Vicitravirya lived happily with his queens, but not for long. A deadly disease killed him while he was still very young.
Satyavati was desperate. She had lost her husband and two children in a very short time, and moreover the prestigious Bharata race was in danger of extinction. The only one who could restore it was Bhishma, but however much she tried to induce him to father children with his stepbrother’s wives, he vigorously rejected the idea, reminding his stepmother of the vow of brahmacarya.
The situation was serious. What could be done? At that point, with much hesitation, Satyavati revealed a secret to Bhishma.
“I think the time has come to confide in you something from my past that I have always kept silent from everyone. As you know, I was born of an Apsara, who after giving birth to me dropped me into the river, where I was swallowed by a fish. The fisherman who found me in the belly of the animal adopted me. At that time, I did not have the fragrant smell I have now, on the contrary I gave off an unbearable fishy stench. One day I was seen by the sage Parashara, who was attracted to me so much that he wished to have a child with me.
“I didn’t want to, but he convinced me, claiming that in addition to making me regain my virginity immediately after childbirth, he would also imbue me with a pleasant smell of forest flowers. So, I gave birth to a child who was given the names of Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa. He became the glorious sage that you know well.”
This is a section of the book “Maha-Bharata As It Is vol. 1 of 2”.
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