The Funeral Rites; End of the Ashramavasika Parva

Verse 1 (15.41.1)

नासौ वृथाऽग्निना दग्धो यथा तत्र श्रुतं मया । वैचित्रवीर्यो नृपतिर्न ते शोच्यो नराधिप ॥

nāsau vṛthā'gninā dagdho yathā tatra śrutaṃ mayā | vaicitravīryo nṛpatirna te śocyo narādhipa

He was not burned by a fire in vain, as I heard it there. The king, the son of Vichitravirya, is not to be mourned by you, O lord of men.

Note on the text: Second line differs from the CE (15.47.1c: 'vaicitravīryo nṛpatis tat te vakṣyāmi bhārata'); Wikisource reading kept.

Verse 2 (15.41.2)

वनं प्रविशतानेन वायुभक्षेण धीमता । अग्नयः कारयित्वेष्टिमुत्सृष्टा इति नः श्रुतम् ॥

vanaṃ praviśatānena vāyubhakṣeṇa dhīmatā | agnayaḥ kārayitveṣṭimutsṛṣṭā iti naḥ śrutam

As that wise king, living on air alone, entered the forest, he had the sacrificial rite performed and the fires were released, so we have heard.

Verse 3 (15.41.3)

याजकास्तु ततस्तस्य तानग्नीन्निर्जने वने । समुत्सृज्य यथाकामं जग्मुर्भरतसत्तम ॥

yājakāstu tatastasya tānagnīnnirjane vane | samutsṛjya yathākāmaṃ jagmurbharatasattama

Then, in that lonely forest, the priests left those fires behind and went off wherever they wished, best of the Bharatas.

Verse 4 (15.41.4)

स विवृद्धस्तदा वह्निर्वने तस्मिन्नभूत्किल । तेन तद्वनमादीप्तमिति ते तापसाऽब्रुवन् ॥

sa vivṛddhastadā vahnirvane tasminnabhūtkila | tena tadvanamādīptamiti te tāpasā'bruvan

Then, it is said, that fire grew great in that forest, and by it the forest was set ablaze; so those ascetics told me.

Verse 5 (15.41.5)

स राजा जाह्नवीतीरे यथा ते कथितं मया । तेनाग्निना समायुक्तः स्वेनैव भरतर्षभ ॥

sa rājā jāhnavītīre yathā te kathitaṃ mayā | tenāgninā samāyuktaḥ svenaiva bharatarṣabha

The king, as I have told you, on the bank of the Jahnavi was joined to that fire, his very own, O best of the Bharatas.

Verse 6 (15.41.6)

एवमावेदयामासुर्मुनयस्ते ममानघ । ये ते भागीरथीतीरे मया दृष्टा युधिष्ठिर ॥

evamāvedayāmāsurmunayaste mamānagha | ye te bhāgīrathītīre mayā dṛṣṭā yudhiṣṭhira

So the sages reported to me, sinless one, those whom I saw on the bank of the Bhagirathi, Yudhishthira.

Verse 7 (15.41.7)

एवं स्वेनाग्निना राजा समायुक्तो महीपते । मा शोचिथास्त्वं नृपतिं गतः स परमां गतिम् ॥

evaṃ svenāgninā rājā samāyukto mahīpate | mā śocithāstvaṃ nṛpatiṃ gataḥ sa paramāṃ gatim

Thus the king was joined to his own fire, O lord of the earth. Do not grieve for the king: he has gone to the supreme goal.

Verse 8 (15.41.8)

गुरुशुश्रूषया चैव जननी ते जनाधिप । प्राप्ता सुमहतीं सिद्धिमिति मे नात्र संशयः ॥

guruśuśrūṣayā caiva jananī te janādhipa | prāptā sumahatīṃ siddhimiti me nātra saṃśayaḥ

And your mother, O lord of men, through her service to her elders, has attained great perfection; of that I have no doubt.

Verse 9 (15.41.9)

कर्तुमर्हसि राजेन्द्र तेषां त्वमुदकक्रियाम् । भ्रातृभिः सहितः सर्वैरेतदत्र विधीयताम् ॥

kartumarhasi rājendra teṣāṃ tvamudakakriyām | bhrātṛbhiḥ sahitaḥ sarvairetadatra vidhīyatām

You should perform the water-offering for them, king of kings, together with all your brothers; let this be done now.

Note on the text: Recension variant (CE 'kauravya' for 'राजेन्द्र'); kept.

Verse 10 (15.41.10)

ततः स पृथिवीपालः पाण्डवानां धुरंधरः । निर्ययौ सहसोदर्यः सदारश्च नरर्षभः ॥

tataḥ sa pṛthivīpālaḥ pāṇḍavānāṃ dhuraṃdharaḥ | niryayau sahasodaryaḥ sadāraśca nararṣabhaḥ

Then that protector of the earth, bearer of the Pandavas' burden, set out with his brothers and with his wives, that bull among men.

Verse 11 (15.41.11)

पौरजानपदाश्चैव राजभक्तिपुरस्कृताः । गङ्गां प्रजग्मुरभितो वाससैकेन संवृताः ॥

paurajānapadāścaiva rājabhaktipuraskṛtāḥ | gaṅgāṃ prajagmurabhito vāsasaikena saṃvṛtāḥ

The townspeople and country folk too, moved by loyalty to the king, went all around to the Ganga, each wrapped in a single cloth.

Verse 12 (15.41.12)

ततोऽवगाह्य सलिले सर्वे तु कुरुपुङ्गवाः । युयुत्सुमग्रतः कृत्वा ददुस्तोयं महात्मने ॥

tato'vagāhya salile sarve tu kurupuṅgavāḥ | yuyutsumagrataḥ kṛtvā dadustoyaṃ mahātmane

Then all those bulls of the Kurus bathed in the water, placed Yuyutsu at their head, and offered water to the great-souled king.

Verse 13 (15.41.13)

गान्धार्याश्च पृथायाश्च विधिवन्नामगोत्रतः । शौचं निवर्तयन्तस्ते तत्रोषुर्नगराद्बहिः ॥

gāndhāryāśca pṛthāyāśca vidhivannāmagotrataḥ | śaucaṃ nivartayantaste tatroṣurnagarādbahiḥ

And they offered it to Gandhari and Pritha as well, in due form, naming each by name and lineage; carrying out the purification, they stayed there outside the city.

Note on the text: Corrected शाचं → शौचं (misprint in Wikisource; au lost; CE 'śaucaṃ').

Verse 14 (15.41.14)

प्रेषयामास स नरान्विधिज्ञानाप्तकारिणः । गङ्गाद्वारं कुरुश्रेष्ठो यत्र दग्धोऽभवन्नृपः ॥

preṣayāmāsa sa narānvidhijñānāptakāriṇaḥ | gaṅgādvāraṃ kuruśreṣṭho yatra dagdho'bhavannṛpaḥ

The best of the Kurus sent men who knew the rites and were trustworthy to Gangadvara, where the king had been burned.

Verse 15 (15.41.15)

तत्रैव तेषां कुल्यानि गङ्गाद्वारेऽन्वशात्तदा । कर्तव्यानीति पुरुषान्दत्तदेयान्महीपतिः ॥

tatraiva teṣāṃ kulyāni gaṅgādvāre'nvaśāttadā | kartavyānīti puruṣāndattadeyānmahīpatiḥ

There at Gangadvara the king then ordered the men, who had been given what was needed, that the rites for their remains be performed on that very spot.

Note on the text: Corrected तुल्यानि → कुल्यानि (misprint in Wikisource; the word is 'kulyāni' (remains) as in verses 22–23 and in the CE 15.47.15a; the page's gloss records the variant 'कृत्यानि').

Verse 16 (15.41.16)

द्वादशेऽहनि तेभ्यः स कृतशौचो नराधिपः । ददौ श्राद्धानि विधिवद्दक्षिणावन्ति पाण्डवः ॥

dvādaśe'hani tebhyaḥ sa kṛtaśauco narādhipaḥ | dadau śrāddhāni vidhivaddakṣiṇāvanti pāṇḍavaḥ

On the twelfth day, his purification complete, the Pandava king gave shraddha offerings for them in due form, with generous gifts to the priests.

Note on the text: Corrected दक्षइणावन्ति → दक्षिणावन्ति (misprint in Wikisource; stray इ; CE 'dakṣiṇāvanti').

Verse 17 (15.41.17)

धृतराष्ट्रं समुद्दिश्य ददौ स पृथिवीपतिः । सुवर्णं रजतं गाश्च शय्याश्च सुमहाधनाः ॥

dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ samuddiśya dadau sa pṛthivīpatiḥ | suvarṇaṃ rajataṃ gāśca śayyāśca sumahādhanāḥ

In the name of Dhritarashtra the king gave gold, silver, cows, and very costly beds.

Verse 18 (15.41.18)

गान्धार्याश्चैव तेजस्वी पृथायाश्च पृथक्पृथक् । सङ्कीर्त्य नामनी राजा ददौ दानमनुत्तमम् ॥

gāndhāryāścaiva tejasvī pṛthāyāśca pṛthakpṛthak | saṅkīrtya nāmanī rājā dadau dānamanuttamam

And that radiant king, naming each of the two separately, gave unsurpassed gifts for Gandhari and for Pritha.

Verse 19 (15.41.19)

यो यदिच्छति यावच्च तावत्स लभते द्विजः । शयनं भोजनं यानं मणिरत्नमथो धनम् ॥

yo yadicchati yāvacca tāvatsa labhate dvijaḥ | śayanaṃ bhojanaṃ yānaṃ maṇiratnamatho dhanam

Whatever any brahmin wished for, and as much as he wished, he received: beds, food, vehicles, jewels and gems, and wealth.

Verse 20 (15.41.20)

यानमाच्छादनं भोगान्दासीश्च समलङ्कृताः । ददौ राजा समुद्दिश्य तयोर्मात्रोर्महीपतिः ॥

yānamācchādanaṃ bhogāndāsīśca samalaṅkṛtāḥ | dadau rājā samuddiśya tayormātrormahīpatiḥ

Vehicles, clothing, comforts, and well-adorned maidservants the king gave in the name of those two mothers.

Verse 21 (15.41.21)

ततः स पृथिवीपालो दत्त्वा श्राद्धान्यनेकशः । प्रविवेश पुनर्धीमान्नगरं वारणाह्वयम् ॥

tataḥ sa pṛthivīpālo dattvā śrāddhānyanekaśaḥ | praviveśa punardhīmānnagaraṃ vāraṇāhvayam

Then the king, the wise protector of the earth, having given shraddha offerings many times over, entered again the city named for the elephant, Hastinapura.

Verse 22 (15.41.22)

ते चापि राजवचनात्पुरुषा ये गताऽभवन् । सङ्कल्प्य तेषां कुल्यानि पुनः प्रत्यागमंस्ततः ॥

te cāpi rājavacanātpuruṣā ye gatā'bhavan | saṅkalpya teṣāṃ kulyāni punaḥ pratyāgamaṃstataḥ

And the men who had gone at the king's command, having gathered up the remains of the dead, came back afterwards.

Verse 23 (15.41.23)

माल्यैर्गन्धैश्च विविधैरर्चयित्वा यथाविधि । कुल्यानि तेषां संयोज्य तदाचख्युर्महीपतेः ॥

mālyairgandhaiśca vividhairarcayitvā yathāvidhi | kulyāni teṣāṃ saṃyojya tadācakhyurmahīpateḥ

Having honoured them in due form with garlands and many kinds of perfumes, and having committed the remains to the Ganga, they reported it to the king.

Verse 24 (15.41.24)

समाश्वास्य तु राजानं धर्मात्मानं युधिष्ठिरम् । नारदोप्यगमत्प्रीतः परमर्षिर्यथोप्सितम् ॥

samāśvāsya tu rājānaṃ dharmātmānaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram | nāradopyagamatprītaḥ paramarṣiryathopsitam

And Narada, the supreme sage, having comforted Yudhishthira, the righteous-souled king, departed content to wherever he wished.

Verse 25 (15.41.25)

एवं वर्षाण्यतीतानि धृतराष्ट्रस्य धीमतः । वनवासे तथा त्रीणि नगरे दशपञ्च च ॥

evaṃ varṣāṇyatītāni dhṛtarāṣṭrasya dhīmataḥ | vanavāse tathā trīṇi nagare daśapañca ca

Thus the years passed for the wise Dhritarashtra: three in the forest and fifteen in the city,

Verse 26 (15.41.26)

हतपुत्रस्य सङ्ग्रामे दानानि ददतः सदा । ज्ञातिसम्बन्धिमित्राणां भ्रातॄणां स्वजनस्य च ॥

hataputrasya saṅgrāme dānāni dadataḥ sadā | jñātisambandhimitrāṇāṃ bhrātṝṇāṃ svajanasya ca

he who, his sons slain in the battle, was ever giving gifts to his kinsmen, relatives by marriage, friends, brothers and his own people.

Verse 27 (15.41.27)

युधिष्ठिरस्तु नृपतिर्नातिप्रीतमनास्तदा । धारयामास तद्राज्यं निहतज्ञातिबान्धवः ॥

yudhiṣṭhirastu nṛpatirnātiprītamanāstadā | dhārayāmāsa tadrājyaṃ nihatajñātibāndhavaḥ

But King Yudhishthira, not very glad at heart then, his kinsmen and relatives slain, went on bearing that kingdom.