Canto 10 - Description of Obtainment of Step-Mother

1. The king Śāntanu, knowing the entire account serially from the mouths of different ministers and taken a dip in the flow of an incident like that of a river, remained silent for a long.

2. The tears rolled down from the eyes of the king Śāntanu while thinking of unprecedented sacrifice made by his son for the sake of his father, and because of it, his cheeks became wet. He called his son Devavrata;and embraced him to his heart for a long.

3. Then, he spoke to his son, O son! You should not have done it. Because of this phenomenal sacrifice, my life in the form of a boat has started faltering (staggering).

4. The fire of sombreness of my mind, in accepting as well as in not accepting your decision meaning in both the directions, will constantly burn me like a fire burning in husk.

5. If I accept this sacrifice made by you then the bothering of sacrifice of son’s happiness will afflict me. Is there any father in the society who earns his happiness at the cost of his son’s happiness?

6. And if I do not follow your statement then my race will be finished. There is a fire on one hand and there is a sea on the other hand. O son! You have put me in a great dilemma.

7. It is true that Satyavatī is liked by my mind; and it is also true that I wish to obtain her. But a person of taste never pays a mango for the cost of grapes in this world.

8. Devavrata immediately spoke after hearing the affectionate words of his father for him thus, O father! I am very lucky for becoming your son. The father like you is not easy to have in this world.

9. When I was born, my mother died and you became wifeless. I know that for the sake of my welfare only you did not marry with another lady at that time.

10. I shall get condemned if I become hindrance in your happiness at this time after being a youth also; and there will be an end of the story of son’s duty towards his father in this world.

11. A son should also work for the sake of happiness of his father, as his father does it for him. It is my strong opinion that as clapping is not possible through one hand, similarly one-sided observance of duty does not give splendour in this world.

12. I think that there will be no dispute in any of the family if both the sides of the family remain aware of their respective duties like the two banks of the river remain forever for an easy flow of a river.

13. And, thinking this only in my mind, O father! I have observed my duty. Therefore, you should neither doubt nor reflect any indeciveness in this matter; and you should fulfil my desires.

14. Now you give up worrying about me. I understand that there is no pleasure in my life. O father! Everything is predestined only. Wise persons do not fear from that.

15. O father! If you do not fulfil my desire then I shall assume that I have sacrificed myself into ashes. Not only this, the sense of devotion towards father, being insulted, slowly will disappear from this world.

16. Therefore, leaving aside all your resolutions and indecisions you hold the hands of your beloved one. Through it, I, you and all will get peace and happiness very much.

17. On hearing a very strong decision of his son, the king Śāntanu’s mesh of doubts was cut off. Then the king Śāntanu, thinking for a moment and with his heart satisfied, spoke to Devavrata, the son of Gaṅgā, thus.

18. O son! Yet there is no one like you nor will be of your popularity that will always surpass all the three worlds.

19. I have to accept your proposal to make your pledge successful. Which father does not desire that for the population of his son?

20. My inner-self is experiencing sense of gratefulness for you and therefore wishes to give you a boon. Therefore, O son! I am happily giving you the entire merit of my penance.

21. Son! The longevity of any person is decided by the hands of Lord Brahmā, the Creator of the Universe. But today I am giving a boon of longevity at your will.

22. O son! I, surrendering that human-life which is very rare, perished quickly, passed in no times and which does not care for those who still wish to live long, under your control.

23. Son! You will live as long as you wish to live in this world. Today, I am offering you all my merits for the same.

24. Saying so, compassionate the king Śāntanu embraced his son Devavrata to heart; he, assuming the will of almighty God very firm and final, accepted his beloved Satyavaī who has come as per the condition.

25. Many of the people could not make out who is more praiseworthy between two–a son who has sacrificed his sensual pleasure for the sake of happiness of his father and a father who has sacrificed all his merits for his son.

26. After this, they both viz., Satyavatī and Śāntanu, being in love and getting duly married with each other, started relishing the fruit of copulation which was acquired due to prince’s sacrifice.

27. Both of them were expert in different techniques of Kāmaśāstra. Therefore, they started taking bath in the sea of sexual enjoyment in different ways.

28. The newly married lady Satyavatī embraced the king Śāntanu and happily welcomed him for the sensual enjoyment as a creeper clings to a tree, and as a lady tries to climb a tree.

29. Thereafter, both of them experienced the pleasure of embrace Tilataṇḍula by name. Consequently, crossing that stage of pleasure both of them became one as milk and water.

30. Both of them experienced the pleasure of Urūpagūhana, Jaghanopagūhana, and Lalāṭikā; traditionally. Apart form this, both of them experienced the pleasure of various kinds of clasps.

31. They also lovingly kissed on the bodies of each other, an assistant of the sensual pleasure and which increases the flow of happiness in intercourse. Some of these kisses were won by them in gambling with each other.

32. Both of them, having in the relation of marriage, happily realised the taste of charming kisses viz., sama, tiryak, udbhrānta, avapīḍita, avapīḍitaka, uttara, sampuṭaka and jihvāyuddha.

33. They both were forcibly and affectionately kissing the forehead, cheek, lips as juicy like nectar, throat and the heart (which became the source of kāmarasa) of each other.

34. Both of them made bruises caused by the nails as well as by the teeth on the bodies of each other in hurry due to the force of sensual passion. As a result, the yearning for intercourse became very strong; and accordingly the force of sensual pleasure started increasing in them.

Pair (Couple)

35-36. The king Śāntanu beautifully made various bruises by his nails in the root of the throat, ‘Ardhacandraka’ by name, in all the four sides of breasts, ‘Mayūrapadaka’ by name, in a cavity below the attractive navel and of the hips, ‘Maṇḍala’ by name, on waist ‘Utpalapatraka’, on thighs ‘Yavakośa’ and on back ‘Taraṅgamāla’ by name.

37-38. The king Śāntanu affectionately decorated different parts of his beloved one like the cheeks by ‘Maṇipravāṇa’, lips by ‘Gūḍhaka’, throat by ‘Bindu’; and breasts by ‘Khaṇḍabhraka’ bruises made by his teeth. Apart from these, he decorated the parts of body also through bruises made by his teeth provoking sexual passion.

39. That newly married queen Satyavatī did not deny the bruises made by the nails and teeth. Rather her desire for sensual love increased because of them. As a result, she completely got involved in sensual love.

40. As Satyavatī and Śāntanu, both were tied to each other through the string of love, both were loving each other and both have acquired each other; as per the science of Kāma (i.e. Kāmaśāstra) both were of an appropriate gender; and mental inclinations of both were same;(and) therefore, they both like Goddess Pārvatī and Lord Śaṅkara, forgetting everything and with single-mind, were always sporting.

41. Both were involved in celebrating their ‘Honeymoon’, experiencing the pleasure of their marriage, through their sexual intercourse in different ways.

42. In those days, even God Indra and Goddess Indrāṇīwere surprised after seeing their armorous sport; and feeling inferiority complex for themselves, they both thought of studying Kāmaśāstra again.

43. Kāmadeva and his wife Rati, residing in them, were getting very happy on them for their armorous sports; and they were always bestowing on them their blessings while they were having pleasure in a special way.

44. As far as they were experiencing the pleasure of armorous sport, in the same manner their sexual craving was increasing. The flame of fire increases by provoking butter (ghī;) in it; it is the nature of fire.

45. By the provocation of sexual craving, the mind desires to have sex, and by having sexual intercourse the mind does not get away from sexual urges. As a result, this wheel of sexual craving and sexual enjoyment always keeps on moving in beings; and because of these two desires only this world is surviving.

46. Both of them passed much time in experiencing sensual pleasure and they could not understand it also. It is true only, (that) persons, involved in the enjoyment of their favourite marriage life, could not make out the passing of time.

47. In this way, both of them, involved in armorous sport, got pleased on account of obtaining their ever desired life partner, forgetting all other duties and experiencing the sexual enjoyment in different ways, started making efforts in dousing their sexual craving.