Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/324

290 "The Vasus replied, 'On Earth, unto Pratipa shall be born a son Shantanu who shall be a king of world-wide fame.' Ganga then said, 'Ye celestials, that is exactly my wish which ye sinless ones have expressed! I shall, indeed, do good to that Shantanu. That is also your desire as just expressed! The Vasus then said, 'It behoveth thee to throw thy children, as they are born, into the water, so that, O thou of three courses, (celestial, terrestrial, and subterranean,) we may be rescued soon without having to live on Earth for any length of time.' Ganga then answered, 'I shall do what ye desire. But [sic]inorder that his intercourse with me may not be entirely fruitless, provide ye that one son at least may live!' The Vasus then replied, 'We shall each contribute an eighth part of our respective energies. With the sum thereof thou shalt have one son according to thy and his wishes. But this son shall not begat any children on Earth. Therefore that son of thine, endued with great energy, shall be childless.'

"The Vasus making this arrangement with Ganga, without waiting went away to the place they liked."

Thus ends the ninety-sixth Section in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.

 

( Sambhava Parva continued. )

There was a king of name Pratipa who was kind to all creatures. He spent many years in ascetic penances at the source of the river Ganges. And the accomplished and lovely Ganga one day assuming the form of a beautiful female, rising from the waters, approached the monarch. And the celestial maiden endued with ravishing beauty, approaching the royal sage engaged in ascetic austerities, sat upon his right thigh that was for manly strength a veritable Shal tree. And when the maiden of handsome face had so sat upon his lap, the monarch said unto her, 'O amiable one, what dost thou desire? What shall I do?' The damsel answered, 'I desire thee, O king, for my husband! O thou foremost of the Kurus, be mine! To refuse a woman coming of her own