"Vaishampaayana said, 'There was a king of the name of Pratipa, who was kind to all creatures. He spent many years in severe penances at the source of the river Ganga. The accomplished and lovely Ganga, one day, assuming the form of a beautiful female, and rising from the waters, made up to the monarch. The divine woman, endued with striking beauty, approached the Rajarishi engaged in severe Tapas, and sat upon his right thigh that was, for manly strength, a proper Sala tree.
"When the lady of beautiful face had so sat upon his lap, the monarch said to her, 'O friendly one, what do you desire? What shall I do?'
"The woman answered, 'I desire you, O king (Pratipa), for my husband! O foremost one of the Kurus, be mine! To refuse a woman coming of her own accord is never applauded by the wise.'
"Pratipa answered, 'O you of the fairest complexion, moved by Kaamaa, I never go in to others' wives or women that are not of my varna. This, indeed, is my virtuous vow (Dharma vrata in Sanskrit).'
"The lady rejoined, 'I am not inauspicious or ugly. I am every way worthy of being enjoyed. I am a divine woman of rare beauty; I desire you for my husband. Refuse me not, O king (Pratipa).'
"To this Pratipa answered, 'I am, O lady, abstaining from that course to which you would incite me. If I break my vrata, sin will bury and kill me. O you of the fairest complexion, you have embraced me, sitting on my right thigh. But, O faint-hearted one, know that this is the seat for daughters and daughters-in-law. The left lap is for the wife, but you have not accepted that. Therefore, O best of women, I cannot enjoy you as an object of desire. Be my daughter-in-law. I accept you for my son!'
"The woman then said, 'O one of Dharma, let it be as you say. Let me be united with your son. From my respect for you, I shall be a wife of the celebrated Bharata race. You (of the Bharata race) are the refuge of all the monarchs on earth! I am incapable of numbering the virtues of this race within a hundred years. The greatness and goodness of many celebrated monarchs of this (Bharata) race are limitless. O lord of all, let it be understood now that when I become your daughter-in-law, your son should not be able to judge of the rightness of my acts. Living thus with your son, I shall do good to him and increase his happiness. He shall finally attain to heaven in consequence of the sons I shall bear him, and of his virtues and good conduct.'
"Vaishampaayana continued, 'O king (Janamejaya), having said so, the divine lady disappeared then and there. The king (Pratipa), too, waited for the birth of his son in order to fulfil his promise.'
"About this time Pratipa, that light of the Kuru race, that bull amongst Kshatriyas, was engaged, along with his wife, in Tapas from desire of offspring. When they had grown old, a son was born to them. This was no other than Mahabhisha. The child was called Shantanu because he was born when his father had controlled his passions by severe penances. The best of Kurus, Shantanu, knowing that region of indestructible joy can be acquired by one's actions alone, became devoted to Dharma. When Shantanu grew up into a youth, Pratipa addressed him and said, 'Some time ago, O Shantanu, a divine lady came to me for your good. If you meet that fair-complexioned one in secret and if she request you for children, accept her as your wife. O sinless one, judge not of the correctness or incorrectness of her action and ask not who she is, or whose or from what place, but accept her as thy wife at my command!'"
"Vaishampaayana continued, 'Pratipa, having thus commanded his son Shantanu and installed him on his throne, retired into the forest. King Shantanu endued with great intelligence and equal to (Lord) Indra himself in splendour, became addicted to hunting and passed much of his time in the forest. The best of monarchs (Shantanu) always slew deer and buffaloes. One day, as he was wandering along the bank of the Ganga, he came upon a region frequently visited by Siddhas and Charanas. There he saw a lovely lady of blazing beauty and like to another Sri (Goddess Lakshmi) herself; of faultless and pearly teeth and decked with divine ornaments, and dressed in garments of fine texture that resembled in splendour the filaments of the lotus.
"The monarch, on seeing that woman, became surprised, and his ecstasy produced instant erection of bodily hairs. With constant looks, he (Shantanu) seemed to be drinking her charms, but repeated draughts failed to quench his thirst. The lady also seeing the monarch (Shantanu) of blazing splendour moving about in great agitation, was moved herself and experienced an affection for him. She looked and looked and longed to gaze on him evermore. The monarch (Shantanu) then in soft words addressed her and said, 'O slender-waisted one, be you a Deva or the daughter of a Danava (Danavas are a clan of Asuras), be you of the race of the Gandharvas, or Apsaras, be you of the Yakshas or the Nagas, or be you of human origin, O you of divine beauty, I request you to be my wife!'"
No comments:
Post a Comment