After nine months, during an auspicious moment, the queen gave birth to a son endowed with all auspicious marks. In Krita Yuga, Prahlada, who had pleased Lord Narasimha with his devotion, had received a boon from the Lord to be His devotee and servant in three lifetimes. Later, while residing in the Harivarsa region and engaged in divine service, Prahlada, guided by sage Narada’s counsel, prayed to be reborn to serve Lord Hari in reducing the burden of the Earth. This devotee of the Lord, Prahlada, was now born as the son of King Pratipa in the Chandravamsha dynasty of Emperor Bharata. Prahlada had reincarnated!

In the lineage of Puru, a renowned descendant, Prahlada, possessed by the spirit of Lord Vayu, was reborn as the son of King Pratipa to perform great deeds of righteousness, protecting devotees and alleviating the burden of the Earth. At his birth, a miraculous event astonished everyone—the earth cracked open with a terrifying sound, signifying that this child was incredibly powerful and possessed by the spirit of Lord Vayu.

Seeing the beautiful and extraordinarily powerful child, King Pratipa, his queen, and the royal family were overjoyed beyond words. After a ceremonial bath, as per the traditions of the Bharata dynasty, King Pratipa performed the rites of Jatakarma and naming ceremony with grandeur and named the prince "Bahlikaraja."

King Pratipa had a reason for naming his son Bahlikaraja. The king of the Bahlika kingdom had given his daughter in marriage to King Pratipa and wished for a son to continue his lineage. When their daughter was married off, the king of Bahlika had taken a vow to consider the son born to her as his own and adopt him to continue their lineage.

However, since Devapi, the first son of Pratipa, was afflicted with leprosy, he could not be considered for adoption. Thus, the wish of the Bahlika king remained unfulfilled. Now, with the birth of a perfectly healthy and powerful son, the Bahlika king requested to adopt the child according to his earlier vow. Considering it their duty, King Pratipa named the child Bahlikaraja, indicating that he would later be adopted by the Bahlika king and become the ruler of the Bahlika kingdom. This brought immense joy to both King Pratipa’s family and the royal family of Bahlika.

Bahlikaraja grew up like the waxing moon, delighting everyone with his playfulness, studies, extraordinary strength, and valor, becoming the jewel of both dynasties. At the appropriate time, King Pratipa handed over Bahlikaraja through formal adoption to his maternal grandfather, the king of Bahlika, fulfilling his promise. They conducted the sacred thread ceremony and other rituals with great splendor, befitting a Kshatriya prince.

During this time, with the blessings of the Lord, King Pratipa and his queen were blessed with another son, a jewel of the Bharata dynasty and a virtuous prince. Overjoyed, King Pratipa named this son "Shantanu." Thus, King Pratipa had three sons: Devapi, Bahlikaraja, and Shantanu. Devapi, afflicted with leprosy, renounced worldly life and went to the forest for penance. Bahlikaraja began to shine as the king of the Bahlika kingdom, while Shantanu became an illustrious emperor of the Kuru dynasty, renowned throughout India.