Critical Edition
वैशंपायन उवाच ततः समुद्रे तीर्थानि दक्षिणे भरतर्षभः अभ्यगच्छत्सुपुण्यानि शोभितानि तपस्विभिः
M. N. Dutt: Vaishampayana said : That best of the Bharata race Arjuna then went to the sacred Tirthas situated on the shores of the south sea, all adorned with the ascetics.
वर्जयन्ति स्म तीर्थानि पञ्च तत्र तु तापसाः आचीर्णानि तु यान्यासन्पुरस्तात्तु तपस्विभिः
M. N. Dutt: There were five Tirthas where also lived many ascetics, but these sacred waters themselves were shunned by the ascetics.
अगस्त्यतीर्थं सौभद्रं पौलोमं च सुपावनम् कारंधमं प्रसन्नं च हयमेधफलं च यत् भारद्वाजस्य तीर्थं च पापप्रशमनं महत्
M. N. Dutt: (They were named) Agastya, Subhadra, the greatly holy Pauloma, Karandhama which yielded the fruit of a horse-sacrifice and the great washer of sins Bharadvaja; these five Tirthas that best men saw.
Supplementary Passages:
1.208.3 After 3, N ins.: *2039 एतानि पञ्च तीर्थानि ददर्श कुरुसत्तमः
विविक्तान्युपलक्ष्याथ तानि तीर्थानि पाण्डवः दृष्ट्वा च वर्ज्यमानानि मुनिभिर्धर्मबुद्धिभिः
AI Translation: Having seen those holy places, which were avoided by the sages who were wise in righteousness,
तपस्विनस्ततोऽपृच्छत्प्राज्ञलिः कुरुनन्दनः तीर्थानीमानि वर्ज्यन्ते किमर्थं ब्रह्मवादिभिः
AI Translation: Then the son of the Kurus, Prajñali, asked the ascetics: "Why are these holy places avoided by the expounders of the Vedas?"
तापसा ऊचुः ग्राहाः पञ्च वसन्त्येषु हरन्ति च तपोधनान् अत एतानि वर्ज्यन्ते तीर्थानि कुरुनन्दन
M. N. Dutt: The Celestial said : O descendant of Kuru, there dwell (in their waters) five large crocodiles which carry away the ascetics (who go to bathe in them); therefore these Tirthas are shunned by all.
वैशंपायन उवाच तेषां श्रुत्वा महाबाहुर्वार्यमाणस्तपोधनैः जगाम तानि तीर्थानि द्रष्टुं पुरुषसत्तमः
M. N. Dutt: Vaishampayana said: Having heard these words of the ascetics, the mighty armed hero, that best of men, though dissuaded by them, went to see those Tirthas.
ततः सौभद्रमासाद्य महर्षेस्तीर्थमुत्तमम् विगाह्य तरसा शूरः स्नानं चक्रे परंतपः
M. N. Dutt: Then coming to that excellent Tirtha Subhadra, named after a great Rishi, that hero, that chastiser of foes, plunged into it to take a bath.
अथ तं पुरुषव्याघ्रमन्तर्जलचरो महान् निजग्राह जले ग्राहः कुन्तीपुत्रं धनंजयम्
M. N. Dutt: Thereupon a large crocodile under the water seized the leg of that best of men, the son of Kunti Dhananjaya.
स तमादाय कौन्तेयो विस्फुरन्तं जलेचरम् उदतिष्ठन्महाबाहुर्बलेन बलिनां वरः
M. N. Dutt: But the mighty-armed, the son of Kunti, thee foremost of all strong men, seized that aquatic animal and dragged it up to the shore.
उत्कृष्ट एव तु ग्राहः सोऽर्जुनेन यशस्विना बभूव नारी कल्याणी सर्वाभरणभूषिता दीप्यमाना श्रिया राजन्दिव्यरूपा मनोरमा
M. N. Dutt: Dragged up by the illustrious Arjuna, that crocodile became a most handsome women adorned with all ornaments.
तदद्भुतं महद्दृष्ट्वा कुन्तीपुत्रो धनंजयः तां स्त्रियं परमप्रीत इदं वचनमब्रवीत्
AI Translation: Seeing that wonderful great thing, Kunti's son, Dhananjaya, was extremely pleased and spoke these words to that woman:
का वै त्वमसि कल्याणि कुतो वासि जलेचरी किमर्थं च महत्पापमिदं कृतवती पुरा
AI Translation: Who are you, O fortunate one? Where do you live? Where do you roam? And why did you commit this great sin in the past?
नार्युवाच अप्सरास्मि महाबाहो देवारण्यविचारिणी इष्टा धनपतेर्नित्यं वर्गा नाम महाबल
AI Translation: The woman said: "I am an apsara, O mighty one, wandering in the forest of the gods. "I am always beloved of Kubera, O mighty one, by name Varga.
मम सख्यश्चतस्रोऽन्याः सर्वाः कामगमाः शुभाः ताभिः सार्धं प्रयातास्मि लोकपालनिवेशनम्
AI Translation: And I have four other friends, all of them good and able to go wherever they wish. With them I went to the abode of the guardians of the world.
ततः पश्यामहे सर्वा ब्राह्मणं संशितव्रतम् रूपवन्तमधीयानमेकमेकान्तचारिणम्
AI Translation: Then we all saw the brahmin of firm vows, the handsome one who studied, the solitary one who roamed alone.
तस्य वै तपसा राजंस्तद्वनं तेजसावृतम् आदित्य इव तं देशं कृत्स्नं स व्यवभासयत्
AI Translation: O king, by his austerities that forest was covered with his brilliance. Like the sun, he illuminated the entire region.
तस्य दृष्ट्वा तपस्तादृग्रूपं चाद्भुतदर्शनम् अवतीर्णाः स्म तं देशं तपोविघ्नचिकीर्षया
M. N. Dutt: He seemed to have illuminated the whole region like the sun. Seeing his that severe, excellent and wonderful asceticism, alighted in that region, wishing to disturb his asceticism.
अहं च सौरभेयी च समीची बुद्बुदा लता यौगपद्येन तं विप्रमभ्यगच्छाम भारत
M. N. Dutt: O descendant of Bharata, myself Saurabhi, Samichi, Budabuda and Lata all came to that Brahmana at the same time. O hero, we sang, we laughed, we tried to tempt the Brahmana in various ways.
गायन्त्यो वै हसन्त्यश्च लोभयन्त्यश्च तं द्विजम् स च नास्मासु कृतवान्मनो वीर कथंचन नाकम्पत महातेजाः स्थितस्तपसि निर्मले
M. N. Dutt: But he did not set his mind on us even for a moment. O best of the Kshatriyas, his mind, । being fixed on the meditation of the pure, the greatly effulgent (Brahmana), did not suffer his heart to waver.
Supplementary Passages:
1.208.20 After 20ab, T G ins.: *2040 प्रेक्षणानि च कुर्वन्त्यो विवृतं कारयन्ति च अनिच्छन्त्य इवाङ्गानि हासभावविलासितैः बाहूरुमूलदन्तानां दर्शनं वै वराङ्गनाः कुर्वन्त्यो लोभयन्त्यश्च तं द्विजं परितः स्थिताः
सोऽशपत्कुपितोऽस्मांस्तु ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियर्षभ ग्राहभूता जले यूयं चरिष्यध्वं शतं समाः
M. N. Dutt: Angrily looking at us, he cursed us saying, "Becoming crocodiles, live in water for one hundred years."