Shloka 67
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
इधर वह शुभलक्षणा अप्सरा अद्विका क्षणभरमें शापमुक्त हो गयी। भगवान् ब्रह्माजीने पहले ही उससे कह दिया था कि 'तिर्यगू-योनिमें पड़ी हुई तुम दो मानव-संतानोंको जन्म देकर शापसे छूट जाओगी।” अतः मछली मारनेवाले मललाहने जब उसे काटा तो वह मानव-बालकोंको जन्म देकर मछलीका रूप छोड़ दिव्य रूपको प्राप्त हो गयी। इस प्रकार वह सुन्दरी अप्सरा सिद्ध महर्षि और चारणोंके पथसे स्वर्गलोकमें चली गयी || ६४-- ६६ || सा कन्या दुहिता तस्या मत्स्या मत्स्यसगन्धिनी । राज्ञा दत्ता च दाशाय कन्येयं ते भवत्विति,उन जुड़वी संतानोंमें जो कन्या थी, मछलीकी पुत्री होनेसे उसके शरीरसे मछलीकी गन्ध आती थी। अतः राजाने उसे मल्लाहको सौंप दिया और कहा--“यह तेरी पुत्री होकर रहे!
idharā sā śubhalakṣaṇā apsarā advikā kṣaṇabhareṇa śāpamuktā babhūva | bhagavān brahmā pūrvam evāsya uvāca—“tiryagyoniṃ gatā tvam dvau mānavasantānau janayitvā śāpāt pramokṣyase” iti | ataḥ matsyaghātakena mallāhena yadā sā chinnā tadā sā mānavabālakau prasūya matsyarūpaṃ tyaktvā divyarūpaṃ prāpya | evaṃ sā sundarī apsarā siddhamaharṣicāraṇapathena svargalokaṃ jagāma || sā kanyā duhitā tasyā matsyā matsyagandhinī | rājñā dattā ca dāśāya—“kanye iyaṃ te bhavatu” iti ||
Vaiśampāyana said: At that moment the auspicious apsaras Advikā was freed from her curse. Lord Brahmā had already told her, “Having fallen into an animal womb, you will be released from the curse after giving birth to two human children.” Therefore, when the fisherman (mallāha) cut open the fish, she brought forth two human infants; abandoning the fish-form, she regained her divine form. Thus that beautiful apsaras, traveling by the path of the Siddhas, great seers, and Cāraṇas, went to the heavenly world. Of the twin offspring, the girl—being the fish’s daughter—carried the smell of fish upon her body; so the king entrusted her to the fisherman, saying, “Let this girl be your daughter.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the working of karma and divine ordinance: even a fall into an animal birth can become a means of purification when a destined act is fulfilled. It also underscores how social and familial arrangements (the king entrusting the girl to the fisherman) are framed as part of restoring order after an extraordinary event.
An apsaras named Advikā, cursed to be born as a fish, is released when she gives birth to two human children as foretold by Brahmā. After the fisherman cuts open the fish, she regains her divine form and returns to heaven. The girl among the twins, noted for a fish-like odor, is given by the king to the fisherman to be raised as his daughter.