Story of Vyuṣitāśva

 vaiśampāyana uvāca

evamuktā mahārāja kuntī pāṇḍumabhāṣata
kurūṇāmṛṣabhaṁ vīraṁ tadā bhūmipatiṁ patim

Vaiśampāyana said: O great king! Having been thus assessed, Kuntī replied to her heroic lord, king Pāṇḍu, the best of Kurus:

na māmarhasi dharmajña vaktumevaṁ kathaṁcana
dharmapatnīmabhīratāṁ tvayo rājīvalocane

Kuntī said: O virtuous one! You should not say so to me! O lotus eyed one! I am your lawfully wedded wife, ever devoted to you.

tvameva tu mahābāho mayyapatyāni bhārata
vīra vīryopapannāni dharmato janayiṣyasi

O mighty armed descendant of Bharata race! You should in righteousness beget on me greatly powerful chilren.

svargaṁ manujaśārdūla gaccheyaṁ sahitā tvayā
apatyāya ca māṁ gaccha tvameva kurunandana

O best of men! I shall go to heaven with you! O descendant of Kuru! Embrace me to beget an offspring!

na hyahaṁ manasāpyanyaṁ gaccheyaṁ tvadṛte naram
tvattaḥ prativiśiṣṭaśca ko ̍ nyo ̍ sti bhuvi mānavaḥ

I shall not certainly, even in imagination, accept any other man except you in my embrace. Who is there in this world who could be superior to you?

imāṁ ca tāvad dharmātman paurāṇīṁ śṛṇu me kathām
pariśrutāṁ viśālākṣa kīrtayiṣyāmi yāmaham

O virtuous minded man! O large eyed one! Hear the following Paurāṇika narrative which was heard by me and which I shall now narrate to you.

vyuṣitāśva iti khyāto babhūva kila pārthivaḥ
purā paramadharmiṣṭhaḥ pūrorvaśavivardhanaḥ

In ancient times there was a king known by the name of Vyuṣitāśva, expander of Pūru dynasty, who was exceedingly virtuous.

tasmiṁśca yajamāne vai dharmātmani mahābhuje
upāgamaṁstato devāḥ sendrā devarṣibhiḥ saha

In sacrifice which that virtuous and mighty armed man performed, celestials with Indra and Devaṛṣis came.

samādyadindraḥ somena dakṣiṇābhirdvijātayaḥ
vyuṣitāśvasya rājarṣestato yajñe mahātmanaḥ
devā brahmarṣayaścaiva cakruḥ karma svayaṁ tadā
vyuṣitāśvastato rājannati martyān vyarocata

In the sacrifice of illustrious royal sage Vyuṣitāśva, Indra was so intoxicated with Soma drink and Brāhmaṇas with Dakṣiṇa offerings that celestials and Brāhmaṇa Ṛṣis performed everything of it themselves. O king! Thereupon Vyuṣitāśva began to shrine over all creatures.

sarvabhūtān prati yathā tapanaḥ śiśirātyaye
sa vijitya gṛhītvā ca nṛpatīn rājasattamaḥ
prācyānudīcyān pāścāttyān dākṣiṇātyānakālayat
aśvamedhe mahāyajñe vyuṣitāśvaḥ pratāpavān

O king! Thereupon Vyuṣitāśva began to shine over all creatures like sun after the season of frost. O best of kings! He conquered all kings of East, West, North and South and he exacted tribute from them all.

babhūva sa hi rājendro daśanāgabalānvitaḥ
apyatra gāthāṁ gāyanti ye purāṇavido janāḥ
vyuṣitāśve yaśovṛddhe manuṣyendre kurūttama
vyuṣitāśva samudrāntāṁ vijityemāṁ vasuṁdharām
apālayat sarvavarṇān pitā putrānivaurasān
yajamāno mahāyajñarbrāhmaṇebhyo dhanaṁ dadau

O king! He was endued with the strength of 10 elephants. Vyuṣitāśva did all this in his great Horse sacrifice. O best of Kurus! Men, learned in Purāṇas, sing this verse in order to increase the frame of that king of men, Vyuṣitāśva. vyuṣitāśva has conquered whole Earth as far as sea. He protects all classes of his subjects as a father protects his own sons. He performed many sacrifices and gave away much wealth to Brāhmaṇas.

anantaratnānyādāya sa jahāra mahākratūn
suṣāva ca bahūn somān somasaṁsthāstatān ca

Collecting jewels and precious stones, he performed afterwards great sacrifices. Extracting large quantity of Soma juice, he performed great sacrifice Soma Saṁsthā.

āsīt kākṣīvatī cāsya bhāryā paramasammatā
bhadrā nāma manuṣyendra rūpeṇāsadṛśī bhuvi

O king! His beloved wife was daughter of Kākṣīvān, named Bhadrā, unrivaled on Earth for her beauty.

kāmayāmāsatustau ca parasparamiti śrutam
sa tasyāṁ kāmasampanno yakṣmaṇā samapadyata
tenācireṇa kālena jagāmāstamivāṁśumān
tasmin prete manuṣyendre bhāryāsya bhṛśaduḥkhitā

We have heard that they deeply loved each other. He was seldom separated from his wife. Intercourse with her brought in consumption and he soon died sinking like sun in its glory. She became afflicted with great grief at her husbands ̍ death.

aputrā puruṣavyāghra vilalāpeti naḥ śrutam
bhadrā paramaduḥkhārtā tannibodha janādhipa

O best of men! O king! Hear how Bhadrā, being childless and afflicted with grief, bewailed for her husband. I shall recount it.

bhadrovāca
nārī paramadharmājña sarvā bhartṛvinākṛtā
patiṁ vinā jīvati yā na sā jīvati duḥkhatā

Bhadrā said: O greatly learned man in religious precepts! Women serve no purpose when their husband is dead. She who lives without her husband lives a miserable life.

patiṁ vinā mṛtaṁ śreyo nāryāḥ kṣatriyapuṅgava
tvadgatiṁ gantumicchāmi prasīdasva nayasva mām
tvayā hīnā ks,aṇamapi nāhaṁ jīvitumutsahe
prasādaṁ kuru me rājannitastūrṇaṁ nayasva mām

O best of Kṣatriyas! Death is preferable to one who whom has her husband. I wish to follow the way you have gone. Be kind towards me and take me with you. I am unable in your absence to bear life for a moment. O kind to me and take me soon away.

pṛṣṭhato ̍ nugamiṣyāmi sameṣu viṣameṣu ca
tvāmahaṁ naraśārdūla gacchantamanivartitum

O best of men! I shall follow you over even and uneven ground. Going with you, I shall never return again.

chāyevānugatā rājan satataṁ vaśavartinī
bhaviṣyāmi naravyāghra nityaṁ priyahite ratā

O king! I shall follow you as a shadow. I shall be always obedient to you. O best of kings! I shall ever remain engaged in doing your favourite works.

adyaprabhṛti māṁ rājan kaṣṭā hṛdayaśoṣaṇaḥ
ādhayo ̍ bhibhaviṣyanti tvāmṛte puṣkarekṣaṇa

O king! O lotus eyed, from this day the heart sucking affliction will always overwhelm me for your death.

abhāgyayā mayā nūnaṁ viyuktāḥ sahacāriṇaḥ
tena me viprayogo ̍ yamupapannastvayā saha

Unfortunate I am! Some loving couple had no doubt been separated by me in my former life. From this am I separated from you.

viprayuktā tu yā patyā muhūrtamapi jīvati
duḥkhaṁ jīvati sā pāpā narakasyeva pārthiva

O king! She who lives even for a moment after being separated from her husband that sinful woman, lives in great misery and in hell.

saṁyuktā viprayuktāścca pūrvadehe kṛtā mayā
tadidaṁ karmabhiḥ pāpaiḥ pūrvadeheṣu saṁcitam
duḥkhaṁ māmanusamprāptaṁ rājaṁstvadviprayojam
adyaprabhṛtyahaṁ rājan kuśasaṁstaraśāyinī
bhaviṣyāmyasukhāviṣṭā tvaddarśanaparāyaṇā

Some loving couple must have been separated by me in my former birth, from that sin, acquired in my former body. O king! I now suffer this great pain in consequence of your separation from me. O king! From this day I shall lie on Kuśa grass.

darśayasva naravyāghra śādhi māmasukhānvitām
kṛpaṇāṁ cātha karuṇaṁ vilapantīṁ nareśvara

I shall abstrain from every luxury, being ever desirous of seeing you. O best of men! Show yourself to me. O king of men! O lord! Command your wretched and bitterly weeping wife, plunged in great misery.

kuntyuvāca
evaṁ bhuvaidhaṁ tasyāṁ vilapantyāṁ punaḥ punaḥ
taṁ śavaṁ sampariṣvajya vāk kilāntarhitābravīt

Kuntī said: It was thus she bewailed again and again embracing the corpse of her husband. She was then addressed by invisible voice.

uttiṣṭha bhadre gaccha tvaṁ dadānīha varaṁ tava
janayiṣyāmyapatyāni tvayyahaṁ cāruhāsini

Voice said: O Bhadrā! Rise up and leave this place! I grant you this boon. O lady of sweet smiles! I shall beget an offspring on you!

ātmakīye varārohe śayanīye caturdaśīm
aṣṭamī vā ṛtusnātā saṁviśethā mayā saha

O beautiful featured lady! Lie down with me on your bed on the 8th or the 14th day of the moon after the bath of your season.

evamuktā tu sā devī tathā cakre pativratā
yathoktameva tadvākyaṁ bhadrā putrārthinī tadā

Kuntī said: Having been thus addressed by invisible voice, chaste lady Bhadrā, desirous of offspring, did as she was directed.

sā tena suṣave devī śavena bharatarṣabha
trīn śālvāṁścaturo madrān sutān bharatasattama

O best of Bharata race! That lady gave birth to 3 Śālvas and 4 Madras by that corpse.

tathā tvamapi mayyevaṁ manasā bharatarṣabha
śakto janayituṁ putrāṁstapoyogabalānvitaḥ

O best of Bhāratas! You too like him beget an offspring by your ascetic power.