Nriga in the Well

Verse 1 (13.105.1)

अत्रैव कीर्त्यते सद्भिर्ब्राह्मणस्वाभिमर्शने । नृगेण सुमहत्कृच्छ्रं यदवाप्तं कुरूद्वह ॥

atraiva kīrtyate sadbhirbrāhmaṇasvābhimarśane | nṛgeṇa sumahatkṛcchraṃ yadavāptaṃ kurūdvaha

On this very point the good tell of the great hardship that Nriga suffered for laying hands on a Brahmin's property, O bull of the Kurus.

Note on the text: Corrected कृच्छ्रुं → कृच्छ्रं (misprint in Wikisource; short ु for the anusvara; CE 'kṛcchraṃ').

Verse 2 (13.105.2)

निविशन्त्यां पुरा पार्थ द्वारवत्यामिति श्रुतिः । अदृश्यत महाकूपस्तृणवीरुत्समावृतः ॥

niviśantyāṃ purā pārtha dvāravatyāmiti śrutiḥ | adṛśyata mahākūpastṛṇavīrutsamāvṛtaḥ

Long ago, O Partha, when Dvaravati was being settled, so the tradition runs, a great well was seen, overgrown with grass and creepers.

Verse 3 (13.105.3)

प्रयत्नं तत्र कुर्वाणास्तस्मात्कूपाज्जलार्थिनः । श्रमेण महता युक्तास्तस्मिंस्तोये सुसंवृते ॥

prayatnaṃ tatra kurvāṇāstasmātkūpājjalārthinaḥ | śrameṇa mahatā yuktāstasmiṃstoye susaṃvṛte

Wishing for water, the people there laboured hard at that well, worn out with toil, for its water lay hidden from view.

Verse 4 (13.105.4)

ददृशुस्ते महाकायं कृकलासमवस्थितम् । तस्य चोद्धरणे यत्नमकुर्वंस्ते सहस्रशः ॥

dadṛśuste mahākāyaṃ kṛkalāsamavasthitam | tasya coddharaṇe yatnamakurvaṃste sahasraśaḥ

They saw a huge lizard lying in it, and thousands of them tried to lift it out.

Verse 5 (13.105.5)

प्रग्रहैश्चर्मपट्टैश्च तं बद्ध्वा पर्वतोपमम् । नाशक्नुवन्समुद्धर्तुं ततो जग्मुर्जनार्दनम् ॥

pragrahaiścarmapaṭṭaiśca taṃ baddhvā parvatopamam | nāśaknuvansamuddhartuṃ tato jagmurjanārdanam

They bound that mountain-like creature with ropes and leather straps, but could not lift it out; so they went to Janardana.

Verse 6 (13.105.6)

खमावृत्योदपानस्य कृकलासः स्थितो महान् । तस्य नास्ति समुद्धर्तेत्येतत्कृष्णे न्यवेदयन् ॥

khamāvṛtyodapānasya kṛkalāsaḥ sthito mahān | tasya nāsti samuddhartetyetatkṛṣṇe nyavedayan

They reported to Krishna: "A great lizard lies filling the mouth of the well, and there is no one who can lift it out."

Verse 7 (13.105.7)

स वासुदेवेन समुद्धृतश्च । पृष्टश्च कामान्निजगाद राजा । नृगस्तदाऽऽत्मानमथो न्यवेदय- । त्पुरातनं यज्ञसहस्रयाजिनम् ॥

sa vāsudevena samuddhṛtaśca | pṛṣṭaśca kāmānnijagāda rājā | nṛgastadā''tmānamatho nyavedaya- | tpurātanaṃ yajñasahasrayājinam

Raised up by Vasudeva and questioned, the king spoke as he wished; Nriga then made himself known, one who in former times had performed a thousand sacrifices.

Verse 8 (13.105.8)

तथा ब्रुवाणं तु तमाह माधवः । शुभं त्वया कर्म कृतं न पापकम् । कथं भवान्दुर्गतिमीदृशीं गतो । नरेन्द्र तद्ब्रूहि किमेतदीदृशम् ॥

tathā bruvāṇaṃ tu tamāha mādhavaḥ | śubhaṃ tvayā karma kṛtaṃ na pāpakam | kathaṃ bhavāndurgatimīdṛśīṃ gato | narendra tadbrūhi kimetadīdṛśam

As he spoke thus, Madhava said to him: "You did good deeds and no evil. How, O lord of men, have you come to such a wretched state? Tell me what this is."

Verse 9 (13.105.9)

शतं सहस्राणि गवां शतं पुनः । पुनः शतान्यष्टशतायुतानि । त्वया पुरा दत्तमितीह शुश्रुम । नृप द्विजेभ्यः क्व नु तद्गतं तव ॥

śataṃ sahasrāṇi gavāṃ śataṃ punaḥ | punaḥ śatānyaṣṭaśatāyutāni | tvayā purā dattamitīha śuśruma | nṛpa dvijebhyaḥ kva nu tadgataṃ tava

"We have heard that long ago you gave to Brahmins a hundred thousand cows, then a hundred more, and again hundreds, eight hundreds and tens of thousands, O king. Where has all that gone?"

Note on the text: Restored from the critical edition (13.69.9c): Wikisource prints the verse as three lines, lacking the first half of the last couplet. The lost quarter त्वया पुरा दत्तमितीह शुश्रुम ('we have heard that you gave it long ago') is restored in the CE's words. Krishna's speech fills the whole verse, and the page prints no heading, so it is given to Vasudeva (the input carried Bhishma).

Verse 10 (13.105.10)

नृगस्ततोऽब्रवीत्कृष्णं ब्राह्मणस्याग्निहोत्रिणः । प्रोषितस्य परिभ्रष्टा गौरेका मम गोधने ॥

nṛgastato'bravītkṛṣṇaṃ brāhmaṇasyāgnihotriṇaḥ | proṣitasya paribhraṣṭā gaurekā mama godhane

Then Nriga said to Krishna: "One cow belonging to a Brahmin who kept the sacred fire, and who was away from home, strayed into my herd."

Note on the text: Mixed verse: line 1 narration, then Nriga's words; kept with Bhishma, the narrator.

Verse 11 (13.105.11)

गवां सहस्रे संख्याता तदा सा पशुपैर्मम । सा ब्राह्मणाय मे दत्ता प्रेत्यार्थमभिकाङ्क्षता ॥

gavāṃ sahasre saṃkhyātā tadā sā paśupairmama | sā brāhmaṇāya me dattā pretyārthamabhikāṅkṣatā

"My herdsmen counted her among a thousand cows of mine, and I gave her to a Brahmin, wishing for merit in the next world."

Note on the text: Nriga's own words fill the whole verse and the page prints no heading, so it is given to Nriga (the input carried Bhishma).

Verse 12 (13.105.12)

अपश्यत्परिमार्गंश्च तां गां परगृहे द्विजः । ममेयमिति चोवाच ब्राह्मणो यस्य साऽभवत् ॥

apaśyatparimārgaṃśca tāṃ gāṃ paragṛhe dvijaḥ | mameyamiti covāca brāhmaṇo yasya sā'bhavat

"The Brahmin to whom she had belonged, searching about, found that cow in another man's house and said, 'She is mine.'"

Note on the text: Nriga's own words; the page prints no heading (the input carried Bhishma).

Verse 13 (13.105.13)

तावुभौ समनुप्राप्तौ विवदन्तौ भृशज्वरौ । भवान्दाता भवान्हर्तेत्यथ तौ मामवोचताम् ॥

tāvubhau samanuprāptau vivadantau bhṛśajvarau | bhavāndātā bhavānhartetyatha tau māmavocatām

"The two came to me, quarrelling and burning with anger. One said, 'You are the giver,' and the other, 'You are the one who took her away.'"

Note on the text: Nriga's own words; the page prints no heading (the input carried Bhishma).

Verse 14 (13.105.14)

शतेन शतसङ्ख्येन गवां विनिमयेन वै । याचे प्रतिग्रहीतारं स तु मामब्रवीदिदम् ॥

śatena śatasaṅkhyena gavāṃ vinimayena vai | yāce pratigrahītāraṃ sa tu māmabravīdidam

"I begged the one who had received her to take in exchange a full hundred cows, but he said this to me:"

Note on the text: Nriga's own words; the page prints no heading (the input carried Bhishma).

Verse 15 (13.105.15)

देशकालोपसम्पन्ना दोग्ध्री शान्ताऽतिवत्सला । स्वादुक्षीरप्रदा धन्या मम नित्यं निवेशने ॥

deśakālopasampannā dogdhrī śāntā'tivatsalā | svādukṣīrapradā dhanyā mama nityaṃ niveśane

"'That cow is a good milker, gentle, very fond of her calf, a giver of sweet milk, a blessed one, always in my house, suited to place and time.'"

Note on the text: Nriga's own words, reporting the first Brahmin's speech (no printed heading; the input carried Bhishma).

Verse 16 (13.105.16)

कृशं च भरते सा गौर्मम पुत्रमपस्तनम् । न सा शक्या मया दातुमित्युक्त्वा स जगाम ह ॥

kṛśaṃ ca bharate sā gaurmama putramapastanam | na sā śakyā mayā dātumityuktvā sa jagāma ha

"'She feeds my weak son, who has no mother's breast to nurse from. I cannot give her up,' he said, and went away."

Note on the text: Nriga's own words; the page prints no heading (the input carried Bhishma). Line 2 differs from CE 13.69.16c (na sā śakyā mayā hātum): the page reads दातुम्; kept, the sense is the same.

Verse 17 (13.105.17)

ततस्तमपरं विप्रं याचे विनिमयेन वै । गवां शतसहस्रं हि तत्कृते गृह्यतामिति ॥

tatastamaparaṃ vipraṃ yāce vinimayena vai | gavāṃ śatasahasraṃ hi tatkṛte gṛhyatāmiti

"Then I begged the other Brahmin, offering an exchange: 'Take a hundred thousand cows in her place.'"

Note on the text: Nriga's own words; the page prints no heading (the input carried Bhishma).

Verse 18 (13.105.18)

न राज्ञां प्रतिगृह्णामि शक्तोऽहं स्वस्य मार्गणे । सैव गौर्दीयतां शीघ्रं ममेति मधुसूदन ॥

na rājñāṃ pratigṛhṇāmi śakto'haṃ svasya mārgaṇe | saiva gaurdīyatāṃ śīghraṃ mameti madhusūdana

"I do not accept gifts from kings. I am able to search out what is my own. Let that very cow be given to me at once, O Madhusudana."

Verse 19 (13.105.19)

रुक्ममश्वांश्च ददतो रजतस्यन्दनांस्तथा । न जग्राह ययौ चापि तदा स ब्राह्मणर्षभः ॥

rukmamaśvāṃśca dadato rajatasyandanāṃstathā | na jagrāha yayau cāpi tadā sa brāhmaṇarṣabhaḥ

"Though I offered gold, horses and silver chariots, that best of Brahmins took none of it and went away."

Note on the text: Nriga's own narration; the page's heading for the Brahmin covers only verse 18 (the input carried the Brahmin through verse 33).

Verse 20 (13.105.20)

एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु चोदितः कालधर्मणा । पितृलोकमहं प्राप्य धर्मराजमुपागमम् ॥

etasminneva kāle tu coditaḥ kāladharmaṇā | pitṛlokamahaṃ prāpya dharmarājamupāgamam

"At that very time I was seized by the law of time, and going to the world of the ancestors I came before Yama, the king of dharma."

Note on the text: Nriga's narration (the input carried the Brahmin).

Verse 21 (13.105.21)

यमस्तु पूजयित्वा मां ततो वचनमब्रवीत् । नान्तः सङ्ख्यायते राजंस्तव पुण्यस्य कर्मणः ॥

yamastu pūjayitvā māṃ tato vacanamabravīt | nāntaḥ saṅkhyāyate rājaṃstava puṇyasya karmaṇaḥ

"Yama honoured me and then said: 'There is no counting the end of your meritorious deeds, O king.'"

Note on the text: Mixed verse: line 1 narration, line 2 begins Yama's words; kept with Nriga, the narrator (the input carried the Brahmin).

Verse 22 (13.105.22)

अस्ति चैव कृतं पापमज्ञानात्तदपि त्वया । चरस्व पापं पश्चाद्वा पूर्वं वा त्वं यथेच्छसि ॥

asti caiva kṛtaṃ pāpamajñānāttadapi tvayā | carasva pāpaṃ paścādvā pūrvaṃ vā tvaṃ yathecchasi

"'But a sin was also committed by you, through ignorance. Pay for it afterwards or first, as you wish.'"

Note on the text: Yama's own words fill the whole verse; the page prints no heading (the input carried the Brahmin).

Verse 23 (13.105.23)

रक्षितास्मीति चोक्तं ते प्रतिज्ञा चानृता तव । ब्राह्मणस्वस्य चादानं द्विविधस्ते व्यतिक्रमः ॥

rakṣitāsmīti coktaṃ te pratijñā cānṛtā tava | brāhmaṇasvasya cādānaṃ dvividhaste vyatikramaḥ

"'It was said, "She is safe," and your pledge proved false; and you took a Brahmin's property: your offence is twofold.'"

Note on the text: Yama's own words fill the whole verse; the page prints no heading (the input carried the Brahmin). Line 2 reads द्विविधः where the apparatus (थ, ध) has त्रिविधः; the base reading is kept.

Verse 24 (13.105.24)

पूर्वं कृच्छं चरिष्येऽहं पश्चाच्छुभमिति प्रभो । धर्मराजं ब्रुवन्नेवं पतितोऽस्मि महीतले ॥

pūrvaṃ kṛcchaṃ cariṣye'haṃ paścācchubhamiti prabho | dharmarājaṃ bruvannevaṃ patito'smi mahītale

"'I shall first do the penance and afterwards enjoy the good,' I told Dharmaraja, my lord, and as I spoke I fell to the ground."

Note on the text: Corrected पतितोस्मि → पतितोऽस्मि (misprint in Wikisource; missing avagraha; CE 'patito ’smi'). Nriga's narration (the input carried the Brahmin).

Verse 25 (13.105.25)

अश्रौषं पतितश्चाहं यमस्योच्चैः प्रभाषतः । वासुदेवः समुद्धर्ता भविता ते जनार्दनः ॥

aśrauṣaṃ patitaścāhaṃ yamasyoccaiḥ prabhāṣataḥ | vāsudevaḥ samuddhartā bhavitā te janārdanaḥ

"And as I fell I heard Yama say loudly: 'Vasudeva, Janardana, will be your rescuer.'"

Note on the text: Mixed verse: line 1 Nriga's narration, line 2 Yama's words; kept with Nriga (the input carried the Brahmin).

Verse 26 (13.105.26)

पूर्णे वर्षसहस्रान्ते क्षीणे कर्मणि दुष्कृते । प्राप्स्यसे शाश्वताँल्लोकाञ्जितान्स्वेनैव कर्मणा ॥

pūrṇe varṣasahasrānte kṣīṇe karmaṇi duṣkṛte | prāpsyase śāśvatām̐llokāñjitānsvenaiva karmaṇā

"'When a thousand years are complete and your evil deed is exhausted, you will reach the eternal worlds, won by your own deeds.'"

Note on the text: Corrected प्राप्लस्यसे → प्राप्स्यसे (misprint in Wikisource; a stray ल; CE 'prāpsyase'). Yama's own words continue through the whole verse; the page prints no heading (the input carried the Brahmin).

Verse 27 (13.105.27)

कूपेऽऽत्मानमधःशीर्षमपश्यं पतितं च ह । तिर्यग्योनिमनुप्राप्तं न च मामजहात्स्मृतिः ॥

kūpe''tmānamadhaḥśīrṣamapaśyaṃ patitaṃ ca ha | tiryagyonimanuprāptaṃ na ca māmajahātsmṛtiḥ

"I saw myself fallen in the well head downward, born into an animal womb, yet my memory did not leave me."

Note on the text: Nriga's narration (the input carried the Brahmin).

Verse 28 (13.105.28)

त्वया तु तारितोऽस्म्यद्य किमन्यत्र तपोबलात् । अनुजानीहि मां कृष्ण गच्छेयं दिवमद्य वै ॥

tvayā tu tārito'smyadya kimanyatra tapobalāt | anujānīhi māṃ kṛṣṇa gaccheyaṃ divamadya vai

"Today I have been delivered by you; what else could do it but the power of austerity? Give me leave, Krishna; let me go to heaven today."

Note on the text: Nriga's own words, spoken to Krishna (the input carried the Brahmin).

Verse 29 (13.105.29)

अनुज्ञातः स कृष्णेन नमस्कृत्य जनार्दनम् । विमानं दिव्यमास्थाय ययौ दिवमरिन्दमः ॥

anujñātaḥ sa kṛṣṇena namaskṛtya janārdanam | vimānaṃ divyamāsthāya yayau divamarindamaḥ

Permitted by Krishna, that subduer of foes bowed to Janardana, boarded a divine aerial car and went to heaven.

Note on the text: Bhishma's narration resumes (the input carried the Brahmin).

Verse 30 (13.105.30)

ततस्तस्मिन्दिवं याते नृगे भरतसत्तम । वासुदेव इमाञ्श्लोकाञ्जगाद कुरुनन्दन ॥

tatastasmindivaṃ yāte nṛge bharatasattama | vāsudeva imāñślokāñjagāda kurunandana

Then, when Nriga had gone to heaven, O best of the Bharatas, Vasudeva spoke these verses, O joy of the Kurus:

Note on the text: Bhishma's narration (the input carried the Brahmin).

Verse 31 (13.105.31)

ब्राह्मणस्वं न हर्तव्यं पुरुषेण विजानता । ब्राह्मणस्वं हृतं हन्ति नृगं ब्राह्मणगौरिव ॥

brāhmaṇasvaṃ na hartavyaṃ puruṣeṇa vijānatā | brāhmaṇasvaṃ hṛtaṃ hanti nṛgaṃ brāhmaṇagauriva

A man who knows better should never take a Brahmin's property; a Brahmin's property, once seized, destroys, as the Brahmin's cow destroyed Nriga.

Note on the text: The verse Vasudeva is said to have spoken (the introduction uses the plural, इमाञ्श्लोकान्; the CE has the singular, 'imaṃ ślokam'). The page prints no heading (the input carried the Brahmin). Verses 32 and 33 address Yudhishthira as Partha and by name and are kept with Bhishma.

Verse 32 (13.105.32)

सतां समागमः सद्भिर्नाफलः पार्थ विद्यते । विमुक्तं नरकात्पश्य नृगं साधुसमागमात् ॥

satāṃ samāgamaḥ sadbhirnāphalaḥ pārtha vidyate | vimuktaṃ narakātpaśya nṛgaṃ sādhusamāgamāt

The meeting of good people with the good is never fruitless, O Partha. See how Nriga was freed from hell through meeting good men.

Note on the text: Bhishma's own conclusion, addressed to Yudhishthira (as Partha); the input carried the Brahmin.

Verse 33 (13.105.33)

प्रदानं फलवत्तत्र द्रोहस्तत्र तथाऽफलः । अपहारं गवां तस्माद्वर्जयेत युधिष्ठिर ॥

pradānaṃ phalavattatra drohastatra tathā'phalaḥ | apahāraṃ gavāṃ tasmādvarjayeta yudhiṣṭhira

Giving there bears fruit, but wronging the owner is as barren. Therefore, Yudhishthira, one should shun the taking away of cows.

Note on the text: Bhishma's own conclusion, addressed to Yudhishthira by name; the input carried the Brahmin.