Kunti Offers to Send Her Son

Verse 1 (1.175.1)

न विषादस्त्वया कार्यो भयादस्मात्कथंचन । उपायः परिदृष्टोऽत्र तस्मान्मोक्षाय रक्षसः ॥

na viṣādastvayā kāryo bhayādasmātkathaṃcana | upāyaḥ paridṛṣṭo'tra tasmānmokṣāya rakṣasaḥ

You must not despair in any way because of this danger. I have seen a way out of it, a way to be free of the rakshasa.

Verse 2 (1.175.2)

नैव स्वयं सपुत्रस्य गमनं तत्र रोचये । एकस्तव सुतो बालः कन्या चैका तपस्विनी । न चैतयोस्तथा पत्न्या गमनं तव रोचये ॥

naiva svayaṃ saputrasya gamanaṃ tatra rocaye | ekastava suto bālaḥ kanyā caikā tapasvinī | na caitayostathā patnyā gamanaṃ tava rocaye

I would not have you go there yourself with your son. You have one son, a little boy, and one daughter, a poor girl; nor would I have either of them go, or your wife.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (backtick and quote mark) around the first line, which is in the critical edition's apparatus (1.149.1*1632); the second and third lines = CE 1.149.2.

Verse 3 (1.175.3)

मम पञ्च सुता ब्रह्मंस्तेषामेको गमिष्यति । त्वदर्थं बलिमादाय तस्य पापस्य रक्षसः ॥

mama pañca sutā brahmaṃsteṣāmeko gamiṣyati | tvadarthaṃ balimādāya tasya pāpasya rakṣasaḥ

I have five sons, Brahmin; one of them will go for your sake, carrying the tribute to that evil rakshasa.

Verse 4 (1.175.4)

नाहमेतत्करिष्यामि जीवितार्थी कथंचन । ब्राह्मणस्यातिथेश्चैव स्वार्थे प्राणान्वियोजयन् ॥

nāhametatkariṣyāmi jīvitārthī kathaṃcana | brāhmaṇasyātitheścaiva svārthe prāṇānviyojayan

Never will I do this to save my own life, taking the life of a Brahmin and a guest for my own sake.

Verse 5 (1.175.5)

न त्वेतदकुलीनासु नाधर्मिष्ठासु विद्यते । यद्ब्राह्मणार्थं विसृजेदात्मानमपि चात्मजम् ॥

na tvetadakulīnāsu nādharmiṣṭhāsu vidyate | yadbrāhmaṇārthaṃ visṛjedātmānamapi cātmajam

Such a thing is not found among women of low birth or without dharma: that one should give up oneself, and even one's own son, for a Brahmin's sake.

Note on the text: Corrected यद्ब्राह्ममार्थं → यद्ब्राह्मणार्थं (misprint in Wikisource; म for ण — the critical edition reads brāhmaṇārthe).

Verse 6 (1.175.6)

आत्मनस्तु वधः श्रेयो बोद्धव्यमिति रोचते । ब्रह्मवध्याऽऽत्मवध्या वा श्रेयानात्मवधो मम ॥

ātmanastu vadhaḥ śreyo boddhavyamiti rocate | brahmavadhyā''tmavadhyā vā śreyānātmavadho mama

Rather, I hold that my own death is the better course. Between killing a Brahmin and killing myself, my own death is the better.

Note on the text: Corrected ब्रहम्वध्या → ब्रह्मवध्या (misprint in Wikisource; broken conjunct, as in the next verse and the critical edition, brahmavadhyā).

Verse 7 (1.175.7)

ब्रह्मवध्या परं पापं निष्कृतिर्नात्र विद्यते । अबुद्धिपूर्वं कृत्वापि प्रत्यवायो हि विद्यते ॥

brahmavadhyā paraṃ pāpaṃ niṣkṛtirnātra vidyate | abuddhipūrvaṃ kṛtvāpi pratyavāyo hi vidyate

The killing of a Brahmin is the supreme sin, and there is no atonement for it. Even one who does it unknowingly incurs its taint.

Verse 8 (1.175.8)

न त्वहं वधमाकाङ्क्षे स्वयमेवात्मनः शुभे । परैः कृते वधे पापं न किंचिन्मयि विद्यते ॥

na tvahaṃ vadhamākāṅkṣe svayamevātmanaḥ śubhe | paraiḥ kṛte vadhe pāpaṃ na kiṃcinmayi vidyate

I do not seek my own death, good lady; but if I am killed by others, no sin attaches to me.

Verse 9 (1.175.9)

अभिसंधौ कृते तस्मिन्ब्राह्मणस्य वधे मया । निष्कृतिं न प्रपश्यामि नृशंसं क्षुद्रमेव च ॥

abhisaṃdhau kṛte tasminbrāhmaṇasya vadhe mayā | niṣkṛtiṃ na prapaśyāmi nṛśaṃsaṃ kṣudrameva ca

But if I knowingly brought about the death of a Brahmin, I see no atonement for it; it would be cruel and base.

Verse 10 (1.175.10)

आगतस्य गृहं त्यागस्तथैव शरणार्थिनः । याचमानस्य च वधो नृशंसो गर्हितो बुधैः ॥

āgatasya gṛhaṃ tyāgastathaiva śaraṇārthinaḥ | yācamānasya ca vadho nṛśaṃso garhito budhaiḥ

To turn away one who has come to one's house, or one who seeks refuge, and to kill one who asks for help: the wise condemn this as cruel.

Note on the text: A variant of CE 1.149.10, aligned by hand.

Verse 11 (1.175.11)

कुर्यान्न निन्दितं कर्म न नृशंसं कथंचन । इति पूर्वे महात्मान आपद्धर्मविदो विदुः ॥

kuryānna ninditaṃ karma na nṛśaṃsaṃ kathaṃcana | iti pūrve mahātmāna āpaddharmavido viduḥ

One should never do a deed that is blamed, nor anything cruel: so the great-souled of old, who knew the dharma of hard times, have taught.

Verse 12 (1.175.12)

श्रेयांस्तु सहदारस्य विनाशोऽद्य मम स्वयम् । ब्राह्मणस्य वधं नाहमनुमंस्ये कदाचन ॥

śreyāṃstu sahadārasya vināśo'dya mama svayam | brāhmaṇasya vadhaṃ nāhamanumaṃsye kadācana

Better that I myself perish today together with my wife; never will I consent to the killing of a Brahmin.

Verse 13 (1.175.13)

ममाप्येषा मतिर्ब्रह्मन्विप्रा रक्ष्या इति स्थिरा । न चाप्यनिष्टः पुत्रो मे यदि पुत्रशतं भवेत् ॥

mamāpyeṣā matirbrahmanviprā rakṣyā iti sthirā | na cāpyaniṣṭaḥ putro me yadi putraśataṃ bhavet

My own conviction too is firm, Brahmin, that Brahmins must be protected. Nor is my son unloved by me, not even if I had a hundred sons.

Verse 14 (1.175.14)

न चासौ राक्षसः शक्तो मम पुत्रविनाशने । वीर्यवान्मन्त्रसिद्धश्च तेजस्वी च सुतो मम ॥

na cāsau rākṣasaḥ śakto mama putravināśane | vīryavānmantrasiddhaśca tejasvī ca suto mama

But that rakshasa has no power to destroy my son. My son is mighty, perfected in mantras, and full of fiery energy.

Note on the text: Corrected वीर्यमन्मन्त्रसिद्धश्च → वीर्यवान्मन्त्रसिद्धश्च (misprint in Wikisource; "vīryaman" is no word — the critical edition reads vīryavān).

Verse 15 (1.175.15)

राक्षसाय च तत्सर्वं प्रापयिष्यति भोजनम् । मोक्षयिष्यति चात्मानमिति मे निश्चिता मतिः ॥

rākṣasāya ca tatsarvaṃ prāpayiṣyati bhojanam | mokṣayiṣyati cātmānamiti me niścitā matiḥ

He will deliver all that food to the rakshasa and will free himself as well; of this my mind is certain.

Verse 16 (1.175.16)

समागताश्च वीरेण दृष्टपूर्वाश्च राक्षसाः । बलवन्तो महाकाया निहताश्चाप्यनेकशः ॥

samāgatāśca vīreṇa dṛṣṭapūrvāśca rākṣasāḥ | balavanto mahākāyā nihatāścāpyanekaśaḥ

Many mighty, huge-bodied rakshasas have met that hero before, and I have seen them slain by him.

Verse 17 (1.175.17)

न त्विदं केषुचिद्ब्रह्मन्व्याहर्तव्यं कथंचन । विद्यार्थिनो हि मे पुत्रान्विप्रकुर्युः कुतूहलात् ॥

na tvidaṃ keṣucidbrahmanvyāhartavyaṃ kathaṃcana | vidyārthino hi me putrānviprakuryuḥ kutūhalāt

But on no account must this be told to anyone, Brahmin; for people wanting the knowledge would pester my sons out of curiosity.

Note on the text: Corrected ब्रह्मान् → ब्रह्मन् (misprint in Wikisource; the vocative is ब्रह्मन्, as in the critical edition, brahman).

Verse 18 (1.175.18)

गुरुणा चाननुज्ञातो ग्राहयेद्यः सुतो मम । न स कुर्यात्तथा कार्यं विद्ययेति सतां मतम् ॥

guruṇā cānanujñāto grāhayedyaḥ suto mama | na sa kuryāttathā kāryaṃ vidyayeti satāṃ matam

And a son of mine who imparted it without his teacher's leave could no longer accomplish his purpose with that knowledge; so the good hold.

Verse 19 (1.175.19)

एवमुक्तस्तु पृथया स विप्रो भार्यया सह । हृष्टः संपूजयामास तद्वाक्यममृतोपमम् ॥

evamuktastu pṛthayā sa vipro bhāryayā saha | hṛṣṭaḥ saṃpūjayāmāsa tadvākyamamṛtopamam

Spoken to thus by Pritha, the Brahmin and his wife were overjoyed and honoured her words, which were like nectar.

Verse 20 (1.175.20)

ततः कुन्ती च विप्रश्च सहितावनिलात्मजम् । तमब्रूतां कुरुष्वेति स तथेत्यब्रवीच्च तौ ॥

tataḥ kuntī ca vipraśca sahitāvanilātmajam | tamabrūtāṃ kuruṣveti sa tathetyabravīcca tau

Then Kunti and the Brahmin together said to the son of the Wind, 'Do it,' and he answered them both, 'So be it.'