Mahabhisha began to perspire, which in heaven means that it is time to be reborn on earth. Ganga watched as the king descended into earth into the womb of Pratipa's queen. Thus was Mahabhisha born into your race, O King, as Santanu.
Grateful to the gods for having given him a son, Pratipa remained in the forest even after his wife and son went back to Hastinapura. He was sitting in meditation by the Ganges one day when a beautiful woman rose out of the waters and came and sat on his lap.
``I am in love,'' she declared earnestly.
The old king gently wrapped his arm around her and said, ``one can not ignore a beautiful woman but you sit on my right thigh where a daughter belongs. What can I do for you?''
Ganga, the playful one, realized she could not play her game with the wise old king, your ancestor. She told him of her love for his son, Santanu. Pratipa then promised Ganga that Santanu would be hers when he grew up.
Ganga then returned to heaven where she was lying on a dark stone, drying her long, dark hair when the eight Vasus, Indra's attendants, approached her. She noticed their guilty, pleading looks and asked them what was wrong.
One of the Vasus hesitantly asked Ganga whether she would be his mother and at this, Ganga laughed. ``Tell me what you have done and why you want me to be your mother,'' she said.
Prabhasa, the Vasu who is the spirit of dawn, told her that his wife had asked him to steal Vashishta's cow Nandini. ``I refused, of course,'' said Prabhasa, ``but all the women started making fun of me, wondering why I didn't love my wife enough to get her just one cow and you know how it is ...''
``How is it?,'' asked Ganga, hugely enjoying the discomfort of the Vasus. ``The reason I don't laugh is that I am a polite woman,'' she said, ``even though even you would laugh if it hadn't happened to you.'' ``You fell for the oldest trick in the book,'' chuckled Ganga, beside herself.
The Vasus were looking more and more sheepish until one of them gathered the wherewithal to finish the story. ``Anyway, we stole the cow, Nandini. Vashishta found out and cursed us to be reborn on earth.''
``So, why me?,'' asked Ganga, her eyes wide in innocence.
It was the Vasus turn to laugh. ``We all know you have plans,'' they said and left it at that. Thus, it was that Ganga decided to be born to this earth and to mother the eight Vasus.
The eighth Vasu, O King, was reborn as Bhishma.