Vaishampayana said, ‘Having been thus addressed, the divine goddess Jahnavi Ganga addressed her husband King Shantanu, bull among men.
‘Ganga said, “O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Varuna once had a son—the sage Vashishtha, later famous as Apava. His holy hermitage was along the side of Meru, the king of the mountains. It was populated with deer and birds and was always covered with flowers. O best of the Bharata lineage! Varuna’s son, supreme among those who perform sacred deeds, performed austerities in that forest, which had a plentiful supply of tasty roots, fruit and water. Daksha had a proud daughter named Surabhi. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Through Kashyapa, that goddess gave birth to a cow for the welfare of that entire world. This supreme cow was capable of fulfilling every desire. Varuna’s righteous son obtained this cow for the sake of performing sacrifices and the cow lived in that forest, populated by sages. Fearlessly, she grazed in those sacred and lovely woods. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Once, all the divine vasus, with Prithu at their head, came to visit that forest, frequented by the gods and the devarshis. With their wives, they roamed in the forest and made love in its lovely mountains and woods. O you who are as valorous as Vasava208 himself! A slender-waisted wife of one of the vasus saw the supreme cow, which belonged to the sage Vashishtha and was capable of fulfilling every desire, roaming in the forest. She was amazed at its conduct, power and riches and showed it to Dyou,209 who had eyes like those of a bull.
‘“The cow was well fed and yielded plenty of milk. It had a beautiful tail and handsome face. It had all the qualities and was supreme in its conduct. O lord of kings! O descendant of the Puru lineage! So great were its qualities that the vasu’s wife showed it to the vasu. O you who are like the king of elephants! O you who are like Indra in valour! Dyou saw that cow, with its beauty and qualities. O king! He then told the goddess, ‘O goddess with the dark eyes! O one with the beautiful hips! O one with slender waist! This supreme cow belongs to the rishi who is Varuna’s son. He is the owner of this supreme forest. A person who drinks this cow’s tasty milk will live for 10,000 years with undiminished youth.’ O supreme among kings! When that slender-waisted goddess of unblemished form heard these words, she told her husband, whose energy was radiant. ‘I have a friend in this world of men and she is the daughter of a king. Her name is Jinavati and she is young and beautiful. She is the daughter of rajarshi Ushinara, who is truthful and intelligent. This daughter is famous in the world of men because of the wealth of her beauty. O immensely fortunate one! I wish to obtain this cow and its calf for her. O best of the gods! O one who increases good deeds! Please bring them quickly. O one who grants pride! On drinking the milk, my friend will be the only one in the world of men to be freed from age and disease. O immensely fortunate one! O unblemished one! Please do this for me. There is no other pleasure that would please me more.’ Hearing the words of the goddess, Dyou wished to please her and stole the cow with the help of Prithu and his other brothers. O king! Instructed by his lotus-eyed wife, Dyou did not think about the great ascetic powers of the rishi who owned her. He failed to consider that the stealing of the cow would lead to his downfall.
‘“In the evening, Varuna’s son returned to the hermitage with the fruit he had collected. He did not see the cow and her calf in that supreme wood. Then the one blessed with the power of austerities looked for her in the forest. But though he searched, the sage could not find her. Through his divine sight, he then found that she had been stolen by the vasus. His anger arose and he cursed the vasus. ‘Because the vasus have stolen my cow which yields sweet milk and has a handsome tail, there is no doubt that they will all be born as men.’ O bull among the Bharata lineage! Thus did the illustrious Apava, supreme among sages, curse the vasus in his anger. Having cursed them, the illustrious one returned to his austerities. O king! Thus, in his wrath, did the one blessed with the power of austerities curse the eight vasus. The rishi was immensely powerful and knew the nature of the brahman. As soon as they knew that they had been cursed by the rishi, the gods went to the hermitage of the great-souled one. O bull among kings! The vasus tried to pacify the rishi. O tiger among men! But they failed to obtain the grace of Apava, who was learned in all dharma and was supreme among rishis. The righteous sage said, ‘O Dhara! You and the other vasus have been cursed. But you will all be freed from your curse within a year. But Dyou is the one whose act has led to your being cursed by me. Because of his own deeds, he will have to live in the world of men for a long time. Though uttered in anger, my words cannot amount to a falsehood. However, the great-souled one210 will not have offspring in the world of men. He will be devoted to dharma and will be skilled in the usage of all weapons. He will be engaged in doing that which brings his father pleasure and he will forsake pleasure with women.’ Having addressed all the vasus in this way, the great rishi went away. And all the vasus then came to me together.
‘“O king! They craved a boon from me. ‘O Ganga! As soon as each one of us is born, you should yourself throw us into the water.’ O supreme among kings! I agreed and acted accordingly, in order to free them from a life in the world of men, a consequence of the curse. O best of kings! O descendant of the Bharata lineage! O king! Dyou alone will have to live in the world of men for a long time, because of the rishi’s curse.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘Having completed the account, the goddess immediately vanished. Taking her son with her, she went away to wherever she wished to go. That son of Shantanu came to be known under two names—Devavrata and Gangeya. He surpassed Shantanu in all his qualities. With sorrow in his heart, Shantanu then returned to his own capital. I will now recount for you Shantanu’s many qualities and the great fortune of this famous king, who was from the Bharata lineage and whose illustrious history is known as the Mahabharata.’
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Vaishampayana said, ‘King Shantanu was intelligent and was honoured by the gods and the rajarshis. He was devoted to dharma and was famous in all the worlds for being righteous and truthful. Shantanu, bull among men, always displayed self-control, generosity, forgiveness, forbearance, resoluteness, supreme energy and great nobility. The king had all these qualities and was also skilled in dharma and artha. He was the protector of the Bharata lineage and all righteous people. His neck was like a conch shell, his shoulders were broad and his strength was like that of a mad elephant. For him, dharma was superior to kama and artha. O bull among men! On seeing that he was devoted to dharma and supreme in the practice of all forms of dharma, all the kings instated him as the king of kings. With that lord of the Bharata lineage as their protector, all the kings on earth were freed from sorrow, fear and anxiety and awoke every morning from sweet dreams. When the world was ruled by kings led by Shantanu, all the varnas followed rules that served the cause of the brahman. Brahmanas were served by Kshatriyas, Kshatriyas were served by Vaishyas. Devoted to Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, Shudras served the Vaishyas. Shantanu lived in Hastinapura, the beautiful capital of the Kurus. He ruled over the entire earth, right up to the boundaries of the oceans. He was devoted to truth and learned in dharma, an equal of the king of the gods. He attained great fortune through the dharma of generosity and austerities. He was free of anger and hatred. He was as pleasant as Soma.211 He was as energetic as the sun and his speed was like that of Vayu. He was like Yama in anger and like the earth in his patience. O king! When Shantanu ruled the earth, no animals, boars and birds suffered pointless death. Brahmana dharma was always followed in Shantanu’s kingdom. He treated all beings equally, without desire and anger. Sacrifices were performed for the worship of gods, rishis and the ancestors. But no being was deprived of its life, other than in accordance with dharma. The king was like a father to those who were miserable, to those who were without a protector and to animals. During the reign of that best of the Kuru lineage, the king of kings, words were embedded in truth and the mind was embedded in generosity and dharma.
‘Having pleasured with women for thirty-six years, the king retired to the
forest. Shantanu’s son, the vasu who was born as Ganga’s son and was now named Devavrata, was like him in beauty, conduct, behaviour and learning. He was skilled in the usage of all weapons. Compared to other kings, he was mighty in strength, mighty in power, mighty in valour and mighty as a charioteer.
‘Once, when he had shot a deer, King Shantanu followed it along the banks of the river Ganga. He saw that the waters of the Bhagirathi had become shallow. On seeing this, Shantanu, bull among men, was concerned and wondered, “Why does this best of rivers not flow the way it used to do earlier?” While trying to determine the reason, the great-souled one saw a large youth who was beautiful and handsome of face. He was like the god Purandara212 himself. He had divine weapons and a bow. Using his sharp arrows, he had stemmed the flow of the river Ganga. On witnessing this wonderful and superhuman feat of checking the Ganga’s course with arrows, the king was astounded. Shantanu had seen his son only once, at the time of birth. Therefore, despite being wise, he did not have sufficient recollection to recognize his own son. As soon as he saw his father, the youth created delusion through his powers and instantly disappeared.
‘When King Shantanu witnessed this, he suspected the youth to be his own son and addressed Ganga, “Show him to me.” Ganga appeared in a supremely beautiful form and showed him the ornamented youth, holding him by the right hand. Though he had known her before, Shantanu failed to recognize her, since she was adorned with ornaments and wore a garment that gathered no dust.
‘Ganga said, “O king! O tiger among men! This is the eighth son who you fathered on me. Take him home. He has studied the Vedas and the Vedangas from Vashishtha himself. This valorous one is skilled in the usage of all weapons and a supreme archer. In battle, he is like the king of the gods himself. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The gods always revere him and so do the asuras. He has all the knowledge of the Vedas that Ushanas213 possesses. This great-souled and strong-armed son of yours is also well versed in all the knowledge of the sacred texts and their branches possessed by Angirasa’s son,214who is worshipped by the gods and the asuras. He also has the knowledge about weapons possessed by the powerful and invincible rishi who is the son of Jamadagni.215 O king! Your son is a great archer and also has knowledge about dharma and artha, as practised by kings. O brave one! I am myself giving you my brave son. Take him home.”’
Vaishampayana said, ‘Having been thus addressed by Ganga, Shantanu accepted his son, who was as radiant as the sun, and returned to his capital. When he reached his city, which was like Purandara’s216 city, the descendant of the Puru lineage was happy and thought that all his desires had been fulfilled. He instated his great-souled son, who had all the qualities, as the heir apparent. O bull among the Bharata lineage! The immensely famous son won, through his conduct, the affection of everyone in the Puru lineage, his father and the kingdom. Thus the lord of the earth, who was unlimited in valour, enjoyed himself with his son for four years.
‘One day, the lord of the earth went to a forest that was along the Yamuna River. While he was wandering around, he inhaled an extremely sweet fragrance that came from an unknown direction. Searching for the cause, he saw a lady from the fisherman tribe who was as beautiful as a goddess. On seeing that dark-eyed lady, he asked, “O timid one! Who are you and whose are you? What are you doing here?” She replied, “O great-souled one! I belong to the fishermen tribe. Following the dharma prescribed for us, I ply a boat on the instructions of my father, who is the king of the fishermen.” Having seen her beauty and sweetness, equal to that of a goddess, and inhaled her fragrance, King Shantanu desired the lady from the fishermen tribe. He went to her father and asked him to give her to him. The king of the fishermen told the king, “From the day she was born, I have known that I will have to give my beautiful daughter to someone. O lord of men! However, there was a desire in my heart and let me tell you that now. O unblemished one! If you desire to take her as your wife in accordance with dharma, you must truthfully make a pledge to me, because I know that you are true to your word. O king! If you make that pledge, I will give my daughter to you, because I will never be able to find a husband for her who is like you.” Shantanu replied, “O fisherman! It is only after hearing what you ask for, that I can say whether I can or cannot. If it is something that can be granted, I will do so, but not otherwise.” The fisherman replied, “O lord of the earth! The son who will be born from her will be instated king of the earth after you and no one else.” O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Though his body burnt with the sharp pains of desire, Shantanu was unwilling to grant this boon to the fisherman. The lord of the earth returned to Hastinapura, thinking about the daughter of the fisherman and with his heart burdened by sorrow.
‘One day, his son Devavrata came to Shantanu when he was thus meditating and thinking sorrowfully, and told his father, “Everything is peaceful. All the kings obey you. Why are you then always sorrowful, as if in pain? O king! Immersed in your own thoughts, you do not utter a word.” Having been thus addressed by his son, Shantanu replied, “Wihout a doubt, I am always meditating, just as you say. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! You are the only son in this great lineage of ours. O son! I sorrow because of the impermanence of this mortal life. O son of Ganga! If anything happens to you, this lineage of ours will cease to exist. There is no doubt that you are superior to 100 great sons. Therefore, without reason, I do not wish to have another wife. I only wish that you are fortunate, fulfil your desires and have sons so that our lineage survives. However, those who are learned in dharma say that having one son is like having no son at all. Agnihotra,217 the three Vedas218 and sacrifices that involve a lot of alms are together not worth one-sixteenth part of having a son. This is true of man and all beings. O immensely wise one! On this, I have no doubts. That is what the eternal and supreme three219 and Puranas say. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! You are brave, never forgive and are always armed. O unblemished one! There is every possibility of your being killed through weapons. If that happens, I worry about how I can possibly find peace. O son! Now I have completely told you the reason for my sorrow.” Having heard this complete reason, the immensely intelligent Devavrata began to think about this. He then went and asked an old adviser, who was always concerned about his father’s welfare. He asked him the reason for his father’s misery. O bull among the Bharata lineage! On being asked by the foremost among the Kurus, he told him truthfully about the boon that had been asked for the lady.
‘Then Devavrata took many old Kshatriyas with him and went to see the king of the fishermen. On his father’s behalf, he himself asked for the daughter. The fisherman received him and paid him homage, in accordance with what was prescribed. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! When he was seated in the king’s assembly, he said, “O bull among men! You are an adequate protector for Shantanu. You are his son and he is the best of fathers. How can I say anything against your words? Even if the bride’s father is Shatakratu220 himself, he cannot but be pained at having to reject such a honourable and desirable union of wombs. The famous Satyavati was born from the seed of an arya who is equal in qualities to you. He has often told me about your father’s achievements. He has told me that among all the kings, he is most suited to marry Satyavati. In earlier times, I have refused the famous devarshi Asita, when that supreme of rishis came and asked for Satyavati. O bull among the Bharatas! However, as the girl’s father, there is sometime I must say. There is one strong objection that I can see. O scourge of your enemies! Whoever is your rival, gandharva or asura, will not live happily if you are angry. O king! This is the only fault with the marriage and no other. O scourge of your enemies! O fortunate one! Know that this is all I have to say in the matter of giving and taking.” O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Having heard this, for the sake of his father and in the hearing of the kings, Ganga’s son uttered the following words in reply. “O supreme among truthful ones! Listen to the truthful vow I take today. The man has not been born, nor will ever be born, who will dar
e to utter words like these. I will do what you have asked for. The son who will be born from her will be the king.” O bull among the Bharata lineage! At these words, the fisherman spoke again, desiring to accomplish the difficult task of obtaining the kingdom. “O lord! You are an adequate protector for the radiant Shantanu and also for the lady. Your heart is in dharma and you are also lord of the act of granting.221 O equable one! However, there is something else that needs to be said and done. Listen to me. O conqueror of enemies! This must be said for the welfare of daughters. O you who are devoted to truth and all dharma! The vow that you have taken, in the midst of all these kings, for Satyavati’s sake is worthy of you. O mighty-armed one! I have no doubt that it will never be violated by you. But I do have great doubts about the sons who will be born to you.” O king! Knowing what was on his mind, the one who was devoted to truth and all dharma wished to do that which would bring pleasure to his father and made a promise. “O king of fishermen! O supreme among kings! Listen to these words of mine. In front of these lords of the earth, hear what I have to say for my father’s sake. O lord of men! I have already relinquished my right to the kingdom. I will not destroy the doubt that has arisen about my sons. O fisherman! From today, I take the vow of brahmacharya. Even if I die without a son, I will attain the eternal world of heaven.” When he heard these words, the fisherman’s body hair rose up in delight.
‘He told the one who had dharma in his heart222 that he was prepared to give. From the sky, apsaras, gods and rishis rained down flowers and said, “He is Bhishma.”223 For his father’s sake, he then told the famous one, “O mother! Please ascend this chariot and let us go to our own home.” Having uttered these words, Bhishma made the beautiful lady ascend the chariot and, arriving in Hastinapura, he told Shantanu all that had happened. Then all the kings praised him for his difficult feat and jointly and individually said, “He is Bhishma.” Witnessing the difficult feat accomplished by Bhishma, his father Shantanu was pleased and granted him the boon that he would only die when he himself so willed.’
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