The Quarter of the North Sends Ashtavakra Home

Verse 1 (13.52.1)

न बिभेति कथं सा स्त्री शापाच्च परमद्युते । कथं निवृत्तो भगवांस्तद्भवान्प्रब्रवीतु मे ॥

na bibheti kathaṃ sā strī śāpācca paramadyute | kathaṃ nivṛtto bhagavāṃstadbhavānprabravītu me

Why was that woman not afraid of a curse, O supremely radiant one, and how did the revered sage turn back? Please tell me this.

Verse 2 (13.52.2)

अष्टावक्रोऽन्वपृच्छत्तां रूपं विकुरुषे कथम् । न चानृतं ते वक्तव्यं ब्रूहि ब्राह्मणकाम्यया ॥

aṣṭāvakro'nvapṛcchattāṃ rūpaṃ vikuruṣe katham | na cānṛtaṃ te vaktavyaṃ brūhi brāhmaṇakāmyayā

Ashtavakra asked her, "How is it that you change your form? You must not tell me anything false; tell me, out of regard for a brahmin."

Verse 3 (13.52.3)

द्यावापृथिव्योर्यत्रैषा काम्या ब्राह्मणसत्तम । शृणुष्वावहितः सर्वं यदिदं सत्यविक्रम ॥

dyāvāpṛthivyoryatraiṣā kāmyā brāhmaṇasattama | śṛṇuṣvāvahitaḥ sarvaṃ yadidaṃ satyavikrama

"O best of brahmins, this longing of mine exists wherever there are heaven and earth. Listen with full attention to all of it, O man of true valour."

Verse 4 (13.52.4)

जिज्ञासेयं प्रयुक्ता मे स्थैर्यं कर्तुं तवानघ । अव्युत्थानेन ते लोका जिताः सत्यपराक्रम ॥

jijñāseyaṃ prayuktā me sthairyaṃ kartuṃ tavānagha | avyutthānena te lokā jitāḥ satyaparākrama

"This test was put to you by me, O sinless one, to make you steady. By your not giving way, O man of true valour, you have won the worlds.

Note on the text: Wikisource recombines the half-lines of two CE verses: line 1 = CE 13.22.5a (variant reading: sthairyaṃ kartuṃ for sthirīkartuṃ); line 2 = CE 13.22.4c.

Verse 5 (13.52.5)

उत्तरां मां दिशं विद्धि दृष्टं स्त्रीचापलं च ते । स्थविराणामपि स्त्रीणां बाधते मैथुनज्वरः ॥

uttarāṃ māṃ diśaṃ viddhi dṛṣṭaṃ strīcāpalaṃ ca te | sthavirāṇāmapi strīṇāṃ bādhate maithunajvaraḥ

Know me to be the northern quarter. You have seen a woman's fickleness: the fever of desire torments even aged women."

Note on the text: Wikisource recombines the half-lines of two CE verses: line 1 = CE 13.22.4a; line 2 = CE 13.22.5c.

Verse 6 (13.52.6)

अविश्वासो न व्यसनी नातिसक्तोऽप्रवासकः । विद्वान्सुशीलः पुरुषः सदारः सुखमश्नुते ॥

aviśvāso na vyasanī nātisakto'pravāsakaḥ | vidvānsuśīlaḥ puruṣaḥ sadāraḥ sukhamaśnute

"A man who does not trust blindly, who is free of vices, who is not over-attached and does not live away from home, who is learned and of good conduct and keeps his wife beside him, enjoys happiness."

Note on the text: Removed a stray backtick, quote mark and doubled danda printed round this interpolated verse. Not in the critical edition's constituted text: CE star passage 13.22.5d*0202_01-02 (printed after 13.22.5; line 1 there reads aviśvasan na vyasanī …); vulgate-only otherwise.

Verse 7 (13.52.7)

तुष्टः पितामहस्तेऽद्य तथा देवाः सवासवाः ॥

tuṣṭaḥ pitāmahaste'dya tathā devāḥ savāsavāḥ

"Today the Grandsire is pleased with you, and so are the gods together with Indra."

Note on the text: Single line (13-52-7a only), identical to CE 13.22.6a. The CE's 6c (sa tvaṃ yena ca kāryeṇa …) is line 1 of verse 8 here.

Verse 8 (13.52.8)

स त्वं येन च कार्येण सम्प्राप्तो भगवानिह । प्रेषितस्तेन विप्रेण कन्यापित्रा द्विजर्षभः ॥

sa tvaṃ yena ca kāryeṇa samprāpto bhagavāniha | preṣitastena vipreṇa kanyāpitrā dvijarṣabhaḥ

"And you, revered sir, for whatever purpose you have come here, were sent by that brahmin, the father of the maiden, O best of the twice-born.

Note on the text: Corrected सत्वं → स त्वं (misprint in Wikisource; "sa tvam" had been run together into the unrelated word सत्त्व; CE sa tvaṃ). Line 1 = CE 13.22.6c; line 2 = CE 13.22.7a.

Verse 9 (13.52.9)

प्रेषितश्चोपदेशाय तच्च सर्वं श्रुतं त्वया ॥

preṣitaścopadeśāya tacca sarvaṃ śrutaṃ tvayā

You were sent for instruction, and all of that has been heard by you."

Note on the text: Single line (13-52-9a only); a variant of CE 13.22.7c (CE: tavopadeśaṃ kartuṃ vai tac ca sarvaṃ kṛtaṃ mayā).

Verse 10 (13.52.10)

नितान्तं स्त्री भोगपरा प्रियवादाप्रवासनात् । रक्ष्यते च कुचेलाद्यैरप्रसङ्गानुवर्तनैः ॥

nitāntaṃ strī bhogaparā priyavādāpravāsanāt | rakṣyate ca kucelādyairaprasaṅgānuvartanaiḥ

"A woman is wholly given to enjoyment; she is guarded by pleasant words, by not being sent away from home, by plain and shabby clothing and the like, and by keeping away every occasion for attachment.

Note on the text: Removed a stray backtick. Corrected चाकुचेलाद्यै° → च कुचेलाद्यै° (misprint in Wikisource; चाकुचेल reads "and by the not-ill-clad", against the sense; CE ca kucelādyair). Not in the critical edition's constituted text: CE star passage 13.22.7b*0203_01-02 (printed after 13.22.7a; line 1 there reads nikṛtiḥ strī for nitāntaṃ strī, a variant); vulgate-only otherwise.

Verse 11 (13.52.11)

अपर्वस्वनिषिद्धासु रात्रिष्वप्यनृतौ व्रजेत् । रात्रौ च नातिनियमो न वै ह्यनियमो भवेत् ॥

aparvasvaniṣiddhāsu rātriṣvapyanṛtau vrajet | rātrau ca nātiniyamo na vai hyaniyamo bhavet

On nights that are not parva nights and are not forbidden, a man may go to his wife even outside her season; but at night there should be neither too strict a rule nor no rule at all."

Note on the text: Removed a stray quote mark and a doubled danda printed before the verse-end mark. Not in the critical edition's constituted text: CE star passage 13.22.7b*0203_03-04 (printed after 13.22.7a); vulgate-only otherwise.

Verse 12 (13.52.12)

क्षेमैर्गमिष्यसि गृहं श्रमश्च न भविष्यति । कन्यां प्राप्स्यसि तां विप्र पुत्रिणी च भविष्यति ॥

kṣemairgamiṣyasi gṛhaṃ śramaśca na bhaviṣyati | kanyāṃ prāpsyasi tāṃ vipra putriṇī ca bhaviṣyati

"You will go home safely and no weariness will come to you. You will gain that maiden, O brahmin, and she will bear you sons."

Verse 13 (13.52.13)

काम्यया पृष्टवांस्त्वं मां ततो व्याहृतमुत्तरम् । अनतिक्रमणीया साकृत्स्नैर्लोकैस्त्रिभिः सदा ॥

kāmyayā pṛṣṭavāṃstvaṃ māṃ tato vyāhṛtamuttaram | anatikramaṇīyā sākṛtsnairlokaistribhiḥ sadā

"You asked me out of eagerness, and so the answer has been given. That longing can never be overcome by all the three worlds together.

Verse 14 (13.52.14)

गच्छस्व कृतकृत्यस्त्वं किं वाऽन्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छसि । यावद्ब्रवीमि विप्रर्षे अष्टावक्र यथातथम् ॥

gacchasva kṛtakṛtyastvaṃ kiṃ vā'nyacchrotumicchasi | yāvadbravīmi viprarṣe aṣṭāvakra yathātatham

Go, your purpose accomplished; or is there anything else you wish to hear? I shall tell it to you exactly as it is, O brahmin sage Ashtavakra.

Verse 15 (13.52.15)

ऋषिणा प्रसादिता चास्मि तव हेतोर्द्विजर्षभ । तस्य सम्माननार्थं मे त्वयि वाक्यं प्रभाषितम् ॥

ṛṣiṇā prasāditā cāsmi tava hetordvijarṣabha | tasya sammānanārthaṃ me tvayi vākyaṃ prabhāṣitam

I was won over by the sage for your sake, O best of the twice-born, and it was to honour him that I spoke these words to you."

Verse 16 (13.52.16)

श्रुत्वा तु वचनं तस्याः स विप्रः प्राञ्जलिः स्थितः । अनुज्ञातस्तया चापि स्वगृहं पुनराव्रजत् ॥

śrutvā tu vacanaṃ tasyāḥ sa vipraḥ prāñjaliḥ sthitaḥ | anujñātastayā cāpi svagṛhaṃ punarāvrajat

Hearing her words, that brahmin stood with folded hands; and, given leave by her, he went back again to his own house.

Verse 17 (13.52.17)

गृहमागत्य विश्रान्तः स्वजनं परिपृच्छ्य च । अभ्यागच्छच्च तं विप्रं न्यायतः कुरुनन्दन ॥

gṛhamāgatya viśrāntaḥ svajanaṃ paripṛcchya ca | abhyāgacchacca taṃ vipraṃ nyāyataḥ kurunandana

Having reached home and rested, and having asked after his kinsfolk, he went, as is proper, to that brahmin, O joy of the Kurus.

Note on the text: Variant of CE 13.22.13 (CE: gṛham āgamya viśrāntaḥ svajanaṃ pratipūjya ca / abhyagacchata taṃ vipraṃ …).

Verse 18 (13.52.18)

पृष्टश्च तेन विप्रेण दृष्टं त्वेतन्निदर्शनम् । प्राह विप्रं तदा विप्रः सुप्रीतेनान्तरात्मना ॥

pṛṣṭaśca tena vipreṇa dṛṣṭaṃ tvetannidarśanam | prāha vipraṃ tadā vipraḥ suprītenāntarātmanā

Asked by that brahmin about the marvel he had seen, the brahmin then replied to him with a heart full of joy.

Verse 19 (13.52.19)

भवताऽहमनुज्ञातः प्रास्थितो गन्धमादनम् । तस्य चोत्तरतो देशे दृष्टं मे दैवतं महत् ॥

bhavatā'hamanujñātaḥ prāsthito gandhamādanam | tasya cottarato deśe dṛṣṭaṃ me daivataṃ mahat

"With your leave I set out for Gandhamadana, and in the region to the north of it I saw a great divinity.

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: Ashtavakra's own words, unheaded on the page (the page's heading is still Bhishma's from verse 16; the CE has no heading change either). Line 1 differs slightly from CE 13.22.15 (prāsthito for prasthito); line 2 reads दृष्टं मे where the CE has दृष्टं तद्, a variant.

Verse 20 (13.52.20)

तया चाहमनुज्ञातो भवांश्चापि प्रकीर्तितः । श्रावितश्चापि तद्वाक्यं गृहं चाभ्यागतः प्रभो ॥

tayā cāhamanujñāto bhavāṃścāpi prakīrtitaḥ | śrāvitaścāpi tadvākyaṃ gṛhaṃ cābhyāgataḥ prabho

She gave me leave, and she spoke of you also; I was made to hear her message, and now I have come back to your house, my lord."

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: Ashtavakra's own words continuing, unheaded on the page (the page's heading is still Bhishma's).

Verse 21 (13.52.21)

तमुवाच तदा विप्रः सुतां प्रतिगृहाण मे । नक्षत्रतिथिसंयोगे पात्रं हि परमं भवान् ॥

tamuvāca tadā vipraḥ sutāṃ pratigṛhāṇa me | nakṣatratithisaṃyoge pātraṃ hi paramaṃ bhavān

Then the brahmin said to him, "Accept my daughter. At this conjunction of constellation and lunar day, you are the best of recipients."

Note on the text: Line 1 is a variant of CE 13.22.17a (CE: tam uvāca tato vipraḥ pratigṛhṇīṣva me sutām); line 2 = CE 13.22.17c.

Verse 22 (13.52.22)

अष्टावक्रस्तथेत्युक्त्वा प्रतिगृह्य च तां प्रभो । कन्यां परमधर्मात्मा प्रीतिमांश्चाभवत्तदा ॥

aṣṭāvakrastathetyuktvā pratigṛhya ca tāṃ prabho | kanyāṃ paramadharmātmā prītimāṃścābhavattadā

Ashtavakra said, "So be it," and accepted the maiden, O lord; supremely righteous, he was filled with joy at that time.

Verse 23 (13.52.23)

कन्यां तां प्रतिगृह्यैव भार्यां परमशोभनाम् । उवास मुदितस्तत्र स्वाश्रमे विगतज्वरः ॥

kanyāṃ tāṃ pratigṛhyaiva bhāryāṃ paramaśobhanām | uvāsa muditastatra svāśrame vigatajvaraḥ

Having accepted that maiden as his wife, supremely beautiful, he lived there in his own hermitage, glad and free of distress.

Note on the text: Corrected श्वाश्रमे → स्वाश्रमे (misprint in Wikisource; श्वा- is "dog", the sense requires "sva-āśrame", in his own hermitage; CE āśrame sve). The verse is the page's variant of CE 13.22.19.