady?”
yacca kuryān na tat kāryaṁ praṣṭavyā sā tvayānagha. manniyogād bhajantīṁ tāṁ bhajethā ity uvāca tam ॥22॥
Whatever she does, do not question her, O sinless one. Accept her as she serves you, by my instruction — thus he spoke to him.
evaṁ saṁdiśya tanayaṁ pratīpaḥ śantanuṁ tadā. sve ca rājye'bhiṣicya enaṁ vanaṁ rājā viveśa ha ॥23॥
Thus instructing his son Śantanu, Pratīpa anointed him as king over his realm, and then the king retired into the forest.
sa rājā śantanuḥ dhīmān khyātaḥ pṛthivyāṁ dhanurdharaḥ. babhūva mṛgayāśīlaḥ satataṁ vanagocaraḥ ॥24॥
King Śantanu, wise and renowned on earth as a great archer, became one constantly roaming the forests, ever fond of hunting.
sa mṛgān mahiṣāṁś caiva vinighnan rājasattamaḥ. gaṅgām anucacāraikaḥ siddhacāraṇasevitām ॥25॥
He, the best of kings, wandered alone along the Ganges, slaying deer and buffaloes, in that forest sanctified by siddhas and celestial bards.
sa kadācin mahārāja dadarśa paramāṁ striyam. jājvalyamānāṁ vapuṣā sākṣāt padmām iva śriyam ॥26॥
Once, O great king, he beheld a supreme woman, glowing in beauty, appearing like the goddess of fortune herself rising from a lotus.
sarvānavadyāṁ sudatīṁ divyābharaṇabhūṣitām. sūkṣmāmbaradharām ekāṁ padmodarasamaprabhām ॥27॥
Flawless in every way, with a sweet smile and adorned with divine ornaments, she stood alone, clad in delicate garments, radiating a glow like the heart of a lotus.
tāṁ dṛṣṭvā hṛṣṭaromābhūd vismito rūpasampadā. pibann iva ca netrābhyāṁ nātṛpyata narādhipaḥ ॥28॥
Seeing her, the king was filled with wonder, his hair standing in joy from her beauty. As if drinking her with his eyes, he could not get enough of the sight.
sā ca dṛṣṭvaiva rājānaṁ vicarantaṁ mahādyutim. snehād āgatasauhārdā nātṛpyata vilāsinī ॥29॥
She too, upon seeing the radiant king moving about, was filled with affectionate admiration and, being full of grace, could not take her eyes off him.
tām uvāca tato rājā sāntvayañ ślakṣṇayā girā. devī vā dānavī vā tvaṁ gandharvī yadi vāpsarāḥ ॥30॥
Then the king, consoling her with gentle words, said: “Are you a goddess, a demoness, a gandharvī, or perhaps an apsarā?”
yakṣī vā pannagī vāpi mānuṣī vā sumadhyame. yā vā tvaṁ suragarbhābhe bhāryā me bhava śobhane ॥31॥
Whether you are a yakṣī, a serpent-woman, a human, or one who resembles the offspring of the gods — O beautiful, slender-waisted one, be my wife.
etac chrutvā vaco rājñaḥ sasmitaṁ mṛdu valgu ca. vasūnāṁ samayaṁ smṛtvā abhyagacchad aninditā ॥32॥
Hearing these gentle and charming words of the king, she smiled, remembered the agreement of the Vasus, and accepted him, the faultless one.
uvāca caiva rājñaḥ sā hlādayantī mano girā. bhaviṣyāmi mahīpāla mahiṣī te vaśānugā ॥33॥
She then spoke to the king in words that delighted the heart: “O king, I shall be your queen, obedient to your will.”
yattu kuryāmahaṁ rājañ śubhaṁ vā yadi vāśubham. na tad vārayitavyāsmi na vaktavyā tathāpriyam ॥34॥
But whatever I may do, O king — whether good or bad — you must not stop me, nor speak anything unpleasant to me.
evaṁ hi vartamāne'haṁ tvayi vatsyāmi pārthiva. vāritā vipriyaṁ coktā tyajeyaṁ tvām asaṁśayam ॥35॥
Only while you behave thus will I stay with you, O king. If you stop me or speak unpleasantly to me, I will abandon you without doubt.
tatheti rājñā sā tūktā tadā bharatasattama. praharṣam atulaṁ lebhe prāpya taṁ pārthivottamam ॥36॥
Thus addressed by the king, she — O best of the Bharatas — felt an incomparable joy, having attained that best among kings.
āsādya śantanus tāṁ ca bubhuje kāmato vaśī. na praṣṭavyeti manvāno na sa tāṁ kiñcid ūcivān ॥37॥
Having attained her, Śantanu — though self-controlled — enjoyed her freely. Thinking “I must not question her,” he never spoke a word of inquiry to her.
sa tasyāḥ śīlavṛttena rūpaudāryaguṇena ca. upacāreṇa ca rahas tutoṣa jagatīpatiḥ ॥38॥
The lord of the earth was pleased in private with her character and conduct, her beauty and nobility, and the attentiveness of her service.
divyarūpā hi sā devī gaṅgā tripathagā nadī. mānuṣaṁ vigrahaṁ śrīmat kṛtvā sā varavarṇinī ॥39॥
Indeed, she was the goddess Gaṅgā, the river flowing through the three worlds, who had assumed a splendid human form, O lady of radiant beauty.
bhāgyopanatakāmasya bhāryevopasthitābhavat. śantanor rājasimhasya devarājasamadyuteḥ ॥40॥
She appeared like a destined wife to the desire-blessed Śantanu, the lion among kings, whose splendor rivaled that of the king of the gods.
sambhogasnehacāturyair hāvalāsyair manoharaiḥ. rājānaṁ ramayām āsa yathā reme tathaiva saḥ ॥41॥
With enchanting skill in union, affection, cleverness, and playful gestures, she delighted the king — and he rejoiced fully in her, just as she intended.
sa rājā ratisaktatvād uttamastrīguṇair hṛtaḥ. saṁvatsarān ṛtūn māsān na bubodha bahūn gatān ॥42॥
Captivated by her supreme qualities and absorbed in pleasure, the king did not perceive the passing of many years, seasons, and months.
ramamāṇas tayā sārdhaṁ yathākāmaṁ janeśvaraḥ. aṣṭāv ajanayat putrān tasyām amaravarṇinaḥ ॥43॥
The lord of men, enjoying her freely, begot eight sons in her, all radiant like the immortals.
jātaṁ jātaṁ ca sā putraṁ kṣipaty ambhasi bhārata. prīṇāmi tvāham ity uktvā gaṅgāsrotasy amajjayat ॥44॥
Each time a son was born, O Bhārata, she cast him into the Gaṅgā, saying, “I please you,” and drowned him in the river’s flow.
tasya tan na priyaṁ rājñaḥ śantanor abhavat tadā. na ca tāṁ kiñcanovāca tyāgād bhīto mahīpatiḥ ॥45॥
This was not pleasing to Śantanu the king, yet out of fear that she might abandon him, the lord of the earth said nothing to her.
atha tām aṣṭame putre jāte prahasitām iva. uvāca rājā duḥkhārtaḥ parīpsan putram ātmanaḥ ॥46॥
Then, when the eighth son was born and she seemed about to smile, the grief-stricken king, desiring to save his son, spoke to her.
mā vadhīḥ kāsi kasyāsi kiṁ hiṁsasi sutān iti. putraghni sumahat pāpaṁ mā prāpas tiṣṭha garhite ॥47॥
Do not kill him! Who are you? Whose are you? Why do you destroy these sons? O slayer of children, do not incur such great sin — stop, O condemned one!
stry uvāca॥
The woman said:
putrakāma na te hanmi putraṁ putravatāṁ vara. jīrṇas tu mama vāso'yaṁ yathā sa samayaḥ kṛtaḥ ॥48॥
O best among fathers, I do not slay your son, for you desire him. But my stay is now worn out, for the agreement made has reached its time.
ahaṁ gaṅgā jahnusutā maharṣigaṇasevitā. devakāryārthasiddhyartham uṣitāhaṁ tvayā saha ॥49॥
I am Gaṅgā, daughter of Jahnu, revered by hosts of sages. I dwelt with you to fulfill a divine purpose.
aṣṭe me vasavo devā mahābhāgā mahaujasaḥ. vasiṣṭhaśāpadoṣeṇa mānuṣatvam upāgatāḥ ॥50॥
The eight Vasus — great and powerful gods — became mortals due to the curse of Vasiṣṭha, and were born through me.
teṣāṁ janayitā nānyas tvadṛte bhuvi vidyate. madvidhā mānuṣī dhātrī na caivāstīha kācana ॥51॥
No one on earth but you is capable of begetting them. Nor is there any human mother like me who could bear them.
tasmāt tajjananīhetor mānuṣatvam upāgatā. janayitvā vasūn aṣṭau jitā lokās tvayākṣayāḥ ॥52॥
Therefore, to become their mother, I took a human form. Having borne the eight Vasus, you have won eternal worlds, O king.
devānāṁ samayas tveṣa vasūnāṁ saṁśruto mayā. jātaṁ jātaṁ mokṣayiṣye janmataḥ mānuṣād iti ॥53॥
This was the agreement of the gods, O king, which I accepted from the Vasus: “Each one born, I shall liberate from human birth.”
tat te śāpād vinirmuktā āpavasya mahātmanaḥ. svasti te'stu gamiṣyāmi putraṁ pāhi mahāvratam ॥54॥
Thus, the Vasus are freed from the curse of the great-souled Vasiṣṭha through you. Farewell to you — I shall now depart. Protect this noble son.
eṣa paryāyavāso me vasūnāṁ sannidhau kṛtaḥ. matprasūtaṁ vijānīhi gaṅgādattam imaṁ sutam ॥55॥
This was my temporary stay for the sake of the Vasus. Know this son as your own, born of me as Gaṅgādatta, i.e. given by Gaṅgā.
