Shloka 60
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
जग्राह तरसोपेत्य साद्रिका मत्स्यरूपिणी । कदाचिदपि मत्सीं तां बबन्धुर्मत्स्यजीविन:
jagrāha tarasopetya sādrikā matsyarūpiṇī | kadācid api matsīṁ tāṁ babandhur matsyajīvinaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Adrikā dalam rupa ikan segera menerpa ke hadapan dan merampasnya. Kemudian, para nelayan yang hidup dengan menangkap ikan menjerat dan mengikat ikan itu dengan jala; apabila perutnya dibelah, mereka mendapati di dalamnya seorang anak perempuan dan seorang anak lelaki—demikianlah akibat ganjil antara nafsu dan takdir tersingkap di perairan Yamunā.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The episode underscores how actions and impulses can yield unforeseen results, and how destiny (often mediated through curses and transformations) can redirect even morally ambiguous events into the unfolding of a larger lineage and cosmic plan.
Adrikā, an apsaras cursed to live as a fish, quickly swallows the fallen seed; later fishermen catch that fish, and upon cutting it open they discover two infants—a girl and a boy—setting up the origin story connected with later dynastic developments.