संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
महाराज सः कदाचित् जाज्वल्यमानां वपुषा साक्षात् पद्मां श्रियं इव परमस्त्रियं ददर्शmahārāja saḥ kadācit jājvalyamānāṃ vapuṣā sākṣāt padmāṃ śriyaṃ iva paramastriyaṃ dadarśaO great king, he once saw a wondrous woman, blazing with the beauty of her body, like the goddess Shri (Lakshmi) herself, [seated] on a lotus.
सर्वानवद्यां सुदतीं दिव्याभरणभूषितां सूक्ष्माम्बरधरां एकां पद्मोदरसमप्रभांsarvānavadyāṃ sudatīṃ divyābharaṇabhūṣitāṃ sūkṣmāmbaradharāṃ ekāṃ padmodarasamaprabhāṃ[a woman] flawless, of beautiful teeth, adorned with divine ornaments, clad in fine raiment, alone, radiant as the heart of a lotus.
तां दृष्ट्वा नराधिपः हृष्टरोमा रूपसंपदा विस्मितः अभूत् नेत्राभ्यां पिबन्न् इव न अतृप्यतtāṃ dṛṣṭvā narādhipaḥ hṛṣṭaromā rūpasaṃpadā vismitaḥ abhūt netrābhyāṃ pibann iva na atṛpyataHaving seen her, the king, his hair bristling [with delight], astonished by the perfection of her beauty, as though drinking her in with his eyes, could not be satisfied.
सा च महाद्युतिं राजानं विचरन्तं दृष्ट्वा एव स्नेहात् आगतसौहार्दा विलासिनी न अतृप्यतsā ca mahādyutiṃ rājānaṃ vicarantaṃ dṛṣṭvā eva snehāt āgatasauhārdā vilāsinī na atṛpyataAnd she too, having just seen the resplendent king wandering there, filled with tenderness born of love, the lovely one, likewise could not be satisfied [with looking].
ततः राजा श्लक्ष्णया गिरा सान्त्वयन् तां उवाच त्वं देवी वा दानवी वा गन्धर्वी यदि वा अप्सराःtataḥ rājā ślakṣṇayā girā sāntvayan tāṃ uvāca tvaṃ devī vā dānavī vā gandharvī yadi vā apsarāḥThen the king, soothing her with a gentle voice, said to her: 'Are you a goddess, or a danavi, a gandharvi, or an apsara?'
सुमध्यमे यक्षी वा पन्नगी वा अपि मानुषी वा सुरगर्भाभे या वा त्वं शोभने मे भार्या भवsumadhyame yakṣī vā pannagī vā api mānuṣī vā suragarbhābhe yā vā tvaṃ śobhane me bhāryā bhava'O slender-waisted one, a yakshi, or a serpent-woman, or perhaps a human woman, or one like a child conceived by the gods -- whoever you may be, O beautiful one, become my wife.'
अनिन्दिता राज्ञः एतत् सस्मितं मृदु वल्गु च वचः श्रुत्वा वसूनां समयं स्मृत्वा अभ्यगच्छत्aninditā rājñaḥ etat sasmitaṃ mṛdu valgu ca vacaḥ śrutvā vasūnāṃ samayaṃ smṛtvā abhyagacchatThe flawless maiden, having heard this smiling, gentle, and charming speech of the king, and remembering her pact with the Vasus, approached him.
[सा] राज्ञः मनः ह्लादयन्ती गिरा उवाच च[sā] rājñaḥ manaḥ hlādayantī girā uvāca caAnd she, delighting the king's mind, spoke these words:
राजन् अहं यत् शुभं वा अशुभं वा कुर्यां तत् न वारयितव्या अस्मि तथा अप्रियं न वक्तव्याrājan ahaṃ yat śubhaṃ vā aśubhaṃ vā kuryāṃ tat na vārayitavyā asmi tathā apriyaṃ na vaktavyā'O king, whatever I do -- good or bad -- I must not be restrained, and nothing displeasing must be said to me.'
एवं वर्तमाने पार्थिव अहं त्वयि वत्स्यामि वारिता विप्रियं उक्ता च असंशयं त्वां त्यजेयंevaṃ vartamāne pārthiva ahaṃ tvayi vatsyāmi vāritā vipriyaṃ uktā ca asaṃśayaṃ tvāṃ tyajeyaṃ'Only on this condition, O king, will I dwell with you; if I am restrained, or spoken to unpleasantly, I shall without doubt leave you.'
भरतसत्तम तथा इति राज्ञा सा उक्ता तदा तं पार्थिवोत्तमं प्राप्य अतुलं प्रहर्षं लेभेbharatasattama tathā iti rājñā sā uktā tadā taṃ pārthivottamaṃ prāpya atulaṃ praharṣaṃ lebheO noblest of the Bharatas, [with the words] 'so be it' she was honored by the king; having won that finest of kings, she obtained incomparable joy.
वशी शंतनुः तां आसाद्य कामतः बुभुजे न प्रष्टव्या इति मन्वानः सः तां किंचित् न ऊचिवान्vaśī śaṃtanuḥ tāṃ āsādya kāmataḥ bubhuje na praṣṭavyā iti manvānaḥ saḥ tāṃ kiṃcit na ūcivānThe self-controlled Shantanu, having taken her, delighted with her at will; thinking 'she must not be questioned,' he said nothing at all to her.
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कदाkadāoriginal form "kadā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चिन्cinoriginal form "cin", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
परमस्त्रियम्paramastriyamoriginal form "paramastriyam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पद्माम्padmāmoriginal form "padmām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
श्रियम्śriyamoriginal form "śriyam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दिव्याभरणभूषिताम्divyābharaṇabhūṣitāmoriginal form "divyābharaṇabhūṣitām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सूक्ष्माम्बरधराम्sūkṣmāmbaradharāmoriginal form "sūkṣmāmbaradharām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पद्मोदरसमप्रभाम्padmodarasamaprabhāmoriginal form "padmodarasamaprabhām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
हृष्टरोमाभूद्hṛṣṭaromābhūdoriginal form "hṛṣṭaromābhūd", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विस्मितोvismitooriginal form "vismito", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नातृप्यतnātṛpyataoriginal form "nātṛpyata", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दृष्ट्वैवdṛṣṭvaivaoriginal form "dṛṣṭvaiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महाद्युतिम्mahādyutimoriginal form "mahādyutim", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्नेहाद्snehādoriginal form "snehād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नातृप्यतnātṛpyataoriginal form "nātṛpyata", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ताम्tāmoriginal form "tām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततोtatooriginal form "tato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सान्त्वयञ्sāntvayañoriginal form "sāntvayañ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वाप्सराःvāpsarāḥoriginal form "vāpsarāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वापिvāpioriginal form "vāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एतच्etacoriginal form "etac", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
छ्रुत्वाchrutvāoriginal form "chrutvā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वचोvacooriginal form "vaco", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अभ्यगच्छद्abhyagacchadoriginal form "abhyagacchad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मनोmanooriginal form "mano", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
भविष्यामिbhaviṣyāmioriginal form "bhaviṣyāmi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महीपालmahīpālaoriginal form "mahīpāla", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महिषीmahiṣīoriginal form "mahiṣī", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तेteoriginal form "te", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वशानुगाvaśānugāoriginal form "vaśānugā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तुtuoriginal form "tu", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कुर्याम्kuryāmoriginal form "kuryām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
राजञ्rājañoriginal form "rājañ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यदिyadioriginal form "yadi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वाशुभम्vāśubhamoriginal form "vāśubham", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तद्tadoriginal form "tad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वारयितव्यास्मिvārayitavyāsmioriginal form "vārayitavyāsmi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथाप्रियम्tathāpriyamoriginal form "tathāpriyam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
हिhioriginal form "hi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽहं'haṃoriginal form "'haṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चोक्ताcoktāoriginal form "coktā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्वाम्tvāmoriginal form "tvām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
असंशयम्asaṃśayamoriginal form "asaṃśayam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथेतिtathetioriginal form "tatheti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तूक्ताtūktāoriginal form "tūktā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रहर्षम्praharṣamoriginal form "praharṣam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पार्थिवोत्तमम्pārthivottamamoriginal form "pārthivottamam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शंतनुस्śaṃtanusoriginal form "śaṃtanus", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कामतोkāmatooriginal form "kāmato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रष्टव्येतिpraṣṭavyetioriginal form "praṣṭavyeti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मन्वानोmanvānooriginal form "manvāno", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
किंkiṃoriginal form "kiṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चिद्cidoriginal form "cid", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Shantanu meets the Ganga, and, following his father's instruction, accepts her condition. Notably, Shantanu, unlike Mahabhisha, who fell through a glance, is now self-controlled (vashi): captivated by her beauty, he nonetheless masters himself and respectfully courts the maiden as a wife, rather than being drawn into mere lust. Here is a transformation: what caused his fall as Mahabhisha is now purified; desire is brought within the bounds of marriage and dharma. Notable too is the Ganga's condition: do not restrain me, and do not reproach me, whatever I do. In this lies a deep and bitter lesson: love demands complete trust -- accepting the beloved without questioning or judging. This is both exalted, for trust is the foundation of love, and perilous, for the Ganga will go on to drown her sons, and Shantanu will have to remain silent. Thus the scripture raises the question of the limits of trust and duty: how long can one who loves stay silent before what appears to be the beloved's wrongdoing? The answer in the chapters to come is bitter: Shantanu will endure it seven times, but on the eighth he will not be able to bear it, and the truth will come to light. Thus this condition is the seed of both the coming drama and the birth of Bhishma.