Mahabharata — Volume II (Dutt edition) — Chapter 205

MBh 2 205.1

वैशम्पायन उवाच ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा मार्कण्डेयं महाद्युतिम्। पप्रच्छ भरतश्रेष्ठ धर्मप्रश्नं सुदुर्विदम्॥

vaiśampāyana uvāca tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājā mārkaṇḍeyaṃ mahādyutim| papraccha bharataśreṣṭha dharmapraśnaṃ sudurvidam||

Vaishampayana said : O best of the Bharata race, thereupon king Yudhishthira asked the most enlightened Markandeya a question that is too difficult to be understood.

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

MBh 2 205.2

श्रोतुमिच्छामि भगवन् स्त्रीणां माहात्म्यमुत्तमम्। कथ्यमानं त्वया विप्र सूक्ष्मं धर्म्यं च तत्त्वतः॥

śrotumicchāmi bhagavan strīṇāṃ māhātmyamuttamam| kathyamānaṃ tvayā vipra sūkṣmaṃ dharmyaṃ ca tattvataḥ||

O you that are possessed of great energy, I desire to listen to the best account of a woman's greatness, O Brahmanas, you relate to me in detail the principles of pure morality.

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

MBh 2 205.3

प्रत्यक्षमिह विप्रर्षे देवा दृश्यन्ति सत्तम। सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ वायुः पृथिवी वह्निरेव च॥

pratyakṣamiha viprarṣe devā dṛśyanti sattama| sūryācandramasau vāyuḥ pṛthivī vahnireva ca||

O Brahmanical sages, O foremost of men, the sun, the moon, the earth and the fire look like the deities in their embodied forms.

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

MBh 2 205.4

पिता माता च भगवन् गुरुरेव च सत्तम्। यच्चान्यद् देवविहितं तच्चापि भृगुनन्दन॥

pitā mātā ca bhagavan gurureva ca sattam| yaccānyad devavihitaṃ taccāpi bhṛgunandana||

O holy one, O excellent one, O descendant of the Bhrigu race, the father, the mother and the preceptor-these and others, as ordained by the celestials, also appear as deities.

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

MBh 2 205.5

मान्या हि गुरवः सर्वे एकपत्न्यस्तथा स्त्रियः। पतिव्रतानां शुश्रूषा दुष्करा प्रतिभाति मे॥

mānyā hi guravaḥ sarve ekapatnyastathā striyaḥ| pativratānāṃ śuśrūṣā duṣkarā pratibhāti me||

All venerable persons are to be respected, as also the women who are devoted to one husband. The service, that chaste women offer to their husbands, seems to me to be very difficult.

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

MBh 2 205.6

पतिव्रतानां माहात्म्यं वक्तुमर्हसि नः प्रभो। निरुद्ध्य चेन्द्रियग्रामं मनः संरुध्य चानघ॥ पतिं दैवतवच्चापि चिन्तयन्त्यः स्थिता हि याः। भगवन् दुष्करं त्वेतत् प्रतिभाति मम प्रभो॥ मातापित्रोश्च शुश्रूषा स्त्रीणां भर्तरि च द्विजा स्त्रीणां धर्मात् सुघोराद्धि नान्यं पश्यामि दुष्करम्॥

pativratānāṃ māhātmyaṃ vaktumarhasi naḥ prabho| niruddhya cendriyagrāmaṃ manaḥ saṃrudhya cānagha|| patiṃ daivatavaccāpi cintayantyaḥ sthitā hi yāḥ| bhagavan duṣkaraṃ tvetat pratibhāti mama prabho|| mātāpitrośca śuśrūṣā strīṇāṃ bhartari ca dvijā strīṇāṃ dharmāt sughorāddhi nānyaṃ paśyāmi duṣkaram||

O lord, it behoves you to relate to us the excellency of chaste women, who, O blameless one, putting a check upon all their senses and even restraining their minds, always think their husbands as gods. O holy one, O lord, O Brahmana, the worship that sons offer to their fathers and mothers and also what wives render to their husbands, appears to me be fraught with difficulty. In fact, I do not find anything more difficult than the duties of chaste women (to their husbands).

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

MBh 2 205.7

साध्वाचाराः स्त्रियो ब्रह्मन् यत् कुर्वन्ति सदाऽऽदृताः। दुष्करं खलु कुर्वन्ति पितरं मातरं च वै॥

sādhvācārāḥ striyo brahman yat kurvanti sadā''dṛtāḥ| duṣkaraṃ khalu kurvanti pitaraṃ mātaraṃ ca vai||

O Brahmanas, what the wives of good behaviours perform carefully ſin respect to their husbands) and also what the sons do to their father and mother, are indeed, highly difficult.

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

MBh 2 205.8

एकपल्यश्च या नार्यो याश्च सत्यं वदन्त्युत। कुक्षिणा दश मासांश्च गर्भं संधारयन्ति याः॥

ekapalyaśca yā nāryo yāśca satyaṃ vadantyuta| kukṣiṇā daśa māsāṃśca garbhaṃ saṃdhārayanti yāḥ||

To those women who are attached to one lord; and those who speak the truth; and those who conceive in their womb a child for full ten months;

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

MBh 2 205.9

नार्यः कालेन सम्भूय किमद्भुततरं ततः। संशयं परमं प्राप्य वेदनामतुलामपि॥

nāryaḥ kālena sambhūya kimadbhutataraṃ tataḥ| saṃśayaṃ paramaṃ prāpya vedanāmatulāmapi||

And to those women also who in due time are subject to great troubles and suffer extraordinary pains, what is more wonderful than these?

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

MBh 2 205.10

प्रजायन्ते सुतान् नार्यो दुःखेन महता विभो। पुष्णन्ति चापि महता स्नेहेन द्विजपुङ्गव॥

prajāyante sutān nāryo duḥkhena mahatā vibho| puṣṇanti cāpi mahatā snehena dvijapuṅgava||

O worshipful one, women give birth to their children with great pain to themselves; and, O foremost of the Brahmanas they bring them up with great affection.

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

MBh 2 205.11

याश्च क्रूरेषु सत्त्वेषु वर्तमाना जुगुप्सिताः। स्वकर्म कुर्वन्ति सदा दुष्करं तच्च मे मतम्॥

yāśca krūreṣu sattveṣu vartamānā jugupsitāḥ| svakarma kurvanti sadā duṣkaraṃ tacca me matam||

That the persons, who are desirous of doing evils to others and who are always engaged in cruel deeds, discharge their duties, is, in my opinion, highly difficult.

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

MBh 2 205.12

क्षत्रधर्मसमाचारतत्त्वं व्याख्याहि मे द्विज। धर्मः सुदुर्लभो विप्र नृशंसेन महात्मनाम्॥

kṣatradharmasamācāratattvaṃ vyākhyāhi me dvija| dharmaḥ sudurlabho vipra nṛśaṃsena mahātmanām||

O twice-born one, relate to me the detailed account of the virtue of the Kshatriya race. O Brahmana, the acquisition of virtue becomes very difficult for the lofty-minded ones, for they have to perform certain cruel deeds (in obedience to their racial duties).

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

MBh 2 205.13

एतदिच्छामि भगवन् प्रश्नं प्रश्नविदां वर। श्रोतुं भृगुकुलश्रेष्ठ शुश्रूषे तव सुव्रत॥

etadicchāmi bhagavan praśnaṃ praśnavidāṃ vara| śrotuṃ bhṛgukulaśreṣṭha śuśrūṣe tava suvrata||

O worshipful one, O you that do know answer to all questions, I desire to listen to the answers that you will relate; for, O foremost of the Bhrigu race, O you of excellent vows, I always worship you.

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

MBh 2 205.14

मार्कण्डेय उवाच हन्त तेऽहं समाख्यास्ये प्रश्नमेतं सुदुर्वचम्। तत्त्वेन भरतश्रेष्ठ गदतस्तन्निबोध मे॥

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca hanta te'haṃ samākhyāsye praśnametaṃ sudurvacam| tattvena bharataśreṣṭha gadatastannibodha me||

Markandeya said : O the best of the Bharata race, I will relate to you in detail the whole history of your question, although it is too difficult to state; you listen to me, as I tell you.

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

MBh 2 205.15

मातृस्तु गौरवादन्ये पितृनन्ये तु मेनिरे। दुष्करं कुरुते माता विवर्धयति या प्रजाः॥

mātṛstu gauravādanye pitṛnanye tu menire| duṣkaraṃ kurute mātā vivardhayati yā prajāḥ||

Some consider the mother to be superior and some again consider the father as such. The mother, however, performs the most difficult thing; for she propagates the species.

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

MBh 2 205.16

तपसा देवतेज्याभिवन्दनेन तितिक्षया। सुप्रशस्तैरुपायैश्चापीहन्ते पितरः सुतान्॥

tapasā devatejyābhivandanena titikṣayā| supraśastairupāyaiścāpīhante pitaraḥ sutān||

The fathers, too, by observing severe asceticism, by the adorations of the celestials and by chanting their praises, by undergoing the rigour of heat and cold, by repeating incantations and also by other expedients desire to possess children.

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

MBh 2 205.17

एवं कृच्छ्रेण महता पुत्र प्राप्य सुदुर्लभम्। चिन्तयन्ति सदा वीर कीदृशोऽयं भविष्यति॥

evaṃ kṛcchreṇa mahatā putra prāpya sudurlabham| cintayanti sadā vīra kīdṛśo'yaṃ bhaviṣyati||

O hero, thus having obtained a child after having recourse to these painful expedients, a child which is difficult of attainment, they always think what the child would do in the future.

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

MBh 2 205.18

आशंसते हि पुत्रेषु पिता माता च भारत। यशः कीर्तिमथैश्वर्यं प्रजा धर्मं तथैव च॥

āśaṃsate hi putreṣu pitā mātā ca bhārata| yaśaḥ kīrtimathaiśvaryaṃ prajā dharmaṃ tathaiva ca||

O descendant of the Bharata race, both the father and the mother aspire that the son is possessed of fame and celebration, wealth and subjects, as also virtue.

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

MBh 2 205.19

तयोराशां तु सफलां यः करोति स धर्मवित्। पिता माता च राजेन्द्र तुष्यतो यस्य नित्यशः॥ इह प्रेत्य च तस्याथ कीर्तिर्धर्मश्च शाश्वतः।

tayorāśāṃ tu saphalāṃ yaḥ karoti sa dharmavit| pitā mātā ca rājendra tuṣyato yasya nityaśaḥ|| iha pretya ca tasyātha kīrtirdharmaśca śāśvataḥ|

O best of kings, the son who satisfies these aspirations of the parents, is considered to be virtuous. The son, whose father and mother are always satisfied with him, establishes everlasting reputation and virtue both in this world and the next.

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

MBh 2 205.20

नैव यज्ञक्रियाः काश्चिन्न श्राद्धं नोपवासकम्॥ या तु भर्तरि शुश्रूषा तया सवर्गं जयत्युता।

naiva yajñakriyāḥ kāścinna śrāddhaṃ nopavāsakam|| yā tu bhartari śuśrūṣā tayā savargaṃ jayatyutā|

She needs no sacrifices, nor she is required to perform Shraddha or to observe abstinence. When the wife offers all her services to her husband. In fact, thereby he alone obtains heaven.

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

MBh 2 205.21

एतत् प्रकरणं राजन्नधिकृत्य युधिष्ठिर॥ पतिव्रतानां नियतं धर्मं चावहितः शृणु॥

etat prakaraṇaṃ rājannadhikṛtya yudhiṣṭhira|| pativratānāṃ niyataṃ dharmaṃ cāvahitaḥ śṛṇu||

O king, O Yudhishthira, remembering this fact, listen to the virtue of chaste women with as much attention as possible.

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