A Brahmin Guest Tells of Draupadi's Svayamvara

Verse 1 (1.179.1)

ते तथा पुरुषव्याघ्रा निहत्य बकराक्षसम् । अत ऊर्ध्वं ततो ब्रह्मन्किमकुर्वत पाण्डवाः ॥

te tathā puruṣavyāghrā nihatya bakarākṣasam | ata ūrdhvaṃ tato brahmankimakurvata pāṇḍavāḥ

"After those tigers among men had killed the rakshasa Baka, what did the Pandavas do next, O brahmin?"

Verse 2 (1.179.2)

तत्रैव न्यवसन्राजन्निहत्य बकराक्षसम् । अधीयानाः परं ब्रह्म ब्राह्मणस्य निवेशने ॥

tatraiva nyavasanrājannihatya bakarākṣasam | adhīyānāḥ paraṃ brahma brāhmaṇasya niveśane

They lived on right there, O king, after killing the rakshasa Baka, studying the supreme Veda in the brahmin's house.

Verse 3 (1.179.3)

ततः कतिपयाहस्य ब्राह्मणः संशितव्रतः । प्रतिश्रयार्थी तद्वेश्म ब्राह्मणस्याजगाम ह ॥

tataḥ katipayāhasya brāhmaṇaḥ saṃśitavrataḥ | pratiśrayārthī tadveśma brāhmaṇasyājagāma ha

Then, after some days, a brahmin of rigorous vows came to that brahmin's house seeking lodging.

Verse 4 (1.179.4)

स सम्यक् पूजयित्वा तं विप्रं विप्रर्षभस्तदा । ददौ प्रतिश्रयं तस्मै सदा सर्वातिथिव्रतः ॥

sa samyak pūjayitvā taṃ vipraṃ viprarṣabhastadā | dadau pratiśrayaṃ tasmai sadā sarvātithivrataḥ

That bull among brahmins, ever devoted to the vow of hospitality to every guest, duly honoured the visiting brahmin and gave him lodging.

Note on the text: Corrected स म्यक् → स सम्यक् (misprint in Wikisource; a dropped akshara leaves "myak", not a word, and the line a syllable short; critical edition sa samyak).

Verse 5 (1.179.5)

ततस्ते पाण्डवाः सर्वे सह कुन्त्या नरर्षभाः । उपासाञ्चक्रिरे विप्रं कथयन्तं कथाः शुभाः ॥

tataste pāṇḍavāḥ sarve saha kuntyā nararṣabhāḥ | upāsāñcakrire vipraṃ kathayantaṃ kathāḥ śubhāḥ

Then all the Pandavas, bulls among men, together with Kunti, sat with the brahmin as he told his auspicious tales.

Verse 6 (1.179.6)

कथयामास देशांश्च तीर्थानि सरितस्तथा । राज्ञश्च विविधाश्चर्यान्देशांश्चैव पुराणि च ॥

kathayāmāsa deśāṃśca tīrthāni saritastathā | rājñaśca vividhāścaryāndeśāṃścaiva purāṇi ca

He told them of lands, tirthas and rivers, of the many marvels of kings, and of countries and cities.

Note on the text: A different wording of CE 1.153.6, aligned by hand.

Verse 7 (1.179.7)

स तत्राकथयद्विप्रः कथान्ते जनमेजय । पञ्चालेष्वद्भुताकारं याज्ञसेन्याः स्वयंवरम् ॥

sa tatrākathayadvipraḥ kathānte janamejaya | pañcāleṣvadbhutākāraṃ yājñasenyāḥ svayaṃvaram

At the end of his tales, O Janamejaya, the brahmin spoke of the wondrous svayamvara of Yajnasena's daughter among the Panchalas,

Verse 8 (1.179.8)

धृष्टद्युम्नस्य चोत्पत्तिमुत्पत्तिं च शिखण्डिनः । अयोनिजत्वं कृष्णाया द्रुपदस्य महामखे ॥

dhṛṣṭadyumnasya cotpattimutpattiṃ ca śikhaṇḍinaḥ | ayonijatvaṃ kṛṣṇāyā drupadasya mahāmakhe

and of the birth of Dhrishtadyumna and the birth of Shikhandi, and how Krishna was born not from a womb at Drupada's great sacrifice.

Verse 9 (1.179.9)

तदद्भुततमं श्रुत्वा लोके तस्य महात्मनः । विस्तरेणैव पप्रच्छुः कथां ते पुरुषर्षभाः ॥

tadadbhutatamaṃ śrutvā loke tasya mahātmanaḥ | vistareṇaiva papracchuḥ kathāṃ te puruṣarṣabhāḥ

Hearing of this, the greatest wonder in the world, concerning that great-souled king, those bulls among men asked him to tell the story at length.

Verse 10 (1.179.10)

कथं द्रुपदपुत्रस्य धृष्टद्युम्नस्य पावकात् । वेदीमध्याच्च कृष्णायाः संभवः कथमद्भुतः ॥

kathaṃ drupadaputrasya dhṛṣṭadyumnasya pāvakāt | vedīmadhyācca kṛṣṇāyāḥ saṃbhavaḥ kathamadbhutaḥ

"How did Dhrishtadyumna, son of Drupada, come forth from the fire, and how did Krishna arise so wondrously from the middle of the altar?

Verse 11 (1.179.11)

कथं द्रोणान्महेष्वासात्सर्वाण्यस्त्राण्यशिक्षत । धृष्टद्युम्नो महेष्वासः कथं द्रोणस्य मृत्युदः । कथं विप्र सखायौ तौ भिन्नौ कस्य कृतेन वा ॥

kathaṃ droṇānmaheṣvāsātsarvāṇyastrāṇyaśikṣata | dhṛṣṭadyumno maheṣvāsaḥ kathaṃ droṇasya mṛtyudaḥ | kathaṃ vipra sakhāyau tau bhinnau kasya kṛtena vā

How did he learn all the weapons from the great archer Drona? How is the great archer Dhrishtadyumna to be the bringer of Drona's death? And how, O brahmin, did those two friends fall out, and through whose doing?"

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (backtick, quote mark). Aligned by hand: first line = CE 1.153.11ab; second line not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension; CE apparatus *1675); third line = 1.153.11cd in a slightly different wording.

Verse 12 (1.179.12)

एवं तैश्चोदितो राजन्स विप्रः पुरुषर्षभैः । कथयामास तत्सर्वं द्रौपदीसंभवं तदा ॥

evaṃ taiścodito rājansa vipraḥ puruṣarṣabhaiḥ | kathayāmāsa tatsarvaṃ draupadīsaṃbhavaṃ tadā

Urged thus by those bulls among men, O king, the brahmin then told the whole story of Draupadi's birth.