The Sharngaka Fledglings Praise Agni

Verse 1 (1.258.1)

पुरतः कृच्छ्रकालस्य धीमाञ्जागर्ति पुरुषः । स कृच्छ्रकालं संप्राप्य व्यथां नैवैति कर्हिचित् ॥

purataḥ kṛcchrakālasya dhīmāñjāgarti puruṣaḥ | sa kṛcchrakālaṃ saṃprāpya vyathāṃ naivaiti karhicit

A wise man keeps watch before a time of hardship arrives; when the hard time comes, he is never shaken by distress.

Verse 2 (1.258.2)

यस्तु कृच्छ्रमनुप्राप्तं विचेता नावबुध्यते । स कृच्छ्रकाले व्यथितो न श्रेयो विन्दते महत् ॥

yastu kṛcchramanuprāptaṃ vicetā nāvabudhyate | sa kṛcchrakāle vyathito na śreyo vindate mahat

But the witless man who does not grasp the hardship that has come upon him is thrown into distress when the hard time arrives, and gains no great good.

Note on the text: Corrected सकृच्छ्रकाले → स कृच्छ्रकाले (misprint in Wikisource; the pronoun स is a separate word, as in the critical edition).

Verse 3 (1.258.3)

धीरस्त्वमसि मेधावी प्राणकृच्छ्रमिदं च नः । प्राज्ञः शूरो बहूनां हि भवत्येको न संशयः ॥

dhīrastvamasi medhāvī prāṇakṛcchramidaṃ ca naḥ | prājñaḥ śūro bahūnāṃ hi bhavatyeko na saṃśayaḥ

You are steady and intelligent, and this is a danger to our lives. Among many, only one is wise and brave; of that there is no doubt.

Verse 4 (1.258.4)

ज्येष्ठस्तातो भवति वै ज्येष्ठो मुञ्चति कृच्छ्रतः । ज्येष्ठश्चेन्न प्रजानाति कनीयान्किं करिष्यति ॥

jyeṣṭhastāto bhavati vai jyeṣṭho muñcati kṛcchrataḥ | jyeṣṭhaścenna prajānāti kanīyānkiṃ kariṣyati

The eldest is indeed a father; it is the eldest who rescues from hardship. If the eldest does not know what to do, what will the younger do?

Note on the text: Corrected नीयान्किं → कनीयान्किं (misprint in Wikisource; the first syllable of कनीयान् is lost, leaving the pada short; critical edition kanīyān).

Verse 5 (1.258.5)

हिरण्यरेतास्त्वरितो ज्वलन्नायाति नः क्षयम् । सप्तजिह्वाननः क्रूरो लेलिहानो विसर्पति ॥

hiraṇyaretāstvarito jvalannāyāti naḥ kṣayam | saptajihvānanaḥ krūro lelihāno visarpati

Golden-seeded Agni comes swiftly, blazing, toward our dwelling; cruel, with seven tongues in his mouth, he creeps on, licking.

Note on the text: Corrected जलन्नायाति → ज्वलन्नायाति (misprint in Wikisource; critical edition jvalann āyāti) and लिहानो → लेलिहानो (misprint; a syllable is lost from the pada; critical edition lelihāna-).

Verse 6 (1.258.6)

एवं संभाष्य तेऽन्योन्यं मन्दपालस्य पुत्रकाः । तुष्टुवुः प्रयता भूत्वा यथाऽग्निं शृणु पार्थिव ॥

evaṃ saṃbhāṣya te'nyonyaṃ mandapālasya putrakāḥ | tuṣṭuvuḥ prayatā bhūtvā yathā'gniṃ śṛṇu pārthiva

Having spoken thus with one another, Mandapala's young sons composed themselves and praised Agni. Hear how they praised him, O king.

Note on the text: Recension variant of critical edition 1.223.6, where Jaritari alone, urged by his brothers, praises Agni; here all the brothers do.

Verse 7 (1.258.7)

आत्माऽसि वायोर्ज्वलन शरीरमसि वीरुधाम् । योनिरापश्च ते शुक्रं योनिस्त्वमसि चाम्भसः ॥

ātmā'si vāyorjvalana śarīramasi vīrudhām | yonirāpaśca te śukraṃ yonistvamasi cāmbhasaḥ

O Blazing One, you are the self of the wind and the body of the plants. The waters are your womb and your seed, and you in turn are the womb of the waters.

Verse 8 (1.258.8)

ऊर्ध्वं चाधश्च सर्पन्ति पृष्ठतः पार्श्वतस्तथा । अर्चिषस्ते महावीर्य रश्मयः सवितुर्यथा ॥

ūrdhvaṃ cādhaśca sarpanti pṛṣṭhataḥ pārśvatastathā | arciṣaste mahāvīrya raśmayaḥ savituryathā

Your flames, O mighty one, spread upward and downward, behind and to either side, like the rays of the sun.

Note on the text: Corrected रश्यमः → रश्मयः (misprint in Wikisource; transposed aksharas; critical edition raśmayaḥ).

Verse 9 (1.258.9)

माता प्रणष्टा पितरं न विद्मः । पक्षा जाता नैव नो धूमकेतो । न नस्त्राता विद्यते वै त्वदन्य- । स्तस्मादस्मांस्त्राहि बालांस्त्वमग्ने ॥

mātā praṇaṣṭā pitaraṃ na vidmaḥ | pakṣā jātā naiva no dhūmaketo | na nastrātā vidyate vai tvadanya- | stasmādasmāṃstrāhi bālāṃstvamagne

Our mother is lost, and we do not know our father; our wings have not yet grown, O smoke-bannered one. We have no protector but you, so save us children, O Agni.

Note on the text: Corrected नै → नैव (misprint in Wikisource; नै is not a word and the triṣṭubh line is a syllable short). Recension variant of critical edition 1.223.9: the second and fourth lines differ there. The speaker heading is printed सारिसृक्क here; normalised to सारिसृक्व as at 258.3.

Verse 10 (1.258.10)

यदग्ने ते शिवं रूपं ये च ते सप्त हेतयः । तेन नः परिपाहि त्वमार्तान्नः शरणैषिणः ॥

yadagne te śivaṃ rūpaṃ ye ca te sapta hetayaḥ | tena naḥ paripāhi tvamārtānnaḥ śaraṇaiṣiṇaḥ

O Agni, by your auspicious form and by your seven flames, protect us who are in distress and seek refuge in you.

Verse 11 (1.258.11)

त्वमेवैकस्तपसे जातवेदो । नान्यस्तप्ता विद्यते गोषु देव । ऋषीनस्मान्बालकान्पालयस्व । परेणास्मान्प्रेहि वै हव्यवाह ॥

tvamevaikastapase jātavedo | nānyastaptā vidyate goṣu deva | ṛṣīnasmānbālakānpālayasva | pareṇāsmānprehi vai havyavāha

You alone give heat, O Jatavedas; among the rays there is no other that gives heat, O god. Protect us, who are child seers; pass us by at a distance, O bearer of oblations.

Note on the text: Corrected जप्तवेदो → जातवेदो (misprint in Wikisource; the epithet Jatavedas; critical edition jātavedo).

Verse 12 (1.258.12)

सर्वमग्ने त्वमेवैकस्त्वयि सर्वमिदं जगत् । त्वं धारयसि भूतानि भुवनं त्वं बिभर्षि च ॥

sarvamagne tvamevaikastvayi sarvamidaṃ jagat | tvaṃ dhārayasi bhūtāni bhuvanaṃ tvaṃ bibharṣi ca

You alone, O Agni, are everything; this whole world rests in you. You sustain all beings, and you uphold the universe.

Verse 13 (1.258.13)

त्वमग्निर्हव्यवाहस्त्वं त्वमेव परमं हविः । मनीषिणस्त्वां जानन्ति बहुधा चैकधापि च ॥

tvamagnirhavyavāhastvaṃ tvameva paramaṃ haviḥ | manīṣiṇastvāṃ jānanti bahudhā caikadhāpi ca

You are Agni, you are the bearer of oblations, you yourself are the supreme oblation. The wise know you as many and also as one.

Verse 14 (1.258.14)

सृष्ट्वा लोकांस्त्रीनिमान्हव्यवाह । काले प्राप्ते पचसि पुनः समिद्धः । त्वं सर्वस्य भुवनस्य प्रसूति- । स्त्वमेवाग्ने भवसि पुनः प्रतिष्ठा ॥

sṛṣṭvā lokāṃstrīnimānhavyavāha | kāle prāpte pacasi punaḥ samiddhaḥ | tvaṃ sarvasya bhuvanasya prasūti- | stvamevāgne bhavasi punaḥ pratiṣṭhā

Having created these three worlds, O bearer of oblations, when the time comes you blaze up and consume them again. You are the birthplace of the whole universe, and you, O Agni, become its resting place once more.

Verse 15 (1.258.15)

त्वमन्नं प्राणिभिर्भुक्तमन्तर्भूतो जगत्पते । नित्यप्रवृद्धः पचसि त्वयि सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम् ॥

tvamannaṃ prāṇibhirbhuktamantarbhūto jagatpate | nityapravṛddhaḥ pacasi tvayi sarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam

O lord of the world, dwelling within creatures and ever growing, you digest the food they eat; everything is established in you.

Verse 16 (1.258.16)

सूर्यो भूत्वा रश्मिभिर्जातवेदो । भूमेरम्भो भूमिजातान्रसांश्च । विश्वानादाय पुनरुत्सृज्य काले । दृष्ट्वा वृष्ट्या भावयसीह शुक्र ॥

sūryo bhūtvā raśmibhirjātavedo | bhūmerambho bhūmijātānrasāṃśca | viśvānādāya punarutsṛjya kāle | dṛṣṭvā vṛṣṭyā bhāvayasīha śukra

Becoming the sun, O Jatavedas, you draw up with your rays the waters of the earth and all the juices born of it; then, watching for the season, you release them again and make this world flourish with rain, O bright one.

Verse 17 (1.258.17)

त्वत्त एताः पुनः शुक्र वीरुधो हरितच्छदाः । जायन्ते पुष्करिण्यश्च सुभद्रश्च महोदधिः ॥

tvatta etāḥ punaḥ śukra vīrudho haritacchadāḥ | jāyante puṣkariṇyaśca subhadraśca mahodadhiḥ

From you, O bright one, these green-leaved plants spring up again, and the lotus pools, and the auspicious great ocean.

Verse 18 (1.258.18)

इदं वै सद्म तिग्मांशो वरुणस्य परायणम् । शिवस्त्राता भवास्माकं माऽस्मानद्य विनाशय ॥

idaṃ vai sadma tigmāṃśo varuṇasya parāyaṇam | śivastrātā bhavāsmākaṃ mā'smānadya vināśaya

This dwelling of ours, O fierce-rayed one, is a refuge of Varuna. Be gracious and be our protector; do not destroy us today.

Verse 19 (1.258.19)

पिङ्गाक्ष लोहितग्रीव कृष्णवर्त्मन्हुताशन । परेण प्रेहि मुञ्चास्मान्सागरस्य गृहानिव ॥

piṅgākṣa lohitagrīva kṛṣṇavartmanhutāśana | pareṇa prehi muñcāsmānsāgarasya gṛhāniva

O tawny-eyed one, red-necked one, you whose path is black, eater of oblations, pass us by at a distance and spare us, as you spare the dwellings of the ocean.

Verse 20 (1.258.20)

एवमुक्तो जातवेदा द्रोणेन ब्रह्मवादिना । द्रोणमाह प्रतीतात्मा मन्दपालप्रतिज्ञया ॥

evamukto jātavedā droṇena brahmavādinā | droṇamāha pratītātmā mandapālapratijñayā

Addressed thus by Drona, who spoke the words of the Veda, Jatavedas, glad at heart and mindful of his promise to Mandapala, said to Drona:

Verse 21 (1.258.21)

ऋषिर्द्रोणस्त्वमसि वै ब्रह्मैतद्व्याहृतं त्वया । ईप्सितं ते करिष्यामि न च ते विद्यते भयम् ॥

ṛṣirdroṇastvamasi vai brahmaitadvyāhṛtaṃ tvayā | īpsitaṃ te kariṣyāmi na ca te vidyate bhayam

You are a seer, Drona; what you have spoken is Veda. I will do what you desire, and you have nothing to fear.

Note on the text: Restored from the critical edition (1.223.21): Wikisource has lost the closing words of both half-lines (त्वया; विद्यते भयम्), leaving them short and without a final danda.

Verse 22 (1.258.22)

मन्दपालेन वै यूयं मम पूर्वं निवेदिताः । वर्जयेः पुत्रकान्मह्यं दहन्दावमिति स्म ह ॥

mandapālena vai yūyaṃ mama pūrvaṃ niveditāḥ | varjayeḥ putrakānmahyaṃ dahandāvamiti sma ha

Mandapala, indeed, commended you to me long ago, asking that when I burned the forest I should spare his sons.

Verse 23 (1.258.23)

तस्य तद्वचनं द्रोण त्वया यच्चेह भाषितम् । उभयं मे गरीयस्तु ब्रूहि किं करवाणि ते । भृशं प्रीतोऽस्मि भद्रं ते ब्रह्मंस्तोत्रेण सत्तम ॥

tasya tadvacanaṃ droṇa tvayā yacceha bhāṣitam | ubhayaṃ me garīyastu brūhi kiṃ karavāṇi te | bhṛśaṃ prīto'smi bhadraṃ te brahmaṃstotreṇa sattama

His request, Drona, and what you have said here both weigh heavily with me. Tell me, what shall I do for you? I am greatly pleased with your hymn, best of brahmins; blessings on you.

Verse 24 (1.258.24)

इमे मार्जारकाः शुक्र नित्यमुद्वेजयन्ति नः । एतान्कुरुष्व दग्धांस्त्वं हुताशन सबान्धवान् ॥

ime mārjārakāḥ śukra nityamudvejayanti naḥ | etānkuruṣva dagdhāṃstvaṃ hutāśana sabāndhavān

These cats, O bright one, are forever tormenting us. Burn them, O eater of oblations, together with their kin.

Verse 25 (1.258.25)

तथा तत्कृतवानग्निरभ्यनुज्ञाय शार्ङ्गकान् । ददाह खाण्डवं दावं समिद्धो जनमेजय ॥

tathā tatkṛtavānagnirabhyanujñāya śārṅgakān | dadāha khāṇḍavaṃ dāvaṃ samiddho janamejaya

Agni did so; and leaving the Sharngakas unharmed, he blazed up and burned the Khandava forest, O Janamejaya.