Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Volume 1).pdf/155

Rh ranks, known by the name of Adrika, transformed by a Brahmana's curse into a fish. Adrika, transformed into a fish, as soon as Vasu's seed fell into the water from the claws of the hawk, rapidly approached and swallowed it at once. That fish was, sometime after, caught by the fishermen. And it was the tenth month of the fish's having swallowed the seed. From the stomach of that fish came out a male and female child of human form. The fishermen wondered much, and wending unto king Uprarichara (for they were his subjects) told him all. They said.-'O king, these two beings of human shape have been born in the body of fish!' The male child amongst the two was taken by Uparichara. That child afterwards became the virtuous and truthful monarch Matsya.'"

"After the birth of the twins, the Apsara herself became freed from her curse. For she had been told before by the illustrious one (who had cursed her that she would, while living in her piscatorial form, give birth to two children of human shape and then would be freed from the curse. Then, according to these words, having given birth to the two children, and been slain by the fishermen, she left her fish-form and assumed her own celestial shape. The Apsara then rose up on the path trodden by the Siddhas, the Rishis and the Charanas,

"The fish-smelling daughter of the Apsara in her piscatorial form was then given by the king unto the fisherman, saying,-'Let this one be thy daughter. That girl was known by the name of Satyavati. And gifted with great beauty and possessed of every virtue, she of agreeable smiles, owing to contact with fishermen, was for some time of the fishy smell. Wishing to serve her (foster) father she plied a boat on the waters of the Yamuna."

"While engaged in this vocation, Satyavati was seen one day by the great Rishi Parasara, in course of his wanderings. Gifted with great beauty, an object of desire even with an anchorite, and of graceful smiles, the wise sage, as soon as he beheld her, desired to have her. And that bull amongst Munis addressed the daughter of Vasu of celestial beauty and tapering thighs, saying, 'Accept my embraces, o blessed one!' Satyavati replied,-'O holy one, bebold the Rishis standing on either bank of the river. Seen by them, how can I grant thy wish?""

"Thus addessed by her, the illustrious lord thereupon created a fog (which existed not before and) which enveloped the whole region in darkness. And the maiden, bebolding the fog that was created by the great Rishi wondered much, And the helpless one became suffused with the blushes of bashfulness. And she said.. O holy one know, that I am a maiden under the control of my father! O sinless one, by