Mahabharata · Book 1 · Adi Parva
Mahabharata, Book 1, Section XXXIX: Astika Parvaआदिपर्व
Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 1.39.
Sanskrit
एलापत्रवचः श्रुत्वा ते नागा द्विजसत्तम।
सर्वे प्रहृष्टमनसः साधुसाध्वित्यपूजयन्।।
ततःप्रभृति तां कन्यां वासुकिः पर्यरक्षत।
जरत्कारुं स्वसारं वै परं हर्षमवाप च।।
ततो नातिमहान्कालः समतीत इवाभवत्।
अथ देवासुराः `सर्वे ममन्थुर्वरुणालयम्।।
तत्र नेत्रमभून्नागो वासुकिर्बलिनां वरः।
समाप्यैव च तत्कर्म पितामहमुपागमन्।।
देवा वासुकिना सार्धं पितामहमथाव्रुवन्।
भगवञ्शापभीतोऽयं वासुकिस्तप्यते भृशम्।।
अस्यैतन्मानसं शल्यं समुद्धर्तुं त्वमर्हसि।
जनन्याः शापजं देव ज्ञातीनां हितमिच्छतः।।
हितो ह्ययं सदास्मकं प्रियकारी च नागराट्।
प्रसादं कुरु देवेश शमयास्य मनोज्वरम्।।
ब्रह्मोवाच।
मयैव तद्वितीर्णं वै वचनं मनसाऽमराः।
एलापत्रेण नागेन यदस्याभिहितं पुरा।।
तत्करोत्वेष नागेन्द्रः प्राप्तकालं वचः स्वयम्।
विनशिष्यन्ति ये पापा न तु ये धर्मचारिणः।।
उत्पन्नः स जरत्कारुस्तपस्युग्रे रतो द्विजः।
तस्यैष भगिनीं काले जरत्कारुं प्रयच्छतु।।
एलापत्रेण यत्प्रोक्तं वचनं भुजगेन ह।
पन्नगानां हितं देवास्तत्तथा न तदन्यथा।।
सौतिरुवाच।
एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु नागेन्द्रः पितामहवचस्तदा।
संदिश्य पन्नगान्सर्वान्वासुकिः शापमोहितः।।
स्वसारमुद्यम्य तदा जरत्कारुमृषिं प्रति।
सर्पान्बहूञ्जरत्कारौ नित्ययुक्तान्समादधत्।।
जरत्कारुर्यदा भार्यामिच्छेद्वरयितुं प्रभुः।
शीघ्रमेत्य तदाऽऽख्येयं तन्नः श्रेयो भविष्यति।।
।। इति श्रीमनमहाभारते आदिपर्वणि
आस्तीकपर्वणि एकोनचत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः।। 39 ।।
English Ganguli
“Sauti said, ‘O best of regenerate ones, hearing these words of Elapatra, all the serpents, in great delight, exclaimed, ‘Well said, well said!’ And from that time Vasuki set about carefully bringing up that maiden, viz., his sister Jaratkaru. And he took great delight in rearing her.
“And much time did not elapse from this, when the gods and the Asuras, assembling together, churned the abode of Varuna. And Vasuki, the foremost of all gifted with strength, became the churning-cord. And directly the work was over, the king of the snakes presented himself before the Grandsire. And the gods, accompanied by Vasuki, addressed the Grandsire, saying, ‘O lord, Vasuki is suffering great affliction from fear of (his mother’s curse). It behoveth thee to root out the sorrow, begotten of the curse of his mother, that hath pierced the heart of Vasuki desirous of the weal of his race. The king of the snakes is ever our friend and benefactor. O Lord of the gods, be gracious unto him and assuage his mind’s fever.’
“Brahman replied, ‘O ye immortals, I have thought, in my mind, of what ye have said. Let the king of the snakes do that which hath been communicated to him before by Elapatra. The time hath arrived. Those only shall be destroyed that are wicked, not those that are virtuous. Jaratkaru hath been born, and that Brahmana is engaged in hard ascetic penances. Let Vasuki, at the proper time, bestow on him his sister. Ye gods, what hath been spoken by the snake Elapatra for the weal of the snakes is true and not otherwise.’
“Sauti continued, ‘Then the king of the snakes, Vasuki, afflicted with the curse of his mother, hearing these words of the Grandsire, and intending to bestow his sister of the Rishi Jaratkaru, commanded all the serpents, a large numbers of whom were ever attentive to their duties, to watch the Rishi Jaratkaru, saying, ‘When the lord Jaratkaru will ask for a wife, come immediately and inform me of it. The weal of our race depends upon it.’”