Parva 3 Chapter 104: haṁsaḍimbhakotpattiḥ - birth of hamsa and ḍimbhaka

vaiśampāyana said: O the indra of kings! (O janamejaya!) In the land of śālva, there was the best among kings named brahmadatta. O king! He was having a pure soul, having kindness towards all beings. paṣchayajṣaparo nityaṁ jitātmā vijitendriyaḥ | brahmavidvedavichcaiva sadā yajṣamayaḥ śivaḥ ||3-104-2 He was proficient in doing all the five sacrifices (see translator's note) as prescribed. He always controlled his senses with his soul. He was knowledgeable on brahma as well as vedas. He was auspicious with sacrifices. tasya bhārye mahīpāla rūpaudāryaguṇānvite | babhūvatuḥ susaṁpanne anapatye nṛpottama ||3-104-3 sa tābhyāṁ mumude rājā śachyā cakra ivāmbare | O king of the earth! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued ) He had two beautiful wives with qualities of kindness. They were enriched with wealth but had no children, O the best among kings! The king (brahmadatta) enjoyed with his wives as śakra (indra) enjoyed with shachi in the heaven. nāmnā mitrasaho nāma sakhā cāsīdddvijottamaḥ ||3-104-4 tasya rājṣo mahāyogī vedavedāntatatparaḥ | The king (brahmadatta) had a friend named mitrasaha, the best among the twice-borns, a great one yoked with yoga), one who was expert in vedas as well as the purpose of vedas. anapatyaḥ sa viprendro yathā rājā babhūva ha ||3-104-5 Just like the king, the indra of the twice-borns (mitrasaha) also was without any children. sa rājā sahitastābhyāmarchayāmāsa śaṅkaram | putrārthaṁ śūlinaṁ śarvaṁ daśavarṣāṇyananyadhīḥ ||3-104-6 The king along with his wives worshipped śaṅkara, the auspicious lord who provides prosperity, sharva, the lord who holds the spear, for obtaining sons, for ten years, with his intellect not on any other matter. sa vipro vaiṣṇavaṁ satraṁ putrārthe samayojayat | As for the brahmin (mitrasaha), he conducted a sacrifice for viṣṇu for obtaining sons. architastena rājendra śaṅkaro nīlalohitaḥ ||3-104-7 ātmānaṁ darśayamāsā svapne rājānamabravīt | The auspicious lord śaṅkara, who provides prosperity, the dark blue and red coloured lord worshipped by the indra of kings (brahmadatta) showed himself in the dream and told the king as follows: prīto'smi tava bhadraṁ te varaṁ varaya suvrata ||3-104-8 I am pleased with you. Let there be good to you. O the one who performed a good penance! Accept a boon from me. atha rājā jagannāthamuvācedaṁ smayanniva | putrau mama bhavetāṁ hi tathetyuktvā vṛṣadhvajaḥ ||3-104-9 The king smiled and told the lord of the universe as follows: I shall have two sons. Then the lord having bull as his flag (shiva) said: Let it be so. antardhānaṁ gataḥ śambhuḥ pratibuddhastato nṛpaḥ | Then shambhu (shiva) disappeared and the king woke up (from the dream). so'pi mitrasaho vidvāndevaṁ keshavamavyayam ||3-104-10 paṣchavarṣaṁ jagannāthamarchayāmāsa bhaktitaḥ | The wise one, mitrasaha worshipped the lord, the lord of the universe, the eternal keshava (kṛṣṇa) with devotion for five years. architastena vipreṇa devadevo janārdanaḥ ||3-104-11 putramekaṁ dadau tasmai svātmanā sadṛśaṁ hariḥ | The lord of gods, janārdana (viṣṇu), hari, worshipped by the brahmin (mitrasaha) gave a son, similar to himself, to him (mitrasaha). te bhārye garbhamādhattāṁ tejasā śaṅkarasya ha ||3-104-12 The wives of the king conceived pregnancies with the splendor of the auspicious lord śaṅkara, who provides prosperity. viprabhāryā mahārāja vaiṣṇavaṁ teja Adadhat | O the great king! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) The wife of the brahmin conceived due to the splendor of viṣṇu. mahiṣyau te mahāvīrye putrau śaṅkaranirmitau ||3-104-13 asūyetāṁ mahīpāla krameṇaiva nṛpasya ha | O the protector of the earth! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Both queens of the king delivered in order, highly valiant sons with the splendor of lord śaṅkara, the auspicious lord who provides prosperity. sa tayoshcha mahārāja nāmakarmādikāḥ kriyāḥ ||3-104-14 cakāra vidhivatsarvā viprebhyo'dānmahaddhanam | O the great king! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) The rituals of both the children such as naming ceremony, etc., were done as prescribed and all the brahmins were given great wealth. sa ca vipro vinītātmā putramekaṁ hi labdhavān ||3-104-15 sākṣādiva jagannāthaṁ sthitaṁ putrātmanā nṛpa | O king (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) The brahmin (mitrasaha) with humble soul also got one son as if the lord of the world, viṣṇu , himself was appearing with the soul of son. jātakarmādikaṁ sarvaṁ brāhmaṇaḥ sa cakāra ha ||3-104-16 All the rituals of the birth were performed by the brahmin. tau kumārāvayaṁ caiva trayaḥ savayaso'bhavan | vedānadhītya te sarvāṣchrutvā cānvīkṣikīṁ tathā ||3-104-17 Both the sons of the king and this son of the Brahmin - all three were of the same age. All of them studied the veda-s and understood anvīkṣiki (logic, enquiry, philosophy) by listening. dhanurvede tathāstre ca nipuṇāste'bhavaṁstadā | haṁso jyeṣṭho nṛpasuto ḍimbhako'nantaro'bhavat ||3-104-18 Afterwards they learned the technique of using bow and arrow and became experts in it. haṁsa was the elder son of the king and ḍimbhaka was the younger son. sa ca viprasuto rājaṣjanārdana iti smṛtaḥ | anyonyaṁ mitratāṁ yātāḥ sarve caiva kumārakāḥ ||3-104-19 O king! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) The son of the brahmin was called janārdana. All the (three) boys became friends to each other. iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi haṁsaḍimbhakotpattau caturadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ This is one hundred and fourth chapter of bhaviṣyaparva, harivaṁśa, mahābhārata, birth of hamsa and ḍimbhaka Translator's Note: One who is in the stage of householder in his life (gṛhasthāśrami) is supposed to conduct five essential sacrifices (paṣchamahāyajṣa): devayajṣa, brahmayajṣa, pitṛyajṣa, manuṣyayajṣa and bhūtayajṣa. See for example, bṛhadāraṇyaka upaniṣad, adhyāya 1, brāhmaṇa 4, mantra 16. nīlakaṇṭha commentary · 3-104-1 asīditi || · 3-104-6 tābhyāṁ strībhyāṁ saha || 3-104-7 sa iti | tena vaiṣṇavasatreṇa śaṁkarasyārchanaṁ viṣṇuśaṁkarayorvāstavābhedābhiprāyeṇa || iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivamshe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi ṭīkāyāṁ caturadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ