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Mahābhārata • Parva 1 (Ādiparva) • Adhyāya 32

Ādiparva Adhyāya 32

आदिपर्व • अध्यायः 32

Ādiparva Adhyāya 32 of the classical Mahābhārata with 26 verses.

Total: 26 Verses • Citations: MBh 1.32.1–26 • 250 Lexicon Terms
जाता वै भुजगास्तात वीर्यवन्तो दुरासदाः । शापं तं त्वथ विज्ञाय कृतवन्तो नु किं परम् ॥
English Translation
Shaunaka said: O child, you have told us of many greatly powerful and unconquerable serpents. What did they do after hearing of the curse?
तेषां तु भगवाञ्शेषस्त्यक्त्वा कद्रूं महायशाः । तपो विपुलमातस्थे वायुभक्षो यतव्रतः ॥
English Translation
Sauti said: Illustrious and famous Shesha, having left (his mother) Kadru, practised austere penances, living on air and rigidly observing vows.
गन्धमादनमासाद्य बदर्यां च तपोरतः । गोकर्णे पुष्करारण्ये तथा हिमवतस्तटे ॥
English Translation
He practised his penances, going to Gandhamadana, Badari, Gokarna, the forest of Pushkara and the foot of the Himalayas.
तेषु तेषु च पुण्येषु तीर्थेष्वायतनेषु च । एकान्तशीली नियतः सततं विजितेन्द्रियः ॥
English Translation
He passed his days in these sacred places, rigidly observing his vows, completely controlling his passions and concentrating his mind.
तप्यमानं तपो घोरं तं ददर्श पितामहः । परिशुष्कमांसत्वक्स्नायुं जटाचीरधरं प्रभुम् ॥
English Translation
The Grandsire saw him with knotted hair, clad in rags, his flesh, skin and sinews dried up owing to the austere penances he was practising.
तमब्रवीत्सत्यधृतिं तप्यमानं पितामहः । किमिदं कुरुषे शेष प्रजानां स्वस्ति वै कुरु ॥
English Translation
The Grandsire, addressing that penancepractising ascetic, said, “O Shesha, what are you doing? let the welfare of the worlds also engage your thoughts.
त्वं हि तीव्रेण तपसा प्रजास्तापयसेऽनघ । ब्रूहि कामं च मे शेष यत्ते हृदि चिरं स्थितम् ॥
English Translation
O sinless one, you are giving pain to all creatures by your austere penances. O Shesha, tell me the desire of your mind."
सोदर्या मम सर्वे हि भ्रातरो मन्दचेतसः । सह तैर्नोत्सहे वस्तुं तद्भवाननुमन्यताम् ॥
English Translation
Shesha said: My brothers are all of wicked hearts. I do not wish to live with them. Kindly sanction this.
अभ्यसूयन्ति सततं परस्परममित्रवत् । ततोऽहं तप आतिष्ठे नैतान्पश्येयमित्युत ॥
English Translation
They are jealous of one another like great enemies. I am, therefore, engaged in penances. I shall not even see them.
न मर्षयन्ति सततं विनतां ससुतां च ते । अस्माकं चापरो भ्राता वैनतेयः पितामह ॥
English Translation
They never show any kindness for Vinata and her son, who is our other brother, the bird of the air.
तं च द्विषन्ति तेऽत्यर्थं स चापि सुमहाबलः । वरप्रदानात्स पितुः कश्यपस्य महात्मनः ॥
English Translation
They always envy him. He too is much stronger than (all of us), owing to the boon granted by our father, the illustrious and noble Kashyapa.
सोऽहं तपः समास्थाय मोक्ष्यामीदं कलेवरम् । कथं मे प्रेत्यभावेऽपि न तैः स्यात्सह संगमः ॥
English Translation
Therefore, I am practising penances and I shall cast off this body of mine, so that I may not any association with them even after death.
जानामि शेष सर्वेषां भ्रातॄणां ते विचेष्टितम् । मातुश्चाप्यपराधाद्वै भ्रातॄणां ते महद्भयम् ॥
कृतोऽत्र परिहारश्च पूर्वमेव भुजंगम । भ्रातॄणां तव सर्वेषां न शोकं कर्तुमर्हसि ॥
वृणीष्व च वरं मत्तः शेष यत्तेऽभिकाङ्क्षितम् । दित्सामि हि वरं तेऽद्य प्रीतिर्मे परमा त्वयि ॥
दिष्ट्या च बुद्धिर्धर्मे ते निविष्टा पन्नगोत्तम । अतो भूयश्च ते बुद्धिर्धर्मे भवतु सुस्थिरा ॥
English Translation
I am highly pleased with you and I shall grant you a boon today. O best of snakes, it is very good that your heart has been set on virtue. Let your heart be more and more firmly set on virtue."
एष एव वरो मेऽद्य काङ्क्षितः प्रपितामह । धर्मे मे रमतां बुद्धिः शमे तपसि चेश्वर ॥
English Translation
Shesha said: Odivine Grandsire, O lord of all, I ask this boon. Let my heart always delight in virtue and in blessed penances.
प्रीतोऽस्म्यनेन ते शेष दमेन प्रशमेन च । त्वया त्विदं वचः कार्यं मन्नियोगात्प्रजाहितम् ॥
English Translation
Brahma said :: O Shesha, I am highly pleased with your self-denial and love of peace. By my command let the following act be done by you for the good of all creatures.
इमां महीं शैलवनोपपन्नां; ससागरां साकरपत्तनां च । त्वं शेष सम्यक्चलितां यथाव;त्संगृह्य तिष्ठस्व यथाचला स्यात् ॥
English Translation
Bearing properly and well, this earth which is so very unsteady, towns retreats and seas, with all her mountains and forests with her O Shesha, remain in the way as she may be steady.
यथाह देवो वरदः प्रजापति;र्महीपतिर्भूतपतिर्जगत्पतिः । तथा महीं धारयितास्मि निश्चलां; प्रयच्छ तां मे शिरसि प्रजापते ॥
English Translation
Shesha said: O divine lord of all creatures, O granter of boons, O lord of the earth,O the lord of every created thing, O the lord of the universe, I shall hold the earth steady, as you command. O Prajapati, place it upon my head.
अधो महीं गच्छ भुजंगमोत्तम; स्वयं तवैषा विवरं प्रदास्यति । इमां धरां धारयता त्वया हि मे; महत्प्रियं शेष कृतं भविष्यति ॥
English Translation
Brahma said: O best of snakes, go underneath the earth. She herself will make a passage for you. O Shesha, you will certainly do what is highly valued by me by holding the earth (on your head.)
तथेति कृत्वा विवरं प्रविश्य स; प्रभुर्भुवो भुजगवराग्रजः स्थितः । बिभर्ति देवीं शिरसा महीमिमां; समुद्रनेमिं परिगृह्य सर्वतः ॥
English Translation
Sauti said: The elder brother of the king of the snakes, entering into a hole, went to the other side of the earth. He held that goddess (earth) with her belt of seas all around her.
शेषोऽसि नागोत्तम धर्मदेवो; महीमिमां धारयसे यदेकः । अनन्तभोगः परिगृह्य सर्वां; यथाहमेवं बलभिद्यथा वा ॥
English Translation
Brahma said: O Shesha, O best of snakes, you are the Dharma, because you hold the earth alone with your infinite hoods, with every thing on her, what I myself and Indra can do.
अधो भूमेर्वसत्येवं नागोऽनन्तः प्रतापवान् । धारयन्वसुधामेकः शासनाद्ब्रह्मणो विभुः ॥
English Translation
Sauti said: Thus does the snake, Shesha, the greatly powerful lord Ananta, lives underneath the earth, alone supporting the world at the command of Brahma.
सुपर्णं च सखायं वै भगवानमरोत्तमः । प्रादादनन्ताय तदा वैनतेयं पितामहः ॥
English Translation
Then the Grandsire, the illustrious lord of the immortals, gave Suparna (Garuda), the son of Vinata as Ananta's help.
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