The Mongoose Is Anger Freed from a Curse

Verse 1 (14.95.1)

कोसौ नकुलरूपेण शिरसा काञ्चनेन वै । प्राह मानुषवद्वाचमेतत्पृष्टो वदस्व मे ॥

kosau nakularūpeṇa śirasā kāñcanena vai | prāha mānuṣavadvācametatpṛṣṭo vadasva me

Who was that one, in the form of a mongoose with a golden head, who spoke in human speech? Since I ask this of you, tell me.

Note on the text: Speaker corrected: the page prints the heading as 'नमेजय उवाच' (misprint for जनमेजय).

Verse 2 (14.95.2)

एतत्पूर्वं न पृष्टोऽहं न चास्माभिः प्रभाषितम् । श्रूयतां नकुलो योसौ यथा वाक्तस्य मानुषी ॥

etatpūrvaṃ na pṛṣṭo'haṃ na cāsmābhiḥ prabhāṣitam | śrūyatāṃ nakulo yosau yathā vāktasya mānuṣī

I was not asked this before, and we have not spoken of it. Listen who that mongoose is, and how his speech came to be human.

Verse 3 (14.95.3)

श्राद्धं संकल्पयामास जमदग्निः पुरा किल । होमधेनुस्तमागाच्च स्वयमेव दुदोह ताम् ॥

śrāddhaṃ saṃkalpayāmāsa jamadagniḥ purā kila | homadhenustamāgācca svayameva dudoha tām

Long ago, it is said, Jamadagni resolved to perform a shraddha. The cow of the offerings came to him, and he milked her himself.

Note on the text: Recension variant: CE 14.96.3c reads 'svayaṃ cāpi dudoha tām'; Wikisource's reading kept.

Verse 4 (14.95.4)

तत्पयः स्थापयामास नवे भाण्डे दृढे शुचौ । क्रोधो नकुलरूपेण पिठरं पर्यकर्षयत् ॥

tatpayaḥ sthāpayāmāsa nave bhāṇḍe dṛḍhe śucau | krodho nakularūpeṇa piṭharaṃ paryakarṣayat

He set that milk in a new, strong, clean vessel. Anger, in the form of a mongoose, dragged the pot about.

Note on the text: Corrected स्थपयामास → स्थापयामास (misprint in Wikisource; dropped ā; CE reads 'sthāpayām āsa'). Recension variants (CE 'tat kṣīraṃ', 'krodhaḥ svarūpeṇa … paryavartayat') kept.

Verse 5 (14.95.5)

जिज्ञासुस्तमृषिश्रेष्ठं किं कुर्याद्विप्रिये कृते । इति सञ्चिन्त्य दुर्मेधा धर्षयामास तत्पयः ॥

jijñāsustamṛṣiśreṣṭhaṃ kiṃ kuryādvipriye kṛte | iti sañcintya durmedhā dharṣayāmāsa tatpayaḥ

Wishing to test that best of sages, thinking 'What will he do when a wrong is done to him?', that evil-minded one defiled the milk.

Note on the text: Corrected ऋषिश्रेष्टं → ऋषिश्रेष्ठं (misprint in Wikisource; ट for ठ; CE reads 'ṛṣiśreṣṭhaṃ').

Verse 6 (14.95.6)

तमाज्ञाय मुनिः क्रोधं नैवास्य स चुकोप ह । स तु क्रोधस्ततो राजन्ब्राह्मणीं मूर्तिमास्थितः ॥

tamājñāya muniḥ krodhaṃ naivāsya sa cukopa ha | sa tu krodhastato rājanbrāhmaṇīṃ mūrtimāsthitaḥ

The sage knew it was Anger and did not grow angry with it. Then Anger, O king, took on the form of a brahmin.

Note on the text: Recension variant: CE 14.96.6c reads 'sa tu krodhas tam āhedaṃ prāñjalir mūrtimān sthitaḥ' (with star line 14.96.006d*0196_01); Wikisource's reading kept.

Verse 7 (14.95.7)

जितोस्मीति भृगुश्रेष्ठ भृगवो ह्यतिरोषणाः । लोके मिथ्याप्रवादोयं यत्त्वयाऽस्मि विनिर्जितः ॥

jitosmīti bhṛguśreṣṭha bhṛgavo hyatiroṣaṇāḥ | loke mithyāpravādoyaṃ yattvayā'smi vinirjitaḥ

'I am defeated,' he said, 'O best of the Bhrigus. It is said that the Bhrigus are exceedingly wrathful, but this saying in the world is false, since you have defeated me.'

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: Anger's direct speech to Jamadagni, with no printed heading; it fills the whole verse. Recension variant: CE 14.96.7d reads 'parājitaḥ'; Wikisource's 'विनिर्जितः' kept.

Verse 8 (14.95.8)

वशे स्थितोऽहं त्वय्यद्य क्षमावति महात्मनि । बिभेमि तपसः साधो प्रसादं कुरु मे प्रभो ॥

vaśe sthito'haṃ tvayyadya kṣamāvati mahātmani | bibhemi tapasaḥ sādho prasādaṃ kuru me prabho

'Today I stand in the power of you, forbearing and great-souled. I fear your austerity, good sir; be gracious to me, lord.'

Note on the text: Corrected त्वय्यह्य → त्वय्यद्य (misprint in Wikisource; ह्य for द्य; CE reads 'adya'). Speaker supplied: Anger's direct speech to Jamadagni, with no printed heading; it fills the whole verse.

Verse 9 (14.95.9)

साक्षाद्दृष्टोसि मे क्रोध गच्छ त्वं विगतज्वरः । न त्वयापकृतं मेऽद्य न च मे मन्युरस्ति वै ॥

sākṣāddṛṣṭosi me krodha gaccha tvaṃ vigatajvaraḥ | na tvayāpakṛtaṃ me'dya na ca me manyurasti vai

'I have seen you face to face, Anger. Go, free of distress. You have done me no wrong today, and I feel no resentment.'

Note on the text: Corrected क्रध → क्रोध (misprint in Wikisource; dropped ो; CE reads 'krodha'). The page's heading is 'जमदग्निरुवाच'; the CE prints 'janamejaya uvāca' at this place, which is plainly a mislabel; the page's heading is kept.

Verse 10 (14.95.10)

यान्समुद्दिश्य संकल्पः पयसोस्य कृतो मया । पितरस्ते महाभागास्तेभ्यो बुद्ध्यस्व गम्यताम् ॥

yānsamuddiśya saṃkalpaḥ payasosya kṛto mayā | pitaraste mahābhāgāstebhyo buddhyasva gamyatām

'The resolve for this milk was made by me for those great and fortunate Pitrs who are your ancestors. Take heed of them, and go.'

Verse 11 (14.95.11)

इत्युक्तो जातसंत्रासस्तत्रैवान्तरधीयत । पितॄणामभिषङ्गाच्च नकुलत्वमुपागतः ॥

ityukto jātasaṃtrāsastatraivāntaradhīyata | pitṝṇāmabhiṣaṅgācca nakulatvamupāgataḥ

Thus addressed, he was seized with fear and vanished on the spot; and through the Pitrs' affliction he fell into the state of a mongoose.

Note on the text: Speaker corrected from Jamadagni (carried over from the heading at verse 9) to the narrator: the verse is narration.

Verse 12 (14.95.12)

स तान्प्रसादयामास शापस्यान्तो भवेदिति । तैश्चाप्युक्तः क्षिपन्धर्मं शापस्यान्तमवाप्स्यति ॥

sa tānprasādayāmāsa śāpasyānto bhavediti | taiścāpyuktaḥ kṣipandharmaṃ śāpasyāntamavāpsyati

He appeased them, asking that the curse might have an end; and they told him that, by reviling dharma, he would reach the end of the curse.

Note on the text: Corrected सापस्यान्त° → शापस्यान्त° (misprint in Wikisource; स for श; CE reads 'śāpasyānto'). Lines = CE 14.96.12a and 12c (CE 12c reads 'taiś cāpy ukto yadā dharmaṃ kṣepsyase mokṣyase tadā'; Wikisource's 'क्षिपन्धर्मं … शापस्यान्तमवाप्स्यति' is a recension variant, kept). The CE also has star lines 14.96.012b*0197_01-02 which Wikisource does not print. Speaker corrected from Jamadagni (carried over from the heading at verse 9) to the narrator: the verse is narration.

Verse 13 (14.95.13)

तैश्चोक्तो यज्ञियान्देशान्धर्मारण्यं तथैव च । जुगुप्समानो धावन्स तं यज्ञं समुपासदत् ॥

taiścokto yajñiyāndeśāndharmāraṇyaṃ tathaiva ca | jugupsamāno dhāvansa taṃ yajñaṃ samupāsadat

Told so by them, he ran about, loathing the lands fit for sacrifice and the forest of dharma, and came to that sacrifice.

Note on the text: Recension variant: CE 14.96.13a reads 'dharmāraṇyāni caiva ha'; Wikisource's reading kept. Speaker corrected from Jamadagni (carried over from the heading at verse 9) to the narrator: the verse is narration.

Verse 14 (14.95.14)

धर्मपुत्रमथाक्षिप्य सक्तुप्रस्थेन तेन सः । मुक्तः शापात्ततः क्रोधो धर्मो ह्यासीद्युधिष्ठिरः ॥

dharmaputramathākṣipya saktuprasthena tena saḥ | muktaḥ śāpāttataḥ krodho dharmo hyāsīdyudhiṣṭhiraḥ

Reviling the son of Dharma over a prastha of barley-meal, he was freed from the curse; and that Anger became Dharma, who was Yudhishthira.

Note on the text: Corrected सापात् → शापात् (misprint in Wikisource; स for श; CE reads 'śāpāt'). Speaker corrected from Jamadagni (carried over from the heading at verse 9) to the narrator: the verse is narration.

Verse 15 (14.95.15)

एवमेतत्तदा वृत्तं यज्ञे तस्य महात्मनः । पश्यतां चापि नस्तत्र नकुलोऽन्तर्हितस्तदा ॥

evametattadā vṛttaṃ yajñe tasya mahātmanaḥ | paśyatāṃ cāpi nastatra nakulo'ntarhitastadā

So it happened then at the sacrifice of that great-souled king; and before our very eyes the mongoose vanished.

Note on the text: The page ends the verse with a single danda ('तदा।'); written with the verse-end mark ॥. Lines = CE 14.96.15a, 15c (CE reads 'evam etat tadā vṛttaṃ tasya yajñe mahātmanaḥ'). Speaker corrected from Jamadagni (carried over from the heading at verse 9) to the narrator: the verse is narration.