Critical Edition
व्याध उवाच एवं शप्तोऽहमृषिणा तदा द्विजवरोत्तम अभिप्रसादयमृषिं गिरा वाक्यविशारदम्
AI Translation: The hunter said: Thus cursed by the sage, O best of brahmins, I tried to appease the sage with words of eloquence.
अजानता मयाकार्यमिदमद्य कृतं मुने क्षन्तुमर्हसि तत्सर्वं प्रसीद भगवन्निति
AI Translation: "O Sage, this deed has been done by me unknowingly today. " "Please forgive all that, O Blessed One, be pleased."
ऋषिरुवाच नान्यथा भविता शाप एवमेतदसंशयम् आनृशंस्यादहं किंचित्कर्तानुग्रहमद्य ते
M. N. Dutt: The Rishi said : The curse that I have pronounced can never be falsified. This is certain. But for kindness I shall do you a favour.
शूद्रयोनौ वर्तमानो धर्मज्ञो भविता ह्यसि मातापित्रोश्च शुश्रूषां करिष्यसि न संशयः
M. N. Dutt: Even taking your birth as a Shudra, you will be virtuous, you shall certainly serve and wait upon your parents.
तया शुश्रूषया सिद्धिं महतीं समवाप्स्यसि जातिस्मरश्च भविता स्वर्गं चैव गमिष्यसि शापक्षयान्ते निर्वृत्ते भवितासि पुनर्द्विजः
M. N. Dutt: By (thus) serving them, you will acquire great success. You shall also remember the events of your past life and shall go to heaven.
Supplementary Passages:
3.206.5 After 5cd, S (except G3) ins.: *1045 भूत्वा च धार्मिको व्याधः पित्रोः शुश्रूषणे रतः
व्याध उवाच एवं शप्तः पुरा तेन ऋषिणास्म्युग्रतेजसा प्रसादश्च कृतस्तेन ममैवं द्विपदां वर
AI Translation: The hunter said: Thus cursed by that sage of fierce energy in the past, And grace was bestowed upon me by him, O best of bipeds.
शरं चोद्धृतवानस्मि तस्य वै द्विजसत्तम आश्रमं च मया नीतो न च प्राणैर्व्ययुज्यत
AI Translation: O best of Brahmins, I drew out the arrow from him. I took him to his hermitage, and he did not lose his life.
एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं यथा मम पुराभवत् अभितश्चापि गन्तव्यं मया स्वर्गं द्विजोत्तम
M. N. Dutt: I took him to the hermitage, but he was not deprived of his life, (he recovered from the । wound). I have thus narrated to you all that happened to me before. O foremost of men and also now I can go to heaven hereafter.
ब्राह्मण उवाच एवमेतानि पुरुषा दुःखानि च सुखानि च प्राप्नुवन्ति महाबुद्धे नोत्कण्ठां कर्तुमर्हसि दुष्करं हि कृतं तात जानता जातिमात्मनः
M. N. Dutt: The Brahmana said: O greatly intelligent one, all men are thus subject to happiness or misery. You should not therefore grieve for it.
Supplementary Passages:
3.206.9 After 9, B (B1 marg.) D (except D1.5) G3 ins.: *1046 लोकवृत्तान्ततत्त्वज्ञ नित्यं धर्मपरायण
कर्मदोषश्च वै विद्वन्नात्मजातिकृतेन वै कंचित्कालं मृष्यतां वै ततोऽसि भविता द्विजः सांप्रतं च मतो मेऽसि ब्राह्मणो नात्र संशयः
M. N. Dutt: These being the duties of your profession, the stain of evil Karma will not attach to you. After living here for sometime you shall again become a Brahmana.
ब्राह्मणः पतनीयेषु वर्तमानो विकर्मसु दाम्भिको दुष्कृतप्रायः शूद्रेण सदृशो भवेत्
M. N. Dutt: There is no doubt that even now I consider you to be a Brahmana, for the Brahmana who is vain and haughty who is sinful and evilminded and who is fond of degraded practices, is no better than a Shudra.
यस्तु शूद्रो दमे सत्ये धर्मे च सततोत्थितः तं ब्राह्मणमहं मन्ये वृत्तेन हि भवेद्द्विजः
M. N. Dutt: The Shudra who is, endued with righteousness, self-control and truthfulness, is considered by me as a Brahmana. A man becomes a Brahmana by his own good act.
कर्मदोषेण विषमां गतिमाप्नोति दारुणाम् क्षीणदोषमहं मन्ये चाभितस्त्वां नरोत्तम
M. N. Dutt: By his own evil Karma a man meets with an evil and terrible doom. O foremost of men, 1 believe that all your sin is destroyed.
कर्तुमर्हसि नोत्कण्ठां त्वद्विधा ह्यविषादिनः लोकवृत्तान्तवृत्तज्ञा नित्यं धर्मपरायणाः
M. N. Dutt: You must not grieve for it, for men like you, who are so virtuous and learned in the ways and niysteries of the world, can have no cause of grief.
व्याध उवाच प्रज्ञया मानसं दुःखं हन्याच्छारीरमौषधैः एतद्विज्ञानसामर्थ्यं न बालैः समतां व्रजेत्
M. N. Dutt: The Fowler said: The bodily disease should be cured with medicines and the mental ones by spiritual wisdom. This is the power of knowledge. Knowing this, the wise should not behave like boys.
अनिष्टसंप्रयोगाच्च विप्रयोगात्प्रियस्य च मानुषा मानसैर्दुःखैर्युज्यन्ते अल्पबुद्धयः
AI Translation: And from the union with the undesirable and the separation from the desirable, The human beings of little intellect are afflicted with mental sorrows.
गुणैर्भूतानि युज्यन्ते वियुज्यन्ते तथैव च सर्वाणि नैतदेकस्य शोकस्थानं हि विद्यते
AI Translation: The elements are united by their qualities, and are separated by them. All of them are so. This is not the case for one alone. This is not a cause for sorrow.
अनिष्टेनान्वितं पश्यंस्तथा क्षिप्रं विरज्यते ततश्च प्रतिकुर्वन्ति यदि पश्यन्त्युपक्रमम् शोचतो न भवेत्किंचित्केवलं परितप्यते
AI Translation: Seeing that it is associated with the undesirable, one quickly becomes disgusted. And then, if they see the beginning of the disease, they take action. If one were to grieve, nothing would happen; one would only be tormented.
परित्यजन्ति ये दुःखं सुखं वाप्युभयं नराः त एव सुखमेधन्ते ज्ञानतृप्ता मनीषिणः
AI Translation: Those who abandon suffering, happiness, or both, those wise ones, satisfied with knowledge, are truly happy.
असंतोषपरा मूढाः संतोषं यान्ति पण्डिताः असंतोषस्य नास्त्यन्तस्तुष्टिस्तु परमं सुखम् न शोचन्ति गताध्वानः पश्यन्तः परमां गतिम्
AI Translation: The ignorant are full of discontent, but the wise are content. There is no end to discontent, but contentment is the highest happiness. Those who have gone beyond sorrow see the highest goal.
न विषादे मनः कार्यं विषादो विषमुत्तमम् मारयत्यकृतप्रज्ञं बालं क्रुद्ध इवोरगः
AI Translation: One should not be despondent; despondency is the best poison. It kills the unwise, like an angry serpent.
यं विषादोऽभिभवति विषमे समुपस्थिते तेजसा तस्य हीनस्य पुरुषार्थो न विद्यते
M. N. Dutt: That man has no manliness whose energies do abandon him and who is overpowered with perplexity, when an occasion for displaying vigour presents itself.
अवश्यं क्रियमाणस्य कर्मणो दृश्यते फलम् न हि निर्वेदमागम्य किंचित्प्राप्नोति शोभनम्
M. N. Dutt: Our actions are with certainty followed by their effects. Whoever merely gives himself up to passive indifference (to worldly affairs) accomplishes no good.
अथाप्युपायं पश्येत दुःखस्य परिमोक्षणे अशोचन्नारभेतैव युक्तश्चाव्यसनी भवेत्
M. N. Dutt: Instead of gruinbling, one must try to find out the means by which he can be freed from all misery.
भूतेष्वभावं संचिन्त्य ये तु बुद्धेः परं गताः न शोचन्ति कृतप्रज्ञाः पश्यन्तः परमां गतिम्
M. N. Dutt: He who has attained the highest state, being conscious of the great deficiency of all matter and seeing before him the final doom, never grieves.
न शोचामि च वै विद्वन्कालाकाङ्क्षी स्थितोऽस्म्यहम् एतैर्निदर्शनैर्ब्रह्मन्नावसीदामि सत्तम
M. N. Dutt: O excellent man, O learned one, I too do not grieve. I wait abiding my time. For this reason I am not confined (in any way).
ब्राह्मण उवाच कृतप्रज्ञोऽसि मेधावी बुद्धिश्च विपुला तव नाहं भवन्तं शोचामि ज्ञानतृप्तोऽसि धर्मवित्
M. N. Dutt: The Brahmana said: You are wise great in knowledge and vast in your intelligence; O virtuous one, you are content with your wisdom. I have nothing to complain in you.
आपृच्छे त्वां स्वस्ति तेऽस्तु धर्मस्त्वा परिरक्षतु अप्रमादस्तु कर्तव्यो धर्मे धर्मभृतां वर
M. N. Dutt: O foremost of all virtuous men, (now) farewell. May prosperity come to you, may virtue protect you and may you be ever steady in the practice of virtuc.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच बाढमित्येव तं व्याधः कृताञ्जलिरुवाच ह प्रदक्षिणमथो कृत्वा प्रस्थितो द्विजसत्तमः
M. N. Dutt: Markandeya said : The Fowler with joined hands said to him, "So be it.” That foremost of Brahmanas then walked round him and went away.
स तु गत्वा द्विजः सर्वां शुश्रूषां कृतवांस्तदा मातापितृभ्यां वृद्धाभ्यां यथान्यायं सुसंशितः
M. N. Dutt: When the Brahmana returned home he assiduously and duly began to serve his old father and mother.
एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं निखिलेन युधिष्ठिर पृष्टवानसि यं तात धर्मं धर्मभृतां वर
M. N. Dutt: O Yudhishthira, O child, O foremost of virtuous men, I have thus told you in detail all that you asked me:
पतिव्रताया माहात्म्यं ब्राह्मणस्य च सत्तम मातापित्रोश्च शुश्रूषा व्याधे धर्मश्च कीर्तितः
M. N. Dutt: The virtue of women's devotion to their husbands and the filial piety as described to the Brahmana by the virtuous fowler.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच अत्यद्भुतमिदं ब्रह्मन्धर्माख्यानमनुत्तमम् सर्वधर्मभृतां श्रेष्ठ कथितं द्विजसत्तम
M. N. Dutt: Yudhishthira said: O foremost of all virtuous men, O best of Rishis, O Brahmana, wonderful is this excellent moral story.
सुखश्रव्यतया विद्वन्मुहूर्तमिव मे गतम् न हि तृप्तोऽस्मि भगवञ्शृण्वानो धर्ममुत्तमम्
M. N. Dutt: Listening to you, O learned man, O exalted one, my time has passed away as if it were but a (fleeting) moment. But I am not as yet satiated with hearing about Dharma.