Mahabharata, Book 1, Section IX: Pauloma Parvaआदिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 1.9.

9Sanskrit adhyāya 1.9 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

सौतिरुवाच।
तेषु तत्रोपविष्टेषु ब्राह्मणेषु महात्मसु।
रुरुश्चुक्रोश गहनं वनं गत्वाऽतिदुःखितः।।
शोकेनाभिहतः सोऽथ विलपन्करुणं बहु।
अब्रवीद्वचनं शोचन्प्रियां स्मृत्वा प्रमद्वराम्।।
शेते सा भुवि तन्वङ्गी मम शोकविवर्धिनी।
`प्राणानपहरन्तीव पूर्णचन्द्रनिभानना।।
यदि पीनायतश्रोणी पद्मपत्रनिभेक्षणा।
मुमूर्षुरपि मे प्राणानादायाशु गमिष्यति।।
पितृमातृसखीनां च लुप्तपिण्डस्य तस्य मे।'
बान्धवानां च सर्वेषां किं नु दुःखमतःपरम्।।
यदि दत्तं तपस्तप्तं गुरवो वा मया यदि।
सम्यगाराधितास्तेन संजीवतु मम प्रिया।।
यथा च जन्मप्रभृति यतात्माऽहं धृतव्रतः।
प्रमद्वरा तथाद्यैषा समुत्तिष्ठतु भामिनी।।
[एवं लालप्यतस्तस्य भार्यार्थे दुःखितस्य च।
देवदूतस्तदाऽभ्येत्य वाक्यमाह रुरुं वने।।]
`कृष्णे विष्णौ हृषीकेशे लोकेशेऽसुरविद्विषि।
यदि मे निश्चला भक्तिर्मम जीवतु सा प्रिया।।
विलप्यमाने तु रुरौ सर्वे देवाः कृपान्विताः।
दूतं प्रस्थापयामासुः संदिश्यास्य हितं वचः।।
स दूतस्त्वरितोऽभ्येत्य देवानां प्रियकृच्छुचिः।
उवाच देववचनं रुरुमाभाष्य दुःखितम्।।
देवैः सर्वैरहं ब्रह्मन्प्रेषितोऽस्मि तवान्तिकम्।
त्वद्धितं त्वद्धितैरुक्तं शृणु वाक्यं द्विजोत्तम।।'
अभिधत्से ह यद्वाचा रुरो दुःखान्न तन्मृषा।
न तु मर्त्यस्य धर्मात्मन्नायुरस्ति गतायुषः।।
गतायुरेषा कृपणा गन्धर्वाप्सरसोः सुता।
तस्माच्छोके मनस्तात मा कृथास्त्वं कथंचन।।
उपायश्चात्र विहितः पूर्वं देवैर्महात्मभिः।
तं यदीच्छसि कर्तुं त्वं प्राप्स्यसीह प्रमद्वराम्।।
रुरुरुवाच।
क उपायः कृतो देवैर्बूहि तत्त्वेन खेचर।
करिष्येऽहं तथा श्रुत्वा त्रातुमर्हति मां भवान्।।
देवेदूत उवाच।
आयुषोऽर्धं प्रयच्छ त्वं कन्यायै भृगुनन्दन।
एवमुत्थास्यति रुरो तव भार्या प्रयद्वरा।।
रुरुरुवाच।
आयुषोऽर्धं प्रयच्छामि कन्यायै खेचरोत्तम।
शृङ्गाररूपाभरणा समुत्तिष्ठतु मे प्रिया।।
सौतिरुवाच।
ततो गन्धर्वराजश्च देवदूतश्च सत्तमौ।
धर्मराजमुपेत्येदं वचनं प्रत्यभाषताम्।।
धर्मराजायुषोऽर्धेन रुरोर्भार्या प्रमद्वरा।
समुत्तिष्ठतु कल्याणी मृतैवं यदि मन्यसे।।
धर्मराज उवाच।
प्रमद्वरा रुरोर्भार्या देवदूत यदीच्छसि।
उत्तिष्ठत्वायुषोऽर्धेन रुरोरेव समन्विता।।
सौतिरुवाच।
एवमुक्ते ततः कन्या सोदतिष्ठत्प्रमद्वरा।
रुरोस्तस्यायुषोऽर्धेन सुप्तेव वरवर्णिनी।।
एतद्दृष्टं भविष्ये हि रुरोरुत्तमतेजसः।
आयुषोऽतिप्रवृद्धस्य भार्यार्थेऽर्धमलुप्यत।।
तत इष्टेऽहनि तयोः पितरौ चक्रतुर्मुदा।
विवाहं तौ च रेमाते परस्परहितैषिणौ।।
स लब्ध्वा दुर्लभां भार्यां पद्मकिञ्जल्कसुप्रभाम्।
व्रतं चक्रे विनाशाय जिह्मगानां धृतव्रतः।।
स दृष्ट्वा जिह्मगान्सर्वांस्तीव्रकोपसमन्वितः।
अभिहन्ति यथासत्त्वं गृह्य प्रहरणं सदा।।
स कदाचिद्वनं विप्रो रुरुरभ्यागमन्महत्।
शयानं तत्र चापश्यड्डुण्डुभं वयसान्वितम्।।
तत उद्यम्य दम्डं स कालदण्डोपमं तदा।
जिघांसुः कुपितो विप्रस्तमुवाचाथ डुण्डुभः।।
नापराध्यामि ते किंचिदहमद्य तपोधन।
संरम्भाच्च किमर्थं मामभिहंसि रुषान्वितः।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते आदिपर्वाणि
पौलोमपर्वणि नवमोऽध्यायः।। 9 ।।

English Ganguli

“Sauti said, ‘While those illustrious Brahmanas were sitting around the dead body of Pramadvara, Ruru, sorely afflicted, retired into a deep wood and wept aloud. And overwhelmed with grief he indulged in much piteous lamentation. And, remembering his beloved Pramadvara, he gave vent to his sorrow in the following words, ‘Alas! The delicate fair one that increaseth my affliction lieth upon the bare ground. What can be more deplorable to us, her friends? If I have been charitable, if I have performed acts of penance, if I have ever revered my superiors, let the merit of these arts restore to life my beloved one! If from my birth I have been controlling my passions, adhered to my vows, let the fair Pramadvara rise from the ground.

“And while Ruru was indulging in these lamentations for the loss of his bride, a messenger from heaven came to him in the forest and addressed him thus, ‘The words thou utterest, O Ruru, in thy affliction are certainly ineffectual. For, O pious man, one belonging to this world whose days have run out can never come back to life. This poor child of a Gandharva and Apsara has had her days run out! Therefore, O child, thou shouldst not consign thy heart to sorrow. The great gods, however, have provided beforehand a means of her restoration to life. And if thou compliest with it, thou mayest receive back thy Pramadvara.’

“And Ruru replied, O messenger of heaven! What is that which the gods have ordained. Tell me in full so that (on hearing) I may comply with it. It behoveth thee to deliver me from grief!’ And the celestial messenger said unto Ruru, ‘Resign half of thy own life to thy bride, and then, O Ruru of the race of Bhrigu, thy Pramadvara shall rise from the ground.’ ‘O best of celestial messengers, I most willingly offer a moiety of my own life in favour of my bride. Then let my beloved one rise up once more in her dress and lovable form.’

“Sauti said, ‘Then the king of Gandharvas (the father of Pramadvara) and the celestial messenger, both of excellent qualities, went to the god Dharma (the Judge of the dead) and addressed him, saying, ‘If it be thy will, O Dharmaraja, let the amiable Pramadvara, the betrothed wife of Ruru, now lying dead, rise up with a moiety of Ruru’s life.’ And Dharmaraja answered, ‘O messenger of the gods, if it be thy wish, let Pramadvara, the betrothed wife of Ruru, rise up endued with a moiety of Ruru’s life.’

“Sauti continued, ‘And when Dharmaraja had said so, that maiden of superior complexion, Pramadvara, endued with a moiety of Ruru’s life, rose as from her slumber. This bestowal by Ruru of a moiety of his own span of life to resuscitate his bride afterwards led, as it would be seen, to a curtailment of Ruru’s life.

“And on an auspicious day their fathers gladly married them with due rites. And the couple passed their days, devoted to each other. And Ruru having obtained such a wife, as is hard to be found, beautiful and bright as the filaments of the lotus, made a vow for the destruction of the serpent-race. And whenever he saw a serpent he became filled with great wrath and always killed it with a weapon.

“One day, O Brahmana, Ruru entered an extensive forest. And there he saw an old serpent of the Dundubha species lying stretched on the ground. And Ruru thereupon lifted up in anger his staff, even like to the staff of Death, for the purpose of killing it. Then the Dundubha, addressing Ruru, said, ‘I have done thee no harm, O Brahmana! Then wherefore wilt thou slay me in anger?’”

So ends the ninth section of the Pauloma Parva of the Adi Parva of the blessed Mahabharata.