Dirghatamas Fathers Sons for King Bali
Cast into the river by his own sons, the blind sage Dirghatamas is found by King Bali. The king wants heirs, but his queen insults the sage, sending a servant in her place—a choice that defines the lineage to come.
Dirghatamas was blind and old. His own sons, Goutama and the others, overcome by greed and delusion, decided he was a burden. “This man is blind and old. Why should we support him?” Thinking this, the cruel ones tied him to a raft of wood and threw him into the waters of the Ganga.
The rishi floated along the river, blindly passing many kingdoms. One day, King Bali, who was learned in all aspects of dharma, came to the water and saw the raft drifting in the current. The righteous Bali, whose strength was in truth, recognized the sage. He grasped the raft and brought it to shore so that he might obtain sons.
“O illustrious one! Honour me,” Bali said. “I have to obtain sons through my wife. Therefore, father sons who are knowledgeable in dharma and artha.”
Thus addressed, the energetic rishi agreed. The king then sent his wife Sudeshna to him. But the queen, knowing the rishi was old and blind, demeaned him. She did not go to him herself. Instead, she sent her ignorant Shudra nurse.
The righteous rishi fathered eleven sons on the Shudra woman. The first of them was named Kakshivat. When King Bali saw Kakshivat and all the other sons studying, the valorous king was delighted and told the rishi, “These are mine.”
“No,” said the maharshi. “I have fathered Kakshivat and the others on a Shudra woman. Your queen Sudeshna discovered that I was blind and old. In her folly, she insulted me and sent her Shudra nurse to me.”
Bali then pacified that supreme of rishis and again sent his wife Sudeshna to him. Dirghatamas felt the queen’s limbs with his hands and told her, “You will have a powerful son who will be devoted to the truth.”
Thus the rajarshi Anga was born from Sudeshna. In this way, from the Brahmana Dirghatamas, many great Kshatriya archers entered the world.