Mahabharata · Book 1 · Adi Parva
Mahabharata, Book 1, Section XII: Pauloma Parvaआदिपर्व
Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 1.12.
Sanskrit
कथं हिंसितवान्सर्पान्स राजा जनमेजयः।
सर्पा वा हिंसितास्तत्र किमर्थं द्विजसत्तम।।
किमर्थं मोक्षिताश्चैव पन्नगास्तेन धीमता।
आस्तीकेन द्विजश्रेष्ठ श्रोतुमिच्छाम्यशेषतः।।
ऋषिरुवाच।
श्रोष्यसि त्वं रुरो सर्वमास्तीकचरितं महत्।
ब्राह्मणानां कथयतां त्वरावान्गमने ह्यहम्।।
सौतिरुवाच।
`इत्युक्त्वान्तर्हिते योगात्तस्मिन्नृषिवरे प्रभौ।
संभ्रमाविष्टहृदयो रुरुर्मेने तदद्भुतम्।।'
बलं परममास्थाय पर्यधावत्समन्ततः।
तमृषिं नष्टमन्विच्छन्संश्रान्तो न्यपतद्भुवि।।
स मोहे परमं गत्वा नष्टसंज्ञ इवाभवत्।
तदृषेर्वचनं तथ्यं चिन्तयानः पुनःपुनः।।
लब्धसंज्ञो रुरुश्चायात्तदाचख्यौ पितुस्तदा।
`पित्रे तु सर्वमाख्याय डुण्डुभस्य वचोऽर्थवत्।।
अपृच्छत्पितरं भूयः सोस्तीकस्य वचस्तदा।
आख्यापयत्तदाऽऽख्यानं डुण्डुभेनाथ कीर्तितम्।।
तत्कीर्त्यमानं भगवञ्श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः।'
पिता चास्य तदाख्यानं पृष्टः सर्वं न्यवेदयत्।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते आदिपर्वणि
पौलोमपर्वणि द्वादशोऽध्यायः।। 12 ।।
English Ganguli
“Sauti continued, ‘Ruru then asked, ‘O best of Dwijas, why was king Janamejaya bent upon destroying the serpents?—And why and how were they saved by the wise Astika? I am anxious to hear all this in detail.’
“The Rishi replied, ‘O Ruru, the important history of Astika you will learn from the lips of Brahmanas.’ Saying this, he vanished.
“Sauti continued, ‘Ruru ran about in search of the missing Rishi, and having failed to find him in all the woods, fell down on the ground, fatigued. And revolving in his mind the words of the Rishi, he was greatly confounded and seemed to be deprived of his senses. Regaining consciousness, he came home and asked his father to relate the history in question. Thus asked, his father related all about the story.’”
So ends the twelfth section in the Pauloma Parva of the Adi Parva.