Mahabharata — Volume II (Dutt edition) — Chapter 216

MBh 2 216.1

व्याध उवाच एवं शप्तोऽहमृषिणा तदा द्विजवरोत्तम। अभिप्रसादयमृषि गिरा त्राहीति मां तदा॥ अजानता मयाकार्यमिदमद्य कृतं मुने। क्षन्तुमर्हसि तत् सर्वं प्रसीद भगवन्निति॥

vyādha uvāca evaṃ śapto'hamṛṣiṇā tadā dvijavarottama| abhiprasādayamṛṣi girā trāhīti māṃ tadā|| ajānatā mayākāryamidamadya kṛtaṃ mune| kṣantumarhasi tat sarvaṃ prasīda bhagavanniti||

The Fowler said: O foremost of the best of Brahmanas, having been thus cursed by the Rishi, I said "Pardon me, O Rishi, I have unconsciously done this wicked act. You should pardon all (my fault). Oexalted Rishi, be graceful (to me).

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

MBh 2 216.2

ऋषिरुवाच नान्यथा भविता शाप एवमेतदसंशयम्। आनृशंस्यात् त्वहं किञ्चित् कर्तानुग्रहमद्य ते॥

ṛṣiruvāca nānyathā bhavitā śāpa evametadasaṃśayam| ānṛśaṃsyāt tvahaṃ kiñcit kartānugrahamadya te||

The Rishi said : The curse that I have pronounced can never be falsified. This is certain. But for kindness I shall do you a favour.

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

MBh 2 216.3

शूद्रयोन्यां वर्तमानो धर्मज्ञो हि भविष्यसि। मातापित्रोश्च शुश्रूषां करिष्यसि न संशयः॥

śūdrayonyāṃ vartamāno dharmajño hi bhaviṣyasi| mātāpitrośca śuśrūṣāṃ kariṣyasi na saṃśayaḥ||

Even taking your birth as a Shudra, you will be virtuous, you shall certainly serve and wait upon your parents.

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

MBh 2 216.4

तया शुश्रूषया सिद्धिं महत्त्वं समवाप्स्यसि। जातिस्मरश्च भविता स्वर्गं चैव गमिष्यसि॥

tayā śuśrūṣayā siddhiṃ mahattvaṃ samavāpsyasi| jātismaraśca bhavitā svargaṃ caiva gamiṣyasi||

By (thus) serving them, you will acquire great success. You shall also remember the events of your past life and shall go to heaven.

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

MBh 2 216.5

शापक्षये तु निर्वृत्ते भवितासि पुनर्द्विजः। एवं शप्तः पुरा तेन ऋषिणास्य्युचतेजसा॥

śāpakṣaye tu nirvṛtte bhavitāsi punardvijaḥ| evaṃ śaptaḥ purā tena ṛṣiṇāsyyucatejasā||

On the expiration of this curse, you shall again become a Brahmana. I was thus in the days of yore cursed by that greatly effulgent Rishi.

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

MBh 2 216.6

प्रसादश्च कृतस्तेन ममैव द्विपदां वर। शरं चोद्धृतवानस्मि तस्य वै द्विजसत्तम॥

prasādaśca kṛtastena mamaiva dvipadāṃ vara| śaraṃ coddhṛtavānasmi tasya vai dvijasattama||

O foremost of men, thus was he propitiated by me. O best of men, I extricated the arrow from his body.

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

MBh 2 216.7

आश्रमं च मया नीतो न च प्राणैर्व्ययुज्यत। एतत् ते सर्वमाख्यातं यथा मम पुराभवत्॥ अभितश्चापि गन्तव्यं मया स्वर्गं द्विजोत्तम॥

āśramaṃ ca mayā nīto na ca prāṇairvyayujyata| etat te sarvamākhyātaṃ yathā mama purābhavat|| abhitaścāpi gantavyaṃ mayā svargaṃ dvijottama||

I took him to the hermitage, but he was not deprived of his life, (he recovered from the । wound). I have thus narrated to you all that happened to me before. O foremost of men and also now I can go to heaven hereafter.

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

MBh 2 216.8

ब्राह्मण उवाच एवमेतानि पुरुषा दुःखानि च सुखानि च। आप्नुवन्ति महाबुद्धे नोत्कण्ठां कर्तुमर्हसि॥

brāhmaṇa uvāca evametāni puruṣā duḥkhāni ca sukhāni ca| āpnuvanti mahābuddhe notkaṇṭhāṃ kartumarhasi||

The Brahmana said: O greatly intelligent one, all men are thus subject to happiness or misery. You should not therefore grieve for it.

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

MBh 2 216.9

दुष्करं हि कृतं कर्म जानता जातिमात्मनः। लोकवृत्तान्ततत्त्वज्ञ नित्यं धर्मपरायण॥

duṣkaraṃ hi kṛtaṃ karma jānatā jātimātmanaḥ| lokavṛttāntatattvajña nityaṃ dharmaparāyaṇa||

O virtuous man, O man learned in the ways of the world, in obedience to the customs of your present caste (Fowler), you have pursued these wicked ways.

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

MBh 2 216.10

कर्मदोषश्च वै विद्वन्नात्मजातिकृतेन ते। कञ्चित् कालमुष्यतां वै ततोऽसि भविता द्विजः॥

karmadoṣaśca vai vidvannātmajātikṛtena te| kañcit kālamuṣyatāṃ vai tato'si bhavitā dvijaḥ||

These being the duties of your profession, the stain of evil Karma will not attach to you. After living here for sometime you shall again become a Brahmana.

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

MBh 2 216.11

साम्प्रतं च मतो मेऽसि ब्राह्मणो नात्र संशयः। ब्राह्मणः पतनीयेषु वर्तमानो विकर्मसु॥ दाम्भिको दुष्कृतः प्रायः शूद्रेण सदृशो भवेत्।

sāmprataṃ ca mato me'si brāhmaṇo nātra saṃśayaḥ| brāhmaṇaḥ patanīyeṣu vartamāno vikarmasu|| dāmbhiko duṣkṛtaḥ prāyaḥ śūdreṇa sadṛśo bhavet|

There is no doubt that even now I consider you to be a Brahmana, for the Brahmana who is vain and haughty who is sinful and evilminded and who is fond of degraded practices, is no better than a Shudra.

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

MBh 2 216.12

यस्तु शूद्रो दमे सत्ये धर्मे च सततोत्थितः॥ तं ब्राह्मणमहं मन्ये वृत्तेन हि भवेद् द्विजः।

yastu śūdro dame satye dharme ca satatotthitaḥ|| taṃ brāhmaṇamahaṃ manye vṛttena hi bhaved dvijaḥ|

The Shudra who is, endued with righteousness, self-control and truthfulness, is considered by me as a Brahmana. A man becomes a Brahmana by his own good act.

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

MBh 2 216.13

कर्मदोषेण विषमां गतिमाप्नोति दारुणाम्॥ क्षीणदोषमहं मन्ये चाभितस्त्वां नरोत्तम।

karmadoṣeṇa viṣamāṃ gatimāpnoti dāruṇām|| kṣīṇadoṣamahaṃ manye cābhitastvāṃ narottama|

By his own evil Karma a man meets with an evil and terrible doom. O foremost of men, 1 believe that all your sin is destroyed.

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

MBh 2 216.14

कर्तुमर्हसि नोत्कण्ठां त्वद्विधा ह्यविषादिनः। लोकवृत्तानुवृत्तज्ञा नित्यं धर्मपरायणाः॥

kartumarhasi notkaṇṭhāṃ tvadvidhā hyaviṣādinaḥ| lokavṛttānuvṛttajñā nityaṃ dharmaparāyaṇāḥ||

You must not grieve for it, for men like you, who are so virtuous and learned in the ways and niysteries of the world, can have no cause of grief.

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

MBh 2 216.15

व्याध उवाच प्रज्ञया मानसं दुःखं हन्याच्छारीरमौषधैः। एतद् विज्ञानसामर्थ्य न बालैः समतामियात्॥

vyādha uvāca prajñayā mānasaṃ duḥkhaṃ hanyācchārīramauṣadhaiḥ| etad vijñānasāmarthya na bālaiḥ samatāmiyāt||

The Fowler said: The bodily disease should be cured with medicines and the mental ones by spiritual wisdom. This is the power of knowledge. Knowing this, the wise should not behave like boys.

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

MBh 2 216.16

अनिष्टसम्प्रयोगाच्च विप्रयोगात् प्रियस्य च। मनुष्या मानसैर्दुःखैर्युज्यन्ते चाल्पबुद्धयः॥ गुणैर्भूतानि युज्यन्ते वियुज्यन्ते तथैव च। सर्वाणि नैतदेकस्य शोकस्थानं हि विद्यते॥ अनिष्टं चान्वितं पश्यंस्तथा क्षिप्रं विरज्यते। ततश्च प्रतिकुर्वन्ति यदि पश्यन्त्युपक्रमात्॥

aniṣṭasamprayogācca viprayogāt priyasya ca| manuṣyā mānasairduḥkhairyujyante cālpabuddhayaḥ|| guṇairbhūtāni yujyante viyujyante tathaiva ca| sarvāṇi naitadekasya śokasthānaṃ hi vidyate|| aniṣṭaṃ cānvitaṃ paśyaṃstathā kṣipraṃ virajyate| tataśca pratikurvanti yadi paśyantyupakramāt||

Men of low intelligence are overpowered with grief at the occurrence of something which is not agreeable to them or nonoccurrence of something which is good or much desired. Every creature is subject to this (law). It is not merely a single creature or a class, that is subject to misery. Congnisant of this evil people quickly mend their ways, if they perceive it at the very out-set, they succeed in curing it altogether.

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

MBh 2 216.17

शोचतो न भवेत् किंचित् केवलं परितप्यते। परित्यजन्ति ये दुःखं सुखं वाप्युभयं नराः॥ त एव सुखमेधन्ते ज्ञानतृप्ता मनीषिणः। असंतोषपरा मूढाः संतोषं यान्ति पण्डिताः॥

śocato na bhavet kiṃcit kevalaṃ paritapyate| parityajanti ye duḥkhaṃ sukhaṃ vāpyubhayaṃ narāḥ|| ta eva sukhamedhante jñānatṛptā manīṣiṇaḥ| asaṃtoṣaparā mūḍhāḥ saṃtoṣaṃ yānti paṇḍitāḥ||

Whoever grieves for it, only makes himself miserable. Those wise men whose knowledge has made them happy and contented and who are indifferent to happiness and misery, are really happy. The wise are always contented and the foolish are always discontented.

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

MBh 2 216.18

असंतोषस्य नास्त्यन्तस्तुष्टिस्तु परमं सुखम्। न शोचन्ति गताध्वानः पश्यन्तः परमां गतिम्॥ न विषादे मनः कार्यं विषादो विषमुत्तमम्। मारयत्यकृतप्रज्ञं बालं क्रुद्ध इवोरगः॥

asaṃtoṣasya nāstyantastuṣṭistu paramaṃ sukham| na śocanti gatādhvānaḥ paśyantaḥ paramāṃ gatim|| na viṣāde manaḥ kāryaṃ viṣādo viṣamuttamam| mārayatyakṛtaprajñaṃ bālaṃ kruddha ivoragaḥ||

There is not end to to discontent and contentment is the highest happiness. The man who has attained the highest state does not grieve. They are always conscious of the final destruction of all creatures. One must not give way to discontent, for it is like a virulently poisonous snake. It kills persons of undeveloped intelligence just as a child is killed by an enraged snake.

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

MBh 2 216.19

यं विषादोऽभिभवति विक्रमे समुपस्थिते। तेजसा तस्य हीनस्य पुरुषार्थो न विद्यते॥

yaṃ viṣādo'bhibhavati vikrame samupasthite| tejasā tasya hīnasya puruṣārtho na vidyate||

That man has no manliness whose energies do abandon him and who is overpowered with perplexity, when an occasion for displaying vigour presents itself.

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

MBh 2 216.20

अवश्यं क्रियमाणस्य कर्मणो दृश्यते फलम्। न हि निर्वेदमागम्य किंचित् प्राप्नोति शोभनम्॥

avaśyaṃ kriyamāṇasya karmaṇo dṛśyate phalam| na hi nirvedamāgamya kiṃcit prāpnoti śobhanam||

Our actions are with certainty followed by their effects. Whoever merely gives himself up to passive indifference (to worldly affairs) accomplishes no good.

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

MBh 2 216.21

अथाप्युपायं पश्येत दुःखस्य परिमोक्षणे। अशोचन्नारभेतैवं मुक्तश्चाव्यसनी भवेत्॥

athāpyupāyaṃ paśyeta duḥkhasya parimokṣaṇe| aśocannārabhetaivaṃ muktaścāvyasanī bhavet||

Instead of gruinbling, one must try to find out the means by which he can be freed from all misery.

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

MBh 2 216.22

भूतेष्वभावं संचिन्त्य ये तु बुद्धेः परं गताः। न शोचन्ति कृतप्रज्ञाः पश्यन्तः परमां गतिम्॥

bhūteṣvabhāvaṃ saṃcintya ye tu buddheḥ paraṃ gatāḥ| na śocanti kṛtaprajñāḥ paśyantaḥ paramāṃ gatim||

He who has attained the highest state, being conscious of the great deficiency of all matter and seeing before him the final doom, never grieves.

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

MBh 2 216.23

न शोचामि च वै विद्वन् कालाकाक्षी स्थितो ह्यहम् एतैर्निदर्शनैर्ब्रह्मन् नावसीदामि सत्तम॥

na śocāmi ca vai vidvan kālākākṣī sthito hyaham etairnidarśanairbrahman nāvasīdāmi sattama||

O excellent man, O learned one, I too do not grieve. I wait abiding my time. For this reason I am not confined (in any way).

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

MBh 2 216.24

ब्राह्मण उवाच कृतप्रज्ञोऽसि मेधावी बुद्धिर्हि विपुला तव। नाहं भवन्तं शोचामि ज्ञानतृप्तोऽसि धर्मवित्॥

brāhmaṇa uvāca kṛtaprajño'si medhāvī buddhirhi vipulā tava| nāhaṃ bhavantaṃ śocāmi jñānatṛpto'si dharmavit||

The Brahmana said: You are wise great in knowledge and vast in your intelligence; O virtuous one, you are content with your wisdom. I have nothing to complain in you.

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

MBh 2 216.25

आपृच्छे त्वां स्वस्ति तेऽस्तु धर्मस्त्वां परिरक्षतु। अप्रमादस्तु कर्तव्यो धर्मे धर्मभृतां वर॥

āpṛcche tvāṃ svasti te'stu dharmastvāṃ parirakṣatu| apramādastu kartavyo dharme dharmabhṛtāṃ vara||

O foremost of all virtuous men, (now) farewell. May prosperity come to you, may virtue protect you and may you be ever steady in the practice of virtuc.

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

MBh 2 216.26

पार्कण्डेय उवाच बाढमित्येव तं व्याधः कृताञ्जलिरुवाच ह। प्रदक्षिणमथो कृत्वा प्रस्थितो द्विजसत्तमः॥

pārkaṇḍeya uvāca bāḍhamityeva taṃ vyādhaḥ kṛtāñjaliruvāca ha| pradakṣiṇamatho kṛtvā prasthito dvijasattamaḥ||

Markandeya said : The Fowler with joined hands said to him, "So be it.” That foremost of Brahmanas then walked round him and went away.

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

MBh 2 216.27

स तु गत्वा द्विजः सर्वां शुश्रूषां कृतवांस्तदा। मातापितृभ्यां वृद्धाभ्यां यथान्यायं सुशंसितः॥

sa tu gatvā dvijaḥ sarvāṃ śuśrūṣāṃ kṛtavāṃstadā| mātāpitṛbhyāṃ vṛddhābhyāṃ yathānyāyaṃ suśaṃsitaḥ||

When the Brahmana returned home he assiduously and duly began to serve his old father and mother.

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

MBh 2 216.28

एतत् ते सर्वमाख्यातं निखिलेन युधिष्ठिर। पृष्टवानसि यं तात धर्मं धर्मभृतां वर॥

etat te sarvamākhyātaṃ nikhilena yudhiṣṭhira| pṛṣṭavānasi yaṃ tāta dharmaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ vara||

O Yudhishthira, O child, O foremost of virtuous men, I have thus told you in detail all that you asked me:

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

MBh 2 216.29

पतिव्रताया माहात्म्यं ब्राह्मणस्य च सत्तम। मातापित्रोश्च शुश्रूषा धर्मव्याधेन कीर्तिता॥

pativratāyā māhātmyaṃ brāhmaṇasya ca sattama| mātāpitrośca śuśrūṣā dharmavyādhena kīrtitā||

The virtue of women's devotion to their husbands and the filial piety as described to the Brahmana by the virtuous fowler.

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

MBh 2 216.30

युधिष्ठिर उवाच अत्यद्भुतमिदं ब्रह्मन् धर्माख्यानमनुत्तमम्। सर्वधर्मविदां श्रेष्ठ कथितं मुनिसत्तम॥

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca atyadbhutamidaṃ brahman dharmākhyānamanuttamam| sarvadharmavidāṃ śreṣṭha kathitaṃ munisattama||

Yudhishthira said: O foremost of all virtuous men, O best of Rishis, O Brahmana, wonderful is this excellent moral story.

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

MBh 2 216.31

सुखश्रव्यतया विद्वन् मुहूर्त इव मे गतः। न हि तृप्तोऽस्मि भगवन् शृण्वानो धर्ममुत्तमम्॥

sukhaśravyatayā vidvan muhūrta iva me gataḥ| na hi tṛpto'smi bhagavan śṛṇvāno dharmamuttamam||

Listening to you, O learned man, O exalted one, my time has passed away as if it were but a (fleeting) moment. But I am not as yet satiated with hearing about Dharma.

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