01.112
Core:Kanti suggests other yogic means to get Sons.
vaiśampāyana uvāca ॥
Vaiśampāyana said:
evamuktā mahārāja kuntī pāṇḍum abhāṣata. kurūṇām ṛṣabhaṁ vīraṁ tadā bhūmipatiṁ patim ॥1॥
Thus addressed, O great king, Kuntī spoke to Pāṇḍu — the heroic bull of the Kurus, her husband, lord of the earth.
na mām arhhasi dharmajña vaktum evaṁ kathaṁcana. dharmapatnīm abhiratāṁ tvayi rājīvalocana ॥2॥
You, O knower of dharma and lotus-eyed one, should not speak thus to me — your righteous wife who is devoted to you.
tvam eva tu mahābāho mayy apatyāni bhārata. vīra vīryopapannāni dharmato janayiṣyasi ॥3॥
O mighty-armed hero, you alone shall righteously beget in me children endowed with heroism, O Bhārata.
svargaṁ manujaśārdūla gaccheyaṁ sahitā tvayā. apatyāya ca māṁ gaccha tvam eva kurunandana ॥4॥
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.
na hy ahaṁ manasāpy anyaṁ gaccheyaṁ tvadṛte naram. tvattaḥ prativiśiṣṭaś ca ko'nyo'sti bhuvi mānavaḥ ॥5॥
Indeed, I would not even in mind approach any man other than you; who else on earth is superior to you, O man?
imāṁ ca tāvad dharmyāṁ tvaṁ paurāṇīṁ śṛṇu me kathām. pariśrutāṁ viśālākṣa kīrtayiṣyāmi yām aham ॥6॥
Now hear from me this righteous and ancient tale, O wide-eyed one, which is well known — I shall narrate it.
vyuṣitāśva iti khyāto babhūva kila pārthivaḥ. purā paramadharmiṣṭhaḥ pūror vaṁśavivardhanaḥ ॥7॥
There was once a king named Vyushitāśva, famed and supremely righteous, who advanced the lineage of Pūru.
tasmiṁś ca yajamāne vai dharmātmani mahātmani. upāgamaṁs tato devāḥ sendrāḥ saha maharṣibhiḥ ॥8॥
While that great and righteous king was performing sacrifice, the gods along with Indra and great sages came there.
amādyad indraḥ somena dakṣiṇābhir dvijātayaḥ. vyuṣitāśvasya rājarṣes tato yajñe mahātmanaḥ ॥9॥
Indra rejoiced with soma, and the twice-born with gifts, at the sacrifice of the great-souled royal sage Vyushitāśva.
vyuṣitāśvas tato rājann ati martyān vyarocata. sarvabhūtāny ati yathā tapanaḥ śiśirātyaye ॥10॥
Then, O king, Vyushitāśva shone surpassingly beyond mortals, as the sun does over all beings at winter’s end.
sa vijitya gṛhītvā ca nṛpatīn rājasattamaḥ. prācyān udīcyān madhyāṁś ca dakṣiṇātyān akālayat ॥11॥
He, the best of kings, having conquered and seized the eastern, northern, central, and southern kings, brought them under control.
aśvamedhe mahāyajñe vyuṣitāśvaḥ pratāpavān. babhūva sa hi rājendro daśanāgabala-anvitaḥ ॥12॥
In the great horse sacrifice, Vyushitāśva, the powerful, became a king of kings endowed with the strength of ten elephants.
apy atra gāthāṁ gāyanti ye purāṇavido janāḥ. vyuṣitāśvaḥ samudrāntāṁ vijityaimāṁ vasundharām. apālayat sarvavarṇān pitā putrān ivaurasān ॥13॥
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.
yajamāno mahāyajñair brāhmaṇebhyo dadau dhanam. anantaratnāny ādāya ājahāra mahākratūn. suṣāva ca bahūn somān somasaṁsthās tatanā ca ॥14॥
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.
āsīt kākṣīvatī cāsya bhāryā paramasaṁmatā. bhadrā nāma manuṣyendra rūpeṇāsadṛśī bhuvi ॥15॥
His wife was Kākṣīvatī, greatly esteemed — Bhadra by name, O king of men, unequalled in beauty upon the earth.
kāmayām āsatus tau tu parasparam iti śrutiḥ. sa tasyāṁ kāmasaṁmatto yakṣmāṇaṁ samapadyata ॥16॥
It is said that both deeply desired each other; he, overcome by passion for her, contracted a wasting disease.
tenācireṇa kālena jagāmāstam ivāṁśumān. tasmin prete manuṣyendre bhāryāsya bhṛśaduḥkhitā ॥17॥
Within a short time, he passed away like the setting sun; his wife, deeply afflicted, mourned after the king of men had died.
aputrā puruṣavyāghra vilalāpeti naḥ śrutam. bhadrā paramaduḥkhārtā tan nibodha narādhipa ॥18॥
O tiger among men, we have heard that childless Bhadra, deeply stricken with grief, lamented — know this, O lord of men.
nārī paramadharmajña sarvā putravinākṛtā. patiṁ vinā jīvati yā na sā jīvati duḥkhitā ॥19॥
A woman, supreme knower of dharma though she be, without a son and bereft of husband, though she lives — truly lives not, being afflicted.
patiṁ vinā mṛtaṁ śreyo nāryāḥ kṣatriyapuṅgava. tvadgatiṁ gantum icchāmi prasīdasva nayasva mām ॥20॥
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.
tvayā hīnā kṣaṇam api nāhaṁ jīvitum utsahe. prasādaṁ kuru me rājan nitas tūrṇaṁ nayasva mām ॥21॥
I cannot live even a moment bereft of you; grant me grace, O king — swiftly take me from here.
pṛṣṭhato'nugamiṣyāmi sameṣu viṣameṣu ca. tvām ahaṁ naraśārdūla gacchantam anivartinam ॥22॥
I shall follow you, O tiger among men, through smooth and rough paths — you who go without return.
chāyāvanapagā rājan satataṁ vaśavartinī. bhaviṣyāmi naravyāghra nityaṁ priyahite ratā ॥23॥
Like an inseparable shadow, O king, I shall always be obedient, O tiger among men, ever devoted to your pleasure and welfare.
adya prabhṛti māṁ rājan kaṣṭā hṛdayaśoṣaṇāḥ. ādhayo'bhibhaviṣyanti tvadṛte puṣkarekṣaṇa ॥24॥
From today, O king, torments that dry the heart will overwhelm me in your absence, O lotus-eyed one.
abhāgyayā mayā nūnaṁ viyuktāḥ sahacāriṇaḥ. saṁyogā viprayuktā vā pūrvadeheṣu pārthiva ॥25॥
O king, surely it is due to my misfortune that our companionships or unions were broken in former births.
tad idaṁ karmabhiḥ pāpaiḥ pūrvadeheṣu sañcitam. duḥkhaṁ māmanusaṁprāptaṁ rājan tvadviprayogajam ॥26॥
This sorrow, born of separation from you, O king, has come to me as a result of sinful actions accumulated in former lives.
adya prabhṛty ahaṁ rājan kuśaprastaraśāyinī. bhaviṣyāmy asukhāviṣṭā tvaddarśanaparāyaṇā ॥27॥
From today, O king, I shall lie upon kuśa grass, filled with sorrow, devoted solely to the vision of you.
darśayasva naravyāghra sādhu māmasukhānvitām. dīnām anāthāṁ kṛpaṇāṁ vilapantīṁ nareśvara ॥28॥
O tiger among men, reveal yourself kindly to me — sorrowful, helpless, destitute, pitiable, and lamenting, O lord of men.
evaṁ bahuvidhaṁ tasyāṁ vilapantyāṁ punaḥ punaḥ. taṁ śavaṁ sampariṣvajya vākkilāntarhitābravīt ॥29॥
As she lamented again and again in many ways, embracing the corpse, her speech choked, the hidden (voice) spoke.
uttiṣṭha bhadre gaccha tvaṁ dadānīha varaṁ tava. janayiṣyāmy apatyāni tvayy ahaṁ cāruhāsini ॥30॥
Arise, O gentle one, go — I grant you a boon here. O lovely-smiling one, I shall beget children in you.
ātmīye ca varārohe śayanīye caturdaśīm. aṣṭamīṁ vā ṛtusnātā saṁviśethā mayā saha ॥31॥
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.
evam uktā tu sā devī tathā cakre pativratā. yathoktam eva tadvākyaṁ bhadrā putrārthinī tadā ॥32॥
Thus addressed, that lady Bhadra, devoted to her husband and desiring a son, did exactly as told.
sā tena suṣuve devī śavena manujādhipa. trīñ śālvāṁś caturo madrān sutān bharatasattama ॥33॥
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.
tathā tvam api mayyeva manasā bharatarṣabha. śakto janayituṁ putrāṁs tapoyogabalānvayāt ॥34॥
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.
