Mahabharata, Book 3, Section XXIIIवनपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 3.23.

23Sanskrit adhyāya 3.23 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

वैशंपायन उवाच।
तस्मिन्दशार्हाधिपतौ प्रयाते
युधिष्ठिरो भीमसेनार्जुनौ च।
यमौ च कृष्ण च पुरोहितश्च
रथान्महार्हान्परमाश्वयुक्तान् ।।
अस्थाय वीराः सहिता वनाय
प्रतस्थिरे भूतपतिप्रकाशाः।
हिरण्यनिष्कान्वसनानि गाश्च
गदाय शिक्षाक्षरमन्त्रविद्भ्यः ।।
प्रेष्याः पुरो विंशतिरात्तशस्त्रा
धनूंषि शस्त्राणि शरांश्च दीप्तान्।
मौर्वीश्च यन्त्राणि च सायकांश्च
सर्वे समादाय जघन्यमीयुः ।।
तत्सतु वासांसि च राजपुत्र्या
धात्र्यश्च दास्यश्च विभूषणं च।
तदिन्द्रसेनस्त्वरितः प्रगृह्य
जघन्यमेवोपययौ रथेन ।।
ततः कुरुश्रेष्ठमुपेत्य पौराः
प्रदक्षिणं चक्रुरदीनसत्वाः।
तं ब्राह्मणाश्चाभ्यवदन्प्रसन्ना
मुख्याश्च सर्वे कुरुजाङ्गलानाम् ।।
स चापि तानभ्यवदत्प्रसन्नः
सहैव तैर्भ्रातृभिर्धर्मराजः।
तस्थौ च तत्राधिपतिर्महात्मा
दृष्ट्वा जनौघं कुरुजाङ्गलानाम् ।।
पितेव पुत्रेषु स तेषु भावं
चक्रे कुरूणामृषभो महात्मा।
ते चापि तस्मिन्भरतप्रबर्हे
तथा बभूवुः पितरीव पुत्राः ।।
ततस्तमासाद्य महाजनौघाः
कुरुप्रवीरं परिवार्य तस्थुः।
हानाथ हाधर्म इति ब्रुवाणा
हीताश्च सर्वेऽऽश्रुमुखा बभूवुः ।।
वरः कुरूणामधिपः प्रजानां
पितेव पुत्रानपहाय चास्मान्।
पौरानिमाञ्जानपदांश्च सर्वान्
हित्वा प्रयातः क्वनु धर्मराजः ।।
धिग्धार्तराष्ट्रं सुनृशंसबुद्धिं
धिक्सौबलं पापमतिं च कर्णम्।
अनर्थमिच्छन्ति नरेन्द्र पापा
ये धर्मनित्यस्य सतस्तवोग्राः ।।
स्वयं निवेश्याप्रतिमं महात्मा
पुरं महादेवपुरप्रकाशम्।
शतक्रतुप्रस्थममोघकर्मा
हित्वा प्रयातः क्वनु धर्मराजः ।।
चकार यामप्रतिमां महात्मा
सभां मयो देवसभाप्रकाशाम्।
तां देवगुप्तामिव देवमायां
हित्वाप्रयातः क्वनु धर्मराजः ।।
तान्धर्मकामार्थविदुत्तमौजा
बीभत्सुरुच्चैः सहितानुवाच।
आदास्यते वासमिमं निरुष्य
रवनेषु राजा द्विषतां यशांसि ।।
द्विजातिमुख्याः सहिताः पृथक्व
भवद्भिरासाद्य तपस्विनश्च।
प्रसाद्य धर्मार्थविदश्च वाच्या
यथार्थसिद्धिः परमा भवेन्नः ।।
इत्येवमुक्ते वचनेऽऽर्जुनेन
ते ब्राह्मणाः सर्ववर्णाश्च राजन्।
मुदाऽभ्यनन्दन्सहिताश्च चक्रुः
प्रदक्षिणं धर्मभृतांवरिष्ठम् ।।
आमन्त्र्य पार्थं च वृकोदरं च
धनंजयं याज्ञसेनीं यमौ च।
प्रतस्थिरे राष्ट्रमरपेतहार्षा
युधिष्ठिरेणानुमता यथास्वम् ।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते अरण्यपर्वणि
अर्जुनाभिगमनपर्वणि त्रयोविंशोऽध्यायः ।। 23 ।।

English Ganguli

Vaisampayana continued, “After the chief of the Dasharhas had departed, the heroic Yudhishthira, and Bhima, and Arjuna, and the twins, each looking like unto Shiva, and Krishna, and their priest, ascending costly cars unto which were yoked excellent steeds, together went into the forest. And at time of going they distributed Nishkas of gold and clothes and kine unto Brahmanas versed in Siksha and Akshara and mantras. And twenty attendants followed them equipped with bows, and bowstrings, and blazing weapons, and shafts and arrows and engines of destruction. And taking the princess’s clothes and the ornaments, and the nurses and the maid-servants, Indrasena speedily followed the princes on a car. And then approaching the best of Kurus, the high-minded citizens walked round him. And the principal Brahmanas of Kurujangala cheerfully saluted him. And together with his brothers, Yudhishthira the just, on his part saluted them cheerfully. And the illustrious king stopped there a little, beholding the concourse of the inhabitants of Kurujangala. And the illustrious bull among the Kurus felt for them as a father feeleth for his sons, and they too felt for the Kuru chief even as sons feel for their father! And that mighty concourse, approaching the Kuru hero, stood around him. And, O king, affected, with bashfulness, and with tears in their eyes, they all exclaimed, ‘Alas, O lord! O Dharma!’ And they said, ‘Thou art the chief of the Kurus, and the king of us, thy subjects! Where dost thou go, O just monarch, leaving all these citizens and the inhabitants of the country, like a father leaving his sons? Fie on the cruel-hearted son of Dhritarashtra! Fie on the evil-minded son of Suvala! Fie on Karna! For, O foremost of monarchs, those wretches ever wish unto thee who art firm in virtue! Having thyself established the unrivalled city of Indraprastha of the splendour of Kailasa itself, where dost thou go, leaving it, O illustrious and just king, O achiever of extraordinary deeds! O illustrious one, leaving that peerless palace built by Maya, which possesseth the splendour of the palace of the celestials themselves, and is like unto a celestial illusion, ever guarded by the gods, where dost thou go, O son of Dharma?’ And Vibhatsu knowing the ways of virtue, pleasure, and profit said unto them in a loud voice, ‘Living in the forest, the king intendeth to take away the good name of his enemies! O we with the regenerate ones at your head, versed in virtue and profit, do you approaching the ascetics separately and inclining them to grace, represent unto them what may be for our supreme good!’ Upon hearing these words of Arjuna, the Brahmanas and the other orders, O king, saluting him cheerfully walked round the foremost of virtuous men! And bidding farewell unto the son of Pritha, and Vrikodara, and Dhananjaya and Yajnaseni, and the twins, and commanded by Yudhishthira, they returned to their respective abodes in the kingdom with heavy hearts.”