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Mahābhārata • Parva 12 (Śāntiparva) • Adhyāya 125

Śāntiparva Adhyāya 125

शान्तिपर्व • अध्यायः 125

Śāntiparva Adhyāya 125 of the classical Mahābhārata with 35 verses.

Total: 35 Verses • Citations: MBh 12.125.1–35 • 250 Lexicon Terms
शीलं प्रधानं पुरुषे कथितं ते पितामह । कथमाशा समुत्पन्ना या च सा तद्वदस्व मे ॥
English Translation
Yudhishthira said You have said, O grandfather, that conduct is the first thing (for a man). Whence, however, does Hope arise? Tell me what it is.
संशयो मे महानेष समुत्पन्नः पितामह । छेत्ता च तस्य नान्योऽस्ति त्वत्तः परपुरंजय ॥
English Translation
This great doubt has occupied my mind. There is no other person than you, Osubjugator of hostile towns, who can remove it!
पितामहाशा महती ममासीद्धि सुयोधने । प्राप्ते युद्धे तु यद्युक्तं तत्कर्तायमिति प्रभो ॥
English Translation
O grandfather, I had great hope about Suyodhana that when a battle was about to take place, he would, O lord, do what was proper.
सर्वस्याशा सुमहती पुरुषस्योपजायते । तस्यां विहन्यमानायां दुःखो मृत्युरसंशयम् ॥
English Translation
Hope is tne sheet-anchor of every man. When that hope is destroyed, great grief follows which, forsooth, is almost equal to death itself.
सोऽहं हताशो दुर्बुद्धिः कृतस्तेन दुरात्मना । धार्तराष्ट्रेण राजेन्द्र पश्य मन्दात्मतां मम ॥
English Translation
Fool that I am, Dhritarashtra's wicked son, Duryodhana, destroyed the hope I had entertained. Mark, O king, the foolishness of my mind.
आशां महत्तरां मन्ये पर्वतादपि सद्रुमात् । आकाशादपि वा राजन्नप्रमेयैव वा पुनः ॥
English Translation
I think that hope is bigger than a mountain with all its trees. Or, perhaps, it is bigger than the sky itself. Or, perhaps, O king, it is really immeasurable.
एषा चैव कुरुश्रेष्ठ दुर्विचिन्त्या सुदुर्लभा । दुर्लभत्वाच्च पश्यामि किमन्यद्दुर्लभं ततः ॥
English Translation
Hope, O chief of the Kurus, is highly difficult of being understood and equally difficult of being conquered. Seeing this last attribute of Hope, I ask, what else is so unconquerable as this?
अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि युधिष्ठिर निबोध तत् । इतिहासं सुमित्रस्य निर्वृत्तमृषभस्य च ॥
English Translation
Bhishma said I shall describe to you, O Yudhishthira, regarding it, the discourse between Sumitra and Rishabha that took place in days of yore, Listen to it!
सुमित्रो नाम राजर्षिर्हैहयो मृगयां गतः । ससार स मृगं विद्ध्वा बाणेन नतपर्वणा ॥
English Translation
A royal sage of the Haihaya family, Sumitra by namre, went a hunting. Having pierced a deer with a straight arrow, he pursued it.
स मृगो बाणमादाय ययावमितविक्रमः । स च राजा बली तूर्णं ससार मृगमन्तिकात् ॥
English Translation
Endued with great strength, the deer ran ahead, with the arrow sticking to him. The king was equally powerful, and accordingly pursued his precious game with great speed.
ततो निम्नं स्थलं चैव स मृगोऽद्रवदाशुगः । मुहूर्तमेव राजेन्द्र समेन स पथागमत् ॥
English Translation
The animal, highly fleet, quickly ran a low ground and then a level plain.
ततः स राजा तारुण्यादौरसेन बलेन च । ससार बाणासनभृत्सखड्गो हंसवत्तदा ॥
English Translation
The king, young, active, and strong, and armed with bow and sword and protected with a coat of mail, still pursued it.
तीर्त्वा नदान्नदीश्चैव पल्वलानि वनानि च । अतिक्रम्याभ्यतिक्रम्य ससारैव वने चरन् ॥
English Translation
Having none with him to chase the animal through the forest, the king crossed many rivers and lakes.
स तु कामान्मृगो राजन्नासाद्यासाद्य तं नृपम् । पुनरभ्येति जवनो जवेन महता ततः ॥
English Translation
Possessed of great fleetness the animal, at its will, appearing now and then before the king, ran on with great quickness.
स तस्य बाणैर्बहुभिः समभ्यस्तो वनेचरः । प्रक्रीडन्निव राजेन्द्र पुनरभ्येति चान्तिकम् ॥
English Translation
Pierced with many arrows by the king, that wild animal, O monarch, as if in sport, again and again lessened the distance between itself and the pursuer.
पुनश्च जवमास्थाय जवनो मृगयूथपः । अतीत्यातीत्य राजेन्द्र पुनरभ्येति चान्तिकम् ॥
English Translation
Repeatedly showing its quickness and crossing one forest after another, it now and then appeared before the king at a near point.
तस्य मर्मच्छिदं घोरं सुमित्रोऽमित्रकर्शनः । समादाय शरश्रेष्ठं कार्मुकान्निरवासृजत् ॥
English Translation
At last, taking up a very excellent arrow, sharp, terrible, and capable of cutting the very vitals, the crusher of foes, set it on his bowstring.
ततो गव्यूतिमात्रेण मृगयूथपयूथपः । तस्य बाणपथं त्यक्त्वा तस्थिवान्प्रहसन्निव ॥
English Translation
That huge animal then, as if laughing at the pursuer's efforts, suddenly went to a great distance by reaching a point full four miles ahead of the range of the arrow.
तस्मिन्निपतिते बाणे भूमौ प्रज्वलिते ततः । प्रविवेश महारण्यं मृगो राजाप्यथाद्रवत् ॥
English Translation
That effulgent arrow accordingly fell on the ground. The deer entered a large forest, but the king still pursued it.
प्रविश्य तु महारण्यं तापसानामथाश्रमम् । आससाद ततो राजा श्रान्तश्चोपाविशत्पुनः ॥
English Translation
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.
तं कार्मुकधरं दृष्ट्वा श्रमार्तं क्षुधितं तदा । समेत्य ऋषयस्तस्मिन्पूजां चक्रुर्यथाविधि ॥
English Translation
Seeing him armed with bow, exhausted with toil, and hungry, the ascetics approached him and honoured him duly.
ऋषयो राजशार्दूलमपृच्छन्स्वं प्रयोजनम् । केन भद्रमुखार्थेन संप्राप्तोऽसि तपोवनम् ॥
पदातिर्बद्धनिस्त्रिंशो धन्वी बाणी नरेश्वर । एतदिच्छाम विज्ञातुं कुतः प्राप्तोऽसि मानद । कस्मिन्कुले हि जातस्त्वं किंनामासि ब्रवीहि नः ॥
English Translation
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!-
ततः स राजा सर्वेभ्यो द्विजेभ्यः पुरुषर्षभ । आचख्यौ तद्यथान्यायं परिचर्यां च भारत ॥
हैहयानां कुले जातः सुमित्रो मित्रनन्दनः । चरामि मृगयूथानि निघ्नन्बाणैः सहस्रशः । बलेन महता गुप्तः सामात्यः सावरोधनः ॥
मृगस्तु विद्धो बाणेन मया सरति शल्यवान् । तं द्रवन्तमनु प्राप्तो वनमेतद्यदृच्छया । भवत्सकाशे नष्टश्रीर्हताशः श्रमकर्शितः ॥
English Translation
In chasing it I have, purposelessly arrived at this forest and find myself before you, shorn of splendour, toil worn, and with hope disappointed.
किं नु दुःखमतोऽन्यद्वै यदहं श्रमकर्शितः । भवतामाश्रमं प्राप्तो हताशो नष्टलक्षणः ॥
English Translation
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.
न राजलक्षणत्यागो न पुरस्य तपोधनाः । दुःखं करोति तत्तीव्रं यथाशा विहता मम ॥
English Translation
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.
हिमवान्वा महाशैलः समुद्रो वा महोदधिः । महत्त्वान्नान्वपद्येतां रोदस्योरन्तरं यथा । आशायास्तपसि श्रेष्ठास्तथा नान्तमहं गतः ॥
English Translation
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.
भवतां विदितं सर्वं सर्वज्ञा हि तपोधनाः । भवन्तः सुमहाभागास्तस्मात्प्रक्ष्यामि संशयम् ॥
आशावान्पुरुषो यः स्यादन्तरिक्षमथापि वा । किं नु ज्यायस्तरं लोके महत्त्वात्प्रतिभाति वः । एतदिच्छामि तत्त्वेन श्रोतुं किमिह दुर्लभम् ॥
English Translation
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.
यदि गुह्यं तपोनित्या न वो ब्रूतेह माचिरम् । न हि गुह्यमतः श्रोतुमिच्छामि द्विजपुंगवाः ॥
English Translation
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
भवत्तपोविघातो वा येन स्याद्विरमे ततः । यदि वास्ति कथायोगो योऽयं प्रश्नो मयेरितः ॥
English Translation
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.'
एतत्कारणसामग्र्यं श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः । भवन्तो हि तपोनित्या ब्रूयुरेतत्समाहिताः ॥
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