How Did Vishvamitra Become a Brahmin?

Verse 1 (13.6.1)

ब्राह्मण्यं यदि दुष्प्राप्यं त्रिभिर्वर्णैर्नराधिप । कथं प्राप्तं महाराज क्षत्रियेण महात्मना ॥

brāhmaṇyaṃ yadi duṣprāpyaṃ tribhirvarṇairnarādhipa | kathaṃ prāptaṃ mahārāja kṣatriyeṇa mahātmanā

If brahminhood is hard for the three classes to attain, O lord of men, how then did a Kshatriya, a great soul, gain it, O great king?

Verse 2 (13.6.2)

विश्वामित्रेण धर्मात्मन्ब्राह्मणत्वं नरर्षभ । श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वेन तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह ॥

viśvāmitreṇa dharmātmanbrāhmaṇatvaṃ nararṣabha | śrotumicchāmi tattvena tanme brūhi pitāmaha

I wish to hear truly how Vishvamitra, the righteous one, best of men, obtained brahminhood. Tell me this, grandsire.

Verse 3 (13.6.3)

तेन ह्यमितवीर्येण वसिष्ठस्य महात्मनः । हतं पुत्रशतं सद्यस्तपसाऽपि पितामह ॥

tena hyamitavīryeṇa vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ | hataṃ putraśataṃ sadyastapasā'pi pitāmaha

That same hero of boundless might slew at once, even by his austerity, the hundred sons of the great-souled Vasishtha, grandsire.

Verse 4 (13.6.4)

यातुधानाश्च बहवो राक्षसास्तिग्मतेजसः । मन्युनाऽऽविष्टदेहेन सृष्टाः कालान्तकोपमाः ॥

yātudhānāśca bahavo rākṣasāstigmatejasaḥ | manyunā''viṣṭadehena sṛṣṭāḥ kālāntakopamāḥ

Many Yatudhanas, fierce Rakshasas of sharp energy, were created by him, his body possessed by wrath, like Time and Death themselves.

Verse 5 (13.6.5)

महान्कुशिकवंशश्च ब्रह्मर्षिशतसंकुलः । स्थापितो नरलोकेऽस्मिन्विद्वद्ब्राह्मणसंकुलः ॥

mahānkuśikavaṃśaśca brahmarṣiśatasaṃkulaḥ | sthāpito naraloke'sminvidvadbrāhmaṇasaṃkulaḥ

And the great Kushika line, thronged with a hundred brahmin sages, was established by him in this world of men, crowded with learned brahmins.

Verse 6 (13.6.6)

ऋचीकस्यात्मजश्चैव शुनःशेपो महातपाः । विमोक्षितो महासत्रात्पशुतामप्युपागतः ॥

ṛcīkasyātmajaścaiva śunaḥśepo mahātapāḥ | vimokṣito mahāsatrātpaśutāmapyupāgataḥ

And Shunahshepa, the son of Richika, of great austerity, who had been reduced to the state of a sacrificial victim, was freed from the great sacrifice.

Note on the text: Corrected ऋतीकस्य → ऋचीकस्य (misprint in Wikisource; the sage's name is Ṛcīka; CE ṛcīka).

Verse 7 (13.6.7)

हरिश्चन्द्रक्रतौ देवांस्तोषयित्वाऽऽत्मतेजसा । पुत्रतामनुसंप्राप्तो विश्वामित्रस्य धीमतः ॥

hariścandrakratau devāṃstoṣayitvā''tmatejasā | putratāmanusaṃprāpto viśvāmitrasya dhīmataḥ

Having pleased the gods by his own power at the sacrifice of Harishchandra, he became the son of the wise Vishvamitra.

Verse 8 (13.6.8)

नाभिवादयते ज्येष्ठं देवरातं नराधिप । पुत्राः पञ्चशतं चापि शप्ताः श्वपचतां गताः ॥

nābhivādayate jyeṣṭhaṃ devarātaṃ narādhipa | putrāḥ pañcaśataṃ cāpi śaptāḥ śvapacatāṃ gatāḥ

Because they would not pay homage to the eldest, Devarata, O lord of men, five hundred of his sons were cursed and became Shvapachas, eaters of dog's flesh.

Verse 9 (13.6.9)

त्रिशङ्कुर्बन्धुभिर्मुक्त ऐक्ष्वाकः प्रीतिपूर्वकम् । अवाक्शिरादिवं नीतो दक्षिणामाश्रितोदिशम् ॥

triśaṅkurbandhubhirmukta aikṣvākaḥ prītipūrvakam | avākśirādivaṃ nīto dakṣiṇāmāśritodiśam

Trishanku, the Ikshvaku, abandoned by his kinsmen, was lovingly carried by him up to heaven, head downward, and took his stand in the southern quarter.

Verse 10 (13.6.10)

विश्वामित्रस्य भगिनी नदी देवर्षिसेविता । कौशिकीति कृता पुण्या ब्रह्मर्षिसुरसेविता ॥

viśvāmitrasya bhaginī nadī devarṣisevitā | kauśikīti kṛtā puṇyā brahmarṣisurasevitā

Vishvamitra's sister, a river served by divine sages, was made sacred as the Kaushiki and was frequented by brahmin sages and gods.

Note on the text: Alignment found no match; this is the page's variant of CE 13.3.10 (viśvāmitrasya vipulā nadī rājarṣisevitā / kauśikīti śivā puṇyā brahmarṣigaṇasevitā).

Verse 11 (13.6.11)

तपोविघ्नकरी चैव पञ्चचूडा सुसंमता । रम्भा नामाप्सराः शापाद्यस्य शैलत्वमागता ॥

tapovighnakarī caiva pañcacūḍā susaṃmatā | rambhā nāmāpsarāḥ śāpādyasya śailatvamāgatā

And Rambha, the apsara of that name, the esteemed Panchachuda, who obstructed his austerity, was turned into a rock by his curse.

Verse 12 (13.6.12)

तथैवास्य भयाद्बद्ध्वा वसिष्ठः सलिले पुरा । आत्मानं मञ्जयञ्श्रीमान्विपाशः पुनरुत्थितः ॥

tathaivāsya bhayādbaddhvā vasiṣṭhaḥ salile purā | ātmānaṃ mañjayañśrīmānvipāśaḥ punarutthitaḥ

So too, long ago, in fear of him, Vasishtha bound himself and plunged into the water, and rose again freed from his bonds.

Verse 13 (13.6.13)

तदाप्रभृति पुण्या हि विपाशाऽभून्महानदी । विख्याता कर्मणा तेन वसिष्ठस्य महात्मनः ॥

tadāprabhṛti puṇyā hi vipāśā'bhūnmahānadī | vikhyātā karmaṇā tena vasiṣṭhasya mahātmanaḥ

From that time the great river became sacred as the Vipasha, renowned through that deed of the great-souled Vasishtha.

Verse 14 (13.6.14)

वश्यश्च भगवान्येन देवसेनाग्रगः प्रभुः । स्तुतः प्रीतमनाश्चासीच्छापाच्चैनममुञ्चत ॥

vaśyaśca bhagavānyena devasenāgragaḥ prabhuḥ | stutaḥ prītamanāścāsīcchāpāccainamamuñcata

He is the one by whom the Lord who leads the host of the gods was brought under his sway, and who, being praised, grew glad of heart and freed him from the curse.

Verse 15 (13.6.15)

ध्रुवस्यौत्तानपादस्य ब्रह्मर्षीणां तथैव च । मध्ये ज्वलति यो नित्यमुदीचीमाश्रितो दिशम् ॥

dhruvasyauttānapādasya brahmarṣīṇāṃ tathaiva ca | madhye jvalati yo nityamudīcīmāśrito diśam

He who shines always in the northern quarter, in the midst of Dhruva, son of Uttanapada, and the brahmin sages.

Verse 16 (13.6.16)

तस्यैतानि च कर्माणि तथाऽन्यानि च कौरव । क्षत्रियस्येत्यतो जातमिदं कौतूहलं मम ॥

tasyaitāni ca karmāṇi tathā'nyāni ca kaurava | kṣatriyasyetyato jātamidaṃ kautūhalaṃ mama

These deeds of his, O Kaurava, and others besides, performed by a Kshatriya: this is why this curiosity has arisen in me.

Note on the text: Corrected कौहतूलं → कौतूहलं (misprint in Wikisource; transposed letters; CE kautūhalaṃ).

Verse 17 (13.6.17)

किमेतदिति तत्त्वेन प्रब्रूहि भरतर्षभ । देहान्तरमनासाद्य कथं स ब्राह्मणोऽभवत् ॥

kimetaditi tattvena prabrūhi bharatarṣabha | dehāntaramanāsādya kathaṃ sa brāhmaṇo'bhavat

Tell me truly, best of the Bharatas, what this means: how did he become a brahmin without taking another body?

Verse 18 (13.6.18)

एतत्तत्वेन मे तात सर्वमाख्यातुमर्हसि । मतङ्गस्य यथातत्त्वं तथैवैतद्वदस्व मे ॥

etattatvena me tāta sarvamākhyātumarhasi | mataṅgasya yathātattvaṃ tathaivaitadvadasva me

Please tell me all this truly, dear grandsire; and tell me likewise, exactly as it was, about Matanga.

Note on the text: Alignment found no match; this is the page's variant of CE 13.3.18 (etat tattvena me rājan sarvam ākhyātum arhasi / mataṃgasya yathātattvaṃ tathaivaitad bravīhi me).

Verse 19 (13.6.19)

स्थाने मतङ्गो ब्राह्मण्यं नालभद्भरतर्षभ । चण्डालयोनौजातो हि कथं ब्राह्मण्यमाप्तवान् ॥

sthāne mataṅgo brāhmaṇyaṃ nālabhadbharatarṣabha | caṇḍālayonaujāto hi kathaṃ brāhmaṇyamāptavān

It was proper that Matanga did not gain brahminhood, O best of the Bharatas; for born in a Chandala womb, how could he have gained it?