The Story of Janaka Geethalu

 A wise man never gets worried even if there are a thousand troubles or a hundred fears. An unwise man on the other hand would be really worried. There are two types of pain that the human body experiences, physical and mental. A wise man stays away from both these pains and he also preaches the same. 

Getting inflicted by diseases, severe troubles, not having any good time, and undergoing bad phases in life are four main reasons the body undergoes pain. These are also the main reasons for mental pain. The mental pain transforms into Physical pain eventually. If you put a red hot iron rod into a pot of water, the water in the pot becomes hot. Similarly, the afflictions caused to the mind reflect on the body too. As we use cold water to put down the fire. we should use wisdom to keep the mind calm and composed. Once the mind attains calmness, the body will heal itself. 

" The cause of mental afflictions is affection. A man gets engrossed in various things due to affection. One who dives into the ocean of affection undergoes a lot of misery. Fear, unhappiness, tragedy, and attachment are all due to affection. Hence, we should not have affection towards relatives, friends, and wealth. The water does not stick on to a lotus leaf. A wise man does not get into the attachment of affection. Friendship breeds affection. Passion leads to desire and lust which leads to anger which in turn leads to craving which is the source of all problems. Craving is the root cause of all issues. Hence, the wise men stay away from craving. It is the root cause of all sins. A fire spark which falls into the hollow of a tree, even though it is very tiny, it burns down the entire tree. Similarly, craving causes a man to have greed for money and will cause his destruction. A greedy man will always be in fear of the king, robbers, death, relatives, family, water, and fire, just as living beings fear death. Just as the fish in water, wild animals on the land, and birds in the sky eat meat. Similarly, everyone tries to trouble the rich man." said Shounaka.

Shounaka continued saying "Money is the cause of all disasters. Money causes attachment and illusion. Money is the root cause of arrogance, malice, honor, fear, and anxiety. Hankering for money, saving it, and spending it; everything entails unhappiness. People lose their lives n an effort to gain money. Worrying about gaining money ruins a person's life. As one hankers and gains money, he also gains enemies. The craving for money never ends. The more you get it, the more you greed for it. Hence, one should not crave for money. It is better to not hanker for money in the protection of Dharma. Instead of putting your leg in slush and then later washing your legs, it is better to be careful and not step into the slush. One should not worry about money. Beauty, youth, life, family nor money, nothing is permanent. Hence the wise man does not develop craving or attachment to any of these."

"I have never hankered for money for myself," said Dharmaraja. "How can I take care of all these Brahmins in the forest? I am a householder now. Wherever I live, I have the responsibility to make sure I take care of everyone and feed them. How can I forsake the Brahmins and guests? I have to make sure I use whatever I have now. Grishastasrama is the best of all Ashramas. A Grishastha should give assurance for all who seek shelter. He should give water to the thirsty, feed the hungry, give shelter to rest, and sleep for the people who come to his door. These are the rules of Grishastasrama which have been followed for ages. The person who cannot do this, should not be called a Grihastha. Just as killing an animal for no reason is sinful, not feeding the hungry and eating alone accrues the same sin. Agnihotras, cattle, wife, kids, relatives, learned men, teachers, friends, servants, and guests; One should always make sure that these people are taken care of. Else, they will go to penury. Hence, a Grihastha should be the one who satisfies the needs of these people, the one who makes everyone happy. He should feed the birds, domestic animals, and even wild animals every day. He should perform Vaisvadevam every day. He should consume what is leftover from a Yajna and what is left over after feeding the guests. He will then become the Superior Grihastha. This is the reason I am worried about all of you" said Dharmaraja.

"Yes, but you could attain great things by penance. With Tapas Siddhi, you can feed as many people as you want. Indriyas are weak, craving can bring down even a great person. Will creates desire. The mind which is enraptured in desires arouses the Indriyas. In this case, the ears will start listening to the sounds and them the interest in things will start engaging your body. Just as the moth craves for a light and jumps into a fire, the man falls into the deep eddy of misery. He will forget himself. He will get stuck into the wheel of life. This is the same story right from a grass weed to the most learned. But, this is the case of fools." said Shounaka.

"Great People who forgo hatred, affection, rivalry can cross the ocean of life with their Tapomahatyam. As mentioned in Vedas, Pure will, control over Indriyas, practicing celibacy, serving the Guru, controlled food intake, reading Vedas, giving up the fruits of good Karma, conscientious objection- following these eight objectives, they become spiritual achievers. Vedas ask us to do Karma, it also says not to do Karma. So, the one who does Karma should do it as an order from Vedas. The one who does not do Karma should also stay put as an order from Vedas. The first route is instinctive, the second route is Salvation. Yajna, studying spiritual texts, charity, Tapas, truth, forgiveness, control over Indriyas, being non-greedy are the eight routes of Dharma. The first four belong to Karma , the last four belong to the heart. One should leave the ego of 'I', "I am the one doing all this" and then perform Karma. " said Shounaka. 

"You are the learned one who knows Philosophy. Doing service, following rituals, differentiating between imagination and myth, and science is something you are well versed in. Everything you start will become successful. Vasus, Adityas, and Rudras have gained wealth by penance. Go ahead and perform penance, your wishes will be fulfilled. There is nothing that a Tapasvi cannot accomplish. Hence, please perform penance with patience. Feed the Brahmins with the wealth you gain from Yogasiddhi. Your desire will be fulfilled." said Shounaka. 

After listening to the doctrine of Shounaka, Dharmaraja along with his brothers and Dhaumya started to think about what needs to be done. "The Brahmins have stayed back even after telling them to go back to the kingdom. They want to come along with us to the forest. I cannot leave them now. What can we do about their meal now? What is the solution now?" said Dharmaraja.

Dhaumya thought this through and said " There is no other solution than penance. Perform penance in the name of Lord Surya. All devas, Nagas, Manus, and demigods used to perform severe penance to please the Lord. Lord Surya is the revered as Veda Shareera. He is equivalent to the Trimurtis. He is an ocean of mercy, pray to him ardently. In times immemorial, during the creation of the universe, when the living beings were experiencing extreme hunger, it is Lord Surya who came to their rescue and creation food. He would dry up the water resources during Uttarayana and shower his merciful blessings as rain in Dakshinayana. Lord Chandra showered his merciful blessings during the night by his divine rays. Living beings are able to get food only because of the kind rays of Surya and Chandra.  Hence, in food lies life and food is primordial. Knowing this, earlier Bhaumasura, Prithu Chakravarthi, Kartavirya Arjuna and many others performed penance and secured food from Lord Surya. They took care of their people when in need. Hence, please seek shelter in Lord Surya. Your desires will be fulfilled." He also taught how Sun worship can be done with 108 names of Lord Surya. 

Dhaumya gave the doctrine based on the situation. He taught Dharmaraja how each name is uttered and it's meaning. " Earlier, Lord Indra taught this to Sage Narada who in turn taught Vasus who in turn told me. Chanting these 108 names, your desires will be fulfilled." said Dhaumya.

References

Vaisvadevam: A Hindu household ritual, offering homage to the gods, especially Agni who bear offerings to the heavens. Fire is fed with consecrated fuel, and offerings are thrown into it, accompanied by mantras https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/vaisvadeva

Pandavas Dwelling in the forests ( Pandava Vanavasam)

 Pandavas started their journey towards the forest. They only had their weapons with them. Along with Draupadi, they started moving towards North direction. Indrasena and other servants followed Pandavas in fourteen thousand chariots. Subhadra, Abhimanyu, and the five sons of Draupadi also accompanied them in the chariots.

As Pandavas started their journey leaving their kingdom, the people in Hastinapur cried their hearts out. " What is this injustice? Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana treacherously deceived the sons of Pandu Raju and made them play a Game of Dice full of Adharma. They drove them away towards the forest. They are heartless! Duryodhana is the one who conspired this act of  sin. Bhishma, Drona, and Kripacharya did not even stop this Adharma from happening. They just kept quiet. The virtuous Vidura also did not utter a word to stop this injustice. Not sure what they had in their minds to let this act happen."

Duryodhana is very greedy. He is the King! Karna, Jayadratha, and Shakuni are his close ministers. What else can we say? How can we live in this kind of Kingdom? Pandavas are very righteous and Dharma abiding. Without them, how can the Dharma survive? Who will save the people of the Kingdom? Let us go to wherever Pandavas are going to settle down. Let us stay with them.

Saying this, the citizens of the Kingdom left their houses and farms. Men, Women, and everyone in the kingdom started marching along with Pandavas.

" Oh Meritorious and Virtuos Ones! Please do not leave us and go. Is this fair on your part? Who is going to look out for us? Duryodhana and his subjects are wicked. Sadhus will suffer when wicked people rule. Even if they do not do the wrong things, a man will become wicked if he is ruled and in the company of wicked people. Even if one touch, speaks, or in joins the company of wicked men, they go on to perdition."

"You are wise ones by birth. Your education and wisdom are superior. Your nature is very pure. Hence, we will stay with you. Only if we stay in the company of good people will we learn to be good ourselves. We will learn Dharma. We will become successful. If earth, Sesame seeds, water, clothes are placed with flowers, they will also smell like flowers. Duryodhana is a wicked person. We will not stay in his kingdom, we will come with you. Please accept our plea!" Saying this, the citizens of the kingdom started pleading Pandavas with folded hands.

Dharmaraja looked at the citizens kindly. " If you all want to come with us, then we will be most humbled. Your affection is on us, hence, you are praising us for the qualities we don't have. But, dwelling in the forests is very difficult. You will not be able to bear it. No, please listen to me, please stop, please go back to your homes." Saying this, Dharmaraja coaxed them in to turning back and going to their homes. The citizens were very saddened and held themselves up and returned to Hastinapur.

The next day morning, many brahmins came and met the Pandavas. They came along with their relatives, disciples, and Agnihotras. They are all equal to Lord Brahma. They have gotten rid of their sins by chanting the Vedas. They are in a stage to receive prayers from mankind. They all came to dwell in the forests with Pandavas. Dharmaraja offered obeisance to all the brahmins with great reverence. They all blessed him immensely. But, he did not like that they came to the forest for him. 

"Because of the deceit of my cousins (who have behaved as enemies), we have lost everything. We now have to dwell in the forests. We will have to eat fruits, roots, and shoots and will have to be very austere. Why do you need to undergo this trouble with us? No, I pray you to please return to your homes. There are wild beasts, elephants, and tigers living in this forest. It is going to be very difficult for you to dwell here. You will not be able to bear this." Dharmaraja said.

The Brahmins were pained by the words of Dharmaraja. " We do not have anyone except you. Please do not forsake us." said the Brahmins not swerving an inch. " We do not have anywhere to go. Please do not leave us like this. This is not Dharma. No one leaves the side of refuges and devotees. You are Kings, you are the guardians of Dharma. We are Brahmins, it is not fair for you to ask us to leave. You must be thinking about how you can feed us. Do not worry about that. We will cater to our needs for food. We will do Japas, Homas, and continuous religious and spiritual activities and make you happy. Dhritarashtra's sons have sought to very wrong deeds, they have done a great deal of harm to you. Whatever happens, we will not live in their kingdom." said the Brahmins.

Dharmaraja was in a fix. How could he say no to so many people? He had to agree to what they said. But, he was worried about one thing. The brahmins eat sumptuous food three times a day. How can he bear the pain of letting them eat roots and shoots? He was very unhappy thinking about this and fell on the ground.

Shounaka (one of the brahmins) came and pacified Dharmaraja and asked him not to worry. He started to recite the slokas from Janaka Geetas about Aatma-Vyavasaya (Soul Agriculture) and started illustrating their meaning.

Adi Parvamu- The Oath of Bhishma

 Devavrata had understood the intention of King Dasa, he immediately decided what he was going to do. "Oh! King Dasa, I hereby take an oath in front of all these people, I am giving up my rights of becoming a king at this very moment. The royal heir of the kingdom would be the one born to King Shantanu and your daughter Satyavati, he would be the king and the sole Lord of our dynasty." Everyone around were very unhappy by this decision and felt sorrowful.

King Dasa said "What you say is true, you are a strong follower of Dharma, you will abide by your words....but..." and he paused again and then said "What is the guarantee that your kids would abide by your decision?"

Devavrata said " Do not hesitate, I will not be marrying anyone. I take an oath to remain celibate, I do not care if I do not have kids or reach the Punya Loka." and took an oath. Gods started to shower flowers in praise of his mighty oath and called him Bhishma , people started singing praises in his glory. He was referred as  Bhishma by one and all.

King Dasa succeeded in achieving what he wanted, he sent YojanaGandha along with Bhishma. He took her to Hasthinapur in a golden chariot. Shantanu hugged his son in extreme happiness and said "You have done something that is not done by humans, you are my beloved" and kissed him on his forehead. "You will not have death until you wish for it" blessed the father to his son Bhishma who had sacrificed his happiness for the sake of the dynasty.

Shantanu and Satyavati got married in a very lavish and royal manner. They had two sons  Chitrangada and Vichitravirya, before their sons could reach adolescence Shantanu passed away. Bhishma performed the last rights to his father and crowned Chitrangada as the next king. Chitrangada was always a very fickle minded person, very arrogant and would not care for anyone or heed to anyones words. He would pick up fights with everyone and would disrespect gods and gandharvas. A gandharva named Chitrangada could not handle this behaviour of Kaurava Chitrangada  and waged a war against him. The grounds of Kurukshetra were turning in to extreme battle grounds, the Kauravas and gandharvas went in to a very fierce battle. Kaurava Chitrangada and gandharva Chitrangada fought like bulls. Gandharvas are known for their tricky magical spells, they fought the battle with deciet, Kaurava Chitrangada was assasinated.

Bhishma throned Vichitravirya as the king, he also started looking for alliances for Vichitravirya. At the same time , the King of Kashi was also looking for alliances for his three daughters Amba, Ambika and Ambalika. He had declared a Swayamvara for his daughters. Bhishma immediately started to Kashi and was armed with weapons.

Many kings from various lands had come to the Swayamvara, Bhishma made his way ahead of all of them. Everyone was surprised at the way Bhishma was progressing, he asked the princesses to be seated in his chariot and said " I am taking the princesses for my brother Vichitravirya, if you are capable, take them away from me" and challenged all the kings who had assembled there. " Showing demonic behaviour in weddings is a trait of gandharva kings, winning princesses in a Swayamvara is even more great. Hence, I will win over all the kings aeembled here and leave" said Bhishma to the King of Kashi. All the kings were offended, they waged a war against Bhishma, the place had turned in to a battle field. There was a shower of arrows all over.

 Bhishma became Pralaya Rudra (Lord of destruction), he held his bow and arrows and started to wage war fiercely. He defeated all the kings, everyone ran to save their lives. Bhishma was stopped by King Salva while he tries to head home. Salva challenges Bhishma to wage a war, everyone around starts praising Salva for his brave attempt. King Salva shot thousands of arrows and fought a very fierce battle against Bhishma. This did not stop Bhishma, he started to retaliate back, with one of his arrows he killed the charioteer of King Salva, then his two horses, then broke the chariot. King Salva begged for his life and left the battle.

Bhishma was the unstoppable, he took the princesses and came back to Hasthinapur, he brought them to his mother Satyavati. She wanted to get the princesses married to Vichitravirya, but the older princess Amba was in love with King Salva, she refused to marry Vichitravirya. She requested Bhishma to follow Dharma and return her back to King Salva. Bhishma and Satyavati thought about her request and consulted many saints and sages, they then sent her to King Salva's kingdom along with some elderly people, they got Ambika and Ambalika married to Vichitravirya. The wedding was a grand ceremony, but Vichitravirya had changed completely after that. He was a very responsible king but after the wedding, he was in the comfort of his wives enjoying marrital bliss and had shunned all the responsibilities as a King. Ambika and Ambalika were very beautiful and he was spending his whole time admiring their beauty, he was a lustful person always engaged in his own world of lust. Having engaged in bodily happiness and lust all the time, he passed away very soon due to tuberculosis. He did not have any heir, Bhishma has to perform his last rights. All her dreams were shattered, Satyavati was mourning the loss of both her sons. Ambika and Ambalika were mourning the death of their husband, the kingdom has no king now. Bhishma was the only heir of the dynasty, he consoled his mother and his sisters in law., he had to take up the responsibility of the kingdom once again.

One day Satyavati called Bhishma and said " The glory of King Shantanu lies in your hands, you are the sole heir performing his last rights and death ceremony each year. I want his glory to shine and go for generations, for that I would need your help. You have studied all Dharmas and you know everything, please do not say no to my request. You will have to rule the Kuru Kingdom and also marry and have kids. Our dynasty started from Lord Brahma and has flourished well with kith and kin, I do not want our dynasty to stop with you."

" Please do not order me to do this Mother, I have taken an oath to be celibate. The Moon may give up his cold and the Sun may give up the heat, but I will not give up on the oath taken for my father. But, I will make sure your wish is fulfilled. I will make sure that my father's dynasty survives and prospers. I do not have to give up my oath for this, there are many alternatives in Dharma, there has always been a Kshatriya Dharma which has been coming down from ages. " Bhishma said.

He immediately summoned the ministers, sages, learned people of the community and started conversations with them regarding the problem mentioned by his mother. " Parashurama's father was killed by Karthaveerya Arjuna. Parashurama not only killed Karthaveera but also made sure that he even killed the babies of these kshatriyas in their wombs. The women were left with no husbands and
 had to resort to brahmins to keep their dynasty intact(they had bourne the kids of brahmins).

Adi Parvamu- The Story of Shantanu and Satyavati

Four years passed by, one day while hunting Shantanu reached the banks of river Yamuna. As soon as he reached, he could smell a wonderful perfumed filled air which are blowing from the river. He was dragged towards the smell and started going towards the river. As he went more towards Yamuna, he saw a boatyard and on a boat was this beautiful young lass named Satyavati, who is also called YojanaGandha, meaning that she will have fragrant smell for even many Yojanas distance. He was spell bound by her beauty and her fragrance. She glowed with golden hue, her body was slim and curvaceous. Her eyes resembled those of a frightened deer, her smile was so beautiful. Shantanu was just taken aback by her divine beauty. He went close to her and tried to involve her in a conversation saying " Who are you? Why are you rowing the boat alone here? I am surprised". She smiled and looked at the king and said " I am the daughter of King Dasa and to keep up with his Dharma, I work on the banks of the river helping people cross it.

Shantanu had heard of Satyavati's beauty before and now he got to see her. He went to King Dasa directly and asked for Satyavati's hand in marriage. King Das was very happy and he greeted the king with great honours and said " It’s a custom to give the girl to her groom in marriage, but I am booned to have the great king as my son in law. What else do I want? But I do have one concern in my mind, if you agree to it then I will give my daughter's hand in marriage". " If the request that you are making is worth giving then I will surely abide by it" said the king. " I request that Satyavati's son be your royal heir and become the king after you" said King Dasa. Shantanu was taken back by his request, he already had Devavrata, who had been crowned a prince. How could he agree to King Dasa's request of making Satyavati's son as the royal heir?. Shantanu said " Please ask me for something else". He tried to convince King Dasa that he has an older son who is already a prince, but King Dasa was not convinced. He said that unless his request is granted he cannot give his daughter's hand in marriage.

Dissapointed and sad Shantanu returned to Hastinapura. He could not get Satyavati out of his mind, he could not concentrate on anything, he seemed lost and stayed as a loner. Devavrata was worried about his father's behaviour. He went to his father and said " Father! We don’t have any enemies even in the dreams, our people are very happy. Kings from far of lands and kingdoms are bound by your word. We are all worried about you being drifting away from normal life". After a long pause and thought process he replied to Devavrata saying that " Having one son is never like having sons, having one eye never gives the satisfaction of complete eyesight. Having one son is like not having any sons says Dharma Shastra. You are a very good archer, a very brave knight. Anything might happen to you anytime, how can I rely on you to carry my family name? Agnihotras and Vedas and kids- the best lineages should never leave them. That is the reason I would like to have some more sons so that they can help you".

Devavrata consulted his knowledgeable ministers and realized that Shantanu had his heart stuck on Satyavati. He went to King Dasa with all his relatives and asked Satyavati's hand in marriage for Shantanu. King Dasa honoured Devavrata and said " You are an embodiment of Dharma, you know the difference between Artha and Anartha(demonic tendencies) and are very responsible. Since you have come to talk about your father's wedding I am very happy. Satyavati was born to the Chedi king Vasu (also known as Uparichara Vasu) and a fish, who was actually an Apsara, Adrika. Vasu wanted her to be married to Shantanu, that is the reason I rejected Devala who had come to ask her hand in marriage, I know I cannot get a son in law like Shantanu. But I do have a problem here, step son, i.e. you. I feel that you are their enemy as you are extra ordinarily powerful. One you knot your eyebrows, even the most powerful will succumb to you. So, now you know what my issue is, so please find a solution to this problem".

Adi Parvamu- The Story of MahaBhisha and Ganga

There lived a King named MahaBhisha who was born in the ikshwaku dynasty. He was a very generous and righteous person. He performed one thousand Ashwamedhas and a hundred Rajasuyas. He made all the gods and Indra very happy. With all his good deeds he was able to go to the DevaLoka and Brahma Loka. He enjoyed all luxuries along with all the gods in the abode of Brahma.

One day in the court of Brahma, Ganga came in the form of a woman. A gust of wind blew and her Saree blew along and her thighs were shown. All the gods turned their heads in a sign of respect, but MahaBhisha looked at her with lust. Brahma was extremely angry with MahaBhisha's behaviour, and he cursed him saying " You will be born in Bhuloka". MahaBhisha repented for what he did and fell on the feet of Brahma. MahaBhisha then said " I know the power of your curse, but please consider my plea. There is a very righteous person named Pratheepa in Bhuloka, I would like to be born to him", Brahma agreed to his request.

Ganga was moved by the situation in which MahaBhisha landed, she felt that if it was not for her, he would have been fine. She was impressed by his feelings for her. She started getting attracted towards him. Her love grew for him even more when he was cursed by Brahma. She followed MahaBhisha to Bhuloka. On the way she met with the eight Vasus, they were leaving the DevaLoka and were in a bad state. She asked them what the problem was and where they were headed. They replied saying they were headed to Bhuloka. "We were cursed by Vasishta to be born to humans, we do not wish to be born to any normal woman. We heard about you and are on our way to meet you. MahaBhisha will be born to Pratheepa as Shantanu. You will be united with him, If you oblige we will be born to you and Shantanu."

Ganga obliged to their request, Vasus then said "We will be born one after other in a row, as soon as we are born please leave us in to water. We would like get rid of our human life immediately.Vasishta has also ordered us to do so". But Ganga replied saying " If all of you leave your human form, I would at least want one son who can live longer". They said " The eighth Vasu will be your son who will live. He will take 1/8th of our life span and will live longer. Are you fine with that?" Ganga and Vasus mutually agreed and left for Bhuloka. Pratheepa was the King of Hasthinapur, one day he was doing penance on the banks of river Ganga. She came and stood in front of him, she was extremely beautiful, her body was golden in color. Her eyes were very bright and beautiful and her beauty was divine. She looked at him and smiled and sat on his right thigh.

Pradeepa was taken back by this behaviour and questioned her " Why are you sitting on my thigh? Who are you?". She said " I came for you, I like you. I will be your wife". Pradeepa replied saying " This cannot happen. I will not see or touch any other woman other than my wife Sunanda. You cannot be my wife, don't waste your efforts. Another thing is, a wife can sit on the left thigh and kids should sit on the right thigh. Since you sat on my right thigh you are my daughter in law". Ganga approved to what Pradeepa said.

Among the sons of King Pradeepa, eldest son Devapi suffered from leprosy and abdicated his inheritance to become a hermit, son Bahlika devoted his life to conquer the oldAryan territories and hence Shantanu had become the King. Pradeepa left to become a hermit after Shantanu was crowned as King. While leaving he told Shantanu " you will find a beautiful woman on the banks of Ganga, you will have to marry her. Do not ask her whereabouts. Just agree to what she has to say".

One day Shantanu went for hunting, he was alone during the hunt. He reached the banks of river Ganga. He was enjoying the cool breezes on the banks of the river, he then saw a very beautiful woman sitting on a rock by the bank. She was glowing with feminine beauty, she wore a silk saree and was wearing ornaments worn by gods. Shantanu was taken aback by her divine glow and beauty and thought" Is she the goddess of the forest? Or does she belong to Nāga clan? Or is she a goddess? Is she Gandharva ? Who is she? How can a human come in to this forest? Who is she waiting for? Her face and smile look very familiar, like I have known her for a long time. Maybe she is the one who my father told me about? No doubt she is the one". He wanted to ask her but then he stopped himself. Kamadeva released his arrows and made them fall in love with each other. " I have been waiting for you for a long time now" said Ganga, "I have been longing to meet you" said Shantanu. " Do not say no to whatever I do" said Ganga, " My father has already asked me to follow what you say" said Shantanu. " We shall live together as long as to listen to me and never question me for anything I do, the moment you question me, I will have to leave you and go forever" said Ganga, " I completely agree to your demands" said Shantanu.

Shantanu and Ganga were very compatible and happy in each others company. Her life revolved around him and he could not live a second without her. Ganga conceived and gave birth to a healthy baby boy, she immediately took him in to the river banks and drowned him in the river. Shantanu didn't utter a word, she repeated her act of drowning the babies soon after she gave birth. Shantanu was heartbroken, he knew questioning her would be the end of their relationship, he was very much worried of her demonic acts and was getting impatient. Ganga became pregnant for the 8th time and as usual she began proceeding towards the river banks to drown the child. Shantanu became furious and said " You have already killed seven of my kids, I kept quiet all this time because of your love, you do not have sympathy or the feeling of guilt for having done all this, I will not let go of this baby."

Ganga stopped right there and she began smiling and said " Well, this is the end of our relationship, but I will make everything clear to you of my behavior". You have mistaken me for a human being but I am the river goddess 'Ganga'. All these baby boys areEight Vasus, they had to take human form because of the curse of Sage Vasishta. They came to me and said that they wished to be born in my womb and requested that they be drowned and given salvation as soon as they were born. I had to take the form of a Woman because of this godly act, you will also reach heaven because you have fathered the Eight Vasus. This eight son of yours has some work to accomplish on this earth, and this is why you are destined to question me today. He will grow up to be a scholar who is well versed in all Dharmas, he will live for the welfare of the world.

"The Eight Vasus?" exclaimed Shantanu " Aren't they Gods? I thought they were ones who were not worried about anything, who were not connected to the human world. They being born as humans? Were they cursed by Sage Vasishta ? Then, seven of them will be going to heaven and the eighth one will be held back here on earth, I am very confused" he said. "Yes, Sage Vasishta' s curse is the reason for all this" said Ganga. " Varuna's son Vasishta had constructed an Ashram in the cave of Mount Meru and was performing penance in there.Nandini, was theKamadhenu that lived withVasishta in his Ashram. She was the daughter ofSurabhi who is the daughter of Daksha, and the wife of the rishi Kasyapa. She was a miraculous cow of plenty who could give her owner whatever he desired. One day the Eight Vasus, accompanied by their wives were strolling on Mount Meru. Nandini, from Vasishta's Ashram caught their glance. They were very much amazed by the cow's ability to bestow anything to its owner. The eighth Vasu Prabhasa's wife Yogasiddhi started to admire the cow and had this strong desire to own it. "Dear, the milk of this cow is so miraculous that the person who drinks it will live for ten thousand years, they will be free of diseases and will never show the signs of aging. The people who own it are very great. Jithavathi, who is the daughter of Useenara is my friend. She lives on Nara Loka, I always wanted to give her something. I wish I could give her this Kamadhenu." said Yogasiddhi to her husband Prabhasa. Everyone had come to a conclusion that they will be taking the cow and Prabhasa took the initiative and took the cow along with him.

Unable to find Nandini, Vasishta searched for the cow throughout the forest. Finally with his clairvoyance was able to find out that she has been taken by the vasus. He got very angry and curses them saying " Go take birth in a human womb!". After knowing about the curse, the Eight Vasus came rushing to sage Vasishta and pleaded him to forgive them. " We are guilty of the mistake and we did that in ignorance. You are the personification of Dharma, please relieve us from Nara Loka very soon." they said. Vasishta's anger subdued. " Let it happen as you wish, as soon as you get a human body, you will be relieved of it. But Prabhasa is the culprit and is responsible for all this to happen, hence he will be there on earth for a long time. He will not have any kids" said Vasishta ." Prabhasa, is this son Devavrata, this is the godly secret. I am leaving now, Devavrata will be raised by me until he is 16 years old" said Ganga and she vanished in to thin air along with the baby.

Everything seemed like a dream to Shantanu, he could not recover from what had happened. The time he spent with Ganga felt like a fraction of a second. Days passed by, his kingdom expanded in all directions, he was respected by kings of different countries and kingdoms, he was the embodiment of Dharma. One day Shantanu went on hunting and reached the banks of Ganga, the river was flowing slowly and felt like it was flowing in a slim lane. Shantanu felt that maybe Ganga was feeling leftout and hence was drying up in his absence. He walked on the banks and walked towards a small island on which a handsome young lad who looked like a prince was learning archery, he created a dam with arrows. That was the reason why Ganga was flowing slowly and looked like it was meandering in a small lane. The prince resembled Shantanu very much, Shantanu was surprised by this, he felt a very affectionate and fatherly feeling rushing in his mind towards the prince. The prince looked at Shantanu, the prince also reciprocated with feelings of affection, love, respect towards the king. The prince was unable to understand his feelings towards a stranger.

In the meantime Ganga appeared before them, she held the hand of her son and took him to Shantanu and said " Oh King! this is your son. He studied Vedas like Vasishta, Dharma Shastras like Shukra and Brihaspati and archery like Parasurama. He can be called Sanat Kumara in Brahma Gyana. Hence, I conclude my responsibility here, please take your son with you" and she vanished in to thin air. Shantanu was so excited and extremely ecstatic and he felt that he had obtained the wealth of the entire universe. He assembled all his courtisans, ministers and all the important people in the kingdom and crowned his son as the prince.

Adi Parvamu- The Story of Shakuntala

As soon as he entered the Aashram, he couldn't believe his eyes. He saw a young beautiful lass, she had eyes like Lotus petals, tresses of hair like a wasp, thin waist and she was filled with beauty. Dushyanta was attracted to her beauty at his first look. He was very excited and happy looking at her. She realized that he was the King as soon as she saw him, she got up suddenly. She treated him with respect and gave him honours. She questioned his well being and made sure he got comfortable in the new place. Dushyanta said " I came here for hunting, after seeing the Aashram I wanted to meet sage Kanva, Is he not around?".

She said " He has gone to the forest to fetch some fruits, he will be coming back soon. Please wait for some time". After seeing her Dushyanta figured out that she was unmarried, he could not take his eyes off her beauty. He asked " So, Whose daughter are you? How did you come here?". She said " Oh! me? I am the daughter of sage Kanva, my name is Shakuntala" Dushyanta started to think " How can this be possible? Why am I getting attracted to the daughter of a sage? I can't believe it, Sage Kanva is Jitendriya ( One who has conquered his senses), then how come he has a daughter?" He questioned her again " But Sage Kanva is observing Naishtika Aashram(which refers to a brahmachari who is celibate throughout his whole life), and also he is Jitendriya. How can he have children? I am not able to understand".

Shakuntala said " Then, Listen, One day a sage came to our house, he started asking who I was and my father told him this. Rajarishi Vishwamitra, after he became a Brahmarshi with his penance was one day indulged in deep penance. Indra was terrified by this penance and he wanted to disturb Vishwamitra and distract him. He called Menaka, the most beautiful of the apsaras and asked her to seduce Vishwamitra and save his Throne. Menaka was alarmed on listening to his words and she bowed to him and said " The great Vasishtha, who has the grace and power equal to Lord Brahma couldn't escape from the anger of Vishwamitra and underwent the agony of the loss of his sons. Even you and all the other gods fear just by listening to his name. Just by mere redness in his eyes all the entire world becomes shaky, the oceans get dried up and the volcano's erupt, even the wind stops to blow in fear. How can you send me to such a furious person. I cannot say no, its the order of the Gods, I will try to seduce him, I leave the rest to destiny." She then left with her family.

Vishwamitra was performing penance in Himalayas. Menaka reached the place with her friends. The fragrances that she applied and the flowers in her hair made the entire place scent beautifully. These fragrances were carried by the winds blowing south and they reached Vishwamitra. She started picking flowers and arranging them beautifully in her head and then swayed along and reached the vicinity of the sage. The sage was in deep penance and did not know what was happening in his surroundings. She bowed and offered honours to him and loitered the place in search of flowers. She then stood in front of him as if she was tired. A gust of wind blew and flew the wrap which she had on her body. Vishwamitra opened his eyes and found her standing in front of him with minimal clothing. Manmadha immediately released his arrows to provoke love and lust in the sage's heart. Vishwamitra was so much in to her beauty that he completely fell for her.

They both enjoyed each others company and their sexual life led to the birth of Shakuntala, whom Menaka left on the banks of Malini river and went back to Deva loka and Vishwamitra returned to his tapovana. The kid was crying bitterly on the banks and the birds saved her by covering her with their feathers. Kanva was searching for fruits in the forest along with his disciples and reached the place where the baby was lying. She was very beautiful. Since the Shakuntas( Birds) were guarding her, he called her Shakuntala. A person who gives birth, a person who feeds a girl, a person who rescues a girl when she is in trouble, such a person is considered as a father, hence I am the daughter of Sage Kanva" .

Dushyanta's hopes rose again, he was disappointed thinking that she is the daughter of a sage but now he was very happy. He saw Shakuntala also getting attracted to him, he then started conversing again and said " You are such a beautiful lass, you seem to be very sensible. A beauty like you should not be wearing deer skins and cottons clothes and this definitely is not a place of your abode. I will make you my queen. Please accept me with love, I will shower you with all luxuries in the entire world. In the eight types_of_marriages, (Brahma, Deva, Arsha, Prajapatya, Asura, Gandharva, Rakshasa and Pysacha), the best that suit kings are Gandharva and Rakshasa. Since both of us fell in love, ours would be Gandharva". Shakuntala blushed in happiness and said " Let my father come and we can...", Dushyanta immediately interrupted and said " We don't need any one's approval for Gandharva Marriage. No need to chant hymns. A Virgin girl herself approves for a Gandharva marriage". Shakuntala said " I would need a wish, I would like you to make my son the King, your descendant. Promise me you would do that". He agreed to it and then they got married and made love. He said " I will go to the kingdom and send my ministers to your father and will invite you with honours" and left for his Kingdom.

Shakuntala was worried about telling her father about her behaviour. Kanva reached the place after picking the fruits and flowers from the forest. He found hickeys and sexual marks on her. She was lying in fear, he realized what had happened. He always thought that the descendant of a King would always have Gandharva marriage and he was happy for her and said " you are very lucky, you have earned a right mate for yourself and you are pregnant now. I am very happy for you. Make a wish now".

" My son should be healthy,long lived, wise, wealthy and should be the root of the family" said Shakuntala. " So shall it be " said Kanva. He performed all the honours needed to be done to a pregnant woman. After three years of gestation she gave birth to Bharata (emperor). Kanva performed all the duties as a father to Shakuntala and a grand father to Bharata. He started growing at a great pace. The Chakra Rekha in his hand, his broad shoulders and long arms, his healthy and beautiful body parts were revealing themselves that he is going to be an emperor. He proved to be very brave than his father. He used to bring the fiercest of the wild animals and tie them to the trees in his Aashram. Everyone started calling him Sarvadamana (Surrounded only by wild animals). Kanva was very proud of his grandson.

Days passed by, Shakuntala never heard from Dushyanta. Bharata was in his teenage ready to become a prince. One day Kanva called Shakuntala and said " Dear, however good wife you maybe, but a woman should not live in her parents house for a long time. The husband is the one you should be with and lead your life, your in laws house should be your heaven. Hence go back to your husband along with your son" He sent some of his disciples with her to the King. She came to Dushyanta, he was with his ministers and subjects. Her son was accompanied by sages. Dushyanta did not recognize her, he had no expression on his face. He not not pleased to see her, she saw no excitement, love or affection for her. She thought " What is this? Doesn't he know me, or is he pretending? Has he forgotten me? No doubt its his pride of being a King. Maybe he wants to break the promise given to me. Else he wouldn't have acted his way. I should not have believe him. If he has forgotten I can remind him, If he does not know I can tell him, But he seems to act that he does not know. How can I tell him now? I better ask him now, I have come this far anyway. I will explain him everything and show him our son." " Oh King! this is your son, we had met years ago when you had come for hunting to our Aashram, I am reminiscing so you can recognize me". Dushyanta then said " What are you talking about? I don't even know you? Who are you? Now get out of my sight and go back from where you came".

Shakuntala was torn apart by his words. She was shocked, she started crying bitterly. She then told the King " You behave like you don't know me, But you know what is righteousness. You are lying because no one else here knows the truth, the god knows what happened between us. Your inner soul knows everything. You are deceiving yourself. Don't do that, please accept me. I am your wife, I also bore your son. A person who leaves his wife will not be honoured on earth or heaven. A person who has a good wife can enjoy life blissfully. He will be a Jitendriya and will bear sons. He will have a fruitful life. Degrading and insulting a wife is insulting oneself."

" He is your son, he is like a jewel to Puru dynasty. A man enters a woman's body and he himself is born as her son, hence "AngaDangatSambhavasi"(Born from the body) say Vedas. A man feels happy by seeing himself in his son. A Putra(son) is the one who saves a man from going to the hell called Putha. Please take him in to your arms, He is said to be having a great life ahead. He will rule the entire world. A lake is greater than having 100 wells, similarly a Yagna is greater than having a lake, A son is greater than performing 100 Yagnas, Similarly a word of Truth is greater than having 100 sons. Truth has a greater value than 100 Ashwamedhas. Please tell the truth, don't you remember the promise you made. Please pity your son. I am the daughter of Brahmarshi Vishvamitra and Menaka, I don't have the reason to lie to you".

Dushyanta was irritated by this talk and said " I don't know you and have never seen you. Women lie all the time and hence you are lying too. This boy is no where near my caliber. Everyone here is laughing at your words. I hate such conversations. Now get out of here". Shakuntala said " My parents strayed me when I was a baby and now my husband has strayed me too. Where can I go now? Who do I share this with?". She cried her heart out and held her son's hand and started to walk out of the room. She then heard a voice saying " Whatever Shakuntala said is true. Oh King! she is your wife and this boy is your son, accept them". Everyone was surprised. Dushyanta was very happy to hear that and slowly started to talk " Yes , I married her by Gandharva marriage. No one knew about this except us, I feared the world and hence I lied. But the divine voice spoke out the truth". He then hugged his son. He took his wife to his palace. He declared Bharata the Prince. He ruled over a period of time and handed over the responsibilities to his son and left to tapovana.

Bharata became the King. He performed many Yagnas on the banks of Rivers Ganga and Yamuna . He became the root person of Bharatha Dynasty. This is the story of Bharata. He married the daughter of Kekaya King Sunanda. They had a son named Bhumanya. Bhumanya's wife was the daughter of Dasarha King Vijaya. Vijaya's son was Sahotra. Sahotra's wife was the daughter of Ikshvaka King Suvarna. Suvarna's son was Hasti.

Because of the name Hasti, the capital city was named as hasthinapur. King Hasti's wife was the daughter of Trigartha King Yashodhara. Her son was Vikunthana. Vikunthana's wife was the daughter of Dasarha King VasuDeva. Her son was Ajameedha. His wifes were Kaikeyi, Gandhari and Ruksha, they had one hundred and twenty four sons with him and they became the Kings of different Kingdoms. In all his sons Samvarana became the emperor. Samvarana's wife was Surya Kumari Tapati. Tapati's son was Kuru, the originator of Kuru dynasty. Hence Samanthaka Panchakam is called Kurukshetra. Kuru's wife was the daughter of Dasarha King Subhangi. Her son was Vidhooradha. His wife was Sampriya, her son was Anaswa. Anaswa's wife was the daughter of Magadha King Amrutha. Her son was Parikshitha. His wife was Suyasa. Suyasa's son was bhimasena. His wife was the daughter of Kaykeya King Kumari.Her son was Pratisravasana. Pratisravasana's son was Prateepa. His wife was sibhi. He had a daughter Sunanda. She had Devapi, Shantanu and Bahlika. Devapi left to the forest for penance at a young age and Shantanu became the King. He had Bhishma from Ganga and Chitrāngada and Vichitravirya from Satyavati. Chitrāngada was slain by Gandharva king of the same name and hence Vichitravirya then ascended the throne. Vichitravirya had wives Ambika and Ambalika . He died of tuberculosis, thats when the dynasty was left with no descendants. Satyavati ordered her son Vyasa to give Ambika and Ambalika sons so that the kingdom does not become heirless. Ambika had Dhritarashtra and Ambalika had Pandu and Ambika's servent had Vidura. Dhritarashtra had 100 sons and a daughter.Pandu had three sons with Kunti, Yudhishtira (by Lord Yama), Bhima (by Lord Vayu), and Arjuna (by Lord Indra), Madri, who bore Nakula and Sahadeva. They all had on wife Draupadi . Yudhishtira had Prathivindhya, Bhima had Sruthasoma, Arjuna had SruthaKirthi, Nakula had Sathanika and Sahadeva had Sruthasena. These sons are called UpaPandavas. Yudhishtira got Devika in his swayamvara, her son Oudheya. Bhima had another wife Jalandhara, her son was Sarvagha. Arjuna had another wife Subhadrā, her son was Abhimanyu. Nakula had a wife Renumati, her son was Niramitra. Sahadeva had another wife Vijaya, her son was Sahotra. Apart from these 10 sons, Bhima had Ghatotkacha with Hidimbi. Arjuna had Iravan with Ulupi, Babruvāhana with Chitrāngadā. Among these 13 sons Abhimanyu became the root of the family. His wife was Uttara.

Uttara gave birth to your father Parikshita. You are born to him and your mother Madravathi as Janamejaya. You have Sathanika, Sankha and Karna from Vapushta. Sathanika had Ashwamedha datta from Videha King's daughter. This is the story of your dynasty. Hence you all became Pouravas, Pandavas, Kauravas and Bharathas. Let me explain how Ganga married Shantanu and gave birth to Bhishma. Hence vaisampayana continued the story of Ganga.

Adi Parvamu- The Story of Dushyanta

Dushyanta was a very strong, brave and a generous person. In his childhood he played in wild forests and never feared Lions, Tigers and elephants. There was no one to control him when he was a youth. He was fearless. With his immense strength, he ruled the entire earth. Everyone was very happy in his Kingdom, they did not have any difficulties. Disease, Fear, unhappiness and destruction were far out of the sight of his people. They were very satisfied in all aspects of life. Bhudevi was content and happy about the prosperity in the kingdom. Dharma was followed in all aspects in the kingdom.

One day Dushyanta went for hunting. Like the triumphal chariot harnessed by seven horses ridden by Lord Surya, Dushyanta's chariot had horses which were very strong and fast. Many other Horse Riders accompanied him on horses. Many soldiers also accompanied him with Swords, spears, poleaxes and Arrows.

Dushyanta then surrounded the entire forest. The hunters disturbed the animals by beating drums, whistling and shouting out loud. The way ocean was churned with Mount Mandara, the whole forest was shaken by the commotion created by the hunters. The animals were frightened by the sudden out burst of noises. Wild boars, bears, Lions, tigers and wild elephants started going in all directions in confusion.

Dushyanta showed all his skill in hunting, he slayed a few animals using arrows, he chased a few and hinted them down, he tore a few apart with his sword. In this killing spree he lost the count of the animals he killed and went deep in to the forest. The soldiers could not keep up with his speed and they settled down, only a few of them could go with him. Eventually they reached a river called Malini, on the banks of it was a beautiful garden. It was filled with seasonal fruits and flowers. The Khandava_forest of Indra and the the CHAITRA-RATHA of Kubera (The grove or forest of Kuvera on Mandara, one of the spurs of Meru; it is so called from its being cultivated by the gandharva Chitra-ratha.) were nothing before this garden. The garden was filled with Henna trees, Ashoka trees, flower trees, Mango trees, Banana trees and many more beautiful plants and shrubs. Listening to nightingale sing, Dushyanta entered in to the garden.

The garden honoured the King by its fragrance in the air from the beautiful flowers, flowers showered over him from the trees. As he was drawn towards the pleasant smell , reached a place where he could smell Ghee, the aroma of the Homa. Dushyanta found out that it was a tapovan and there were Aashrams close by where the Munis resided.

Tapovan was enticing his mind and he was very happy there, as he went in deeper, he heard the hymns uttered by Brahmins, Vedic Chants, conversations between saints. He had reached the Aashram of Kanva also know as NalaPittham. The Aashram reminded him of Nara Narayana Aashram located on the banks of river Ganga. Parrots were singing samagana and the elephants were listening to them. The elephants were sprinkling water from their trunks and the mist in the air was so soothing that the Lions were seated under the tree to enjoy the showers. The cats and rats were seen playing together waiting for the food given by Munis. Dushyanta was surprised by the effect created by sages. He asked his family who followed him to wait outside while he went in to pay his greetings to Kanva.

Adi Parvamu- Part IV Introduction

The son of Yayati, Puru became an emperor. He is the root of the Puru Dynasty. His wife was Kausalya. She had a son named Janamejaya( not to be mistaken with Janamejaya, son of Parikshit ), he became a King and performed three Ashwamedha Yagnas. Anatha was the wife of Janamejaya, he had a son named Pracheenwantha from Anatha. Pracheenwantha conquered the land until Udayachala, Hence the name Pracheesa ( Meaning the King of East). Pracheenwantha's wife is Asmaki, their son was Samyati. Samyati's wife is Varangi, their son was Ahamyati, Ahamyati's wife was the daughter of KrithaVeerya namely Bhanumathi. SaarvaBhouma was the son of Bhanumathi and Ahamyati, SaarvaBhouma's wife was the daughter of KekayaRaja, Sunanda and they had a son named Jayatsena. Jayatsena's wife was the daughter of King of Vidarbha, Susravasa, they had a son Suracheena. Suracheena's wife was Maryada and they had a son named Ariha. Ariha had a wife named Aangi and they had a son MahaBhouma. MahaBhouma's wife was the daughter of PrasenaJit, Suyagnya and they had a son Ayuthanayi. Wife of Ayuthanayi was the daughter of PruduSravasa, Kama and they had a son Akrodhana. Wife was Akrodhana was the daughter of Kalinga, Ramba, they had a son Devathithi. Wife of Devathithi was the daughter of VidehaKing, Maryada, they had a son Ruchika. Wife of Ruchika was the daughter of AngaKingdom, Sudeva, they had a son Ruksha. Wife of Ruksha was the daughter of Daksha, Jwala, they had a son Mathinaara. Mathinaara performed SatraYaga ( A sacred Yagna) for 12 years on the banks of River Sarasvati. River Sarasvati fell in love with him and they married and had a son Trisa. Trisa married Kalindi and they had a son Ileena. Ileena married Radhantari and they had a son Dushyanta.