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Mahābhārata • Parva 9 (Śalyaparva) • Adhyāya 38

Śalyaparva Adhyāya 38

शल्यपर्व • अध्यायः 38

Śalyaparva Adhyāya 38 of the classical Mahābhārata with 34 verses.

Total: 34 Verses • Citations: MBh 9.38.1–34 • 250 Lexicon Terms
उषित्वा तत्र रामस्तु संपूज्याश्रमवासिनः । तथा मङ्कणके प्रीतिं शुभां चक्रे हलायुधः ॥
English Translation
Vaishampayana said Having passed one night there, Rama, having the plough for his weapon, adored the dwellers of that tirtha and showed great respect for Mankanaka.
दत्त्वा दानं द्विजातिभ्यो रजनीं तामुपोष्य च । पूजितो मुनिसंघैश्च प्रातरुत्थाय लाङ्गली ॥
English Translation
Having distributed wealth amongst the Brahmanas and passed the night there the hero, having the plough for his weapon, was adored by the ascetics. Rising up in the morning, he took leave of all the ascetics and having touched the sacred water, O Bharata, started quickly for other tirthas.
अनुज्ञाप्य मुनीन्सर्वान्स्पृष्ट्वा तोयं च भारत । प्रययौ त्वरितो रामस्तीर्थहेतोर्महाबलः ॥
English Translation
Having distributed wealth amongst the Brahmanas and passed the night there the hero, having the plough for his weapon, was adored by the ascetics. Rising up in the morning, he took leave of all the ascetics and having touched the sacred water, O Bharata, started quickly for other tirthas.
तत औशनसं तीर्थमाजगाम हलायुधः । कपालमोचनं नाम यत्र मुक्तो महामुनिः ॥
महता शिरसा राजन्ग्रस्तजङ्घो महोदरः । राक्षसस्य महाराज रामक्षिप्तस्य वै पुरा ॥
English Translation
Baladeva then went to the tirtha known by the name of Ushanas. It is also called Kapalamochana. Formerly, Rama (the son of Dasharatha) slew a Rakshasa and threw his head to a great distance. That head, O king, fell upon the thigh of a great sage named Mahodara and struck to it. Bathing in this tirtha, the great Rishi was freed from that burthen. The great (Shukra) had practised his ascetic penances there.
तत्र पूर्वं तपस्तप्तं काव्येन सुमहात्मना । यत्रास्य नीतिरखिला प्रादुर्भूता महात्मनः । तत्रस्थश्चिन्तयामास दैत्यदानवविग्रहम् ॥
English Translation
It was there that the science of politics and morals, .that passes by Shukra's name, was revealed to him. While living there. Shukra meditated upon the war of the Daityas and the Danavas.
तत्प्राप्य च बलो राजंस्तीर्थप्रवरमुत्तमम् । विधिवद्धि ददौ वित्तं ब्राह्मणानां महात्मनाम् ॥
English Translation
Arrived at that foremost of tirthas Baladeva, O king, duly made presents of the great Brahmanas.
कपालमोचनं ब्रह्मन्कथं यत्र महामुनिः । मुक्तः कथं चास्य शिरो लग्नं केन च हेतुना ॥
English Translation
Janamejaya said Why is it called Kapalamochana, where the great Muni became freed (from the Rakshasa's head)? Why and how did that head stick to his thigh?"
पुरा वै दण्डकारण्ये राघवेण महात्मना । वसता राजशार्दूल राक्षसास्तत्र हिंसिताः ॥
English Translation
Vaishampayana said "Formerly, O foremost of king, the great Rama (the son of Dasharatha) lived for sometime in the forest of Dandaka, for killing the Rakshasas.
जनस्थाने शिरश्छिन्नं राक्षसस्य दुरात्मनः । क्षुरेण शितधारेण तत्पपात महावने ॥
English Translation
At Janasthana he sundered the head of a wicked Rakshasa with highly sharp razorheaded arrow. That head dropped in the deep forest.
महोदरस्य तल्लग्नं जङ्घायां वै यदृच्छया । वने विचरतो राजन्नस्थि भित्त्वास्फुरत्तदा ॥
English Translation
That head, coursing at will through the sky, fell upon the thigh of Mahodara while the latter was walking in the woods. Piercing his thigh, O king, it stuck to it and remained there.
स तेन लग्नेन तदा द्विजातिर्न शशाक ह । अभिगन्तुं महाप्राज्ञस्तीर्थान्यायतनानि च ॥
स पूतिना विस्रवता वेदनार्तो महामुनिः । जगाम सर्वतीर्थानि पृथिव्यामिति नः श्रुतम् ॥
स गत्वा सरितः सर्वाः समुद्रांश्च महातपाः । कथयामास तत्सर्वमृषीणां भावितात्मनाम् ॥
English Translation
Thus freed, after returning to his sacred hermitage the great ascetic, spoke of what had taken place to those Rishis of pure souls.
आप्लुतः सर्वतीर्थेषु न च मोक्षमवाप्तवान् । स तु शुश्राव विप्रेन्द्रो मुनीनां वचनं महत् ॥
सरस्वत्यास्तीर्थवरं ख्यातमौशनसं तदा । सर्वपापप्रशमनं सिद्धक्षेत्रमनुत्तमम् ॥
स तु गत्वा ततस्तत्र तीर्थमौशनसं द्विजः । तत औशनसे तीर्थे तस्योपस्पृशतस्तदा । तच्छिरश्चरणं मुक्त्वा पपातान्तर्जले तदा ॥
English Translation
Then repairing to that Ushanasa tirtha, that Brahmana bathed in its waters. Thereat the Rakshasa's head, leaving the thigh, dropped into the water.
ततः स विरुजो राजन्पूतात्मा वीतकल्मषः । आजगामाश्रमं प्रीतः कृतकृत्यो महोदरः ॥
English Translation
Then, O king, freed from the Rakshasa's head Mahodara gladly returned, with purified soul and all his sins cleansed, to his hermitage after attaining success.
सोऽथ गत्वाश्रमं पुण्यं विप्रमुक्तो महातपाः । कथयामास तत्सर्वमृषीणां भावितात्मनाम् ॥
English Translation
Thus freed, after returning to his sacred hermitage the great ascetic, spoke of what had taken place to those Rishis of pure souls.
ते श्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य ततस्तीर्थस्य मानद । कपालमोचनमिति नाम चक्रुः समागताः ॥
English Translation
Having heard his story, those Rishis conferred the name of Kapalamochana on the tirtha.
तत्र दत्त्वा बहून्दायान्विप्रान्संपूज्य माधवः । जगाम वृष्णिप्रवरो रुषङ्गोराश्रमं तदा ॥
English Translation
Having distributed much wealth amongst the Brahmanas and worshipped them, Baladeva then went to the hermitage of Rushangu.
यत्र तप्तं तपो घोरमार्ष्टिषेणेन भारत । ब्राह्मण्यं लब्धवांस्तत्र विश्वामित्रो महामुनिः ॥
English Translation
There, O Bharata, Arshtishena had in days of yore practised austerest of penances. There the great (Kshatriya) Muni Muni Vishvamitra became a Brahmana.
ततो हलधरः श्रीमान्ब्राह्मणैः परिवारितः । जगाम यत्र राजेन्द्र रुषङ्गुस्तनुमत्यजत् ॥
English Translation
Surrounded by Brahmanas, then the beautiful Baladeva went to that spot, O king, where Rushangu had, formerly, renounced his body.
रुषङ्गुर्ब्राह्मणो वृद्धस्तपोनित्यश्च भारत । देहन्यासे कृतमना विचिन्त्य बहुधा बहु ॥
English Translation
Rushangu, O Bharata, was an old Brahmana always devoted to penances. Determined to renounce his body, he thought for a long while.
ततः सर्वानुपादाय तनयान्वै महातपाः । रुषङ्गुरब्रवीत्तत्र नयध्वं मा पृथूदकम् ॥
English Translation
A great ascetic as he was, he then summoned all his sons and asked them to take him to a spot where there was profuse water.
विज्ञायातीतवयसं रुषङ्गुं ते तपोधनाः । तं वै तीर्थमुपानिन्युः सरस्वत्यास्तपोधनम् ॥
English Translation
Knowing their father had become very old, those ascetics took him to a tirtha on the Sarasvati.
स तैः पुत्रैस्तदा धीमानानीतो वै सरस्वतीम् । पुण्यां तीर्थशतोपेतां विप्रसंघैर्निषेविताम् ॥
स तत्र विधिना राजन्नाप्लुतः सुमहातपाः । ज्ञात्वा तीर्थगुणांश्चैव प्राहेदमृषिसत्तमः । सुप्रीतः पुरुषव्याघ्र सर्वान्पुत्रानुपासतः ॥
सरस्वत्युत्तरे तीरे यस्त्यजेदात्मनस्तनुम् । पृथूदके जप्यपरो नैनं श्वोमरणं तपेत् ॥
तत्राप्लुत्य स धर्मात्मा उपस्पृश्य हलायुधः । दत्त्वा चैव बहून्दायान्विप्राणां विप्रवत्सलः ॥
ससर्ज यत्र भगवाँल्लोकाँल्लोकपितामहः । यत्रार्ष्टिषेणः कौरव्य ब्राह्मण्यं संशितव्रतः । तपसा महता राजन्प्राप्तवानृषिसत्तमः ॥
English Translation
Touching the water of that tirtha and bathing in it, the righteous Baladeva distributed wealth amongst the Brahmanas.
सिन्धुद्वीपश्च राजर्षिर्देवापिश्च महातपाः । ब्राह्मण्यं लब्धवान्यत्र विश्वामित्रो महामुनिः । महातपस्वी भगवानुग्रतेजा महातपाः ॥
English Translation
Possessed of great might and great prowess, Baladeva then proceeded to that tirtha where the worshipful Brahma had created the mountains called Lokaloka and where that best of Rishis, Arshtishena, of rigid vows, had by hard penances acquired the dignity of Brahmana-hood and where the royal saint Sindhudvipa and the great ascetic Devapi and the worshipful and illustrious Vishvamitra of hard penances and fierce energy, had all acquired a similar dignity.
तत्राजगाम बलवान्बलभद्रः प्रतापवान् ॥
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