Heart pounding in his chest, Shantanu stepped forward, his face betraying the weight of desperation and frustration, that he had been carrying for a long time.
"Kaun ho tum ? Kiski ho tum ? Kyu apne hi putro ka vadh kar rahi ho ? Yeh mahapaap hai ! Dusht naari, yeh anarth na karo !" He said in a harsh tone.
Ganga smiled sadly, cradling the tiny life in her gentle embrace she said "Chuki aapko putra chahiye, mai iss shishu ko nahi maarungi. Kintu aapne mujhe roka hai aur mujhse kathor swar mei baat ki hai, iss liye mai ab yaha nahi theher sakti."
Shantanu looked at her grief stricken, confused at the unfolding of events.
"Rajan, mai Janhu ki putri, Himalaya ki jani, Ganga hu, jise asankhya Maharishi pujte hai." She said.
"Ganga ?" Shantanu muttered, as his eyes widened slightly.
"Ha Maharaj. Ek divya sankalp ke karan mai aapke patni ke roop mei aapke saath reh rahi thi. Humare sabhi putra, koi aur nahi, apetu Apava ke dwara shraapit Vasu the manushya roop mei. Unhone mujhse anurodh kiya tha ki mai unki Mata ban, unke janm lete hi, unhe apne jal mei daal, manushya jeevan se mukt kardu." Ganga said.
"Kya ?" Shantanu got even more confused.
"Rajan, 7 Vasuo ko mukti toh mil gayi, kintu iss aathve ko nahi. Yeh balak ko mai Gangadatt naam deti hu." She said.
"Jahnavi, Apava kaun hai ? Vasuo ko kyu shraap mila ? Aur yadi sabko mukti mil gayi, toh Gangadatt ko kyu nahi ?" Shantanu asked.
"Varun ke putra, Brahmarishi Vasisth hi iss sansaar mei Apava naam se prasiddh hai." Ganga said and began to narrate the entire tale of how the Vasus stole the cow of Vasisth, on Dyou's behest, for he wanted to retrieve it for his wife, who wished to give its milk to her friend. Bhagirathi told Shantanu in detail, about how Vasisth found out and cursed all the Vasus and why he especially cursed Dyou, who was none other than Gangadatt.
"Oh." Shantanu muttered after knowing the complete ordeal.
"Rajan, mai Gangadatt ko apne saath leke jaa rahi hu. Ise yogya bana aapko saup dungi." Ganga said.
And before Shantanu could utter a word, Ganga vanished immediately, taking her son with her.
With sorrow in his heart, Shantanu then returned to his own capital, Nagasaharya. From then onwards, the great king kept himself busy in the affairs of his kingdom.
For him now, dharma was superior to kama and artha. On seeing that he was devoted to dharma and supreme in the practice of all forms of dharma, all the other kings of Aryavart instated him as the king of kings, the Chakravarti Samrat.
He ruled over the entire earth, right
up to the boundaries of the oceans. He was devoted to truth and learned in dharma, an equal of the king of the gods. He attained great fortune through generosity and austerities. He was free of anger and hatred.
With Shantanu as their protector, all the kings on earth were freed from sorrow, fear and anxiety and awoke every morning from sweet dreams. When the world was ruled by kings led by the son of Pratipa, all the varnas followed rules that served the cause of the brahman.
Brahmanas were served by Kshatriyas,
Kshatriyas were served by Vaishyas. Devoted to Brahmanas and Kshatriyas, Shudras served the Vaishyas.
He was as pleasant as the moon, as energetic as the sun and his speed was like that of Vayu. He was like Yama in his righteous anger and like the earth in his patience.
He treated all beings equally, without desire and anger. Sacrifices were performed for the worship of gods, rishis and the ancestors. No being was deprived of its life, other than in accordance with dharma. Shantanu was like a father to those who were miserable, to those who were without a protector and to animals.
And thus ruling with dharma and having pleasured with women for thirty-six years, the king retired to the forest. But he still fulfilled his kingly duties, for he had no heir.
Until now, when he had shot a deer, and followed it along the banks of the river Ganga. He saw that the waters of the Bhagirathi had become shallow.
"Yeh sarvottam Nadi ka pravah aise badal kaise gaya ?" He muttered.
While trying to determine the reason, Shantanu saw a tall well-built youth who was beautiful and handsome, wielding a sturdy bow in hand, he looked like the Indra himself.
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A/N
*Drum rolls*
PITAMAH OF LADAKPAN IN THE HOUSE ✨✨✨
It's a very rare sight to see Pitamah as young- Enjoy while you can-🌝
So the first myth of Mahabharat, which is a minor one, but still a myth, is that Bhishm returned when he was 25 (I guess it's origin is Star Plus Mahabharat).
But in reality Bhishm was 36 ✨
And also, he was not just a student of Parshuram.... But also the student of Vasisth 🌝
Ironical since Vasisth is the one who cursed him ✨