Mahabharata, Book 1, Section XI: Pauloma Parvaआदिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 1.11.

11Sanskrit adhyāya 1.11 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

डुण्डुभ उवाच।
सखा बभूव मे पूर्वं खगमो नाम वै द्विजः।
भृशं संशितवाक्तात तपोबलसमन्वितः।।
स मया क्रीडता बाल्ये कृत्वा तार्णं भुजंगमम्।
अग्निहोत्रे प्रसक्तस्तु भीषितः प्रमुमोह वै।।
लब्ध्वा स च पुनः संज्ञां मामुवाच तपोधनः।
नर्दहन्निव कोपेन सत्यवाक्संशितव्रतः।।
यथावीर्यस्त्वया सर्पः कृतोऽयं मद्बिभीषया।
तथावीर्यो भुजंगस्त्वं मम शापाद्भविष्यसि।।
तस्याहं तपसो वीर्यं जानन्नासं तपोधन।
भृशमुद्विग्नहृदयस्तमवोचमहं तदा।।
प्रणतः संभ्रमाच्चैव प्राञ्जलिः पुरतः स्थितः।
सखेति हसतेदं ते नर्मार्थं वै कृतं मया।।
क्षन्तुमर्हसि मे ब्रह्मञ्शापोऽयं विनिवर्त्यताम्।
सोऽथ मामब्रवीद्दृष्ट्वा भृशमुद्विग्नचेतसम्।।
मुहुरुष्णं विनिःश्वस्य सुसंभ्रान्तस्तपोधनः।
नानृतं वै मया प्रोक्तं भवितेदं कथंचन।।
यत्तु वक्ष्यामि ते वाक्यं शृणु तन्मे तपोधन।
श्रुत्वा च हृदि ते वाक्यमिदमस्तु सदाऽनघ।।
उत्पत्स्यति रुरुर्नाम प्रमतेरात्मजः शुचिः।
तं दृष्ट्वा शापमोक्षस्ते भविता नचिरादिव।
`एवमुक्तस्तु तेनाहमुरगत्वमवाप्तवान्।।'
स त्वं रुरुरिति ख्यातः प्रमतेरात्मजोऽपि च।
स्वरूपं प्रतिपद्याहमद्य वक्ष्यामि ते हितम्।।
सौतिरुवाच।
स डौण्डुभं परित्यज्य रूपं विप्रर्षभस्तदा।
स्वरूपं भास्वरं भूयः प्रतिपेदे महायशाः।।
इदं चोवाच वचनं रुरुमप्रतिमौजसम्।
अहिंसा परमो धर्मः सर्वप्राणभृतां वर।।
तस्मात्प्राणभृतः सर्वान्न हिंस्याद्ब्राह्मणः क्वचित्।
ब्राह्मणः सौम्य एवेह भवतीति परा श्रुतिः।।
वेदवेदाङ्गविन्नाम सर्वभूताभयप्रदः।
अहिंसा सत्यवचनं क्षमा चेति विनिश्चितम्।।
ब्राह्मणस्य परो धर्मो वेदानां धारणापि च।
क्षत्रियस्य हि यो धर्मः स नेहेष्येत वै तव।।
दण्डधारणमुग्रत्वं प्रजानां परिपालनम्।
तदिदं क्षत्रियस्यासीत्कर्म वै शृणु मे रुरो।।
जनमेजयस्य यज्ञेऽस्मिन्सर्पाणां हिंसनं पुरा।
परित्राणं च भीतानां सर्पाणां ब्राह्मणादपि।।
तपोवीर्यबलोपेताद्वेदवेदाङ्गपारगात्।
आस्तीकाद्द्विजमुख्याद्वै सर्पसत्रे द्विजोत्तम।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते आदिपर्वणि
पौलोमपर्वणि एकादशोऽध्यायः।। 11 ।।

English Ganguli

“Sauti continued ‘The Dundubha then said, ‘In former times, I had a friend Khagama by name. He was impetuous in his speech and possessed of spiritual power by virtue of his austerities. And one day when he was engaged in the Agni-hotra (Fire-sacrifice), I made a mock snake of blades of grass, and in a frolic attempted to frighten him with it. And anon he fell into a swoon. On recovering his senses, that truth-telling and vow-observing ascetic, burning with wrath, exclaimed, ‘Since thou hast made a powerless mock snake to frighten me, thou shalt be turned even into a venomless serpent thyself by my curse.’ O ascetic, I well knew the power of his penances; therefore with an agitated heart, I addressed him thus, bending low with joined hands, ‘Friend, I did this by way of a joke, to excite thy laughter. It behoveth thee to forgive me and revoke thy curse.’ And seeing me sorely troubled, the ascetic was moved, and he replied, breathing hot and hard. ‘What I have said must come to pass. Listen to what I say and lay it to thy heart. O pious one! when Ruru the pure son of Pramati, will appear, thou shall be delivered from the curse the moment thou seest him. Thou art the very Ruru and the son of Pramati. On regaining my native form, I will tell thee something for thy good.

“And that illustrious man and the best of Brahmanas then left his snake-body, and attained his own form and original brightness. He then addressed the following words to Ruru of incomparable power, ‘O thou first of created beings, verily the highest virtue of man is sparing the life of others. Therefore a Brahmana should never take the life of any creature. A Brahmana should ever be mild. This is the most sacred injunction of the Vedas. A Brahmana should be versed in the Vedas and Vedangas, and should inspire all creatures with belief in God. He should be benevolent to all creatures, truthful, and forgiving, even as it is his paramount duty to retain the Vedas in his memory. The duties of the Kshatriya are not thine. To be stern, to wield the sceptre and to rule the subjects properly are the duties of the Kshatriya. Listen, O Ruru, to the account of the destruction of snakes at the sacrifice of Janamejaya in days of yore, and the deliverance of the terrified reptiles by that best of Dwijas, Astika, profound in Vedic lore and might in spiritual energy.’”

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