Narada Foretells Dhritarashtra's Journey to Kubera's Abode

Verse 1 (15.22.1)

नारदस्य तु तद्वाक्यं शशंसुर्द्विजसत्तमाः । शतयूपस्तु राजर्षिर्नारदं वाक्यमब्रवीत् ॥

nāradasya tu tadvākyaṃ śaśaṃsurdvijasattamāḥ | śatayūpastu rājarṣirnāradaṃ vākyamabravīt

The best of the twice-born praised Narada's words, and the royal sage Shatayupa spoke to Narada.

Verse 2 (15.22.2)

अहो भगवता श्रद्धा कुरुराजस्य वर्धिता । सर्वस्य च जनस्यास्य मम चैव महाद्युते ॥

aho bhagavatā śraddhā kururājasya vardhitā | sarvasya ca janasyāsya mama caiva mahādyute

Ah, through you, venerable one, the faith of the Kuru king has grown, and that of all these people, and mine as well, O greatly radiant one.

Note on the text: Speaker: Shatayupa (no heading is printed; whole-verse speech of the royal sage to Narada, introduced by the narration of verse 1, so given to him; the input carried Vaishampayana over).

Verse 3 (15.22.3)

अस्ति काचिद्विवक्षा तु तां मे निगदतः शृणु । धृतराष्ट्रं प्रति नृपं देवर्षे लोकपूजित ॥

asti kācidvivakṣā tu tāṃ me nigadataḥ śṛṇu | dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ prati nṛpaṃ devarṣe lokapūjita

There is something I wish to say concerning King Dhritarashtra; hear it as I speak, O divine sage honoured by the world.

Note on the text: Speaker: Shatayupa (no heading is printed; whole-verse speech of the royal sage to Narada, introduced by the narration of verse 1, so given to him; the input carried Vaishampayana over).

Verse 4 (15.22.4)

सर्ववृत्तान्ततत्त्वज्ञो भवान्दिव्येन चक्षुषा । युक्तः पश्यसि विप्रर्षे गतयो विविधा नृणाम् ॥

sarvavṛttāntatattvajño bhavāndivyena cakṣuṣā | yuktaḥ paśyasi viprarṣe gatayo vividhā nṛṇām

You know the truth of everything that happens, and, endowed with divine sight, you behold, O brahmin sage, the many destinations of men.

Note on the text: Speaker: Shatayupa (no heading is printed; whole-verse speech of the royal sage to Narada, introduced by the narration of verse 1, so given to him; the input carried Vaishampayana over).

Verse 5 (15.22.5)

उक्तवान्नृपतीनां त्वं महेन्द्रस्य सलोकताम् । न त्वस्य नृपतेर्लोकाः कथितास्ते महामुने ॥

uktavānnṛpatīnāṃ tvaṃ mahendrasya salokatām | na tvasya nṛpaterlokāḥ kathitāste mahāmune

You have told of the kings who share Mahendra's world, but you have not told, O great sage, of the worlds of this king.

Note on the text: Speaker: Shatayupa (no heading is printed; whole-verse speech of the royal sage to Narada, introduced by the narration of verse 1, so given to him; the input carried Vaishampayana over).

Verse 6 (15.22.6)

स्थानमप्यस्य नृपतेः श्रोतुमिच्छाम्यहं विभो । त्वत्तः कीदृक्कदा चेति तन्ममाख्याहि तत्त्वतः ॥

sthānamapyasya nṛpateḥ śrotumicchāmyahaṃ vibho | tvattaḥ kīdṛkkadā ceti tanmamākhyāhi tattvataḥ

I wish to hear from you, O lord, of this king's destination as well, of what kind it is and when it will be; tell me that truly.

Note on the text: Speaker: Shatayupa (no heading is printed; whole-verse speech of the royal sage to Narada, introduced by the narration of verse 1, so given to him; the input carried Vaishampayana over). Lines differ from CE 15.27.6 (sthānam asya kṣitipateḥ … tan mamācakṣva pṛcchataḥ); recension variants, kept.

Verse 7 (15.22.7)

इत्युक्तो नारदस्तेन वाक्यं सर्वमनोनुगम् । व्याजहार सभामध्ये दिव्यदर्शी महातपाः ॥

ityukto nāradastena vākyaṃ sarvamanonugam | vyājahāra sabhāmadhye divyadarśī mahātapāḥ

Thus addressed by him, Narada, the great ascetic of divine sight, spoke in the midst of the assembly words that pleased every mind.

Verse 8 (15.22.8)

यदृच्छया शक्रसदो गत्वा शक्रं शचीपतिम् । दृष्टवानस्मि राजर्षे तत्र पाण्डुं नराधिपम् ॥

yadṛcchayā śakrasado gatvā śakraṃ śacīpatim | dṛṣṭavānasmi rājarṣe tatra pāṇḍuṃ narādhipam

By chance I went to Shakra's hall and saw Shakra, the husband of Shachi, and there I saw King Pandu, O royal sage.

Verse 9 (15.22.9)

तत्रेयं धृतराष्ट्रस्य कथा समभवन्नप । तपसो दुष्करस्यास्य यदयं तपते नृपः ॥

tatreyaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya kathā samabhavannapa | tapaso duṣkarasyāsya yadayaṃ tapate nṛpaḥ

There this talk arose about Dhritarashtra, O king, about the hard austerity that this king is practising.

Verse 10 (15.22.10)

तत्राहमिदमश्रौषं शक्रस्य वदतः स्वयम् । वर्षाणि त्रीणि शिष्टानि राज्ञोस्य परमायुषः ॥

tatrāhamidamaśrauṣaṃ śakrasya vadataḥ svayam | varṣāṇi trīṇi śiṣṭāni rājñosya paramāyuṣaḥ

There I heard this from Shakra's own lips: of this king's full span of life, three years remain.

Verse 11 (15.22.11)

ततः कुबेरभवनं गान्धारीसहितो नृपः । प्रयाता धृतराष्ट्रोऽयं राजराजाभिसत्कृतः ॥

tataḥ kuberabhavanaṃ gāndhārīsahito nṛpaḥ | prayātā dhṛtarāṣṭro'yaṃ rājarājābhisatkṛtaḥ

Then Dhritarashtra will go with Gandhari to Kubera's abode, honoured by the King of Kings.

Note on the text: Line 2 reads प्रयाता (will go) where CE 15.27.11 has vihartā (will roam); a recension variant, kept.

Verse 12 (15.22.12)

कामगेन विमानेन दिव्याभरणभूषितः । ऋषिपुत्रो महाभागस्तपसा दग्धकिल्बिषः ॥

kāmagena vimānena divyābharaṇabhūṣitaḥ | ṛṣiputro mahābhāgastapasā dagdhakilbiṣaḥ

In an aerial car that goes where he wills, adorned with divine ornaments, the fortunate son of the sage, his sins burnt away by austerity,

Note on the text: The sentence runs on into verse 13; ऋषिपुत्र ("the sage's son") is Dhritarashtra, as the gloss below says. A gloss printed after the colophon on this verse (15-22-12 ऋषिपुत्रो व्यासपुत्रः) is not part of the text and is not added.

Verse 13 (15.22.13)

सञ्चरिष्यति लोकांश्च देवगन्धर्वरक्षसाम् । स्वच्छन्देनेति धर्मात्मा व्यासस्य तु तपोबलात् ॥

sañcariṣyati lokāṃśca devagandharvarakṣasām | svacchandeneti dharmātmā vyāsasya tu tapobalāt

will roam freely through the worlds of gods, gandharvas and rakshasas, the righteous-souled one, by the power of Vyasa's austerity.

Note on the text: Line 2 (svacchandeneti dharmātmā vyāsasya tu tapobalāt) differs from CE 15.27.13cd (…yan māṃ tvaṃ paripṛcchasi); a recension variant, kept.

Verse 14 (15.22.14)

देवगुह्यमिदं प्रीत्या मया वः कथितं महत् । भवन्तो हि श्रुतधनास्तपसा दग्धकिल्बिषाः ॥

devaguhyamidaṃ prītyā mayā vaḥ kathitaṃ mahat | bhavanto hi śrutadhanāstapasā dagdhakilbiṣāḥ

I have told you out of affection this great secret of the gods; for you are rich in learning, and your sins have been burnt away by austerity.

Verse 15 (15.22.15)

इति ते तस्य तच्छ्रुत्वा देवर्षेर्मधुरं वचः । सर्वे सुमनसः प्रीता बभूवुः स च पार्थिवः ॥

iti te tasya tacchrutvā devarṣermadhuraṃ vacaḥ | sarve sumanasaḥ prītā babhūvuḥ sa ca pārthivaḥ

Hearing the sweet words of the divine sage, all of them were glad at heart and pleased, and so was that king.

Verse 16 (15.22.16)

एवं कथाभिरन्वास्य धृतराष्ट्रं मनीषिणः । विप्रजग्मुर्यथाकामं ते सिद्धगतिमास्थिताः ॥

evaṃ kathābhiranvāsya dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ manīṣiṇaḥ | viprajagmuryathākāmaṃ te siddhagatimāsthitāḥ

So, having kept Dhritarashtra company with their talk, those wise men, who had taken the path of the perfected, went away as they wished.