Surabhi's Grief for Her Son

Verse 1 (3.9.1)

भगवन्नाहमप्येतद्रोचये द्यूतसंभवम् । मन्ये तद्विधिनाऽऽकृष्य कारितोऽस्मीति वै मुने ॥

bhagavannāhamapyetadrocaye dyūtasaṃbhavam | manye tadvidhinā''kṛṣya kārito'smīti vai mune

"Blessed one, I too did not favour this dicing; but I believe, sage, that fate dragged me on and made me allow it."

Note on the text: Restored a missing avagraha (कारितोस्मीति → कारितोऽस्मीति).

Verse 2 (3.9.2)

नैतद्रोचयते भीष्मो न द्रोणो विदुरो न च । गान्धार्या नेष्यते द्यूतं तत्र मोहात्प्रवर्तितम् ॥

naitadrocayate bhīṣmo na droṇo viduro na ca | gāndhāryā neṣyate dyūtaṃ tatra mohātpravartitam

"Bhishma did not approve of it, nor Drona, nor Vidura, and Gandhari did not want the dicing; it was set going through folly."

Verse 3 (3.9.3)

परित्यक्तुं न शक्नोमि दुर्योधनमचेतनम् । पुत्रस्नेहेन भगवञ्जानन्नपि यतव्रत ॥

parityaktuṃ na śaknomi duryodhanamacetanam | putrasnehena bhagavañjānannapi yatavrata

"Yet out of love for my son, blessed one of firm vows, I cannot cast off the senseless Duryodhana, though I know all this."

Verse 4 (3.9.4)

वैचित्रवीर्य नृपते सत्यमाह यथा भवान् । दृढं विद्मः परं पुत्रं परं पुत्रान्न विद्यते ॥

vaicitravīrya nṛpate satyamāha yathā bhavān | dṛḍhaṃ vidmaḥ paraṃ putraṃ paraṃ putrānna vidyate

"Son of Vichitravirya, king, what you say is true. We know for certain that a son is the highest thing; there is nothing higher than a son."

Note on the text: Corrected विझः → विद्मः (misprint in Wikisource; झ for द्म, giving no word; the critical edition reads vedmi, "I know", with the same sense).

Verse 5 (3.9.5)

इन्द्रोऽप्यश्रुनिपातेन सुरभ्या प्रतिबोधितः । अन्यैः समृद्धैरप्यर्थैर्न सुतान्मन्यते परम् ॥

indro'pyaśrunipātena surabhyā pratibodhitaḥ | anyaiḥ samṛddhairapyarthairna sutānmanyate param

"Even Indra was taught this by Surabhi's falling tears: for all his other rich possessions, he holds nothing higher than sons."

Note on the text: Restored a missing avagraha (इन्द्रोप्यश्रु → इन्द्रोऽप्यश्रु) and corrected सुतानमन्यते → सुतान्मन्यते (misprint in Wikisource; a dropped virama leaves no valid verb form). The critical edition reads na sutād vidyate param, a recension variant.

Verse 6 (3.9.6)

अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि महदाख्यानमुत्तमम् । सुरभ्याश्चैव संवादमिन्द्रस्य च विशांपते ॥

atra te vartayiṣyāmi mahadākhyānamuttamam | surabhyāścaiva saṃvādamindrasya ca viśāṃpate

"On this I will tell you an excellent and great story, lord of the people: the conversation between Surabhi and Indra."

Note on the text: Corrected गहदाख्यानम् → महदाख्यानम् (misprint in Wikisource; ग for म; the critical edition reads mahad ākhyānam).

Verse 7 (3.9.7)

त्रिविष्टपगता राजन्सुरभी प्रारुदत्किल । गवां माता पुरा तात तामिन्द्रोऽन्वकृपायत ॥

triviṣṭapagatā rājansurabhī prārudatkila | gavāṃ mātā purā tāta tāmindro'nvakṛpāyata

"Long ago, my son, Surabhi, mother of cows, went to heaven and wept there, so they say, and Indra took pity on her."

Verse 8 (3.9.8)

किमिदं रोदिषि शुभे कच्चित्क्षेमं दिवौकसाम् । मनुष्येष्वथवा गोषु नैतदल्पं भविष्यति ॥

kimidaṃ rodiṣi śubhe kaccitkṣemaṃ divaukasām | manuṣyeṣvathavā goṣu naitadalpaṃ bhaviṣyati

"Why are you weeping, lovely one? Is all well with the dwellers of heaven, with men, or with the cows? This can be no small matter."

Verse 9 (3.9.9)

विनिपातो न वः कश्चिद्दृश्यते त्रिदशाधिप । अहं तु पुत्रं शोचामि तेन रोदिमि कौशिक ॥

vinipāto na vaḥ kaściddṛśyate tridaśādhipa | ahaṃ tu putraṃ śocāmi tena rodimi kauśika

"No disaster threatens any of you, lord of the thirty gods. I grieve for my son; that is why I weep, Kaushika."

Verse 10 (3.9.10)

पश्यैनं कर्षकं क्षुद्रं दुर्बलं मम पुत्रकम् । प्रतोदेनाभिनिघ्नन्तं लाङ्गलेन च पीडितम् । निषीदमानं सोत्कण्ठं वध्यमानं सुराधिप ॥

paśyainaṃ karṣakaṃ kṣudraṃ durbalaṃ mama putrakam | pratodenābhinighnantaṃ lāṅgalena ca pīḍitam | niṣīdamānaṃ sotkaṇṭhaṃ vadhyamānaṃ surādhipa

"Look at this cruel farmer striking my weak little son with a goad, and at my son, ground down by the plough, sinking under it and gasping in distress as he is beaten, lord of the gods."

Note on the text: The first two lines match the critical edition (3.10.10), where this verse was left unaligned; the third line is not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension).

Verse 11 (3.9.11)

एनं दृष्ट्वा भृशं श्रान्तं वध्यमानं सुराधिप । कृपाविष्टाऽस्मि देवेन्द्र मनश्चोद्वेपते मम ॥

enaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhṛśaṃ śrāntaṃ vadhyamānaṃ surādhipa | kṛpāviṣṭā'smi devendra manaścodvepate mama

"Seeing him so utterly worn out and beaten, lord of the gods, I am filled with pity, king of the gods, and my heart trembles."

Note on the text: Removed the stray wiki marks (backtick and quote) around the first line, which Wikisource prints as a marked reading, and the doubled danda.

Verse 12 (3.9.12)

एकस्तत्र बलोपेतो धुरमुद्वहतेऽधिकाम् । अपरोऽप्यबलप्राणः कृशो धमनिसंततः । कृच्छ्रादुद्वहते भारं तं वै शोचामि वासव ॥

ekastatra balopeto dhuramudvahate'dhikām | aparo'pyabalaprāṇaḥ kṛśo dhamanisaṃtataḥ | kṛcchrādudvahate bhāraṃ taṃ vai śocāmi vāsava

"One of the pair is strong and carries more than his share of the load; the other, weak and short of breath, gaunt, his veins standing out, bears the load only with great pain — it is for him I grieve, Vasava."

Note on the text: Restored a missing word space and avagraha (एकस्तत्रबलोपेतो → एकस्तत्र बलोपेतो; अपरोप्यबलप्राणः → अपरोऽप्यबलप्राणः).

Verse 13 (3.9.13)

वध्यमानः प्रतोदेन तुद्यमानः पुनः पुनः । नैव शक्नोति तं भारमुद्वोढुं पश्य वासव ॥

vadhyamānaḥ pratodena tudyamānaḥ punaḥ punaḥ | naiva śaknoti taṃ bhāramudvoḍhuṃ paśya vāsava

"Beaten with the goad, prodded again and again, he cannot carry that load at all — look, Vasava."

Verse 14 (3.9.14)

ततोऽहं तस्य शोकार्ता विरौमि भृशदुःखिता । अश्रूण्यावर्तयन्ती च नेत्राभ्यां करुणायती ॥

tato'haṃ tasya śokārtā viraumi bhṛśaduḥkhitā | aśrūṇyāvartayantī ca netrābhyāṃ karuṇāyatī

"So, stricken with grief for him and deeply pained, I cry aloud, shedding tears from my eyes in pity."

Verse 15 (3.9.15)

तव पुत्रसहस्रेषु पीड्यमानेषु शोभने । किं कृपायितवत्यत्र पुत्र एको निपीड्यते ॥

tava putrasahasreṣu pīḍyamāneṣu śobhane | kiṃ kṛpāyitavatyatra putra eko nipīḍyate

"When thousands of your sons are suffering, lovely one, why such pity here, where only one son is being oppressed?"

Verse 16 (3.9.16)

यदि पुत्रसहस्राणि सर्वत्र समतैव मे । दीनस्य तु सतः शक्र पुत्रस्याभ्यधिका कृपा ॥

yadi putrasahasrāṇi sarvatra samataiva me | dīnasya tu sataḥ śakra putrasyābhyadhikā kṛpā

"Though I have thousands of sons, I feel the same toward all of them; but for a son in distress, Shakra, my pity is greater."

Note on the text: Restored missing word spaces (सर्वत्रसमतैव → सर्वत्र समतैव; पुत्रस्याभ्यधिकाकृपा → पुत्रस्याभ्यधिका कृपा).

Verse 17 (3.9.17)

तदिन्द्रः सुरभेर्वाक्यं निशम्य भृशविस्मितः । जीवितेनापि कौरव्य मेनेऽभ्यधिकमात्मजम् ॥

tadindraḥ surabhervākyaṃ niśamya bhṛśavismitaḥ | jīvitenāpi kauravya mene'bhyadhikamātmajam

"Hearing Surabhi's words, Indra was greatly astonished, and from then on, Kauravya, he held a son dearer even than life."

Verse 18 (3.9.18)

प्रववर्ष च तत्रैव सहसा तोयमुल्वणम् । कर्षकस्याचरन्विघ्नं भगवान्पाकशासनः ॥

pravavarṣa ca tatraiva sahasā toyamulvaṇam | karṣakasyācaranvighnaṃ bhagavānpākaśāsanaḥ

"And the lord Pakashasana at once poured down a heavy rain right there, putting a stop to the farmer's work."

Verse 19 (3.9.19)

तद्यथा सुरभिः प्राह सममेवास्तु ते तथा । सुतेषु राजन्सर्वेषु हीनेष्वभ्यधिका कृपा ॥

tadyathā surabhiḥ prāha samamevāstu te tathā | suteṣu rājansarveṣu hīneṣvabhyadhikā kṛpā

"So, as Surabhi said, king, let your feeling be the same toward all your sons, but your pity greater for those who are in want."

Verse 20 (3.9.20)

यादृशो मे सुतः पाण्डुस्तादृशो मेऽसि पुत्रक । विदुरश्च महाप्राज्ञः स्नेहादेतद्ब्रवीम्यहम् ॥

yādṛśo me sutaḥ pāṇḍustādṛśo me'si putraka | viduraśca mahāprājñaḥ snehādetadbravīmyaham

"As my son Pandu was, so are you to me, my son, and so is the wise Vidura. I say this out of affection."

Verse 21 (3.9.21)

चिराय तव पुत्राणां शतमेकश्च भारत । पाण्डोः पञ्चैव लक्ष्यन्ते तेऽपि मन्दाः सुदुःखिताः ॥

cirāya tava putrāṇāṃ śatamekaśca bhārata | pāṇḍoḥ pañcaiva lakṣyante te'pi mandāḥ suduḥkhitāḥ

"Long have you had your hundred and one sons, Bharata; of Pandu's only five are to be seen, and they too are guileless and in deep distress."

Note on the text: Corrected पाण्डौः → पाण्डोः (misprint in Wikisource; wrong vowel sign; the critical edition reads pāṇḍoḥ) and restored a missing word space (मन्दाःसुदुःखिताः → मन्दाः सुदुःखिताः).

Verse 22 (3.9.22)

कथं जीवेयुरत्यन्तं कथं वर्धेयुरित्यपि । इति दीनेषु पार्थेषु मनो मे परितप्यते ॥

kathaṃ jīveyuratyantaṃ kathaṃ vardheyurityapi | iti dīneṣu pārtheṣu mano me paritapyate

"How are they to survive, how are they to prosper? Thinking thus of the sons of Pritha in their misery, my mind is tormented."

Verse 23 (3.9.23)

यदि पार्थिव कौरव्याञ्जीवमानानिहेच्छसि । दुर्योधनस्तव सुतः शमं गच्छतु पाण्डवैः ॥

yadi pārthiva kauravyāñjīvamānānihecchasi | duryodhanastava sutaḥ śamaṃ gacchatu pāṇḍavaiḥ

"If you wish the Kauravas to live on here, king, let your son Duryodhana make peace with the Pandavas."

Note on the text: Corrected कौख्याञ्जीवमानान् → कौरव्याञ्जीवमानान् (misprint in Wikisource; ख for रव; the critical edition reads kauravyāñ).