Nahusha the Serpent and the Omens

Verse 1 (3.181.1)

स भीमसेनस्तेजस्वी तदा सर्पवशं गतः । चिन्तयामास सर्पस्य वीर्यमत्यद्भुतं महत् ॥

sa bhīmasenastejasvī tadā sarpavaśaṃ gataḥ | cintayāmāsa sarpasya vīryamatyadbhutaṃ mahat

Then the splendid Bhimasena, fallen into the serpent's power, pondered the serpent's prowess, so great and so utterly astonishing.

Verse 2 (3.181.2)

उवाच च महासर्पं कामयाब्रूहि पन्नग । कस्त्वं भो भुजगश्रेष्ठ किं मया च करिष्यसि ॥

uvāca ca mahāsarpaṃ kāmayābrūhi pannaga | kastvaṃ bho bhujagaśreṣṭha kiṃ mayā ca kariṣyasi

And he said to the great serpent, "Tell me freely, O snake: who are you, best of serpents, and what will you do with me?

Verse 3 (3.181.3)

पाण्डवो भीमसेनोऽहं धर्मराजादनन्तरः । नागायुतसमप्राणस्त्वया नीतः कथं वशम् ॥

pāṇḍavo bhīmaseno'haṃ dharmarājādanantaraḥ | nāgāyutasamaprāṇastvayā nītaḥ kathaṃ vaśam

I am Bhimasena the Pandava, next in age to the King of Dharma. I have the strength of ten thousand elephants; how have you brought me into your power?

Verse 4 (3.181.4)

सिंहाः केसरिणो व्याघ्रा महिषा वारणास्तथा । समागताश्च बहुशो निहताश्च मया युधि ॥

siṃhāḥ kesariṇo vyāghrā mahiṣā vāraṇāstathā | samāgatāśca bahuśo nihatāśca mayā yudhi

Maned lions, tigers, buffaloes and elephants have often met me, and I have killed them in combat.

Verse 5 (3.181.5)

राक्षसाश्च पिशाचाश्च पन्नगाश्च महाबलाः । भुजवेगमशक्ता मे सोढुं पन्नगसत्तम ॥

rākṣasāśca piśācāśca pannagāśca mahābalāḥ | bhujavegamaśaktā me soḍhuṃ pannagasattama

Rakshasas, pishachas and mighty serpents could not bear the force of my arms, O best of serpents.

Verse 6 (3.181.6)

किंनु विद्याबलं किंनु वरदानमथो तव । उद्योगमपि कुर्वाणो वशगोस्मि कृतस्त्वया ॥

kiṃnu vidyābalaṃ kiṃnu varadānamatho tava | udyogamapi kurvāṇo vaśagosmi kṛtastvayā

Is it some power of magic lore, or some boon granted to you, that though I strive I am made subject to you?

Verse 7 (3.181.7)

असत्यो विक्रमो नॄणामिति मे धीयते मतिः । यथेदं मे त्वया नाग बलं प्रतिहतं महत् ॥

asatyo vikramo nṝṇāmiti me dhīyate matiḥ | yathedaṃ me tvayā nāga balaṃ pratihataṃ mahat

The valour of men is a vain thing — so my mind now holds, seeing how this great strength of mine has been thwarted by you, O serpent."

Note on the text: Corrected अनुत्यो → असत्यो (misprint in Wikisource; अनुत्यो is not a word, and the sense needs "vain, false"; the critical edition reads asatyo).

Verse 8 (3.181.8)

इत्येवंवादिनं वीरं भीममक्लिष्टकारिणम् । भोगेन महता गृह्य समन्तात्पर्यवेष्टयत् ॥

ityevaṃvādinaṃ vīraṃ bhīmamakliṣṭakāriṇam | bhogena mahatā gṛhya samantātparyaveṣṭayat

As the hero Bhima, tireless in action, was speaking thus, the serpent seized him and coiled its huge body all around him.

Verse 9 (3.181.9)

निगृह्यैनं महाबाहुं ततः स भुजगस्तदा । विमुच्यास्य भुजौ पीनाविदं वचनमब्रवीत् ॥

nigṛhyainaṃ mahābāhuṃ tataḥ sa bhujagastadā | vimucyāsya bhujau pīnāvidaṃ vacanamabravīt

Having held the mighty-armed one fast, the serpent then released his two stout arms and spoke these words:

Verse 10 (3.181.10)

दिष्टस्त्वं क्षुधितस्याद्य देवैर्भक्षो महाभुज । दिष्ट्या कालस्य महतः प्रियाः प्राणा हि देहिनां ॥

diṣṭastvaṃ kṣudhitasyādya devairbhakṣo mahābhuja | diṣṭyā kālasya mahataḥ priyāḥ prāṇā hi dehināṃ

"The gods have appointed you as my food today, O mighty-armed one, hungry as I am. It is my good fortune, after so long a time; for life is dear to all embodied beings.

Verse 11 (3.181.11)

यथा त्विदं मया प्राप्तं भुजङ्गत्वमरिंदम । तदवश्यं त्वया मत्तः श्रोतव्यं शृणु यन्मम ॥

yathā tvidaṃ mayā prāptaṃ bhujaṅgatvamariṃdama | tadavaśyaṃ tvayā mattaḥ śrotavyaṃ śṛṇu yanmama

How I came to this serpent state, O tamer of foes, you must hear from me; listen to what befell me.

Verse 12 (3.181.12)

इमामवस्थां संप्राप्तो ह्यहं कोपान्महर्षिणा । शापस्यान्तं परिप्रेप्सुः सर्पस्य कथयामि तत् ॥

imāmavasthāṃ saṃprāpto hyahaṃ kopānmaharṣiṇā | śāpasyāntaṃ pariprepsuḥ sarpasya kathayāmi tat

I came to this condition through the anger of a great seer. Longing for the curse to end, I will tell you the serpent's story.

Note on the text: Corrected सर्वस् → सर्पस्य (misprint in Wikisource; the word is cut off at स्, as with वीरस् and धृतराष्ट्रस् for -स्य elsewhere on this page; the critical edition reads sarpasya).

Verse 13 (3.181.13)

नहुषो नाम राजर्षिर्व्यक्तं ते श्रोत्रमागतः । तवैव पूर्वः पूर्वेषामायोर्वंशधरः सुतः ॥

nahuṣo nāma rājarṣirvyaktaṃ te śrotramāgataḥ | tavaiva pūrvaḥ pūrveṣāmāyorvaṃśadharaḥ sutaḥ

Surely the name of the royal seer Nahusha has reached your ears: your own forefather, the son of Ayu, who carried on his line.

Verse 14 (3.181.14)

सोहं शापादगस्त्यस्य ब्राह्मणानवमत्य च । इमामवस्थामापन्नः पश्य दैवमिदं मम ॥

sohaṃ śāpādagastyasya brāhmaṇānavamatya ca | imāmavasthāmāpannaḥ paśya daivamidaṃ mama

I am he. Through the curse of Agastya, for having scorned the brahmins, I have fallen into this condition. See what fate has done to me!

Verse 15 (3.181.15)

त्वां चेदवध्यमायान्तमतीव प्रियदर्शनम् । अहमद्योपयोक्ष्यामि विधानं पश्य यादृशम् ॥

tvāṃ cedavadhyamāyāntamatīva priyadarśanam | ahamadyopayokṣyāmi vidhānaṃ paśya yādṛśam

You should not be slain, and you are most pleasing to look upon; yet I shall devour you today now that you have come. See how fate disposes!

Verse 16 (3.181.16)

न हि मे मुच्यते कश्चित्कथंचित्प्रग्रहं गतः । गजो वा महिषो वाऽपि षष्ठे काले नरोत्तम ॥

na hi me mucyate kaścitkathaṃcitpragrahaṃ gataḥ | gajo vā mahiṣo vā'pi ṣaṣṭhe kāle narottama

For none that falls into my grip at the sixth part of the day ever gets free, best of men, be it an elephant or a buffalo.

Note on the text: Corrected गचजोवा → गजो वा (misprint in Wikisource; stray च and lost word-break; the critical edition reads gajo vā).

Verse 17 (3.181.17)

नासि केवलसर्पेण तिर्यग्योनिषु वर्तता । गृहीतः कौरवश्रेष्ठ वरदानमिदं मम ॥

nāsi kevalasarpeṇa tiryagyoniṣu vartatā | gṛhītaḥ kauravaśreṣṭha varadānamidaṃ mama

You have not been seized by a mere serpent living among the beasts, best of the Kauravas; this is a boon that was granted to me.

Verse 18 (3.181.18)

पतता हि विमानाग्रान्मया शक्रासनाद्द्रुतम् । कुरु शापान्तमित्युक्तो भगवान्मुनिसत्तमः ॥

patatā hi vimānāgrānmayā śakrāsanāddrutam | kuru śāpāntamityukto bhagavānmunisattamaḥ

For as I was falling swiftly from the height of my celestial car, from Indra's throne, I said to the blessed one, the best of sages, 'Grant an end to the curse.'

Verse 19 (3.181.19)

यस्त्वया वेष्टितो राजन्मोहमेति महाबलः । मोक्षस्ते भविता राजन्कस्माच्चित्कालपर्ययात् ॥

yastvayā veṣṭito rājanmohameti mahābalaḥ | mokṣaste bhavitā rājankasmāccitkālaparyayāt

'Whoever is wound in your coils, O king, however mighty, will lose his senses. Your release will come, O king, after some lapse of time.'

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (a backtick and a quote mark) around the first line. That line is the critical edition's star passage *877 (printed after 3.176.19a); the CE's line 19ab ("sa mām uvāca tejasvī…") is not in Wikisource (recension variant); line 2 matches 3.176.19cd.

Verse 20 (3.181.20)

ततोस्मि पतितो भूमौ न च मामजहात्स्मृतिः । स्मार्तमस्ति पुराणं मे यथैवाधिगतं तथा ॥

tatosmi patito bhūmau na ca māmajahātsmṛtiḥ | smārtamasti purāṇaṃ me yathaivādhigataṃ tathā

Then I fell to the earth, but my memory did not leave me; I remember the ancient past just as I came to know it.

Verse 21 (3.181.21)

यस्तु ते व्याहृतान्प्रश्नान्प्रतिब्रूयाद्विभागवित् । स त्वां मोक्षयिता शापादिति मामब्रवीदृषिः ॥

yastu te vyāhṛtānpraśnānpratibrūyādvibhāgavit | sa tvāṃ mokṣayitā śāpāditi māmabravīdṛṣiḥ

'He who answers the questions you put, one who can tell the self from what is not the self, will free you from the curse' — so the seer told me.

Verse 22 (3.181.22)

गृहीतस्य त्वया राजन्प्राणिनोपि बलीयसः । सत्वभ्रंशोऽधिकस्यापि सर्वस्याशु भविष्यति ॥

gṛhītasya tvayā rājanprāṇinopi balīyasaḥ | satvabhraṃśo'dhikasyāpi sarvasyāśu bhaviṣyati

'Any creature you seize, O king, even one stronger than you, even one greater, will swiftly lose his strength of mind.'

Verse 23 (3.181.23)

इतिचाप्यहमश्रौषं वचस्तेषां दयावताम् । मयि संजातहार्दानामथ तेऽन्तर्हिता द्विजाः ॥

iticāpyahamaśrauṣaṃ vacasteṣāṃ dayāvatām | mayi saṃjātahārdānāmatha te'ntarhitā dvijāḥ

This too I heard from those compassionate brahmins, whose hearts had warmed towards me; and then the brahmins vanished.

Verse 24 (3.181.24)

सोहं परमदुष्कर्मा वसामि निरयेऽशुचौ । सर्पयोनिमिमां प्राप्यकालाकाङ्क्षी महाद्युते ॥

sohaṃ paramaduṣkarmā vasāmi niraye'śucau | sarpayonimimāṃ prāpyakālākāṅkṣī mahādyute

So I, a doer of grievous wrong, live in this unclean hell, born into a serpent's womb, waiting for my time, O glorious one."

Verse 25 (3.181.25)

तमुवाच महाबाहुर्भीमसेनो भुजङ्गमम् । न ते कुप्ये महासर्प नात्मने द्विजसत्तम ॥

tamuvāca mahābāhurbhīmaseno bhujaṅgamam | na te kupye mahāsarpa nātmane dvijasattama

Mighty-armed Bhimasena said to the serpent, "I am not angry with you, great serpent, nor with myself, O best of the twice-born.

Verse 26 (3.181.26)

यस्मादभावी भावी वा मनुष्यः सुखदुःखयोः । आगमे यदि वाऽपाये न तत्र ग्लपयेन्मनः ॥

yasmādabhāvī bhāvī vā manuṣyaḥ sukhaduḥkhayoḥ | āgame yadi vā'pāye na tatra glapayenmanaḥ

For a man is at one time powerless and at another powerful in the face of joy and sorrow; whether they come or go, he should not let his mind be cast down.

Verse 27 (3.181.27)

दैवं पुरुषकारेण को वञ्चयितुमर्हति । दैवमेव परं मन्ये पौरुषं तु निरर्थकम् ॥

daivaṃ puruṣakāreṇa ko vañcayitumarhati | daivameva paraṃ manye pauruṣaṃ tu nirarthakam

Who can cheat fate by human effort? Fate alone I hold supreme; human striving is of no avail.

Verse 28 (3.181.28)

पश्य दैवोपघाताद्धि भुजवीर्यव्यपाश्रयम् । इमामवस्थां संप्राप्तमनिमित्तमिहाद्य माम् ॥

paśya daivopaghātāddhi bhujavīryavyapāśrayam | imāmavasthāṃ saṃprāptamanimittamihādya mām

See: I, who relied on the strength of my arms, have been brought to this state here today for no cause, struck down by fate.

Verse 29 (3.181.29)

किंतु नाद्यानुशोचामि तथाऽऽत्मानं विनाशितम् । तथा तु विपिने न्यस्तान्भ्रातॄन्राज्यपरिच्युतान् ॥

kiṃtu nādyānuśocāmi tathā''tmānaṃ vināśitam | tathā tu vipine nyastānbhrātṝnrājyaparicyutān

Yet I do not grieve today for myself, ruined as I am, so much as for my brothers, left in the wilderness and deprived of their kingdom.

Verse 30 (3.181.30)

हिमवांश्च सुदुर्गोऽयं यक्षराक्षससंकुलः । मां समुद्वीक्षमाणास्ते प्रयतिष्यन्ति विह्वलाः ॥

himavāṃśca sudurgo'yaṃ yakṣarākṣasasaṃkulaḥ | māṃ samudvīkṣamāṇāste prayatiṣyanti vihvalāḥ

This Himalaya is very hard to cross and teems with yakshas and rakshasas; searching for me, they will strive in great distress.

Verse 31 (3.181.31)

विनष्टमथ मां श्रुत्वा भविष्यन्ति निरुद्यमाः । धर्मशीला मया ते हि बाध्यन्ते राज्यगृद्धिना ॥

vinaṣṭamatha māṃ śrutvā bhaviṣyanti nirudyamāḥ | dharmaśīlā mayā te hi bādhyante rājyagṛddhinā

And hearing that I have perished, they will lose all heart; for they are righteous by nature, and it is I, greedy for the kingdom, who have been pressing them.

Verse 32 (3.181.32)

अथवा नार्जुनो धीमान्विषादमुपयास्यति । सर्वास्त्रविदनाधृष्यो देवगन्धर्वराक्षसैः ॥

athavā nārjuno dhīmānviṣādamupayāsyati | sarvāstravidanādhṛṣyo devagandharvarākṣasaiḥ

Or perhaps wise Arjuna will not give way to despair, for he knows every weapon and cannot be overcome by gods, gandharvas or rakshasas.

Verse 33 (3.181.33)

समर्थः स महाबाहुरेकाह्ना सुमहाबलः । देवराजमपि स्थानात्प्रच्यावयितुमञ्जसा ॥

samarthaḥ sa mahābāhurekāhnā sumahābalaḥ | devarājamapi sthānātpracyāvayitumañjasā

That mighty-armed one, so very strong, could with ease drive even the king of the gods from his seat in a single day,

Note on the text: Corrected एकाङ्ना → एकाह्ना (misprint in Wikisource; ङ for ह, "in a single day"; the critical edition reads ekāhnā).

Verse 34 (3.181.34)

किं पुनर्धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्रं दुर्द्यूतदेविनम् । विद्विष्टं सर्वलोकस्य दम्भमोहपरायणम् ॥

kiṃ punardhṛtarāṣṭrasya putraṃ durdyūtadevinam | vidviṣṭaṃ sarvalokasya dambhamohaparāyaṇam

how much more, then, the son of Dhritarashtra, that player of a crooked game of dice, hated by all the world, given over to deceit and delusion?

Note on the text: Corrected धृतराष्ट्रस् → धृतराष्ट्रस्य (misprint in Wikisource; final य dropped; the critical edition reads dhṛtarāṣṭrasya).

Verse 35 (3.181.35)

मातरं चैव शोचामि कृपणां पुत्रगृद्धिनीम् । याऽस्माकं नित्यमाशास्ते महत्त्वमधिकं परैः ॥

mātaraṃ caiva śocāmi kṛpaṇāṃ putragṛddhinīm | yā'smākaṃ nityamāśāste mahattvamadhikaṃ paraiḥ

I grieve too for my poor mother, who longs for her sons and always hopes that we will rise to greatness above our rivals.

Verse 36 (3.181.36)

तस्याः कथं त्वनाथाया मद्विनाशाद्भुजङ्गम । सफलास्ते भविष्यन्ति मयि सर्वे मनोरथाः ॥

tasyāḥ kathaṃ tvanāthāyā madvināśādbhujaṅgama | saphalāste bhaviṣyanti mayi sarve manorathāḥ

Left without a protector by my death, O serpent, how will all the hopes she has placed in me ever be fulfilled?

Note on the text: Corrected भुजङ्गम् → भुजङ्गम (misprint in Wikisource; the vocative "O serpent" takes no virama, and the metre needs the final syllable; the critical edition reads bhujaṃgama).

Verse 37 (3.181.37)

नकुलः सहदेवश्च यमौ च गुरुवर्तिनौ । मद्बाहुबलसंगुप्तौ नित्यं पुरुषमानिनौ ॥

nakulaḥ sahadevaśca yamau ca guruvartinau | madbāhubalasaṃguptau nityaṃ puruṣamāninau

Nakula and Sahadeva, the twins, obedient to their elders, guarded always by the strength of my arms and proud of their manhood,

Note on the text: Corrected मद्वाहु → मद्बाहु (misprint in Wikisource; व for ब, bāhu "arm"; the critical edition reads madbāhu).

Verse 38 (3.181.38)

भविष्यतो निरुत्साहौ भ्रष्टवीर्यपराक्रमौ । मद्विनाशात्परिद्यूनाविति मे वर्तते मतिः ॥

bhaviṣyato nirutsāhau bhraṣṭavīryaparākramau | madvināśātparidyūnāviti me vartate matiḥ

will lose heart, their strength and valour gone, crushed by grief at my death — so I believe."

Verse 39 (3.181.39)

एवंविधं बहु तदा विललाप वृकोदरः । भुजङ्गभोगसंरुद्धो नाशकच्च विचेष्टितुम् ॥

evaṃvidhaṃ bahu tadā vilalāpa vṛkodaraḥ | bhujaṅgabhogasaṃruddho nāśakacca viceṣṭitum

In this way Vrikodara lamented at length, held fast in the serpent's coils and unable to stir.

Verse 40 (3.181.40)

युधिष्ठिरस्तु कौन्तेयो बभूवास्वस्थचेतनः । अनिष्टदर्शनान्घोरानुत्पातान्परिचिन्तयन् ॥

yudhiṣṭhirastu kaunteyo babhūvāsvasthacetanaḥ | aniṣṭadarśanānghorānutpātānparicintayan

Meanwhile Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, grew uneasy in mind as he observed dreadful portents that foretold misfortune.

Note on the text: Corrected अस्वस्त → अस्वस्थ (misprint in Wikisource; त for थ; the critical edition reads asvastha).

Verse 41 (3.181.41)

दारुणं ह्यशिवं नादं शिवा दक्षिणतः स्थिता । दीप्तायां दिशि वित्रस्ता रौति तस्याश्रमस्य ह ॥

dāruṇaṃ hyaśivaṃ nādaṃ śivā dakṣiṇataḥ sthitā | dīptāyāṃ diśi vitrastā rauti tasyāśramasya ha

A jackal, standing to the south of his hermitage, facing the blazing quarter, howled in terror a harsh and ill-omened cry.

Verse 42 (3.181.42)

एकपक्षाक्षिचरणा वर्तिका घोरदर्शना । रक्तं वमन्ती ददृशे प्रत्यादित्यमभासुरा ॥

ekapakṣākṣicaraṇā vartikā ghoradarśanā | raktaṃ vamantī dadṛśe pratyādityamabhāsurā

A dreadful vartika bird, with one wing, one eye and one foot, was seen vomiting blood, facing the sun and lacking all lustre.

Verse 43 (3.181.43)

प्रववौ चानिलो रूक्षश्चण्डः शर्करकर्षणः । अपसव्यानि सर्वाणि मृगपक्षिरुतानि च ॥

pravavau cānilo rūkṣaścaṇḍaḥ śarkarakarṣaṇaḥ | apasavyāni sarvāṇi mṛgapakṣirutāni ca

A harsh, fierce wind blew, dragging gravel along, and all the cries of beasts and birds sounded on the left.

Note on the text: Corrected सर्कर → शर्कर (misprint in Wikisource; स for श, "gravel"; the critical edition reads śarkarakarṣaṇaḥ).

Verse 44 (3.181.44)

पृष्ठतो वायसः कृष्णो याहियाहीति वाशति । मुहुर्मुहुः स्फुरति च दक्षिणोऽस्य भुजस्तथा ॥

pṛṣṭhato vāyasaḥ kṛṣṇo yāhiyāhīti vāśati | muhurmuhuḥ sphurati ca dakṣiṇo'sya bhujastathā

Behind him a black crow cawed, "Go! Go!", and again and again his right arm throbbed.

Verse 45 (3.181.45)

हृदयं चरणश्चापि वामोऽस्य परितप्यति । सव्यस्याक्ष्णो विकारश्चाप्यनिष्टः समपद्यत ॥

hṛdayaṃ caraṇaścāpi vāmo'sya paritapyati | savyasyākṣṇo vikāraścāpyaniṣṭaḥ samapadyata

His heart and his left foot were troubled too, and his left eye began to throb, a sign of ill.

Note on the text: Corrected अक्ष्णओ → अक्ष्णो (misprint in Wikisource; stray vowel sign; the critical edition reads akṣṇo).

Verse 46 (3.181.46)

धर्मराजोपि मेधावी शङ्कमानो महद्भयम् । द्रौपदीं परिपप्रच्छ क्व भीम इति भारत ॥

dharmarājopi medhāvī śaṅkamāno mahadbhayam | draupadīṃ paripapraccha kva bhīma iti bhārata

Then wise Dharmaraja too, fearing some great danger, asked Draupadi, "Where is Bhima?", O Bharata.

Verse 47 (3.181.47)

शशंस तस्मै पाञ्चाली चिरयातं वृकोदरम् । स प्रतस्थे महाबाहुर्धौम्येन सहितो नृपः ॥

śaśaṃsa tasmai pāñcālī cirayātaṃ vṛkodaram | sa pratasthe mahābāhurdhaumyena sahito nṛpaḥ

The princess of Panchala told him that Vrikodara had been gone a long while. The mighty-armed king set out with Dhaumya,

Note on the text: Corrected शंस → शशंस (misprint in Wikisource; reduplicating syllable dropped, leaving an imperative and a short line; the critical edition reads śaśaṃsa).

Verse 48 (3.181.48)

द्रौपद्या रक्षणं कार्यमित्युवाच धनंजयम् । नकुलं सहदेवं च व्यादिदेश द्विजान्प्रति ॥

draupadyā rakṣaṇaṃ kāryamityuvāca dhanaṃjayam | nakulaṃ sahadevaṃ ca vyādideśa dvijānprati

telling Dhananjaya, "Draupadi must be guarded," and charging Nakula and Sahadeva with the care of the brahmins.

Verse 49 (3.181.49)

स तस्य पदमुन्नीय तस्मादेवाश्रमात्प्रभुः । मृगयामास कौन्तेयो भीमसेनं महावने ॥

sa tasya padamunnīya tasmādevāśramātprabhuḥ | mṛgayāmāsa kaunteyo bhīmasenaṃ mahāvane

Tracing his footprints from that very hermitage, the lord, the son of Kunti, searched for Bhimasena in the great forest.

Note on the text: Line 1 matches critical edition 3.176.49ab; line 2 is the CE's star passage *879, line 1 (printed after 3.176.49ab).

Verse 50 (3.181.50)

स प्राचीं दिशमास्थाय महतो गजयूथपान् । ददर्श पृथिवीं चिह्नैर्भीमस्य परिचिह्निताम् ॥

sa prācīṃ diśamāsthāya mahato gajayūthapān | dadarśa pṛthivīṃ cihnairbhīmasya paricihnitām

Taking the eastern direction, he saw great leaders of elephant herds lying fallen, and the ground marked all over with the signs of Bhima.

Note on the text: Line 1 is the critical edition's star passage *879, line 2; line 2 matches 3.176.49cd.

Verse 51 (3.181.51)

ततो मृगसहस्राणि मृगेन्द्राणां शतानि च । पतितानि वने दृष्ट्वा मार्गं तस्याविशन्नृपः ॥

tato mṛgasahasrāṇi mṛgendrāṇāṃ śatāni ca | patitāni vane dṛṣṭvā mārgaṃ tasyāviśannṛpaḥ

Then, seeing thousands of deer and hundreds of lions lying fallen in the forest, the king entered upon his path.

Note on the text: Corrected मृगेनद्राणां → मृगेन्द्राणां (misprint in Wikisource; broken conjunct). Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); the CE gives it as star passage *880 (after 3.176.49).

Verse 52 (3.181.52)

धावतस्तस्य वीरस्य मृगार्थं वातरंहसः । ऊरुवातविनिर्भग्नान्द्रुमान्व्यावर्जितान्पथि ॥

dhāvatastasya vīrasya mṛgārthaṃ vātaraṃhasaḥ | ūruvātavinirbhagnāndrumānvyāvarjitānpathi

As that hero, swift as the wind, had run in pursuit of game, trees lay broken by the wind of his thighs and bent aside along the path.

Note on the text: Corrected वीरस् → वीरस्य (misprint in Wikisource; final य dropped; the critical edition reads vīrasya) and पथिः → पथि (misprint; stray visarga on the locative; the critical edition reads pathi).

Verse 53 (3.181.53)

स गत्वा तैस्तदा चिह्नैर्ददर्श गिरिगह्वरे । रूक्षमारुतभूयिष्ठे निष्पत्रद्रुमसंकुले ॥

sa gatvā taistadā cihnairdadarśa girigahvare | rūkṣamārutabhūyiṣṭhe niṣpatradrumasaṃkule

Following those signs, he saw in a mountain gorge, a place swept by harsh winds and crowded with leafless trees,

Note on the text: Removed a stray wiki bracket "[" that Wikisource sets before line 2. Line 1 matches critical edition 3.176.51ab; line 2 is the CE's star passage *881, line 1 (vulgate recension).

Verse 54 (3.181.54)

ईरिणे निर्जले देशे कण्टकिद्रुमसंकुले । अश्मस्थाणुक्षुपाकीर्णे सुदुर्गे विषमोत्कटे । गृहीतं भुजगेन्द्रेण निश्चेष्टमनुजं तदा ॥

īriṇe nirjale deśe kaṇṭakidrumasaṃkule | aśmasthāṇukṣupākīrṇe sudurge viṣamotkaṭe | gṛhītaṃ bhujagendreṇa niśceṣṭamanujaṃ tadā

in barren, waterless country thick with thorny trees, strewn with rocks, stumps and shrubs, hard to reach, rugged and wild, his younger brother, seized by the lord of serpents and lying motionless.

Note on the text: Removed a stray wiki bracket "]" and doubled danda after line 2. Lines 1–2 are the critical edition's star passage *881, lines 2–3 (vulgate recension); line 3 matches 3.176.51cd.