Mahabharata, Book 1, Section XLIV: Astika Parvaआदिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 1.44.

44Sanskrit adhyāya 1.44 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

सौतिरुवाच।
तं तथा मन्त्रिणो दृष्ट्वा भोगेन परिवेष्टितम्।
विषण्णवदनाः सर्वे रुरुदुर्भृशदुःखिताः।।
तं तु नागं ततो दृष्ट्वा मन्त्रिणस्ते प्रदुद्रुवुः।
अपश्यन्त तथा यान्तमाकाशे नागमद्भुतम्।।
सीमन्तमिव कुर्वाणं नभसः पद्मवर्चसम्।
तक्षकं पन्नगश्रेष्ठं भृशं शोकपरायणाः।।
ततस्तु ते तद्गृहमग्निना वृतं
प्रदीप्यमानं विषजेन भोगिनः।
भयात्परित्यज्य दिशः प्रपेदिरे
पपात तच्चाशनिताडितं यथा।।
ततो नृपे तक्षकतेजसाहते
प्रयुज्य सर्वाः परलोकसत्क्रियाः।
शुचिर्दिजो राजपुरोहितस्तदा
तथैव ते तस्य नृपस्य मन्त्रिणः।।
नृपं शिशुं तस्य सुतं प्रचक्रिरे
समेत्य सर्वे पुरवासिनो जनाः।
नृपं यमाहुस्तममित्रघातिनं
कुरुप्रवीरं जनमेजयं जनाः।।
स बाल एवार्यमतिर्नृपोत्तमः
सहैव तैर्मन्त्रिपुरोहितैस्तदा।
शशास राज्यं कुरुपुंगवाग्रजो
यथाऽस्य वीरः प्रपितामहस्तथा।।
ततस्तु राजानममित्रतापनं
समीक्ष्य ते तस्य नृपस्य मन्त्रिणः।
सुवर्णवर्माणमुपेत्य काशिप
वपुष्टमार्थं वरयांप्रचक्रमुः।।
ततः स राजा प्रददौ वपुष्टमां
कुरुप्रवीराय परीक्ष्य धर्मतः।
स चापि तां प्राप्य मुदा युतोऽभव-
न्न चान्यनारीषु मनो दधे क्वचित्।।
सरःसु फुल्लेषु वनेषु चैव
प्रसन्नचेता विजहार वीर्यवान्।
तथा स राजन्यवरो विजह्रिवान्
यथोर्वशीं प्राप्य पुरा पुरूरवाः।।
वपुष्टमा चापि वरं पतिव्रता
प्रतीतरूपा समवाप्य भूपतिम्।
भावेन रामा रमयांबभूव तं
विहारकालेष्ववरोधसुन्दरी।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते आदिपर्वणि
आस्तीकपर्वणि चतुश्चत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः।। 44 ।।

English Ganguli

“Sauti said, ‘Then the councillors beholding the king in the coils of Takshaka, became pale with fear and wept in exceeding grief. And hearing the roar of Takshaka, the ministers all fled. And as they were flying away in great grief, they saw Takshaka, the king of snakes, that wonderful serpent, coursing through the blue sky like a streak of the hue of the lotus, and looking very much like the vermilion-coloured line on a woman’s crown dividing the dark masses of her hair in the middle.

“And the mansion in which the king was living blazed up with Takshaka’s poison. And the king’s councillors, on beholding it, fled away in all directions. And the king himself fell down, as if struck by lightning.

“And when the king was laid low by Takshaka’s poison, his councillors with the royal priest—a holy Brahmana—performed all his last rites. All the citizens, assembling together, made the minor son of the deceased monarch their king. And the people called their new king, that slayer of all enemies, that hero of the Kuru race, by the name of Janamejaya. And that best of monarchs, Janamejaya, though a child, was wise in mind. And with his councillors and priest, the eldest son Parikshita, that bull amongst the Kurus, ruled the kingdom like his heroic great-grand-father (Yudhishthira). And the ministers of the youthful monarch, beholding that he could now keep his enemies in check, went to Suvarnavarman, the king of Kasi, and asked him his daughter Vapushtama for a bride. And the king of Kasi, after due inquiries, bestowed with ordained rites, his daughter Vapushtama on that mighty hero of Kuru race. And the latter, receiving his bride, became exceedingly glad. And he gave not his heart at any time to any other woman. And gifted with great energy, he wandered in pursuit of pleasure, with a cheerful heart, on expanses of water and amid woods and flowery fields. And that first of monarchs passed his time in pleasure as Pururavas of old did, on receiving the celestial damsel Urvasi. Herself fairest of the fair, the damsel Vapushtama too, devoted to her lord and celebrated for her beauty having gained a desirable husband, pleased him by the excess of her affection during the period he spent in the pursuit of pleasure.’”