As soon as suspicion arose, another hawk, thinking there was flesh to be had, swiftly rushed at his rival. High in the sky, the two hawks engaged in a fierce battle, their beaks clashing as they fought for the prize. Amidst their struggle, the precious seed they contested slipped from their claws and fell, landing in the waters of the sacred Yamuna. There, in the river, lived a celestial nymph named Adrika, who had been cursed by Brahma and was now known to dwell in the Yamuna’s depths. Under the influence of the curse, Adrika had assumed the form of a fish, moving through the waters unseen. When the seed dropped from the hawks above, it was seized with force by Adrika, who, as a fish, swallowed it. Time passed, and one day the fishermen caught this very fish. When ten months had gone by, O best of Bharatas, the fishermen opened the belly of the fish and, to their astonishment, extracted two human beings—a woman and a man—from within. Amazed by this miraculous occurrence, they hurried to the king and reported, “O king, from the body of a fish, these two humans have been born!” King Uparicara Vasu, hearing this, took the male child for himself. This son, named Matsya, grew to be righteous and true to his word. Meanwhile, the apsara Adrika, freed from her curse, regained her celestial form. She who had entered an animal birth, as foretold by the blessed one, was liberated upon giving birth to these two humans. Thus, after fulfilling the conditions of her curse, she was killed by the fishermen, and abandoning her fish form, she attained her radiant celestial appearance. As a glorious apsara, she departed along the path of the Siddhas, Rishis, and Charanas. The daughter of the fish, fragrant as a fish, was presented by the king to Dasa, saying, “Let this maiden be yours.” Endowed with beauty, virtue, and noble character, she was called Satyavati, for she was raised among the fishermen. For some time, Satyavati, whose smile was pure, carried the scent of fish. Serving her father, she would row his boat across the waters. It happened that the great sage Parashara, while traveling on pilgrimage, beheld Satyavati as she moved upon the river. She was exceedingly beautiful, desired even by the perfected beings. The wise sage, upon seeing her, felt desire for the lovely-smiling maiden, the divine daughter of Vāsava, whose thighs were as graceful as plantain stems. Considering her origin and recognizing her, the son of Śakti spoke: “Fair one, where is the helmsman who steers this boat? Tell me.” Satyavati replied, “O twice-born, this boat, filled with a thousand people, is steered by me, the daughter of the boatman, to please my father who has no sons.” Parashara then said, “O beautiful Vāsavī, O auspicious one, why do you delay? Let the boat be rowed. O gentle one, the fare shall be a pot half-filled with a thousand coins.” Matsyagandhā, as she was called, agreed, saying “So be it,” and began to row the boat across the water. Seeing the sage gaze upon her, she spoke: “People call me Matsyagandhā, the daughter of the boatman king. It is by divine knowledge that your form was perceived at the very moment I saw you. For the sake of accepting affection, I will tell you this, O Vāsavī, listen: The Pitṛs known as Barhiṣads, O Soma-drinker, are renowned. You are their mind-born daughter, famed as Acchodā, because you arose from the divine lake named Acchoda. You have never before seen your fathers; born from their mind, you do not know your own Pitṛs.” She continued, “You chose another as your father, forsaking your own Pitṛs—namely Vasu, a son of Manu, renowned and dwelling in heaven. He was united with Adrikā, an apsaras, residing in a celestial chariot in heaven; by that mental transgression, she, moved by desire, acted thus. Having desired another father, through the power of yoga, you fell from heaven; as you were falling, you saw from near the three celestial chariots. There you saw your own Pitṛs, as small as particles of dust, extremely subtle, indistinct, with bodies barely perceptible, as if joined limb to limb. Falling headlong, you cried out to them in distress, ‘Father!’ They told you, ‘Do not fear,’ and thus you remained in heaven.” Satyavati then began to propitiate her fathers with humble words. The Pitṛs said to their daughter, “You have lost your sovereignty by transgression. You have lost your sovereignty by your own fault, O fair-smiling one, and so you fall. The gods here perform actions with bodies. By those very bodies, the gods obtain the fruits of those actions; but humans, through another body, experience good or evil—such is the order. Actions bear fruit immediately among the gods, but after death among humans; therefore, my daughter, you will fall and receive the result after death.” They continued, “You are a maiden without a father, considered the daughter of Vasu; born from the womb of a fish, you will become the daughter of a king. Adrikā, in the form of a fish, met with the river Ganga; you will bear a son for Parāśara, who will be his heir. He, a brahmarshi, will divide the single Veda into four; the son of the great physician, he will increase the fame of Śantanu. You will give birth to the eldest, the heroic Citrāngada, and the renowned Citravīrya; after bearing these noble sons, you will depart again. Because of transgressing the ancestors, you will obtain a lowly birth; you will be the daughter of this very king, born from Adrikā. In the twenty-eighth Dvāpara, you will be born from the womb of a fish; thus spoken by them in ancient times, you were born as the auspicious Satyavatī. Known as Adrikā, a celestial nymph by Brahma’s curse, you took the form of a fish, and after giving birth, you returned to heaven.” Thus, through the mysterious workings of destiny, Satyavati’s birth and purpose were revealed, linking her to the celestial realms, the Pitṛs, and the great events that would shape the lineage of kings and sages.