Mahabharata, Book 1, Section X: Pauloma Parvaआदिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 1.10.

10Sanskrit adhyāya 1.10 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

रुरुरुवाच।
मम प्राणसमा भार्या दष्टासीद्भुजगेन ह।
तत्र मे समयो घोर आत्मनोरग वै कृतः।।
भुजंगं वै सदा हन्यां यं यं पश्येयमित्युत।
ततोऽहं त्वां जिघांसामि जीवितेनाद्य मोक्ष्यसे।।
डुण्डुभ उवाच।
अन्ये ते भुजगा ब्रह्मन्ये दश्तीह मानवान्।
डुण्डुभानहिगन्धेन न त्वं हिंसितुमर्हसि।।
एकानर्थान्पृथग्धर्मानेकदुःखान्पृथक्सुखान्।
डुण्डुभान्धर्मविद्भूत्वा न त्वं हिंसितुमर्हसि।।
सौतिरुवाच।
इति श्रुत्वा वचस्तस्य डुण्डुभस्य रुरुस्तदा।
नावधीद्भयसंविग्नमृषिं मत्त्वाऽथ डुण्डुभम्।।
उवाच चैनं भगवान्रुरुः संशमयन्निव।
केन त्वं भुजग ब्रूहि कोऽसीमां विक्रियां गतः।।
डुण्डुभ उवाच।
अहं पुरा रुरो नाम्ना ऋषिरासं सहस्रपात्।
सोऽहं शापेन विप्रस्य भुजगत्वमुपागतः।।
रुरुरुवाच।
किमर्थं शप्तवान्कुद्धो द्विजस्त्वां भुजगोत्तम।
कियन्तं चैव कालं ते वपुरेतद्भविष्यसि।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते आदिपर्वणि
पौलोमपर्वणि दशमोऽध्यायः।। 10 ।।

English Ganguli

Sauti said, ‘And Ruru, on hearing those words, replied, ‘My wife, dear to me as life, was bit by a snake; upon which, I took, O snake, a dreadful vow, viz., that I would kill every snake that I might come across. Therefore shall I smite thee and thou shalt be deprived of life.’

“And the Dundubha replied, ‘O Brahmana, the snakes that bite man are quite different in type. It behoveth thee not to slay Dundubhas who are serpents only in name. Subject like other serpents to the same calamities but not sharing their good fortune, in woe the same but in joy different, the Dundubhas should not be slain by thee under any misconception.’

“Sauti continued, ‘And the Rishi Ruru hearing these words of the serpent, and seeing that it was bewildered with fear, albeit a snake of the Dundubha species, killed it not. And Ruru, the possessor of the six attributes, comforting the snake addressed it, saying, ‘Tell me fully, O snake, who art thou thus metamorphosed?’ And the Dundubha replied, ‘O Ruru! I was formerly a Rishi by name Sahasrapat. And it is by the curse of a Brahmana that I have been transformed into a snake. And Ruru asked, ‘O thou best of snakes, for what wast thou cursed by a Brahmana in wrath? And how long also will thy form continue so?’”

And so ends the tenth section of the Pauloma Parva of the Adi Parva.