Mahabharata, Book 12, Section CXXVIशान्तिपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 12.126.

126Sanskrit adhyāya 12.126 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

भीष्म उवाच।
प्रविश्य च महारण्यं तापसानामथाश्रमम्।
आससाद ततो राजा श्रान्तश्चोपाविशत्तदा।।
तं कार्मुकधरं दृष्ट्वा श्रमार्तं क्षुधितं तदा।
समेत्य ऋषयस्तस्मै पूजां चक्रुर्यथाविधि।।
स पूजामृषिभिर्दत्तां प्रतिगृह्य नराधिपः।
अपृच्छत्तापसान्सर्वांस्तपोवृद्धिमनुत्तमाम्।।
ते तस्य राज्ञो वचनं प्रतिगृह्य तपोधनाः।
ऋषयो राजशार्दूलमपृच्छंस्तत्प्रयोजनम्।।
केन भद्रमुखार्थेन तपोवनमुपागतः।
पदातिर्बद्धनिस्त्रिंशो धन्वी बाणी नरेश्वर।।
एतदिच्छामहे श्रोतुं कुतः प्राप्तोऽसि मानद।
कस्मिन्कुले तु जातस्त्वं किंनामा चासि ब्रूहि नः।।
ततः स राजा सर्वेभ्यो द्विजेभ्यः पुरुषर्षभ।
आचख्यौ तद्यथावृत्तं परिचर्यां च भारत।।
हैहयानां कुले जातः सुमित्रोऽमित्रकर्शनः।
चरामि मृगयूथानि निघ्रन्बाणैः सहस्रशः।।
बलेन महता ब्रह्मन्सामात्यः सावरोधकः।
मृगस्तु विद्धो बाणेन मया सरति शल्यवान्।।
तं द्रवन्तमनुप्राप्तो वनमेतद्यदृच्छया।
भवत्सकाशं नष्टश्रीर्हताशः श्रमकर्शितः।।
किंनु दुःखमतोऽन्यद्वै यदहं श्रमकर्शितः।
भवतामाश्रमं प्राप्तो हताशो भ्रष्टलक्षणः।।
न राजलक्षणत्यागः पुनरस्य तपोधनाः।
दुःखं करोति मे तीव्रं यथाऽऽशा विहता मम।।
हिमवान्वा महाशैलः समुद्रो वा महोदधिः।
महत्त्वान्नान्वपद्येतां रोदस्योरन्तरं यथा।।
आशायास्तपसि श्रेष्ठास्तथा नान्तमहं गतः।
भवतां विदितं सर्वं सर्वज्ञा हि तपोधनाः।।
भवन्तः सुमहाभागास्तस्मात्पृच्छामि संशयम्।
आशावान्पुरुषो यः स्यादन्तरिक्षमथापि वा।।
किंनु ज्यायस्तरं लोके महत्त्वे प्रतिभाति वः।
एतदिच्छामि तत्त्वेन श्रोतुं किमिह दुर्लभम्।।
यदि गुह्यं न वो नित्यं तदा प्रब्रूत मा चिरम्।
न हि गुह्यतमं श्रोतुमिच्छामि द्विजपुङ्गवाः।।
भवत्तपोविघातो वा येन स्याद्विरमे ततः।
यदि वाऽस्ति कथायोगो योऽयं प्रश्नो मयेरितः।।
एतत्कारणसामर्थ्यं श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः।
भवन्तोऽपि तपोनित्या ब्रूयुरेतत्समाहिताः।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते शान्तिपर्वणि
राजधर्मपर्वणि षङ्विंशत्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः।। 126।।

English Ganguli

"'Bhishma said, "The king, having entered that large forest, came upon an asylum of ascetics. Fatigued with the toil he had undergone, he sat himself down for rest. Beholding him armed with bow, worn out with toil, and hungry, the ascetics approached him and honoured him in due form. Accepting the honours offered by the Rishis, the king enquired of them about the progress and advancement of their penances. Having duly answered the enquiries of the king, those Rishis endued with wealth of asceticism asked that tiger among rulers about the reason that led his steps to that retreat. And they said, 'Blessed be thou, in pursuit of what delightful object hast thou, O king, come to this asylum, walking on foot and armed with sword and bow and arrows? We wish to hear whence thou art coming, O giver of honours. Tell us also in what race thou art born and what thy name is.' Thus addressed, O bull among men, the king proceeded to duly give unto all those Brahmanas an account of himself, O Bharata, saying, 'I am born in the race of the Haihayas. By name I am Sumitra, and I am the son of Mitra. I chase herds of deer, slaying them in thousands with my arrows. Accompanied by a large force and my ministers and the ladies of my household, I came out on a hunting expedition. I pierced a deer with an arrow, but the animal with the shaft sticking to his body ran with great speed. In chasing it I have, without a set purpose, arrived at this forest and find myself in your presence, shorn of splendour, toil-worn, and with hope disappointed. What can be more pitiable than this, viz., that I have arrived at this asylum, spent with fatigue, shorn of the signs of royalty, and disappointed of my hopes. I am not at all sorry, ye ascetics, at my being now shorn of the signs of royalty or at my being now at a distance from my capital. I feel, however, a poignant grief in consequence of my hope having been disappointed. The prince of mountains, viz., Himavat, and that vast receptacle of waters, viz., the ocean, cannot, for its vastness, measure the extent of the firmament. Ye ascetics, similarly, I also cannot discern the limit of hope. Ye that are endued with wealth of penances are omniscient. There is nothing unknown to you. You are also highly blessed. I therefore solicit you for resolving my doubt. Hope as cherished by man, and the wide firmament, which of these two appears vaster to you? I desire to hear in detail what is so unconquerable to hope. If the topic be one upon which it is not improper for ye to discourse, then tell me all about it without delay. I do not wish, ye foremost of regenerate ones, to hear anything from you that may be a mystery improper to discourse upon. If again the discourse be injurious to your penances, I would not wish you to speak. If the question asked by me be a worthy topic of discourse, I would then wish to hear the cause in detail. Devoted to penances as ye are, do ye all instruct me on the subject.'"'"