समयेन प्रदद्यां ते कन्यामहमिमां नृप। न हि मे त्वत्समः कश्चिद्वरो जातु भविष्यति
"By a vow I would give you this maiden, O king; for no suitor equal to you will ever arise for her."
श्रुत्वा तव वरं दाश व्यवस्येयमहं तव। दातव्यं चेत्प्रदास्यामि न त्वदेयं कथंचन
"Having heard your request, O Dasha, I will decide; if it is to be given, I will give, but it cannot be given otherwise."
अस्यां जायेत यः पुत्रः स राजा पृथिवीपते। त्वदूर्ध्वमभिषेक्तव्यो नान्यः कश्चन पार्थिव
"The son who is born from her, O lord of the earth, must be anointed king after you; no other, O king."
नाकामयत तं दातुं वरं दाशाय शान्तनुः। शरीरजेन तीव्रेण दह्यमानोऽपि भारत
Shantanu did not wish to grant that boon to the Dasha, O Bharata, even though he was burning intensely with bodily desire.
स चिन्तयन्नेव तदा दाशकन्यां महीपतिः। प्रत्ययाद्धास्तिनपुरं कामोपहतचेतनः
Thus, while thinking of the Dasha maiden, the king, his mind overcome by desire, returned to Hastinapura.
ततः कदाचिच्छोचन्तं शान्तनुं ध्यानमास्थितम्। पुत्रो देवव्रतोऽभ्येत्य पितरं वाक्यमब्रवीत्
Then, once, as Shantanu sat grieving and absorbed in thought, his son Devavrata approached and spoke to his father.
सर्वतो भवतः क्षेमं विधेयाः सर्वपार्थिवाः। तत्किमर्थमिहाभीक्ष्णं परिशोचसि दुःखितः
All the kings are obedient to you, and everywhere there is safety for you; so why do you grieve so deeply and lament again and again?
ध्यायन्निव च मां राजन्नाभिभाषसि किंचन। न चाश्वेन विनिर्यासि विवर्णो हरिणः कृशः
O King, you seem lost in thought and do not speak a word to me; you do not go out with your horse, your color is faded, and you have grown thin like a deer.
व्याधिमिच्छामि ते ज्ञातुं प्रतिकुर्यां हि तत्र वै
I wish to know what afflicts you, so that I may act accordingly.
विवर्तुं नाशकत्तस्मै पिता पुत्रस्य शान्तनुः।' एवमुक्तः स पुत्रेण शान्तनुः प्रत्यभाषत
Shantanu, the father, was unable to reply to his son; but thus addressed by his son, Shantanu spoke.
असंशयं ध्यानपरो यथा वत्स तथा शृणु। अपत्यं नस्त्वमेवैकः कुले महति भारत
Without doubt, my child, I am absorbed in thought; listen as I tell you why: you alone are my child in this great lineage, O Bharata.
शस्त्रनित्यश्च सततं पौरुषे पर्यवस्थितः। अनित्यतां च लोकानामनुशोचामि पुत्रक
You are always devoted to arms and steadfast in valor; but, my son, I grieve over the impermanence of the worlds.
कथंचित्तव गाङ्गेय विपत्तौ नास्ति नः कुलम्। असंशयं त्वमेवैकः शतादपि वरः सुतः
If, O son of Ganga, some misfortune should befall you, our lineage would be lost; without doubt, you alone are better than a hundred sons.
न चाप्यहं वृथा भूयो दारान्कर्तुमिहोत्सहे। संतानस्याविनाशाय कामये भद्रमस्तु ते
Nor am I able, in vain, to take another wife again; I desire the unbroken continuation of the line—may good befall you.
अनपत्यतैकपुत्रत्वमित्याहुर्धर्मवादिनः। `चक्षुरेकं च पुत्रश्च अस्ति नास्ति च भारत। चक्षुर्नाशे तनोर्नाशः पुत्रनाशे कुलक्षयः
The upholders of dharma say that to be childless or to have only one son is the same; 'the eye and the son are one—sometimes present, sometimes not, O Bharata; when the eye is lost, the body perishes; when the son is lost, the lineage is destroyed.'
अग्निहोत्रं त्रयी विद्या यज्ञाश्च सहदक्षिणाः। सर्वाण्येतान्यपत्यस्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीम्
The agnihotra, the threefold Veda, and sacrifices with gifts—all these do not equal even a sixteenth part of having a child.
एवमेतन्मनुष्येषु तच्च सर्वं प्रजास्विति। यदपत्यं महाप्राज्ञ तत्र मे नास्ति संशयः
So it is among men, and so among all creatures; O wise one, I have no doubt about the value of offspring.
अपत्येनानृणो लोके पितॄणां नास्ति संशयः।' एषा त्रयी पुराणानां देवतानां च शाश्वती
By means of offspring, one is freed from the debt to the ancestors—of this there is no doubt; this is the eternal triad of the ancients and the gods.
अपत्यं कर्म विद्या च त्रीणि ज्योतींषि भारत
Offspring, action, and knowledge—these are the three lights, O Bharata.
त्वं च शूरः सदाऽमर्षी शस्त्रनित्यश्च भारत। नान्यत्र युद्धात्तस्मात्ते निधनं विद्यते क्वचित्
And you are brave, ever unyielding, and always devoted to arms, O Bharata; for you, there is no death anywhere except in battle.
सोऽस्मि संशयमापन्नस्त्वयि शान्ते कथं भवेत्। इति ते कारणं तात दुःखस्योक्तमशेषतः
Therefore, I am troubled with doubt as to how there will be peace in you, O Shantanu; thus, my son, I have told you fully the reason for my sorrow.
ततस्तत्कारणं राज्ञो ज्ञात्वा सर्वमशेषतः। देवव्रतो महाबुद्धिः प्रज्ञया चान्वचिन्तयत्
Then, having learned the entire reason for the king's sorrow, Devavrata, of great intelligence, reflected with wisdom.
अपत्यफलसंयुक्तमेतच्छ्रुत्वा पितुर्वचः। सूतं भूयोऽपि संतप्त आह्वयामास वै पितुः
Hearing his father's words, filled with the concern for the fruit of offspring, the afflicted Devavrata again summoned his father's charioteer.
सूतस्तु कुरुमुख्यस्य उपयातस्तदाज्ञया। तमुवाच महाप्राज्ञो भीष्मो वै सारथिं पितुः
The charioteer, by the order of the foremost of the Kurus, approached; and Bhishma, the wise one, spoke to his father's charioteer.
त्वं सारथे पितुर्मह्यं सखासि रथधूर्गतः। अपि जानासि यदि वै कस्यां भावो नृपस्य तु
You are my father's charioteer and my friend, skilled in driving the chariot; if you know, tell me truly in whose heart the king's affection lies.
दाशकन्या कुरुश्रेष्ठ तत्र भावः पितुर्गतः
O best of the Kurus, the king's affection was fixed upon the daughter of the ferryman.
वृतः स नरदेवेन तदा वचनमब्रवीत्। योऽस्यां पुमान्भवेज्जातः स राजा त्वदनन्तरम्
Chosen by the king, he then spoke these words: 'The son born of her shall become king after you.'
नाकामयत तं दातुं पिता तव वरं तदा। स चापि निश्चयस्तस्य न च दद्यां ततोऽन्यथा
At that time, your father did not wish to grant that boon; yet he was firm in his resolve, and would not give her on any other terms.
ततः स पितुराज्ञाय मतं सम्यगवेक्ष्य च। ज्ञात्वा च मानसं पुत्रः प्रययौ यमुनां प्रति
Then, having understood his father's command and carefully considered his father's will, the son, knowing his mind, set out toward the Yamuna.
क्षत्रियैः सह धर्मात्मा पुराणैर्धर्मचारिभिः। उच्चैश्श्रवसमागम्य कन्यां वव्रे पितुः स्वयम्
Accompanied by righteous Kshatriyas of old who followed dharma, he met Ucchaihshravas and sought the maiden for his father himself.