Do thou listen to my words! It is because a virgin
desireth the company of every one, that she hath received
the appellation of
Kanya, from the root
kama
meaning to desire. Therefore, O thou of excellent
hips and the fairest complexion, a virgin is, by nature,
free in this world. Thou shalt not, O lady, by
any means, be guilty of any sin by complying with my
request. And how can I, who am desirous of the
welfare of all creatures, commit an unrighteous act?
That all men and women should be bound by no restraints,
is the law of nature. The opposite condition is
the perversion of the natural state. Thou shalt
remain a virgin after having gratified me. And
thy son shall also be mighty-armed and illustrious.’
Thereupon Kunti said, ’If, O dispeller of darkness,
I obtain a son from thee, may he be furnished with
a coat of mail and ear-rings, and may he be mighty-armed
and endued with great strength!’ Hearing these
words of hers, Surya answered, ’O gentle maiden,
thy son shall be mighty-armed and decked with ear-rings
and a celestial coat of mail. And both his ear-rings
and coat of mail will be made of
Amrita, and
his coat will also be invulnerable.’ Kunti
then said, ’If the excellent mail and ear-rings
of the son thou wilt beget on me, be, indeed, made
of
Amrita, then, O god, O worshipful deity,
let thy purpose be fulfilled! May he be powerful,
strong, energetic, and handsome, even like thee, and
may he also be endued with virtue!’ Surya then
said, ’O princess, O excellent damsel, these
ear-rings had been given to me by Aditi. O timid
lady, I will bestow them, as also this excellent mail,
on thy son!’ Kunti then said, ’Very well,
O worshipful one! If my son, O lord of light,
become so, I will, as thou sayest, gratify thee!’”
Vaisampayana continued, “Hearing these words
of hers Surya said, ’So be it!’ And that
ranger of the skies, that enemy of Swarbhanu, with
soul absorbed in Yoga, entered into Kunti,
and touched her on the navel. At this, that damsel,
on account of Surya’s energy, became stupefied.
And that reverend lady then fell down on her bed,
deprived of her senses. Surya then addressed
her, saying, ’I will now depart, O thou of graceful
hips! Thou shalt bring forth a son who will become
the foremost of all wielders of weapons. At the
same time thou shalt remain a virgin.’”
Vaisampayana continued, “Then, O foremost of
kings, as the highly effulgent Surya was about to
depart, that girl bashfully said unto him, ‘So
be it!’ And it was thus that the daughter of
king Kuntibhoja, importuned by Surya, had after soliciting
a son from him, fallen down stupefied on that excellent
bed, like a broken creeper. And it was thus that
deity of fierce rays, stupefying her, entered into
her by virtue of Yoga power, and placed his
own self within her womb. The deity, however,
did not sully her by deflowering her in the flesh.
And after Surya had gone away, that girl regained
her consciousness.”