Story of the birth of Kṛpācārya

 janamejaya uvāca

kṛpasyāpi mama brahman sambhavaṁ vaktumarhasi
śarastambāt kathaṁ jajñe kathaṁ vāstrāṇyavāptavān

Janamejaya said: O Brāhmaṇa! You should narrate to me the account of the birth of Kṛpa. How did he spring from the clump of health? Whence did he obtained his weapons?

vaiśampāyana uvāca
maharṣergautamasyāsīccharadvān nāma gautamaḥ
putraḥ kila mahārāja jātaḥ saha śarairvibho
na tasya vedādhyayane tathā buddhirajāyata
yathāsya buddhirabhavad dhanurvede paraṁtapa

Vaiśampāyana said: O great king! Great Ṛṣi Gautama had a son named Śāradvāna. O chastiser of foes! He had not as much aptitude for the study of Vedas, as he had for the study of the science of weapons.

adhijagmuryathā vedāṁstapasā brahmacāriṇaḥ
tathā sa tapasopetaḥ sarvāṇyastrāṇyavāpa ha

As Brahmacārīs acquire knowledge by austerities, so he acquired all his weapons by austerities.

dhanurvedaparatvācya tapasā vipulena ca
bhṛśaṁ saṁtāpayāmāsa devarājaṁ sa gautamaḥ

That son of Gautama frightened king of celestials by his aptitude for the science of weapons and austerities.

tato jānapadīṁ nāma devakanyāṁ sureśvataḥ
prāhiṇot tapaso vighnaṁ kuru tasyeti kaurava

O descendant of Kuru! King of celestials summoned celestial maiden named Janapadī and told her: Destroy the penances of Śāradvata.

sā hi gatvā ̍ śramaṁ tasya ramaṇīyaṁ śaradvataḥ
dhanurbāṇaraṁ bālā lobhayāmasa gautamam

She went to the charming hermitage of Śāradvata and began to tempt the son of Gautama sitting with bows and arrows.

tāmekavasanāṁ dṛṣṭvā gautamo ̍ psarasaṁ vane
loke ̍ pratimasaṁsthānāṁ protphullanayano ̍ bhavat

Seeeing that Apsara of matchless beauty on Earth clad in a single cloth roaming alone in that wood, Gautama ̍ s eyes danced in delight.

dhanuścāpi tāṁ dṛṣṭvā śarīre samajāyata

Seeing her, his body shook all over with emotion and his bow and arrows slipped from his hands and fell on the ground.

sa tu jñānagarīyastvāt tapasaśca samarthanāt
avatasthe mahāprājño dhairyeṇa parameṇa ha

But he was possessed of ascetic fortitude and strength of soul. Ṛṣi mastered patience to withstand temptation.

yastasya sahasā rājan vikāraḥ samadṛśyata
tena susrāva reto ̍ sya sa ca tannāvabudhyata

But, O king! His sudden mental agitation caused an unconscious emission of his vital fluid.

dhanuśca saśaraṁ tyaktvā tathā kṛṣṇājināni ca
sa vihāyāśramaṁ taṁ ca tāṁ caivāpsarasaṁ munih
jagāma retastat tasya śarastambe papāta ca
śarastambe ca patitaṁ dvidhā tadabhavannṛpa

Leaving his bow and deer skin, Ṛṣi escaped from Apsara and left hermitage. His vital fluid fell upon a clump of heath and having fallen on it, it was divided into 2 parts.

tasyātha mithunaṁ jajñe gautamasya śaradvataḥ
mṛgayāṁ carato rājaḥ śantanostu yadṛcchayā
kaścit senācaro ̍ raṇye mithunaṁ tadapaśyata
dhanuśca saśaraṁ dṛṣṭvā tathā kṛṣṇājināni ca
jṅātvā dvijasya cāpatye dhanurvedāntagasya ha
sa rājñe darśayāmāsa mithunaṁ saśaraṁ dhanuḥ
sa tadādāya mithunaṁ rājñā ca kṛpayānvitaḥ
ājagāma gṛhāneva mama putrāviti bruvan

Whence sprang 2 children who were twins - son and daughter. A soldier in attendance upon king Śāntanu, wandering in the forest for hunting, saw them. Seeing the bow, arrows and deer skin, he thought that they might be children of a Brāhmaṇa proficient in the science of arms. He took up those children along with the bow and arrows and showed the king what he found. King was filled with pity to see the twins. He took them home saying: Let them be my children.

tataḥ saṁvardhayāmāsa saṁskāraipyojayat
prātīpeyo naraśreṣṭho mithunaṁ gautamasya tat

The best of men, bringing these twins of Gautama ̍ s home, performed usual rites and they began to grow up.

gautamo ̍ pi tato ̍ bhyetya dhanurvedaparo ̍ bhavat
kṛpayā yanmayā bālāvimau saṁvardhitāviti
tasmāt tayornāma cakre tadeva sa mahīpatiḥ
gopitau gautamastatra tapasā samavindata

Gautama also, leaving his old hermitage, studied the science of weapons. That king gave them names of Kṛpa and Kṛpī, because they were reared up by him out of kindness. Gautama came to know through his spiritual sight, where his son and daughter were.

āgatya tasmai gotrādi sarvamākhyātavāṁstadā
caturvidhaṁ dhanurvedaṁ śāstrāṇi vividhāni ca
nikhilenāsya tat sarvaṁ guhyamākhyātavāṁstadā
so ̍ cireṇaiva kālena paramācāryatāṁ gataḥ

He came there and represented everything about his lineage. He taught Kṛpa 4 branches of the science of arms, various other branches of science, including all their mysteries and details. Kṛpa soon became a great professor of the science of arms.

tato ̍ dhijagmuḥ sarve te dhanurvedaṁ mahārathaḥ
dhṛtarāṣṭrātmajāścaiva pāṇḍavāḥ saha yādavaiḥ
vṛṣayaśca nṛpāścānye nānādeśasamāgatāḥ

Great car warriors, sons of Dhṛtarāśṭra, Pāṇḍavas, Yādavas and Vṛṣṇis and many other princes came to him and received from him lessons in the science of arms.