Bhagavata Purana

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.'

अथ कालेन सा नारी प्रसूता बालकं तदा । आनीय जनको बालं रहस्ये धुन्धुलीं ददौ

Then, in due course, the woman gave birth to a boy; the father brought the child and secretly gave him to Dhundhuli.

तया च कथितं भर्त्रे प्रसूतः सुखमर्भकः । लोकस्य सुखमुत्पन्नं आत्मदेव प्रजोदयात्

She told her husband, 'A healthy boy has been born; joy has arisen for all, for Ātmadeva has begotten a son.'

ददौ दानं द्विजातिभ्यो जातकर्म विधाय च । गीतवादित्रघोषोऽभूत् तद्‌द्वारं मंगलं बहु

He gave gifts to the twice-born and performed the birth rites; there was much auspicious singing and music at the doorway.

भर्तुरग्रेऽब्रवीत् वाक्यं स्तन्यं नास्ति कुचे मम । अन्यस्तन्येन निर्दुग्धा कथं पुष्णामि बालकम्

In front of her husband, she said, 'There is no milk in my breast; another has drawn out the milk, so how can I nourish the child?'

मत्स्वसुश्च प्रसूताया मृतो बालस्तु वर्तते । तामाकार्य गृहे रक्ष सा तेऽर्भं पोषयिष्यति

But my co-wife, who has given birth, her child has died; bring her here and keep her in the house—she will nourish your child.

पतिना तत्कृतं सर्वं पुत्ररक्षणहेतवे । पुत्रस्य धुन्धुकारीति नाम मात्रा प्रतिष्ठितन्

All this was done by the husband for the sake of protecting his son; the mother gave the child the name Dhundhukari.

त्रिमासे निर्गते चाथ सा धेनुः सुषुवेऽर्भकम् । सर्वांगसुन्दरं दिव्यं निर्मलं कनकप्रभम्

After three months had passed, that cow gave birth to a calf—beautiful in every limb, divine, spotless, and shining like gold.

दृष्ट्वा प्रसन्नो विप्रस्तु संस्कारान् स्वयमादधे । मत्वा‌ऽऽश्चर्यं जनाः सर्वे दिदृक्षार्थं समागताः

Seeing this, the pleased brahmin himself performed the rites; thinking it a wonder, all the people gathered, desiring to see.

भाग्योदयोऽधुना जात आत्मदेवस्य पश्यत । धेन्वा बालः प्रसूतस्तु देवरूपीति कौतुकम्

Now, behold, good fortune has arisen for Atmadeva: a child has been born from the cow, and, being divine in form, it is a marvel.

न ज्ञातं तद्‍रहस्यं तु केनापि विधियोगतः । गोकर्णं तं सुतं दृष्ट्वा गोकर्णं नाम चाकरोत्

By the arrangement of fate, no one knew that secret; seeing the child with ears like a cow, they named him Gokarna.