And, O king, while Santanu ruled the
earth, no deer, boars, birds, or other animals were needlessly slain. In
his dominions the great virtue of kindness to all creatures prevailed, and
the king himself, with the soul of mercy, and void of desire and wrath,
extended equal protection unto all creatures. Then sacrifices in honour of
the gods, the Rishis, and Pitris commenced, and no creature was deprived
of life sinfully. And Santanu was the king and father of all--of those
that were miserable and those that had no protectors, of birds and beasts,
in fact, of every created thing. And during the rule of the best of Kurus--
of that king of kings-- speech became united with truth, and the minds of
men were directed towards liberality and virtue. And Santanu, having
enjoyed domestic felicity for six and thirty years, retired into the woods.
"And Santanu's son, the Vasu born of Ganga, named Devavrata resembled
Santanu himself in personal beauty, in habits and behaviour, and in
learning. And in all branches of knowledge worldly or spiritual his skill
was very great. His strength and energy were extraordinary. He became a
mighty car-warrior. In fact he was a great king.
"One day, while pursuing along the banks of the Ganges a deer that he had
struck with his arrow, king Santanu observed that the river had become
shallow. On observing this, that bull among men, viz., Santanu, began to
reflect upon this strange phenomenon. He mentally asked why that first of
rivers ran out so quickly as before.
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