The Birth of Astika

Verse 1 (1.48.1)

गतमात्रं तु भर्तारं जरत्कारुरवेदयत् । भ्रातुः सकाशमागत्य यथातथ्यं तपोधन ॥

gatamātraṃ tu bhartāraṃ jaratkāruravedayat | bhrātuḥ sakāśamāgatya yathātathyaṃ tapodhana

As soon as her husband had gone, Jaratkaru went to her brother and told him, rich in austerity, exactly what had happened.

Verse 2 (1.48.2)

ततः स भुजगश्रेष्ठः श्रुत्वा सुमहदप्रियम् । उवाच भगिनीं दीनां तदा दीनतरः स्वयम् ॥

tataḥ sa bhujagaśreṣṭhaḥ śrutvā sumahadapriyam | uvāca bhaginīṃ dīnāṃ tadā dīnataraḥ svayam

Then, hearing this most unwelcome news, that best of serpents, more downcast still himself, spoke to his downcast sister:

Verse 3 (1.48.3)

जानासि भद्रे यत्कार्यं प्रदाने कारणं च यत् । पन्नगानां हितार्थाय पुत्रस्ते स्यात्ततो यदि ॥

jānāsi bhadre yatkāryaṃ pradāne kāraṇaṃ ca yat | pannagānāṃ hitārthāya putraste syāttato yadi

"You know, good sister, what has to be done, and why you were given in marriage: for the good of the serpents. If a son is born to you of him,

Verse 4 (1.48.4)

स सर्पसत्रात्किल नो मोक्षयिष्यति वीर्यवान् । एवं पितामहः पूर्वमुक्तवांस्तु सुरैः सह ॥

sa sarpasatrātkila no mokṣayiṣyati vīryavān | evaṃ pitāmahaḥ pūrvamuktavāṃstu suraiḥ saha

that mighty one, it is said, will free us from the snake sacrifice. So the Grandsire declared long ago, in the presence of the gods.

Verse 5 (1.48.5)

अप्यस्ति गर्भः सुभगे तस्मात्ते मुनिसत्तमात् । न चेच्छाम्यफलं तस्य दारकर्म मनीषिणः ॥

apyasti garbhaḥ subhage tasmātte munisattamāt | na cecchāmyaphalaṃ tasya dārakarma manīṣiṇaḥ

Is there a child in you, fortunate one, from that best of sages? I would not want that wise man’s marriage to bear no fruit.

Verse 6 (1.48.6)

कामं च मम न न्याय्यं प्रष्टुं त्वां कार्यमीदृशम् । किंतु कार्यगरीयस्त्वात्ततस्त्वाऽहमचूचुदम् ॥

kāmaṃ ca mama na nyāyyaṃ praṣṭuṃ tvāṃ kāryamīdṛśam | kiṃtu kāryagarīyastvāttatastvā'hamacūcudam

It is hardly proper for me to ask you about such a matter; but because the matter weighs so heavily, I have pressed you.

Verse 7 (1.48.7)

दुर्वार्यतां विदित्वा च भर्तुस्तेऽतितपस्विनः । नैनमन्वागमिष्यामि कदाचिद्धि शपेत्स माम् ॥

durvāryatāṃ viditvā ca bhartuste'titapasvinaḥ | nainamanvāgamiṣyāmi kadāciddhi śapetsa mām

Knowing how hard your husband, that great ascetic, is to restrain, I will not follow after him, for he might curse me.

Verse 8 (1.48.8)

आचक्ष्व भद्रे भर्तुः स्वं सर्वमेव विचेष्टितम् । उद्धरस्व च शल्यं मे घोरं हृदि चिरस्थितम् ॥

ācakṣva bhadre bhartuḥ svaṃ sarvameva viceṣṭitam | uddharasva ca śalyaṃ me ghoraṃ hṛdi cirasthitam

Tell me, good sister, everything your husband did, and draw out the dreadful thorn that has long been lodged in my heart."

Verse 9 (1.48.9)

जरत्कारुस्ततो वाक्यमित्युक्ता प्रत्यभाषत । आश्वासयन्ती सन्तप्तं वासुकिं पन्नगेश्वरम् ॥

jaratkārustato vākyamityuktā pratyabhāṣata | āśvāsayantī santaptaṃ vāsukiṃ pannageśvaram

Thus addressed, Jaratkaru answered him, comforting Vasuki, lord of the serpents, who was sorely troubled:

Verse 10 (1.48.10)

पृष्टो मयाऽपत्यहेतोः स महात्मा महातपाः । अस्तीत्युत्तरमुद्दिश्य ममेदं गतवांश्च सः ॥

pṛṣṭo mayā'patyahetoḥ sa mahātmā mahātapāḥ | astītyuttaramuddiśya mamedaṃ gatavāṃśca saḥ

"I asked that great-souled ascetic about offspring. He gave me ‘There is’ for his answer, and with that he went away.

Verse 11 (1.48.11)

स्वैरेष्वपि न तेनाहं स्मरामि वितथं वचः । उक्तपूर्वं कुतो राजन्सांपराये स वक्ष्यति ॥

svaireṣvapi na tenāhaṃ smarāmi vitathaṃ vacaḥ | uktapūrvaṃ kuto rājansāṃparāye sa vakṣyati

I do not recall his ever having spoken an untrue word, even in jest; why, O king, would he speak one at so grave a moment?

Verse 12 (1.48.12)

न संतापस्त्वया कार्यः कार्यं प्रति भुजंगमे । उत्पत्स्यति च ते पुत्रो ज्वलनार्कसमप्रभः ॥

na saṃtāpastvayā kāryaḥ kāryaṃ prati bhujaṃgame | utpatsyati ca te putro jvalanārkasamaprabhaḥ

‘You must not grieve over this matter, serpent woman,’ he said; ‘a son will be born to you, radiant as fire and the sun.’

Verse 13 (1.48.13)

इत्युक्त्वा स हि मां भ्रातर्गतो भर्ता तपोधनः । तस्माद्व्येतु परं दुःखं तवेदं मनसि स्थितम् ॥

ityuktvā sa hi māṃ bhrātargato bhartā tapodhanaḥ | tasmādvyetu paraṃ duḥkhaṃ tavedaṃ manasi sthitam

Having said this to me, brother, my husband, rich in austerity, went away. So let this deep sorrow that sits in your mind be gone."

Verse 14 (1.48.14)

एतच्छ्रुत्वा स नागेन्द्रो वासुकिः परया मुदा । एवमस्त्विति तद्वाक्यं भगिन्याः प्रत्यगृह्णत ॥

etacchrutvā sa nāgendro vāsukiḥ parayā mudā | evamastviti tadvākyaṃ bhaginyāḥ pratyagṛhṇata

Hearing this, Vasuki, lord of the Nagas, accepted his sister’s words with great joy, saying, "So be it."

Verse 15 (1.48.15)

सान्त्वमानार्थदानैश्च पूजया चारुरूपया । सोदर्यां पूजयामास स्वसारं पन्नगोत्तमः ॥

sāntvamānārthadānaiśca pūjayā cārurūpayā | sodaryāṃ pūjayāmāsa svasāraṃ pannagottamaḥ

With kind words, honour and gifts of wealth, and with graceful attentions, the best of serpents honoured his sister, born of the same mother.

Verse 16 (1.48.16)

ततः प्रववृधे गर्भो महातेजा महाप्रभः । यथा सोमो द्विजश्रेष्ठ शुक्लपक्षोदितो दिवि ॥

tataḥ pravavṛdhe garbho mahātejā mahāprabhaḥ | yathā somo dvijaśreṣṭha śuklapakṣodito divi

Then the child in the womb grew, of great splendour and great radiance, best of brahmins, like the moon risen in the sky in the bright fortnight.

Note on the text: Corrected मोमो → सोमो (misprint in Wikisource; the moon, somaḥ, as the critical edition reads).

Verse 17 (1.48.17)

अथ काले तु सा ब्रह्मन्प्रजज्ञे भुजगस्वसा । कुमारं देवगर्भाभं पितृमातृभयापहम् ॥

atha kāle tu sā brahmanprajajñe bhujagasvasā | kumāraṃ devagarbhābhaṃ pitṛmātṛbhayāpaham

Then in due time, brahmin, the serpent’s sister gave birth to a boy who shone like a child of the gods and who would take away the fears of his father’s and his mother’s kin.

Verse 18 (1.48.18)

ववृधे स तु तत्रैव नागराजनिवेशने । वेदांश्चाधिजगे साङ्गान्भार्गवच्यवनात्मजात् ॥

vavṛdhe sa tu tatraiva nāgarājaniveśane | vedāṃścādhijage sāṅgānbhārgavacyavanātmajāt

He grew up right there in the palace of the serpent king, and learned the Vedas with their auxiliary sciences from the son of Chyavana of Bhrigu’s line.

Verse 19 (1.48.19)

चीर्णव्रतो बाल एव बुद्धिसत्त्वगुणान्वितः । नाम चास्याभवत्ख्यातं लोकेष्वास्तीक इत्युत ॥

cīrṇavrato bāla eva buddhisattvaguṇānvitaḥ | nāma cāsyābhavatkhyātaṃ lokeṣvāstīka ityuta

Though still a boy, he had fulfilled his vows, and was endowed with intelligence, strength of spirit and virtue; and his name became famous in the worlds as Astika.

Verse 20 (1.48.20)

अस्तीत्युक्त्वा गतो यस्मात्पिता गर्भस्थमेव तम् । वनं तस्मादिदं तस्य नामास्तीकेति विश्रुतम् ॥

astītyuktvā gato yasmātpitā garbhasthameva tam | vanaṃ tasmādidaṃ tasya nāmāstīketi viśrutam

Because his father had gone away to the forest saying "There is" while the boy was still in the womb, he became known by the name Astika.

Verse 21 (1.48.21)

स बाल एव तत्रस्थश्चरन्नमितबुद्धिमान् । गृहे पन्नगराजस्य प्रयत्नात्परिरक्षितः ॥

sa bāla eva tatrasthaścarannamitabuddhimān | gṛhe pannagarājasya prayatnātparirakṣitaḥ

Still a boy, he lived there, a child of boundless intelligence, carefully guarded in the house of the serpent king.

Verse 22 (1.48.22)

भगवानिव देवेशः शूलपाणिर्हिरण्मयः । विवर्धमानः सर्वांस्तान्पन्नगानभ्यहर्षयत् ॥

bhagavāniva deveśaḥ śūlapāṇirhiraṇmayaḥ | vivardhamānaḥ sarvāṃstānpannagānabhyaharṣayat

Like the blessed lord of the gods who bears the trident, golden in hue, he grew, and gladdened all those serpents.