एवम् उक्तस् तु गाङ्गेयस् तद्युक्तं प्रत्यभाषत ॥
शृण्वतां भूमिपालानां पितुर् अर्थाय भारत ॥
इदं मे मतम् आदत्स्व सत्यं सत्यवतां वर ॥
नैव जातो न वाजात ईदृशं वक्तुम् उत्सहेत् ॥
एवम् एतत् करिष्यामि यथा त्वम् अनुभाषसे ॥
यो ऽस्यां जनिष्यते पुत्रः स नो राजा भविष्यति ॥
इत्य् उक्तः पुनर् एवाथ तं दाशः प्रत्यभाषत ॥
चिकीर्षुर् दुष्करं कर्म राज्यार्थे भरतर्षभ ॥
त्वम् एव नाथः पर्याप्तः शंतनोर् अमितद्युतेः ॥
कन्यायाश् चैव धर्मात्मन् प्रभुर् दानाय चेश्वरः ॥
इदं तु वचनं सौम्य कार्यं चैव निबोध मे ॥
कौमारिकाणां शीलेन वक्ष्याम्य् अहम् अरिंदम ॥
यत् त्वया सत्यवत्यर्थे सत्यधर्मपरायण ॥
राजमध्ये प्रतिज्ञातम् अनुरूपं तवैव तत् ॥
नान्यथा तन् महाबाहो संशयो ऽत्र न कश् चन ॥
तवापत्यं भवेद् यत् तु तत्र नः संशयो महान् ॥
तस्य तन् मतम् आज्ञाय सत्यधर्मपरायणः ॥
प्रत्यजानात् तदा राजन् पितुः प्रियचिकीर्षया ॥
evam uktas tu gāṅgeyas tadyuktaṃ pratyabhāṣata ||
śṛṇvatāṃ bhūmipālānāṃ pitur arthāya bhārata ||
idaṃ me matam ādatsva satyaṃ satyavatāṃ vara ||
naiva jāto na vājāta īdṛśaṃ vaktum utsahet ||
evam etat kariṣyāmi yathā tvam anubhāṣase ||
yo 'syāṃ janiṣyate putraḥ sa no rājā bhaviṣyati ||
ity uktaḥ punar evātha taṃ dāśaḥ pratyabhāṣata ||
cikīrṣur duṣkaraṃ karma rājyārthe bharatarṣabha ||
tvam eva nāthaḥ paryāptaḥ śaṃtanor amitadyuteḥ ||
kanyāyāś caiva dharmātman prabhur dānāya ceśvaraḥ ||
idaṃ tu vacanaṃ saumya kāryaṃ caiva nibodha me ||
kaumārikāṇāṃ śīlena vakṣyāmy aham ariṃdama ||
yat tvayā satyavatyarthe satyadharmaparāyaṇa ||
rājamadhye pratijñātam anurūpaṃ tavaiva tat ||
nānyathā tan mahābāho saṃśayo 'tra na kaś cana ||
tavāpatyaṃ bhaved yat tu tatra naḥ saṃśayo mahān ||
tasya tan matam ājñāya satyadharmaparāyaṇaḥ ||
pratyajānāt tadā rājan pituḥ priyacikīrṣayā ||
Thus questioned, Gangeya replied fittingly, in the hearing of the attending kings, for his father's sake, O Bharata: 'Accept this my firm resolve as truth, O best of the truthful: neither one born nor one yet unborn would dare say such a thing. So I shall do, as you say: the son who is born from her shall become our king.' Thus addressed, the fisherman then answered again, wishing to press him toward a difficult deed for the sake of the kingdom, O bull among the Bharatas: 'You alone are a worthy protector of the house of Shantanu of boundless splendor, O righteous one, and you have both the power and the right to give this maiden to your father. But here is one more word, O noble one, and a matter — hear me; I shall speak according to the custom of fathers of maidens, O tamer of foes. What you have promised for Satyavati's sake, O devoted to truth and dharma, in the midst of kings, befits only you alone. It shall be no other way, O mighty-armed one; in that there is no doubt at all. But as for the offspring that might be born to you — in that we have great doubt.'
5d157f18c501 · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:16:46 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here Devavrata makes his first vow — to renounce the throne in favor of Satyavati's son — but the fisherman, far-sighted, points to a danger that still remains: Devavrata's own children might later dispute the kingdom. The greatness of this first vow stands out: the crown prince, the rightful heir, surpassing all in virtue, voluntarily yields the throne to a stepmother's yet-unborn son — and does so openly, 'in the midst of kings.' Here is the rarest impartiality: to give up power to which one has full right, for the sake of a father's happiness, is a feat which, in the fisherman's words, 'neither one born nor one unborn would dare.' The fisherman's relentless logic stands out as well: he is not concerned with Devavrata but with his own daughter's descendants, and he sees that renunciation alone is not enough — guarantees are needed for generations to come. Here one sees how worldly calculation, concerned with power, pushes the righteous man toward an ever-greater sacrifice. And it is notable that Devavrata accepts the challenge 'wishing to please his father': not self-interest, not pride, but pure love for his father moves him. Thus the text raises us toward the summit — toward the vow that will give him the name Bhishma.