"Lomasa said, 'Then gathered together, Brahma, the grandfather of men
(thus) addressed, "Go ye, O gods! whither your pleasure may lead you, or
your desire conduct you. It will take a long course of time for the
ocean to resume its wonted state; the occasion will be furnished by the
agnates of the great king Bhagiratha." Hearing the words of the
(universal) grandfather (Brahma), all the foremost gods went their way
biding the day (when the ocean was to be filled again).'
"Yudhishthira said, 'What was that occasion, O Saint? And how did the
agnates of (Bhagiratha furnish the same)? And how was the ocean refilled
by the interference of Bhagiratha? O Saint, who deemest thy religious
practices as thy only treasure, O thou of the priestly class! I wish to
hear the account of the achievements of the king, narrated in detail by
thyself.'"
Vaisampayana said, "Thus addressed by the magnanimous and virtuous king,
he, the chief of men of the priestly class, narrated the achievements of
the high-souled (king) Sagara.
"Lomasa said, 'There was born in the family of the Ikshaku tribe, a
ruler of the earth named Sagara, endued with beauty, and strength. And
that same (king) of a dreaded name was sonless, O descendant of Bharata!
And he carried havoc through the tribes of the Haihayas and the
Talajanghas; brought under subjection the whole of the military caste;
(and so) ruled over his own kingdom. And, O most praiseworthy of the
descendants of Bharata! O chief of the Bharata race! he had two wives
proud of their beauty and of their youth,--one a princess of the
Vidarbha race, and the other of the royal line of Sivi. And, O chief of
kings, that same ruler of men, betook himself to the mountain Kailasa,
accompanied by both his wives, and with the desire of having a son
became engaged in the practice of exceeding austere penances. And being
engaged in the practice of rigid austerities, and (also) employed in the
contemplation known by the name of Yoga, he obtained the sight of the
magnanimous god with three eyes--the slayer of the demon called Tripura;
the worker of blessings (for all beings); the (eternally) existent one;
the ruling Being, the holder of the Pinaka bow; carrying in his hand his
(well-known weapon)--the trident; the god of three eyes; the repository
of (eternal) peace; the ruler of all those that are fierce; capable of
assuming very many forms; and the lord of the goddess Uma. And that same
ruler of men, of mighty arms, as soon as he beheld the god--that giver
of boons--fell down at his feet, with both his queens, and proffered a
prayer to have a son. And the god Siva, well pleased with him, spake
(thus) to that most righteous of the rulers of men, attended by his two
wives, saying, "O lord of men! considering the (astrological) moment at
which thou hast proffered thy prayer to me, sixty thousand sons, O
foremost of choice men valorous and characterised by exceeding pride,
will be born in one of thy two wives (here). But they all, O ruler of
the earth, shall perish together. In the other wife, (however), will be
born a single valiant son, who will perpetuate thy race." Having said
this to him, the god Rudra (Siva) vanished from sight at that very spot,
and that same king Sagara now came (back) to his own abode accompanied
by his two wives, exceedingly delighted at heart (for what had happened)
then. And, O most praiseworthy of the sons of Manu! (i.e., men), there
the two lotus-eyed wives of him--the princess of Vidarbha and the
princess of Sivi--came (erelong) to be with child. And afterwards, on
the due day, the princess of Vidarbha brought forth (something) of the
shape of a gourd and the princess of Sivi gave birth to a boy as
beautiful as a god. Then the ruler of the earth made up his mind to
throw away the gourd,--when he heard (proceeding) from the sky a speech
(uttered) in a grave and solemn voice, "O king! do thou not be guilty of
this hasty act; thou shouldst not abandon thy sons. Take out the seeds
from the gourd and let them be preserved with care in steaming vessels
partly filled with clarified butter. Then thou wilt get, O scion of
Bharata's race! sixty thousand sons. O ruler of men! the great god
(Siva) hath spoken that thy sons are to be born in this manner. Let not
therefore thy mind be turned away therefrom."'"