Shloka 58
युध्यतोरपतदू रेतस्तच्चापि यमुनाम्भसि । तत्राद्विकेति विख्याता ब्रह्मशापाद् वराप्सरा:,उन दोनोंके युद्ध करते समय वह वीर्य यमुनाजीके जलमें गिर पड़ा। अद्रिका नामसे विख्यात एक सुन्दरी अप्सरा ब्रह्माजीके शापसे मछली होकर वहीं यमुनाजीके जलमें रहती थी। बाजके पंजेसे छूटकर गिरे हुए वसुसम्बन्धी उस वीर्यको मत्स्यरूपधारिणी अद्विकाने वेगपूर्वक आकर निगल लिया। भरतश्रेष्ठ! तत्पश्चात् दसवाँ मास आनेपर मत्स्यजीवी मल्लाहोंने उस मछलीको जालमें बाँध लिया और उसके उदरको चीरकर एक कन्या और एक पुरुष निकाला
yudhyator apatad retaś taccāpi yamunāmbhasi | tatrādviketi vikhyātā brahmaśāpād varāpsarāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As the two fought, the semen fell, and it dropped into the waters of the Yamunā. There, a noble apsaras named Adrikā—made to live in the Yamunā as a fish due to Brahmā’s curse—was present. In the unfolding of fate, she would later swallow that fallen seed, and in due course the fishermen would cut open the fish and find a girl and a boy. The passage frames extraordinary birth as the consequence of conflict, curse, and destiny, reminding the listener that actions and conditions (even unintended ones) can generate far-reaching results.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unintended outcomes can arise from conflict and prior conditions (like a curse). It underscores a Mahābhārata theme: causality is complex—karma, circumstance, and destiny intertwine, producing consequences that shape lineages and history.
During a fight, semen falls into the Yamunā. An apsaras named Adrikā, living there under Brahmā’s curse, is implicated in the chain of events that will lead to a remarkable birth (later described as fishermen opening the fish and finding a girl and a boy).