Beholding the Mahendra mountain adorned
with the ascetics (residing there), he went to Manipura, proceeding slowly
along the sea-shore. Beholding all the sacred waters and other holy places
in that province, the strong-armed son of Pandu at last went, O king, to
the virtuous Chitravahana, the ruler of Manipura. The king of Manipura had
a daughter of great beauty named Chitrangada. And it so happened that
Arjuna beheld her in her father's palace roving at pleasure. Beholding the
handsome daughter of Chitravahana, Arjuna desired to possess her. Going
unto the king (her father), he represented unto him what he sought. He
said, 'Give away unto me thy daughter, O king! I am an illustrious
Kshatriya's son.' Hearing this, the king asked him, 'Whose son art thou?'
Arjuna replied, 'I am Dhananjaya, the son of Pandu and Kunti.' The king,
hearing this, spoke unto him these words in sweet accents, 'There was in
our race a king of the name of Prabhanjana, who was childless. To obtain a
child, he underwent severe ascetic penances. By his severe asceticism, O
Partha, he gratified that god of gods, Mahadeva, the husband of Uma, that
supreme Lord holding (the mighty bow called) Pinaka. The illustrious Lord
granted him the boon that each successive descendant of his race should
have one child only. In consequence of that boon only one child is born
unto every successive descendant of this race. All my ancestors (one after
another) had each a male child.
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