Vaishampayana said: -
1. O great king, having been thus assessed Kunti replied to her heroic lord, king Pandu, the best of the Kurus.
Kunti said: -
2. O virtuous one, you should not say so to me. O lotus eyed one, I am your lawfully wedded wife, ever devoted to you.
3. O mighty armed descendant of the Bharata race, you should in righteousness beget on me greatly powerful children.
4. O best of men, I shall go to heaven with you. O descendant of Kuru, embrace me to beget offspring.
5. I shall not certainly, even in imagination, accept any other man except you in my embrace. Who is there in this world who could be superior to you?
6. O virtuous minded man, O large eyed one, hear the (following) Pauranika narrative which was heard by me and which I shall now narrate to you.
7. “In ancient times there was a king known by the name of Vyusitashwa, the expander of the Puru dynasty, who was exceedingly virtuous.
8. In the sacrifice which that virtuous and mighty armed man performed, the celestial with Indra and Devarshis came.
9. In the sacrifice of the illustrious royal sage Vyusitashwa, Indra was so intoxicated with Soma drink and the Brahmanas with Dakshina (offerings) that the celestial and the Brahmana Rishis performed everything of it themselves.
10. O king, thereupon Vyushitashwa began to shine over all creatures like the sun after the season of frost.
11. O best of kings, he conquered all the monarchs of the east, west, north and south and he exacted tribute from them all.
12. O king, he was endued with the strength of ten elephants. Vyusitashwa did all this in his great Horse sacrifice.
13. O best of the Kurus, the men, learned in the Puranas, sing this verse in order to increase the fame of that king of men, Vyusitashwa.
14. Vyusitashwa has conquered the whole earth as far as sea. He protects all classes of his subjects as a father protects his own sons.
15. He performed many sacrifices and gave away much wealth to the Brahmanas. Collecting jewels and precious stones, he performed afterwards great sacrifices.
16 Extracting a large quantity of Soma juice, he performed (the great sacrifice) Soma Sanstha. O king, his beloved wife was the daughter of Kakshivan, named Bhadra, unrivalled on earth for her beauty.
17-18.We have heard, they deeply loved each other. He was seldom separated from his wife. Intercourse with her brought in consumption and he soon died sinking like the sun in its glory. She became, afflicted with great grief at her husband’s death.
19. O best of men, O king, hear how Bhadra, being childless and afflicted with grief, bewailed for her husband. I shall recount it.
Vhadra said: -
20. O greatly learned man in religious precepts, women serve no purpose when their husband is dead. She who lives without her husband lives a miserable life.
21. O best of Kshatryas, death is preferable to one whom has her husband. I wish to follow the way you have gone. Be kind towards me and take me with you.
22. I am unable in your absence to bear life for a moment. O King, kind to me and take me soon away.
23. O best of men, I shall follow you over even and uneven ground. Going with you, I shall never return again.
24. O king, I shall follow you as a shadow. I shall be always obedient to you. O best of kings, I shall ever remain engaged in doing your favourite works.
25. O king, 0 lotus eyed, from this day the heart sucking affliction will always overwhelm me for your death.
26. Unfortunate am I! some loving couple had no doubt been separated by me in my former life. From this I am separated from you.
27. O king, she, who lives even for a moment after being separated from her husband that sinful woman, lives in great misery and in hell.
28. Some loving couple must have been separated by me in my former birth; from that sin, acquired in my former body.
29. O king, I now suffer this great pain in consequence of your separation from me. O king, from this day I shall lie on Kusha grass.
30. I shall abstain from every luxury, being ever desirous of seeing you. O best of men, show yourself to me. O king of men, O lord, command your wretched and bitterly weeping wife, plunged in great misery.
Kunti said: -
31. It was thus she bewailed again and again embracing the corpse (of her husband). She was then addressed by an invisible voice.
The Voice said: -
32. O Vadra, rise up and leave this place. I grant you this boon. O lady of sweet smiles, I shall beget offspring on you.
33. O beautiful featured lady, lie down with me on your bed on the eighth or the fourteenth day of the moon after the bath of your season.
Kunti said: -
34. Having been thus addressed by the invisible voice, the chaste lady (Vadra), desirous of offspring, did as she was directed.
35. O best of the Bharatas, O excellent descendant of the Bharata race, that lady gave birth of three Shalvas and four Madras by that corpse.”
36. O best of the Bharatas, you too like him beget offspring by your ascetic power.
Thus ends the hundred and twenty first chapter, the history of Vyusitashwa, in the Sambhava of the Adi Parva.