12.311
Bhishma said.
Having received the supreme boon from the god, the son of Satyavatī took the fire-stick and then churned it, wishing to produce fire. (12-311-1)
Then, O king, the venerable sage saw the apsaras named Ghritachi, bearing a supreme form by her own splendor. (12-311-2)
O Yudhiṣṭhira, the venerable Vyāsa, upon suddenly seeing the celestial nymph in that forest, became overcome by desire. (12-311-3)
And then, O great king, Ghṛtācī, having made Vyāsa's mind agitated by desire, became a female parrot and approached him. (12-311-4)
He saw that apsaras, who was covered by another form, and, overcome by bodily desire that surpassed all his limbs, he indeed followed her. (12-311-5)
But he, the sage Vyāsa, though restraining his heart's desire with great fortitude, was not able to control his mind, which had become spread out. Indeed, because of being influenced by feeling, he was carried away by the form of Ghṛtācī. (12-311-6)
While the sage was restraining himself with effort, desiring to produce fire, suddenly his semen fell upon the araṇi (fire-stick). (12-311-7)
He, the best of the twice-born, with a mind free from doubt, churned the fire-stick in the same way; from that, O king, the brahma-ṛṣi Śuka was born. (12-311-8)
But as the fire-stick was being churned, Śuka, the great ascetic, supreme seer, and great yogi, was born from the womb of the fire-stick. (12-311-9)
Just as the kindled fire shines in the sacrifice after receiving the oblation, so the parrot was born with such a form, blazing as if with brilliance. (12-311-10)
O Kauravya, bearing the unsurpassed form and complexion of his father, at that time the purified-souled one shone, blazing like a smokeless fire. (12-311-11)
O lord of men, then Gaṅgā, the best of rivers, in her own form, having approached him on the back of Meru, bathed him with water. (12-311-12)
O descendant of Kuru, the staff and the black antelope skin also fell from the sky to the ground, O king, for the sake of the great-souled Śuka. (12-311-13)
The Gandharvas sang, and the groups of Apsarases danced; the divine drums too were sounded with a great noise. (12-311-14)
Viśvāvasu, the Gandharva, as well as Tumburu and Nārada, and the Gandharvas Hāhā and Hūhū, praised the one born from Śuka. (12-311-15)
There, with Indra at the forefront, the guardians of the worlds assembled; the gods, the divine sages, and also the brahma-sages gathered as well. (12-311-16)
Here, the wind caused all divine flowers to rain down; both moving and non-moving beings, indeed, the entire world became delighted. (12-311-17)
Then, the greatly radiant great-souled one himself, together with the goddess and with affection, initiated the just-born son of the sage according to the rite. (12-311-18)
Śakra, the lord of the gods, with a divine and wonderful appearance, affectionately gave him a water-pot and divine garments, saying, "O mighty one." (12-311-19)
O Bhārata, swans, lotus-birds, cranes by the thousands, as well as parrots and crows, were circling clockwise. (12-311-20)
Thus, the son of Aruṇa, having attained a divine birth and great splendor, dwelt there, wise, devoted to vows, and composed. (12-311-21)
O great king, as soon as he was born, the Vedas, along with their secrets and collections, attended upon him just as they did upon his father. (12-311-22)
But he chose Bṛhaspati, the knower of the Veda, Vedāṅga, and commentaries, as his preceptor, O great king, reflecting only upon dharma. (12-311-23)
O mighty one, having studied all the Vedas along with their secrets and compilations, as well as the history and the treatises on kingship in their entirety, he (did so). (12-311-24)
Having given the offering to his teacher, the great sage, having completed his studies, undertook intense austerities, being a concentrated celibate student. (12-311-25)
Even in his childhood, he, the great ascetic, was to be consulted and respected by the deities and sages alike, due to his knowledge and austerity. (12-311-26)
But, O king, his mind does not take pleasure in the āśramas; for one who observes the dharma of liberation, the three roots of householdership do not attract the intellect. (12-311-27)
