संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
शंतनुः उवाच आपवः नाम कः नु एषः वसूनां किं च दुष्कृतं यस्य अभिशापात् ते सर्वे मानुषीं तनुं आगताःśaṃtanuḥ uvāca āpavaḥ nāma kaḥ nu eṣaḥ vasūnāṃ kiṃ ca duṣkṛtaṃ yasya abhiśāpāt te sarve mānuṣīṃ tanuṃ āgatāḥShantanu said: who then is this [sage] named Apava, and what wrongdoing of the Vasus, from whose curse they all came into human bodies?
अनेन च कुमारेण गङ्गादत्तेन किं कृतं यस्य च एव कृतेन अयं मानुषेषु निवत्स्यतिanena ca kumāreṇa gaṅgādattena kiṃ kṛtaṃ yasya ca eva kṛtena ayaṃ mānuṣeṣu nivatsyatiand this youth Gangadatta, what has he done, by whose act will he live among men?
ईशानाः सर्वलोकस्य वसवः ते च वै कथं मानुषेषु उदपद्यन्त तत् मम आचक्ष्व जाह्नविīśānāḥ sarvalokasya vasavaḥ te ca vai kathaṃ mānuṣeṣu udapadyanta tat mama ācakṣva jāhnaviand how did those Vasus, lords of the whole world, come to be born among men? Tell me of that, O daughter of Jahnu (Ganga)
शंतनुर्śaṃtanuroriginal form "śaṃtanur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
आपवोāpavooriginal form "āpavo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कोkooriginal form "ko", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
न्व्nvoriginal form "nv", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
एषeṣaoriginal form "eṣa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दुष्कृतम्duṣkṛtamoriginal form "duṣkṛtam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यस्याभिशापात्yasyābhiśāpātoriginal form "yasyābhiśāpāt", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तनुम्tanumoriginal form "tanum", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कृतम्kṛtamoriginal form "kṛtam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कृतेनायंkṛtenāyaṃoriginal form "kṛtenāyaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वसवस्vasavasoriginal form "vasavas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कथम्kathamoriginal form "katham", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मानुषेषूदपद्यन्तmānuṣeṣūdapadyantaoriginal form "mānuṣeṣūdapadyanta", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तन्tanoriginal form "tan", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ममाचक्ष्वmamācakṣvaoriginal form "mamācakṣva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Shantanu, having heard the secret from Ganga, asks about causes: who cursed them, what was the fault of the Vasus, and why Gangadatta himself is destined for a long earthly life. The very shape of his question is telling: the king is not content with the surface but wants to know the causal chain -- which deed brought which fate. Here is the image of a right relationship to destiny: not to grumble at what appears, but to seek meaning, for nothing is accidental -- everything unfolds by the law of karma and by higher providence. The question "how did the lords of the world come to be born among men?" also holds a deep lesson: even exalted beings, the gods called Vasus, are not free from the consequences of their acts; a fall is possible from any height when dharma is broken. Thus the text prepares the tale of the curse -- a story of how even a small transgression draws long consequences after it.