The Birth of Ashtavakra

Verse 1 (3.134.1)

यः कथ्यते मन्त्रविदग्र्यबुद्धि- । रौद्दालकिः श्वेतकेतुः पृथिव्याम् । तस्याश्रमं पश्यत पाण्डवेयाः । सदाफलैरुपपन्नं महीजैः ॥

yaḥ kathyate mantravidagryabuddhi- | rauddālakiḥ śvetaketuḥ pṛthivyām | tasyāśramaṃ paśyata pāṇḍaveyāḥ | sadāphalairupapannaṃ mahījaiḥ

Behold, sons of Pandu, the hermitage of Auddalaki Shvetaketu, who is spoken of on earth as a master of sacred formulas and foremost in understanding: a hermitage furnished with trees that always bear fruit.

Note on the text: Corrected पाण्डवेया → पाण्डवेयाः (misprint in Wikisource; the vocative plural "sons of Pandu" needs its visarga before स). The third line is a recension variant of the critical edition's tasyāśramaṃ paśya narendra puṇyaṃ.

Verse 2 (3.134.2)

साक्षादत्र श्वेतकेतुर्ददर्श । सरस्वतीं मानुषदेहरूपाम् । वेत्स्यामि वाणीमिति संप्रवृत्तां । सरस्वतीं श्वेतकेतुर्बभाषे ॥

sākṣādatra śvetaketurdadarśa | sarasvatīṃ mānuṣadeharūpām | vetsyāmi vāṇīmiti saṃpravṛttāṃ | sarasvatīṃ śvetaketurbabhāṣe

Here Shvetaketu saw Sarasvati face to face, in human bodily form; and as she came forward, Shvetaketu said to Sarasvati, "I shall come to know the Word."

Verse 3 (3.134.3)

अस्मिन्युगे ब्रह्मकृतां वरिष्ठा- । वास्तां मुनी मातुलभागिनेयौ । अष्टावक्रश्चैव कहोलसूनु- । रौद्दालकिः श्वेतकेतुः पृथिव्याम् ॥

asminyuge brahmakṛtāṃ variṣṭhā- | vāstāṃ munī mātulabhāgineyau | aṣṭāvakraścaiva kaholasūnu- | rauddālakiḥ śvetaketuḥ pṛthivyām

In this age there lived two sages, uncle and nephew, the best of those who compose sacred hymns: Ashtavakra, son of Kahola, and Auddalaki Shvetaketu, renowned on earth.

Verse 4 (3.134.4)

विदेहराजस्य समीपतस्तौ । धीरावुभौ मातुलभागिनेयौ । प्रविश्य यज्ञायतनं विवादे । वन्दिं निजग्राहतुरप्रमेयौ ॥

videharājasya samīpatastau | dhīrāvubhau mātulabhāgineyau | praviśya yajñāyatanaṃ vivāde | vandiṃ nijagrāhaturaprameyau

These two steadfast men, uncle and nephew, entered the sacrificial hall in the presence of the king of Videha and, immeasurable in their powers, overcame Bandi in debate.

Note on the text: Corrected विदेहराजस् → विदेहराजस्य (misprint in Wikisource; the akshara य is lost, leaving the pada a syllable short; the critical edition reads videharājasya) and घीरावुभौ → धीरावुभौ (misprint in Wikisource; घ for ध).

Verse 5 (3.134.5)

उपास्स्व कौन्तेय सहानुजस्त्वं । तस्याश्रमं पुण्यतमं प्रविश्य । अष्टावक्रं यस्य दौहित्रमाहु- । र्योऽसौ बन्दिं जनकस्याथ यज्ञे । वादी विप्राग्र्यो बाल एवाभिगम्य । वादे भङ्क्त्वा मज्जयामास नद्याम् ॥

upāssva kaunteya sahānujastvaṃ | tasyāśramaṃ puṇyatamaṃ praviśya | aṣṭāvakraṃ yasya dauhitramāhu- | ryo'sau bandiṃ janakasyātha yajñe | vādī viprāgryo bāla evābhigamya | vāde bhaṅktvā majjayāmāsa nadyām

Son of Kunti, enter his most holy hermitage with your younger brothers and pay him honour: he whose daughter's son, they say, was Ashtavakra, the foremost of brahmins and a master of debate, who went while still a boy to Janaka's sacrifice, defeated Bandi in debate and had him plunged into the river.

Note on the text: Restored from the critical edition's apparatus (star passage 3.132.4d*0649): Wikisource prints only the last line of this verse, numbered "5f", which shows that lines a–e were lost; the star passage has exactly those six lines, and its sixth line is Wikisource's fragment word for word. Lines 1–5 are restored in the apparatus wording (बन्दिं, where Wikisource elsewhere spells वन्दिम्). The passage is not in the critical text itself (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 6 (3.134.6)

कथंप्रभावः स बभूव विप्र- । स्तथाभूतं यो निजग्राह वन्दिम् । किंचाधिकृत्याथ तयोर्विवादो । विदेहराजस्य समीप आसीत् ॥

kathaṃprabhāvaḥ sa babhūva vipra- | stathābhūtaṃ yo nijagrāha vandim | kiṃcādhikṛtyātha tayorvivādo | videharājasya samīpa āsīt

"What power had that brahmin, who overcame such a man as Bandi? And over what question did the two of them dispute before the king of Videha?

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (` and ') around the last two lines, and corrected विदेहराजस् → विदेहराजस्य (misprint in Wikisource; the akshara य is lost; cf. verse 4). The first two lines are CE 3.132.5a; the last two are not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension; star passage 3.132.5b*0650 in its apparatus).

Verse 7 (3.134.7)

अष्टावक्रः केन चासौ बभूव । तत्सर्वं मे लोमश शंस तत्त्वम् ॥

aṣṭāvakraḥ kena cāsau babhūva | tatsarvaṃ me lomaśa śaṃsa tattvam

"And how did he come to be Ashtavakra, crooked in eight places? Tell me all of it truly, Lomasha."

Note on the text: This couplet is CE 3.132.5c, the second line of the verse begun in verse 6.

Verse 8 (3.134.8)

उद्दालकस्य नियतः शिष्य एको । नाम्ना कहोळेति बभूव राजन् । शुश्रूषुराचार्यवशानुवर्ती । दीर्घं कालं सोऽध्ययनं चकार ॥

uddālakasya niyataḥ śiṣya eko | nāmnā kahoḷeti babhūva rājan | śuśrūṣurācāryavaśānuvartī | dīrghaṃ kālaṃ so'dhyayanaṃ cakāra

Uddalaka had a single disciple, a man of discipline named Kahola, O king. Eager to serve and obedient to his teacher's will, he studied for a long time.

Note on the text: Corrected दीर्घ → दीर्घं (misprint in Wikisource; dropped anusvara; the critical edition reads dīrghaṃ kālaṃ).

Verse 9 (3.134.9)

तं वै विप्राः पर्यभवंस्तु शिष्या- । स्तं च ज्ञात्वा विप्रकारं गुरुः सः । तस्मै प्रादात्सद्य एव श्रुतं च । भार्यां च वै दुहितरं स्वां सुजाताम् ॥

taṃ vai viprāḥ paryabhavaṃstu śiṣyā- | staṃ ca jñātvā viprakāraṃ guruḥ saḥ | tasmai prādātsadya eva śrutaṃ ca | bhāryāṃ ca vai duhitaraṃ svāṃ sujātām

The other brahmin disciples looked down on him; but his teacher, aware of how he was slighted, at once gave him the whole of his learning, and his own daughter Sujata as his wife.

Note on the text: Corrected शिखा- → शिष्या- (misprint in Wikisource; शिखाः "tufts" makes no sense here; the critical edition reads śiṣyāḥ).

Verse 10 (3.134.10)

तस्यां गर्भः समभवदग्निकल्पः । सोऽधीयानं पितरमथाभ्युवाच । सर्वां रात्रिमध्ययनं करोषि । नेदं पितः सम्यगिवोपवर्तते ॥

tasyāṃ garbhaḥ samabhavadagnikalpaḥ | so'dhīyānaṃ pitaramathābhyuvāca | sarvāṃ rātrimadhyayanaṃ karoṣi | nedaṃ pitaḥ samyagivopavartate

In her a child was conceived, radiant as fire. As his father was reciting, the child said to him, "You recite all night long, father, but it does not come out quite right."

Verse 11 (3.134.11)

उपालब्धः शिष्यमध्ये महर्षिः । स तं कोपादुदरस्थं शशाप । यस्माद्वक्रं वर्तमानो ब्रवीषि । तस्माद्वक्रो भवितास्यष्टधैव ॥

upālabdhaḥ śiṣyamadhye maharṣiḥ | sa taṃ kopādudarasthaṃ śaśāpa | yasmādvakraṃ vartamāno bravīṣi | tasmādvakro bhavitāsyaṣṭadhaiva

Rebuked in the midst of his disciples, the great seer angrily cursed the child in the womb: "Since you speak crookedly while still in the womb, you shall be crooked in eight ways."

Verse 12 (3.134.12)

स वै तथा वक्र एवाभ्यजाय- । दष्टावक्रः प्रथितो मानवेषु । अस्यासीद्वै मातुलः श्वेतकेतुः । स तेन तुल्यो वयसा बभूव ॥

sa vai tathā vakra evābhyajāya- | daṣṭāvakraḥ prathito mānaveṣu | asyāsīdvai mātulaḥ śvetaketuḥ | sa tena tulyo vayasā babhūva

So he was born crooked indeed, and became famed among men as Ashtavakra. His mother's brother was Shvetaketu, who was of the same age as he.

Verse 13 (3.134.13)

संपीड्यमाना तु तदा सुजाता । विवर्धमानेन सुतेन कुक्षौ । उवाच भर्तारमिदं रहोगता । प्रसाद्य हीना वसुना धनार्थिनी ॥

saṃpīḍyamānā tu tadā sujātā | vivardhamānena sutena kukṣau | uvāca bhartāramidaṃ rahogatā | prasādya hīnā vasunā dhanārthinī

Then Sujata, pressed by the son growing in her womb, went to her husband in private and, being without wealth and in need of it, won his favour and said to him:

Verse 14 (3.134.14)

कथं करिष्याम्यधुना महर्षे । मासश्चायं दशमो वर्तते मे । नैवास्ति मे वसु किंचित्प्रदाता । येनाहमेतामापदं निस्तरेयम् ॥

kathaṃ kariṣyāmyadhunā maharṣe | māsaścāyaṃ daśamo vartate me | naivāsti me vasu kiṃcitpradātā | yenāhametāmāpadaṃ nistareyam

"What shall I do now, great seer? This is my tenth month, and there is no one to give me any wealth by which I might come through this trial."

Note on the text: Speaker changed from लोमश to सुजाता: the verse is her own words, introduced by verse 13. Corrected येंनाहम् → येनाहम् (misprint in Wikisource; a stray anusvara; the critical edition reads yenāham).

Verse 15 (3.134.15)

उक्तस्त्वेवं भार्यया वै कहोळो । वित्तस्यार्थे जनकमथाभ्यगच्छत् । स वै तदा वादविदा निगृह्य । निमज्जितो वन्दिनेहाप्सु विप्रः ॥

uktastvevaṃ bhāryayā vai kahoḷo | vittasyārthe janakamathābhyagacchat | sa vai tadā vādavidā nigṛhya | nimajjito vandinehāpsu vipraḥ

Told this by his wife, Kahola went to Janaka for the sake of wealth. There Bandi, skilled in debate, overcame the brahmin and had him drowned in the waters.

Verse 16 (3.134.16)

उद्दालकस्तं तु तदा निशम्य । सूतेन वादेऽप्सु निमज्जितं तथा । उवाच तां तत्रततः सुजाता- । मष्टावक्रे गूहितव्योऽयमर्थः ॥

uddālakastaṃ tu tadā niśamya | sūtena vāde'psu nimajjitaṃ tathā | uvāca tāṃ tatratataḥ sujātā- | maṣṭāvakre gūhitavyo'yamarthaḥ

When Uddalaka heard that the Suta had drowned him in the waters after the debate, he said to Sujata, "This matter must be kept hidden from Ashtavakra."

Note on the text: Corrected सुजातम् → सुजाताम् and अष्टवक्रे → अष्टावक्रे (misprints in Wikisource; dropped ā-signs; the critical edition reads sujātām aṣṭāvakre).

Verse 17 (3.134.17)

ररक्ष सा चापि तमस्य मन्त्रं । जातोऽप्यसौ नैव शुश्राव विप्रः । उद्दालकं पितरं सोऽभिमेने । तथाऽष्टावक्रो भ्रातरं श्वेतकेतुम् ॥

rarakṣa sā cāpi tamasya mantraṃ | jāto'pyasau naiva śuśrāva vipraḥ | uddālakaṃ pitaraṃ so'bhimene | tathā'ṣṭāvakro bhrātaraṃ śvetaketum

She guarded that counsel of his, and even after he was born the brahmin never heard of it. He took Uddalaka for his father, and Ashtavakra took Shvetaketu, too, for his brother.

Note on the text: Corrected तमस् मन्त्रं → तमस्य मन्त्रं (misprint in Wikisource; the akshara य is lost, as in verses 4 and 6, leaving the pada a syllable short; "that counsel of his"). The critical edition has a different reading of this pada (cāpy ati taṃ sumantraṃ).

Verse 18 (3.134.18)

ततो वर्षे द्वादशे श्वेतकेतु- । रष्टावक्रं पितुरङ्के निषण्णम् । अपाकर्षद्गृह्यपाणौ रुदन्तं । नायं तवाङ्कः पितुरित्युक्तवांश्च ॥

tato varṣe dvādaśe śvetaketu- | raṣṭāvakraṃ pituraṅke niṣaṇṇam | apākarṣadgṛhyapāṇau rudantaṃ | nāyaṃ tavāṅkaḥ piturityuktavāṃśca

Then, in his twelfth year, as Ashtavakra sat in his father's lap, Shvetaketu seized him by the hand and dragged him away, weeping, saying, "This is not your father's lap."

Verse 19 (3.134.19)

यत्तेनोक्तं दुरुक्तं तत्तदानीं । हृदि स्थितं तस्य सुदुःखमासीत् । गृहं गत्वा मातरं सोऽथ विप्रः । पप्रच्छेदं क्व नु तातो ममेति ॥

yattenoktaṃ duruktaṃ tattadānīṃ | hṛdi sthitaṃ tasya suduḥkhamāsīt | gṛhaṃ gatvā mātaraṃ so'tha vipraḥ | papracchedaṃ kva nu tāto mameti

The harsh words he spoke then lodged in Ashtavakra's heart and caused him great pain. Going home, the brahmin boy asked his mother, "Where is my father?"

Note on the text: Corrected यत्तेनोकतं → यत्तेनोक्तं (misprint in Wikisource; broken conjunct) and विग्रः → विप्रः (misprint in Wikisource; ग for प).

Verse 20 (3.134.20)

ततः सुजाता परमार्तरूपा । शापाद्भीता तत्त्वमस्याचचक्षे । तद्वै तत्त्वंसर्वमाज्ञाय रात्रा- । वित्यब्रवीच्छ्वेतकेतुं स विप्रः ॥

tataḥ sujātā paramārtarūpā | śāpādbhītā tattvamasyācacakṣe | tadvai tattvaṃsarvamājñāya rātrā- | vityabravīcchvetaketuṃ sa vipraḥ

Then Sujata, in great distress and afraid of a curse, told him the truth. Having learned the whole truth, the brahmin spoke to Shvetaketu that night:

Verse 21 (3.134.21)

गच्छाव यज्ञं जनकस्य राज्ञो । बह्वाश्चर्यः श्रूयते तस्य यज्ञः । श्रोष्यावोऽत्र ब्राह्मणानां विवाद- । मन्नं चाग्र्यं तत्रभोक्ष्यावहे च ॥

gacchāva yajñaṃ janakasya rājño | bahvāścaryaḥ śrūyate tasya yajñaḥ | śroṣyāvo'tra brāhmaṇānāṃ vivāda- | mannaṃ cāgryaṃ tatrabhokṣyāvahe ca

"Let us go to the sacrifice of King Janaka; we hear it is full of wonders. There we shall hear the debates of the brahmins, and eat the choicest food as well.

Note on the text: Speaker changed from लोमश to अष्टावक्र: verses 21–22 are Ashtavakra's own words to Shvetaketu, introduced by verse 20. Verses 21 and 22 together make up CE 3.132.19 (this verse is its first four padas).

Verse 22 (3.134.22)

विचक्षणत्वं च भविष्यते नौ । शिवश्च सौम्यश्च हि ब्रह्मघोषः ॥

vicakṣaṇatvaṃ ca bhaviṣyate nau | śivaśca saumyaśca hi brahmaghoṣaḥ

"And we shall grow in discernment, for the sound of the Veda is auspicious and gentle."

Note on the text: Speaker changed from लोमश to अष्टावक्र (see verse 21). This couplet is the last two padas of CE 3.132.19, which Wikisource numbers separately.

Verse 23 (3.134.23)

तौ जग्मतुर्मातुलभागिनेयौ । यज्ञं समृद्धं जनकस्य राज्ञः । अष्टावक्रः पथि राज्ञा समेत्य । प्रोत्सार्यमाणो वाक्यमिदं जगाद ॥

tau jagmaturmātulabhāgineyau | yajñaṃ samṛddhaṃ janakasya rājñaḥ | aṣṭāvakraḥ pathi rājñā sametya | protsāryamāṇo vākyamidaṃ jagāda

So the two, uncle and nephew, went to King Janaka's rich sacrifice. On the road Ashtavakra met the king and, as he was being pushed out of the way, spoke these words:

Note on the text: Corrected जमकस्य → जनकस्य (misprint in Wikisource; म for न; the critical edition reads janakasya).