Puru’s descendant is Pratiba. Pratiba’s son was Shantanu. Shantanu’s story is version 2 of Pururavas.
Pratiba gave up his throne renounce his worldly pleasures. He had two sons. Devapi and Shantanu. Devapi had skin disease. As a norm, persons with a physical defect should not be crowned as a King. So he made Shantanu as king of Hastinapur and left.

Devapi does not want to live under the shadow of his younger brother. He left Hastinapur and chose to live in exile.

One day, Shantanu was roaming around the banks of river Ganga. There he saw a charming maiden – Ganga. He did not think about anything else. He fell in love with her immediately as he was taken away by her beauty. He told her ‘Be my wife’ immediately.

O beautiful one! O one with the slender waist! Are you from the race of gods, demons, gandharvas, apsaras, yakshas or pannagas, or are you human? You seem to be born of the gods. Whoever you are, please be my wife.
Tamil Translation:
அழகானவளே! மெல்லிடையாளே! நீ தேவர்கள், அசுரர்கள், கந்தர்வர்கள், அப்சரஸ்கள், யக்ஷர்கள் அல்லது பன்னகர்கள் இனத்தைச் சேர்ந்தவளா அல்லது நீ மனித குலப் பெண்ணா? நீ தெய்வப் பிறவி போல் தெரிகிறது. நீ யாராக இருந்தாலும், தயவுசெய்து என் மனைவியாக இரு.

– Shantanu to Ganga, Adi Parva, The Mahabharata Set Of 10 Volumes, Bibek Debroy

She too agreed immediately without any hesitation.
But the marriage was based on a condition. Ganga does not want Shantanu to question her for any her doings. Shantanu did not think about anything other than the married life with her. He agreed without reluctance.

O lord of the earth! I will be your queen and will obey your words. O king! But you must not interfere in my acts, regardless of whether they please or displease you. You must never try to stop me or speak to me harshly. O king! As long as you act in the way I have asked you to, I will be with you. But I will certainly leave you whenever you try to stop me or speak to me harshly.

Tamil translation:
இந்நிலத்தின் மன்னவ! நான் உனது அரசியாக இருப்பேன், உன் சொற்களுக்குக் கீழ்ப்படிவேன். அரசே! ஆனால் உனக்குப் பிடித்தாலும் அல்லது பிடிக்காவிடினும் நீ என் செயல்களில் தலையிடக்கூடாது. நீ ஒருபோதும் என்னைத் தடுக்கவோ, என்னிடம் கடுமையாகப் பேசவோ முயற்சிக்கக் கூடாது. அரசே! நான் கேட்டபடி நீ செயல்படும் வரை நான் உன்னுடன் இருப்பேன். ஆனால் நீ என்னைத் தடுக்க முயற்சித்தாலோ அல்லது என்னிடம் கடுமையாகப் பேசினாலோ நான் உறுதியாக உன்னை விட்டு விலகுவேன்.

– Ganga to Shantanu, Adi Parva, The Mahabharata Set Of 10 Volumes, Bibek Debroy

Ganga gave birth to their first son. But she took the newborn away and drowned him in the river. Shantanu was shocked. The new born was suppose to take over his crown later. But it was too late. The new born could not come back. Ganga repeated this for their next kiddo too. Another one.. Another one… wah!

Shantanu lost his patience at last. He stopped Ganga and shouted at her before she throw the eighth child. Ganga paused for a while and smiled at him. She proclaimed that Shantanu broke his promise to her.

Do not kill him. Who are you? Who do you belong to? Why do you kill your sons? As a murderer of your sons, you are committing a great sin. O evil one! Do not commit sin. Desist.

Tamil Translation:
அவனைக் கொல்லாதே. யார் நீ? நீ யாரைச் சேர்ந்தவள்? உன் மகன்களை ஏன் கொன்றாய்? உனது மகன்களைக் கொன்று, நீ பெரும் பாவத்தைச் செய்கின்றாய். தீயவளே! பாவம் செய்யாதே. விலகு.

Shantanu to Ganga, Adi Parva, The Mahabharata Set Of 10 Volumes, Bibek Debroy

Those kids were vasu-s – Gods been cursed to born as humans due to the curse of Rishi Vashishtha. They seek help of Ganga to born in this earth. She helped seven of them. She could not help the eighth vasu, as Shantanu stopped her. So the eight child should now then. But she told Shantanu that that eighth son will not inherit his throne; he will not have a family; still he would be forced to be within the family; finally he would die at the hands of a man who is actually be a woman.

Since you desire a son, I will not kill this son. You will become the supreme father of a son. But following our agreement, my stay here has come to an end. I am Ganga, the daughter of Jahnu and worshipped by large numbers of maharshis. I have lived with you so far to accomplish the wishes of the gods.

Tamil Translation:
நீர் உன் மகனை விரும்புவதால், நான் இந்த மகனைக் கொல்ல மாட்டேன். நீர் ஒரு மகனுக்கு உயர்ந்த தந்தையாக மாறுவீர். ஆனால் நம் உடன்படிக்கை மீறிப்பட்டதனால் தொடர்ந்து நான் இங்கு தங்கியிருப்பது முடிவுக்கு வந்தது. நான் கங்கை, ஜஹ்னுவின் மகள் மற்றும் ஏராளமான முனிவர்களால் வணங்கப்பட்டவள். தேவர்களின் விருப்பத்தை நிறைவேற்றவே இதுவரை உன்னுடன் வாழ்ந்தேன்.

– Ganga to Shantanu, Adi Parva, The Mahabharata Set Of 10 Volumes, Bibek Debroy

Disappointed Shantanu was confident to stop that to happen to his eighth son. But Ganga told him that he might be a king, but even he could not change what was decided to happen already. She disappeared with her son then.

Ganga sent back her son after he attained the right age to marry and assume the throne. Before that he learnt martial arts from Parashurama. He had been named as Devavrata. People of Hastinapur loved him so much and expected him to succeed Shantanu. But what Ganga told earlier was waiting to happen.

References / Gratitude:

• The illustrated Mahabharata, Dorling Kindersley India, Penguin Random House, 1st Ed. 2017
• The Mahabharata Set Of 10 Volumes, Bibek Debroy

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