01.093
Why Vasu’s were cursed.
śantanuḥ uvāca॥
Śantanu said:
āpavaḥ nāma kaḥ nu eṣaḥ vasūnām kiṁ ca duṣkṛtam। yasya abhiśāpāt te sarve mānuṣīm tanum āgatāḥ ॥1॥
Who is this one named Āpava among the Vasus, and what wrongdoing was done due to whose curse they all assumed human bodies?
anena ca kumāreṇa gaṅgādattena kiṁ kṛtam। yasya ca eva kṛtena ayaṁ mānuṣeṣu nivatsyati ॥2॥
And what was done by this boy Gaṅgādatta, because of which he will dwell among humans?
īśānāḥ sarvalokasya vasavaḥ te ca vai katham। mānuṣeṣu udapadyanta tat mama ācakṣva jāhnavī ॥3॥
The Vasus, lords of all the worlds—how indeed were they born among humans? Tell me that, O Jāhnavī.
vaiśampāyanaḥ uvāca॥
Vaiśampāyana said.
sā evam uktā tataḥ gaṅgā rājānam idam abravīt। bhartāram jāhnavī devī śantanuṁ puruṣarṣabham ॥4॥
Thus addressed, Gaṅgā then said this to the king — Jāhnavī's husband, Śantanu, the best among men.
yam lebhe varuṇaḥ putram purā bharatasattama। vasiṣṭhaḥ nāma sa muniḥ khyātaḥ āpavaḥ iti uta ॥5॥
The one whom Varuṇa long ago accepted as a son, O best of the Bharatas, that sage is named Vasiṣṭha, and he is indeed known as Āpava.
tasya āśramapadam puṇyam mṛgapakṣigaṇānvitam। meroḥ pārśve nagendrasya sarvartu-kusumāvṛtam ॥6॥
His hermitage was sacred, filled with groups of deer and birds, on the slope of Mount Meru, covered with flowers of all seasons.
sa vāruṇiḥ tapastepe tasmin bharatasattama। vane puṇyakṛtām śreṣṭhaḥ svādu-mūlaphalodake ॥7॥
There, O best of the Bharatas, the son of Varuṇa performed austerities in that forest, being the foremost among the meritorious, living on tasty roots, fruits, and pure water.
dakṣasya duhitā yā tu surabhī iti atigarvitā। gāṁ prajātā tu sā devī kaśyapāt bharatarṣabha ॥8॥
The goddess Surabhi, the proud daughter of Dakṣa, O best of the Bharatas, gave birth to the cow from Kaśyapa.
anugrahārthaṁ jagataḥ sarvakāmadughāṁ varām। tāṁ lebhe gāṁ tu dharmātmā homadhenuṁ sa vāruṇiḥ ॥9॥
For the blessing of the world, the righteous son of Varuṇa obtained that excellent cow, the wish-fulfilling and sacrificial cow.
sā tasmin tāpasāraṇye vasantī munisevite। cacāra ramye dharmye ca gaur apetabhayā tadā ॥10॥
There, in that forest of ascetics attended by sages, the cow dwelt and roamed freely, delightfully and righteously, without any fear.
atha tad vanam ājagmuḥ kadācit bharatarṣabha। pṛthv-ādyā vasavaḥ sarve devadevarṣisevitam ॥11॥
Then once, O best of the Bharatas, all the Vasus including Pṛthvī came to that forest, which was attended by gods and sages.
te sadārā vanaṁ tac ca vyacarante samantataḥ। remire ramaṇīyeṣu parvateṣu vaneṣu ca ॥12॥
They, along with their wives, roamed all around that forest and rejoiced in the delightful mountains and woods.
tatra ekasya tu bhāryā vai vasor vāsavavikrama। sā carantī vane tasmin gāṁ dadarśa sumadhyamā। yā sā vasiṣṭhasya muneḥ sarvakāmadhug uttamā ॥13॥
There, O Indra-like hero, the slender-waisted wife of one of the Vasus, while wandering in the forest, saw the excellent wish-fulfilling cow belonging to the sage Vasiṣṭha.
sā vismayasamāviṣṭā śīladraviṇasampadā। dive vai darśayāmāsa tāṁ gāṁ govṛṣabhekṣaṇa ॥14॥
Filled with wonder at her virtue and wealth, she showed that cow to her husband Dīva, the bull-eyed one.
svāpīnāṁ ca sudogdhriṁ ca suvāladhimukhāṁ śubhām। upapannāṁ guṇaiḥ sarvaiḥ śīlenānuttamena ca ॥15॥
She was a gentle and excellent milker, beautiful in face and form, endowed with all virtues and unmatched in character.
evaṁ guṇasamāyuktāṁ vasave vasunandinī। darśayāmāsa rājendra purā pauravanandana ॥16॥
Thus endowed with virtues, the daughter of a Vasu showed her to the Vasu, O king, long ago, O scion of the Paurava lineage.
dyauḥ tadā tāṁ tu dṛṣṭvā eva gāṁ gajendra-indra-vikrama। uvāca rājaṁs tāṁ devīṁ tasyā rūpaguṇān vadan ॥17॥
O king, then Dyau of elephant-like might, having just seen the cow, spoke to that goddess, describing her form and virtues.
eṣā gauḥ uttamā devi vāruṇe asitekṣaṇe। ṛṣeḥ tasya varārohe yasya idaṁ vanam uttamam ॥18॥
O slender-waisted dark-eyed goddess, this excellent cow belongs to that sage, son of Varuṇa, whose this forest is.
asyāḥ kṣīraṁ piben martyaḥ svādu yaḥ vai sumadhyame। daśa varṣasahasrāṇi sa jīvet sthirayauvanaḥ ॥19॥
Whoever among mortals drinks her sweet milk, O slender-waisted one, will live for ten thousand years with unaging youth.
etat śrutvā tu sā devī nṛpottama sumadhyamā। tam uvāca anavadyāṅgī bhartāraṁ dīptatejasam ॥20॥
Hearing this, O best of kings, the slender-waisted, flawless-limbed goddess spoke to her husband of blazing splendor.
asti me mānuṣe loke naradevātmajā sakhī। nāmnā jinavatī nāma rūpayauvanaśālinī ॥21॥
I have a friend in the human world, the daughter of a king, named Jinavatī, who is endowed with beauty and youth.
uśīnarasya rājarṣeḥ satyasaṁdhasya dhīmataḥ। duhitā prathitā loke mānuṣe rūpasampadā ॥22॥
She is the daughter of the wise and truthful royal sage Uśīnara, renowned in the human world for her beauty.
tasyā hetoḥ mahābhāga savatsāṁ gāṁ mama īpsitām। ānayasva amaraśreṣṭha tvaritaṁ puṇyavardhana ॥23॥
O greatly fortunate and best among immortals, for her sake bring me the cow with her calf, whom I desire, quickly, O increaser of merit.
yāvat asyāḥ payaḥ pītvā sā sakhī mama mānada। mānuṣeṣu bhavatv ekā jarāroga vivarjitā ॥24॥
So that, having drunk this milk, my friend may become the one among humans who is free from aging and disease, O honorable one.
etan mama mahābhāga kartum arhasi anindita। priyaṁ priyataraṁ hi asmāt nāsti me anyat kathañcana ॥25॥
O greatly fortunate and blameless one, you ought to do this for me — there is nothing dearer to me than this, not in any way.
etat śrutvā vacas tasyā devyāḥ priyacikīrṣayā। pṛthv-ādyaiḥ bhrātṛbhiḥ sārdhaṁ dyauḥ tadā tāṁ jahāra gām ॥26॥
Having heard the goddess's words and desiring to please her, Dyau then stole the cow along with his brothers, including Pṛthvī and others.
tayā kamalapatrākṣyā niyukto dyauḥ tadā nṛpa। ṛṣeḥ tasya tapastiivraṁ na śaśāka nirīkṣitum। hṛtā gauḥ sā tadā tena prapātaḥ tu na tarkitaḥ ॥27॥
Dyau, being instructed by the lotus-eyed goddess, O king, was unable to face the sage's intense austerity. The cow was thus stolen by him then, but he did not foresee the downfall that would follow.
atha āśramapadam prāptaḥ phalāni ādāya vāruṇiḥ। na ca apaśyat gāṁ tatra savatsāṁ kānanottame ॥28॥
Then the son of Varuṇa returned to the hermitage with fruits in hand, but did not see the cow with her calf there in the excellent forest.
tataḥ sa mṛgayām āsa vane tasmin tapodhanaḥ। na adhyagacchat ca mṛgayan tāṁ gāṁ muniḥ udāradhīḥ ॥29॥
Then the noble-minded sage, rich in austerity, searched for the cow in that forest, but could not find her despite his efforts.
jñātvā tathā apanītāṁ tāṁ vasubhiḥ divyadarśanaḥ। yayau krodhavaśaṁ sadyaḥ śaśāpa ca vasūn tadā ॥30॥
Realizing that she had been taken by the Vasus, the divinely-sighted sage immediately became enraged and cursed the Vasus at once.
yasmāt me vasavaḥ jahrur gāṁ vai dogdhriṁ suvāladhim। tasmāt sarve janiṣyanti mānuṣeṣu na saṁśayaḥ ॥31॥
Because the Vasus have stolen my cow, the milker with the beautiful forehead, therefore all of them shall be born among humans — there is no doubt of it.
evaṁ śaśāpa bhagavān vasūn tān munisattamaḥ। vaśaṁ kopasya samprāpta āpavaḥ bharatarṣabha ॥32॥
Thus the venerable sage Āpava, overcome by anger, cursed those Vasus, O best of the Bharatas.
śaptvā ca tān mahābhāgaḥ tapasi eva mano dadhe। evaṁ sa śaptavān rājan vasūn aṣṭau tapodhanaḥ॥ mahāprabhāvaḥ brahmarṣiḥ devān roṣasamanvitaḥ ॥33॥
Having cursed them, the greatly fortunate sage fixed his mind again on austerities. Thus the ascetic of great power, the brahma-ṛṣi, cursed the eight Vasus, O king, being filled with anger against the gods.
atha āśramapadaṁ prāpya taṁ sma bhūyo mahātmanaḥ। śaptāḥ sma iti jānanta ṛṣiṁ tam upacakramuḥ ॥34॥
Then, realizing, “We are cursed”, having returned to the hermitage of that great-souled one, they approached that sage once again.
prasādayantas tam ṛṣiṁ vasavaḥ pārthivarṣabha। na lebhire ca tasmāt te prasādam ṛṣisattamāt॥ āpavāt puruṣavyāghra sarvadharmaviśāradāt ॥35॥
O bull among kings, the Vasus, tiger among men, tried to appease the sage, the knower of all dharmas, but they did not obtain forgiveness from the best of sages — Āpava.
uvāca ca sa dharmātmā sapta yūyaṁ dharādayaḥ। anu saṁvatsarāt śāpamokṣaṁ vai samavāpsyatha ॥36॥
And the righteous sage said, “You seven, Dhara and the others, shall indeed obtain release from the curse after one year.”
ayaṁ tu yatkṛte yūyaṁ mayā śaptāḥ sa vatsyati। dyauḥ tadā mānuṣe loke dīrghakālaṁ svakarmaṇā ॥37॥
But this one, Dyau, because of whom you were cursed by me, shall live for a long time in the human world due to his own deed.
nānarṛtaṁ tac cikīrṣāmi yuṣmān kruddho yad abruvam। na prajās yati ca api eṣa mānuṣeṣu mahāmanāḥ ॥38॥
I do not wish that what I angrily spoke to you be rendered untrue; and this noble-minded one shall also not procreate among humans.
bhaviṣyati ca dharmātmā sarvaśāstra-viśāradaḥ। pituḥ priyahite yuktaḥ strībhogān varjayiṣyati॥ evam uktvā vasūn sarvān jagāma bhagavān ṛṣiḥ ॥39॥
He shall be righteous, well-versed in all scriptures, devoted to his father’s joy and welfare, and shall renounce pleasures with women. Thus having spoken to all the Vasus, the revered sage departed.
tato mām upajagmuḥ te samastā vasavaḥ tadā। ayācanta ca māṁ rājan varaṁ sa ca mayā kṛtaḥ॥ jātān jātān prakṣipā asmān svayaṁ gaṅge tvam ambhasi ॥40॥
Then all the Vasus approached me, O king, and begged me for a boon, which I granted: “O Gaṅgā, as each one is born, cast us yourself into the waters.”
evaṁ teṣām ahaṁ samyak śaptānāṁ rājasattama। mokṣārtham mānuṣāt lokāt yathāvat kṛtavatya aham ॥41॥
Thus, O best of kings, I have rightly acted on behalf of those cursed, and done what is proper for their liberation from the human world.
ayaṁ śāpād ṛṣeḥ tasya eka eva nṛpottama। dyauḥ rājan mānuṣe loke ciraṁ vatsyati bhārata ॥42॥
This one alone, Dyau, O best of kings, because of the sage’s curse, shall live long in the human world, O Bhārata.
etad ākhyāya sā devī tatraiva antaradhīyata। ādāya ca kumāraṁ taṁ jagāma atha yathepsitam ॥43॥
Having narrated this, the goddess vanished then and there, and taking the boy with her, she went as she desired.
sa tu devavrataḥ nāma gāṅgeya iti ca abhavat। dvināmā śantanauḥ putraḥ śantanoḥ adhikaḥ guṇaiḥ ॥44॥
He became known both as Devavrata and Gāṅgeya, the son of Gaṅgā, having two names, and in virtues he surpassed Śantanu himself.
śantanuḥ ca api śokārtaḥ jagāma svapuraṁ tataḥ। tasya ahaṁ kīrtayiṣyāmi śantanoḥ amitān guṇān ॥45॥
Śantanu too, afflicted with sorrow, then returned to his own city. I shall now recount the countless virtues of Śantanu.
mahābhāgyaṁ ca nṛpateḥ bhāratasya yaśasvinaḥ। yasya itihāsaḥ dyutimān mahābhāratam ucyate ॥46॥
And the great fortune of that glorious Bhārata king — his radiant history is what is called the Mahābhārata.
