Mahabharata — Volume I (Dutt edition) — Chapter 161

MBh 1 161.1

कुत्युवाच न विषादस्त्वया कार्यों भयादस्मात् कथंचन। उपायः परिदृष्टोऽत्र तस्मान्मोक्षाय रक्षसः॥

kutyuvāca na viṣādastvayā kāryoṃ bhayādasmāt kathaṃcana| upāyaḥ paridṛṣṭo'tra tasmānmokṣāya rakṣasaḥ||

Kunti said : Do not grieve for this fear, I see a means by which you may be saved from the Rakshasas.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.2

एकस्तव सुतो बालः कन्या चैका तपस्विनी। न चैतयोस्तथा पत्न्या गमनं तव रोचये।॥

ekastava suto bālaḥ kanyā caikā tapasvinī| na caitayostathā patnyā gamanaṃ tava rocaye|||

You have only one son who is of tender years; you have only one daughter, who is engaged in vows. I do not like that any of these or yourself or your wife should go.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.3

मम पञ्च सुता ब्रह्मस्तेषामेको गमिष्यति। त्वदर्थं वलिमादाय तस्य पापस्य रक्षसः॥

mama pañca sutā brahmasteṣāmeko gamiṣyati| tvadarthaṃ valimādāya tasya pāpasya rakṣasaḥ||

I have five sons; one of them will go carrying on your behalf your tribute to that sinful Rakshasas.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.4

ब्राह्मण उवाच नाहमेतत् करिष्यामि जीवितार्थी कथंचन। ब्राह्मणस्यातिथैश्चैव स्वार्थे प्राणान् वियोजयन्॥

brāhmaṇa uvāca nāhametat kariṣyāmi jīvitārthī kathaṃcana| brāhmaṇasyātithaiścaiva svārthe prāṇān viyojayan||

The Brahmana said : I can never do this in order to live. I can not cause the death of a Brahmana and a guest for saving my own life.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.5

न त्वेतदकुलीनासु नाधर्मिष्ठासु विद्यते। यद् ब्राह्मणार्थं विसृजेदात्मानमपि चात्मजम्॥

na tvetadakulīnāsu nādharmiṣṭhāsu vidyate| yad brāhmaṇārthaṃ visṛjedātmānamapi cātmajam||

Even those that are lowly born and sinful refuse to do this; one should sacrifice himself and children for the sake of a Brahmana.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.6

आत्मनस्तु मया श्रेयो बोद्धव्यमिति रोचते। ब्रह्मवध्याऽऽत्मवध्या वा श्रेयानात्मवधो मम॥ ब्रह्मवध्या परं पापं निष्कृति त्र विद्यते। अबुद्धिपूर्वं कृत्वापि वमात्मवधो मम॥

ātmanastu mayā śreyo boddhavyamiti rocate| brahmavadhyā''tmavadhyā vā śreyānātmavadho mama|| brahmavadhyā paraṃ pāpaṃ niṣkṛti tra vidyate| abuddhipūrvaṃ kṛtvāpi vamātmavadho mama||

I consider this precept best for me and I like to follow it. Between the death of a Brahmana and of my own, I would prefer the latter. To kill a Brahmana is a great sin, of which there is no expiation. It is best for me to sacrifice myself reluctantly instead of sacrificing a Brahmana reluctantly.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.7

न त्वहं वधमाकाक्षे स्वयमेवात्मनः शुभे। परैः कृते वधे पापं न किंचिन्मयि विद्यते॥

na tvahaṃ vadhamākākṣe svayamevātmanaḥ śubhe| paraiḥ kṛte vadhe pāpaṃ na kiṃcinmayi vidyate||

O blessed lady, in sacrificing myself, I do not commit the sin of self destruction. I shall commit no sin by being killed by another.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.8

अभिसंधिकृते तस्मिन् ब्राह्मणस्य वधे मया। निष्कृतिं न प्रपश्यामि नृशंसं क्षुद्रमेव च॥ आगतस्य गृहं त्यागस्तथैव शरणार्थिनः। याचमानस्य च वधो नृशंसो गर्हितो बुधैः॥

abhisaṃdhikṛte tasmin brāhmaṇasya vadhe mayā| niṣkṛtiṃ na prapaśyāmi nṛśaṃsaṃ kṣudrameva ca|| āgatasya gṛhaṃ tyāgastathaiva śaraṇārthinaḥ| yācamānasya ca vadho nṛśaṃso garhito budhaiḥ||

But if I deliberately kill a Brahmana, I shall commit a cruel and sinful act, from which I shall never escape. The learned men have said that the abandonment of one who has come to your house or who has sought your protection and the killing of one who seeks death at your hands are both cruel and sinful.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.9

कुर्यान्न निन्दितं कर्म न नृशंसं कथंचन। इति पूर्वे महात्मान आपद्धर्मविदो विदुः॥ श्रेयांस्तु सहदारस्य विनाशोऽद्य मम स्वयम्। ब्राह्मणस्य वधं नाहमनुमंस्ये कदाचन॥

kuryānna ninditaṃ karma na nṛśaṃsaṃ kathaṃcana| iti pūrve mahātmāna āpaddharmavido viduḥ|| śreyāṃstu sahadārasya vināśo'dya mama svayam| brāhmaṇasya vadhaṃ nāhamanumaṃsye kadācana||

The high-souled men, learned in the precepts that should be adopted in distress and danger, formerly said that one should never perform a cruel and censurable act. It is best for me that I should myself perish to day with my wife. I shall never cause the death of a Brahmana.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.10

कुन्त्युवाच ममाप्येषा मतिर्ब्रह्मन् विप्रा रक्ष्या इति स्थिरा। न चाप्यनिष्टः पुत्रो मे यदि पुत्रशतं भवेत्॥ न चासौ राक्षसः शक्तो मम पुत्रविनाशने। वीर्यवान् मन्त्रसिद्धश्च तेजस्वी च सुतो मम॥

kuntyuvāca mamāpyeṣā matirbrahman viprā rakṣyā iti sthirā| na cāpyaniṣṭaḥ putro me yadi putraśataṃ bhavet|| na cāsau rākṣasaḥ śakto mama putravināśane| vīryavān mantrasiddhaśca tejasvī ca suto mama||

Kunti said: O Brahmana, my form opinion is that Brahmanas must be protected always. if I have one hundred sons, none of them would be less dear to me. But this Rakshasa will not be able to kill my son. my son is powerful energetic and learned in Mantras.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.11

राक्षसाय च तत् सर्वं प्रापयिष्यति भोजनम्। मोक्षयिष्यति चात्मानमिति मे निश्चिता मतिः॥

rākṣasāya ca tat sarvaṃ prāpayiṣyati bhojanam| mokṣayiṣyati cātmānamiti me niścitā matiḥ||

He will reach the food of the Rakshasa, but he will be able to save himself; this is my firm belief.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.12

समागताश्च वीरेण दृष्टपूर्वाश्च राक्षसाः। बलवन्तो महाकाया निहताश्चाप्यनेकशः॥

samāgatāśca vīreṇa dṛṣṭapūrvāśca rākṣasāḥ| balavanto mahākāyā nihatāścāpyanekaśaḥ||

I had seen before that many powerful and huge Rakshasas came to my son and were killed at his hands.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.13

न त्विदं केषुचिद् ब्रह्मन् व्याहर्तव्यं कथंचन। विद्यार्थिनो हि मे पुत्रान् विप्रकुर्युः कुतूहलात्॥

na tvidaṃ keṣucid brahman vyāhartavyaṃ kathaṃcana| vidyārthino hi me putrān viprakuryuḥ kutūhalāt||

O Brahmana, do not by any means disclose this to anybody; for then people, being curious and desirous of learning (their power), will trouble my sons.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.14

गुरुणा चाननुज्ञातो ग्राहयेद् यत् सुतो मम। न स कुर्यात् तथा कार्यं विद्ययेति सतां मतम्॥

guruṇā cānanujñāto grāhayed yat suto mama| na sa kuryāt tathā kāryaṃ vidyayeti satāṃ matam||

The opinion of the learned men is that if my son gives this knowledge (to others) without the assent of his preceptor, he will no longer be able to profit by it.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.15

एवमुक्तस्तु पृथया स विप्रो भार्यया सह। हृष्टः सम्पूजयामास तद्वाक्यममृतोपमम्॥

evamuktastu pṛthayā sa vipro bhāryayā saha| hṛṣṭaḥ sampūjayāmāsa tadvākyamamṛtopamam||

Vaishampayana said : Having been thus addressed by Pritha (Kunti) the Brahmana and his wife became exceedingly glad and assented to those nectar like words (of Kunti).

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 1 161.16

ततः कुन्ती च विप्रश्च सहितावनिलात्मजम्। तमबूतां कुरुष्वेति स तथेत्यब्रवीच्च तौ॥

tataḥ kuntī ca vipraśca sahitāvanilātmajam| tamabūtāṃ kuruṣveti sa tathetyabravīcca tau||

Thereupon Kunti and the Brahmana went to the son of Anila (Bhima) and told him "Do this"; and he replied by saying “Be it so."

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)