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Mahābhārata • Parva 13 (Anuśāsanaparva) • Adhyāya 12

Anuśāsanaparva Adhyāya 12

अनुशासनपर्व • अध्यायः 12

Anuśāsanaparva Adhyāya 12 of the classical Mahābhārata with 50 verses.

Total: 50 Verses • Citations: MBh 13.12.1–50 • 250 Lexicon Terms • Page 1 of 2 (Verses 30 shown)
स्त्रीपुंसयोः संप्रयोगे स्पर्शः कस्याधिको भवेत् । एतन्मे संशयं राजन्यथावद्वक्तुमर्हसि ॥
English Translation
Yudhishthira said You should, O king, tell me truly which of the two, viz., man or woman, gets the greater pleasure from an act of union with each other. Kindly remove my doubt it.
अत्राप्युदाहरन्तीममितिहासं पुरातनम् । भङ्गाश्वनेन शक्रस्य यथा वैरमभूत्पुरा ॥
English Translation
Bhishma said To illustrate this question, the old discourse between Bhangasvana and Shakra is cited in this connection.
पुरा भङ्गाश्वनो नाम राजर्षिरतिधार्मिकः । अपुत्रः स नरव्याघ्र पुत्रार्थं यज्ञमाहरत् ॥
English Translation
In days of old there lived a king name Bhangasvana. He was very pious and was known as a royal sage. He was, however, childless, O king, and, therefore, made a sacrifice from desire of getting a son.
अग्निष्टुं नाम राजर्षिरिन्द्रद्विष्टं महाबलः । प्रायश्चित्तेषु मर्त्यानां पुत्रकामस्य चेष्यते ॥
English Translation
The sacrifice which that powerful king celebrated was Agnishtuta, which on account of the god of fire being alone worshipped in it, is always disliked by Indra. Yet it is the sacrifice that is desired by men when for the object of getting children they seek to purify themselves of their sins.
इन्द्रो ज्ञात्वा तु तं यज्ञं महाभागः सुरेश्वरः । अन्तरं तस्य राजर्षेरन्विच्छन्नियतात्मनः ॥
English Translation
Learning that the king was desirous of performing the Agnishtuta, the highly blessed king of the gods, viz., Indra, began from that moment to look for the shortcomings of that royal sage to well controlled soul.
कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य मृगयामटतो नृप । इदमन्तरमित्येव शक्रो नृपममोहयत् ॥
एकाश्वेन च राजर्षिर्भ्रान्त इन्द्रेण मोहितः । न दिशोऽविन्दत नृपः क्षुत्पिपासार्दितस्तदा ॥
इतश्चेतश्च वै धावञ्श्रमतृष्णार्दितो नृपः । सरोऽपश्यत्सुरुचिरं पूर्णं परमवारिणा । सोऽवगाह्य सरस्तात पाययामास वाजिनम् ॥
English Translation
He then saw a lake that was highly beautiful and was full of transparent water. Descending from his horse, and plunging into the lake, he made his animal to drink.
अथ पीतोदकं सोऽश्वं वृक्षे बद्ध्वा नृपोत्तमः । अवगाह्य ततः स्नातो राजा स्त्रीत्वमवाप ह ॥
English Translation
Tying his horse then, whose thirst had been satisfied, to a tree, the king plunged into the lake again for doing his ablutions. To his surprise he found that he was metamorphosed by virtue of the waters, into a woman.
आत्मानं स्त्रीकृतं दृष्ट्वा व्रीडितो नृपसत्तमः । चिन्तानुगतसर्वात्मा व्याकुलेन्द्रियचेतनः ॥
English Translation
Seeing himself thus changed in respect of sex itself, the king became filled with shame. With his senses and mind completely agitated, he began to think thus with his whole heart.
आरोहिष्ये कथं त्वश्वं कथं यास्यामि वै पुरम् । अग्निष्टुं नाम इष्टं मे पुत्राणां शतमौरसम् ॥
जातं महाबलानां वै तान्प्रवक्ष्यामि किं त्वहम् । दारेषु चास्मदीयेषु पौरजानपदेषु च ॥
मृदुत्वं च तनुत्वं च विक्लवत्वं तथैव च । स्त्रीगुणा ऋषिभिः प्रोक्ता धर्मतत्त्वार्थदर्शिभिः । व्यायामः कर्कशत्वं च वीर्यं च पुरुषे गुणाः ॥
English Translation
Rishis versed in the truths of duty and religion and other matters say that mildness and softness and susceptibility to extreme agitation are the characteristics of women, and that activity, hardness, and energy are the characteristics of men. Alas, my manliness is gone! For why has femininity possessed me? On account of this change of sex, how shall I succeed in riding my horse again?
पौरुषं विप्रनष्टं मे स्त्रीत्वं केनापि मेऽभवत् । स्त्रीभावात्कथमश्वं तु पुनरारोढुमुत्सहे ॥
महता त्वथ खेदेन आरुह्याश्वं नराधिपः । पुनरायात्पुरं तात स्त्रीभूतो नृपसत्तम ॥
पुत्रा दाराश्च भृत्याश्च पौरजानपदाश्च ते । किं न्विदं त्विति विज्ञाय विस्मयं परमं गताः ॥
अथोवाच स राजर्षिः स्त्रीभूतो वदतां वरः । मृगयामस्मि निर्यातो बलैः परिवृतो दृढम् । उद्भ्रान्तः प्राविशं घोरामटवीं दैवमोहितः ॥
English Translation
In that terrible forest, I became very much thirsty and lost my senses. I then saw a beautiful lake abounding with fowl of all sorts.
अटव्यां च सुघोरायां तृष्णार्तो नष्टचेतनः । सरः सुरुचिरप्रख्यमपश्यं पक्षिभिर्वृतम् ॥
English Translation
Plunging into that lake for performing my ablutions, I was changed into a woman! Summoning then his wives and counsellors, and all his sons by their names, that best of kings changed into a woman said to them these words: Do you enjoy this kingdom happily. About myself, I shall go to the forest, you sons.
तत्रावगाढः स्त्रीभूतो व्यक्तं दैवान्न संशयः । अतृप्त इव पुत्राणां दाराणां च धनस्य च ॥
उवाच पुत्रांश्च ततः स्त्रीभूतः पार्थिवोत्तमः । संप्रीत्या भुज्यतां राज्यं वनं यास्यामि पुत्रकाः । अभिषिच्य स पुत्राणां शतं राजा वनं गतः ॥
English Translation
Having said thus to his children, the king went to the forest. Arrived there, she arrived at a hermitage inhabited by an ascetic.
तामाश्रमे स्त्रियं तात तापसोऽभ्यवपद्यत । तापसेनास्य पुत्राणामाश्रमेऽप्यभवच्छतम् ॥
अथ सा तान्सुतान्गृह्य पूर्वपुत्रानभाषत । पुरुषत्वे सुता यूयं स्त्रीत्वे चेमे शतं सुताः ॥
एकत्र भुज्यतां राज्यं भ्रातृभावेन पुत्रकाः । सहिता भ्रातरस्तेऽथ राज्यं बुभुजिरे तदा ॥
English Translation
Thus commanded by their parent, all the brothers, in a body, began to enjoy the kingdom as their joint property. Seeing those children of the king all jointly enjoying the kingdom as brothers born of the same parents, the king of the gods, filled with anger, began to reflect, by transforming this royal sage into a woman, I have, it appears, done him good instead of an injury:
तान्दृष्ट्वा भ्रातृभावेन भुञ्जानान्राज्यमुत्तमम् । चिन्तयामास देवेन्द्रो मन्युनाभिपरिप्लुतः । उपकारोऽस्य राजर्षेः कृतो नापकृतं मया ॥
English Translation
Saying this, the king of the gods, viz., Indra of a hundred sacrifices, assuming the form of a Brahmana, went to the capital of the king and meeting all the children succeeded in creating dissensions amongst them.
ततो ब्राह्मणरूपेण देवराजः शतक्रतुः । भेदयामास तान्गत्वा नगरं वै नृपात्मजान् ॥
English Translation
He said to them, Brothers never remain at peace even when they are the children of the same father. The sons of the sage Kashyapa, viz., the gods and the Asuras, fell out with each other on account of the sovereignty of the three worlds.
भ्रातॄणां नास्ति सौभ्रात्रं येऽप्येकस्य पितुः सुताः । राज्यहेतोर्विवदिताः कश्यपस्य सुरासुराः ॥
English Translation
As regards you princes, you are the children of the royal sage Bhangasvana. These others are the children of an ascetic. The gods and the Asuras are children of even one common father.
यूयं भङ्गाश्वनापत्यास्तापसस्येतरे सुताः । कश्यपस्य सुराश्चैव असुराश्च सुतास्तथा । युष्माकं पैतृकं राज्यं भुज्यते तापसात्मजैः ॥
English Translation
This kingdom, your paternal property is being enjoyed by these children of an ascetic with these words, Indra succeeded in creating disunion amongst them, so that they very soon engaged in battle and killed each other.
इन्द्रेण भेदितास्ते तु युद्धेऽन्योन्यमपातयन् । तच्छ्रुत्वा तापसी चापि संतप्ता प्ररुरोद ह ॥
English Translation
Hearing this, king Bhangasvana, who was living as an ascetic woman, burning with grief and began to bewail. The king of the gods, viz., Indra, assuming the form of a Brahmana, came where the ascetic lady was living, and meeting her, said you having a beautiful face, with what grief do you burn so that you are thus bewailing? Seeing the Brahmana, the lady told। him in a piteous tone.
ब्राह्मणच्छद्मनाभ्येत्य तामिन्द्रोऽथान्वपृच्छत । केन दुःखेन संतप्ता रोदिषि त्वं वरानने ॥
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