वरं विसदृशं मत्वा गाधिर्भार्गवमब्रवीत् ॥५॥
एकतः श्यामकर्णानां हयानां चन्द्रवर्चसाम् ।
सहस्रं दीयतां शुल्कं कन्यायाः कुशिका वयम् ॥६॥
tasya satyavatÄ«á¹ kanyÄm
á¹›cÄ«ko 'yÄcata dvijaḥ
varaá¹ visadṛśaá¹ matvÄ
gÄdhir bhÄrgavam abravÄ«t
ekataḥ Å›yÄma-karṇÄnÄá¹
hayÄnÄá¹ candra-varcasÄm
sahasraá¹ dÄ«yatÄá¹ Å›ulkaá¹
kanyÄyÄḥ kuÅ›ikÄ vayam
tasya - of GÄdhi; satyavatÄ«m - SatyavatÄ«; kanyÄm - the daughter; á¹›cÄ«kaḥ - the great sage ṚcÄ«ka; ayÄcata - requested; dvijaḥ - the brÄhmaṇa; varam - as her husband; visadṛśam - not equal or fit; matvÄ - thinking like that; gÄdhiḥ - King GÄdhi; bhÄrgavam - unto ṚcÄ«ka; abravÄ«t - replied; ekataḥ - by one; Å›yÄma-karṇÄnÄm - whose ear is black; hayÄnÄm - horses; candra-varcasÄm - as brilliant as the moonshine; sahasram - one thousand; dÄ«yatÄm - please deliver; Å›ulkam - as a dowry; kanyÄyÄḥ - to my daughter; kuÅ›ikÄḥ - in the family of KuÅ›a; vayam - we (are).
King GÄdhi had a daughter named SatyavatÄ«, whom a brÄhmaṇa sage named ṚcÄ«ka requested from the King to be his wife. King GÄdhi, however, regarded ṚcÄ«ka as an unfit husband for his daughter, and therefore he told the brÄhmaṇa, “My dear sir, I belong to the dynasty of KuÅ›a. Because we are aristocratic ká¹£atriyas, you have to give some dowry for my daughter. Therefore, bring at least one thousand horses, each as brilliant as moonshine and each having one black ear, whether right or left.â€
The son of King GÄdhi was ViÅ›vÄmitra, who was said to be a brÄhmaṇa and ká¹£atriya combined. ViÅ›vÄmitra attained the status of a brahmará¹£i, as explained later. From the marriage of SatyavatÄ« with ṚcÄ«ka Muni would come a son with the spirit of a ká¹£atriya. King GÄdhi demanded that an uncommon request be fulfilled before the brÄhmaṇa ṚcÄ«ka could marry his daughter.
