Mahabharata, Book 12, Section CXXVशान्तिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 12.125.

125Sanskrit adhyāya 12.125 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

युधिष्ठिर उवाच।
शीलं प्रधानं पुरुषे कथितं ते पितामह।
कथमाशा समुत्पन्ना का च सा तद्वदस्व मे।।
संशयो मे महानेष समुत्पन्नः पितामह।
छेत्ता च तस्य नान्योऽस्ति त्वत्तः परपुरंजय।।
पितामहाशा महती ममासीद्धि सुयोधने।
प्राप्ते युद्धे तु तद्युक्तं तत्कर्ताऽयमिति प्रभो।।
सर्वस्याशा सुमहती पुरुषस्योपजायते।
स्यां विहन्यमानायां दुःखो मृत्युर्न संशयः।।
ऽहं हताशो दुर्बुद्धिः कृतस्तेन दुरात्मना।
र्तराष्ट्रेण राजेन्द्र पश्य मन्दात्मतां मम।।
आशां बृहत्तरीं मन्ये पर्वतादपि सद्रुमात्।
आकाशादपि वा राजन्नप्रमेयाऽथवा पुनः।।
एषा चैव कुरुश्रेष्ठ दुर्विचिन्त्या सुदुर्लभा।
दुर्लभत्वाच्च पश्यामि किमन्यद्दुर्लभं ततः।।
भीष्म उवाच।
अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि युधिष्ठिर निबोध मे।
इतिहासं सुमित्रस्य निर्वृत्तमृषभस्य च।।
सुमित्रो नाम राजर्षिर्हैहयो मृगयां गतः।
ससार च मृगं विद्ध्वा बाणेनानतपर्वणा।।
स मृगो बाणमादाय ययावतिपराक्रमः।
स च राजा बली तूर्णं ससार मृगमन्तिकात्।।
ततो निम्नं स्थलं चैव समृगोऽद्रवदाशुगः।
मुहूर्तमिव राजेन्द्र समेन स पथाऽगमत्।।
ततः स राजा तारुण्यादौरसन बलेन च।
चचार बाणासनभृत्सखङ्गो हंसवत्तदा।।
ततो नदान्नदीश्चैव पल्वलानि वनानि च।
अतिक्रम्याभ्यतिक्रम्य ससारैको वनेचरः।।
स तु तावन्मृगो राजन्नासाद्यासाद्य पार्थिवम्।
पुनरभ्येति जवनो जवेन महता ततः।।
स तस्य बाणैर्बहुभिः समभ्यस्तो वनेचरः।
प्रक्रीडन्निव राजेन्द्र पुनरभ्येति चान्तिकम्।।
पुनश्च जवमास्थाय जवनो मृगयूथपः।
[अतीत्यातीत्य राजेन्द्र पुनरभ्येति चान्तिकम्।।]
तस्य मर्मच्छिदं घोरं सुमित्रोऽमित्रकर्शनः।
समादाय शरं श्रेष्ठं कार्मुकान्निरवासयत्।।
[ततो गव्यूतिमात्रेण मृगयूथपयूथपः।]
तस्य बाणपथं मुक्त्वा तस्थिवान्प्रहसन्निव।।
तस्मिन्निपतिते बाणे भूमौ ज्वलिततेजसि।
प्रविवेश मृगोऽरण्यं मृगं राजाऽप्यभिद्रवत्।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि
राजधर्मपर्वणि पञ्चविंशत्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः।। 125।।

English Ganguli

"'Yudhishthira said, "Thou hast said, O grandsire, that behaviour is the first (of requisites for a man). Whence, however, does Hope arise? Tell me what it is. This great doubt has taken possession of my mind. There is no other person than thee, O subjugator of hostile towns, who can remove it. O grandsire, I had great hope in respect of Suyodhana that when a battle was about to ensue (in consequence of his own obstinacy), he would, O lord, do what was proper. In every man hope is great. When that hope is destroyed, great is the grief that succeeds, and which, without doubt, is equal to almost death itself. Fool that I am, Dhritarashtra's wicked-souled son, Duryodhana, destroyed the hope I had cherished. Behold, O king, the foolishness of my mind! I think that hope is vaster than a mountain with all its trees. Or, perhaps, it is vaster than the firmament itself. Or, perhaps, O king, it is really immeasurable. Hope, O chief of the Kurus, is exceedingly difficult of being understood and equally difficult of being subdued. Beholding this last attribute of Hope, I ask, what else is so unconquerable as this?"

"'Bhishma said, "I shall narrate to thee, O Yudhishthira, in this connection, the discourse between Sumitra and Rishabha that took place in olden times. Listen to it. A royal sage of the Haihaya race, Sumitra by name, went out a hunting. He pursued a deer, having pierced it with a straight shaft. Possessed of great strength, the deer ran ahead, with the arrow sticking to him. The king was possessed of great strength, and accordingly pursued with great speed his prey. The animal, endued with fleetness, quickly cleared a low ground and then a level plain. The king, young, active and strong, and armed with bow and sword and cased in mail, still pursued it. Unaccompanied by anybody, in chasing the animal through the forest the king crossed many rivers and streams and lakes and copses. Endued with great speed, the animal, at its will, showing itself now and then to the king, ran on with great speed. Pierced with many shafts by the king, that denizen of wilderness, O monarch, as if in sport, repeatedly lessened the distance between itself and the pursuer. Repeatedly putting forth its speed and traversing one forest after another, it now and then showed itself to the king at a near point. At last that crusher of foes, taking a very superior shaft, sharp, terrible, and capable of penetrating into the very vitals, fixed it on his bowstring. The animal then, of huge proportions, as if laughing at the pursuer's efforts suddenly distanced him by reaching a point full four miles ahead of the range of the shaft. That arrow of blazing splendour accordingly fell on the ground. The deer entered a large forest but the king still continued the chase."'"