Shloka 15
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 97: Satyavatī’s appeal and Bhīṣma’s reaffirmation of satya
तुमलोगोंका दिव्य रूप नष्ट कैसे हो गया? देवता सकुशल तो हैं न? तब वसुदेवताओंने गंगासे कहा--“महानदी! महात्मा वसिष्ठने थोड़े-से अपराधपर क्रोधमें आकर हमें शाप दे दिया है। पहलेकी बात है एक दिन जब वसिष्ठजी पेड़ोंकी आड़में संध्योपासना कर रहे थे, हम सब मोहवश उनका उल्लंघन करके चले गये (और उनकी धेनुका अपहरण कर लिया)। इससे कुपित होकर उन्होंने हमें शाप दिया कि “तुमलोग मनुष्ययोनिमें जन्म लो” || १२-- १४ || न निवर्तयितुं शक््यं यदुक्तं ब्रह्मवादिना । त्वमस्मान् मानुषी भूत्वा सृज पुत्रान-वसून् भुवि,“उन ब्रह्मवादी महर्षिने जो बात कह दी है, वह टाली नहीं जा सकती; अतः हमारी प्रार्थना है कि तुम पृथ्वीपर मानवपत्नी होकर हम वसुओंको अपने पुत्ररूपसे उत्पन्न करो
na nivartayituṃ śakyaṃ yad uktaṃ brahmavādinā | tvam asmān mānuṣī bhūtvā sṛja putrān vasūn bhuvi ||
“What has been spoken by that brahma-speaking seer cannot be turned back. Therefore, we entreat you: become a human woman upon the earth and bring us—the Vasus—forth as your sons.” In the narrative frame, the Vasus accept the moral weight of a sage’s utterance: a wrongful act has consequences, and even divine beings must submit to the binding force of a rishi’s truth-spoken word. The request to Gaṅgā seeks a lawful, compassionate means to undergo the curse while preserving cosmic order and the welfare of the gods.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A rishi’s truth-spoken utterance (especially a curse arising from dharmic authority) is treated as irrevocable; even gods must accept consequences. The passage highlights moral accountability and the idea that cosmic order is maintained when beings submit to lawful outcomes rather than seeking to evade them.
The Vasus explain that Vasiṣṭha cursed them to be born as humans due to an offense. Since the curse cannot be averted, they request Gaṅgā to become a human woman and give birth to them on earth as her sons, providing a proper channel for the curse to take effect.