Mahabharata, Book 10, Section XVIIIसौप्तिकपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 10.18.

18Sanskrit adhyāya 10.18 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

कश्रीभगवानुवाच।
ततो देवयुगेऽतीते देवा वै समकल्पयन्।
यज्ञवेदप्रमाणेन विधिवद्यष्टुमीप्सवः।।
कल्पयामासुरथ ते साधनानि हवींषि च।
भागार्हा देवताश्चैव यज्ञियं द्रव्यमेव च।।
ता वै रुद्रमजानन्त्यो याथातथ्येन देवताः।
नाकल्पयन्त देवस्य स्थाणोर्भागं नराधिप।।
सोऽकल्प्यमाने भागे तु कृत्तिवासा मखेऽमरैः।
तपसा यज्ञमन्विच्छन्धनुरादौ ससर्ज ह।।
लोकयज्ञः क्रियायज्ञो गृहयज्ञः सनातनः।
पञ्चभूतनृयज्ञश्च जज्ञे सर्वमिदं जगत्।।
लोकयज्ञैर्नृयज्ञैश्च कपर्दी विदधे धनुः।
धनुः सृष्टमभूत्तस्य षष्टिकिष्कुप्रमाणतः।।
वषट्‌कारोऽभवज्ज्या तु धनुषस्तस्य भारत।
यज्ञाङ्गानि च चत्वारि तस्य सन्नहनेऽभवन्।।
ततः क्रुद्धो महादेवस्दुपादाय कार्मुकम्।
आजगामाथ तत्रैव यत्र देवाः समीजिरे।।
तमात्कार्मुकं दृष्ट्वा ब्रह्मचारिणमव्ययम्।
विव्यथे पृथिवी देवी पर्वताश्च चकम्पिरे।।
न ववौ पवनश्चैव नाग्निर्जज्वाल वैधितः।
व्यभ्रमच्चापि संविग्नं दिवि नक्षत्रमण्डलम्।।
न बभौ भास्करश्चापि सोमः श्रीमुक्तमण्डलः।
तिमिरेणाकुलं सर्वमाकाशं चाभवृद्वृतम्।।
अभिभूतास्ततो देवा विषयान्न प्रजज्ञिरे।
न प्रत्यभाच्च यज्ञः स देवतास्त्रेसिरे तथा।।
ततः स यज्ञं विव्याध रौद्रेण हृदि पत्रिणा।
अपक्रान्स्ततो यज्ञो मृगो भूत्वा सपावकः।।
स तु तेनैव रूपेण दिविस्थो वै व्यराजत।
अन्वीयमानो रुद्रेण युधिष्ठिर नभस्तले।।
अपक्रान्ते ततो यज्ञे संज्ञा न प्रत्यभात्सुरान्।
नष्टसंज्ञेषु देवेषु न प्राज्ञायत किञ्चन।।
त्र्यम्बकः सवितुर्बाहू भगस्य नयने तथा।
पूष्णश्च दशनान्क्रुद्धो धनुष्कोट्या व्यशातयत्।।
प्राद्रवन् ततो देवा यज्ञाङ्गानि च सर्वशः।
केचित्तत्रैव घूर्णन्तो गतासव इवाभवन्।।
स तु विद्राव्य तत्सर्वं शितिकम्ठोऽवहस्य च।
अवष्टभ्य धनुष्कोटिं रुरोध विबुधांस्ततः।।
ततो वागमरैरुक्ता ज्यां तस्य धनुषोऽच्छिनत्‌।
अथ तत्सहसा राजंश्छिन्नज्यं विस्फुरद्धनुः।।
ततो विधनुषं देवा देवश्रेष्ठमुपागमन्।
शरणं सह यज्ञेन प्रसादं चाकरोत्प्रभुः।।
ततः प्रसन्नो भगवान्प्रास्यत्कोपं जलाशये।
स जलं पावको भूत्वा शोषयत्यनिशं प्रभो।।
भगस्य नयने चैव बाहू च सवितुस्तथा।
प्रादात्पूष्णश्च दशनान्पुनर्यज्ञांश्च पाण्डव।।
ततः सुस्थमिदं सर्वं बभूव पुनरेव हि।
सर्वाणि च हवींष्यस्य देवा भागमकल्पयन्।।
तस्मिन्क्रुद्धेऽभवत्सर्वमसुस्थं भुवनं प्रभो।
प्रसन्ने च पुनः सुस्थं जगद्भवति भारत।।
ततस्ते निहताः सर्वे तव पुत्रा महारथाः।
अन्ये च बहवः शूराः पाञ्चालस्य पदानुगाः।।
न तन्मनसि कर्व्यं न च तद्द्रौणिना कृतम्।
महादेवप्रसादः स कुरुकार्यमनन्तरम्।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते शतसाहस्रिकायां संहितायां
वैयासिक्यां सौप्तिकपर्वणि ऐषीकपर्वणि अष्टादशोऽध्यायः।। 18 ।।
समाप्तं ऐषीकपर्व।। 2 ।।
सौप्तिकपर्व च समाप्तम्।। 10 ।।

English Ganguli

"The holy one said, 'After the krita-yuga had elapsed, the gods, desirous of performing a sacrifice, duly made preparation for one according to the directions laid down in the Vedas. They collected clarified butter and the other requisites. And they not only devised what the requisites of their sacrifice should be, but also determined those amongst themselves that should have a share in the sacrificial offerings.

"'Not knowing Rudra truly, the celestials, O king, assigned no share for the divine Sthanu. Seeing that the celestials assigned to him no share in the sacrificial offerings, Sthanu, clad in deer skins, desired to destroy that Sacrifice and with that object constructed a bow. There are four kinds of Sacrifices: the loka Sacrifice, the Sacrifice of special rites, the eternal domestic Sacrifice, and the Sacrifice consisting in the gratification derived by man from his enjoyment of the five elemental substances and their compounds. It is from these four kinds of Sacrifice that the universe has sprung. Kapardin constructed that bow using as materials the first and the fourth kinds of Sacrifices. The length of that bow was five cubits. The sacred (mantra) "vashat," O Bharata, was made its string. The four parts, of which a Sacrifice consists, became the adornments of that bow.

"'Then Mahadeva, filled with rage, and taking up that bow, proceeded to that spot where the celestials were engaged in their Sacrifice. Beholding the unfading Rudra arrive there attired as a brahmacari and armed with that bow, the goddess Earth shrunk with fear and the very mountains began to tremble. The very wind ceased to move, and fire itself, though fed, did not blaze forth. The stars in the firmament, in anxiety, began to wander in irregular courses. The Sun's splendour decreased. The disc of the Moon lost its beauty. The entire welkin became enveloped in a thick gloom. The celestials, overwhelmed, knew not what to do. Their Sacrifice ceased to blaze forth. The gods were all terrified. Rudra then pierced the embodiment of Sacrifice with a fierce shaft in the heart. The embodied form of Sacrifice, assuming the shape of a deer, fled away, with the god of fire. Approaching heaven in that form, he blazed forth in beauty. Rudra, however, O Yudhishthira, pursued him through the skies. After Sacrifice had fled away, the gods lost their splendour. Having lost their senses, the gods were stupefied.

"'Then the three-eyed Mahadeva, with his bow, broke in rage the arms of Savitri, and plucked out the eyes of Bhaga and the teeth of Pushana. The gods then fled away, as also all the several parts of Sacrifice. Some amongst them, reeling as they sought to fly away, fell down senseless. The blue-throated Rudra, having agitated them thus, laughed aloud, and whirling the horn of his bow, paralysed them. The celestials then uttered a cry. At their command, the string of the bow broke. The string having broken, the bow became stretched into a line. The gods then approached the bowless god of gods and, with the embodied form of Sacrifice, sought the protection of the puissant Mahadeva and endeavoured to gratify him.

"'Gratified, the great god threw his wrath into the water, O king, that wrath, assuming the form of fire, is always employed in consuming that liquid element. He then gave unto Savitri his arms, Bhaga his eyes, and Pushana his teeth. And he also restored the Sacrifices themselves, O Pandava! The world once more became safe and sound. The gods assigned unto Mahadeva all the libations of clarified butter as the share of great deity. O monarch, when Mahadeva had become angry, the whole world had thus become agitated: when he became gratified everything became safe. Possessed of great energy, the god Mahadeva was gratified with Ashvatthama. It was for this that thy sons, those mighty car-warriors, could be slain by that warrior. It was for this that many other heroes, the Pancalas, with all their followers, could be slain by him. Thou shouldst not suffer thy mind to dwell on it. It was not Drona's son that accomplished that act. It was done through the grace of Mahadeva. Do now what should next be done.'"

The end of Sauptika-parva.

The Mahabharata

Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa