Mahabharata, Book 1, Section XXII: Astika Parvaआदिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 1.22.

22Sanskrit adhyāya 1.22 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

सौतिरुवाच।
नागाश्च संविदं कृत्वा कर्तव्यमिति तद्वचः।
निःस्नेहा वै दहेन्माता असंप्राप्तमनोरथा।।
प्रसन्ना मोक्षयेदस्मांस्तस्माच्छापाच्च भामिनी।
कृष्णं पुच्छं करिष्यामस्तुरगस्य न संशयः।।
`इति निश्चित्य ते तस्य कृष्णा वाला इव स्थिताः।'
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे ते तु सपत्न्यौ पणिते तदा।।
ततस्ते पणितं कृत्वा भगिन्यौ द्विजसत्तम।
जग्मतुः परया प्रीत्या परं पारं महोदधेः।।
कद्रूश्च विनता चैव दाक्षायण्यौ विहायसा।
आलोकयन्त्यावक्षोभ्यं समुद्रं निधिमम्भसाम्।।
वायुनाऽतीव सहसा क्षोभ्यमाणं महास्वनम्।
तिमिंगिलसमाकीर्णं मकरैरावृतं तथा।।
संयुतं बहुसाहस्रैः सत्वैर्नानाविधैरपि।
घोरर्घोरमनाधृष्यं गम्भीरमतिभैरवम्।।
आकरं सर्वरत्नानामालयं वरुणस्य च।
नागानामालयं चापि सुरम्यं सरितां पतिम्।।
पातालज्वलनावासमसुराणां तथालयम्।
भयंकराणां सत्त्वानां पयसो निधिमव्ययम्।।
शुभ्रं दिव्यममर्त्यानाममृतस्याकरं परम्।
अप्रमेयमचिन्त्यं च सुपुम्यजलसंमितम्।।
महानदीभिर्बह्वीभिस्तत्र तत्र सहस्रशः।
आपूर्यमाणमत्यर्थं नृत्यन्तमिव चोर्मिभिः।।
इत्येवं तरलतरोर्मिसंकुलं ते
गम्भीरं विकसितमम्बरप्रकाशम्।
पातालज्वलनशिखाविदीपिताङ्गं
गर्जन्तं द्रुतमभिजग्मतुस्ततस्ते।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते आदिपर्वणि
आस्तीकपर्वणि द्वाविंशोऽध्यायः।। 22 ।।

English Ganguli

“Sauti said, ‘The Nagas after consultation arrived at the conclusion that they should do their mother’s bidding, for if she failed in obtaining her desire she might withdraw her affection and burn them all. If, on the other hand, she were graciously inclined, she might free them from her curse. They said, ‘We will certainly render the horse’s tail black.’ And it is said that they then went and became hairs in the horse’s tail.

“Now the two co-wives had laid the wager. And having laid the wager, O best of Brahmanas, the two sisters Kadru and Vinata, the daughters of Daksha, proceeded in great delight along the sky to see the other side of the Ocean. And on their way they saw the Ocean, that receptacle of waters, incapable of being easily disturbed, mightily agitated all of a sudden by the wind, and roaring tremendously; abounding with fishes capable of swallowing the whale and full of makaras; containing also creatures of diverse forms counted by thousands; frightful from the presence of horrible monsters, inaccessible, deep, and terrible, the mine of all kinds of gems, the home of Varuna (the water-god), the wonderful habitations of the Nagas, the lord of rivers, the abode of the subterranean fire; the residence of the Asuras and of many dreadful creatures; the reservoir of water, not subject to decay, aromatic, and wonderful, the great source of the amrita of the celestials; immeasurable and inconceivable, containing waters that are holy, filled to the brim by many thousands of great rivers, dancing as it were in waves. Such was the Ocean, full of rolling waves, vast as the expanse of the sky, deep, of body lighted with the flames of subterranean fire, and roaring, which the sisters quickly passed over.’”

And so ends the twenty-second section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.