Text 10
tasyoṣā nāma duhitā
svapne prādyumninā ratim
kanyālabhata kāntena
prāg adṛṣṭa-śrutena sā
tasya — his; ūṣā nāma — named Ūṣā; duhitā — daughter; svapne — in a dream; prādyumninā — with the son of Pradyumna (Aniruddha); ratim — an amorous encounter; kanyā — the unmarried maiden; alabhata — obtained; kāntena — with her lover; prāk — previously; adṛṣṭa — never seen; śrutena — or heard of; sā — she.
In a dream Bāṇa’s daughter, the maiden Ūṣā, had an amorous encounter with the son of Pradyumna, though she had never before seen or heard of her lover.
The incidents now described will lead up to the fight predicted by Lord Śiva. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura quotes the following verses from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, which explain Ūṣā’s dream:
ūṣā bāṇa-sutā vipra
pārvatīm śambhunā saha
krīḍantīm upalakṣyoccaiḥ
spṛhāṁ cakre tad-āśrayām
“O brāhmaṇa, when Ūṣā, the daughter of Bāṇa, happened to see Pārvatī playing with her husband, Lord Śambhu, Ūṣā intensely desired to experience the same feelings.”
tataḥ sakala-citta-jña
gaurī tām aha bhāvinīm
alam atyartha-tāpena
bhartrā tvam api raṁsyase
“At that time Goddess Gaurī [Pārvatī], who knows everyone’s heart, told the sensitive young girl, ‘Don’t be so disturbed! You will have a chance to enjoy with your own husband.’”
ity uktā sā tadā cakre
kadeti matim ātmanaḥ
ko vā bhartā mamety enāṁ
punar apy āha pārvatī
“Hearing this, Ūṣā thought to herself, ‘But when? And who will my husband be?’ In response, Pārvatī addressed her once more.”
vaiśākha-śukla-dvādaśyāṁ
svapne yo ’bhibhavaṁ tava
kariṣyati sa te bhartā
rāja-putri bhaviṣyati
“‘The man who approaches you in your dream on the twelfth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month Vaiśākha will become your husband, O princess.’”