Janamejaya Becomes King

Verse 1 (1.44.1)

तं तथा मन्त्रिणो दृष्ट्वा भोगेन परिवेष्टितम् । विषण्णवदनाः सर्वे रुरुदुर्भृशदुःखिताः ॥

taṃ tathā mantriṇo dṛṣṭvā bhogena pariveṣṭitam | viṣaṇṇavadanāḥ sarve rurudurbhṛśaduḥkhitāḥ

Seeing the king thus encircled by the serpent's coils, the ministers all wept, their faces downcast, in deep sorrow.

Verse 2 (1.44.2)

तं तु नागं ततो दृष्ट्वा मन्त्रिणस्ते प्रदुद्रुवुः । अपश्यन्त तथा यान्तमाकाशे नागमद्भुतम् ॥

taṃ tu nāgaṃ tato dṛṣṭvā mantriṇaste pradudruvuḥ | apaśyanta tathā yāntamākāśe nāgamadbhutam

Seeing the serpent, the ministers fled; and they saw that wondrous serpent going away through the sky—

Verse 3 (1.44.3)

सीमन्तमिव कुर्वाणं नभसः पद्मवर्चसम् । तक्षकं पन्नगश्रेष्ठं भृशं शोकपरायणाः ॥

sīmantamiva kurvāṇaṃ nabhasaḥ padmavarcasam | takṣakaṃ pannagaśreṣṭhaṃ bhṛśaṃ śokaparāyaṇāḥ

Takshaka, best of serpents, glowing like a lotus, as though he were drawing a parting line through the sky; and they were overwhelmed with grief.

Verse 4 (1.44.4)

ततस्तु ते तद्गृहमग्निना वृतं । प्रदीप्यमानं विषजेन भोगिनः । भयात्परित्यज्य दिशः प्रपेदिरे । पपात तच्चाशनिताडितं यथा ॥

tatastu te tadgṛhamagninā vṛtaṃ | pradīpyamānaṃ viṣajena bhoginaḥ | bhayātparityajya diśaḥ prapedire | papāta taccāśanitāḍitaṃ yathā

Then, as the house blazed, wrapped in fire born of the serpent's venom, they abandoned it in fear and fled in every direction; and it fell as though struck by lightning.

Verse 5 (1.44.5)

ततो नृपे तक्षकतेजसाहते । प्रयुज्य सर्वाः परलोकसत्क्रियाः । शुचिर्द्विजो राजपुरोहितस्तदा । तथैव ते तस्य नृपस्य मन्त्रिणः ॥

tato nṛpe takṣakatejasāhate | prayujya sarvāḥ paralokasatkriyāḥ | śucirdvijo rājapurohitastadā | tathaiva te tasya nṛpasya mantriṇaḥ

When the king had been struck down by Takshaka's fiery power, the royal priest, a pure brahmin, and likewise the king's ministers performed all the rites for the world beyond;

Note on the text: Corrected शुचिर्दिजो → शुचिर्द्विजो (misprint in Wikisource; broken conjunct, द for द्व).

Verse 6 (1.44.6)

नृपं शिशुं तस्य सुतं प्रचक्रिरे । समेत्य सर्वे पुरवासिनो जनाः । नृपं यमाहुस्तममित्रघातिनं । कुरुप्रवीरं जनमेजयं जनाः ॥

nṛpaṃ śiśuṃ tasya sutaṃ pracakrire | sametya sarve puravāsino janāḥ | nṛpaṃ yamāhustamamitraghātinaṃ | kurupravīraṃ janamejayaṃ janāḥ

and all the people of the city, gathering together, made his young son king—the slayer of foes, the Kuru hero whom people call Janamejaya.

Verse 7 (1.44.7)

स बाल एवार्यमतिर्नृपोत्तमः । सहैव तैर्मन्त्रिपुरोहितैस्तदा । शशास राज्यं कुरुपुंगवाग्रजो । यथाऽस्य वीरः प्रपितामहस्तथा ॥

sa bāla evāryamatirnṛpottamaḥ | sahaiva tairmantripurohitaistadā | śaśāsa rājyaṃ kurupuṃgavāgrajo | yathā'sya vīraḥ prapitāmahastathā

Though only a boy, that best of kings, noble in mind, foremost of the Kuru heroes, ruled the kingdom together with those ministers and priests, just as his heroic great-grandfather had done.

Verse 8 (1.44.8)

ततस्तु राजानममित्रतापनं । समीक्ष्य ते तस्य नृपस्य मन्त्रिणः । सुवर्णवर्माणमुपेत्य काशिपं । वपुष्टमार्थं वरयांप्रचक्रमुः ॥

tatastu rājānamamitratāpanaṃ | samīkṣya te tasya nṛpasya mantriṇaḥ | suvarṇavarmāṇamupetya kāśipaṃ | vapuṣṭamārthaṃ varayāṃpracakramuḥ

Then, having considered the matter, the ministers of that king, the scorcher of foes, approached Suvarnavarman, lord of Kashi, and asked for Vapushtama as his bride.

Note on the text: Corrected काशिप → काशिपं (misprint in Wikisource; dropped anusvara, the accusative is needed, as in the critical edition).

Verse 9 (1.44.9)

ततः स राजा प्रददौ वपुष्टमां । कुरुप्रवीराय परीक्ष्य धर्मतः । स चापि तां प्राप्य मुदा युतोऽभवन् । न चान्यनारीषु मनो दधे क्वचित् ॥

tataḥ sa rājā pradadau vapuṣṭamāṃ | kurupravīrāya parīkṣya dharmataḥ | sa cāpi tāṃ prāpya mudā yuto'bhavan | na cānyanārīṣu mano dadhe kvacit

After examining him in accordance with dharma, that king gave Vapushtama to the Kuru hero; and he, having won her, was filled with joy and never set his heart on any other woman.

Note on the text: Wrote out the sandhi split across the line break (युतोऽभव- । न्न → युतोऽभवन् । न), as the critical edition prints it; the text is unchanged.

Verse 10 (1.44.10)

सरःसु फुल्लेषु वनेषु चैव ह । प्रसन्नचेता विजहार वीर्यवान् । तथा स राजन्यवरो विजह्रिवान् । यथोर्वशीं प्राप्य पुरा पुरूरवाः ॥

saraḥsu phulleṣu vaneṣu caiva ha | prasannacetā vijahāra vīryavān | tathā sa rājanyavaro vijahrivān | yathorvaśīṃ prāpya purā purūravāḥ

Glad at heart, the mighty king took his pleasure by lakes and in flowering woods; that best of princes delighted in her as Pururavas once did when he had won Urvashi.

Note on the text: Corrected वनेषु चैव → वनेषु चैव ह (misprint in Wikisource; a dropped akshara leaves the first line one syllable short of the metre, the critical edition reads caiva ha).

Verse 11 (1.44.11)

वपुष्टमा चापि वरं पतिव्रता । प्रतीतरूपा समवाप्य भूपतिम् । भावेन रामा रमयांबभूव तं । विहारकालेष्ववरोधसुन्दरी ॥

vapuṣṭamā cāpi varaṃ pativratā | pratītarūpā samavāpya bhūpatim | bhāvena rāmā ramayāṃbabhūva taṃ | vihārakāleṣvavarodhasundarī

And Vapushtama, a devoted wife of renowned beauty, the loveliest of the inner palace, having won that excellent lord of the earth, delighted him with her love in their hours of pleasure.