The Brahmin's Fire-Sticks

Verse 1 (3.312.1)

एवं हृतायां भार्यायां प्राप्य क्लेशमनुत्तमम् । प्रतिपद्य ततः कृष्णां किमकुर्वत पाण्डवाः ॥

evaṃ hṛtāyāṃ bhāryāyāṃ prāpya kleśamanuttamam | pratipadya tataḥ kṛṣṇāṃ kimakurvata pāṇḍavāḥ

"When his wife had been carried off in this way and he had gone through such extreme distress, what did the Pandavas do after they had won Krishna back?"

Verse 2 (3.312.2)

एवं हृतायां कृष्णायां प्राप्य क्लेशमनुत्तमम् । विहाय काम्यकं राजा सह भ्रातृभिरच्युतः ॥

evaṃ hṛtāyāṃ kṛṣṇāyāṃ prāpya kleśamanuttamam | vihāya kāmyakaṃ rājā saha bhrātṛbhiracyutaḥ

After Krishna had been carried off in this way and they had gone through such extreme distress, the king, unswerving Yudhishthira, left the Kamyaka forest together with his brothers

Verse 3 (3.312.3)

पुनर्द्वैतवनं रम्यमाजगाम युधिष्ठिरः । स्वादुमूलफलं रम्यं विचित्रबहुपादपम् ॥

punardvaitavanaṃ ramyamājagāma yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | svādumūlaphalaṃ ramyaṃ vicitrabahupādapam

and came back once more to lovely Dvaitavana, a delightful place rich in sweet roots and fruits and in trees of many kinds.

Verse 4 (3.312.4)

अनुभुक्तफलाहाराः सर्व एव मिताशनाः । न्यवसन्पाण्डवास्तत्र कृष्णया सह भार्यया ॥

anubhuktaphalāhārāḥ sarva eva mitāśanāḥ | nyavasanpāṇḍavāstatra kṛṣṇayā saha bhāryayā

Living on fruit, and all of them sparing in their food, the Pandavas dwelt there with Krishna, their wife.

Note on the text: Restored a missing word space (तत्रकृष्णया → तत्र कृष्णया).

Verse 5 (3.312.5)

वसन्द्वैतवने राजा कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः । भीमसेनोऽर्जुनश्चैव माद्रीपुत्रौ च पाण्डवौ ॥

vasandvaitavane rājā kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | bhīmaseno'rjunaścaiva mādrīputrau ca pāṇḍavau

While they were living in Dvaitavana, King Yudhishthira son of Kunti, Bhimasena, Arjuna and the two Pandavas born of Madri,

Verse 6 (3.312.6)

ब्राह्मणार्थे पराक्रान्ता धर्मात्मानो यतव्रताः । क्लेशमार्च्छन्त विपुलं सुखोदर्कं परंतपाः ॥

brāhmaṇārthe parākrāntā dharmātmāno yatavratāḥ | kleśamārcchanta vipulaṃ sukhodarkaṃ paraṃtapāḥ

righteous men of disciplined vows and scorchers of their foes, exerted themselves for the sake of a brahmin and met with great hardship, though it ended in happiness.

Verse 7 (3.312.7)

तस्मिन्प्रतिवसन्तस्ते यत्प्रापुः कुरुसत्तमाः । वने क्लेशं सुखोदर्कं तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि ते शृणु ॥

tasminprativasantaste yatprāpuḥ kurusattamāḥ | vane kleśaṃ sukhodarkaṃ tatpravakṣyāmi te śṛṇu

Listen, and I shall tell you of the hardship, ending in happiness, that those best of the Kurus met with in the forest while they lived there.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition's apparatus records it as passage 3.295.6*1358, lines 1–2.

Verse 8 (3.312.8)

अरणीसहितं भाण्डं ब्राह्मणस्य तपस्विनः । मृगस्य घर्षमाणस्य विषाणे समसज्जत ॥

araṇīsahitaṃ bhāṇḍaṃ brāhmaṇasya tapasvinaḥ | mṛgasya gharṣamāṇasya viṣāṇe samasajjata

The vessel of a brahmin ascetic, holding his fire-sticks, got caught on the horn of a deer that was rubbing itself against a tree.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition's apparatus records it as passage 3.295.6*1358, lines 3–4 (reading manthaṃ for भाण्डं). Corrected मृगस् घर्षणस्य विपाणे → मृगस्य घर्षमाणस्य विषाणे (misprint in Wikisource: a broken यस्य, a dropped syllable and प for ष; the apparatus and Wikisource's own verse 12 read mṛgasya gharṣamāṇasya viṣāṇe).

Verse 9 (3.312.9)

तदादाय गतो राजंस्त्वरमाणो महामृगः । आश्रमान्तरितः शीघ्रं प्लवमानो महाजवः ॥

tadādāya gato rājaṃstvaramāṇo mahāmṛgaḥ | āśramāntaritaḥ śīghraṃ plavamāno mahājavaḥ

Taking it with him, O king, the great deer made off in haste, bounding swiftly away beyond the hermitage at great speed.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition's apparatus records it as passage 3.295.6*1358, lines 5–6. The brahmin repeats it in his own words at verse 13 (= CE 3.295.9).

Verse 10 (3.312.10)

ह्रियमाणं तु तं दृष्ट्वा स विप्रः कुरुसत्तम । त्वरितोऽभ्यागमत्तत्र अग्निहोत्रपरीप्सया । तेषां तु वसतां तत्र पाण्डवानां महारथम् ॥

hriyamāṇaṃ tu taṃ dṛṣṭvā sa vipraḥ kurusattama | tvarito'bhyāgamattatra agnihotraparīpsayā | teṣāṃ tu vasatāṃ tatra pāṇḍavānāṃ mahāratham

When the brahmin saw it being carried off, O best of the Kurus, he came hurrying, anxious to save his fire-offering, to the place where the Pandavas were living, to the great chariot-warrior among them,

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension): the first two lines are apparatus passage 3.295.6*1358, lines 7–8, and the third line is 3.295.6*1359 (reading ca for तु). Restored a missing word space (तत्रअग्निहोत्र → तत्र अग्निहोत्र; the apparatus prints the same hiatus, tatra agnihotra-). Removed the backtick/quote marks with which the Wikisource (Kumbhakonam) text brackets the third line, a passage found in southern manuscripts; the words are unchanged. The third line runs on into verse 11.

Verse 11 (3.312.11)

अजातशत्रुमासीनं भ्रातृभिः सहितं वने । आगम्य ब्राह्मणस्तूर्णं संतप्तश्चेदमब्रवीत् ॥

ajātaśatrumāsīnaṃ bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaṃ vane | āgamya brāhmaṇastūrṇaṃ saṃtaptaścedamabravīt

Ajatashatru, who was sitting in the forest with his brothers. Coming up quickly, the brahmin, in great distress, said this:

Note on the text: Critical-edition reference set to 3.295.7 (the automatic alignment left it unmatched; within this verse the critical edition's apparatus carries a Durvasas episode, @030, which Wikisource does not have).

Verse 12 (3.312.12)

अरणीसहितं भाण्डं समासक्तं वनस्पतौ । मृगस्य घर्षमाणस्य विषाणे समसज्जत ॥

araṇīsahitaṃ bhāṇḍaṃ samāsaktaṃ vanaspatau | mṛgasya gharṣamāṇasya viṣāṇe samasajjata

"My vessel with its fire-sticks was hanging on a tree, and it has caught on the horn of a deer that was rubbing itself against it.

Note on the text: Corrected घऱ्षमाणस्य → घर्षमाणस्य (misprint in Wikisource, ऱ for र; the critical edition reads gharṣamāṇasya).

Verse 13 (3.312.13)

तमादाय गतो राजंस्त्वरमाणो महामृगः । आश्रमात्त्वरितः शीघ्रं प्लवमानो महाजवः ॥

tamādāya gato rājaṃstvaramāṇo mahāmṛgaḥ | āśramāttvaritaḥ śīghraṃ plavamāno mahājavaḥ

The great deer, O king, has carried it off in haste, bounding swiftly away from the hermitage at great speed.

Note on the text: Critical-edition reference set to 3.295.9 (the automatic alignment had paired 3.295.9 with the near-identical vulgate verse 9, which reads आश्रमान्तरितः where this verse and the critical edition read āśramāt tvaritaḥ).

Verse 14 (3.312.14)

तस्य गत्वा पदं राजन्नासाद्य च महामृगम् । अग्निहोत्रं न लुप्येत तदानयत पाण्डवाः ॥

tasya gatvā padaṃ rājannāsādya ca mahāmṛgam | agnihotraṃ na lupyeta tadānayata pāṇḍavāḥ

Follow its tracks, O king, catch up with the great deer and bring it back, Pandavas, so that my fire-offering does not lapse."

Verse 15 (3.312.15)

ब्राह्मणस्य वचः श्रुत्वा सन्तप्तोऽथ युधिष्ठिरः । धनुरादाय कौन्तेयः प्राद्रवद्भ्रातृभिः सह ॥

brāhmaṇasya vacaḥ śrutvā santapto'tha yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | dhanurādāya kaunteyaḥ prādravadbhrātṛbhiḥ saha

Hearing the brahmin's words, Yudhishthira son of Kunti was distressed; he took up his bow and ran off with his brothers.

Verse 16 (3.312.16)

सन्नद्धा धन्विनः सर्वे प्राद्रवन्नरपुङ्गवाः । ब्राह्मणार्थे यतन्तस्ते शीघ्रमन्वगमन्मृगम् ॥

sannaddhā dhanvinaḥ sarve prādravannarapuṅgavāḥ | brāhmaṇārthe yatantaste śīghramanvagamanmṛgam

Armed and carrying their bows, all those bulls among men ran out; striving for the brahmin's sake, they quickly went after the deer.

Verse 17 (3.312.17)

कर्णिनालीकनाराचानुत्सृजन्तो महारथाः । नाविध्यन्पाण्डवास्तत्र पश्यन्तो मृगमन्तिकात् ॥

karṇinālīkanārācānutsṛjanto mahārathāḥ | nāvidhyanpāṇḍavāstatra paśyanto mṛgamantikāt

The great chariot-warriors loosed barbed arrows, nalikas and iron shafts, yet the Pandavas could not pierce the deer there, though they saw it close by.

Verse 18 (3.312.18)

तेषां प्रयतमानानां नादृश्यत महामृगः । अपश्यन्तो मृगं श्रान्ता दुःखं प्राप्ता मनस्विनः ॥

teṣāṃ prayatamānānāṃ nādṛśyata mahāmṛgaḥ | apaśyanto mṛgaṃ śrāntā duḥkhaṃ prāptā manasvinaḥ

As they kept on striving, the great deer vanished from sight. Unable to see it, the high-minded brothers grew weary and dejected.

Note on the text: Restored a missing word space (अपश्यन्तोमृगं → अपश्यन्तो मृगं).

Verse 19 (3.312.19)

शीतलच्छायमासाद्य न्यग्रोधं गहने वने । क्षुत्पिपासापरीताङ्गाः पाण्डवाः समुपाविशन् ॥

śītalacchāyamāsādya nyagrodhaṃ gahane vane | kṣutpipāsāparītāṅgāḥ pāṇḍavāḥ samupāviśan

Reaching a banyan tree with cool shade in the dense forest, the Pandavas, their bodies racked by hunger and thirst, sat down.

Note on the text: Corrected शीतलच्छायमागमय् → शीतलच्छायमासाद्य (misprint in Wikisource; the printed form is not a word, the critical edition reads śītalacchāyam āsādya).

Verse 20 (3.312.20)

तेषां समुपविष्टानां नकुलो दुःखितस्तदा । अब्रवीद्भ्रातरं श्रेष्ठममर्षात्कुरुनन्दनम् ॥

teṣāṃ samupaviṣṭānāṃ nakulo duḥkhitastadā | abravīdbhrātaraṃ śreṣṭhamamarṣātkurunandanam

When they had sat down, Nakula, unhappy, spoke impatiently to his eldest brother, the delight of the Kurus:

Verse 21 (3.312.21)

नास्मिन्कुले जातु ममज्ज धर्मो । न चालस्यादर्थलोपो बभूव । अनुत्तराः सर्वभूतेषु भूप । संप्राप्ताः स्मः संशयं किं नु राजन् ॥

nāsminkule jātu mamajja dharmo | na cālasyādarthalopo babhūva | anuttarāḥ sarvabhūteṣu bhūpa | saṃprāptāḥ smaḥ saṃśayaṃ kiṃ nu rājan

"In this family dharma has never sunk, nor has wealth ever been lost through idleness. We are second to none among all beings, lord of the earth; so why, O king, have we fallen into this peril?"

Note on the text: Restored a missing word space (किंनु → किं नु).