Shloka 46
नियोगप्रसङ्गः — The Niyoga Episode: Births of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Pāṇḍu, and Vidura
(अयं देवब्रतश्वैव गड्भादत्तश्न मे सुतः | द्विनामा शान्तनो: पुत्र: शान्तनोरधिको गुणै: ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca | ayaṃ devavrataś caiva gaṅgādattaś ca me sutaḥ | dvināmā śāntanoḥ putraḥ śāntanor adhiko guṇaiḥ || ayaṃ kumāraḥ putras te vivṛddhaḥ punar eṣyati | ahaṃ ca te bhaviṣyāmi āhvānopagatā nṛpa || etad ākhyāya sā devī tatraivāntaradhīyata | ādāya ca kumāraṃ taṃ jagāmātha yathepsitam ||
Vaiśaṁpāyana berkata: “Wahai Raja, anakku ini akan masyhur dengan dua nama—Devavrata dan Gaṅgādatta. Dialah putera Śāntanu, dan dalam kebajikan akan mengatasi Śāntanu sendiri. Anakmu ini masih kecil; apabila dewasa kelak, dia akan kembali kepadamu. Dan setiap kali engkau memanggilku, wahai raja, aku akan hadir di hadapanmu.” Setelah berkata demikian, sang dewi lenyap di tempat itu juga; sambil membawa bayi itu, dia pergi ke tempat yang diingininya. Demikianlah, wahai Janamejaya, setelah menyatakan semuanya, Gaṅgā menghilang bersama bayi yang baru lahir dan berangkat menurut kehendaknya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage emphasizes the primacy of guṇa (virtue/character) over mere birth or status: the child is foretold to surpass his father in qualities. It also frames divine agency as operating within royal life—Gaṅgā acts with autonomy yet promises responsiveness to rightful summons, suggesting a moral order where power is tempered by accountability.
Gaṅgā tells King Śāntanu that their son will be known as Devavrata and Gaṅgādatta, will excel in virtues, and will return to Śāntanu after growing up. She then disappears on the spot, taking the infant with her to raise him elsewhere, while the narrator Vaiśampāyana reports this to King Janamejaya.