The Deer's Plea in a Dream

Verse 1 (3.259.1)

दुर्योधनं मोक्षयित्वा पाण्डुपुत्रा महाबलाः । किमकार्षुर्वने तस्मिंस्तन्ममाख्यातुमर्हसि ॥

duryodhanaṃ mokṣayitvā pāṇḍuputrā mahābalāḥ | kimakārṣurvane tasmiṃstanmamākhyātumarhasi

Janamejaya said: After freeing Duryodhana, what did the mighty sons of Pandu do in that forest? Please tell me this.

Verse 2 (3.259.2)

ततः शयानं कौन्तेयं रात्रौ द्वैतवने मृगाः । स्वप्नान्ते दर्शयामासुर्बाष्पकण्ठा युधिष्ठिरम् ॥

tataḥ śayānaṃ kaunteyaṃ rātrau dvaitavane mṛgāḥ | svapnānte darśayāmāsurbāṣpakaṇṭhā yudhiṣṭhiram

Vaishampayana said: Then, as Kunti's son Yudhishthira lay asleep one night, the deer of the Dvaita forest showed themselves to him at the end of a dream, their throats choked with tears.

Note on the text: Corrected द्वैतवन मृगाः → द्वैतवने मृगाः (misprint in Wikisource; dropped vowel sign; the critical edition reads dvaitavane mṛgāḥ).

Verse 3 (3.259.3)

तानब्रवीत्स राजेन्द्रो वेपमानान्कृताञ्जलीन् । ब्रूत यद्वक्तुकामाः स्थ के भवन्तः किमिष्यते ॥

tānabravītsa rājendro vepamānānkṛtāñjalīn | brūta yadvaktukāmāḥ stha ke bhavantaḥ kimiṣyate

The king of kings said to them as they stood trembling with joined palms: "Say what you wish to say. Who are you, and what do you want?"

Verse 4 (3.259.4)

एवमुक्ताः पाण्डवेन कौन्तेयेन यशस्विना । प्रत्यब्रुवन्मृगास्तत्रहतशेषा युधिष्ठिरम् ॥

evamuktāḥ pāṇḍavena kaunteyena yaśasvinā | pratyabruvanmṛgāstatrahataśeṣā yudhiṣṭhiram

Thus addressed by the illustrious Pandava, son of Kunti, the deer there, the survivors of the slaughter, answered Yudhishthira:

Verse 5 (3.259.5)

वयं मृगा द्वैतवने हतशिष्टास्तु भारत । नोत्सीदेम महाराज क्रियतां वासपर्ययः ॥

vayaṃ mṛgā dvaitavane hataśiṣṭāstu bhārata | notsīdema mahārāja kriyatāṃ vāsaparyayaḥ

"We are the deer of the Dvaita forest, the few left after the killing, Bharata. Change your dwelling place, great king, so that we may not perish.

Verse 6 (3.259.6)

भवन्तो भ्रातरः शूराः सर्व एवास्त्रकोविदाः । कुलान्यल्पावशिष्टानि कृतवन्तो वनौकसाम् ॥

bhavanto bhrātaraḥ śūrāḥ sarva evāstrakovidāḥ | kulānyalpāvaśiṣṭāni kṛtavanto vanaukasām

You brothers are all heroes, every one of you skilled in arms; you have left the families of the forest-dwellers few in number.

Verse 7 (3.259.7)

बीजभूता वयं केचिदवशिष्टा महामते । विवर्धेमहि राजेन्द्र प्रसादात्ते युधिष्ठिर ॥

bījabhūtā vayaṃ kecidavaśiṣṭā mahāmate | vivardhemahi rājendra prasādātte yudhiṣṭhira

We few who remain are left like seed, wise one. By your grace, king of kings, Yudhishthira, may we increase once more."

Verse 8 (3.259.8)

तान्वेपमानान्वित्रस्तान्बीजमात्रावशेषितान् । मृगान्दृष्ट्वा सुदुःखार्तो धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः ॥

tānvepamānānvitrastānbījamātrāvaśeṣitān | mṛgāndṛṣṭvā suduḥkhārto dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ

Seeing those deer trembling and terrified, left as no more than a remnant for seed, Yudhishthira the Dharma king was deeply grieved.

Verse 9 (3.259.9)

तांस्तथेत्यब्रवीद्राजा सर्वभूतहिते रतः । यथा भवन्तो ब्रुवते करिष्यामि च तत्तथा ॥

tāṃstathetyabravīdrājā sarvabhūtahite rataḥ | yathā bhavanto bruvate kariṣyāmi ca tattathā

The king, devoted to the welfare of all beings, said to them, "So be it. As you say, so I will do."

Verse 10 (3.259.10)

इत्येवं प्रतिबुद्धः स रात्र्यन्ते राजसत्तमः । अब्रवीत्सहितान्भ्रातॄन्दयापन्नो मृगान्प्रति ॥

ityevaṃ pratibuddhaḥ sa rātryante rājasattamaḥ | abravītsahitānbhrātṝndayāpanno mṛgānprati

Waking thus at the end of the night, the best of kings, full of compassion for the deer, said to his brothers gathered together:

Verse 11 (3.259.11)

उक्तो रात्रौ मृगैरस्मि स्वप्नान्ते हतशेषितैः । तनुभूताः स्म भद्रं ते दया नः क्रियतामिति ॥

ukto rātrau mṛgairasmi svapnānte hataśeṣitaiḥ | tanubhūtāḥ sma bhadraṃ te dayā naḥ kriyatāmiti

"In the night, at the end of a dream, the deer that are left after the slaughter spoke to me: 'We have dwindled away — bless you — have mercy on us.'

Verse 12 (3.259.12)

ते सत्यमाहुः कर्तव्या दयाऽस्माभिर्वनौकसाम् । साष्टमासं हि नो वर्षं यदेनानुपयुञ्ज्महे ॥

te satyamāhuḥ kartavyā dayā'smābhirvanaukasām | sāṣṭamāsaṃ hi no varṣaṃ yadenānupayuñjmahe

They spoke the truth: we ought to have mercy on the creatures of the forest. For a year and eight months now we have been living off them.

Note on the text: Corrected उपयुंक्ष्महे → उपयुञ्ज्महे (misprint in Wikisource; not a valid form of युज्; the critical edition reads upayuñjmahe).

Verse 13 (3.259.13)

पुनर्बहुमृगं रम्यं काम्यकं काननोत्तमम् । तत्रेमां वसतिं शिष्टां विहरन्तो रमेमहि ॥

punarbahumṛgaṃ ramyaṃ kāmyakaṃ kānanottamam | tatremāṃ vasatiṃ śiṣṭāṃ viharanto ramemahi

Let us go back to Kamyaka, finest of forests, lovely and full of game; there let us pass the rest of our time in exile in contentment."

Note on the text: Corrected पुनर्वहुमृगं → पुनर्बहुमृगं (misprint in Wikisource; व for ब; the critical edition reads punar bahumṛgaṃ). The critical edition's 3.244.13 has a middle line (marubhūmeḥ śiraḥ khyātaṃ tṛṇabindusaraḥ prati) that this recension lacks; the Wikisource verse is complete in sense and is kept as printed.

Verse 14 (3.259.14)

ततस्ते पाण्डवाः शीघ्रं प्रययुर्धर्मकोविदाः ॥

tataste pāṇḍavāḥ śīghraṃ prayayurdharmakovidāḥ

Vaishampayana said: Then the Pandavas, who knew dharma, quickly set out,

Note on the text: Printed in Wikisource as a separate one-line verse; it is the critical edition's 3.244.14ab, whose remaining lines form the next verse.

Verse 15 (3.259.15)

ब्राह्मणैः सहिता राजन्ये च तत्रसहोषिताः । इन्द्रसेनादिभिश्चैव प्रेष्यैरनुगतास्तदा ॥

brāhmaṇaiḥ sahitā rājanye ca tatrasahoṣitāḥ | indrasenādibhiścaiva preṣyairanugatāstadā

together with the brahmins who had lived there with them, O king, and followed by Indrasena and their other servants.

Verse 16 (3.259.16)

ते यात्वा सुसुखैर्मार्गैः स्वन्नैः शुचिजलान्वितैः । ददृशुः काम्यकं पुण्यमाश्रमं तापसान्वितम् ॥

te yātvā susukhairmārgaiḥ svannaiḥ śucijalānvitaiḥ | dadṛśuḥ kāmyakaṃ puṇyamāśramaṃ tāpasānvitam

Travelling by pleasant roads that offered good food and pure water, they came in sight of the holy Kamyaka hermitage, full of ascetics.

Verse 17 (3.259.17)

विविशुस्ते स्म कौरव्या वृता विप्रर्षभैस्तदा । तद्वनं भरतश्रेष्ठाः स्वर्गं सुकृतिनो यथा ॥

viviśuste sma kauravyā vṛtā viprarṣabhaistadā | tadvanaṃ bharataśreṣṭhāḥ svargaṃ sukṛtino yathā

Surrounded by the foremost of brahmins, the Kaurava princes, best of the Bharatas, entered that forest as the righteous enter heaven.