Mahabharata, Book 1, Section CXXVII: Sambhava Parvaआदिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 1.127.

127Sanskrit adhyāya 1.127 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

वैशंपायन उवाच।
एवमुक्ता महाराज कुन्ती पाण्डुमभाषत।
कुरूणामृषभं वीरं तदा भूमिपतिं पतिम्।।
कुन्त्युवाच।
न मामर्हसि धर्मज्ञ वक्तुमेवं कथंचन।
धर्मपत्नीमभिरतां त्वयि राजीवलोचने।।
त्वमेव तु महाबाहो मय्यपत्यानि भारत।
वीर वीर्योपपन्नानि धर्मतो जनयिष्यसि।।
स्वर्गं मनुजशार्दूल गच्छेयं सहिता त्वया।
अपत्याय च मां गच्छ त्वमेव कुरुनन्दन।।
न ह्यहं मनसाप्यन्यं गच्छेयं त्वदृते नरम्।
त्वत्तः प्रति विशिष्टश्च कोऽन्योऽस्ति भुवि मानवः।।
इमां च तावद्धर्मात्मन्पौराणीं शृणु मे कथाम्।
परिश्रुतां विशालाक्ष कीर्तयिष्यामि यामहम्।।
व्युषइताश्व इति ख्यातो बभूव किल पार्थिवः।
पुरा परमधर्मिष्ठः पूरोर्वंशविवर्धनः।।
तस्मिंश्च यजमाने वै धर्मात्मनि महाभुजे।
उपागमंस्ततो देवाः सेन्द्रा देवर्षिभिः सह।।
अमाद्यदिन्द्रः सोमेन दक्षिणाभिर्द्विजातयः।
व्युषिताश्वस्य राजर्षेस्ततो यज्ञे महात्मनः।।
देवा ब्रह्मर्षयश्चैव चक्रुः कर्म स्वयं तदा।
व्युषिताश्वस्ततो राजन्नति मर्त्यान्व्यरोचत।।
सर्वभूतान्प्रति यथा तपनः शिशिरात्यये।
स विजित्य गृहीत्वा च नृपतीन्राजसत्तमः।।
प्राच्यानुदिच्यान्पाश्चात्यान्दाक्षिणात्यानकालयत्।
अश्वमेधे महायज्ञे व्युषिताश्वः प्रतापवान्।।
बभूव स हि राजेन्द्रो दशनागबलान्वितः।
अप्यत्र गाथां गायन्ति ये पुराणविदो जनाः।।
व्युषिताश्वे यशोवृद्धे मनुष्येन्द्रे कुरूत्तम।
व्युषिताश्वः समुद्रान्तां विजित्येमां वसुन्धराम्।।
अपालयत्सर्ववर्णान्पिता पुत्रानिवौरसान्।
यजमानो महायज्ञैर्ब्राह्मणेभ्यो धनं ददौ।।
अनन्तरत्नान्यादाय स जहार महाक्रतून्।
सुषाव च बहून्सोमान्सोमसंस्थास्ततान च।।
आसीत्काक्षीवती चास्य भार्या परमसंमता।
भद्रा नाम मनुष्येन्द्र रूपेणासदृशी भुवि।।
कामयामासतुस्तौ च परस्परमिति श्रुतम्।
स तस्यां कामसंपन्नो यक्ष्मणा समपद्यत।।
तेनाचिरेण कालेन जगामास्तमिवांशुमान्।
तस्मिन्प्रेते मनुष्येन्द्रे भार्याऽस्य भृशदुःखिता।।
अपुत्रा पुरुषव्याघ्र विललापेति नः श्रुतम्।
भद्रा परमदुःखार्ता तन्निबोध जनाधिप।।
भद्रोवाच।
नारी परमधर्मज्ञ सर्वा भर्तृविनाकृता।
पतिं विना जीवति या न सा जीवति दुःखिता।।
पतिं विना मृतं श्रेयो नार्याः क्षत्रियपुंगव।।
त्वद्गतिं गन्तुमिच्छामि प्रसीदस्वनयस्वमाम्।।
त्वया हीना क्षणमपि नाहं जीवितुमुत्सहे।
प्रसादं कुरु मे राजन्नितस्तूर्णं नयस्व माम्।।
पृष्ठतोऽनुगमिष्यामि समेषु विषमेषु च।
त्वामहं नरशार्दूल गच्छन्तमनिवर्तितुम्।।
छायेवानुगता राजन्सततं वशवर्तिनी।
भविष्यामि नरव्याघ्र नित्यं प्रियहिते रता।।
अद्यप्रभृति मां राजन्कष्टा हृदयशोषणाः।
आधयोऽभिभविष्यन्ति त्वामृते पुष्करेक्षण।।
अभाग्यया मया नूनं वियुक्ताः सहचारिणः।
तेन मे विप्रयोगोऽयमुपपन्नस्त्वया सह।।
विप्रयुक्ता तु या पत्या मुहूर्तमपि जीवति।
दुःखं जीवति सा पापा नरकस्थेव पार्थिव।।
संयुक्ता विप्रयुक्ताश्च पूर्वदेहे कृता मया।
तदिदं कर्मभिः पापैः पूर्वदेहेषु संचितम्।।
दुःखं मामनुसंप्राप्तं राजंस्त्वद्विप्रयोगजम्।
अद्यप्रभृत्यहं राजन्कुशसंस्तरशायिनी।
भविष्याम्यसुखाविष्टा त्वद्दर्शनपरायणा।।
दर्शयस्व नरव्याघ्र शाधि मामसुखान्विताम्।
कृपणां चाथ करुणं विलपत्नीं नरेश्वर।।
कन्त्युवाच।
एवं बहुविधं तस्यां विलपन्त्यां पुनःपुनः।
तं शवं संपरिष्वज्य वाक्किलाऽन्तर्हिताऽब्रवीत्।।
उत्तिष्ठ भद्रे गच्छ त्वं ददानीह वरं तव।
जनयिष्याम्यपत्यानि त्वय्यहं चारुहासिनि।।
आत्मकीये वरारोहे शयनीये चतुर्दशीम्।
अष्टमीं वा ऋतुस्नाता संविशेथा मया सह।।
एवमुक्ता तु सा देवी तथा चक्रे पतिव्रता।
यथोक्तमेव तद्वाक्यं भद्रा पुत्रार्थिनी तदा।।
सा तेन सुषुवे देवी शवेन भरतर्षभ।
त्रीञ्शाल्वांश्चतुरो मद्रान्सुतान्भरतसत्तम।।
तथा त्वमपि मय्येवं मनसा भरतर्षभ।
शक्तो जनयितुं पुत्रांस्तपोयोगबलान्वितः।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते आदिपर्वणि संभवपर्वणि सप्तविंशत्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः।। 127 ।।

English Ganguli

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Dhritarashtra then said, ‘O Vidura, celebrate the funeral ceremonies of that lion among kings viz., Pandu, and of Madri also, in right royal style. For the good of their souls, distribute cattle, cloths, gems and diverse kinds of wealth, every one receiving as much as he asketh for. Make arrangements also for Kunti’s performing the last rites of Madri in such a style as pleaseth her. And let Madri’s body be so carefully wrapped up that neither the Sun nor Vayu (god of wind) may behold it. Lament not for the sinless Pandu. He was a worthy king and hath left behind him five heroic sons equal unto the celestials themselves.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Then Vidura, O Bharata, saying, ‘So be it,’ in consultation with Bhishma, fixed upon a sacred spot for the funeral rites of Pandu. The family priests went out of the city without loss of time, carrying with them the blazing sacred fire fed with clarified butter and rendered fragrant therewith. Then friends, relatives, and adherents, wrapping it up in cloth, decked the body of the monarch with the flowers of the season and sprinkled various excellent perfumes over it. And they also decked the hearse itself with garlands and rich hangings. Then placing the covered body of the king with that of his queen on that excellent bier decked out so brightly, they caused it to be carried on human shoulders. With the white umbrella (of state) held over the hearse with waving yak-tails and sounds of various musical instruments, the whole scene looked bright and grand. Hundreds of people began to distribute gems among the crowd on the occasion of the funeral rites of the king. At length some beautiful robes, and white umbrellas and larger yak-tails, were brought for the great ceremony. The priests clad in white walked in the van of the procession pouring libations of clarified butter on the sacred fire blazing in an ornamental vessel. And Brahmanas, and Kshatriyas, and Vaisyas, and Sudras by thousands followed the deceased king, loudly wailing in these accents, ‘O prince, where dost thou go, leaving us behind, and making us forlorn and wretched for ever?’ And Bhishma, and Vidura, and the Pandavas, also all wept aloud. At last they came to a romantic wood on the banks of the Ganga. There they laid down the hearse on which the truthful and lion-hearted prince and his spouse lay. Then they brought water in many golden vessels, washed the prince’s body besmeared before with several kinds of fragrant paste, and again smeared it over with sandal paste. They then dressed it in a white dress made of indigenous fabrics. And with the new suit on, the king seemed as if he was living and only sleeping on a costly bed.

“When the other funeral ceremonies also were finished in consonance with the directions of the priests, the Kauravas set fire to the dead bodies of the king and the queen, bringing lotuses, sandal-paste, and other fragrant substances to the pyre.

“Then seeing the bodies aflame, Kausalya burst out, ‘O my son, my son!’—and fell down senseless on the ground. And seeing her down the citizens and the inhabitants of the provinces began to wail from grief and affection for their king. And the birds of the air and the beasts of the field were touched by the lamentations of Kunti. And Bhishma, the son of Santanu, and the wise Vidura, and the others also that were there, became disconsolate.

“Thus weeping, Bhishma, Vidura, Dhritarashtra, the Pandavas and the Kuru ladies, all performed the watery ceremony of the king. And when all this was over, the people, themselves filled with sorrow, began to console the bereaved sons of Pandu. And the Pandavas with their friends began to sleep on the ground. Seeing this the Brahmanas and the other citizens also renounced their beds. Young and old, all the citizens grieved on account of the sons of king Pandu, and passed twelve days in mourning with the weeping Pandavas.’”