The Birth of Aurva

Verse 1 (1.195.1)

नाहं गृह्णामि वस्ताता दृष्टीर्नास्मि रुषान्विता । अयं तु भार्गवो नूनमूरुजः कुपितोऽद्य वः ॥

nāhaṃ gṛhṇāmi vastātā dṛṣṭīrnāsmi ruṣānvitā | ayaṃ tu bhārgavo nūnamūrujaḥ kupito'dya vaḥ

"I have not taken your sight, children, nor am I filled with anger. But this Bhargava, born from my thigh, is surely angry with you today.

Verse 2 (1.195.2)

तेन चक्षूंषि वस्ताता व्यक्तं कोपान्महात्मना । स्मरता निहतान्बन्धूनादत्तानि न संशयः ॥

tena cakṣūṃṣi vastātā vyaktaṃ kopānmahātmanā | smaratā nihatānbandhūnādattāni na saṃśayaḥ

Clearly it is he, the great-souled one, who in his anger, remembering his slain kinsmen, has taken away your eyes, children; of that there is no doubt.

Verse 3 (1.195.3)

गर्भानपि यदा यूयं भृगूणां घ्नत पुत्रकाः । तदायमूरुणा गर्भो मया वर्षशतं धृतः ॥

garbhānapi yadā yūyaṃ bhṛgūṇāṃ ghnata putrakāḥ | tadāyamūruṇā garbho mayā varṣaśataṃ dhṛtaḥ

When you, my sons, were killing even the unborn children of the Bhrigus, I carried this child in my thigh for a hundred years.

Verse 4 (1.195.4)

षडङ्गश्चाखिलो वेद इमं गर्भस्थमेव ह । विवेश भृगुवंशस्य भूयः प्रियचिकीर्षया ॥

ṣaḍaṅgaścākhilo veda imaṃ garbhasthameva ha | viveśa bhṛguvaṃśasya bhūyaḥ priyacikīrṣayā

The whole Veda with its six auxiliaries entered into him while he was still in the womb, wishing to favour the line of Bhrigu once more.

Verse 5 (1.195.5)

सोऽयं पितृवधाद्व्यक्तं क्रोधाद्वो हन्तुमिच्छति । तेजसा तस्य दिव्येन चक्षूंषि मुषितानि वः ॥

so'yaṃ pitṛvadhādvyaktaṃ krodhādvo hantumicchati | tejasā tasya divyena cakṣūṃṣi muṣitāni vaḥ

Plainly it is he who, in anger at the killing of his fathers, wants to kill you; it is by his divine radiance that your eyes have been taken.

Verse 6 (1.195.6)

तमेव यूयं याचध्वमौर्वं मम सुतोत्तमम् । अयं वः प्रणिपातेन तुष्टो दृष्टीः प्रदास्यति ॥

tameva yūyaṃ yācadhvamaurvaṃ mama sutottamam | ayaṃ vaḥ praṇipātena tuṣṭo dṛṣṭīḥ pradāsyati

So beg him, Aurva, my excellent son. Pleased by your bowing down, he will give you back your sight."

Verse 7 (1.195.7)

एवमुक्तास्ततः सर्वे राजानस्ते तमूरुजम् । ऊचुः प्रसीदेति तदा प्रसादं च चकार सः ॥

evamuktāstataḥ sarve rājānaste tamūrujam | ūcuḥ prasīdeti tadā prasādaṃ ca cakāra saḥ

Told this, all those kings then said to the thigh-born one, "Be gracious," and he showed them grace.

Note on the text: Wikisource heads this verse वसिष्ठ उवाच, continuing Vasishtha's story to Parashara (the critical edition reads gandharva uvāca); the base text's heading is kept.

Verse 8 (1.195.8)

अनेनैव च विख्यातो नाम्ना लोकेषु सत्तमः । स और्व इति विप्रर्षिरूरुं भित्त्वा व्यजायत ॥

anenaiva ca vikhyāto nāmnā lokeṣu sattamaḥ | sa aurva iti viprarṣirūruṃ bhittvā vyajāyata

By this very name that excellent brahmin seer became famous in the worlds: Aurva, because he was born by splitting the thigh (uru).

Verse 9 (1.195.9)

चक्षूंषि प्रतिलभ्याथ प्रतिजग्मुस्ततो नृपाः । भार्गवस्तु मुनिर्मेने सर्वलोकपराभवम् ॥

cakṣūṃṣi pratilabhyātha pratijagmustato nṛpāḥ | bhārgavastu munirmene sarvalokaparābhavam

Having recovered their sight, the kings went back. But the Bhargava sage set his mind on the overthrow of all the worlds.

Verse 10 (1.195.10)

स चक्रे तात लोकानां विनाशाय मतिं तदा । सर्वेषामेव कार्त्स्न्येन मनः प्रवणमात्मनः ॥

sa cakre tāta lokānāṃ vināśāya matiṃ tadā | sarveṣāmeva kārtsnyena manaḥ pravaṇamātmanaḥ

He resolved then, child, on the destruction of the worlds; he turned his whole heart toward destroying every one of them completely.

Verse 11 (1.195.11)

इच्छन्नपचितिं कर्तुं भृगूणां भृगुनन्दनः । सर्वलोकविनाशाय तपसा महतैधितः ॥

icchannapacitiṃ kartuṃ bhṛgūṇāṃ bhṛgunandanaḥ | sarvalokavināśāya tapasā mahataidhitaḥ

Wishing to avenge the Bhrigus, that delight of the Bhrigus grew mighty through great austerity, bent on destroying all the worlds.

Note on the text: Corrected सहतैधितः → महतैधितः (misprint in Wikisource; स for म, "grown strong by great [austerity]", CE mahataidhitaḥ).

Verse 12 (1.195.12)

तापयामास ताँल्लोकान्सदेवासुरमानुषान् । तपसोग्रेण महता नन्दयिष्यन्पितामहान् ॥

tāpayāmāsa tām̐llokānsadevāsuramānuṣān | tapasogreṇa mahatā nandayiṣyanpitāmahān

With his fierce and mighty austerity he scorched the worlds, with their gods, asuras and men, meaning to gladden his forefathers.

Verse 13 (1.195.13)

ततस्तं पितरस्तात विज्ञाय कुलनन्दनम् । पितृलोकादुपागम्य सर्व ऊचुरिदं वचः ॥

tatastaṃ pitarastāta vijñāya kulanandanam | pitṛlokādupāgamya sarva ūcuridaṃ vacaḥ

Then, child, the Ancestors, recognising the delight of their line, came from the world of the ancestors and all spoke these words:

Verse 14 (1.195.14)

और्व दृष्टः प्रभावस्ते तपसोग्रस्य पुत्रक । प्रसादं कुरु लोकानां नियच्छ क्रोधमात्मनः ॥

aurva dṛṣṭaḥ prabhāvaste tapasograsya putraka | prasādaṃ kuru lokānāṃ niyaccha krodhamātmanaḥ

"Aurva, son, we have seen the power of your fierce austerity. Show favour to the worlds; restrain your anger.

Note on the text: The Ancestors' words (vv. 14–22), unheaded in Wikisource, are given to them.

Verse 15 (1.195.15)

नानीशैर्हि तदा तात भृगुभिर्भावितात्मभिः । वधो ह्युपेक्षितः सर्वैः क्षत्रियाणां विहिंसताम् ॥

nānīśairhi tadā tāta bhṛgubhirbhāvitātmabhiḥ | vadho hyupekṣitaḥ sarvaiḥ kṣatriyāṇāṃ vihiṃsatām

It was not for want of power, child, that all of us Bhrigus, self-possessed as we were, let the slaughter by the violent Kshatriyas go unchecked.

Verse 16 (1.195.16)

आयुषा विप्रकृष्टेन यदा नः खेद आविशत् । तदाऽस्माभिर्वधस्तात क्षत्रियैरीप्सितः स्वयम् ॥

āyuṣā viprakṛṣṭena yadā naḥ kheda āviśat | tadā'smābhirvadhastāta kṣatriyairīpsitaḥ svayam

When we grew weary of our long-drawn-out lives, child, we ourselves sought death at the hands of the Kshatriyas.

Verse 17 (1.195.17)

निखातं यच्च वै वित्तं केनचिद्भृगुवेश्मनि । वैरायैव तदा न्यस्तं क्षत्रियान्कोपयिष्णुभिः ॥

nikhātaṃ yacca vai vittaṃ kenacidbhṛguveśmani | vairāyaiva tadā nyastaṃ kṣatriyānkopayiṣṇubhiḥ

And the wealth that was buried in a Bhrigu's house was placed there only to breed enmity, by those who wanted to anger the Kshatriyas.

Note on the text: Corrected केनचिद्गृगुवेश्मनि → केनचिद्भृगुवेश्मनि (misprint in Wikisource; ग for भ, CE kena cid bhṛguveśmani). Corresponds to CE 1.170.17ab–cd.

Verse 18 (1.195.18)

किं हि वित्तेन नः कार्यं स्वर्गेप्सूनां द्विजोत्तम । यदस्माकं धनाध्यक्षः प्रभूतं धनमाहरत् ॥

kiṃ hi vittena naḥ kāryaṃ svargepsūnāṃ dvijottama | yadasmākaṃ dhanādhyakṣaḥ prabhūtaṃ dhanamāharat

For what use is wealth to us who seek heaven, best of the twice-born, when the lord of wealth himself brought us riches in plenty?

Note on the text: The first line is CE 1.170.17ef; the second is CE apparatus 1.170.17*1789.

Verse 19 (1.195.19)

यदा तु मृत्युरादातुं न नः शक्नोति सर्वशः । तदाऽस्माभिरयं दृष्ट उपायस्तात संमतः ॥

yadā tu mṛtyurādātuṃ na naḥ śaknoti sarvaśaḥ | tadā'smābhirayaṃ dṛṣṭa upāyastāta saṃmataḥ

When death could not take us in any way, child, then we settled on this as the approved means.

Verse 20 (1.195.20)

आत्महा च पुमांस्तात न लोकाँल्लभते शुभान् । ततोऽस्माभिः समीक्ष्यैवं नात्मनात्मा निपातितः ॥

ātmahā ca pumāṃstāta na lokām̐llabhate śubhān | tato'smābhiḥ samīkṣyaivaṃ nātmanātmā nipātitaḥ

A man who kills himself, child, does not win the auspicious worlds. So, having weighed this, we did not destroy ourselves by our own hands.

Verse 21 (1.195.21)

न चैतन्नः प्रियं तात यदिदं कर्तुमिच्छसि । नियच्छेदं मनः पापात्सर्वलोकपराभवात् ॥

na caitannaḥ priyaṃ tāta yadidaṃ kartumicchasi | niyacchedaṃ manaḥ pāpātsarvalokaparābhavāt

Nor is this pleasing to us, child, that you now wish to do. Hold your mind back from this sin, the overthrow of all the worlds.

Verse 22 (1.195.22)

मा वधीः क्षत्रियांस्तात न लोकान्सप्त पुत्रक । दूषयन्तं तपस्तेजः क्रोधमुत्पतितं जहि ॥

mā vadhīḥ kṣatriyāṃstāta na lokānsapta putraka | dūṣayantaṃ tapastejaḥ krodhamutpatitaṃ jahi

Do not kill the Kshatriyas, child, nor the seven worlds, son. Slay instead this anger that has risen in you and defiles the radiance of your austerity."