कथासरित्सागरः — अष्टमस्तरङ्गः

अष्टमस्तरङ्गः ।

एवं गुणाढ्यवचसा साथ सप्तकथामयि ।
स्वभाषया कथा दिव्या कथिता काणभूतिना ॥

Summary AI Then, at the request of Guṇāḍhya, Kāṇabhūti narrated that divine story, consisting of seven tales, in his own native language.

१.८.२

तथैव च गुणाढ्येन पैशाच्या भाषया तया ।
निबद्धा सप्तभिर्वर्षैर्ग्रन्थलक्षाणि सप्त सा ॥

Summary AI Similarly, Guṇāḍhya composed those seven hundred thousand verses in the Paiśācī language over a period of seven years.

१.८.३

मैतां विद्याधरा हार्षुरिति तामात्मशोणितैः ।
अटव्यां मष्यभावाच्च लिलेख स महाकविः ॥

Summary AI Fearing that the Vidyādharas might steal the work, and due to the lack of ink in the forest, the great poet wrote it using his own blood.

१.८.४

तथा च श्रोतुमायातैः सिद्धविद्याधरादिभिः ।
निरन्तरमभूत्तत्र सवितानमिवाम्बरम् ॥

Summary AI As Siddhas, Vidyādharas, and others arrived to listen, the sky above became completely covered as if by a canopy.

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गुणाढ्येन निबद्धां च तां दृष्ट्वैव महाकथाम् ।
जगाम मुक्तशापः सन्काणभूतिर्निजां गतिम् ॥

Summary AI Upon seeing that great story composed by Guṇāḍhya, Kāṇabhūti was freed from his curse and attained his original divine state.

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पिशाचा ये ऽपि तत्रासन्नन्ये तत्सहचारिणः ।
ते ऽपि प्रापुर्दिवं सर्वे दिव्यमाकर्ण्य तां कथाम् ॥

Summary AI The other Piśācas who were his companions there also attained heaven after hearing that divine story.

१.८.७

प्रतिष्ठां प्रापणीयैषा पृथिव्यां मे बृहत्कथा ।
अयमर्थो ऽपि मे देव्या शापान्तोक्तावुदीरितः ॥

Summary AI Guṇāḍhya thought, "This Bṛhatkathā of mine must attain fame on earth; this purpose was also mentioned to me by the Goddess when she spoke of the end of the curse."

१.८.८

तत्कथं प्रापयाम्येनां कस्मै तावत्समर्पये ।
इति चाचिन्तयत्तत्र स गुणाढ्यो महाकविः ॥

Summary AI "How then shall I propagate this, and to whom shall I entrust it?" the great poet Guṇāḍhya pondered.

१.८.९

अथैको गुणदेवाख्यो नन्दिदेवाभिधः परः ।
तमूचतुरुपाध्यायं शिष्यावनुगतावुभौ ॥

Summary AI Then his two loyal disciples, one named Guṇadeva and the other Nandideva, spoke to their teacher.

१.८.१०

तत्काव्यस्यार्पणस्थानमेकः श्रीसातवाहनः ।
रसिको हि वहेत्काव्यं पुष्पामोदमिवानिलः ॥

Summary AI They suggested that King Śrī Sātavāhana was the only fit recipient for the poem, for a connoisseur carries a poem just as the wind carries the fragrance of flowers.

१.८.११

एवमस्त्विति तौ शिष्यावन्तिकं तस्य भूपतेः ।
प्राहिणोत्पुस्तकं दत्त्वा गुणाढ्यो गुणशालिनौ ॥

Summary AI Saying "So be it," Guṇāḍhya gave the manuscript to his two virtuous disciples and sent them to the presence of the king.

१.८.१२

स्वयं च गत्वा तत्रैव प्रतिष्ठानपुराद्बहिः ।
कृतसंकेत उद्याने तस्थौ देवीविनिर्मिते ॥

Summary AI He himself went and stayed in a garden outside the city of Pratiṣṭhāna, which had been created by the Goddess and appointed as their meeting place.

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गच्छिष्याभ्यां च गत्वा तत्सातवाहनभूपतेः ।
गुणाढ्यकृतिरेषेति दर्शितं काव्यपुस्तकम् ॥

Summary AI The disciples went and presented the manuscript of the poem to King Sātavāhana, identifying it as the work of Guṇāḍhya.

१.८.१४

पिशाचभाषां तां श्रुत्वा तौ च दृष्ट्वा तदाकृती ।
विद्यामदेन सासूयं स राजैवमभाषत ॥

Summary AI Hearing that Piśāca language and seeing the appearance of the two disciples, the king, arrogant with learning, spoke with contempt.

१.८.१५

प्रमाणं सप्तलक्षाणि पैशाचं नीरसं वचः ।
शोणितेनाक्षरन्यासो धिक्पिशाचकथामिमाम् ॥

Summary AI "Seven hundred thousand verses, written in the dry Paiśācī dialect with letters in blood! Fie on this Piśāca story!" the king exclaimed.

१.८.१६

ततः पुस्तकमादाय गत्वा ताभ्यां यथागतम् ।
शिष्याभ्यां तद्गुणाढ्याय यथावृत्तमकथ्यत ॥

Summary AI Then the two disciples took the manuscript, returned the way they had come, and told Guṇāḍhya exactly what had happened.

१.८.१७

गुणाढ्यो ऽपि तदाकण्य सद्यः खेदवशो ऽभवत् ।
तत्त्वज्ञेन कृतावज्ञः को नामान्तर्न तप्यते ॥

Summary AI Upon hearing this, Guṇāḍhya was immediately overwhelmed with grief. Who indeed is not pained within when treated with contempt by one who should know the truth?

१.८.१८

सशिष्यश्च ततो गत्वा नातिदूरं शिलोच्चयम् ।
विविक्तरम्यभूभागमग्निकुण्डं व्यधात्पुरः ॥

Summary AI Accompanied by his disciples, he then went to a nearby mountain with a secluded, beautiful area and prepared a sacrificial fire-pit.

१.८.१९

तत्राग्नौ पत्त्रमेकैकं शिष्याभ्यां साश्रु वीक्षितः ।
वाचयित्वा स चिक्षेप श्रावयन्मृगपक्षिणः ॥

Summary AI Watched tearfully by his disciples, he read out each leaf one by one and threw it into the fire, making the forest animals and birds listen to the narration.

१.८.२०

नरवाहनदत्तस्य चरितं शिष्ययोः कृते ।
ग्रन्थलक्षं कथामेकां वर्जयित्वा तदीप्सिताम् ॥

Summary AI He burned all the verses except for one hundred thousand containing the history of Naravāhanadatta, which he spared for the sake of his two disciples who desired it.

१.८.२१

तस्मिंश्च तां कथां दिव्यां पठत्यपि दहत्यपि ।
परित्यक्ततृणाहाराः शृण्वन्तः साश्रुलोचनाः ॥

Summary AI As Guṇāḍhya read and then burned those divine tales, the animals, having abandoned eating grass, listened with tearful eyes.

१.८.२२

आसन्नभ्येत्य तत्रैव निश्चला बद्धमण्डलाः ।
निखिलाः खलु सारङ्गवराहमहिषादयः ॥

Summary AI All the deer, boars, buffaloes, and other animals gathered there, standing motionless in circles to listen.

१.८.२३

अत्रान्तरे च राजाभूदस्वस्थः सातवाहनः ।
दोषं चास्यावदन्वैद्याः शुष्कमांसोपभोगजम् ॥

Summary AI Meanwhile, King Sātavāhana fell ill, and the physicians diagnosed his ailment as being caused by the consumption of dry meat.

१.८.२४

आक्षिप्तास्तन्निमित्तं च सूपकारा बभाषिरे ।
अस्माकमीदृशं मांसं ददते लुब्धका इति ॥

Summary AI When the cooks were rebuked for this, they explained that the hunters were supplying them with such dry meat.

१.८.२५

पृष्टाश्च लुब्धका ऊचुर्नातिदूरे गिरावितः ।
पठित्वा पत्रमेकैकं को ऽप्यग्नौ क्षिपति द्विजः ॥

Summary AI Questioned further, the hunters said that not far from there on a mountain, some twice-born sage was reading pages one by one and casting them into the fire.

१.८.२६

तत्समेत्य निराहाराः शृण्वन्ति प्राणिनो ऽखिलाः ।
नान्यतो यान्ति तेनैषां शुष्कं मांसमिदं क्षुधा ॥

Summary AI All the animals gathered there to listen, fasting and refusing to go elsewhere; therefore, their meat has become dry due to hunger.

१.८.२७

इति व्याधवचः श्रुत्वा कृत्वा तानेव चाग्रतः ।
स्वयं स कौतुकाद्राजा गुणाढ्यस्यान्तिकं ययौ ॥

Summary AI Hearing the hunters' words and placing them at the front, the king himself went to Guṇāḍhya out of curiosity.

१.८.२८

ददर्श तं समाकीर्णं जटाभिर्वनवासतः ।
प्रशान्तशेषशापाग्निधूमिकाबिरिवाभितः ॥

Summary AI The king saw Guṇāḍhya covered with matted locks from living in the forest, appearing as if surrounded by the remaining smoke of a dying fire of a curse.

१.८.२९

अथैनं प्रत्यभिज्ञाय सबाष्पमृगमध्यगम् ।
नमस्कृत्य च पप्रच्छ तं वृत्तान्तं महीपतिः ॥

Summary AI Then the king, recognizing him amidst the weeping animals, bowed to him and inquired about the whole matter.

१.८.३०

सो ऽपि स्वं पुष्पदन्तस्य राज्ञे शापादिचेष्टितम् ।
ज्ञानी कथावतारं तमाचख्यौ भूतभाषया ॥

Summary AI That wise sage, in the Paiśācī language, told the king of his own past as Puṣpadanta, the curse, and how the story came to earth.

१.८.३१

ततो गणावतारं तं मत्वा पादानतो नृपः ।
ययाचे तां कथां तस्माद्दिव्यां हरमुखोद्गताम् ॥

Summary AI Then the king, realizing Guṇāḍhya was an incarnation of a Gaṇa, prostrated at his feet and begged for that divine story which had issued from the mouth of Śiva.

१.८.३२

अथोवाच स तं भूपं गुणाढ्यः सातवाहनम् ।
राजन्षड्ग्रन्थलक्षाणि मया दग्धानि षट्कथाः ॥

Summary AI Then Guṇāḍhya said to King Sātavāhana, "O King, I have already burned six hundred thousand verses comprising six stories."

१.८.३३

लक्षमेकमिदं त्वस्ति कथैका सैव गृह्यताम् ।
मच्छिष्यौ तव चात्रैतौ व्याख्यातारौ भविष्यतः ॥

Summary AI He offered the remaining story of one hundred thousand verses to the king, noting that his two disciples would serve as its commentators.

१.८.३४

इत्युक्त्वा नृपमामन्त्र्य त्यक्त्वा योगेन तां तनुम् ।
गुणाढ्यः शापनिर्मुक्तः प्राप दिव्यं निजं पदम् ॥

Summary AI After speaking and taking leave of the king, Guṇāḍhya abandoned his body through yoga and, freed from the curse, attained his divine original state.

१.८.३५

अथ तां गुणाढ्यदत्ता-
मादाय कथां बृहत्कथां नाम्ना ।
नृपतिरगान्निजनगरं
नरवाहनदत्तचरितमयीम् ॥

Summary AI The king then returned to his city, taking the story given by Guṇāḍhya, titled the Bṛhatkathā, which chronicled the life of Naravāhanadatta.

१.८.३६

गुणदेवनन्दिदेवौ तत्र च तौ तत्कथाकवेः शिष्यौ ।
क्षितिकनकवस्त्रवाहनभवनधनैः संविभेजे सः ॥

Summary AI In the city, he rewarded the poet's disciples, Guṇadeva and Nandideva, with land, gold, clothing, vehicles, houses, and riches.

१.८.३७

ताभ्यां सह च कथां तामाश्वास्य स सातवाहनस्तस्याः ।
तद्भाषयावतारं वक्तुं चक्रे कथापीठम् ॥

Summary AI King Sātavāhana, together with them, organized the story and composed the Kathāpīṭha to narrate its descent in that language.

१.८.३८

सा च चित्ररसनिर्भरा कथा
विस्मृतामरकथा कुतूहलात् ।
तद्विधाय नगरे निरन्तरां
ख्यातिमत्र भुवनत्रये गता ॥

Summary AI That story, overflowing with wonderful sentiments and surpassing the tales of the gods, became famous throughout the city and the three worlds.

महाकविश्रीसोमदेवभट्टविरचितः कथासरित्सागरः ।

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