Critical Edition
जनमेजय उवाच कृपस्यापि महाब्रह्मन्संभवं वक्तुमर्हसि शरस्तम्भात्कथं जज्ञे कथं चास्त्राण्यवाप्तवान्
M. N. Dutt: Janamejaya said : O Brahmana, you should relate to me the account of the birth of Kripa. How did he spring from a clump of health? Whence did he obtain his weapons?
वैशंपायन उवाच महर्षेर्गौतमस्यासीच्छरद्वान्नाम नामतः पुत्रः किल महाराज जातः सह शरैर्विभो
AI Translation: Vaishmapayana said: The great sage Gautama had a son named Sharadvana. O great king, he was born with arrows, O Lord.
न तस्य वेदाध्ययने तथा बुद्धिरजायत यथास्य बुद्धिरभवद्धनुर्वेदे परंतप
AI Translation: He did not have the same interest in studying the Vedas as he had in the science of archery.
अधिजग्मुर्यथा वेदांस्तपसा ब्रह्मवादिनः तथा स तपसोपेतः सर्वाण्यस्त्राण्यवाप ह
M. N. Dutt: As Brahmacharis acquire knowledge by austerities, so he acquired all his weapons by austerities.
धनुर्वेदपरत्वाच्च तपसा विपुलेन च भृशं संतापयामास देवराजं स गौतमः
M. N. Dutt: That son of Gautama frightened the king of celestial by his aptitude for the science of weapons and austerities.
ततो जालपदीं नाम देवकन्यां सुरेश्वरः प्राहिणोत्तपसो विघ्नं कुरु तस्येति कौरव
M. N. Dutt: O descendant of Kuru, the king of the celestial summoned a celestial maiden named Janapadi and told her, “Destroy the penances (of Sharadvata).
साभिगम्याश्रमपदं रमणीयं शरद्वतः धनुर्बाणधरं बाला लोभयामास गौतमम्
M. N. Dutt: She went to the charming hermitage of Sharadvata; and that damsel began there to tempt the son of Gautama (sitting) with bows and arrows.
तामेकवसनां दृष्ट्वा गौतमोऽप्सरसं वने लोकेऽप्रतिमसंस्थानामुत्फुल्लनयनोऽभवत्
M. N. Dutt: Seeing that Apsara of matchless beauty on earth clad in a single cloth (roaming) alone in that wood, Gautama's eyes danced in delight.
धनुश्च हि शराश्चास्य कराभ्यां प्रापतन्भुवि वेपथुश्चास्य तां दृष्ट्वा शरीरे समजायत
M. N. Dutt: Seeing her, his body shook all over with emotion and his bow and arrows slipped from his hands and fell on the ground.
स तु ज्ञानगरीयस्त्वात्तपसश्च समन्वयात् अवतस्थे महाप्राज्ञो धैर्येण परमेण ह
M. N. Dutt: But he was possessed of ascetic fortitude and strength of soul. The Rishi mastered patience to withstand the temptation.
यस्त्वस्य सहसा राजन्विकारः समपद्यत तेन सुस्राव रेतोऽस्य स च तन्नावबुध्यत
M. N. Dutt: But I king, his sudden mental agitation caused an unconscious emission of his vital fluid.
स विहायाश्रमं तं च तां चैवाप्सरसं मुनिः जगाम रेतस्तत्तस्य शरस्तम्बे पपात ह
AI Translation: The sage, abandoning that hermitage and that celestial nymph, went away. His semen fell on the branch of a tree.
शरस्तम्बे च पतितं द्विधा तदभवन्नृप तस्याथ मिथुनं जज्ञे गौतमस्य शरद्वतः
AI Translation: And it fell on the stalk of a reed, and became two, O king. And from that was born a pair of twins to Gautama Sharadvata.
Supplementary Passages:
1.120.13 D4 (marg. sec. m.) S ins. after 13 (T2 G5, after 13ab): *1324 महर्षेर्गौतमस्यास्य आश्रमस्य समीपतः
मृगयां चरतो राज्ञः शंतनोस्तु यदृच्छया कश्चित्सेनाचरोऽरण्ये मिथुनं तदपश्यत
AI Translation: While King Shāntanu was out hunting, one of his soldiers saw a couple in the forest.
धनुश्च सशरं दृष्ट्वा तथा कृष्णाजिनानि च व्यवस्य ब्राह्मणापत्यं धनुर्वेदान्तगस्य तत् स राज्ञे दर्शयामास मिथुनं सशरं तदा
AI Translation: Seeing the bow and arrows and the black antelope skin, he decided to give it to the son of the brahmin who was an expert in the Vedas. He showed the bow and arrows to the king.
स तदादाय मिथुनं राजाथ कृपयान्वितः आजगाम गृहानेव मम पुत्राविति ब्रुवन्
AI Translation: Then, taking that pair, the king, full of compassion, came to his own house, saying, "These are my sons."
ततः संवर्धयामास संस्कारैश्चाप्ययोजयत् गौतमोऽपि तदापेत्य धनुर्वेदपरोऽभवत्
AI Translation: Then he brought him up and initiated him into the rites. Gautama also came there and became proficient in the science of archery.
Supplementary Passages:
1.120.17 After 17ab, K4 Ñ1.2 B D (except D5) ins.: *1325 प्रातिपेयो नरश्रेष्ठो मिथुनं गौतमस्य तम्
कृपया यन्मया बालाविमौ संवर्धिताविति तस्मात्तयोर्नाम चक्रे तदेव स महीपतिः
AI Translation: "Please, since I have raised these two children," "Therefore, the king named them after that."
Supplementary Passages:
1.120.18 After 18, S ins.: *1326 तस्मात्कृप इति ख्यातः कृपी कन्या च साभवत्
निहितौ गौतमस्तत्र तपसा तावविन्दत आगम्य चास्मै गोत्रादि सर्वमाख्यातवांस्तदा
AI Translation: Gautama, having gone there, found them by means of austerities. And having come, he then told him everything about his family and so on.
चतुर्विधं धनुर्वेदमस्त्राणि विविधानि च निखिलेनास्य तत्सर्वं गुह्यमाख्यातवांस्तदा सोऽचिरेणैव कालेन परमाचार्यतां गतः
M. N. Dutt: He came there and represented every thing about his lineage. He taught him (Kripa) the four branches of the science of arms, various other branches of science, including all their mysteries and details. He (Kripa) soon became a great professor (of the science of arrns).
Supplementary Passages:
1.120.20 After 20cd, D2 ins.: *1327 कृपश्च सप्तरात्रेण धनुर्वेदपरोऽभवत् After 20, D2.4 S ins.: *1328 कृपमाहूय गाङ्गेयस्तव शिष्या इति ब्रुवन् पौत्रान्परिसमादाय कृपयाराधयत्तदा
ततोऽधिजग्मुः सर्वे ते धनुर्वेदं महारथाः धृतराष्ट्रात्मजाश्चैव पाण्डवाश्च महाबलाः वृष्णयश्च नृपाश्चान्ये नानादेशसमागताः
M. N. Dutt: The great car warriors, the sons of Dhritarashtra, the Pandavas, the Yadavas and the Vrishni and many other princes came to him and received from him lessons in the science of arms.
Supplementary Passages:
1.120.21 After 21, D4 (marg. sec. m.) S ins.: *1329 कृपमाचार्यमासाद्य परमास्त्रज्ञतां गताः