12.310
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
O grandsire, tell me how Śuka, the righteous-souled son of Vyāsa, who was a great ascetic, was born and attained the highest perfection. (12-310-1)
We do not know in which woman the ascetic Vyāsa produced Śuka, nor do we know the mother or the excellent birth of that great-souled one. (12-310-2)
How did the mind of the child, who exists, go into subtle knowledge? As in this world, there is not anyone else here who is a second. (12-310-3)
O greatly radiant one, I wish to hear this in detail; for I do not have satisfaction here, listening to the supreme nectar. (12-310-4)
O grandsire, tell me in proper order the greatness, the union with the self, and the special knowledge of Śuka, as it truly is. (12-310-5)
Bhishma said.
It is not by age, grey hair, wealth, or relatives that one is considered great; the sages have established that he who is well-learned in dharma is truly great for us. (12-310-6)
O Pāṇḍava, all that you ask me has austerity as its root; by restraining the senses, austerity is accomplished—never otherwise. (12-310-7)
By attachment to the senses, one certainly incurs faults; but by restraining them, a person attains success. (12-310-8)
O dear one, the fruit of a thousand horse-sacrifices and a hundred Vājapeya sacrifices is not equal to even a fraction of yoga. (12-310-9)
Here I will tell you about the result of the union of birth, and also the supreme state of Śuka, which is difficult to know for those whose selves are unpurified. (12-310-10)
Long ago, on the summit of Meru, which was covered with a forest of karṇikāra trees, the great god Mahadeva wandered, surrounded by fearsome hosts of spirits. (12-310-11)
Formerly, the goddess, daughter of the king of mountains, became present there. There, the lord Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana performed divine austerity. (12-310-12)
O best of the Kurus, having entered into the self by yoga and devoted to the duty of yoga, he sustained austerity and practiced it for the sake of obtaining a son. (12-310-13)
May my son, measured by the strength of Agni, earth, waters, Vāyu, and the atmosphere, O mighty one, indeed become so. (12-310-14)
Then, by his resolve, he, having undertaken supreme austerity that is difficult to attain for those whose selves are not mastered, chose the lord of the gods. (12-310-15)
The lord lived for a hundred years sustained only by air, worshipping Mahadeva, the many-formed husband of Uma. (12-310-16)
There, the Brahma-sages, all the divine sages, the guardians of the worlds, the lord of the worlds, the Sādhyas, and the Vasus were all present together. (12-310-17)
The Ādityas, and indeed the Rudras, the sun and the moon, the Maruts, the wind-god, as well as the oceans and the rivers also. (12-310-18)
The two Aśvins, the divine Gandharvas, likewise Nārada and Parvata, Viśvāvasu the Gandharva, the Siddhas, and the groups of Apsarases. (12-310-19)
There, Rudra, the great god, adorned with an auspicious garland of karṇikāra flowers, shines like the moonlight of the moon. (12-310-20)
In that beautiful and divine forest, crowded with gods and divine sages, the sage undertook supreme yoga, intent on obtaining a son. (12-310-21)
His complexion is not diminished, nor does any weakness arise in him; for all three worlds, that became as if a wonder. (12-310-22)
His matted locks, blazing with brilliance, appeared like the flames of fire; they were seen on the one endowed with immeasurable radiance. (12-310-23)
Markandeya, the revered sage, has indeed narrated this to me. He has always recounted the divine deeds here to me. (12-310-24)
O dear one, even today, those matted locks of the great-souled Kṛṣṇa, illuminated by his austerity, shine with the color of fire. (12-310-25)
O Bhārata, by such austerity and his devotion, the great Lord, with a pleased mind, made a resolve in his mind. (12-310-26)
And the venerable three-eyed Lord (Śiva), as if smiling, said to him: "Such will your son Dvaipayana be." (12-310-27)
Just as fire, wind, earth, water, and space are pure, so too will the great son become pure. (12-310-28)
He who embodies that state, whose intellect, self, and support are all that, enveloping the three worlds with brilliance, will attain only fame. (12-310-29)
