महाभारतम् — १५.४५

वैशंपायन उवाच ।

द्विवर्षोपनिवृत्तेषु पाण्डवेषु यदृच्छया ।
देवर्षिर्नारदो राजन्नाजगाम युधिष्ठिरम् ॥

M N Dutt After two years had passed from the date of the return of the Pandavas from the retreat of heir sire), the celestial Rishi, Narada, O king, came to Yudhishthria.

१५.४५.२

तमभ्यर्च्य महाबाहुः कुरुराजो युधिष्ठिरः ।
आसीनं परिविश्वस्तं प्रोवाच वदतां वरः ॥

M N Dutt the mighty-armed Kuru king, that foremost of speakers, viz., Yudhishthira, having duly adored him, made him take a seat. After the Rishi had rested a while, the king asked him saying, 'It is after a long time that I see your holy self arrived at my court. Are you in peace and happiness, O learned Bhimasena?

१५.४५.३

चिरस्य खलु पश्यामि भगवन्तमुपस्थितम् ।
कच्चित्ते कुशलं विप्र शुभं वा प्रत्युपस्थितम् ॥

M N Dutt the mighty-armed Kuru king, that foremost of speakers, viz., Yudhishthira, having duly adored him, made him take a seat. After the Rishi had rested a while, the king asked him saying, 'It is after a long time that I see your holy self arrived at my court. Are you in peace and happiness, O learned Bhimasena?

१५.४५.४

के देशाः परिदृष्टास्ते किं च कार्यं करोमि ते ।
तद्ब्रूहि द्विजमुख्य त्वमस्माकं च प्रियोऽतिथिः ॥

M N Dutt What are toe countries which you have passed through? What can I do for you? Do you tell me. You are the foremost of twiceborn ones, and you are our highest refuge.

नारद उवाच ।

१५.४५.५

चिरदृष्टोऽसि मे राजन्नागतोऽस्मि तपोवनात् ।
परिदृष्टानि तीर्थानि गङ्गा चैव मया नृप ॥

M N Dutt Narada said I have not seen you for a long time. Hence it is that I have come to you from my asylum. I have seen many sacred waters and the sacred rivers Ganga, also, O king.

युधिष्ठिर उवाच ।

१५.४५.६

वदन्ति पुरुषा मेऽद्य गङ्गातीरनिवासिनः ।
धृतराष्ट्रं महात्मानमास्थितं परमं तपः ॥

M N Dutt People living on the banks of Ganga report that the great Dhritarashtra is practicing the austerest of penances.

१५.४५.७

अपि दृष्टस्त्वया तत्र कुशली स कुरूद्वहः ।
गान्धारी च पृथा चैव सूतपुत्रश्च संजयः ॥

M N Dutt Have you seen him there? Is that perpetuator o Kuru's race in peace? Are Gandhari and Pritha and the Suta's son Sanjaya also in peace?

१५.४५.८

कथं च वर्तते चाद्य पिता मम स पार्थिवः ।
श्रोतुमिच्छामि भगवन्यदि दृष्टस्त्वया नृपः ॥

M N Dutt How, indeed, is that royal sire of mine doing? I wish to hear this, O holy one, if you have seen the king.

नारद उवाच ।

१५.४५.९

स्थिरीभूय महाराज शृणु सर्वं यथातथम् ।
यथा श्रुतं च दृष्टं च मया तस्मिंस्तपोवने ॥

M N Dutt Narada said Listen, O king, with calmness to me as I tell you what I have heard and seen in that asylum.

१५.४५.१०

वनवासनिवृत्तेषु भवत्सु कुरुनन्दन ।
कुरुक्षेत्रात्पिता तुभ्यं गङ्गाद्वारं ययौ नृप ॥

M N Dutt After your return from Kurukshetra, O delighter of the Kurus, Your sire, O king, proceeded towards Gangadvara.

१५.४५.११

गान्धार्या सहितो धीमान्वध्वा कुन्त्या समन्वितः ।
संजयेन च सूतेन साग्निहोत्रः सयाजकः ॥

M N Dutt That intelligent king took with him his (sacred) fire, Gandhari and his daughter-in-law Kunti, as also Sanjaya of the Suta caste, and all the Yajakas.

१५.४५.१२

आतस्थे स तपस्तीव्रं पिता तव तपोधनः ।
वीटां मुखे समाधाय वायुभक्षोऽभवन्मुनिः ॥

M N Dutt Having penances for wealth, your sire set himself to the practice of severe austerities. He held pebbled of stone in his mouth and had air alone for his food, and abstained altogether from speech.

१५.४५.१३

वने स मुनिभिः सर्वैः पूज्यमानो महातपाः ।
त्वगस्थिमात्रशेषः स षण्मासानभवन्नृपः ॥

M N Dutt Engaged in severe penances, he was adored by all the ascetics in the forest. In six months the king was reduced to only a skeleton.

१५.४५.१४

गान्धारी तु जलाहारा कुन्ती मासोपवासिनी ।
संजयः षष्ठभक्तेन वर्तयामास भारत ॥

M N Dutt Gandhari lived on water alone, while Kunti took a little food a intervals of month. Sanjaya, O Bharata, lived, eating a little every sixth day.

१५.४५.१५

अग्नींस्तु याजकास्तत्र जुहुवुर्विधिवत्प्रभो ।
दृश्यतोऽदृश्यतश्चैव वने तस्मिन्नृपस्य ह ॥

M N Dutt The sacred fire, O monarch, (bclonging to the Kuru king) was duly adored by the sacrificing assistants who were with him, with libations of clarified butter poured on it. They did this whether the king saw the rite or not.

१५.४५.१६

अनिकेतोऽथ राजा स बभूव वनगोचरः ।
ते चापि सहिते देव्यौ संजयश्च तमन्वयुः ॥

M N Dutt The king had no fixed dwelling. He became a wanderer through those forests. The two queens, as also Sanjaya, followed him.

१५.४५.१७

संजयो नृपतेर्नेता समेषु विषमेषु च ।
गान्धार्यास्तु पृथा राजंश्चक्षुरासीदनिन्दिता ॥

M N Dutt Sanjaya acted as the guide on even and uneven land. The faultless Pritha, O king, became the eye of Gandhari.

१५.४५.१८

ततः कदाचिद्गङ्गायाः कच्छे स नृपसत्तमः ।
गङ्गायामाप्लुतो धीमानाश्रमाभिमुखोऽभवत् ॥

M N Dutt One day, that best of kings went to a spot on the margin of Ganga. He then bathed in the sacred river and finishing his ablutions turned his face toward his hermitage.

१५.४५.१९

अथ वायुः समुद्भूतो दावाग्निरभवन्महान् ।
ददाह तद्वनं सर्वं परिगृह्य समन्ततः ॥

M N Dutt The wind rose high. A fierce wild fire set in. It began to burn that forest all around.

१५.४५.२०

दह्यत्सु मृगयूथेषु द्विजिह्वेषु समन्ततः ।
वराहाणां च यूथेषु संश्रयत्सु जलाशयान् ॥

M N Dutt When the herds of animals were being burnt all around, as also the snakes which inhabited. that region, herds of wild board began to take themselves to the nearest marshes and waters.

१५.४५.२१

समाविद्धे वने तस्मिन्प्राप्ते व्यसन उत्तमे ।
निराहारतया राजा मन्दप्राणविचेष्टितः ।
असमर्थोऽपसरणे सुकृशौ मातरौ च ते ॥

M N Dutt When that forest was thus afflicted on all sides and such distress came upon all the living creature living there, the king, who had taken no food, was incapable of moving or exerting himself at all.

१५.४५.२२

ततः स नृपतिर्दृष्ट्वा वह्निमायान्तमन्तिकात् ।
इदमाह ततः सूतं संजयं पृथिवीपते ॥

१५.४५.२३

गच्छ संजय यत्राग्निर्न त्वां दहति कर्हिचित् ।
वयमत्राग्निना युक्ता गमिष्यामः परां गतिम् ॥

१५.४५.२४

तमुवाच किलोद्विग्नः संजयो वदतां वरः ।
राजन्मृत्युरनिष्टोऽयं भविता ते वृथाग्निना ॥

M N Dutt As regards ourselves, we shall allow our bodies to be destroyed by this fire and attain to the greatest end. To him, Sanjaya, that foremost of speakers, said-'O king, this death, brought on by a fire that is not sacred, will prove calamitous to you. I do not, however, see any means by which you can escape from this fire. our

१५.४५.२५

न चोपायं प्रपश्यामि मोक्षणे जातवेदसः ।
यदत्रानन्तरं कार्यं तद्भवान्वक्तुमर्हति ॥

१५.४५.२६

इत्युक्तः संजयेनेदं पुनराह स पार्थिवः ।
नैष मृत्युरनिष्टो नो निःसृतानां गृहात्स्वयम् ॥

१५.४५.२७

जलमग्निस्तथा वायुरथ वापि विकर्शनम् ।
तापसानां प्रशस्यन्ते गच्छ संजय माचिरम् ॥

१५.४५.२८

इत्युक्त्वा संजयं राजा समाधाय मनस्तदा ।
प्राङ्मुखः सह गान्धार्या कुन्त्या चोपाविशत्तदा ॥

१५.४५.२९

संजयस्तं तथा दृष्ट्वा प्रदक्षिणमथाकरोत् ।
उवाच चैनं मेधावी युङ्क्ष्वात्मानमिति प्रभो ॥

१५.४५.३०

ऋषिपुत्रो मनीषी स राजा चक्रेऽस्य तद्वचः ।
संनिरुध्येन्द्रियग्राममासीत्काष्ठोपमस्तदा ॥

१५.४५.३१

गान्धारी च महाभागा जननी च पृथा तव ।
दावाग्निना समायुक्ते स च राजा पिता तव ॥

१५.४५.३२

संजयस्तु महामात्रस्तस्माद्दावादमुच्यत ।
गङ्गाकूले मया दृष्टस्तापसैः परिवारितः ॥

१५.४५.३३

स तानामन्त्र्य तेजस्वी निवेद्यैतच्च सर्वशः ।
प्रययौ संजयः सूतो हिमवन्तं महीधरम् ॥

M N Dutt I saw him on the banks of Ganga in the midst of ascetics. Gifted with great, energy and great intelligence's he bade them farewell and then started for the mountains of Himavat.

१५.४५.३४

एवं स निधनं प्राप्तः कुरुराजो महामनाः ।
गान्धारी च पृथा चैव जनन्यौ ते नराधिप ॥

M N Dutt Thus the great Kuru king met with his death, and it was thus that Gandhari and Kunti, your two others, also met with death, O monarch.

१५.४५.३५

यदृच्छयानुव्रजता मया राज्ञः कलेवरम् ।
तयोश्च देव्योरुभयोर्दृष्टानि भरतर्षभ ॥

M N Dutt In course of my wanderings at will, I saw the bodies of that king and those two queens, O Bharata.

१५.४५.३६

ततस्तपोवने तस्मिन्समाजग्मुस्तपोधनाः ।
श्रुत्वा राज्ञस्तथा निष्ठां न त्वशोचन्गतिं च ते ॥

M N Dutt Many ascetics came to that asylum, having heard of the end of king Dhritarashtra. They did not at all grieve for that end of theirs.

१५.४५.३७

तत्राश्रौषमहं सर्वमेतत्पुरुषसत्तम ।
यथा च नृपतिर्दग्धो देव्यौ ते चेति पाण्डव ॥

M N Dutt There, O best of men, I heard all the details of how the king and the two qucens, O son of Pandu, had been burnt.

१५.४५.३८

न शोचितव्यं राजेन्द्र स्वन्तः स पृथिवीपतिः ।
प्राप्तवानग्निसंयोगं गान्धारी जननी च ते ॥

M N Dutt O king of kings, you should not grieve for him. The monarch, of his own will, as also Gandhari and your mother, got that contact with fire,

वैशंपायन उवाच ।

१५.४५.३९

एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु सर्वेषां पाण्डवानां महात्मनाम् ।
निर्याणं धृतराष्ट्रस्य शोकः समभवन्महान् ॥

M N Dutt Vaishampayana said, Hearing of the departure of Dhritarashtra from his world, the great Pandavas all bewailed.

१५.४५.४०

अन्तःपुराणां च तदा महानार्तस्वरोऽभवत् ।
पौराणां च महाराज श्रुत्वा राज्ञस्तदा गतिम् ॥

१५.४५.४१

अहो धिगिति राजा तु विक्रुश्य भृशदुःखितः ।
ऊर्ध्वबाहुः स्मरन्मातुः प्ररुरोद युधिष्ठिरः ।
भीमसेनपुरोगाश्च भ्रातरः सर्व एव ते ॥

M N Dutt 'O Fie', cried king Yudhishthira in great agony, raising his arms a loft. Thinking of his mother, he wept like a child. All is brothers too, headed by Bhimasena, old the same.

१५.४५.४२

अन्तःपुरेषु च तदा सुमहान्रुदितस्वनः ।
प्रादुरासीन्महाराज पृथां श्रुत्वा तथागताम् ॥

M N Dutt Hearing that Pritha had met with such a face, the royal ladies bewailed aloud in grief.

१५.४५.४३

तं च वृद्धं तथा दग्धं हतपुत्रं नराधिपम् ।
अन्वशोचन्त ते सर्वे गान्धारीं च तपस्विनीम् ॥

M N Dutt All the people grieved upon hearing that the old king, who had become childless, had been burnt to death and that the helpless Gandhari too had shared his fate.

१५.४५.४४

तस्मिन्नुपरते शब्दे मुहूर्तादिव भारत ।
निगृह्य बाष्पं धैर्येण धर्मराजोऽब्रवीदिदम् ॥

M N Dutt When those sounds of wailing ceased for a while, king Yudhishthira the just, shopping his tears by summoning all his patience, said these words.

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