Mahabharata — Volume VII (Dutt edition) — Chapter 126

MBh 7 126.1

भीष्म उवाच प्रविश्य स महारण्यं तापसानामथाश्रमम्। आससाद ततो राजा श्रान्तचोपाविशत् तदा।॥

bhīṣma uvāca praviśya sa mahāraṇyaṃ tāpasānāmathāśramam| āsasāda tato rājā śrāntacopāviśat tadā|||

Bhishma said Having entered that large forest, the king arrived at an asylum of ascetics. Worn out with toil, he sat himself down for rest.

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

MBh 7 126.2

तं कार्मुकधरं दृष्ट्वा श्रमार्तं क्षुधितं तदा। समेत्य ऋषयस्तस्मिन् पूजां चक्रुर्यथाविधि॥

taṃ kārmukadharaṃ dṛṣṭvā śramārtaṃ kṣudhitaṃ tadā| sametya ṛṣayastasmin pūjāṃ cakruryathāvidhi||

Seeing him armed with bow, exhausted with toil, and hungry, the ascetics approached him and honoured him duly.

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

MBh 7 126.3

स पूजामृषिभिर्दत्तां सम्प्रगृह्य नराधिपः। अपृच्छत् तापसान् सर्वांस्तपसो वृद्धिमुत्तमाम्॥

sa pūjāmṛṣibhirdattāṃ sampragṛhya narādhipaḥ| apṛcchat tāpasān sarvāṃstapaso vṛddhimuttamām||

Accepting the honours offered by the Rishis, the king asked them about the progress and advancement to their penances.

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

MBh 7 126.4

ते तस्य राज्ञो वचनं सम्प्रगृह्य तपोधनाः। ऋषयो राजशार्दूलं तमपृच्छन् प्रयोजनम्॥

te tasya rājño vacanaṃ sampragṛhya tapodhanāḥ| ṛṣayo rājaśārdūlaṃ tamapṛcchan prayojanam||

Duly answering the questions of the king, those Rishis having asceticism for wealth, asked that foremost of kings as to the cause of his coming to that retreat.

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

MBh 7 126.5

केन भद्र सुखार्थेन सम्प्राप्तोऽसि तपोवनम्। पदातिर्बद्धनिस्त्रिंशो धन्वी बाणी नरेश्वर॥

kena bhadra sukhārthena samprāpto'si tapovanam| padātirbaddhanistriṃśo dhanvī bāṇī nareśvara||

And they said,-Blessed be you, in pursuit of what delightful object have you, O king, come to this hermitage, walking on foot and armed with sword, bow and arrows?

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

MBh 7 126.6

एतदिच्छामहे श्रोतुं कुतः प्राप्तोऽसि मानद। कस्मिन् कुले तु जातस्त्वं किंनामा चासि ब्रूहि नः॥

etadicchāmahe śrotuṃ kutaḥ prāpto'si mānada| kasmin kule tu jātastvaṃ kiṃnāmā cāsi brūhi naḥ||

We wish to hear whence you are coming, O giver of honours! Tell us also in what family you are born and what your name is!-

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

MBh 7 126.7

ततः स राजा सर्वेभ्यो द्विजेभ्यः पुरुषर्षभ। आचचक्षे यथान्यायं परिचर्यां च भारत॥ हैहयानां, कुले जातः सुमित्रो मित्रनन्दनः। चरामि मृगयूथानि निनन् बाणैः सहस्रशः॥ बलेन महता गुप्तः सामात्यः सावरोधनः। मृगस्तु विद्धो बाणेन मया सरति शल्यवान्॥

tataḥ sa rājā sarvebhyo dvijebhyaḥ puruṣarṣabha| ācacakṣe yathānyāyaṃ paricaryāṃ ca bhārata|| haihayānāṃ, kule jātaḥ sumitro mitranandanaḥ| carāmi mṛgayūthāni ninan bāṇaiḥ sahasraśaḥ|| balena mahatā guptaḥ sāmātyaḥ sāvarodhanaḥ| mṛgastu viddho bāṇena mayā sarati śalyavān||

Thus addressed, O foremost of men, the king described himself, O Bharata, saying.-I am born in the family of the Haihayas. My name is Sumitra, and I am the son of Mitra. I chase herds of deer, killing them in thousands with my shafts. Accompanied by a large army and my ministers and the ladies of my household, I have come out ahunting. I struck a deer with a shaft, but the animal with the arrow shaft, but the animal with arrow sticking to his body ran speedily.

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

MBh 7 126.8

तं द्रवन्तमनुप्राप्तो वनमेतद् यदृच्छया। भवत्सकाशं नष्टश्रीर्हताशः श्रमकर्शितः॥

taṃ dravantamanuprāpto vanametad yadṛcchayā| bhavatsakāśaṃ naṣṭaśrīrhatāśaḥ śramakarśitaḥ||

In chasing it I have, purposelessly arrived at this forest and find myself before you, shorn of splendour, toil worn, and with hope disappointed.

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

MBh 7 126.9

किं नु दुःखमतोऽन्यद् वै यदहं श्रमकर्शितः। भवतामाश्रमं प्राप्तो हताशो भ्रष्टलक्षणः॥

kiṃ nu duḥkhamato'nyad vai yadahaṃ śramakarśitaḥ| bhavatāmāśramaṃ prāpto hatāśo bhraṣṭalakṣaṇaḥ||

What can be more pitiable than this, viz., that I have arrived at this hermitage, exhausted with toil, shorn of the signs of royalty, and disappointed of my hopes.

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

MBh 7 126.10

न राजलक्षणत्यागो न पुरस्य तपोधनाः। दुःखं करोति तत् तीनं यथाऽऽशा विहता मम॥

na rājalakṣaṇatyāgo na purasya tapodhanāḥ| duḥkhaṃ karoti tat tīnaṃ yathā''śā vihatā mama||

I am not at all sorry, Oh ye ascetics, at my being now divested of the sins of royalty or at my being now at a distance from my capital. I feel, however, a great grief for my hopes being frustrated.

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

MBh 7 126.11

हिमवान् वा महाशैलः समुद्रो वा महोदधिः। महत्त्वान्नान्वपद्येतां नभसो वान्तरं तथा॥

himavān vā mahāśailaḥ samudro vā mahodadhiḥ| mahattvānnānvapadyetāṃ nabhaso vāntaraṃ tathā||

The king of mountains, viz., Himavat, and that vast receptacle of waters, viz., the ocean, cannot, for its vastness, equal the extent of the sky.

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

MBh 7 126.12

आशायास्तपसि श्रेष्ठास्तथा नान्तमहं गतः। भवतां विदितं सर्वं सर्वज्ञा हि तपोधनाः॥

āśāyāstapasi śreṣṭhāstathā nāntamahaṃ gataḥ| bhavatāṃ viditaṃ sarvaṃ sarvajñā hi tapodhanāḥ||

Oh ye ascetics, likewise, I also cannot make out the limit of hope. With penances you have made yourselves omniscient. There is nothing which is hidden from you.

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

MBh 7 126.13

भवन्तः सुमहाभागास्तस्मात् पृच्छामि संशयम्। आशावान् पुरुषो यः स्यादन्तरिक्षमथापि वा॥ किं नु ज्यायस्तरं लोके महत्त्वात् प्रतिभाति वः। एतदिच्छामि तत्त्वेन श्रोतुं किमिह दुर्लभम्॥

bhavantaḥ sumahābhāgāstasmāt pṛcchāmi saṃśayam| āśāvān puruṣo yaḥ syādantarikṣamathāpi vā|| kiṃ nu jyāyastaraṃ loke mahattvāt pratibhāti vaḥ| etadicchāmi tattvena śrotuṃ kimiha durlabham||

You are also highly blessed. I beg you, therefore, to remove my doubt. Which of these two appears vaster to you, hope of man, or the wide sky? I desire to hear fully, what is so unconquerable as hope.

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

MBh 7 126.14

यदि गुह्यं न वो नित्यं तदा प्रब्रूत मा चिरम्। न गुह्यं श्रोतुमिच्छामि युष्मद्भयो द्विजसत्तमाः॥

yadi guhyaṃ na vo nityaṃ tadā prabrūta mā ciram| na guhyaṃ śrotumicchāmi yuṣmadbhayo dvijasattamāḥ||

If the subject be one which you can properly describe, then tell me all about it forthwith. I do not wish, ye foremost of the twice-born, to hear anything from you be a mystery and improper to describe. that may

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

MBh 7 126.15

भवत् तपोविघातो वा यदि स्याद् विरमे ततः। यदि वास्ति कथायोगो योऽयं प्रश्नो मयेरितः॥ एतत् कारणसामर्थ्यं श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः। भवन्तोऽपि तपोनित्या ब्रूयुरेतत् समन्विताः॥

bhavat tapovighāto vā yadi syād virame tataḥ| yadi vāsti kathāyogo yo'yaṃ praśno mayeritaḥ|| etat kāraṇasāmarthyaṃ śrotumicchāmi tattvataḥ| bhavanto'pi taponityā brūyuretat samanvitāḥ||

If again the subject be injurious to your penances, I would not wish you to describe. If the question asked by me be a befitting subject of discourse, I would then wish to hear the cause fully. Devoted to penances as ye are, do ye all instruct me on the subject.'

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