# Bāla Kāṇḍa 32 — Story of Kuśanābha: Brahmadatta restores the daughters *Kuśanābha praises their restraint and arranges marriage to Brahmadatta, whose touch restores each sister as he takes her hand* Portion: Story of Kuśanābha · Verses: 26 · Ref format: 1.32. ## Sequence - The daughters bow and explain that Vāyu injured them when they told him to seek their father's permission (32.1–4) - Kuśanābha praises their united restraint, calling patience an ornament of both women and men and a foundation of dharma → he consults his ministers about suitable marriages (32.5–10). Viśvāmitra introduces the man they will marry through a second story: the maharṣi Cūlī, an ūrdhvaretas (one who restrains his generative energy) is served devotedly by Somadā, a gandharva woman and daughter of Ūrmilā (32.11–13) - pleased with her service, he offers her a reward (32.14–15) - she praises Cūlī’s spiritual splendor and asks him for a righteous son endowed with brahmanical austerity, explaining that she has no husband → Cūlī grants her a mind-born son, Brahmadatta, who becomes King of Kāmpilyā (32.16–19) - Kuśanābha chooses Brahmadatta for his daughters and summons him (32.20–21) - as Brahmadatta takes each sister's hand in marriage, she is freed of her hunchback and affliction, and her beauty returns (32.22–23) - Kuśanābha rejoices and sends the married company away with its teachers → Somadā happily welcomes her hundred daughters-in-law (32.24–26). ## Verses **1.32.1** tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā kuśanābhasya dhīmataḥ śirobhiś caraṇau spṛṣṭvā kanyāśatam abhāṣata Hearing those words of the wise Kuśanābha, the hundred maidens, touching his feet with their heads, spoke: **1.32.2** vāyuḥ sarvātmako rājan pradharṣayitum icchati aśubhaṃ mārgam āsthāya na dharmaṃ pratyavekṣate “Vāyu, who pervades all, O king, wishes to violate us; taking to an unrighteous course, he has no regard for dharma. **1.32.3** pitṛmatyaḥ sma bhadraṃ te svacchande na vayaṃ sthitāḥ pitaraṃ no vṛṇīṣva tvaṃ yadi no dāsyate tava We are under a father's authority — blessings on you — we do not act at our own will; woo our father, if he will give us to you. **1.32.4** tena pāpānubandhena vacanaṃ na pratīcchatā evaṃ bruvantyaḥ sarvāḥ sma vāyunā nihatā bhṛṣam By that one of persistent wickedness, who would not accept our words — as we were all speaking thus, we were sorely stricken by Vāyu.” **1.32.5** tāsāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā rājā paramadhārmikaḥ pratyuvāca mahātejāḥ kanyāśatam anuttamam Hearing those words of theirs, the exceedingly righteous king of great splendour replied to the peerless hundred maidens: **1.32.6** kṣāntaṃ kṣamāvatāṃ putryaḥ kartavyaṃ sumahat kṛtam aikamatyam upāgamya kulaṃ cāvekṣitaṃ mama “Patience has been shown, my daughters; the great duty of the forbearing has been done; coming to a single accord, you have also had regard for my family. **1.32.7** alaṃkāro hi nārīṇāṃ kṣamā tu puruṣasya vā duṣkaraṃ tac ca vaḥ kṣāntaṃ tridaśeṣu viśeṣataḥ For patience is the ornament of women, and of a man as well; and that forbearance of yours is hard to achieve, especially toward the gods. **1.32.8** yādṛśīr vaḥ kṣamā putryaḥ sarvāsām aviśeṣataḥ kṣamā dānaṃ kṣamā yajñaḥ kṣamā satyaṃ ca putrikāḥ Such is the patience of you all, my daughters, without distinction. Patience is charity, patience is sacrifice, patience is truth, my little daughters; **1.32.9** kṣamā yaśaḥ kṣamā dharmaḥ kṣamāyāṃ viṣṭhitaṃ jagat visṛjya kanyāḥ kākutstha rājā tridaśavikramaḥ patience is glory, patience is dharma; upon patience the world rests.” Having dismissed the maidens, O Kākutstha, the king, of god-like prowess, **1.32.10** mantrajño mantrayām āsa pradānaṃ saha mantribhiḥ deśe kāle pradānasya sadṛśe pratipādanam versed in counsel, took counsel with his ministers about their bestowal in marriage — the giving-away in a place and time befitting such a bestowal. **1.32.11** etasminn eva kāle tu cūlī nāma mahāmuniḥ ūrdhvaretāḥ śubhācāro brāhmaṃ tapa upāgamat At just this time a great sage named Cūlī — of upward-drawn seed, of pure conduct — was engaged in holy austerity. **1.32.12** tapyantaṃ tam ṛṣiṃ tatra gandharvī paryupāsate somadā nāma bhadraṃ te ūrmilā tanayā tadā There, as that seer practised austerity, a gandharva woman waited upon him — Somadā by name, blessings on you, then the daughter of Ūrmilā. **1.32.13** sā ca taṃ praṇatā bhūtvā śuśrūṣaṇaparāyaṇā uvāsa kāle dharmiṣṭhā tasyās tuṣṭo 'bhavad guruḥ And she, becoming humble and wholly devoted to service, dwelt there in time, most dutiful; and the teacher was pleased with her. **1.32.14** sa ca tāṃ kālayogena provāca raghunandana parituṣṭo 'smi bhadraṃ te kiṃ karomi tava priyam And he, in the course of time, said to her, O delight of the Raghus: “I am well pleased — blessings on you — what may I do to please you?” **1.32.15** parituṣṭaṃ muniṃ jñātvā gandharvī madhurasvaram uvāca paramaprītā vākyajñā vākyakovidam Knowing the sage to be well pleased, the gandharva woman, exceedingly delighted and skilled in speech, spoke sweet-voiced to that master of words: **1.32.16** lakṣmyā samudito brāhmyā brahmabhūto mahātapāḥ brāhmeṇa tapasā yuktaṃ putram icchāmi dhārmikam “Endowed with the splendour of Brahman, become Brahman-like, a great ascetic — from you I wish for a righteous son endowed with brahmanical power. **1.32.17** apatiś cāsmi bhadraṃ te bhāryā cāsmi na kasya cit brāhmeṇopagatāyāś ca dātum arhasi me sutam I have no husband — blessings on you — and I am no one's wife; and since I have come to you in a brahmanical (chaste) manner, you ought to grant me a son.” **1.32.18** tasyāḥ prasanno brahmarṣir dadau putram anuttamam brahmadatta iti khyātaṃ mānasaṃ cūlinaḥ sutam Pleased with her, the brahmin-seer gave her a peerless son, known as Brahmadatta, a mind-born son of Cūlī. **1.32.19** sa rājā brahmadattas tu purīm adhyavasat tadā kāmpilyāṃ parayā lakṣmyā devarājo yathā divam And that King Brahmadatta then dwelt in the city Kāmpilyā in the highest splendour, as the king of the gods dwells in heaven. **1.32.20** sa buddhiṃ kṛtavān rājā kuśanābhaḥ sudhārmikaḥ brahmadattāya kākutstha dātuṃ kanyāśataṃ tadā That most righteous King Kuśanābha then made up his mind, O Kākutstha, to give the hundred maidens to Brahmadatta. **1.32.21** tam āhūya mahātejā brahmadattaṃ mahīpatiḥ dadau kanyāśataṃ rājā suprītenāntarātmanā Summoning that Brahmadatta, the king of the earth, of great splendour, gave him the hundred maidens with a well-pleased heart. **1.32.22** yathākramaṃ tataḥ pāṇiṃ jagrāha raghunandana brahmadatto mahī pālas tāsāṃ devapatir yathā Then, one after another, O delight of the Raghus, King Brahmadatta, the protector of the earth, took their hands in marriage, like the lord of the gods. **1.32.23** spṛṣṭamātre tataḥ pāṇau vikubjā vigatajvarāḥ yuktāḥ paramayā lakṣmyā babhuḥ kanyāśataṃ tadā Then, the moment their hands were touched, the hundred maidens, freed of their deformity and rid of their affliction, endowed with the highest beauty, shone forth. **1.32.24** sa dṛṣṭvā vāyunā muktāḥ kuśanābho mahīpatiḥ babhūva paramaprīto harṣaṃ lebhe punaḥ punaḥ Seeing them released from the affliction wrought by Vāyu, King Kuśanābha, lord of the earth, became exceedingly glad and rejoiced again and again. **1.32.25** kṛtodvāhaṃ tu rājānaṃ brahmadattaṃ mahīpatiḥ sadāraṃ preṣayām āsa sopādhyāya gaṇaṃ tadā When the marriage was done, the lord of the earth then sent off King Brahmadatta together with his wives and with his company of teachers. **1.32.26** somadāpi susaṃhṛṣṭā putrasya sadṛśīṃ kriyām yathānyāyaṃ ca gandharvī snuṣās tāḥ pratyanandata Somadā the gandharva woman too, greatly delighted, rejoiced at the rite befitting her son, duly performed, and welcomed those daughters-in-law with joy.