Mahabharata — Volume V (Dutt edition) — Chapter 67

MBh 5 67.1

नारद उवाच सांकृति रन्तिदेवं च मृतं सृञ्जय शुश्रुम। यस्य द्विशतसाहस्रा आसन् सूदा महात्मनः॥

nārada uvāca sāṃkṛti rantidevaṃ ca mṛtaṃ sṛñjaya śuśruma| yasya dviśatasāhasrā āsan sūdā mahātmanaḥ||

Narada said O Srinjaya, we heard also that Sankriti's son Rantideva, who had two hundred-thousand cooks of high-soul, had to undergo death.

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

MBh 5 67.2

गृहानभ्यागतान् विप्रानतिथीन् परिवेषकाः। पक्वापक्वं दिवारानं वरान्नममृतोपमम्॥

gṛhānabhyāgatān viprānatithīn pariveṣakāḥ| pakvāpakvaṃ divārānaṃ varānnamamṛtopamam||

These cooks of his, used to distribute raw and cooked food and vast amount of wealth, day and night, to the Brahmanas that repaired to Ratindeva's mansion as guests.

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

MBh 5 67.3

न्यायेनाधिगतं वित्तं ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ह्यमन्यत। वेदानधीत्य धर्मेण यश्चके द्विषतो वशे॥

nyāyenādhigataṃ vittaṃ brāhmaṇebhyo hyamanyata| vedānadhītya dharmeṇa yaścake dviṣato vaśe||

He gave away unto the Brahmanas his wealth acquired through fair means. Having studied the Vedas he subdued his foes in fair combats.

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

MBh 5 67.4

ब्राह्मणेभ्योददनिष्कान् सौवर्णान् स प्रभावतः। तुभ्यं निष्कं तुभ्यं निष्कमिति ह स्म प्रभाषते॥

brāhmaṇebhyodadaniṣkān sauvarṇān sa prabhāvataḥ| tubhyaṃ niṣkaṃ tubhyaṃ niṣkamiti ha sma prabhāṣate||

He always gave away golden Nishkas to the Brahmanas saying. "I give you Nishkas, I give you Nishkas."

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

MBh 5 67.5

तुभ्यंतुभ्यमिति प्रदानिष्कान् निष्कान् सहस्रशः। ततः पुनः समाश्वास्य निष्कानेव प्रयच्छति॥

tubhyaṃtubhyamiti pradāniṣkān niṣkān sahasraśaḥ| tataḥ punaḥ samāśvāsya niṣkāneva prayacchati||

"To you, to you,” saying these words he gave thousands of Nishkas away to the Brahmanas. Then again, comforting them, he gave them Nishkas.

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

MBh 5 67.6

अल्पं दत्तं मयाद्येति निष्ककोटि सहस्रशः। एकाला दास्यति पुनः कोऽन्यस्तत् सम्प्रदास्यति॥

alpaṃ dattaṃ mayādyeti niṣkakoṭi sahasraśaḥ| ekālā dāsyati punaḥ ko'nyastat sampradāsyati||

Having given away in the course of a single day, a Koti of Nishkas, he used to say, “I have his day given away a very small number of coins", thus thinking, he would again give away Nishkas. What other person can give away such enormous quantity of wealth?

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

MBh 5 67.7

द्विजपाणिवियोगेन दुःखं मे शाश्वतं महत्। भविष्यति न संदेह एवं राजाददद् वसु॥

dvijapāṇiviyogena duḥkhaṃ me śāśvataṃ mahat| bhaviṣyati na saṃdeha evaṃ rājādadad vasu||

That king used to give away wealth, thinking-"If I do not give wealth into the hands of the Brahmanas, great and everlasting sorrow will surely fall in my share."

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

MBh 5 67.8

सहस्रशश्च सौवर्णान् वृषभान् गोशतानुगान्। साष्टं शतं सुवर्णानां निष्कमाहुर्धनं तथा॥ अध्यर्धमासमददद् ब्राह्मणेभ्यः शतं समाः। अग्निहोत्रोपकरणं यज्ञोपकरणं च यत्॥

sahasraśaśca sauvarṇān vṛṣabhān gośatānugān| sāṣṭaṃ śataṃ suvarṇānāṃ niṣkamāhurdhanaṃ tathā|| adhyardhamāsamadadad brāhmaṇebhyaḥ śataṃ samāḥ| agnihotropakaraṇaṃ yajñopakaraṇaṃ ca yat||

For a hundred years, twice a month, he gave away unto thousands of Brahmanas a golden bull each followed by a herd of hundred cows and eight hundred pieces of Nishkas. All the articles necessary for his Agnihotra sacrifice and for his other sacrifices.

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

MBh 5 67.9

ऋषिभ्यः करकान् कुम्भान् स्थालीः पिठरमेव च। शयनासनयानानि प्रासादांश्च गृहाणि च॥ वृक्षांश्च विविधान् दद्यादन्नानि च धनानि च। सर्वे सौवर्णमेवासीद् रन्तिदेवस्य धीमतः॥

ṛṣibhyaḥ karakān kumbhān sthālīḥ piṭharameva ca| śayanāsanayānāni prāsādāṃśca gṛhāṇi ca|| vṛkṣāṃśca vividhān dadyādannāni ca dhanāni ca| sarve sauvarṇamevāsīd rantidevasya dhīmataḥ||

He gave away to the sages, including karakas and jars for water and plates and dishes and beds, carpets, conveyances, palaces and dwelling houses. And various sorts of trees and diverse kinds of edibles and viands. All the utensils and articles of the intelligent Ratindeva were made of gold.

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

MBh 5 67.10

तत्रास्य गाथा गायन्ति ये पुराणविदो जनाः। रन्तिदेवस्य तां दृष्ट्वा समृद्धिमतिमानुषीम्॥

tatrāsya gāthā gāyanti ye purāṇavido janāḥ| rantidevasya tāṃ dṛṣṭvā samṛddhimatimānuṣīm||

Seeing then the super-human prosperity of king Ratindeva, those that were conversant with the history of past ages sang this song.

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

MBh 5 67.11

नैतादृशं दृष्टपूर्वे कुबेरसदनेष्वपि। धनं च पूर्यमाणं नः किं पुनर्मनुजेष्विति॥

naitādṛśaṃ dṛṣṭapūrve kuberasadaneṣvapi| dhanaṃ ca pūryamāṇaṃ naḥ kiṃ punarmanujeṣviti||

We have not seen such vast treasures even in the mansion of Kubera (the Plutus of Hindu mythology), what to speak of the treasures of men?

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

MBh 5 67.12

व्यक्तं वस्वोकसारेयमित्यूचुस्तत्र विस्मिताः।

vyaktaṃ vasvokasāreyamityūcustatra vismitāḥ|

People then wonderingly used to say-"It is evident that the kingdom of Ratindeva, the son of Sankrita, is made of gold.

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

MBh 5 67.13

सांकृते रन्तिदेवस्य यां रात्रिमतिथिर्वसेत्॥ आलभ्यन्त तदा गावः सहस्राण्येकविंशतिः।

sāṃkṛte rantidevasya yāṃ rātrimatithirvaset|| ālabhyanta tadā gāvaḥ sahasrāṇyekaviṃśatiḥ|

On such nights when guests used to assemble in the mansion of Ratindeva, twentyone thousand cows used to be sacrificed (for feeding them).

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

MBh 5 67.14

तत्र स्म सूदाः क्रोशन्ति सुपृष्टमणिकुण्डलाः॥ सूपं भूविहमश्नीध्वं नाद्य मासं यथा पुरा।

tatra sma sūdāḥ krośanti supṛṣṭamaṇikuṇḍalāḥ|| sūpaṃ bhūvihamaśnīdhvaṃ nādya māsaṃ yathā purā|

And the cooks of the king, adorned with jewelled ear-rings used to cry out (to the guests) saying-“Drink as much soup as you can, for there is not so much meat today as there was the other day."

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

MBh 5 67.15

रन्तिदेवस्य यत् किंचित् सौवर्णमभवत् तदा॥ तत् सर्वे वितते यज्ञे ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ह्यमन्यत।

rantidevasya yat kiṃcit sauvarṇamabhavat tadā|| tat sarve vitate yajñe brāhmaṇebhyo hyamanyata|

Whatever of gold Ratindeva possessed, then, was given away to the Brahmanas in the course of one of his sacrifices.

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

MBh 5 67.16

प्रत्यक्षं तस्य हव्यानि प्रतिगृह्णन्ति देवताः॥ कव्यानि पितरः काले सर्वकामान् द्विजोत्तमाः।

pratyakṣaṃ tasya havyāni pratigṛhṇanti devatāḥ|| kavyāni pitaraḥ kāle sarvakāmān dvijottamāḥ|

The gods in person used to accept the libations of butter poured on the fire for them, And the ancestral manes used similarly to accept food that was offered to them in proper time. The Brahmanas, the best of their sects, used to obtain from him all the objects of their desire.

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

MBh 5 67.17

स चेन्ममार सृञ्जय चतुर्भद्रतरस्त्वया॥ पुत्रात् पुण्यतरस्तुभ्यं मा पुत्रमनुतप्यथाः। अयज्वानमदाक्षिण्यमभि श्वैत्येत्युदाहरत्॥

sa cenmamāra sṛñjaya caturbhadratarastvayā|| putrāt puṇyatarastubhyaṃ mā putramanutapyathāḥ| ayajvānamadākṣiṇyamabhi śvaityetyudāharat||

When, O Srinjaya, even such a king had to undergo Death, who was superior to you in respect of the four cardinal virtues. And consequently was superior to your son, you should not lament for your son who performed no sacrifice and made no sacrificial gifts, saying-'O Shvaitya'.

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

MBh 5 67.18

स चेन्ममार सृञ्जय चतुर्भद्रतरस्त्वया॥ पुत्रात् पुण्यतरस्तुभ्यं मा पुत्रमनुतप्यथाः। अयज्वानमदाक्षिण्यमभि श्वैत्येत्युदाहरत्॥

sa cenmamāra sṛñjaya caturbhadratarastvayā|| putrāt puṇyatarastubhyaṃ mā putramanutapyathāḥ| ayajvānamadākṣiṇyamabhi śvaityetyudāharat||

When, O Srinjaya, even such a king had to undergo Death, who was superior to you in respect of the four cardinal virtues. And consequently was superior to your son, you should not lament for your son who performed no sacrifice and made no sacrificial gifts, saying-'O Shvaitya'.

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