Critical Edition
युधिष्ठिर उवाच उक्ताः पितामहेनेह सुवर्णस्य विधानतः विस्तरेण प्रदानस्य ये गुणाः श्रुतिलक्षणाः
M. N. Dutt: Yudhishthira said You have, O grandfather described to me fully the merits of the gift of gold according to the ordinances laid down in the scriptures and the Veda.
यत्तु कारणमुत्पत्तेः सुवर्णस्येह कीर्तितम् स कथं तारकः प्राप्तो निधनं तद्ब्रवीहि मे
M. N. Dutt: You have also described the origin of gold. Do you tell me now how Taraka met with destruction.
उक्तः स देवतानां हि अवध्य इति पार्थिव न च तस्येह ते मृत्युर्विस्तरेण प्रकीर्तितः
M. N. Dutt: You have, said, O king, that Asura had become unslayable by the gods. Do you tell me fully how his destruction was brought about.
एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं त्वत्तः कुरुकुलोद्वह कार्त्स्न्येन तारकवधं परं कौतूहलं हि मे
M. N. Dutt: Operpetuator of Kuru's race, I wish to hear this from you, I mean the details of Taraka's destruction. Great is my curiosity to hear the narrative.
भीष्म उवाच विपन्नकृत्या राजेन्द्र देवता ऋषयस्तथा कृत्तिकाश्चोदयामासुरपत्यभरणाय वै
M. N. Dutt: Bhishma said The gods and the Rishis, O king reduced to great distress, urged the six Krittikas to rear that child.
न देवतानां काचिद्धि समर्था जातवेदसः एकापि शक्ता तं गर्भं संधारयितुमोजसा
M. N. Dutt: Amongst the celestial ladies there were none, except these, who could by their power, bear the seed of Agni in their wombs.
षण्णां तासां ततः प्रीतः पावको गर्भधारणात् स्वेन तेजोविसर्गेण वीर्येण परमेण च
M. N. Dutt: The god of fire became highly pleased with those goddesses for their readiness to sustain the conception caused by the seed of Agni which was gifted with his own great power.
तास्तु षट्कृत्तिका गर्भं पुपुषुर्जातवेदसः षट्सु वर्त्मसु तेजोऽग्नेः सकलं निहितं प्रभो
M. N. Dutt: When the energy of Agni, O king, was divided into six parts and placed within the channels, the six Krittikas began to nourish the portion that each held in her womb.
ततस्ता वर्धमानस्य कुमारस्य महात्मनः तेजसाभिपरीताङ्ग्यो न क्वचिच्छर्म लेभिरे
M. N. Dutt: As the great Kumara, however, began to grow within their wombs their bodies being possessed by his energy, they could not get peace anywhere.
ततस्तेजःपरीताङ्ग्यः सर्वाः काल उपस्थिते समं गर्भं सुषुविरे कृत्तिकास्ता नरर्षभ
M. N. Dutt: Filled with energy as their bodies were, the time at last came for delivery. All of them, it so happened, O prince of men, delivered simultaneously.
ततस्तं षडधिष्ठानं गर्भमेकत्वमागतम् पृथिवी प्रतिजग्राह कान्तीपुरसमीपतः
M. N. Dutt: Though held in six different wombs, yet when all the parts, as they came out, united into one. The goddess Earth held the child, taking it up from a mass of gold.
स गर्भो दिव्यसंस्थानो दीप्तिमान्पावकप्रभः दिव्यं शरवणं प्राप्य ववृधे प्रियदर्शनः
M. N. Dutt: Indeed, the child, possessed of a beautiful form, shone like the god of Fire. Of beautiful features, he began to grow in a charming forest of reeds.
ददृशुः कृत्तिकास्तं तु बालं वह्निसमद्युतिम् जातस्नेहाश्च सौहार्दात्पुपुषुः स्तन्यविस्रवैः
M. N. Dutt: The six Krittikas saw that child of theirs loO king like the morning Sun. Filled with affection for him, indeed, loving him very much, they began to rear him with their milk.
अभवत्कार्त्तिकेयः स त्रैलोक्ये सचराचरे स्कन्नत्वात्स्कन्दतां चाप गुहावासाद्गुहोऽभवत्
M. N. Dutt: On account of his having been born of the Krittikas and reared by them, he was known in the three worlds by the name of Kartikeya. Having originated from the seed which had fallen off from Rudra he was named Skanda, and because of his birth in a solitary forest of reeds he was called Guha.
ततो देवास्त्रयस्त्रिंशद्दिशश्च सदिगीश्वराः रुद्रो धाता च विष्णुश्च यज्ञः पूषार्यमा भगः
AI Translation: Then the thirty-three gods, the directions and the lords of the directions, Rudra, Dhatri, Vishnu, Yajna, Pusan, Aryaman, Bhaga,
अंशो मित्रश्च साध्याश्च वसवो वासवोऽश्विनौ आपो वायुर्नभश्चन्द्रो नक्षत्राणि ग्रहा रविः
AI Translation: The Adityas, the Vasus, the Ashvins, the Sadhyas, the Vasus, the Vasava, the Ashvins, The waters, the wind, the sky, the moon, the stars, the planets, the sun,
पृथग्भूतानि चान्यानि यानि देवार्पणानि वै आजग्मुस्तत्र तं द्रष्टुं कुमारं ज्वलनात्मजम् ऋषयस्तुष्टुवुश्चैव गन्धर्वाश्च जगुस्तथा
AI Translation: And the separate ones, which are the offerings to the gods, Came there to see the young boy, the son of Agni. The sages praised him, and the gandharvas sang as well.
षडाननं कुमारं तं द्विषडक्षं द्विजप्रियम् पीनांसं द्वादशभुजं पावकादित्यवर्चसम्
AI Translation: The six-faced Kumara, the six-syllabled one, beloved of the twice-born, With broad shoulders, twelve arms, radiant like fire and the sun,
शयानं शरगुल्मस्थं दृष्ट्वा देवाः सहर्षिभिः लेभिरे परमं हर्षं मेनिरे चासुरं हतम्
AI Translation: Seeing him lying in a mass of arrows, the gods with the sages attained supreme joy and thought that the demon was slain.
ततो देवाः प्रियाण्यस्य सर्व एव समाचरन् क्रीडतः क्रीडनीयानि ददुः पक्षिगणांश्च ह
AI Translation: Then all the gods did what was pleasing to him. They gave him playthings to play with and flocks of birds.
सुपर्णोऽस्य ददौ पत्रं मयूरं चित्रबर्हिणम् राक्षसाश्च ददुस्तस्मै वराहमहिषावुभौ
AI Translation: Suparna gave him a peacock and a variegated partridge, and the demons gave him a boar and a buffalo.
कुक्कुटं चाग्निसंकाशं प्रददौ वरुणः स्वयम् चन्द्रमाः प्रददौ मेषमादित्यो रुचिरां प्रभाम्
AI Translation: Varuna himself gave a cock resembling fire, The moon gave a ram, and the sun gave a radiant light.
गवां माता च गा देवी ददौ शतसहस्रशः छागमग्निर्गुणोपेतमिला पुष्पफलं बहु
AI Translation: The cow-mother, the goddess of cows, gave hundreds of thousands. The goat, the fire, the qualities, the abundance of flowers and fruits.
सुधन्वा शकटं चैव रथं चामितकूबरम् वरुणो वारुणान्दिव्यान्भुजंगान्प्रददौ शुभान् सिंहान्सुरेन्द्रो व्याघ्रांश्च द्वीपिनोऽन्यांश्च दंष्ट्रिणः
AI Translation: Sudhnu gave a chariot with an endless pole, and a cart. Varuna gave the auspicious divine serpents of the ocean. The lord of the gods gave lions, tigers, and other tusked animals.
श्वापदांश्च बहून्घोरांश्छत्राणि विविधानि च राक्षसासुरसंघाश्च येऽनुजग्मुस्तमीश्वरम्
AI Translation: and many terrible beasts of prey, and various umbrellas, and hosts of demons and Asuras who followed that Lord.
Supplementary Passages:
13.86.25 After 25, D4.6-8 ins.: *403 तस्मै प्रददुरग्र्याणि वाहनानि धनानि च
वर्धमानं तु तं दृष्ट्वा प्रार्थयामास तारकः उपायैर्बहुभिर्हन्तुं नाशकच्चापि तं विभुम्
M. N. Dutt: Seeing the son of Agni grow up, Taraka sought, by various means, to bring about his destruction, but could not do anything to that powerful deity.
सेनापत्येन तं देवाः पूजयित्वा गुहालयम् शशंसुर्विप्रकारं तं तस्मै तारककारितम्
M. N. Dutt: The gods in time invested Agni's son born a solitary forest with the command of their arıy. And they also informed him of the oppressions made upon them by the Asura Taraka.
स विवृद्धो महावीर्यो देवसेनापतिः प्रभुः जघानामोघया शक्त्या दानवं तारकं गुहः
M. N. Dutt: The commanderinchief of the celestial army grew up and became possessed of great energy and power. In time Guha killed Taraka, with his irresistible dart.
तेन तस्मिन्कुमारेण क्रीडता निहतेऽसुरे सुरेन्द्रः स्थापितो राज्ये देवानां पुनरीश्वरः
M. N. Dutt: Indeed, Kumara killed the Asura as easily as if in sport. Having brought about the destruction of Taraka the reestablished the king of the celestials in his sovereignty of the three worlds.
स सेनापतिरेवाथ बभौ स्कन्दः प्रतापवान् ईशो गोप्ता च देवानां प्रियकृच्छंकरस्य च
M. N. Dutt: Gifted with mighty power, the celestial general shone in beauty and splendour. The powerful Skanda became the protector of the celestials and did what was agreeable to Shankara.
हिरण्यमूर्तिर्भगवानेष एव च पावकिः सदा कुमारो देवानां सेनापत्यमवाप्तवान्
M. N. Dutt: The illustrious son of Pavaka had a golden form. Indeed, Kumara is always the leader of the celestial arms.
तस्मात्सुवर्णं मङ्गल्यं रत्नमक्षय्यमुत्तमम् सहजं कार्त्तिकेयस्य वह्नेस्तेजः परं मतम्
M. N. Dutt: Gold is the powerful energy of the god of fire and was born with Kartikeya. Hence is gold highly sacred, valuable, and excellent and has unending merit.
एवं रामाय कौरव्य वसिष्ठोऽकथयत्पुरा तस्मात्सुवर्णदानाय प्रयतस्व नराधिप
M. N. Dutt: Thus, O son of Kuru's race, did Vasishtha recite formerly this topic to Rama of Bhrigu's race. Do you, therefore, O king of men, try to make gifts of gold.
रामः सुवर्णं दत्त्वा हि विमुक्तः सर्वकिल्बिषैः त्रिविष्टपे महत्स्थानमवापासुलभं नरैः
M. N. Dutt: By making gifts of gold, Rama became purged of all his sins, and finally acquired a high place in Heaven that is unattainable by other men.