³⁵ Those who invoke the deities by offering them Soma juice—a
delicious drink which is much liked by the gods according to Hindu
ideas.
³⁶ This mind-born daughter refers to a river of the same name that
has come down from that region to earth.
³⁷ The word in the text is _Vabre_ which literally means to choose as
a husband. It may also mean to offer benedictory offerings to a
deity or person. As it is impossible for a daughter to choose one
of her ancestors as her husband the word evidently means here "to
accept him and give him offerings as her father". The context
proves that the maiden was anxious to behold her ancestral manes
and so when she first saw Vasu, she took him for her father and
offered him adoration. Later she perceived that he was not her
father and her real Pitris were in the three cars. This was
evidently a transgression, for which, as is seen later on, she was
doomed to take birth as the daughter of Vasu.
³⁸ We have put in _Sometimes_ only for preserving consistency. In the
previous sloka it is mentioned that even the celestials perform
actions in this world and then attain to the fruits thereof in the
next. Thus the gods also are under the influence of Karma. Whereas
in this sloka it is said that by mere determination they attain to
the fruits of their actions. Therefore the consistency is not
preserved unless we put in the word ’_Sometimes_’. The author
evidently had in view that the celestials, though under the
influence of Karma, are sometimes freed therefrom. But that is not
the case with men. They cannot avoid the consequences of their
actions under any circumstances whatever.
³⁹ This refers to Veda Vyasa who compiled and arranged the four
Vedas. The word Vyasa means "an arranger" Veda Vyasa is the
surname of a Rishi, the son of Parashara, who compiled the four
Vedas. The Vedas originally existed in the shape of hymns that
were sung by the ancient Aryans and passed from one family to
another as sacred heir-looms. For some centuries they existed in
this form. It was this great Rishi who first committed them to
writing and arranged them in the order in which they are now
found. The four divisions are his own creation. On account of this
great work he received the appellation ’Veda-Vyasa’.
CHAPTER XIX. BHARADWAJA’s FAMILY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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