overtake thee, O child of Ganga, the result is that we become sonless.  Truly thou alone art to me as a century of sons.  I do not, therefore, desire to wed again.  I only desire and pray that prosperity may ever attend thee so that our dynasty may be perpetuated.  The wise say that he that hath one son hath no son.  Sacrifices before fire and the knowledge of the three Vedas yield, it is true, everlasting religious merit, but all these, in point of religious merit, do not, come up to a sixteenth part of the religious merit attainable on the birth of a son.  Indeed, in this respect, there is hardly any difference between men and the lower animals.  O wise one, I do not entertain a shadow of doubt that one attains to heaven in consequence of his having begotten a son.  The Vedas which constitute the root of the Puranas and are regarded as authoritative even by the gods, contain numerous proof of this.  O thou of Bharata’s race, thou art a hero of excitable temper, who is always engaged in the exercise of arms.  It is very probable that thou wilt be slain on the field of battle.  If it so happen, what then will be the state of the Bharata dynasty, It is this thought that hath made me so melancholy.  I have now told thee fully the causes of my sorrow.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ’Devavrata who was endued with great intelligence, having ascertained all this from the king, reflected within himself for a while.  He then went to the old minister devoted to his father’s welfare and asked him about the cause of the king’s grief.  O bull of Bharata’s race, when the prince questioned the minister, the latter told him about the boon that was demanded by the chief of the fishermen in respect of his daughter Gandhavati.  Then Devavrata, accompanied by many Kshatriya chiefs of venerable age, personally repaired to the chief of the fishermen and begged of him his daughter on behalf of the king.  The chief of the fishermen received him with due adorations, and, O thou of Bharata’s race, when the prince took his seat in the court of the chief, the latter addressed him and said, ’O bull among the Bharatas, thou art the first of all wielders of weapons and the only son of Santanu.  Thy power is great.  But I have something to tell thee.  If the bride’s father was Indra himself, even then he would have to repent of rejecting such an exceedingly honourable and desirable proposal of marriage.  The great man of whose seed this celebrated maiden named Satyavati was born, is, indeed, equal to you in virtue.  He hath spoken to me on many occasions of the virtues of thy father and told me that, the king alone is worthy of (marrying) Satyavati.  Let me tell you that I have even rejected the solicitations of that best of Brahmarshis—­the celestial sage Asita—­who, too, had often asked for Satyavati’s hand in marriage.  I have only one word to say on the part of this maiden.  In the matter of the proposed marriage there is one great objection founded on the fact of a rival in the person of a co-wife’s son.  O oppressor of all foes, he hath no security, even if he be an Asura or a Gandharva, who hath a rival in thee.  There is this only objection to the proposed marriage, and nothing else.  Blest be thou!  But this is all I have to say in the matter of the bestowal or otherwise, of Satyavati.’