Narada Tells of Kings Who Won Heaven by Austerity

Verse 1 (15.21.1)

ततस्तत्र मुनिश्रेष्ठा राजानं द्रष्टुमभ्ययुः । नारदः पर्वतश्चैव देवलश्च महातपाः ॥

tatastatra muniśreṣṭhā rājānaṃ draṣṭumabhyayuḥ | nāradaḥ parvataścaiva devalaśca mahātapāḥ

Then the foremost of sages came there to see the king: Narada, Parvata, and the greatly ascetic Devala.

Verse 2 (15.21.2)

द्वैपायनः सशिष्यश्च सिद्धाश्चान्ये मनीषिणः । शतयूपश्च राजर्षिर्वृद्धः परमधार्मिकः ॥

dvaipāyanaḥ saśiṣyaśca siddhāścānye manīṣiṇaḥ | śatayūpaśca rājarṣirvṛddhaḥ paramadhārmikaḥ

Dvaipayana came with his pupils, and other wise siddhas, and the aged royal sage Shatayupa, supremely righteous.

Verse 3 (15.21.3)

तेषां कुन्ती महाराज पूजां चक्रे यथाविधि । ते चापि तुतुषुस्तस्यास्तापसाः परिचर्यया ॥

teṣāṃ kuntī mahārāja pūjāṃ cakre yathāvidhi | te cāpi tutuṣustasyāstāpasāḥ paricaryayā

Kunti honoured them duly, O great king, and the ascetics were pleased with her service.

Verse 4 (15.21.4)

तत्र धर्म्याः कथास्तात चक्रुस्ते परमर्षयः । रमयन्तो महात्मानं धृतराष्ट्रं जनाधिपम् ॥

tatra dharmyāḥ kathāstāta cakruste paramarṣayaḥ | ramayanto mahātmānaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ janādhipam

There those supreme sages held talks on dharma, dear Bharata, delighting the great-souled Dhritarashtra, lord of men.

Verse 5 (15.21.5)

कथान्तरे तु कस्मिंश्चिद्देवर्षिर्नारदस्ततः । कथामिमामकथयत्सर्वप्रत्यक्षदर्शिवान् ॥

kathāntare tu kasmiṃściddevarṣirnāradastataḥ | kathāmimāmakathayatsarvapratyakṣadarśivān

In a pause of the talk, the divine sage Narada, who sees everything as if before his eyes, told this tale.

Verse 6 (15.21.6)

पुरा प्रजापतिसमो राजाऽऽसीदकुतोभयः । सहस्रचित्य इत्युक्तः शतयूपपितामहः ॥

purā prajāpatisamo rājā''sīdakutobhayaḥ | sahasracitya ityuktaḥ śatayūpapitāmahaḥ

Long ago there was a king, fearless and equal to Prajapati, called Sahasracitya, the grandfather of Shatayupa.

Note on the text: Corrected सहस्रचित्यि → सहस्रचित्य (misprint in Wikisource; the name is Sahasracitya, as in the next verse and in the critical edition (sahasracitya)).

Verse 7 (15.21.7)

स पुत्रे राज्यमासज्य ज्येष्ठे परमधार्मिके । सहस्रचित्यो धर्मात्मा प्रविवेश वनं नृपः ॥

sa putre rājyamāsajya jyeṣṭhe paramadhārmike | sahasracityo dharmātmā praviveśa vanaṃ nṛpaḥ

Having entrusted the kingdom to his eldest son, who was supremely righteous, the righteous-souled king Sahasracitya entered the forest.

Note on the text: Corrected राज्यमासज्ज्यि → राज्यमासज्य (misprint in Wikisource; आसज्ज्यि is not a form; the gerund is आसज्य, "having entrusted", CE āsajya).

Verse 8 (15.21.8)

स गत्वा तपसः पारं दीप्तस्य वसुधाधिपः । पुरंदरस्य संस्थानं प्रतिपेदे महाद्युतिः ॥

sa gatvā tapasaḥ pāraṃ dīptasya vasudhādhipaḥ | puraṃdarasya saṃsthānaṃ pratipede mahādyutiḥ

Having gone to the far shore of blazing austerity, that great lord of the earth, of great splendour, attained the abode of Purandara (Indra).

Verse 9 (15.21.9)

दृष्टपूर्वः स बहुशो राजन्सम्पतता मया । महेन्द्रसदने राजा तपसा दग्धकिल्बिषः ॥

dṛṣṭapūrvaḥ sa bahuśo rājansampatatā mayā | mahendrasadane rājā tapasā dagdhakilbiṣaḥ

I have often seen him as I flew past, O king, in Mahendra's abode, that king whose sins were burnt away by austerity.

Verse 10 (15.21.10)

तथा शैलालयो राजा भगदत्तपितामहः । तपोबलेनैव नृपो महेन्द्रसदनं गतः ॥

tathā śailālayo rājā bhagadattapitāmahaḥ | tapobalenaiva nṛpo mahendrasadanaṃ gataḥ

So too King Shailalaya, the grandfather of Bhagadatta, went to Mahendra's abode by the power of his austerity.

Note on the text: Corrected भगत्त → भगदत्त (misprint in Wikisource; a syllable is dropped; the name is Bhagadatta, CE bhagadatta).

Verse 11 (15.21.11)

तथा पृषध्रो राजाऽऽसीद्राजन्वज्रधरोपमः । स चापि तपसा लेभे नाकपृष्ठमितो गतः ॥

tathā pṛṣadhro rājā''sīdrājanvajradharopamaḥ | sa cāpi tapasā lebhe nākapṛṣṭhamito gataḥ

There was also King Prishadhra, like the wielder of the thunderbolt; he too won heaven by austerity, going from here.

Verse 12 (15.21.12)

अस्मिन्नरण्ये नृपते मांधातुरपि चात्मजः । पुरुकुत्सो नृपः सिद्धिं महतीं समवाप्तवान् ॥

asminnaraṇye nṛpate māṃdhāturapi cātmajaḥ | purukutso nṛpaḥ siddhiṃ mahatīṃ samavāptavān

In this very forest, O lord of men, Purukutsa, the son of Mandhata, won great perfection.

Verse 13 (15.21.13)

भार्या समभवद्यस्य नर्मदा सरितां वरा । सोस्मिन्नरण्ये नृपतिस्तपस्तप्त्वा दिवं गतः ॥

bhāryā samabhavadyasya narmadā saritāṃ varā | sosminnaraṇye nṛpatistapastaptvā divaṃ gataḥ

The king whose wife was Narmada, best of rivers, practised austerity in this same forest and went to heaven.

Verse 14 (15.21.14)

शशलोमा च राजाऽऽसीद्राजन्परमधार्मिकः । सम्यगस्मिन्वने तप्त्वा ततो दिवमवाप्तवान् ॥

śaśalomā ca rājā''sīdrājanparamadhārmikaḥ | samyagasminvane taptvā tato divamavāptavān

And there was King Shashaloma, O king, exceedingly righteous; having practised austerity properly in this forest, he too attained heaven.

Verse 15 (15.21.15)

द्वैपायनप्रसादाच्च त्वमपीदं तपोवनम् । राजन्नवाप्य दुष्प्रापां सिद्धिमग्र्यां गमिष्यसि ॥

dvaipāyanaprasādācca tvamapīdaṃ tapovanam | rājannavāpya duṣprāpāṃ siddhimagryāṃ gamiṣyasi

By Dvaipayana's grace, you too, O king, having come to this forest of austerity, will go on to the highest perfection, so hard to reach.

Verse 16 (15.21.16)

त्वं चापि राजशार्दूल तपसोन्ते श्रिया वृतः । गान्धारीसहितो गन्ता गतिं तेषां महात्मनां ॥

tvaṃ cāpi rājaśārdūla tapasonte śriyā vṛtaḥ | gāndhārīsahito gantā gatiṃ teṣāṃ mahātmanāṃ

And you too, tiger among kings, at the end of your austerity, clothed in glory and together with Gandhari, will go to the destination of those great souls.

Verse 17 (15.21.17)

पाण्डुः स्मरति ते नित्यं बलहन्तुः समीपगः । त्वां सदैव महाराज श्रेयसा स च योक्ष्यति ॥

pāṇḍuḥ smarati te nityaṃ balahantuḥ samīpagaḥ | tvāṃ sadaiva mahārāja śreyasā sa ca yokṣyati

Pandu, dwelling near the slayer of Bala, remembers you constantly; and he will always join you, great king, to what is good.

Verse 18 (15.21.18)

तव शुश्रूषया चैव गान्धार्याश्च यशस्विनी । भर्तुः सलोकतां कुन्ती गमिष्यति वधूस्तव ॥

tava śuśrūṣayā caiva gāndhāryāśca yaśasvinī | bhartuḥ salokatāṃ kuntī gamiṣyati vadhūstava

By her service to you and to Gandhari, your daughter-in-law, the renowned Kunti, will go to the world of her husband.

Verse 19 (15.21.19)

युधिष्ठिरस्य जननी स हि धर्मः सनातनः । वयमेतत्प्रपश्यामो नृपते दिव्यवक्षुषाः ॥

yudhiṣṭhirasya jananī sa hi dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ | vayametatprapaśyāmo nṛpate divyavakṣuṣāḥ

Yudhishthira's mother, that is indeed the eternal dharma. This we see, O king, with divine sight.

Note on the text: The sense of स हि धर्मः सनातनः (CE the same) is taken as "that is the eternal dharma" (Kunti's following her husband); the line is terse and could also be read with Yudhishthira or Dharma as the referent.

Verse 20 (15.21.20)

प्रवेक्ष्यति महात्मानं विदुरश्च युधिष्ठिरम् । संजयस्तदनुध्यानादितः स्वर्गमवाप्स्यति ॥

pravekṣyati mahātmānaṃ viduraśca yudhiṣṭhiram | saṃjayastadanudhyānāditaḥ svargamavāpsyati

Vidura will enter the great-souled Yudhishthira, and Sanjaya, by dwelling in thought on him, will win heaven from here.

Note on the text: Line 2 reads तदनुध्यानात् where CE has tvadanudhyānāt ("by meditating on you") and pūtaḥ; Wikisource's reading is a recension variant and is translated as it stands.

Verse 21 (15.21.21)

एतच्छ्रुत्वा कौरवेन्द्रो महात्मा । सार्धं पत्न्या प्रीतिमान्सम्बभूव । विद्वान्वाक्यं नारदस्य प्रशस्य । चक्रे पूजां चातुलां नारदाय ॥

etacchrutvā kauravendro mahātmā | sārdhaṃ patnyā prītimānsambabhūva | vidvānvākyaṃ nāradasya praśasya | cakre pūjāṃ cātulāṃ nāradāya

Hearing this, the great-souled lord of the Kauravas was glad together with his wife; the wise king praised Narada's words and paid Narada unequalled honour.

Note on the text: Speaker: the page prints the heading वैशम्पायन उवाच before this verse. Four-line verse, as on the page (labelled 21-21a-d).

Verse 22 (15.21.22)

ततः सर्वे नारदं विप्रसङ्घाः । सम्पूजयामासुरतीव राजन् । राज्ञः प्रीत्या धृतराष्ट्रस्य ते वै । पुनःपुनः सम्प्रहृष्टास्तदानीम् ॥

tataḥ sarve nāradaṃ viprasaṅghāḥ | sampūjayāmāsuratīva rājan | rājñaḥ prītyā dhṛtarāṣṭrasya te vai | punaḥpunaḥ samprahṛṣṭāstadānīm

Then all the companies of brahmins honoured Narada greatly, O king, and were again and again gladdened, out of affection for King Dhritarashtra.

Note on the text: Four-line verse, as on the page (labelled 21-22a-d). A variant-reading note printed after the colophon (15-21-11: तदा प्रवृद्धो राजसीदिति क.थ.पाठः) is not part of the text and is not added.