Canto 1 - Boyhood
Bāla-kāṇḍa
Chapter 10: Ṛśyaśṛṅga Comes to Romapada’s kingdom
Text 1.10.14
पिता विभण्डकोऽस्माकं तस्याहं सुत औरसः।
ऋश्यशृङ्ग इति ख्यातं नाम कर्म च मे भुवि॥
pitā vibhaṇḍako ’smākaṁ tasyāhaṁ suta aurasaḥ
ṛśyaśṛṅga iti khyātaṁ nāma karma ca me bhuvi
pitā = father; vibhaṇḍakaḥ = is Vibhaṇḍaka; asmākam = our; tasya = am his; aham = I; sutaḥ = son; aurasaḥ = own; ṛśyaśṛṅgaḥ iti = Ṛśyaśṛṅga; khyātam = are known; nāma = name; karma = my activities of austerity; ca = and; me = My; bhuvi = in this land.
Our father is Vibhaṇḍaka. I am his own son. My name Ṛśyaśṛṅga and my activities of austerity are known in this land.
He says “our father” to include the deer and others. Is he then Vibhaṇḍaka’s adopted son? No, he is Vibhaṇḍaka’s own son. His history as described in the Purāṇas is as follows. Once the sage Vibhaṇḍaka touched the waters of a lake while seeing the celebrated beauty Ūrvaśī. He then discharged semen involuntarily. A female deer drank it along with water and became pregnant. A human child with horns like those of a Ṛśya deer was born to her. Therefore, he was named Ṛśyaśṛṅga, the one with the horns of a deer.