The Birth of Parashurama and Vishvamitra Foretold

Verse 1 (13.91.1)

अवश्यं कथनीयं मे तवैतन्नरपुङ्गव । यदर्थं त्वाहमुच्छेत्तुं सम्प्राप्तो मनुजाधिप ॥

avaśyaṃ kathanīyaṃ me tavaitannarapuṅgava | yadarthaṃ tvāhamucchettuṃ samprāpto manujādhipa

“This must be told to you, O bull among men — the reason I came here intending to uproot you, O lord of men.”

Verse 2 (13.91.2)

भृगूणां क्षत्रिया याज्या नित्यमेतज्जनाधिप । ते च भेदं गमिष्यन्ति दैवयुक्तेन हेतुना ॥

bhṛgūṇāṃ kṣatriyā yājyā nityametajjanādhipa | te ca bhedaṃ gamiṣyanti daivayuktena hetunā

“The kshatriyas are always the patrons of the Bhrigus' rites, O lord of men; but through a turn of fate a rift will come between them.”

Note on the text: Corrected भूगूणां → भृगूणां (misprint in Wikisource; CE reads 'bhṛgūṇāṃ'). Not auto-aligned: CE 13.56.2 ('bhṛgūṇāṃ kṣatriyā yājyā nityam eva janādhipa …') with a variant word in line 1.

Verse 3 (13.91.3)

क्षत्रियाश्च भृगून्सर्वान्वधिष्यन्ति नराधिप । आगर्भादनुकृन्तन्तो दैवदण्डनिपीडिताः ॥

kṣatriyāśca bhṛgūnsarvānvadhiṣyanti narādhipa | āgarbhādanukṛntanto daivadaṇḍanipīḍitāḥ

“The kshatriyas will slay all the Bhrigus, O lord of men, cutting them down even to the unborn child, tormented by the rod of fate.”

Note on the text: Corrected दैतदण्ड → दैवदण्ड (misprint in Wikisource; त for व, CE reads 'daivadaṇḍa').

Verse 4 (13.91.4)

तत उत्पत्स्यतेऽस्माकं कुले गोत्रविवर्धनः । और्वो नाम महातेजा ज्वलितार्कसमद्युतिः ॥

tata utpatsyate'smākaṃ kule gotravivardhanaḥ | aurvo nāma mahātejā jvalitārkasamadyutiḥ

“Then there will be born in our family one who will spread the gotra, Aurva by name, of great energy, bright as a blazing sun.”

Verse 5 (13.91.5)

स त्रैलोक्यविनाशाय कोपाग्निं जनयिष्यति । महीं सपर्वतवनां यः करिष्यति भस्मसात् ॥

sa trailokyavināśāya kopāgniṃ janayiṣyati | mahīṃ saparvatavanāṃ yaḥ kariṣyati bhasmasāt

“He will kindle a fire of wrath for the destruction of the three worlds, he who will reduce the earth, with its mountains and forests, to ashes.”

Verse 6 (13.91.6)

कञ्चित्कालं तु वह्निं च स एव शमयिष्यति । समुद्रे वडवावक्त्रे प्रक्षिप्य मुनिसत्तमः ॥

kañcitkālaṃ tu vahniṃ ca sa eva śamayiṣyati | samudre vaḍavāvaktre prakṣipya munisattamaḥ

“For a time that best of sages will himself quench that fire, casting it into the sea, into the mouth of the mare.”

Verse 7 (13.91.7)

पुत्रं तस्य महाराज ऋचीकं भृगुनन्दनम् । साक्षात्कृत्स्नो धनुर्वेदः समुपस्थास्यतेऽनघ ॥

putraṃ tasya mahārāja ṛcīkaṃ bhṛgunandanam | sākṣātkṛtsno dhanurvedaḥ samupasthāsyate'nagha

“To his son Richika, a descendant of Bhrigu, O great king, the whole science of archery will come in person, O sinless one.”

Verse 8 (13.91.8)

क्षत्रियाणामभावाय दैवयुक्तेन हेतुना । स तु तं प्रतिगृह्यैव पुत्रे संक्रामयिष्यति ॥

kṣatriyāṇāmabhāvāya daivayuktena hetunā | sa tu taṃ pratigṛhyaiva putre saṃkrāmayiṣyati

“For the destruction of the kshatriyas, by a turn of fate, he will receive it and pass it on to his son,”

Note on the text: Corrected दैवयुक्तेनु → दैवयुक्तेन (misprint in Wikisource; stray ु, CE reads 'daivayuktena').

Verse 9 (13.91.9)

जमदग्नौ महाभागे तपसा भावितात्मनि । स चापि भृगुशार्दूलस्तं वेदं धारयिष्यति ॥

jamadagnau mahābhāge tapasā bhāvitātmani | sa cāpi bhṛguśārdūlastaṃ vedaṃ dhārayiṣyati

“to Jamadagni, the fortunate, whose soul is made perfect by austerity; and he too, that tiger among the Bhrigus, will hold that science.”

Verse 10 (13.91.10)

कुलात्तु तव धर्मात्मन्कन्यां सोऽधिगमिष्यति । उद्भावनार्थं भवतो वंशस्य भरतर्षभ ॥

kulāttu tava dharmātmankanyāṃ so'dhigamiṣyati | udbhāvanārthaṃ bhavato vaṃśasya bharatarṣabha

“And from your family he will take a maiden, O righteous one, for the raising up of your line, O best of the Bharatas.”

Verse 11 (13.91.11)

क्षत्रहन्ता भवेद्धिंस्र इति दैवं सनातनम् । नारायणमुपास्यास्य वरात्तं पुत्रमृच्छति ॥

kṣatrahantā bhaveddhiṃsra iti daivaṃ sanātanam | nārāyaṇamupāsyāsya varāttaṃ putramṛcchati

“‘May he be a fierce slayer of the kshatriyas’ — such is the eternal decree of fate. Having worshipped Narayana, by his boon he obtains that son.”

Note on the text: Removed the stray backtick and closing quote mark (।।') printed around this couplet. Not in the critical edition's numbered text: star passage 13,056.010b*0329_01-02, which stands there after 13.56.10a (Wikisource places it after the 10th verse).

Verse 12 (13.91.12)

गाधेर्दुहितरं प्राप्य पौत्रीं तव महातपाः । ब्राह्मणं क्षत्रधर्माणं पुत्रमुत्पादयिष्यति ॥

gādherduhitaraṃ prāpya pautrīṃ tava mahātapāḥ | brāhmaṇaṃ kṣatradharmāṇaṃ putramutpādayiṣyati

“Having obtained Gadhi's daughter, your granddaughter, the greatly ascetic one will beget a son — a brahmin with the nature of a kshatriya.”

Note on the text: Corrected प्राप्यि → प्राप्य (misprint in Wikisource; stray ि, CE reads 'prāpya'). Second line: Wikisource 'पुत्रम्' for CE 'rāmam' (recension variant, kept).

Verse 13 (13.91.13)

क्षत्रियं विप्रधर्माणं बृहस्पतिमिवौजसा । विश्वामित्रं तव कुले गाधेः पुत्रं सुधार्मिकम् । तपसा महता युक्तं प्रदास्यति महाद्युते ॥

kṣatriyaṃ vipradharmāṇaṃ bṛhaspatimivaujasā | viśvāmitraṃ tava kule gādheḥ putraṃ sudhārmikam | tapasā mahatā yuktaṃ pradāsyati mahādyute

“And to your family, O radiant one, he will give a kshatriya with the nature of a brahmin, as brilliant as Brihaspati — Vishvamitra, son of Gadhi, most righteous and endowed with great austerity.”

Verse 14 (13.91.14)

स्त्रियौ तु कारणं तत्र परिवर्ते भविष्यतः । पितामहनियोगाद्वै नान्यथैतद्भविष्यति ॥

striyau tu kāraṇaṃ tatra parivarte bhaviṣyataḥ | pitāmahaniyogādvai nānyathaitadbhaviṣyati

“The two women will be the cause in that exchange; it will come about by the Grandfather's ordinance and not otherwise.”

Verse 15 (13.91.15)

तृतीये पुरुषे तुभ्यं ब्राह्मणत्वमुपैष्यति । भविता त्वं च सम्बन्धी भृगूणां भावितात्मनाम् ॥

tṛtīye puruṣe tubhyaṃ brāhmaṇatvamupaiṣyati | bhavitā tvaṃ ca sambandhī bhṛgūṇāṃ bhāvitātmanām

“In the third generation brahmanhood will come to your line; and you will be a kinsman of the Bhrigus, whose souls are made perfect.”

Verse 16 (13.91.16)

कुशिकस्तु मुनेर्वाक्यं च्यवनस्य महात्मनः । श्रुत्वा हृष्टोऽभवद्राजा वाक्यं चेदमुवाच ह । एवमस्त्विति धर्मात्मा तदा भरतसत्तम ॥

kuśikastu munervākyaṃ cyavanasya mahātmanaḥ | śrutvā hṛṣṭo'bhavadrājā vākyaṃ cedamuvāca ha | evamastviti dharmātmā tadā bharatasattama

Kushika, hearing the words of the great-souled sage Chyavana, was delighted, and the king spoke these words: “So be it” — that righteous king, O best of the Bharatas.

Note on the text: Lines = CE 13.56.15a, 15c, 15e. The words 'एवमस्तु' in the third line are Kushika's, within Bhishma's narration.

Verse 17 (13.91.17)

च्यवनस्तु महातेजाः पुनरेव नराधिपम् । वरार्थं चोदयामास तमुवाच स पार्थिवः ॥

cyavanastu mahātejāḥ punareva narādhipam | varārthaṃ codayāmāsa tamuvāca sa pārthivaḥ

Chyavana of great energy again urged the king to choose a boon, and the king said to him:

Verse 18 (13.91.18)

बाढमेवं ग्रहीष्यामि कामांस्त्वत्तो महामुने । ब्रह्मभूतं कुलं मेऽस्तु धर्मे चास्य मनो भवेत् ॥

bāḍhamevaṃ grahīṣyāmi kāmāṃstvatto mahāmune | brahmabhūtaṃ kulaṃ me'stu dharme cāsya mano bhavet

“Very well, great sage, I shall accept my wishes from you in this way: let my family become brahmin-like, and let its mind be set on dharma.”

Note on the text: Unheaded speech of Kushika filling the whole verse, given to Kushika; the page's heading is Bhishma's narration.

Verse 19 (13.91.19)

एवमुक्तस्तथेत्येवं प्रत्युक्त्वा च्यवनो मुनिः । अभ्यनुज्ञाय नृपतिं तीर्थयात्रां ययौ तदा ॥

evamuktastathetyevaṃ pratyuktvā cyavano muniḥ | abhyanujñāya nṛpatiṃ tīrthayātrāṃ yayau tadā

Told this, the sage Chyavana answered, “So be it,” and, taking leave of the king, set out on a pilgrimage to the holy places.

Verse 20 (13.91.20)

एतत्ते कथितं सर्वमशेषेण मया नृप । भृगूणां कुशिकानां च अभिसम्बन्धकारणम् ॥

etatte kathitaṃ sarvamaśeṣeṇa mayā nṛpa | bhṛgūṇāṃ kuśikānāṃ ca abhisambandhakāraṇam

All this I have told you in full, O king: the reason for the connection between the Bhrigus and the Kushikas.

Verse 21 (13.91.21)

यथोक्तमृषिणा चापि तदा तदभवन्नृप । जन्म रामस्य च मुनेर्विश्वामित्रस्य चैव हि ॥

yathoktamṛṣiṇā cāpi tadā tadabhavannṛpa | janma rāmasya ca munerviśvāmitrasya caiva hi

And just as the sage had said, so it came to pass, O king: the birth of Rama and of the sage Vishvamitra.