Critical Edition
वैशंपायन उवाच एवमुक्ता महाराज कुन्ती पाण्डुमभाषत कुरूणामृषभं वीरं तदा भूमिपतिं पतिम्
M. N. Dutt: Vaishampayana said : O great king, having been thus assessed Kunti replied to her heroic lord, king Pandu, the best of the Kurus.
न मामर्हसि धर्मज्ञ वक्तुमेवं कथंचन धर्मपत्नीमभिरतां त्वयि राजीवलोचन
M. N. Dutt: Kunti said: O virtuous one, you should not say so to me. O lotus eyed one, I am your lawfully wedded wife, ever devoted to you.
त्वमेव तु महाबाहो मय्यपत्यानि भारत वीर वीर्योपपन्नानि धर्मतो जनयिष्यसि
M. N. Dutt: O mighty armed descendant of the Bharata race, you should in righteousness beget on me greatly powerful children.
स्वर्गं मनुजशार्दूल गच्छेयं सहिता त्वया अपत्याय च मां गच्छ त्वमेव कुरुनन्दन
M. N. Dutt: O best of men, I shall go to heaven with you. O descendant of Kuru, embrace me to beget offspring
न ह्यहं मनसाप्यन्यं गच्छेयं त्वदृते नरम् त्वत्तः प्रतिविशिष्टश्च कोऽन्योऽस्ति भुवि मानवः
M. N. Dutt: I shall not certainly, even in imagination, accept any other man except you in my embrace. Who is there in this world who could be superior to you?
इमां च तावद्धर्म्यां त्वं पौराणीं शृणु मे कथाम् परिश्रुतां विशालाक्ष कीर्तयिष्यामि यामहम्
M. N. Dutt: O virtuous minded man, O large eyed one, hear the (following) Pauranika narrative which was heard by me and which I shall now narrate to you.
व्युषिताश्व इति ख्यातो बभूव किल पार्थिवः पुरा परमधर्मिष्ठः पूरोर्वंशविवर्धनः
M. N. Dutt: "In ancient times there was a king known by the name of Vyushitashva, the expander of the Puru dynasty, who was exceedingly virtuous.
तस्मिंश्च यजमाने वै धर्मात्मनि महात्मनि उपागमंस्ततो देवाः सेन्द्राः सह महर्षिभिः
M. N. Dutt: In the sacrifice which that virtuous and mighty armed man performed, the celestial with Indra and Devarshis came.
अमाद्यदिन्द्रः सोमेन दक्षिणाभिर्द्विजातयः व्युषिताश्वस्य राजर्षेस्ततो यज्ञे महात्मनः
AI Translation: Indra, the first, with the Soma, with the gifts, the twice-born, at the sacrifice of the great-souled royal sage Vyushita-ashva.
Supplementary Passages:
1.112.9 After 9, K4 Ñ1.2 B D (except Da) ins.: *1185 देवा ब्रह्मर्षयश्चैव चक्रुः कर्म स्वयं तदा
व्युषिताश्वस्ततो राजन्नति मर्त्यान्व्यरोचत सर्वभूतान्यति यथा तपनः शिशिरात्यये
AI Translation: Then the king, Vyuṣitāśva, shone forth, surpassing mortals, like all beings at the end of winter, the sun.
स विजित्य गृहीत्वा च नृपतीन्राजसत्तमः प्राच्यानुदीच्यान्मध्यांश्च दक्षिणात्यानकालयत्
AI Translation: Having conquered and taken the kings, the best of kings, he placed the eastern, western, central, and southern kings in their proper places.
अश्वमेधे महायज्ञे व्युषिताश्वः प्रतापवान् बभूव स हि राजेन्द्रो दशनागबलान्वितः
AI Translation: The powerful Vyushita-ashva, in the great sacrifice of the horse-sacrifice, became the lord of kings, endowed with the strength of ten elephants.
अप्यत्र गाथां गायन्ति ये पुराणविदो जनाः व्युषिताश्वः समुद्रान्तां विजित्येमां वसुंधराम् अपालयत्सर्ववर्णान्पिता पुत्रानिवौरसान्
AI Translation: Even here the people who know the Puranas sing a verse: Having conquered this earth bounded by the ocean, Vyushita-ashva ruled over all the castes like a father his own sons
Supplementary Passages:
1.112.13 After 13ab, N ins.: *1186 व्युषिताश्वे यशोवृद्धे मनुष्येन्द्रे कुरूत्तम S, on the other hand, ins. after 13ab: *1187 अप्रमेयमपर्यन्तं व्युषिताश्वो धनं ददौ
यजमानो महायज्ञैर्ब्राह्मणेभ्यो ददौ धनम् अनन्तरत्नान्यादाय आजहार महाक्रतून् सुषाव च बहून्सोमान्सोमसंस्थास्ततान च
M. N. Dutt: Collecting jewels and precious stones, he performed afterwards great sacrifices. Extracting a large quantity of Soma juice, he performed (the great sacrifice) Soma Sanstha.
आसीत्काक्षीवती चास्य भार्या परमसंमता भद्रा नाम मनुष्येन्द्र रूपेणासदृशी भुवि
M. N. Dutt: O king, his beloved wife was the daughter of Kakshivan, named Bhadra, unrivalled on earth for her beauty.
कामयामासतुस्तौ तु परस्परमिति श्रुतिः स तस्यां कामसंमत्तो यक्ष्माणं समपद्यत
AI Translation: The Śruti says that they desired each other. He, being infatuated with her, fell ill with consumption.
तेनाचिरेण कालेन जगामास्तमिवांशुमान् तस्मिन्प्रेते मनुष्येन्द्रे भार्यास्य भृशदुःखिता
AI Translation: In a short time, he became like the sun setting. When that ghost was the king of men, his wife was extremely unhappy.
अपुत्रा पुरुषव्याघ्र विललापेति नः श्रुतम् भद्रा परमदुःखार्ता तन्निबोध नराधिप
M. N. Dutt: O best of men, O king, hear how Bhadra, being childless and afflicted with grief, bewailed for her husband. I shall recount it.
नारी परमधर्मज्ञ सर्वा पुत्रविनाकृता पतिं विना जीवति या न सा जीवति दुःखिता
M. N. Dutt: Bhadra said: O greatly learned man in religious precepts, women serve no purpose when their husband is dead. She who lives without her husband lives a miserable life.
पतिं विना मृतं श्रेयो नार्याः क्षत्रियपुंगव त्वद्गतिं गन्तुमिच्छामि प्रसीदस्व नयस्व माम्
AI Translation: O best of Kshatriyas, it is better for a woman to die than to live without her husband. I wish to follow your path. Be pleased and take me with you.
त्वया हीना क्षणमपि नाहं जीवितुमुत्सहे प्रसादं कुरु मे राजन्नितस्तूर्णं नयस्व माम्
AI Translation: Without you, I cannot bear to live even for a moment. Please grant me your favor, O king, quickly take me away from here.
पृष्ठतोऽनुगमिष्यामि समेषु विषमेषु च त्वामहं नरशार्दूल गच्छन्तमनिवर्तिनम्
M. N. Dutt: O best of men, I shall follow you over even and uneven ground. Going with you, I shall never return again.
छायेवानपगा राजन्सततं वशवर्तिनी भविष्यामि नरव्याघ्र नित्यं प्रियहिते रता
M. N. Dutt: O king, I shall follow you as a shadow. I shall be always obedient to you. O best of kings, I shall ever remain engaged in doing your favourite works,
अद्य प्रभृति मां राजन्कष्टा हृदयशोषणाः आधयोऽभिभविष्यन्ति त्वदृते पुष्करेक्षण
M. N. Dutt: O king, O lotus eyed, from this day the heart sucking affliction will always overwhelm me for your death.
अभाग्यया मया नूनं वियुक्ताः सहचारिणः संयोगा विप्रयुक्ता वा पूर्वदेहेषु पार्थिव
AI Translation: By my ill-luck, I have been separated from my companions. O king, in my previous births, I have been united with or separated from my companions.
Supplementary Passages:
1.112.25 K4 Ñ B D ins. after 25ab (D2, after 25): *1188 तेन मे विप्रयोगोऽयमुपपन्नस्त्वया सह विप्रयुक्ता तु या पत्या मुहूर्तमपि जीवति दुःखं जीवति सा पापा नरकस्थेव पार्थिव
तदिदं कर्मभिः पापैः पूर्वदेहेषु संचितम् दुःखं मामनुसंप्राप्तं राजंस्त्वद्विप्रयोगजम्
AI Translation: This is the suffering that has befallen me, O king, due to separation from you, accumulated in my previous bodies by sinful deeds.
अद्य प्रभृत्यहं राजन्कुशप्रस्तरशायिनी भविष्याम्यसुखाविष्टा त्वद्दर्शनपरायणा
AI Translation: From today, O king, I shall lie on a bed of kuśa grass, afflicted by sorrow, intent on seeing you.
दर्शयस्व नरव्याघ्र साधु मामसुखान्विताम् दीनामनाथां कृपणां विलपन्तीं नरेश्वर
M. N. Dutt: I shall abstain from every luxury, being ever desirous of seeing you. O best of men, show yourself to me. O king of men, O lord, command your wretched and bitterly weeping wife, plunged in great misery.
एवं बहुविधं तस्यां विलपन्त्यां पुनः पुनः तं शवं संपरिष्वज्य वाक्किलान्तर्हिताब्रवीत्
M. N. Dutt: Kunti said: It was thus she bewailed again and again embracing the corpse (of her husband). She was then addressed by an invisible voice.
उत्तिष्ठ भद्रे गच्छ त्वं ददानीह वरं तव जनयिष्याम्यपत्यानि त्वय्यहं चारुहासिनि
M. N. Dutt: The Voice said : O Bhadra, rise up and leave this place. I grant you this boon. O lady of sweet smiles, I shall beget offspring on you.
आत्मीये च वरारोहे शयनीये चतुर्दशीम् अष्टमीं वा ऋतुस्नाता संविशेथा मया सह
M. N. Dutt: O beautiful featured lady, lie down with me on your bed on the eighth or the fourteenth day of the moon after the bath of your season.
एवमुक्ता तु सा देवी तथा चक्रे पतिव्रता यथोक्तमेव तद्वाक्यं भद्रा पुत्रार्थिनी तदा
M. N. Dutt: Kunti said : Having been thus addressed by the invisible voice, the chaste lady (Bhadra), desirous of offspring, did as she was directed.
सा तेन सुषुवे देवी शवेन मनुजाधिप त्रीञ्शाल्वांश्चतुरो मद्रान्सुतान्भरतसत्तम
M. N. Dutt: O best of the Bharatas, O excellent descendant of the Bharata race, that lady gave birth of three Shalvas and four Madras by that corpse."
तथा त्वमपि मय्येव मनसा भरतर्षभ शक्तो जनयितुं पुत्रांस्तपोयोगबलान्वयात्
M. N. Dutt: O best of the Bharatas, you too like him beget offspring by your ascetic power.