śāntanuruvāca
āpavo nāma ko nveṣa vasūnāṁ kiṁ ca duṣkṛtam
yasyābhiśāpāt te sarve mānuṣīṁ yonimāgatāḥ
Śāntanu said: Who was Āpava and what fault was committed by Vasus that they had to be born among men in consequence of his curse?
anena ca kumāreṇa tvayā dattena kiṁ kṛtam
yasya caiva kṛtenāyaṁ mānuṣeṣu nivatsyati
What also had this child done that he should have to live among men?
īśā vai sarvalokasya vasavaste ca vai katham
mānuṣeṣūdapadyanta tanmamācakṣva jāhnavi
Why also the lord of 3 worlds, Vasus, were condemned to be born among men? O daughter of Jahnu! Tell me all this!
vaiśampāyana uvāca
eṣamuktā tadā gaṅgā rājānamidamabravīt
bhartāraṁ jāhnavī devī śāntanuṁ puruṣarṣabha
Vaiśampāyana said: Having been thus addressed, lelestial lady, daughter of Jahnu, Gaṅgā, replied to her husband, best of men, Śāntanu.
gaṅgovāca
yaṁ lebhe varuṇaḥ putraṁ purā bharatasattama
vasiṣṭhanāmā sa muniḥ khyāta āpava ityuta
Gaṅgā said: O best of Bhāratas, son that was formerly born of Varuṇa, was Ṛṣi named Vasiṣṭha. He was subsequently known by the name of Āpava.
tasyāśramapadaṁ puṇyaṁ mṛgapakṣisamanvitam
meroḥ pārśve nagendrasya sarvartukusumāvṛtam
His hermitage stood by side of the best of mountains, Meru. Place was holy and abounded in deer and birds. It was covered with all the best flowers.
sa vāruṇistapastepe tasmin bharatasattama
vane puṇyakṛtāṁ śreṭhaḥ svādumūlaphalodake
O best of Bhāratas, that foremost of all virtuous men, son of Varuṇa, practised his penances in that forest, abounding in sweet roots, fruits and water.
dakṣasya duhitā yā tu surabhītyabhiśabditā
gāṁ prajātā tu sā devī kaśyapād bharatarṣabha
Dakṣa had a daughter who was known as Surabhi. O best of Bhāratas, that lady gave birth to a cow by Kaśyapa.
anugrahārthaṁ jagataḥ sarvakāmaduhāṁ varā
tāṁ lebhe gāṁ tu dharmātmā homadhenuṁ sa vāruṇiḥ
Virtuous minded son of Varuṇa, obtained that best of kine, capable of granting every desire, for the purpose of his Homa rites and for benefiting the world.
sā tasmiṁstāpasāraṇye vasantī munisevite
cacāra puṇye ca gaurapetabhayā tadā
That cow dwelt in that forest adored of all the Ṛṣis. She roamed fearlessly in those sacred and delightful woods.
atha tad vanamājagmuḥ kadācid bharatarṣabha
pṛthvādyā vasavaḥ sarve devā devarṣisevitam
O best of Bhāratas, once upon a time all celestial Vasus, Pṛthu being at their head, came to that forest adored by celestial Ṛṣis.
te sadārā vanaṁ tacca vyacaranta samantataḥ
remire ramaṇīyeṣu parvateṣu vaneṣu ca
They roamed with their wives into that forest and enjoyed themselves in those delightful woods and mountains.
tatraikasyātha bhāryā tu vasorvāsavavikrama
saṁcaranti vane tasmin gāṁ dadarśa sumadhyama
O Indra like powerful man, one of the slender waisted wife of Vasus saw that cow roaming in the forest.
nandinīṁ nāma rājendra sarvakāmadhuguttamām
sā vismayasamāviṣṭā śīladraviṇasampadā
dyave vai darśayāmāsa tāṁ gāṁ govṛṣabhekṣaṇa
āpīnāṁ ca sudogdhrīṁ ca subāladhikhurāṁ śubhām
upapannāṁ guṇaiḥ sarvaiḥ śīlenānuttamena ca
evaṁguṇasamāyuktāṁ vasave vasunandinī
darśayāmāsa rājendra purā pauravanandana
dyaustadā tāṁ tu dṛṣṭvaiva gāṁ gajendrendravikrama
uvāca rājaṁstṁ devī tasyā rūpaguṇān vadan
eṣā gauruttamā devī vāruṇerasitekṣaṇā
ṛṣestasya varārohe yasyedaṁ vanamuttamam
asyāḥ kṣīraṁ pibenmartyaḥ svādu yo vai samudhyame
daśavarṣasahasrāṇi sa jīvet sthirayauvanaḥ
etacchrutvā tu sā devī nṛpottama sumadhyamā
tamuvācānavadyāṅgī bhartāraṁ dīptatejasam
assti me mānuṣe loke naradevātmajā sakhī
nāmnā jitavatī nāma rūpayauvanaśālinī
uśīnarasya rājarṣeḥ satyasaṁdhasya dhīmataḥ
duhitā prathitāloke mānuṣe rūpasampadā
tasyā hetormahābhāga savatsāṁ gāṁ mamepsitām
O king! Her name was Nandinī and she could grant every desire. She possessed the wealth of all accomplishmants and large eyes, full udders, fine tail, handsome hoop and every auspicious signs. She gave much milk. Seeing her such, wife of Vasu showed her in astonishment to her husband named Dyava. O Paurava! O king! This cow of many qualifications was formerly shown by the daughter of Vasus to Vasu. O elephant like powerful man! When that cow was shown to Dyava, O king! He began to admire her qualities and spoke thus to his wife: O black eyed lady of beautiful thighs, this cow belongs to Ṛṣi, son of Varuṇa, to whom belongs this excellent wood. O slender waisted lady! He who drinks milk of this cow, lives young for 10,000 years! O best of kings! Having heard this, that lady of slender waist thus addressed her husband of burning effulgence: I have a friend among men on Earth, named Jitavatī, daughter of a king, who possesses great beauty and youth. She is a daughter of royal sage, truthful and inelligent Uśīnara. Her wealth of beauty is famous all over the world. O illustrious one! I desire to possess this cow with her calf!
ānayasvāmaraśreṣṭha tvaritaṁ puṇyavardhana
yāvadasyāḥ payaḥ pītvā sā sakhī mama mānada
mānuṣeṣu bhavatvekā jarārogavivarjitā
etanmama mahābhāga kartumarhasyanindita
O best of celestials! O virtue increasing one! Bring her soon, so that my that human friend, drinking her milk, becomes the only person on Earth free from disease and decrepitude. O illustrious god! O blameless god! You should grant me this desire!
priyaṁ priyataraṁ hyasmānnāsti me ̍ nyat kathaṁcana
etacchrutvā vacastasyā devyāḥ priyacikīrṣayā
pṛthvādyairbhrātṛbhiḥ sārdhaṁ dyaustadā nṛpa
ṛṣestasya tapastīvraṁ na śaśāka nirīkṣitum
hṛtā gauḥ sā tadā tena prapātastu na tarkitaḥ
There is nothing which would be more agreeable to me.
Having heard her these words, Dyava, in order to please that celestial lady, stole the cow with the help of Pṛthu and his other brothers. O king! Commanded by his lotus eyed wife, Dyava did bidding, for getting great ascetic merits of the Ṛṣi, who owned cow. He did not know then that he would have to fall foe the sin of stealing the cow.
athāśramapadaṁ prāptaḥ phalānyādāya vāruṇiḥ
na cāpaśyat sa gāṁ tatra savatsāṁ kānanottame
When in the evening son of Varuṇa returned to his hermitage with fruits he had collected, he did not find the cow and its calf. Then he began to search for her in that excellent wood.
tataḥ sa mṛgayāmāsa vane tasmiṁstapodhanaḥ
nādhyagacchacca mṛgayaṁstāṁ gāṁ munirudāradhīḥ
Noble minded and greatly intelligent ascetic searched for the cow everywhere in the woods, but though he searched long, yet he could not find her.
jñātvā tathāpanītṁ tāṁ vasubhirdivyadarśanaḥ
yayau krodhavaśaṁ sadyaḥ śaśāpa ca vasūṁstadā
Man of ascetic vision then found that she had been stolen by Vasus. His anger was at once roused and he cursed Vasus.
yasmānme vasavo jahnurgāṁ vai dogdhrīṁ suvāladhīm
tasmāt sarve janiṣyanti mānuṣeṣu na saṁśayaḥ
Saying: As Vasus have stolen my cow with sweet milk and handsome tail, they shall certainly be born as a men on Earth!
evaṁ śaśāpa bhagavān vasuṁstān bharatarṣabh
vaśaṁ krodhasya samaprāpta āpavo munisattamaḥ
O best of Bhāratas, illustrious Āpava, the best of Ṛṣis, thus cursed Vasus out of anger.
śaptvā ca tān mahābhāgastapasyeva mano dadhe
evaṁ sa śaptvān rājan vasūnaṣṭau tapodhanaḥ
mahāprabhāvo brahmarṣirdivān krodhasamanvitaḥ
athāśramapadaṁ prāptāste vai bhūyo mahātmanaḥ
śaptāḥ sma iti jānanta ṛṣiṁ tamupacakramuḥ
prasādayantastamṛṣiṁ vasavaḥ pārthivarṣabha
lobhire na ca tasmāt te prasādamṛṣisattamāt
āpavāt puruṣavyāghra sarvadharmaviśāradāt
āpavāt puruṣavyāghra sarvadharmaviśāradāt
Having thus cursed them, illustrious man again engaged himself in asceticism. O king! When Vasus were thus cursed in anger by that Brahmaṛṣi and ascetic of great power, they soon came to the hermitage of that illustrious man, Āpava, learned in rules of every virtue. O best of kings! Vasus tried to pacify Ṛṣi, but they failed to obtain grace from that best of Ṛṣis.
uvāca ca sa dharmātmā śāptā yūyaṁ dharādayaḥ
anusaṁvatsarāt sarve śāpamokṣamavāpsyatha
Virtuous Ṛṣi said: You have been cursed by me along with Dharma and others, but you shall be freed from my curse within a year of your birth among men.
ayaṁtu yatkṛte yūyaṁ mayā śaptāḥ sa vatsyati
dyaustadā mānuṣe loke dīrghakālaṁ svakarmaṇā
But for whose act you have all been cursed by me, that Dyava, will have to remain on Earth for long time for his own sinful act.
nānṛtaṁ taccikīrṣāmi kruddho yuṣmān yadabruvam
na prajāsyati cāpyeṣa mānuṣeṣu mahāmanāḥ
I shall not make my words futile though uttered in anger, but Dyava will not beget an offspring when dwelling on Earth.
bhaviṣyati ca dharmātmā sarvaśāstraviśāradaḥ
pituḥ priyahite yuktaḥ strībhogān varjayiṣyati
He will be virtuous minded and learned in all Śāstras. He will be very obedient to his father and abstrain from the pleasure of women.
evamuktvā vasūn sarvān sa jagāma mahānṛṣiḥ
tato māmupajagmuste sametā vasavastadā
Thus addressing all the Vasus, great Ṛṣi went away and all the Vasus came to me.
ayācanta ca māṁrājan varaṁ tacca mayā kṛtam
jātāñjātān prakṣipāsmān svayaṁ gaṅge tvamambhasi
O king! They prayed to me for a boon, saying: O Gaṅgā! As soon as each of us will be born, you yourself should throw us into the water!
evaṁ teṣāmahaṁ samyak śaptānāṁ rājasattama
mokṣārthaṁ mānuṣāllokād yathāvat kṛtavatyaham
O best of kings! I did act accordingly. I threw them into the water in order to free them from their earthly life, the effect of that curse.
ayaṁ śāpādṛṣestasya eka eva nṛpottama
dyau rājan mānuṣe loke ciraṁ vatsyati bhārata
O descendant of Bhāratas! O excellent king! Only one, namely Dyava himself, is to live on Earth on account of Ṛṣi ̍ s curse.
vaiśampāyana uvāca
etadākhyāya sā devī tatraivāntaradhīyata
ādāya ca kumāraṁ taṁ jagāmātha yathepsitam
Vaiśampāyana said: Having said this, goddess disappeared then and there. Taking her son with her, she went away to the place she wished to go.
sa tu devavrato nāma gāṅgeya iti cābhavat
dyunāmā śāntanoḥ putraḥ śāntanoradhiko guṇaiḥ
That son of Śāntanu was named both Gāṅgeya and Devavrata and he excelled his father in all accomplishments.
śāntanuścāpi śokārto jagāma svapuraṁ tataḥ
tasyāhaṁ kīrtayiṣyāmi śāntanoradhikān guṇān
Śāntanu then went to his own capital with a sorrowful heart. I shall now narrate to you many accomplishments of Śāntanu.
mahābhāgyaṁ ca nṛpaterbhāratasya mahātmanaḥ
yasyetihāso dyutimān mahābhāratamucyate
And great fortune of illustrious king of Bhāratas, the history of whom is called this effulgent Mahābhārata.
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