Somaka's Only Son, Jantu

Verse 1 (3.128.1)

कथंवीर्यः स राजाऽभूत्सोमको ददतांवरः । कर्माण्यस्य प्रभावं च श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः ॥

kathaṃvīryaḥ sa rājā'bhūtsomako dadatāṃvaraḥ | karmāṇyasya prabhāvaṃ ca śrotumicchāmi tattvataḥ

Yudhishthira said: What was the valour of that King Somaka, best of givers? I wish to hear truly about his deeds and his power.

Verse 2 (3.128.2)

युधिष्ठिरासीन्नृपतिः सोमको नाम धार्मिकः । तस्य भार्याशतं राजन्सदृशीनामभूत्तदा ॥

yudhiṣṭhirāsīnnṛpatiḥ somako nāma dhārmikaḥ | tasya bhāryāśataṃ rājansadṛśīnāmabhūttadā

Lomasha said: Yudhishthira, there was a righteous king named Somaka. He had a hundred wives, O king, all of them well matched to him.

Verse 3 (3.128.3)

स वै यत्नेन महता तासु पुत्रं महीपतिः । कंचिन्नासादयामास कालेन महता ह्यपि ॥

sa vai yatnena mahatā tāsu putraṃ mahīpatiḥ | kaṃcinnāsādayāmāsa kālena mahatā hyapi

Though that lord of the earth tried with great effort for a long time, he did not get a single son from them.

Verse 4 (3.128.4)

कदाचित्तस्य वृद्धस्य यतमानस्य धीमतः । जन्तुर्नाम सुतस्तस्य ज्येष्ठायां समजायत ॥

kadācittasya vṛddhasya yatamānasya dhīmataḥ | janturnāma sutastasya jyeṣṭhāyāṃ samajāyata

At last, when the wise king had grown old and was still trying, a son named Jantu was born to him from his eldest wife.

Note on the text: Corrected कदाचित्तस् → कदाचित्तस्य (misprint in Wikisource; the final akshara was dropped; the critical edition reads kadā cit tasya).

Verse 5 (3.128.5)

तं जातं मातरः सर्वाः परिवार्य समासते । सततं पृष्ठतः कृत्वा कामभोगान्विशांपते ॥

taṃ jātaṃ mātaraḥ sarvāḥ parivārya samāsate | satataṃ pṛṣṭhataḥ kṛtvā kāmabhogānviśāṃpate

Once he was born, all the mothers would sit around him, always putting their own desires and pleasures aside, lord of the people.

Verse 6 (3.128.6)

ततः पिपीलिका जन्तुं कदाचिददशत्स्फिचि । स दष्टो ह्यरुदद्राजंस्तेन दुःखेन बालकः ॥

tataḥ pipīlikā jantuṃ kadācidadaśatsphici | sa daṣṭo hyarudadrājaṃstena duḥkhena bālakaḥ

Then one day an ant bit Jantu on the buttock, and the boy, bitten, cried out with the pain, O king.

Verse 7 (3.128.7)

ततस्ता मातरः सर्वाः प्राक्रोशन्भृशदुःखिताः । प्रवार्य जन्तुं सहसा स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् ॥

tatastā mātaraḥ sarvāḥ prākrośanbhṛśaduḥkhitāḥ | pravārya jantuṃ sahasā sa śabdastumulo'bhavat

Then all the mothers, in great distress, crowded round Jantu at once and cried aloud; the noise was tremendous.

Note on the text: Corrected जनतुं → जन्तुं (misprint in Wikisource; a broken conjunct; the critical edition reads jantuṃ).

Verse 8 (3.128.8)

तमार्तनादं सहसा शुश्राव स महीपतिः । अमात्यपर्षदो मध्ये उपविष्टः सहर्त्विजा ॥

tamārtanādaṃ sahasā śuśrāva sa mahīpatiḥ | amātyaparṣado madhye upaviṣṭaḥ sahartvijā

The lord of the earth suddenly heard that cry of distress as he sat in the midst of his council of ministers with his priest.

Verse 9 (3.128.9)

ततः प्रस्थापयामास किमेतदिति पार्थिवः । तस्मै क्षत्ता यथावृत्तमाचचक्षे सुतं प्रति ॥

tataḥ prasthāpayāmāsa kimetaditi pārthivaḥ | tasmai kṣattā yathāvṛttamācacakṣe sutaṃ prati

The king sent someone to find out what it was, and the doorkeeper told him what had happened to his son.

Verse 10 (3.128.10)

त्वरमाणः स चोत्थाय सोमकः सह मन्त्रिभिः । प्रविश्यान्तःपुरं पुत्रमाश्वासयदरिंदमः ॥

tvaramāṇaḥ sa cotthāya somakaḥ saha mantribhiḥ | praviśyāntaḥpuraṃ putramāśvāsayadariṃdamaḥ

Rising in haste, Somaka, the tamer of foes, went with his ministers into the inner apartments and comforted his son.

Verse 11 (3.128.11)

सान्त्वयित्वा तु तं पुत्रं निष्क्रम्यान्तःपुरान्नृपः । ऋत्विजा सहितो राजन्सहामात्य उपाविशत् ॥

sāntvayitvā tu taṃ putraṃ niṣkramyāntaḥpurānnṛpaḥ | ṛtvijā sahito rājansahāmātya upāviśat

After soothing his son, the king came out of the inner apartments and sat down with his priest and his ministers, O king.

Verse 12 (3.128.12)

धिगस्त्विहैकपुत्रत्वमपुत्रत्वं वरं भवेत् । नित्यातुरत्वाद्भूतानां शोक एवैकपुत्रता ॥

dhigastvihaikaputratvamaputratvaṃ varaṃ bhavet | nityāturatvādbhūtānāṃ śoka evaikaputratā

Somaka said: Shame on having only one son in this world! Better to have none. Because living beings are always prone to suffering, having one son is nothing but sorrow.

Verse 13 (3.128.13)

इदं भार्याशतं ब्रह्मन्परीक्ष्यसदृशं प्रभो । पुत्रार्थिना मया वोढं न तासां विद्यते प्रजा ॥

idaṃ bhāryāśataṃ brahmanparīkṣyasadṛśaṃ prabho | putrārthinā mayā voḍhaṃ na tāsāṃ vidyate prajā

These hundred wives, brahmin, my lord, I married after choosing them with care, because I wanted a son; yet they have no children.

Verse 14 (3.128.14)

एकः कथंचिदुत्पन्नः पुत्रो जन्तुरयं मम । यतमानासु सर्वासु किंनु दुःखमतः परम् ॥

ekaḥ kathaṃcidutpannaḥ putro janturayaṃ mama | yatamānāsu sarvāsu kiṃnu duḥkhamataḥ param

With all of them trying, this one son of mine, Jantu, was somehow born. What sorrow could be greater than this?

Verse 15 (3.128.15)

वयश्च समतीतं मे सभार्यस्य द्विजोत्तम । आसां प्राणाः समायत्ता मम चात्रैकपुत्रके ॥

vayaśca samatītaṃ me sabhāryasya dvijottama | āsāṃ prāṇāḥ samāyattā mama cātraikaputrake

My youth is gone, best of brahmins, and my wives' as well. Their lives and mine hang on this one son.

Note on the text: Corrected सभार्यस्यं → सभार्यस्य (misprint in Wikisource; a stray anusvara; the critical edition reads sabhāryasya).

Verse 16 (3.128.16)

स्यात्तु कर्म तथा युक्तं येन पुत्रशतं भवेत् । महता लघुना वाऽपि कर्मणा दुष्करेण वा ॥

syāttu karma tathā yuktaṃ yena putraśataṃ bhavet | mahatā laghunā vā'pi karmaṇā duṣkareṇa vā

Is there any rite of the right kind by which a hundred sons might be born — whether great or small, or hard to perform?

Verse 17 (3.128.17)

अस्ति चैतादृशं कर्म येन पुत्रशतं भवेत् । यदि शक्नोषि तत्कर्तुमथ वक्ष्यामि सोमक ॥

asti caitādṛśaṃ karma yena putraśataṃ bhavet | yadi śaknoṣi tatkartumatha vakṣyāmi somaka

The priest said: There is such a rite, by which a hundred sons could be born. If you are able to carry it out, Somaka, I will tell you.

Verse 18 (3.128.18)

कार्यं वा यदि वाऽकार्यं येन पुत्रशतं भवेत् । कृतमेवेति तद्विद्धि भगवान्प्रब्रवीतु मे ॥

kāryaṃ vā yadi vā'kāryaṃ yena putraśataṃ bhavet | kṛtameveti tadviddhi bhagavānprabravītu me

Somaka said: Whether it should be done or should not, whatever brings a hundred sons — know that it is as good as done. Let the venerable one tell me.

Verse 19 (3.128.19)

यजस्व जन्तुना राजंस्त्वं मया वितते क्रतौ । ततः पुत्रशतं श्रीमद्भविष्यत्यचिरेण ते ॥

yajasva jantunā rājaṃstvaṃ mayā vitate kratau | tataḥ putraśataṃ śrīmadbhaviṣyatyacireṇa te

The priest said: Sacrifice Jantu, O king, in a rite that I will perform. Then a hundred splendid sons will soon be yours.

Verse 20 (3.128.20)

वपायां हूयमानायां धूममाघ्राय मातरः । ततस्ताः सुमहावीर्याञ्जनयिष्यन्ति ते सुतान् ॥

vapāyāṃ hūyamānāyāṃ dhūmamāghrāya mātaraḥ | tatastāḥ sumahāvīryāñjanayiṣyanti te sutān

When his omentum is offered into the fire, the mothers will breathe in the smoke, and then they will bear you sons of great valour.

Note on the text: Corrected वपार्या → वपायां (misprint in Wikisource; र्या for यां; the critical edition reads vapāyāṃ).

Verse 21 (3.128.21)

तस्यामेव तु ते जन्तुर्भविता पुनरात्मजः । उत्तरे चास्य सौवर्णं लक्ष्म पार्श्वे भविष्यति ॥

tasyāmeva tu te janturbhavitā punarātmajaḥ | uttare cāsya sauvarṇaṃ lakṣma pārśve bhaviṣyati

And Jantu will be born to you again as your son from that same mother, and on his left side there will be a golden mark.