वैशंपायन उवाच
सैवम् उक्ता ततो गङ्गा राजानम् इदम् अब्रवीत् ॥
भर्तारं जाह्नवी देवी शंतनुं पुरुषर्षभम् ॥
यं लेभे वरुणः पुत्रं पुरा भरतसत्तम ॥
वसिष्ठो नाम स मुनिः ख्यात आपव इत्य् उत ॥
तस्याश्रमपदं पुण्यं मृगपक्षिगणान्वितम् ॥
मेरोः पार्श्वे नगेन्द्रस्य सर्वर्तुकुसुमावृतम् ॥
स वारुणिस् तपस् तेपे तस्मिन् भरतसत्तम ॥
वने पुण्यकृतां श्रेष्ठः स्वादुमूलफलोदके ॥
दक्षस्य दुहिता या तु सुरभीत्य् अतिगर्विता ॥
गां प्रजाता तु सा देवी कश्यपाद् भरतर्षभ ॥
अनुग्रहार्थं जगतः सर्वकामदुघां वराम् ॥
तां लेभे गां तु धर्मात्मा होमधेनुं स वारुणिः ॥
सा तस्मिंस् तापसारण्ये वसन्ती मुनिसेविते ॥
चचार रम्ये धर्म्ये च गौर् अपेतभया तदा ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
saivam uktā tato gaṅgā rājānam idam abravīt ||
bhartāraṃ jāhnavī devī śaṃtanuṃ puruṣarṣabham ||
yaṃ lebhe varuṇaḥ putraṃ purā bharatasattama ||
vasiṣṭho nāma sa muniḥ khyāta āpava ity uta ||
tasyāśramapadaṃ puṇyaṃ mṛgapakṣigaṇānvitam ||
meroḥ pārśve nagendrasya sarvartukusumāvṛtam ||
sa vāruṇis tapas tepe tasmin bharatasattama ||
vane puṇyakṛtāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ svādumūlaphalodake ||
dakṣasya duhitā yā tu surabhīty atigarvitā ||
gāṃ prajātā tu sā devī kaśyapād bharatarṣabha ||
anugrahārthaṃ jagataḥ sarvakāmadughāṃ varām ||
tāṃ lebhe gāṃ tu dharmātmā homadhenuṃ sa vāruṇiḥ ||
sā tasmiṃs tāpasāraṇye vasantī munisevite ||
cacāra ramye dharmye ca gaur apetabhayā tadā ||
Vaishampayana said: "Thus asked, then Ganga, daughter of Jahnu, the goddess, said this to the king, her husband Shantanu, bull among men: 'The one whom Varuna once obtained as a son, O best of the Bharatas -- the sage named Vasishtha, also renowned as Apava. His hermitage, holy, filled with herds of deer and flocks of birds, was on the slope of Meru, lord of mountains, covered with flowers of every season. That son of Varuna performed austerity there, O best of the Bharatas, in the forest with sweet roots, fruits and waters, [he,] the best of those who do good. The daughter of Daksha who was [called] Surabhi, very proud, that goddess bore a cow to Kashyapa, O bull among the Bharatas -- [a cow] born for the good of the world, granting all desires, excellent; that cow, the milking-cow for sacrifices, the righteous son of Varuna obtained. That cow, dwelling in that ascetic forest frequented by sages, roamed then in that pleasant and holy place, free of fear.'"
2bd268f37703 · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:16:46 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here Ganga begins her tale: of the sage Vasishtha (Apava), son of Varuna, and of the wondrous cow Nandini, daughter of Surabhi and Kashyapa, who grants every desire. It is telling that the cow is born "for the good of the world" and given to the righteous sage as a homadhenu -- a milking-cow for sacrifice. Here is shown the sanctity of the cow and her bond with the yajna: the cow feeds the sacrifice, the sacrifice feeds the gods and the rain, the rain feeds the earth -- so through the cow flows the circle of blessing. This is why the cow is honored as a mother, and stealing her from a brahmana is a grave sin. Vasishtha's hermitage is also telling: a forest by Meru where animals are free of fear and flowers bloom in every season -- the image of a place made holy by a saint's austerity, where even nature is at peace. Herein lies the fruit of tapas: wherever a true ascetic dwells, peace and fearlessness reign. Thus the text sets the scene for the coming transgression, casting into relief the sanctity of that against which it will be committed.