01.112
Core:Kanti suggests other yogic means to get Sons.
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
एवमुक्ता महाराज कुन्ती पाण्डुमभाषत । कुरूणामृषभं वीरं तदा भूमिपतिं पतिम् ॥१-११२-१॥
Thus addressed, O great king, Kuntī spoke to Pāṇḍu — the heroic bull of the Kurus, her husband, lord of the earth.
न मामर्हसि धर्मज्ञ वक्तुमेवं कथञ्चन । धर्मपत्नीमभिरतां त्वयि राजीवलोचन ॥१-११२-२॥
You, O knower of dharma and lotus-eyed one, should not speak thus to me — your righteous wife who is devoted to you.
त्वमेव तु महाबाहो मय्यपत्यानि भारत । वीर वीर्योपपन्नानि धर्मतो जनयिष्यसि ॥१-११२-३॥
O mighty-armed hero, you alone shall righteously beget in me children endowed with heroism, O Bhārata.
स्वर्गं मनुजशार्दूल गच्छेयं सहिता त्वया । अपत्याय च मां गच्छ त्वमेव कुरुनन्दन ॥१-११२-४॥
O tiger among men, may I attain heaven with you; for the sake of offspring, you alone must approach me, O joy of the Kurus.
न ह्यहं मनसाप्यन्यं गच्छेयं त्वदृते नरम् । त्वत्तः प्रतिविशिष्टश्च कोऽन्योऽस्ति भुवि मानवः ॥१-११२-५॥
Indeed, I would not even in mind approach any man other than you; who else on earth is superior to you, O man?
इमां च तावद्धर्म्यां त्वं पौराणीं शृणु मे कथाम् । परिश्रुतां विशालाक्ष कीर्तयिष्यामि यामहम् ॥१-११२-६॥
Now hear from me this righteous and ancient tale, O wide-eyed one, which is well known — I shall narrate it.
व्युषिताश्व इति ख्यातो बभूव किल पार्थिवः । पुरा परमधर्मिष्ठः पूरोर्वंशविवर्धनः ॥१-११२-७॥
There was once a king named Vyushitāśva, famed and supremely righteous, who advanced the lineage of Pūru.
तस्मिंश्च यजमाने वै धर्मात्मनि महात्मनि । उपागमंस्ततो देवाः सेन्द्राः सह महर्षिभिः ॥१-११२-८॥
While that great and righteous king was performing sacrifice, the gods along with Indra and great sages came there.
अमाद्यदिन्द्रः सोमेन दक्षिणाभिर्द्विजातयः । व्युषिताश्वस्य राजर्षेस्ततो यज्ञे महात्मनः ॥१-११२-९॥
Indra rejoiced with soma, and the twice-born with gifts, at the sacrifice of the great-souled royal sage Vyushitāśva.
व्युषिताश्वस्ततो राजन्नति मर्त्यान्व्यरोचत । सर्वभूतान्यति यथा तपनः शिशिरात्यये ॥१-११२-१०॥
Then, O king, Vyushitāśva shone surpassingly beyond mortals, as the sun does over all beings at winter’s end.
स विजित्य गृहीत्वा च नृपतीन्राजसत्तमः । प्राच्यानुदीच्यान्मध्यांश्च दक्षिणात्यानकालयत् ॥१-११२-११॥
He, the best of kings, having conquered and seized the eastern, northern, central, and southern kings, brought them under control.
अश्वमेधे महायज्ञे व्युषिताश्वः प्रतापवान् । बभूव स हि राजेन्द्रो दशनागबलान्वितः ॥१-११२-१२॥
In the great horse sacrifice, Vyushitāśva, the powerful, became a king of kings endowed with the strength of ten elephants.
अप्यत्र गाथां गायन्ति ये पुराणविदो जनाः । व्युषिताश्वः समुद्रान्तां विजित्येमां वसुन्धराम् ॥ अपालयत्सर्ववर्णान्पिता पुत्रानिवौरसान् ॥१-११२-१३॥
Even here they sing a verse, those who know the Purāṇas: Vyushitāśva, having conquered this earth bounded by oceans, protected all castes like a father protects his own sons.
यजमानो महायज्ञैर्ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ददौ धनम् । अनन्तरत्नान्यादाय आजहार महाक्रतून् ॥ सुषाव च बहून्सोमान्सोमसंस्थास्ततान च ॥१-११२-१४॥
Performing great sacrifices, he gave wealth to the Brāhmaṇas; having gathered countless jewels, he celebrated great rites, pressed many Soma libations, and established Soma sacrifices.
आसीत्काक्षीवती चास्य भार्या परमसंमता । भद्रा नाम मनुष्येन्द्र रूपेणासदृशी भुवि ॥१-११२-१५॥
His wife was Kākṣīvatī, greatly esteemed — Bhadra by name, O king of men, unequalled in beauty upon the earth.
कामयामासतुस्तौ तु परस्परमिति श्रुतिः । स तस्यां कामसंमत्तो यक्ष्माणं समपद्यत ॥१-११२-१६॥
It is said that both deeply desired each other; he, overcome by passion for her, contracted a wasting disease.
तेनाचिरेण कालेन जगामास्तमिवांशुमान् । तस्मिन्प्रेते मनुष्येन्द्रे भार्यास्य भृशदुःखिता ॥१-११२-१७॥
Within a short time, he passed away like the setting sun; his wife, deeply afflicted, mourned after the king of men had died.
अपुत्रा पुरुषव्याघ्र विललापेति नः श्रुतम् । भद्रा परमदुःखार्ता तन्निबोध नराधिप ॥१-११२-१८॥
O tiger among men, we have heard that childless Bhadra, deeply stricken with grief, lamented — know this, O lord of men.
नारी परमधर्मज्ञ सर्वा पुत्रविनाकृता । पतिं विना जीवति या न सा जीवति दुःखिता ॥१-११२-१९॥
A woman, supreme knower of dharma though she be, without a son and bereft of husband, though she lives — truly lives not, being afflicted.
पतिं विना मृतं श्रेयो नार्याः क्षत्रियपुङ्गव । त्वद्गतिं गन्तुमिच्छामि प्रसीदस्व नयस्व माम् ॥१-११२-२०॥
Better is death than life without her husband for a woman, O foremost of warriors. I wish to follow your path — be gracious, take me with you.
त्वया हीना क्षणमपि नाहं जीवितुमुत्सहे । प्रसादं कुरु मे राजन्नितस्तूर्णं नयस्व माम् ॥१-११२-२१॥
I cannot live even a moment bereft of you; grant me grace, O king — swiftly take me from here.
पृष्ठतोऽनुगमिष्यामि समेषु विषमेषु च । त्वामहं नरशार्दूल गच्छन्तमनिवर्तिनम् ॥१-११२-२२॥
I shall follow you, O tiger among men, through smooth and rough paths — you who go without return.
छायेवानपगा राजन्सततं वशवर्तिनी । भविष्यामि नरव्याघ्र नित्यं प्रियहिते रता ॥१-११२-२३॥
Like an inseparable shadow, O king, I shall always be obedient, O tiger among men, ever devoted to your pleasure and welfare.
अद्य प्रभृति मां राजन्कष्टा हृदयशोषणाः । आधयोऽभिभविष्यन्ति त्वदृते पुष्करेक्षण ॥१-११२-२४॥
From today, O king, torments that dry the heart will overwhelm me in your absence, O lotus-eyed one.
अभाग्यया मया नूनं वियुक्ताः सहचारिणः । संयोगा विप्रयुक्ता वा पूर्वदेहेषु पार्थिव ॥१-११२-२५॥
O king, surely it is due to my misfortune that our companionships or unions were broken in former births.
तदिदं कर्मभिः पापैः पूर्वदेहेषु सञ्चितम् । दुःखं मामनुसम्प्राप्तं राजंस्त्वद्विप्रयोगजम् ॥१-११२-२६॥
This sorrow, born of separation from you, O king, has come to me as a result of sinful actions accumulated in former lives.
अद्य प्रभृत्यहं राजन्कुशप्रस्तरशायिनी । भविष्याम्यसुखाविष्टा त्वद्दर्शनपरायणा ॥१-११२-२७॥
From today, O king, I shall lie upon kuśa grass, filled with sorrow, devoted solely to the vision of you.
दर्शयस्व नरव्याघ्र साधु मामसुखान्विताम् । दीनामनाथां कृपणां विलपन्तीं नरेश्वर ॥१-११२-२८॥
O tiger among men, reveal yourself kindly to me — sorrowful, helpless, destitute, pitiable, and lamenting, O lord of men.
एवं बहुविधं तस्यां विलपन्त्यां पुनः पुनः । तं शवं सम्परिष्वज्य वाक्किलान्तर्हिताब्रवीत् ॥१-११२-२९॥
As she lamented again and again in many ways, embracing the corpse, her speech choked, the hidden (voice) spoke.
उत्तिष्ठ भद्रे गच्छ त्वं ददानीह वरं तव । जनयिष्याम्यपत्यानि त्वय्यहं चारुहासिनि ॥१-११२-३०॥
Arise, O gentle one, go — I grant you a boon here. O lovely-smiling one, I shall beget children in you.
आत्मीये च वरारोहे शयनीये चतुर्दशीम् । अष्टमीं वा ऋतुस्नाता संविशेथा मया सह ॥१-११२-३१॥
O best-hipped lady, on the fourteenth or the eighth lunar day, having bathed after your period, you may lie with me on your own bed.
एवमुक्ता तु सा देवी तथा चक्रे पतिव्रता । यथोक्तमेव तद्वाक्यं भद्रा पुत्रार्थिनी तदा ॥१-११२-३२॥
Thus addressed, that lady Bhadra, devoted to her husband and desiring a son, did exactly as told.
सा तेन सुषुवे देवी शवेन मनुजाधिप । त्रीञ्शाल्वांश्चतुरो मद्रान्सुतान्भरतसत्तम ॥१-११२-३३॥
O lord of men, the lady gave birth through the corpse to three sons of the Shālva line and four of the Madra line, O best of the Bharatas.
तथा त्वमपि मय्येव मनसा भरतर्षभ । शक्तो जनयितुं पुत्रांस्तपोयोगबलान्वयात् ॥१-११२-३४॥
Likewise, O bull among the Bharatas, you too are capable of begetting sons in me through mental union, by the strength of austerity and yoga.
