Mahabharata, Book 1, Section XCIII: Sambhava Parvaआदिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 1.93.

93Sanskrit adhyāya 1.93 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

कण्व उवाच।
एवमुक्तस्तया शक्रः संदिदेश सदागतिम्।
प्रातिष्ठत तदा काले मेनका वायुना सह।।
अथापश्यद्वरारोहा तपसा दग्धकिल्बिषम्।
मिश्वामित्रं तप्यमानं मेनका भीरुराश्रमे।।
अभिवाद्य ततः सा तं प्राक्रीडदृषिसन्निधौ।
अपोवाह च वासोऽस्या मारुतः शशिसंनिभम्।।
सागच्छत्त्वरिता भूमिं वासस्तदभिलिप्सती।
कुत्सयन्तीव सव्रीडं मारुतं वरवर्णिनी।।
पश्यतस्तस्य राजर्षेरप्यग्निसमतेजसः।
विश्वामित्रस्ततस्तां तु विषमस्थामनिन्दिताम्।।
गृद्धां वाससि संभ्रान्तां मेनकां मुनिसत्तमः।
अनिर्देश्यवयोरूपामपश्यद्विवृतां तदा।।
तस्या रूपगुणान्दृष्ट्वा स तु विप्रर्षभस्तदा।
चकार भावं संसर्गे तया कामवशं गतः।।
न्यमन्त्रयत चाप्येनां सा चाप्यैच्छदनिन्दिता।
तौ तत्र सुचिरं कालमुभौ व्यवहरतां तदा।।
रममाणौ यथाकामं यतैकदिवसं तथा।
`एवं वर्षसहस्राणामतीतं नान्वचिन्तयत्।।
कामक्रोधावजितवान्मुनिर्नित्यं समाहितः।
चिरार्जितस्य तपसः क्षयं स कृतवान्मुनिः।।
तपसः संक्षयादेव मुनिर्मोहं समाविशत्।
मोहाभिभूतः क्रोधात्मा ग्रसन्मूलफलान्मुनिः।।
पादैर्जलरवं कृत्वा अन्तर्द्वीपे कुटीं गतः।
मेनका गन्तुकामा तु शुश्राव जलनिस्वनम्।।
तपसा दीप्तवीर्योऽसावाकाशादेति याति च।
अद्य संज्ञां विजानामि ययाऽद्य तपसः क्षयः।।
गन्तुं न युक्तमित्युक्त्वा ऋतुस्नाताथ मेनका।
कामरागाभिभूतस्य मुनेः पार्स्वं जगाम ह।।'
जनयामास स मुनिर्मेनकायां शकुन्तलाम्।
प्रस्थे हिमवतो रम्ये मालिनीमभितो नदीम्।।
`देवगर्भोपमां बालां सर्वाभरणभूषिताम्।
शयानां शयने रम्ये मेनका वाक्यमब्रवीत्।।
महर्षेरुग्रतपसस्तेजस्त्वमसि भामिनि।
तस्मात्स्वर्गं गमिष्यामि देवकार्यार्थमागता।।'
जातमुत्सृज्य तं गर्भं मेनका मालिनीमनु।
कृतकार्या ततस्तूर्णमगच्छच्छक्रसंसदम्।।
तं वने विजने गर्भं सिंहव्याघ्रसमाकुले।
दृष्ट्वा शयानं शकुनाः समन्तात्पर्यवारयन्।
नेमां हिंस्युर्वने बालां क्रव्यादा मांसगृद्धिनः।।
पर्यरक्षन्त तां तत्र शकुन्ता मेनकात्मजाम्।
उपस्प्रष्टुं गतश्चाहमपश्यं शयितामिमाम्।।
निर्जने विपिने रम्ये शकुन्तैः परिवारिताम्।
`मां दृष्ट्वैवाभ्यपद्यन्त पादयोः पतिता द्विजाः।
अब्रुञ्शकुनाः सर्वे कलं मधुरभाषिणः।।
विश्वामित्रसुतां ब्रह्मन्न्यासभूतां भरस्व वै।
कामक्रोधावजितवान्सखा ते कौशिकीं गतः।।
तस्मात्पोषय तत्पुत्रीं दयावानिति तेऽब्रुवन्।
सर्वभूतरुतज्ञोऽहं दयावान्सर्वजन्तुषु।।'
आनयित्वा ततश्चैनां दुहितृत्वे न्यवेशयम्।।
शरीरकृत्प्राणदाता यस्य चान्नानि भुञ्जते।
क्रमेणैते त्रयोऽप्युक्ताः पितरो धर्मशासने।।
निर्जने तु वने यस्माच्छकुन्तैः परिवारिता।
शकुन्तलेति नामास्याः कृतं चापि ततो मया।।
एवं दुहितरं विद्धि मम विप्र शकुन्तलाम्।
शकुन्तला च पितरं मन्यते मामनिन्दिता।।
शकुन्तलोवाच।
एतदाचष्ट पृष्टः सन्मम जन्म महर्षये।
सुतां कण्वस्य मामेवं विद्धि त्वं मनुजाधिप।।
कण्वं हि पितरं मन्ये पितरं स्वमजानती।
इति ते कथितं राजन्यथावृत्तं श्रुतं मया।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते आदिपर्वणि संभवपर्वणि त्रिनवतितमोऽध्यायः।। 93 ।।

English Ganguli

“Vasumat said, ‘I am Vasumat, the son of Oshadaswa. I would ask thee, O king, whether there are any worlds for me to enjoy as fruits of my religious merits, in heaven or the firmament. Thou art, O high-souled one, acquainted with all holy regions.’

“Yayati answered, ‘There are as many regions for thee to enjoy in heaven as the number of places in the firmament, the Earth and the ten points of the universe illumined by the Sun.’

“Vasumat then said, ‘I give them to thee. Let those regions that are for me be thine. Therefore, though falling, thou shall not fall. If to accept them as gift be improper for thee, then, O monarch, buy them for a straw?’

“Yayati answered, ‘I do not remember having ever bought and sold anything unfairly. This has never been done by other kings. How shall I therefore do it?’

“Vasumat said, ‘If buying them, O king, be regarded by thee as improper, then take them as gilt from me. For myself I answer that I will never go to those regions that are for me. Let them, therefore, be thine.’

“Sivi then addressed the king thus, I am, O king, Sivi by name, the son of Usinara. O father, are there in the firmament or in heaven any worlds for me to enjoy? Thou knowest every region that one may enjoy as the fruit of his religious merit.’

“Yayati said, ‘Thou hast never, by speech or in mind, disregarded the honest and the virtuous that applied to thee. There are infinite worlds for thee to enjoy in heaven, all blazing like lightning.’ Sivi then said, ‘If thou regardest their purchase as improper, I give them to thee. Take them all, O king! I shall never take them, viz., those regions where the wise never feel the least disquiet.’

Yayati answered, ‘O Sivi, thou hast indeed, obtained for thyself, possessed of the prowess of Indra, infinite worlds. But I do not desire to enjoy regions given to me by others. Therefore, I accept not thy gift.’

“Ashtaka then said, ‘O king, each of us has expressed his desire to give thee worlds that each of us has acquired by his religious merits. Thou acceptest not them. But leaving them for thee, we shall descend into the Earth-hell.’

“Yayati answered, ‘Ye all are truth-loving and wise. Give me that which I deserve. I shall not be able to do what I have never done before.’

“Ashtaka then said, ‘Whose are those five golden cars that we see? Do men that repair to these regions of everlasting bliss ride in them?’

“Yayati answered, ‘Those five golden cars displayed in glory, and blazing as fire, would indeed, carry you to regions of bliss.’

“Ashtaka said, ‘O king, ride on those cars thyself and repair to heaven. We can wait. We follow thee in time.’

“Yayati said, ‘We can now all go together. Indeed, all of us have conquered heaven. Behold, the glorious path to heaven becomes visible.”

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Then all those excellent monarchs riding in those cars set out for heaven for gaining admittance into it, illuminating the whole firmament by the glory of their virtues.’

“Then Ashtaka, breaking the silence asked, ‘I had always thought that Indra was my especial friend, and that I, of all others, should first obtain admittance into heaven. But how is it that Usinara’s son, Sivi hath already left us behind?’

“Yayati answered, ‘This Usinara’s son had given all he possessed for attaining to the region of Brahman. Therefore, is he the foremost among us. Besides, Sivi’s liberality, asceticism, truth, virtue, modesty, forgiveness, amiability, desire of performing good acts, have been so great that none can measure them!’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘After this, Ashtaka, impelled by curiosity, again asked his maternal grandfather resembling Indra himself, saying, ‘O king, I ask thee, tell me truly, whence thou art, who thou art, and whose son? Is there any other Brahmana or Kshatriya who hath done what thou didst on earth?’ Yayati answered, ‘I tell thee truly, I am Yayati, the son of Nahusha and the father of Puru. I was lord of all the Earth. Ye are my relatives; I tell thee truly, I am the maternal grandfather of you all. Having conquered the whole earth, I gave clothes to Brahmanas and also a hundred handsome horses fit for sacrificial offering. For such acts of virtue, the gods became propitious to those that perform them. I also gave to Brahmanas this whole earth with her horses and elephants and kine and gold all kinds of wealth, along with a hundred Arbudas of excellent milch cows. Both the earth and the firmament exist owing to my truth and virtue; fire yet burneth in the world of men owing to my truth and virtue. Never hath a word spoken by me been untrue. It is for this that the wise adore Truth. O Ashtaka, all I have told thee, Pratardana, and Vasumat, is Truth itself. I know it for certain that the gods and the Rishis and all the mansions of the blessed are adorable only because of Truth that characteriseth them all. He that will without malice duly read unto good Brahmanas his account of our ascension to heaven shall himself attain to the same worlds with us.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘It was thus that the illustrious king Yayati of high achievements, rescued by his collateral descendants, ascended to heaven, leaving the earth and covering the three worlds with the fame of his deeds.’”