एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचो राज्ञो गङ्गा लोकनमस्कृता। भगीरथमिदं वाक्यं सुप्रीता समभाषत
Hearing these words of the king, Ganga, revered by all worlds, spoke to Bhagiratha with great delight.
करिष्यामि माहाराज वचस्ते नात्र संशयः। वेगं तु मम दुर्धार्यं पतन्त्या गगनाच्च्युतम्
I will do as you ask, O great king; there is no doubt about it. Yet my torrent, falling from the sky, is difficult to restrain.
न शक्तस्त्रिषु लोकेषु कश्चिद्धारयितुं नृप। अन्यत्र विबुधश्रेष्ठान्नीलकण्ठान्महेश्वरात्
No one in the three worlds is able to bear me, O king, except for the foremost of the gods, the blue-throated Maheshvara.
तं तोषय रमहाबाहो तपसा वरदं हरम्। स तु मां प्रच्युतां देवः शिरसा धारयिष्यति
Please the boon-giving Hara, O mighty-armed one, through austerity; that god will bear me upon his head when I descend.
स करिष्यति ते रकामं पितॄणां हितकाम्यया। `तपसाऽऽराधितः शंभुर्भगर्वाँल्लोकभावनः
He will fulfill your desire, wishing for the welfare of your ancestors; Shambhu, creator of the worlds, will be propitiated by your austerity.
एतच्छ्रुत्वा ततो राजन्महाराजो भगीरथः। कैलासं पर्वतं गत्वा तोषयामास शंकरम्
Hearing this, King Bhagiratha went to Mount Kailasa and began to please Shankara.
ततस्तेन समागम्य कालयोगेन केनचित्। `गह्गावतरणं राजन्नयाचत महीपतिः
Then, after meeting him at an appointed time, the king requested the descent of Ganga.
अगृह्णाच्च वरं तस्माद्गङ्गाया धारणे नृप। स्वर्गे वासं समुद्दिश् पितॄणां स नरोत्तमः
He obtained the boon from him for the bearing of Ganga, O king, and for the residence in heaven of his ancestors, that noble one.
एषा देवनदी पुण्या कौशिकी भरतर्षभ। विश्वामित्राश्रमो रम्य एष चात्र प्रकाशते
This is the sacred river of the gods, the Kausiki, O best of Bharatas; here shines the delightful hermitage of Visvamitra.
आश्रमश्चैव पुण्याख्यः काश्यपस्य महात्मनः। ऋश्यशृङ्गः सुतो यस् तपस्वी संयतेन्द्रियः
And here too is the holy hermitage of the great-souled Kasyapa, whose son, Rishyasringa, was an ascetic with controlled senses.
तपसो यः प्रभावेन वर्षयामास वासवम्। अनावृष्ठ्यां भयाद्यस्य ववर्ष बलवृत्रहा
By the power of his austerity, he caused Indra to bring rain; out of fear of drought, the mighty slayer of Vritra poured down rain.
मृग्यां जातः स तेजस्वी काश्यपस्य सुतः प्रभुः। विषये लोमपादस्य यश्चकाराद्भुतं महत्
Born among deer, that radiant son of Kasyapa, the lord, performed a great wonder in the realm of Lomapada.
निर्वर्तितेषु सस्येषु यस्मै शान्तां ददौ नृपः। लोमपादो दुहितरं सावित्रीं सविता यथा
When the crops were produced, King Lomapada gave him Shanta, his daughter, just as Savita gave Savitri.
ऋश्यशृङ्गः कथं मृग्यामुत्पन्नः काश्यपात्मजः। विरुद्धयोनिसंसर्गः कथं च तपसा युतः
How was Rishyasringa, son of Kasyapa, born among deer? How did he, though of contrary birth, become endowed with austerity?
किमर्थं च भयाच्छक्रस्तस्य बालस्य धीमतः। अनावृष्ट्यां प्रवृत्तायां ववर्ष बलवृत्रहा
For what reason did Indra, out of fear, cause rain during the drought for that wise child, the mighty slayer of Vritra?
कथंरूपा च सा शान्ता राजपुत्री पतिव्रता। लोभयामास या चेतो मृगभूस्य तस्य वै
What was the nature of Shanta, the royal daughter and devoted wife, who enticed the mind of one born among deer?
लोमपादश्च राजर्षिर्यदाऽश्रूयत धार्मिकः। कथं वै विषये तस्य नावर्षत्पाकशासनः
And how did Lomapada, the righteous royal sage, come to hear that in his realm the lord of heaven withheld rain?
एतन्मे भगवन्सर्वं विस्तरेण यथातथम्। वक्तुमर्हसि शुश्रूषोर्ऋश्यशृङ्गस् चेष्टितम्
O venerable one, please tell me all this in detail and truthfully, for I am eager to hear of the deeds of Rishyasringa.
विभाण्डकस्य ब्रह्मर्षेस्तपसा भावितात्मनः। अमोघवीर्यस्य सतः प्रजापतिसमद्युतेः
Of Vibhāṇḍaka, the Brahmin sage, whose soul was purified by austerity, whose power was unfailing, and who shone with the brilliance of Prajāpati—
शृणु पुत्रो यथा जात ऋश्यशृङ्गः प्रतापवान्। महाह्रदे महातेजा बालः स्थविरसंभतः
Hear, O son, how Ṛśyaśṛṅga, endowed with great energy, was born in a great lake, radiant in power, a child raised by an elder.
महाह्रदं समासाद्य काश्यपस्तपसि स्थितः। दीर्घकालं रिश्रान्त ऋषिर्देवर्षिसंमितः
Having reached a great lake, the sage of the Kāśyapa line, steadfast in austerity, remained there for a long time, tireless, a seer esteemed as equal to the divine sages.
तस्य रेतः प्रचस्कन्द दृष्ट्वाऽप्सरसमुर्वशीम्। अप्सूपस्पृशतो राजन्मृगी तच्चापिबत्तदा। सह तोयेन तृषिता गर्भिणी चाभवत्ततः
There, his seed was released when he beheld the apsaras Urvaśī, O King, as he touched the water; a doe, thirsty, drank that water, and thus became pregnant.
सा पुरोक्ता भगवता ब्रह्मणा लोककर्तृणा। देवकन्या मृगी भूत्वा मुनिं सूय विमोक्ष्यसे
That celestial maiden, having been told beforehand by the blessed Brahmā, creator of the worlds, 'You will be born as a doe and release the sage’s offspring.'
अमोघत्वाद्विधेश्चैव भावित्वाद्दैवनिर्मितात्। तस्यां मृग्यां समभवत्तस्व पुत्रो महानृषिः। ऋश्यशृङ्गस्तपोनित्यो वन एवाभ्यवर्धत
Because of the infallibility of fate, and since she was divinely fashioned, from that doe was born a great sage, Ṛśyaśṛṅga, ever devoted to austerity, who grew up in the forest.
तस्य शृङ्गं शिरसि वै राजन्नासीन्महात्मनः। तेनर्श्यशृङ्ग इत्येवं तदा स प्रथितोऽभवत्
On his head, O King, there was a horn; thus, he became known as Ṛśyaśṛṅga, and by that name he was renowned.
न तेन दृष्टपूर्वोऽन्यः पितुरन्यत्रमानुषः। तस्मात्तस्य मनो नित्यं ब्रह्मचर्येऽभवन्नृप
He had never seen any human other than his father; therefore, his mind was always fixed on celibacy, O King.
एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु सखा दशरशस्य वै। कलोमपाद इतिख्यातो ह्यङ्गानामीश्वरोऽभवत्
At that very time, the friend of Daśaratha, known as Kalmaṣapāda, became the ruler of the Aṅgas.
तेन कामः कृतो मिथ्या ब्राह्मणेभ्य इति श्रुतिः। `दैवोपहतसत्त्वेन धर्मज्ञेनापि भारत'। स ब्राह्मणैः परित्यक्तस्तदा भरतसत्तम
It is heard that, under the influence of fate, though he knew righteousness, he committed a wrongful act against the Brāhmaṇas; thus, he was abandoned by them, O best of the Bharatas.
पुरोहितापचाराच्च तस्य राज्ञो यदच्छया। न ववर्ष सहस्राक्षस्ततोऽपीड्यन्त वै प्रजाः
Because of the king’s offense against his priest, O King, Indra withheld the rain, and the people suffered greatly.
स ब्राह्मणान्पर्यपृच्छत्तपोयुक्तान्मनीषिणः। प्रवर्षणे सुरेन्द्रस्य समर्थान्पृथिवीपते
Then the king questioned the Brāhmaṇas, who were engaged in austerities and wise, asking those capable of bringing rain from the lord of the gods.