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शंतनुः उवाच श्रुत्वा तव वरं दाश व्यवस्येयं अहं न वा दातव्यं चेत् प्रदास्यामि न तु अदेयं कथंचनśaṃtanuḥ uvāca śrutvā tava varaṃ dāśa vyavasyeyaṃ ahaṃ na vā dātavyaṃ cet pradāsyāmi na tu adeyaṃ kathaṃcanaShantanu said: 'Having heard your condition, O fisherman, I will decide whether to accept it or not; if it is permissible to fulfill, I will fulfill it, but what is impermissible — never.'
दाश उवाच अस्यां जायेत यः पुत्रः सः राजा पृथिवीपतिः त्वत् ऊर्ध्वं अभिषेक्तव्यः न अन्यः कश्चन पार्थिवdāśa uvāca asyāṃ jāyeta yaḥ putraḥ saḥ rājā pṛthivīpatiḥ tvat ūrdhvaṃ abhiṣektavyaḥ na anyaḥ kaścana pārthivathe fisherman said: 'The son who is born of her must, after you, be anointed king, lord of the earth, and none other, O king.'
वैशंपायनः उवाच न अकामयत तं दातुं वरं दाशाय शंतनुः शरीरजेन तीव्रेण दह्यमानः अपि भारतvaiśaṃpāyanaḥ uvāca na akāmayata taṃ dātuṃ varaṃ dāśāya śaṃtanuḥ śarīrajena tīvreṇa dahyamānaḥ api bhārataVaishampayana said: Shantanu did not wish to grant the fisherman that condition, though he was consumed by fierce desire born of the body, O Bharata
सः चिन्तयन् एव तदा दाशकन्यां महीपतिः प्रत्ययात् हास्तिनपुरं शोकोपहतचेतनःsaḥ cintayan eva tadā dāśakanyāṃ mahīpatiḥ pratyayāt hāstinapuraṃ śokopahatacetanaḥstill thinking of the fisherman's daughter, the lord of the earth returned to Hastinapura, his mind stricken with grief
शंतनुर्śaṃtanuroriginal form "śaṃtanur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
व्यवस्येयम्vyavasyeyamoriginal form "vyavasyeyam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्व्tvoriginal form "tv", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कथंkathaṃoriginal form "kathaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चनcanaoriginal form "cana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वद्tvadoriginal form "tvad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऊर्ध्वम्ūrdhvamoriginal form "ūrdhvam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अभिषेक्तव्योabhiṣektavyooriginal form "abhiṣektavyo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नान्यःnānyaḥoriginal form "nānyaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कश्kaśoriginal form "kaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चनcanaoriginal form "cana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वैशंपायनvaiśaṃpāyanaoriginal form "vaiśaṃpāyana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नाकामयतnākāmayataoriginal form "nākāmayata", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दह्यमानोdahyamānooriginal form "dahyamāno", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽपि'pioriginal form "'pi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चिन्तयन्न्cintayannoriginal form "cintayann", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रत्ययाद्pratyayādoriginal form "pratyayād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
धास्तिनपुरंdhāstinapuraṃoriginal form "dhāstinapuraṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Shantanu's greatness is revealed in his refusal. Telling is the fisherman's condition — to give the kingdom to Satyavati's son, passing over Devavrata, the rightful heir. And telling is Shantanu's answer: "what is impermissible — never." Here is the triumph of dharma over kama: the king, consumed by burning desire, still will not consent to disinherit his worthy son; duty toward his firstborn proves dearer than passion. This is the very measure of the righteous: to give up what is desired when its fulfillment demands wrongdoing. His grief, too, is telling: he does not suppress his desire with feigned indifference but honestly suffers — and yet does not yield. Herein lies the truth of the struggle: virtue lies not in the absence of desire but in not letting desire carry one beyond dharma. Shantanu bears his suffering in silence, without sacrificing justice toward his son for its sake. Thus scripture shows a father's nobility preparing an even greater nobility in his son: Devavrata's sacrifice will be the answer to this self-denial of Shantanu's.