# Bāla Kāṇḍa 31 — Story of Kuśanābha: Vāyu disfigures the hundred daughters *Vāyu proposes marriage, the sisters insist on their father’s consent and Vāyu enters their limbs and leaves them hunchbacked* Portion: Story of Kuśanābha · Verses: 22 · Ref format: 1.31. ## Sequence - Viśvāmitra recounts that Kuśa, descended from Brahmā, had four sons through a Vidarbha princess and directed them to undertake royal duties (31.1–2) - they founded four cities: Kuśāmba established Kauśāmbī, Kuśanābha Mahodaya, Ādhūrtarajasa Dharmāraṇya, and Vasu Girivraja (31.3–5) - Viśvāmitra identifies the surrounding country with Vasu, its five mountains, and the river Sumāgadhī, flowing like a garland through fertile fields (31.6–8) - he turns to Kuśanābha's hundred daughters by Ghṛtācī → adorned and youthful, they sing, dance, and play instruments in a garden, shining like lightning or stars among clouds (31.9–12). - Vāyu sees them and asks all of them to become his wives, offering to replace their human condition with long life (31.13–14) - they acknowledge his power but reject his approach → they say they could curse him but will preserve their austerity, and insist that he respect their father → they say they await a svayaṃvara and will accept the husband their father gives them (31.15–19) - furious, Vāyu enters their limbs and bends them, leaving all the sisters hunchbacked (31.20–22) - the sisters return to the palace → alarmed, Kuśanābha asks who has done this to them as they writhe without speaking (31.21–22). ## Verses **1.31.1** brahmayonir mahān āsīt kuśo nāma mahātapāḥ vaidarbhyāṃ janayām āsa caturaḥ sadṛśān sutān There was a great one, sprung from Brahmā, named Kuśa, a great ascetic; upon a princess of Vidarbha he begot four sons, each like himself. **1.31.2** kuśāmbaṃ kuśanābhaṃ ca ādhūrta rajasaṃ vasum dīptiyuktān mahotsāhān kṣatradharmacikīrṣayā tān uvāca kuśaḥ putrān dharmiṣṭhān satyavādinaḥ Kuśāmba, Kuśanābha, Ādhūrtarajasa, and Vasu — endowed with radiance and of great energy — those sons, most righteous and truthful, Kuśa addressed, wishing them to take up the kṣatriya's duty: **1.31.3** kuśasya vacanaṃ śrutvā catvāro lokasaṃmatāḥ niveśaṃ cakrire sarve purāṇāṃ nṛvarās tadā Hearing Kuśa's words, the four, esteemed by the world, best of men, then all undertook the founding of cities. **1.31.4** kuśāmbas tu mahātejāḥ kauśāmbīm akarot purīm kuśanābhas tu dharmātmā paraṃ cakre mahodayam Kuśāmba of great splendour made the city Kauśāmbī; and the righteous Kuśanābha built the excellent Mahodaya. **1.31.5** ādhūrtarajaso rāma dharmāraṇyaṃ mahīpatiḥ cakre puravaraṃ rājā vasuś cakre girivrajam Ādhūrtarajasa, O Rāma, the lord of the earth, made the excellent city Dharmāraṇya; and King Vasu made Girivraja. **1.31.6** eṣā vasumatī rāma vasos tasya mahātmanaḥ ete śailavarāḥ pañca prakāśante samantataḥ This is Vasumatī, Rāma, the city of that great-souled Vasu; these five excellent mountains shine round about it. **1.31.7** sumāgadhī nadī ramyā māgadhān viśrutāyayau pañcānāṃ śailamukhyānāṃ madhye māleva śobhate The lovely river Sumāgadhī, renowned, flowed forth into the lands of the Magadhas; amid the five chief mountains it glistens like a garland. **1.31.8** saiṣā hi māgadhī rāma vasos tasya mahātmanaḥ pūrvābhicaritā rāma sukṣetrā sasyamālinī This indeed is the Māgadhī, Rāma, the river of that great-souled Vasu, coursing of old through his realm, its fields fertile, garlanded with crops. **1.31.9** kuśanābhas tu rājarṣiḥ kanyāśatam anuttamam janayām āsa dharmātmā ghṛtācyāṃ raghunandana The royal seer Kuśanābha, righteous of soul, begot a peerless hundred daughters upon Ghṛtācī, O delight of the Raghus. **1.31.10** tās tu yauvanaśālinyo rūpavatyaḥ svalaṃkṛtāḥ udyānabhūmim āgamya prāvṛṣīva śatahradāḥ And they, graced with youth, beautiful and well-adorned, coming to the garden-ground, were like flashes of lightning in the rainy season. **1.31.11** gāyantyo nṛtyamānāś ca vādayantyaś ca rāghava āmodaṃ paramaṃ jagmur varābharaṇabhūṣitāḥ Singing and dancing and playing music, O Rāghava, adorned with excellent ornaments, they came to the highest delight. **1.31.12** atha tāś cārusarvāṅgyo rūpeṇāpratimā bhuvi udyānabhūmim āgamya tārā iva ghanāntare Then those maidens, lovely in every limb, unmatched in beauty on earth, having come to the garden-ground, (shone) like stars amid the clouds. **1.31.13** tāḥ sarvaguṇasaṃpannā rūpayauvanasaṃyutāḥ dṛṣṭvā sarvātmako vāyur idaṃ vacanam abravīt Seeing them, endowed with every excellence and possessed of beauty and youth, Vāyu, who dwells within all, spoke these words: **1.31.14** ahaṃ vaḥ kāmaye sarvā bhāryā mama bhaviṣyatha mānuṣas tyajyatāṃ bhāvo dīrgham āyur avāpsyatha “I desire you all; you shall become my wives. Let your human condition be cast off, and you shall gain long life.” **1.31.15** tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā vāyor akliṣṭakarmaṇaḥ apahāsya tato vākyaṃ kanyāśatam athābravīt Hearing those words of Vāyu, of untiring deeds, the hundred maidens, laughing his speech aside, then said: **1.31.16** antaś carasi bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ tvaṃ surottama prabhāvajñāś ca te sarvāḥ kim asmān avamanyase “You move within all beings, O best of gods; and we all know your power. Why do you slight us? **1.31.17** kuśanābhasutāḥ sarvāḥ samarthās tvāṃ surottama sthānāc cyāvayituṃ devaṃ rakṣāmas tu tapo vayam We, all the daughters of Kuśanābha, are able, O best of gods, to hurl you, a god, from your station; but we keep guard over our austerity. **1.31.18** mā bhūt sa kālo durmedhaḥ pitaraṃ satyavādinam nāvamanyasva dharmeṇa svayaṃvaram upāsmahe May that time never come, O dull-witted one! Do not, in defiance of dharma, insult our truth-speaking father; by his will we await the rite of self-choice. **1.31.19** pitā hi prabhur asmākaṃ daivataṃ paramaṃ hi saḥ yasya no dāsyati pitā sa no bhartā bhaviṣyati For our father is our lord, and he is our highest deity; to whomever our father gives us, he shall become our husband.” **1.31.20** tāsāṃ tad vacanaṃ śrutvā vāyuḥ paramakopanaḥ praviśya sarvagātrāṇi babhañja bhagavān prabhuḥ Hearing those words of theirs, Vāyu, exceedingly enraged, the mighty lord, entered into all their limbs and bent them. **1.31.21** tāḥ kanyā vāyunā bhagnā viviśur nṛpater gṛham dṛṣṭvā bhagnās tadā rājā saṃbhrānta idam abravīt Those maidens, bent double by Vāyu, entered the king's palace; and seeing them thus deformed, the king, alarmed, spoke thus: **1.31.22** kim idaṃ kathyatāṃ putryaḥ ko dharmam avamanyate kubjāḥ kena kṛtāḥ sarvā veṣṭantyo nābhibhāṣatha “What is this? Speak, my daughters! Who is it that spurns dharma? By whom have you all been made crooked? You writhe, yet you do not speak.”