महाभारतम् — १.१०

॥ अथ १.१० ॥

रुरुरुवाच ।

मम प्राणसमा भार्या दष्टासीद्भुजगेन ह ।
तत्र मे समयो घोर आत्मनोरग वै कृतः ॥

M N Dutt Ruru said : My wife, who was as dear to me as my life, was bitten by a snake; on which I took, O snake, a fearful vow;

१.१०.२

हन्यां सदैव भुजगं यं यं पश्येयमित्युत ।
ततोऽहं त्वां जिघांसामि जीवितेन विमोक्ष्यसे ॥

M N Dutt Namely that I would kill every snake that I might meet with. Therefore I shall strike you and you shall be deprived of your life.

डुण्डुभ उवाच ।

१.१०.३

अन्ये ते भुजगा विप्र ये दशन्तीह मानवान् ।
डुण्डुभानहिगन्धेन न त्वं हिंसितुमर्हसि ॥

M N Dutt The Dundubha said: O Brahmana, there are other snakes which bite man. The Dundubhas are only snakes in name. Therefore, you should not kill the Dundubhas.

१.१०.४

एकानर्थान्पृथगर्थानेकदुःखान्पृथक्सुखान् ।
डुण्डुभान्धर्मविद्भूत्वा न त्वं हिंसितुमर्हसि ॥

M N Dutt Subject to the same calamity but not sharing the same good fortune, being same in woe, but different in joy, you should not kill the Dundubhas, being a knower of right and wrong.

सूत उवाच ।

१.१०.५

इति श्रुत्वा वचस्तस्य भुजगस्य रुरुस्तदा ।
नावधीद्भयसंविग्न ऋषिं मत्वाथ डुण्डुभम् ॥

M N Dutt Sauti said: Hearing those words of the snake and seeing that the snake was really of the Dundubha kind and that it was terribly frightened. Ruru did not kill it, thinking that it is a Rishi.

१.१०.६

उवाच चैनं भगवान्रुरुः संशमयन्निव ।
कामया भुजग ब्रूहि कोऽसीमां विक्रियां गतः ॥

M N Dutt Then Ruru, the possessor of six attributes, cheering up the snake, said to it, “Who are you, tell me, O snake, that have been thus metamorphosed?”

डुण्डुभ उवाच ।

१.१०.७

अहं पुरा रुरो नाम्ना ऋषिरासं सहस्रपात् ।
सोऽहं शापेन विप्रस्य भुजगत्वमुपागतः ॥

M N Dutt The Dundubha said: O Ruru, I was formerly a Rishi, named Shahasrapat. It is by the curse of a Brahmana that I have become a snake.

रुरुरुवाच ।

१.१०.८

किमर्थं शप्तवान्क्रुद्धो द्विजस्त्वां भुजगोत्तम ।
कियन्तं चैव कालं ते वपुरेतद्भविष्यति ॥

M N Dutt Ruru said : O best of snakes, why were you cursed by an angry Brahmana? And how long will your this body continue?

॥ इति १.१० ॥