Mahabharata · Book 10 · Sauptika Parva
Mahabharata, Book 10, Section XVIIसौप्तिकपर्व
Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 10.17.
Sanskrit
हतेषु सर्वसैन्येषु सौप्तिकै तै रथैस्त्रिभिः।
शोचन्युधिष्ठिरो राजा दाशार्हमिदमब्रवीत्।।
कथं नु कृष्ण पापेन क्षुद्रेण शठबुद्धिना।
द्रौणिना निहताः सर्वे मम पुत्रा महारथाः।।
तथा कृतास्रविक्रान्ताः सङ्ग्रामेष्वपलायिनः।
द्रुपदस्यात्मजाश्चैव द्रोणपुत्रेण पातिताः।।
यस्य द्रोणो महेष्वासो न प्रादादाहवे मुखम्।
निजघ्ने रथिनां श्रेष्ठं धृष्टद्युम्नं कथं नु सः।।
किन्नु तेन कृतं कर्म तथायुक्तं नरर्षभ।
यदेकः समरे सर्वानवधीन्नो गुरोः सुतः।।
श्रीभगवानुवाच।
नूनं स देवदेवानामीश्वरेश्वरमव्ययम्।
जगाम शरणं द्रौणिरेकस्तेनावधीद्बहून्।।
प्रसन्नो हि महादेवो दद्यादमरतामपि।
वीर्यं च गिरिशो दद्याद्येनेन्द्रमपि शातयेत्।।
वेदाहं हि महादेवं तत्त्वेन भरतर्षभ।
यानि चास्यपुराणानि कर्माणि विविधानि च।।
आदिरेष हि भूतानां मध्यमन्तश्च भारत।
विचेष्टते जगच्चेदं सर्वमस्यैव कर्मणा।।
एवं सिसृक्षुर्भूतानि ददर्श प्रथमं विभुः।
पितामहोऽब्रवीच्चैनं भूतानि सृज माचिरम्।।
हरिकेशस्तथेत्युक्वा दीर्घदर्शी तदा प्रभुः।
दीर्घकालं तपस्तेपे मग्नोऽम्भसि महातपाः।।
सुमहान्तं ततः कालं प्रतीक्ष्यैनं पितामहः।
स्रष्टारं सर्वभूतानां ससर्ज मनसाऽपरम्।।
सोऽब्रवीद्वातरं दृष्ट्वा गिरिशं सुप्तमम्भसि।
यदि मे नाग्रजोऽस्त्यन्यस्ततः स्रक्ष्याम्यहं प्रजाः।।
तमब्रवीत्पिता नास्ति त्वदन्यः पुरुषोऽग्रजः।
स्थाणुरेष जले मग्नो विस्रब्धः कुरु वै प्रजाः।।
भूतान्यन्वसृजत्सप्त दक्षः क्षिप्रं प्रजापतिः।
यैरिमं व्यकरोत्सर्वं भूतग्रामं चतुर्विधम्।।
ताः सृष्टमात्राः क्षुधिताः प्रजाः सर्वाः प्रजापतिम्।
बिभक्षयिवो राजन्सहसा प्राद्रवंस्तदा।।
स भक्ष्यमाणस्त्राणार्थी पितामहमुपाद्रवत्।
आभ्यो मां भगवांस्त्रातु वृत्तिरासां विधीयताम्।।
ततस्ताभ्यो ददावन्नमोषधीः स्थावराणि च।
जङ्गमानि च भूतानि दुर्बलानि बलीयसाम्।।
विहितान्नाः प्रजास्तास्तु जग्मुस्तुष्टा यथागतम्।
ततो ववृधिरे राजन्प्रीतिमत्यः स्वयोनिषु।।
भूतग्रामे विवृद्वे तु सृष्टे देवासुरे तदा।
उदतिष्ठज्जलाज्ज्येष्ठः प्रजाश्चेमा ददर्श सः।।
बहुरूपाः प्रजाः सृष्टा विवृद्धाश्च स्वतेजसा।
चुक्रोध बलवद्दृष्ट्वा लिङ्गं स्वं चाप्यविध्यत।।
तत्प्रविद्धं तथा भूमौ तथैव प्रत्यतिष्ठत।
तमुवाचाव्ययो ब्रह्मा वचोभिः शमयन्निव।।
किं कृतं सलिले शर्व चिरकालस्थितेन ते।
किमर्थं चेदमुत्पाद्य लिङ्गं भूमौ प्रवेशितम्।।
सोऽब्रवीज्जातसंरम्भस्तथा लोकगुरुर्गुरुम्।
प्रजाः सृष्टाः परेणेमाः किं करिष्याम्यनेन वै।।
प्रजाः सृष्टाः परेणेमाः प्रजार्थं मे पितामह।
ओषध्यः परिवर्तेरन्यथैवं सततं प्रजाः।।
एवमुक्त्वा स सक्रोधो जगाम विमना भवः।
गिरेर्मुञ्जवतः पादं तपस्तप्तुं महातपाः।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते सौप्तिकपर्वणि
ऐषीकपर्वणि सप्तदशोऽध्यायः।। 17 ।।
English Ganguli
17
Vaishampayana said, "After all the troops had been slain during the hour of sleep by those three car-warriors, king Yudhishthira in great grief said these words unto him of Dasharha's race: 'How, O Krishna, could my sons, all of whom were mighty car-warriors, be slaughtered by the sinful and wretched Ashvatthama of no great skill in battle? How also could Drona's son slay the children of Drupada, all of whom were accomplished in weapons, possessed of great prowess, and capable of battling with hundreds of thousands of foes? How could he slay that foremost of car-warriors, Dhrishtadyumna, before whom the great bowman Drona himself could not appear? What act was done by the preceptor's son, O bull among men, in consequence of which he succeeded in slaying, single-handed, all our men in battle?'
"The holy one said, 'Verily, Drona's son had sought the aid of that highest of all the gods, the eternal Mahadeva. It was for this that he succeeded in slaying, single-handed, so large a number of warriors. If Mahadeva be gratified, he can bestow even immortality. Girisha can give such valour as will succeed in checking Indra himself. I know Mahadeva truly, O bull of Bharata's race! I know also his various acts of old. He, O Bharata, is the beginning, the middle, and the end of all creatures. This entire universe acts and moves through his energy.
"'The puissant Grandsire, desirous of creating living creatures, saw Rudra; and the Grandsire asked him, saying, "Create living creatures without delay!" Thus asked, Rudra of tawny locks, saying, "So be it!" plunged into the water and practised austerities for a long time, inasmuch as he was sensible of the defects of living creatures. Having waited in expectation of Rudra for a very long time, the Grandsire, by a fiat of his will, invoked into existence another being for making him the creator of all kinds of living things. Beholding Girisha plunged into the waters, this (second) being said unto his sire, "If there be no being born before me, then I will create living creatures!" His sire replied unto him, saying, "There is no other first-born being besides thee! This Sthanu has plunged into the water! Go and create living creatures, without any anxiety!"
"'That being then created many living creatures, having Daksha for their first, who created all these creatures of four kinds. As soon, however, as they were created, they ran O king, towards their sire, afflicted with hunger and desirous of devouring him. The second being whom Brahma had created, thereupon ran towards him, desirous of protection from his own offspring. And he said unto the Grandsire, "O illustrious one, protect me from these, and let these creatures have their food assigned unto them!" Then the Grandsire assigned herbs and plants and other vegetables as their food, and unto those that were strong he assigned the weaker creatures as the means of sustenance. Their sustenance having been thus assigned, the newly-created creatures all went away to regions they desired, and cheerfully multiplied by union with their respective species.
"'After the creatures had multiplied and the Grandsire had become well pleased, the first-born rose from the water and beheld the living creation. He saw that diverse kinds of creatures had been created and that they had multiplied by their own energy. At this sight, Rudra became angry and caused his procreative limb to disappear in the bowels of the Earth. The unfading Brahma, soothing him by soft words, said unto him, "O Sharva, what wert thou doing so long within the water? For what reason, also hast thou caused thy limb of generation to disappear in the bowels of the Earth?" Thus questioned, that lord of the universe wrathfully answered the lord Brahman, "Somebody else has created all these creatures! What purpose then would be served by this limb of mine? I have by my austerities, O Grandsire, created food for all these creatures. These herbs and plants also will multiply like those that will subsist upon them!" Having said these words, Bhava went away, in cheerlessness and rage, to the foot of the Menjavat mountains for practising severer austerities.'"