Shloka 74
आदि पर्व, अध्याय 67 — गान्धर्वविवाह-समयः
Duḥṣanta–Śakuntalā: Gandharva Marriage and Succession Condition
जज्ञिरे वसवस्त्वष्टौ गज़ायां शान्तनो: सुता: | वसिष्ठस्य च शापेन नियोगाद् वासवस्य च,महर्षि वसिष्ठके शाप और इन्द्रके आदेशसे आठों वसु गंगाजीके गर्भसे राजा शान्तनुके पुत्ररूपमें उत्पन्न हुए
vaiśampāyana uvāca | jajñire vasavas tv aṣṭau gaṅgāyāṃ śāntanoḥ sutāḥ | vasiṣṭhasya ca śāpena niyogād vāsavasya ca |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Durch den Fluch des Weisen Vasiṣṭha und zugleich durch den Befehl Vāsavas (Indras) wurden die acht Vasus im Schoß der Gaṅgā als Söhne König Śāntanus geboren.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even divine beings are bound by dharma and karmic consequence: a sage’s curse has real force, and a higher divine ordinance can shape how that consequence unfolds. The narrative emphasizes moral causality and the authority of tapas (ascetic power) embodied in ṛṣis.
The text explains the cause of the eight Vasus taking human birth: due to Vasiṣṭha’s curse and Indra’s directive, they are born through Gaṅgā as the sons of King Śāntanu—setting the background for the lineage in which Bhīṣma is central.