Mahabharata, Book 3, Section CVIवनपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 3.106.

106Sanskrit adhyāya 3.106 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

लोमश उवाच।
एतच्छ्रुत्वान्तरिक्षाच्च स राजा राजसत्तमः।
यथोक्तं तच्चराकाथ श्रद्दधद्भरतर्षभ ।।
[एकैकशस्ततः कृत्वा बीजं बीजं नराधिपः।
घृतपूर्णेषु कुम्भेषु तान्भागान्विदधे ततः ।।
धात्रीश्चैकैकशः प्रादात्पुत्ररक्षणतत्परः।
ततः कालेन महता समुत्तस्थुर्महाबलाः ।।]
षष्टिः पुत्रसहस्रणि तस्याप्रतिमतेजसः।
रुद्रप्रसादाद्राजर्षेः समजायन्त पार्थिव ।।
ते घोराः क्रूरकर्माण आकाशपरिसर्पिणः।
बहुत्वाच्चावजानन्तः सर्वाल्लोँकान्सहामरान् ।।
त्रिदशांश्चाप्यबाधन्त तथा गन्धर्वराक्षसान्।
सर्वाणि चैव भूतानि शूरा समरशालिनः ।।
वध्यमानास्तदा लोकाः सागरैर्मन्दबुद्धिभिः।
ब्रह्माणं शरणं जग्मुः सहिताः सर्वदैवतैः ।।
तानुवाच महाभागः सर्वलोकपितामहः।
गच्छध्वं त्रिदशाः सर्वे लोकैः सार्धं यथागतम् ।।
नातिदीर्घेण कालेन सागराणां क्षयो महान्।
विष्यति महाघोरः स्वकृतैः कर्मभिः सुराः ।।
एवमुक्तास्तु ते देवा लोकाश् मनुजेश्वर।
पितामहमनुज्ञाप्य विप्रजग्मुर्यथागतम् ।।
ततः काले बहुतिथे व्यतीते भरतर्षभ।
दीक्षितः सगरो राजा हयमेधेन वीर्यवान् ।।
तस्याश्वो व्यचरद्भूमिं पुत्रैः सुपरिरक्षितः।
`सर्वैरेव महोत्साहैः स्वच्छन्दप्रचरो नृप' ।।
समुद्रं स समासाद्य निस्तोयं भीमदर्शनम्।
रक्ष्यमाणः प्रयत्नेन तत्रैवान्तरधीयत ।।
ततस्ते सागरास्तात हृतं मत्वा हयोत्तमम्।
आगम्य पितुराचख्युरदृश्यं तुरगं हृतम्।
तेनोक्ता दिक्षु सर्वासु पुत्रा मार्गत वाजिनम् ।।
ततस्ते पितुराज्ञाय दिक्षु सर्वासु तं हयम्।
अमार्गन्त महाराज सर्वंच पृथिवीतलम् ।।
ततस्ते सागराः सर्वे समुपेत्य परस्परम्।
नाध्यगच्छन्त तुरगमश्वहर्तारमेव च ।।
आगम्य पितरं चोचुस्ततः प्राञ्जलयोऽग्रतः ।।
ससमुद्रवनद्वीपा सनदीनदकन्दरा।
सपर्वतवनोद्देशा निखिलेन मही नृप ।।
अस्माभिर्विचिता राजञ्शासनात्तव पार्थिव।
न चाश्वमधिगच्छामो नाश्वहर्तारमेव च ।।
श्रुत्वा तु वचनं तेषां स राजा क्रोधमूर्चितः।
उवाच वचनं सर्वांस्तदा दैववशान्नृप ।।
अनागमाय गच्छध्वं भूयो मार्गत वाजिनम्।
याज्ञीयं तं विनाह्यश्वं नागन्तव्यं हि पुत्रकाः ।।
प्रतिगृह्य तु संदेशं पितुस्ते सगरात्मजाः।
भूय एव महीं कृत्स्नां विचेतुमुपचक्रमुः ।।
अथापश्यन्त ते वीराः पृथिवीमवदारिताम्।
`समुद्रे पृथिवीपाल पदं मार्गं च वाजिनः' ।।
समासाद्य बिलं तच्चाप्यखनन्सगरात्मजाः।
कुद्दालैर्मुसलैश्चैव समुद्रं यत्नमास्थिताः ।।
स खन्यमानः सहितैः सागरैर्वरुणालयः।
अगच्छत्परमामार्तिं दीर्यमाणः समन्ततः ।।
असुरोरगरक्षांसि सत्वानि विविधानि च।
आर्तनादमकुर्वन्त वध्यमानानि सागरैः ।।
छिन्नशीर्षा विदेहाश्च भिन्नजान्वस्थिमस्तकाः।
प्राणिनः समदृश्यन्त शतशोथ सहस्रशः ।।
एवं हि खनतां तेषां समुद्रं वरुणालयम्।
व्यतीतः सुमहान्कालो न चाश्वः समदृश्यत ।।
ततः पूर्वोत्तरे देशे समुद्रस्य महीपते।
विदार्य पातालमथ संक्रुद्धाः सगरात्मजाः ।।
अपश्यन्त हयं यत्र विचरन्तं महीतले।
कपिलं च महात्मानं तेजोराशिमनुत्तमम् ।।
तेजसा दीप्यमानं तु ज्वालाभिरिव पावकम्।
`दृष्ट्वा हि विस्मिताः सर्वे बभूवुः सगरात्मजाः' ।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते अरण्यपर्वणि
तीर्थयात्रापर्वणइ षडधिकशततमोऽध्यायः ।। 106 ।।

English Ganguli

“Lomasa said, ‘Then gathered together, Brahma, the grandfather of men (thus) addressed, ‘Go ye, O gods! whither your pleasure may lead you, or your desire conduct you. It will take a long course of time for the ocean to resume its wonted state; the occasion will be furnished by the agnates of the great king Bhagiratha.’ Hearing the words of the (universal) grandfather (Brahma), all the foremost gods went their way biding the day (when the ocean was to be filled again).’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘What was that occasion, O Saint? And how did the agnates of (Bhagiratha furnish the same)? And how was the ocean refilled by the interference of Bhagiratha? O Saint, who deemest thy religious practices as thy only treasure. O thou of the priestly class! I wish to hear the account of the achievements of the king, narrated in detail by thyself.’”

“Vaisampayana said, “Thus addressed by the magnanimous and virtuous king, he, the chief of men of the priestly class, narrated the achievements of the high-souled (king) Sagara.”

“Lomasa said, ‘There was born in the family of the Ikshaku tribe, a ruler of the earth named Sagara, endued with beauty, and strength. And that same (king) of a dreaded name was sonless, O descendant of Bharata! And he carried havoc through the tribes of the Haihayas and the Talajanghas; brought under subjection the whole of the military caste; (and so) ruled over his own kingdom. And, O most praiseworthy of the descendants of Bharata! O chief of the Bharata race! he had two wives proud of their beauty and of their youth,—one a princess of the Vidarbha race, and the other of the royal line of Sivi. And, O chief of kings, that same ruler of men, betook himself to the mountain Kailasa, accompanied by both his wives, and with the desire of having a son became engaged in the practice of exceeding austere penances. And being engaged in the practice of rigid austerities, and (also) employed in the contemplation known by the name of Yoga, he obtained the sight of the magnanimous god with three eyes—the slayer of the demon called Tripura; the worker of blessings (for all beings); the (eternally) existent one; the ruling Being, the holder of the Pinaka bow; carrying in his hand his (well-known weapon)—the trident; the god of three eyes; the repository of (eternal) peace; the ruler of all those that are fierce; capable of assuming very many forms; and the lord of the goddess Uma. And that same ruler of men, of mighty arms, as soon as he beheld the god—that giver of boons—fell down at his feet, with both his queens, and proffered a prayer to have a son. And the god Siva, well pleased with him, spake (thus) to that most righteous of the rulers of men, attended by his two wives, saying, ‘O lord of men! considering the (astrological) moment at which thou hast proffered thy prayer to me, sixty thousand sons, O foremost of choice men valorous and characterised by exceeding pride, will be born in one off thy two wives (here). But they all, O ruler of the earth, shall perish together. In the other wife, (however), will be born a single valiant son, who will perpetuate thy race.’ Having said this to him, the god Rudra (Siva) vanished from sight at that very spot, and that same king Sagara now came (back) to his own abode accompanied by his two wives, exceedingly delighted at heart (for what had happened) then. And, O most praiseworthy of the sons of Manu! (i.e., men), there the two lotus-eyed wives of him—the princess of Vidarbha and the princess of Sivi—came (erelong) to be with child. And afterwards, on the due day, the princess of Vidarbha brought forth (something) of the shape of a gourd and the princess of Sivi gave birth to a boy as beautiful as a god. Then the ruler of the earth made up his mind to throw away the gourd,—when he heard (proceeding) from the sky a speech (uttered) in a grave and solemn voice, ‘O king! do thou not be guilty of this hasty act; thou shouldst not abandon thy sons. Take out the seeds from the gourd and let them be preserved with care in steaming vessels partly filled with clarified butter. Then thou wilt get, O scion of Bharata’s race! sixty thousand sons. O ruler of men! the great god (Siva) hath spoken that thy sons are to be born in this manner. Let not therefore thy mind be turned away therefrom.’”