In this Mahabharat episode, we see the results of the meeting of Shantanu and Ganga, which is tied in with a curse from sage Vasishta.
Ganga delivered a beautiful baby boy. But as soon as the baby was born, Ganga quietly took him in her arms, walked down to the nearby river, and put him into the water, letting him float away. Shantanu was shocked. His heart filled with immense sadness, but he kept quiet because he knew that if he asked Ganga why she was doing this, she would leave him forever. So, even though he was crying deep down, he stayed silent. He continued to love Ganga with all his heart, and stayed by her side.
This happened again and again. Each time a new baby was born, Ganga would take it away and let it go in the water. Shantanu was very sad — his happiness was turning into deep unhappiness — but he kept honoring his promise. This went on until Ganga had let go of seven children. Shantanu was worried. His heart was heavy, and he was close to losing his mind with sadness.
When Ganga was about to let go of their eighth child, Shantanu couldn’t keep silent anymore. He rushed forward, grabbed the baby in his arms, and cried, “Enough! Please! Why are you doing such a terrible thing? This is inhuman. Please tell me the truth.”
Ganga turned to him with a heavy heart. “You have broken your promise by asking me this. Now I must leave you. But I owe you the explanation. So listen carefully:
A long time ago, a great sage named Vasishta was living in his ashram. He had a wonderful, magical cow called Nandini. Nandini was a wish-fulfilling cow — pure, kind, and magical.
One day, eight Vasus — the gods — came to visit nearby. These Vasus flew through the skies in wonderful, shimmering chariots called vimanas. These chariots didn’t need horses; instead, they flew by magic. The chariots glowed with light, but there was no fire or oil — the light came from within.
While they were resting, the Vasus saw Nandini. The wife of Prabhasa, one of the Vasus, fell in love with Nandini. She said, ‘I want that magic cow.’ Prabhasa decided to take Nandini, even though it belonged to the great sage Vasishta.
Some Vasus said, ‘Wait, we shouldn’t do this! Nandini belongs to a holy man. We shouldn’t steal her.’ But Prabhasa’s wife insisted, ‘Cowards always make excuses. We must be brave and take what we want.’ So Prabhasa and the other Vasus stole Nandini.
When Sage Vasishta found out, he was very angry. He said, ‘How could you do something so unfair? Because of your actions, you will be forced to be reborn as human beings. You will lose your ability to fly, to do magic, or to be gods. You will become ordinary people who grow up, grow old, and eventually die.’
The Vasus fell at Ganga’s feet and begged her, ‘Please, we do not want to suffer a long human life. Let us be reborn through your womb and then let us leave this world quickly.’ Ganga felt sorry for them and decided to help.
‘That is why I let your children go,’ Ganga said to Shantanu. ‘They wanted to be freed from their curse as soon as possible. All except the eighth — he is Prabhasa, the main one responsible for the theft — he must live a full human life. But I will take him with me and make sure he gets the best education, training, and knowledge from great masters. When he is ready, I will bring him back to you, a wonderful prince, a future king. So do not lose heart — you will see him again when he is grown up.’
Then Ganga disappeared with their son, and Shantanu was left all alone — sad, confused, but also filled with hope for the future.
The Vasus fell at Ganga’s feet and begged her, “Please make sure we are reborn through your womb, and let our lives be as short as possible. We want to be freed from this curse quickly.”
When Sage Vasishta found out that his beloved cow Nandini had been stolen, he became very angry. “How dare you do this! You came as my guests, I treated you with kindness, and yet you stole from me. Because of your unfair action, I curse you — you will be reborn as human beings. Your wings will be gone, you will walk upon the earth, carry human bodies, grow old, and eventually die just like everyone else.”
The Vasus begged Ganga, “Please, Ganga, let our human lives be short. Let us return to our original forms as soon as we can.” Ganga listened to their pleas. “I will do as you wish. I will let seven of you be freed quickly. But the eighth — Prabhasa, who encouraged the theft — will stay alive much longer as a human. Because he made the big mistake, he must pay for it by living a full human life.”
Then Ganga turned to Shantanu and said, “I was not hurting your children. I was freeing them from their curse. I let seven go, but I kept this eighth one alive. Because he made a mess, he must live a full human life. But I will take him with me and teach him everything he needs to know to become a great king. When he is sixteen, I will bring him back to you.” With those words, Ganga disappeared with their son.
Shantanu was left all alone. His heart was heavy with sadness. He walked aimlessly through his palace and his kingdom. All his happiness was gone, and he didn’t know what to do. His people worried for him, wondering if their king would ever be happy again.
Then, after sixteen years, Ganga came back, bringing with her a strong, brave, and well-trained prince. His name was Devavrata. Parashurama, a great warrior, had taught him archery, and Brihaspati, the teacher of the gods, had taught him the Vedas — the holy knowledge. Devavrata was ready to become a king. Shantanu was filled with happiness once more. His heart was healed, and he made Devavrata the Yuvraj, or crown prince.
Devavrata began to do his duties with fairness and kindness, following his father’s guidance. Shantanu was proud, happy, and at peace once again. But soon, another twist in the story was about to come — the moment when Shantanu fell in love once more.
To Be Continued...
