महाभारतम् — १.४७

सूत उवाच ।

एवमुक्त्वा ततः श्रीमान्मन्त्रिभिश्चानुमोदितः ।
आरुरोह प्रतिज्ञां स सर्पसत्राय पार्थिवः ।
ब्रह्मन्भरतशार्दूलो राजा पारिक्षितस्तदा ॥

M N Dutt Sauti said : The illustrious king having said so, the ministers expressed their approbation. The king expressed his determination of performing a Snake-sacrifice.

१.४७.२

पुरोहितमथाहूय ऋत्विजं वसुधाधिपः ।
अब्रवीद्वाक्यसंपन्नः संपदर्थकरं वचः ॥

१.४७.३

यो मे हिंसितवांस्तातं तक्षकः स दुरात्मवान् ।
प्रतिकुर्यां यथा तस्य तद्भवन्तो ब्रुवन्तु मे ॥

१.४७.४

अपि तत्कर्म विदितं भवतां येन पन्नगम् ।
तक्षकं संप्रदीप्तेऽग्नौ प्राप्स्येऽहं सहबान्धवम् ॥

१.४७.५

यथा तेन पिता मह्यं पूर्वं दग्धो विषाग्निना ।
तथाहमपि तं पापं दग्धुमिच्छामि पन्नगम् ॥

M N Dutt Tell me what I must do. Do you know any act by which I can throw Takshaka with all his friends and relatives in the blazing fire? I want to burn the wretch of a snake as he burnt my father with his poison.

ऋत्विज ऊचुः ।

१.४७.६

अस्ति राजन्महत्सत्रं त्वदर्थं देवनिर्मितम् ।
सर्पसत्रमिति ख्यातं पुराणे कथ्यते नृप ॥

M N Dutt The Ritwijas said : O king, there is a sacrifice advised by the celestials for you. It is known as the Snakesacrifice and is spoken of in the Puranas.

१.४७.७

आहर्ता तस्य सत्रस्य त्वन्नान्योऽस्ति नराधिप ।
इति पौराणिकाः प्राहुरस्माकं चास्ति स क्रतुः ॥

M N Dutt O king, you alone can accomplish it and no one else. The men, learned in the Puranas, have told us that there is such a sacrifice.

सूत उवाच ।

१.४७.८

एवमुक्तः स राजर्षिर्मेने सर्पं हि तक्षकम् ।
हुताशनमुखं दीप्तं प्रविष्टमिति सत्तम ॥

M N Dutt Sauti said : O excellent one, thus addressed, that royal sage thought Takshaka already thrown into the blazing fire and burnt to ashes.

१.४७.९

ततोऽब्रवीन्मन्त्रविदस्तान्राजा ब्राह्मणांस्तदा ।
आहरिष्यामि तत्सत्रं संभाराः संभ्रियन्तु मे ॥

M N Dutt The king then told these Brahmanas, learned in Mantras, “I shall perform that sacrifice. Tell me the things that are necessary.

१.४७.१०

ततस्ते ऋत्विजस्तस्य शास्त्रतो द्विजसत्तम ।
देशं तं मापयामासुर्यज्ञायतनकारणात् ।
यथावज्ज्ञानविदुषः सर्वे बुद्ध्या परं गताः ॥

M N Dutt O best of Biahmanas, thereupon his wise Ritwijas, learned in the Shastras, measured, according to the ordinances, a piece of land for the sacrificial platform.

१.४७.११

ऋद्ध्या परमया युक्तमिष्टं द्विजगणायुतम् ।
प्रभूतधनधान्याढ्यमृत्विग्भिः सुनिवेशितम् ॥

१.४७.१२

निर्माय चापि विधिवद्यज्ञायतनमीप्सितम् ।
राजानं दीक्षयामासुः सर्पसत्राप्तये तदा ॥

१.४७.१३

इदं चासीत्तत्र पूर्वं सर्पसत्रे भविष्यति ।
निमित्तं महदुत्पन्नं यज्ञविघ्नकरं तदा ॥

१.४७.१४

यज्ञस्यायतने तस्मिन्क्रियमाणे वचोऽब्रवीत् ।
स्थपतिर्बुद्धिसंपन्नो वास्तुविद्याविशारदः ॥

M N Dutt An incident which foreboded a hindrance to it. For when the sacrificial platform was being built, a man, Suta by caste, well acquainted with the Puranas and learned in the art of masonry and of laying foundations, said,

१.४७.१५

इत्यब्रवीत्सूत्रधारः सूतः पौराणिकस्तदा ।
यस्मिन्देशे च काले च मापनेयं प्रवर्तिता ।
ब्राह्मणं कारणं कृत्वा नायं संस्थास्यते क्रतुः ॥

M N Dutt “The land in which the platform was made and the time when it was measured indicate that this sacrifice will not be completed. A Brahmana will be its cause."

१.४७.१६

एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु राजा स प्राग्दीक्षाकालमब्रवीत् ।
क्षत्तारं नेह मे कश्चिदज्ञातः प्रविशेदिति ॥

M N Dutt Having heard this, the king, before he was installed in the sacrifice, ordered the gate keepers, saying, “None must be allowed to enter here without my permission."

१.४७.१७

ततः कर्म प्रववृते सर्पसत्रे विधानतः ।
पर्यक्रामंश्च विधिवत्स्वे स्वे कर्मणि याजकाः ॥

M N Dutt Sauti said : The Snake-sacrifice then began in due form. The sacrificial priests, expert in their respective duties according to the ordinance, their bodies with black garments and their eyes red from the smoke, poured ghee in the blazing fire, uttering the Mantras.

१.४७.१८

परिधाय कृष्णवासांसि धूमसंरक्तलोचनाः ।
जुहुवुर्मन्त्रवच्चैव समिद्धं जातवेदसम् ॥

M N Dutt Sauti said : The Snake-sacrifice then began in due form. The sacrificial priests, expert in their respective duties according to the ordinance, their bodies with black garments and their eyes red from the smoke, poured ghee in the blazing fire, uttering the Mantras.

१.४७.१९

कम्पयन्तश्च सर्वेषामुरगाणां मनांसि ते ।
सर्पानाजुहुवुस्तत्र सर्वानग्निमुखे तदा ॥

M N Dutt Making the hearts of all the snakes tremble in fear, they began to pour ghee in the mouth of the Agni, uttering the names of the snakes.

१.४७.२०

ततः सर्पाः समापेतुः प्रदीप्ते हव्यवाहने ।
विवेष्टमानाः कृपणा आह्वयन्तः परस्परम् ॥

M N Dutt Thereupon the snakes fell into the blazing fire one after another, each be-numbed and calling piteously to one another.

१.४७.२१

विस्फुरन्तः श्वसन्तश्च वेष्टयन्तस्तथा परे ।
पुच्छैः शिरोभिश्च भृशं चित्रभानुं प्रपेदिरे ॥

M N Dutt Breathing hard, swelling to enormous sizes, intwining one another with their heads and tails, they came in large numbers and fell into the blazing fire.

१.४७.२२

श्वेताः कृष्णाश्च नीलाश्च स्थविराः शिशवस्तथा ।
रुवन्तो भैरवान्नादान्पेतुर्दीप्ते विभावसौ ॥

M N Dutt The white, the black, the blue, the old and the young, those measuring a crosa those measuring a Yojana and those measuring a Gokarna, all fell violently into that blazing fire uttering various cries.

१.४७.२३

एवं शतसहस्राणि प्रयुतान्यर्बुदानि च ।
अवशानि विनष्टानि पन्नगानां द्विजोत्तम ॥

M N Dutt Hundreds and thousands, tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands came be-numbed and perished on that occasion.

१.४७.२४

इन्दुरा इव तत्रान्ये हस्तिहस्ता इवापरे ।
मत्ता इव च मातङ्गा महाकाया महाबलाः ॥

M N Dutt Amongst those that perished, there were some that were like the horses, some like the trunks of elephants and others with the huge bodies and strength of mad elephants.

१.४७.२५

उच्चावचाश्च बहवो नानावर्णा विषोल्बणाः ।
घोराश्च परिघप्रख्या दन्दशूका महाबलाः ।
प्रपेतुरग्नावुरगा मातृवाग्दण्डपीडिताः ॥

M N Dutt The snakes of various colours and of virulent poison, of terrible look, like maces furnished with iron spikes, of enormous strength and of the greatest biting propensity, fell into the fire as the result of their mother's curse.

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