Critical Edition
लोमश उवाच स तु राजा महेष्वासश्चक्रवर्ती महारथः बभूव सर्वलोकस्य मनोनयननन्दनः
M. N. Dutt: Lomasha said : That great bow-man and car-warrior, that imperial king became the delight of the eyes and the mind of all men.
स शुश्राव महाबाहुः कपिलेन महात्मना पितॄणां निधनं घोरमप्राप्तिं त्रिदिवस्य च
AI Translation: The mighty-armed one heard from the great-souled Kapila The terrible death of the ancestors and the non-attainment of heaven.
स राज्यं सचिवे न्यस्य हृदयेन विदूयता जगाम हिमवत्पार्श्वं तपस्तप्तुं नरेश्वरः
AI Translation: The king, with a heavy heart, entrusted the kingdom to his ministers and went to the foot of the Himalayas to perform austerities.
आरिराधयिषुर्गङ्गां तपसा दग्धकिल्बिषः सोऽपश्यत नरश्रेष्ठ हिमवन्तं नगोत्तमम्
AI Translation: Desiring to propitiate the Ganges, with his sins burnt away by asceticism, he saw the best of mountains, the Himalayas, O best of men.
शृङ्गैर्बहुविधाकारैर्धातुमद्भिरलंकृतम् पवनालम्बिभिर्मेघैः परिष्वक्तं समन्ततः
AI Translation: Adorned with many kinds of peaks, made of minerals, Surrounded on all sides by clouds that touch the wind,
नदीकुञ्जनितम्बैश्च सोदकैरुपशोभितम् गुहाकन्दरसंलीनैः सिंहव्याघ्रैर्निषेवितम्
M. N. Dutt: Beautified with rivers, groves and rocky spurs as so many places in a city), frequented by lions and tigers, hidden in its caves and caverns.
शकुनैश्च विचित्राङ्गैः कूजद्भिर्विविधा गिरः भृङ्गराजैस्तथा हंसैर्दात्यूहैर्जलकुक्कुटैः
M. N. Dutt: Abounding in various featured birds uttering various sounds-such as Bhringaraja, ganders, Dalyuchas, water-cocks, peacocks of hundred sorts of feathers, Jivanjibaka Kokilas, Chakoras with eyes furnished with black corners, the birds who are ever fond of their young.
मयूरैः शतपत्रैश्च कोकिलैर्जीवजीवकैः चकोरैरसितापाङ्गैस्तथा पुत्रप्रियैरपि
AI Translation: With peacocks, hundred-petalled lotuses, cuckoos, jīva-jīvakas, Partridges, asita-pāṅgas, and also with those
जलस्थानेषु रम्येषु पद्मिनीभिश्च संकुलम् सारसानां च मधुरैर्व्याहृतैः समलंकृतम्
AI Translation: In the beautiful places of water, filled with lotuses, Adorned with the sweet cries of cranes,
किंनरैरप्सरोभिश्च निषेवितशिलातलम् दिशागजविषाणाग्रैः समन्ताद्घृष्टपादपम्
AI Translation: With the ground of rocks frequented by kinnaras and apsarases, With trees rubbed all around by the tips of the tusks of the elephants of the quarters,
विद्याधरानुचरितं नानारत्नसमाकुलम् विषोल्बणैर्भुजंगैश्च दीप्तजिह्वैर्निषेवितम्
AI Translation: Filled with the followers of the vidyadharas, crowded with various jewels, frequented by poisonous snakes with blazing tongues.
क्वचित्कनकसंकाशं क्वचिद्रजतसंनिभम् क्वचिदञ्जनपुञ्जाभं हिमवन्तमुपागमत्
AI Translation: In some places it was like gold, in some places like silver, In some places it was like a mass of collyrium, it approached the Himalayas.
स तु तत्र नरश्रेष्ठस्तपो घोरं समाश्रितः फलमूलाम्बुभक्षोऽभूत्सहस्रं परिवत्सरान्
AI Translation: That best of men resorted to a terrible penance there, Eating fruits, roots, and drinking water for a thousand years.
संवत्सरसहस्रे तु गते दिव्ये महानदी दर्शयामास तं गङ्गा तदा मूर्तिमती स्वयम्
AI Translation: When a thousand years had passed, the great river appeared to him in person, O Ganga.
गङ्गोवाच किमिच्छसि महाराज मत्तः किं च ददानि ते तद्ब्रवीहि नरश्रेष्ठ करिष्यामि वचस्तव
M. N. Dutt: Ganga said: O best of men, O great king, what do you desire? What should be given to you by me? Tell me, I shall do what you say.
लोमश उवाच एवमुक्तः प्रत्युवाच राजा हैमवतीं तदा पितामहा मे वरदे कपिलेन महानदि अन्वेषमाणास्तुरगं नीता वैवस्वतक्षयम्
AI Translation: Lomasha said: Thus addressed, the king replied to the daughter of the Himalayas: "O bestower of boons, O Kapila, my grandfather, Searching for the horse, they were led to the abode of Yama.
Supplementary Passages:
3.107.16 After 16ab, S (except G4) ins.: *530 तदा भगीरथो राजन्प्रणिपत्य कृताञ्जलिः
षष्टिस्तानि सहस्राणि सागराणां महात्मनाम् कापिलं तेज आसाद्य क्षणेन निधनं गताः
AI Translation: Those sixty thousand great-souled oceans, having approached the fire of Kapila, perished in an instant.
तेषामेवं विनष्टानां स्वर्गे वासो न विद्यते यावत्तानि शरीराणि त्वं जलैर्नाभिषिञ्चसि
AI Translation: For those who have thus perished, there is no abode in heaven. Until those bodies are sprinkled with water by you.
Supplementary Passages:
3.107.18 After 18, Ś1 K D5 ins.: *531 तावत्स्वर्गे न वत्स्यंति मम पूर्वपितामहाः while B Dc Dn D3.4.6 ins.: *532 तावत्तेषां गतिर्नास्ति सागराणां महानदि
स्वर्गं नय महाभागे मत्पितॄन्सगरात्मजान् तेषामर्थेऽभियाचामि त्वामहं वै महानदि
AI Translation: O blessed one, take my father, the sons of Sagara, to heaven. For their sake, I am requesting you, O great river.
एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचो राज्ञो गङ्गा लोकनमस्कृता भगीरथमिदं वाक्यं सुप्रीता समभाषत
M. N. Dutt: Having heard these words of the king, Ganga, ever adored of the world, thus spoke to Bhagiratha with delighted heart.
करिष्यामि महाराज वचस्ते नात्र संशयः वेगं तु मम दुर्धार्यं पतन्त्या गगनाच्च्युतम्
M. N. Dutt: "O great king, I shall certainly do what you say. But my force will be difficult to be withstood when I shall fall from the sky to the। earth.
न शक्तस्त्रिषु लोकेषु कश्चिद्धारयितुं नृप अन्यत्र विबुधश्रेष्ठान्नीलकण्ठान्महेश्वरात्
M. N. Dutt: O king, there is none in the three worlds except the great god, the blue-throated deity, the foremost of celestials (Shiva), who would। be able to withstand it.
तं तोषय महाबाहो तपसा वरदं हरम् स तु मां प्रच्युतां देवः शिरसा धारयिष्यति करिष्यति च ते कामं पितॄणां हितकाम्यया
M. N. Dutt: O mighty-armed hero, therefore gratify that giver of boons Hara by asceticism. The god will sustain my fall upon his head.
Supplementary Passages:
3.107.23 After 23, S ins.: *533 तपसाराधितः शंभुर्भगवाँल्लोकभावनः
एतच्छ्रुत्वा वचो राजन्महाराजो भगीरथः कैलासं पर्वतं गत्वा तोषयामास शंकरम्
AI Translation: Hearing these words, the great king Bhagiratha went to Mount Kailash and pleased Shiva.
ततस्तेन समागम्य कालयोगेन केनचित् अगृह्णाच्च वरं तस्माद्गङ्गाया धारणं नृप स्वर्गवासं समुद्दिश्य पितॄणां स नरोत्तमः
M. N. Dutt: With the intention of making his ancestors go to heaven, O king, he obtained from him the boon that he would sustain Ganga (on his head).
Supplementary Passages:
3.107.25 After 25ab, K3 reads 21cd-22ab; while S ins.: *534 गङ्गावतरणं राजन्नयाचत महीपतिः