वैशंपायन उवाच
ततः सत्यवती भीष्मं वाचा संसज्जमानया ॥
विहसन्तीव सव्रीडम् इदं वचनम् अब्रवीत् ॥
सत्यम् एतन् महाबाहो यथा वदसि भारत ॥
विश्वासात् ते प्रवक्ष्यामि संतानाय कुलस्य च ॥
न ते शक्यम् अनाख्यातुम् आपद् धीयं तथाविधा ॥
त्वम् एव नः कुले धर्मस् त्वं सत्यं त्वं परा गतिः ॥
तस्मान् निशम्य वाक्यं मे कुरुष्व यद् अनन्तरम् ॥
धर्मयुक्तस्य धर्मात्मन् पितुर् आसीत् तरी मम ॥
सा कदा चिद् अहं तत्र गता प्रथमयौवने ॥
अथ धर्मभृतां श्रेष्ठः परमर्षिः पराशरः ॥
आजगाम तरीं धीमांस् तरिष्यन् यमुनां नदीम् ॥
स तार्यमाणो यमुनां माम् उपेत्याब्रवीत् तदा ॥
सान्त्वपूर्वं मुनिश्रेष्ठः कामार्तो मधुरं बहु ॥
तम् अहं शापभीता च पितुर् भीता च भारत ॥
वरैर् असुलभैर् उक्ता न प्रत्याख्यातुम् उत्सहे ॥
अभिभूय स मां बालां तेजसा वशम् आनयत् ॥
तमसा लोकम् आवृत्य नौगताम् एव भारत ॥
मत्स्यगन्धो महान् आसीत् पुरा मम जुगुप्सितः ॥
तम् अपास्य शुभं गन्धम् इमं प्रादात् स मे मुनिः ॥
ततो माम् आह स मुनिर् गर्भम् उत्सृज्य मामकम् ॥
द्वीपे ऽस्या एव सरितः कन्यैव त्वं भविष्यसि ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tataḥ satyavatī bhīṣmaṃ vācā saṃsajjamānayā ||
vihasantīva savrīḍam idaṃ vacanam abravīt ||
satyam etan mahābāho yathā vadasi bhārata ||
viśvāsāt te pravakṣyāmi saṃtānāya kulasya ca ||
na te śakyam anākhyātum āpad dhīyaṃ tathāvidhā ||
tvam eva naḥ kule dharmas tvaṃ satyaṃ tvaṃ parā gatiḥ ||
tasmān niśamya vākyaṃ me kuruṣva yad anantaram ||
dharmayuktasya dharmātman pitur āsīt tarī mama ||
sā kadā cid ahaṃ tatra gatā prathamayauvane ||
atha dharmabhṛtāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ paramarṣiḥ parāśaraḥ ||
ājagāma tarīṃ dhīmāṃs tariṣyan yamunāṃ nadīm ||
sa tāryamāṇo yamunāṃ mām upetyābravīt tadā ||
sāntvapūrvaṃ muniśreṣṭhaḥ kāmārto madhuraṃ bahu ||
tam ahaṃ śāpabhītā ca pitur bhītā ca bhārata ||
varair asulabhair uktā na pratyākhyātum utsahe ||
abhibhūya sa māṃ bālāṃ tejasā vaśam ānayat ||
tamasā lokam āvṛtya naugatām eva bhārata ||
matsyagandho mahān āsīt purā mama jugupsitaḥ ||
tam apāsya śubhaṃ gandham imaṃ prādāt sa me muniḥ ||
tato mām āha sa munir garbham utsṛjya māmakam ||
dvīpe 'syā eva saritaḥ kanyaiva tvaṃ bhaviṣyasi ||
Vaishampayana said: "Then Satyavati, with a faltering voice, as if smiling bashfully, said this word to Bhishma: 'True is this, O mighty-armed one, as you say, O Bharata; out of trust in you I shall tell [a secret] for the sake of continuing the lineage; I cannot but reveal [it] to you, for this misfortune is such. You alone are dharma itself in our line, you are truth, you are the highest refuge; therefore, having heard my word, do what must follow. My father, O righteous one, devoted to dharma, had a boat; once I, in my early youth, went there. And then the best of the upholders of dharma, the supreme sage Parashara, wise, came to the boat, wishing to cross the river Yamuna. He, being ferried across the Yamuna, approaching me, said then — the best of sages, tormented by desire — many sweet things, prefaced with soft words. Him I, fearing a curse and fearing my father, O Bharata, and enticed by hard-to-obtain boons, did not dare to refuse. Overpowering me, a young girl, by his power, he brought me under his sway, having covered the world around with darkness, me who was on the boat, O Bharata. Before, I had a strong fishy smell, a repulsive one; having removed it, that sage bestowed on me this fair fragrance. Then that sage said to me: "Having borne my child on an island of this very river, you will become a maiden again."'"
e9ad71d18dc4 · प्रकाशित 12 जुल॰ 2026, 4:16:47 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Here Satyavati reveals her secret — the birth of a son from the sage Parashara before marriage. Telling is her trust in Bhishma: "you are dharma, truth, the refuge of our line"; before one so pure she does not conceal her past, for she knows he will judge by dharma, not condemn. Here it becomes clear that before a true righteous man even a hidden thing may be disclosed: the saint does not gloat over another's weakness but turns everything to good. Telling too are the sage's gifts: the removal of a foul smell and the restoration of maidenhood. Here is the power of the ascetic and his mercy toward her: contact with a saint purifies; what was repulsive (the fishy smell — an image of her low birth) is transformed into fragrance. And telling is the very providential design at work: this secret meeting by the river gave birth to Vyasa — the one who would divide the Vedas and compose the Mahabharata itself, and who would now be needed to save the lineage. Here it becomes clear that events which seemed accidental or even shameful turn out, by higher design, to be links in a great plan: the birth of the greatest of sages had been prepared long before the need for him arose. Thus scripture reveals the far-sightedness of providence, weaving destinies toward the salvation of dharma.