Bhagavata Purana

ब्राह्मण उवाच - किं ब्रवीमि ऋषे दुःखं पूर्वपापेन संचितम् । मदीयाः पूर्वजास्तोयं कवोष्णं उपभुञ्जते

The brāhmaṇa said: What can I say, O sage, of the sorrow accumulated by past sin? My ancestors drink hot water instead of cool.

मद्दत्तं नैव गृह्णन्ति प्रीत्या देवा द्विजातयः । प्रजादुःखेन शून्योऽहं प्राणान् त्यक्तुं इहागतः

The gods and twice-born do not accept my offerings with pleasure; emptied by the sorrow of having no children, I have come here to give up my life.

धिक् जीवितं प्रजाहीनं धिक् गृहं च प्रजां विना । धिक् धनं चानपत्यस्य धिक्कुलं संततिं विना

Fie on a life without children, fie on a home without offspring; fie on the wealth of one without a son, fie on a lineage without continuity.

पाल्यते या मया धेनुः सा वन्ध्या सर्वथा भवेत् । यो मया रोपितो वृक्षः सोऽपि वन्ध्यत्वमाश्रयेत्

The cow I tend becomes barren in every way; the tree I have planted also becomes fruitless.

यत्फलं मद्‌गृहायातं तच्च शीघ्रं विनश्यति । निर्भाग्यस्यानपत्यस्य किमतो जीवितेन मे

Any fruit that comes to my house quickly perishes; what use is life to me, unfortunate and without a child?

इत्युक्त्वा स रुरोदोच्चैः तत्पार्श्वं दुःखपीडितः । तदा तस्य यतेश्चित्ते करुणाभूत् गरीयसी

Having spoken thus, he wept loudly, afflicted by sorrow at the renunciant's side; then, great compassion arose in the heart of that ascetic.

तद्‌भालाक्षरमालां च वाचमायास योगवान् । सर्वं ज्ञात्वा यतिः पश्चात् विप्रं ऊचे सविस्तरम्

Then, knowing all through his yogic power and the garland of letters on his forehead, the ascetic spoke in detail to the brāhmaṇa.

यतिरुवाच - मुञ्च अज्ञानं प्रजारूपं बलिष्ठा कर्मणो गतिः । विवेकं तु समासाद्य त्यज संसारवासनाम्

The renunciant said: Give up ignorance in the form of longing for children; the course of karma is powerful. Attain discernment and abandon desire for worldly existence.

श्रुणु विप्र मया तेऽद्य प्रारब्धं तु विलोकितम् । सप्तजन्मावधि तव पुत्रो नैव च नैव च

Hear, brāhmaṇa, today I have seen your destiny: for seven lifetimes, you will not have a son, not at all.

संततेः सगरो दुःखं अवाप अङ्‌गः पुरा तथा । रे मुञ्चाद्य कुटुम्बाशां संन्यासे सर्वथा सुखम्

In the past, Sagara suffered for the sake of offspring; so now, give up hope for family—there is happiness in renunciation in every way.

ब्राह्मण उवाच - विवेकेन भवेत्किं मे पुत्रं देहि बलादपि । नो चेत् त्यजाम्यहं प्राणान् त्वदग्रे शोकमूर्छितः

The brāhmaṇa said: Of what use is discernment to me? Give me a son, even by force; otherwise, I will give up my life before you, overwhelmed by grief.

पुत्रादिसुखहीनोऽयं संन्यासः शुष्क एव हि । गृहस्थः सरसो लोके पुत्रपौत्रसमन्वितः

Renunciation without the happiness of children and the like is truly dry; the householder, surrounded by sons and grandsons, is lively in the world.

इति विप्राग्रहं दृष्ट्वा प्राब्रवीत् स तपोधनः । चित्रकेतुर्गतः कष्टं विधिलेखविमार्जनात्

Seeing the brāhmaṇa's insistence, that ascetic, rich in austerity, spoke: Citraketu suffered hardship by erasing the lines of fate.

न यास्यसि सुखं पुत्रात् यथा दैवहतोद्यमः । अतो हठेन युक्तोऽसि ह्यर्थिनं किं वदाम्यहम्

You will not find happiness from a son, as effort opposed by fate fails; since you are obstinate, what can I say to one so intent on his desire?

तस्याग्रहं समालोक्य फलमेकं स दत्तवान् । इदं भक्षय पत्‍न्या त्वं ततः पुत्रो भविष्यति

Seeing her reluctance, he gave her a single fruit and said, 'Eat this, together with your wife; then you will have a son.'

सत्यं शौचं दया दानं एकभक्तं तु भोजनम् । वर्षावधि स्त्रिया कार्यं तेन पुत्रोऽतिनिर्मलः

Truthfulness, purity, compassion, charity, and eating only once a day—these should be observed by the woman for one year; by this, the son will be exceedingly pure.

एवमुक्त्वा ययौ योगी विप्रस्तु गृहमागतः । पत्‍न्याः पाणौ फलं दत्त्वा स्वयं यातस्तु कुत्रचित्

Having spoken thus, the yogi departed, and the brahmin returned home; he placed the fruit in his wife's hand and then went somewhere himself.

तरुणी कुटिला तस्य सख्यग्रे च रुरोद ह । अहो चिन्ता ममोत्पन्ना फलं चाहं न भक्ष्यये

The young woman, crooked in mind, wept before her friends, saying, 'Oh, I am troubled with anxiety; I will not eat this fruit.'

फलभक्षेण गर्भः स्याद् गर्भेण उदरवृद्धिता । स्वल्पभक्षं ततोऽशक्तिः गृहकार्यं कथं भवेत्

'By eating the fruit, I will conceive; with pregnancy, my belly will grow; eating little, I will lack strength—how then will I manage the household duties?'

दैवाद् धाटी व्रजेद्‌ग्रामे पलायेद्‌गर्भिणी कथम् । शुकवत् निवसेत् गर्भः तं कुक्षेः कथमुत्सृजेत्

'By fate, if a tax collector comes to the village, how will a pregnant woman escape? If the fetus remains like a parrot, how will I cast it out from my womb?'

तिर्यक् चेदागतो गर्भः तदा मे मरणं भवेत् । प्रसूतौ दारुणं दुःखं सुकुमारी कथं सहे

'If the fetus comes out sideways, I will die; childbirth brings terrible pain—how can I, so delicate, endure it?'

मन्दायां मयि सर्वस्वं ननान्दा संहरेत् तदा । सत्यशौचादिनियमो दुराराध्यः स दृश्यते

'If I am slow, my co-wife will seize everything; the vow of truth, purity, and the like appears very hard to observe.'

लालने पालने दुःखं प्रसूतायाश्च वर्तते । वन्ध्या वा विधवा नारी सुखिनी चेति मे मतिः

'There is suffering in raising and caring for a child, and also for a woman in labor; in my mind, a barren or widowed woman is happy.'

एवं कुतर्कयोगेन तत्फलं नैव भक्षितम् । पत्या पृष्टं फलं भुक्तं भुक्तं चेति तयेरितम्

Thus, by such faulty reasoning, she did not eat the fruit; when her husband asked, she said, 'I have eaten it, I have eaten it.'

एकदा भगिनी तस्याः तद्‌गृहः स्वेच्छयाऽऽगता । तदग्रे कथितं सर्वं चिन्तेयं महती हि मे

Once, her younger sister came to her house of her own accord; in her presence, she told everything, saying, 'I am greatly troubled.'

दुर्बला तेन दुःखेन ह्यनुजे करवाणि किम् । साब्रवीत् मम गर्भोस्ति तं दास्यामि प्रसूतितः

'I am weak from this distress—what shall I do, sister?' She replied, 'I am pregnant; I will give you the child after birth.'

तावत्कालं सगर्भेव गुप्ता तिष्ठ गृहे सुखम् । वित्तं त्वं मत्पतेर्यच्छ स ते दास्यति बालकम्

'Meanwhile, stay at home, pretending to be pregnant, and live happily; give my husband some wealth, and he will give you the boy.'

षण्मासिको मृतो बाल इति लोको वदिष्यति । तं बालं पोषयिष्यामि नित्यमागत्य ते गृहे

'People will say the child died at six months; I will raise the boy, coming daily to your house.'

फलमर्पय धेन्वै त्वं परीक्षार्थं तु साम्प्रतम् । तत् तद् आचरितं सर्वं तथैव स्त्रीस्वभावतः

'Now, for the sake of testing, offer the fruit to the cow; all this was done just so, as is the nature of women.'