The Camel and the Jackal

Verse 1 (12.112.1)

किं पार्थिवेन कर्तव्यं किंच कृत्वा सुखी भवेत् । तन्ममाचक्ष्व तत्त्वेन सर्वधर्मभृतां वर ॥

kiṃ pārthivena kartavyaṃ kiṃca kṛtvā sukhī bhavet | tanmamācakṣva tattvena sarvadharmabhṛtāṃ vara

What should a king do, and by doing what may he be happy? Tell me that truly, O best of those who uphold all dharmas.

Verse 2 (12.112.2)

हन्त तेऽहं प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणु कार्यैकनिश्चयम् । यथा राज्ञेह कर्तव्यं यच्च कृत्वा सुखी भवेत् ॥

hanta te'haṃ pravakṣyāmi śṛṇu kāryaikaniścayam | yathā rājñeha kartavyaṃ yacca kṛtvā sukhī bhavet

Very well, I shall tell you. Listen to the one conclusion that settles what is to be done: how a king in this world should act, and by doing what he may be happy.

Verse 3 (12.112.3)

नचैवं वर्तितव्यं स्म यथेदमनुशुश्रुम् । उष्ट्रस्य तु महद्वृत्तं तन्निबोध युधिष्ठिर ॥

nacaivaṃ vartitavyaṃ sma yathedamanuśuśrum | uṣṭrasya tu mahadvṛttaṃ tannibodha yudhiṣṭhira

One must not behave in the way that, as we have heard, this creature did. Learn, Yudhishthira, the great story of a camel.

Verse 4 (12.112.4)

जातिस्मरो महानुष्ट्रः प्रजापतिकुलोद्भवः । तपः सुमहदातिष्ठदरण्ये संशितव्रतः ॥

jātismaro mahānuṣṭraḥ prajāpatikulodbhavaḥ | tapaḥ sumahadātiṣṭhadaraṇye saṃśitavrataḥ

There was once a great camel who remembered his former births, born in the line of Prajapati. In the forest he practised very great austerity, firm in his vows.

Verse 5 (12.112.5)

तपसस्तस्य चान्तेऽथ प्रीतिमानभवद्विभुः । वरेण च्छन्दयामास ततश्चैनं पितामहः ॥

tapasastasya cānte'tha prītimānabhavadvibhuḥ | vareṇa cchandayāmāsa tataścainaṃ pitāmahaḥ

At the end of his austerities the mighty Grandsire grew pleased with him, and then offered him a boon of his own choosing.

Verse 6 (12.112.6)

भगवंस्त्वत्प्रसादान्मे दीर्घा ग्रीवा भवेदियम् । योजनानां शतं साग्रमिच्छेयं चरितुं विभो ॥

bhagavaṃstvatprasādānme dīrghā grīvā bhavediyam | yojanānāṃ śataṃ sāgramiccheyaṃ carituṃ vibho

"Lord, by your grace let this neck of mine become long. I wish to be able to graze over a full hundred yojanas and more, O mighty one."

Note on the text: Corrected चारितुं → चरितुं (misprint in Wikisource; चारितुम् is not an infinitive of चर्; the critical edition reads carituṃ, and verse 8 here has चरितुं).

Verse 7 (12.112.7)

एवमस्विति चोक्तः स वरदेन महात्मना । प्रतिलभ्य वरं श्रेष्ठं ययावुष्ट्रः स्वकं वनम् ॥

evamasviti coktaḥ sa varadena mahātmanā | pratilabhya varaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ yayāvuṣṭraḥ svakaṃ vanam

"So be it," said the great-souled giver of boons. Having won that excellent boon, the camel went back to his own forest.

Note on the text: Speaker: the input carried the camel (उष्ट्र) over from verse 6; only verse 6 is his speech (page heading 12-112-6x), and verses 7-21 are Bhishma's narration and moral.

Verse 8 (12.112.8)

स चकार तदाऽऽलस्यं वरदानात्सुदुर्मतिः । न चैच्छच्चरितुं गन्तुं दुरात्मा कालमोहितः ॥

sa cakāra tadā''lasyaṃ varadānātsudurmatiḥ | na caicchaccarituṃ gantuṃ durātmā kālamohitaḥ

Because of the boon the fool grew lazy; deluded by fate, the wretch no longer wished to go out and graze.

Note on the text: Corrected चिरतुं → चरितुं (misprint in Wikisource; चिरतुम् is not a word; the critical edition reads carituṃ and the page's own gloss explains चरितुम्).

Verse 9 (12.112.9)

स कदाचित्प्रसार्यैव तां ग्रीवां शतयोजनाम् । चचार श्रान्तहृदयो वातश्चागात्ततो महान् ॥

sa kadācitprasāryaiva tāṃ grīvāṃ śatayojanām | cacāra śrāntahṛdayo vātaścāgāttato mahān

Once, having stretched out that neck of a hundred yojanas, he grazed with a weary heart, and then a great wind arose.

Verse 10 (12.112.10)

स गुहायां शिरोग्रीवां निधाय पशुरात्मनः । आस्ते वर्षमथाभ्यागात्सुमहत्प्लावयज्जगत् ॥

sa guhāyāṃ śirogrīvāṃ nidhāya paśurātmanaḥ | āste varṣamathābhyāgātsumahatplāvayajjagat

The beast put his head and neck into a cave and stayed there; then a very heavy rain came, flooding the world.

Verse 11 (12.112.11)

अथ शीतपरीताङ्गो जम्बुकः क्षुच्छ्रमान्वितः । सदारस्तां गुहामाशु प्रविवेश जलार्दितः ॥

atha śītaparītāṅgo jambukaḥ kṣucchramānvitaḥ | sadārastāṃ guhāmāśu praviveśa jalārditaḥ

Then a jackal, his limbs chilled, worn out with hunger and fatigue, and tormented by the water, quickly entered that cave together with his mate.

Verse 12 (12.112.12)

स दृष्ट्वा मांसजीवी तु सुभृशं क्षुच्छ्रमान्वितः । अभक्षयत्ततो ग्रीवामुष्ट्रस्य भरतर्षभ ॥

sa dṛṣṭvā māṃsajīvī tu subhṛśaṃ kṣucchramānvitaḥ | abhakṣayattato grīvāmuṣṭrasya bharatarṣabha

Seeing it, the flesh-eating jackal, ravenous and exhausted, began to eat the camel's neck, O best of the Bharatas.

Verse 13 (12.112.13)

यदा त्वबुध्यतात्मानं भक्ष्यमाणं स वै पशु । तदा संकोचने यत्नमकरोद्भृशदुःखितः ॥

yadā tvabudhyatātmānaṃ bhakṣyamāṇaṃ sa vai paśu | tadā saṃkocane yatnamakarodbhṛśaduḥkhitaḥ

When the beast realized that he was being eaten, he, in great distress, struggled to draw his neck in.

Verse 14 (12.112.14)

यावदूर्ध्वमधश्चैव ग्रीवां संक्षिपते पशुः । तावत्तेन सदारेण जम्बुकेन स भक्षितः ॥

yāvadūrdhvamadhaścaiva grīvāṃ saṃkṣipate paśuḥ | tāvattena sadāreṇa jambukena sa bhakṣitaḥ

But for as long as the beast kept drawing his neck up and down, so long was he eaten by that jackal and his mate.

Verse 15 (12.112.15)

स हत्वा भक्षयित्वा च तमुष्ट्रं जम्बुकस्तदा । विगते वातवर्षे तु निश्चक्राम गुहोदरात् ॥

sa hatvā bhakṣayitvā ca tamuṣṭraṃ jambukastadā | vigate vātavarṣe tu niścakrāma guhodarāt

Having killed and eaten the camel, the jackal came out from the inside of the cave when the storm of wind and rain had passed.

Note on the text: Corrected वातवर्पे → वातवर्षे (misprint in Wikisource; प for ष; the critical edition reads vātavarṣe).

Verse 16 (12.112.16)

एवं दुर्बुद्धिना प्राप्तमुष्ट्रेण निधनं तदा । आलस्यस्य क्रमात्पश्य महान्तं दोषमागतम् ॥

evaṃ durbuddhinā prāptamuṣṭreṇa nidhanaṃ tadā | ālasyasya kramātpaśya mahāntaṃ doṣamāgatam

So did the foolish camel meet his death. See what great harm came, step by step, from laziness.

Verse 17 (12.112.17)

त्वमप्येवंविधं हित्वा योगेन नियतेन्द्रियः । वर्तस्व बुद्धिमूलं तु विजयं मनुरब्रवीत् ॥

tvamapyevaṃvidhaṃ hitvā yogena niyatendriyaḥ | vartasva buddhimūlaṃ tu vijayaṃ manurabravīt

You too, giving up such sloth, with your senses restrained, must act by right method; Manu said that victory has its root in intelligence.

Verse 18 (12.112.18)

बुद्धिश्रेष्ठानि कर्माणि बाहुमध्यानि भारत । तानि जङ्घाजघन्यानि भारप्रत्यवराणि च ॥

buddhiśreṣṭhāni karmāṇi bāhumadhyāni bhārata | tāni jaṅghājaghanyāni bhārapratyavarāṇi ca

O Bharata, works in which intelligence is foremost are the best; those that depend on the arms are middling; those that depend on the thighs are lowly; and those of carrying burdens are the lowest.

Verse 19 (12.112.19)

राज्यं तिष्ठति दक्षस्य संगृहीतेन्द्रियस्य च । आर्तस्य बुद्धिमूलं हि विजयं मनुरब्रवीत् । गुप्तं मन्त्रं श्रुतवतः सुसहायस्य चानघ ॥

rājyaṃ tiṣṭhati dakṣasya saṃgṛhītendriyasya ca | ārtasya buddhimūlaṃ hi vijayaṃ manurabravīt | guptaṃ mantraṃ śrutavataḥ susahāyasya cānagha

A kingdom stays with one who is capable and has his senses in hand, who guards his counsel and is learned and has good helpers, O blameless one. (Manu said that even for one in distress, victory has its root in intelligence.)

Note on the text: Removed the square brackets Wikisource prints around line 2 and the stray danda inside them. Lines 1 and 3 = CE 12.113.19a and 12.113.19c; line 2 (आर्तस्य बुद्धिमूलं हि विजयं मनुरब्रवीत्, repeating the second half of verse 17) is not in the critical edition (vulgate only).

Verse 20 (12.112.20)

असहायवतो ह्यर्था न तिष्ठन्ति कदाचन । परीक्षितसहायस्य तिष्ठन्तीह युधिष्ठिर । सहाययुक्तेन मही कृत्स्ना शक्या प्रशासितुम् ॥

asahāyavato hyarthā na tiṣṭhanti kadācana | parīkṣitasahāyasya tiṣṭhantīha yudhiṣṭhira | sahāyayuktena mahī kṛtsnā śakyā praśāsitum

Wealth never stays with one who has no helpers. It stays here, Yudhishthira, with one whose helpers have been tested. With helpers, a king can govern the whole earth.

Note on the text: Removed the stray backtick and quote mark Wikisource prints around line 1 and its doubled danda. Line 1 is the CE star passage 12.113.19d*0267_01 (asahāyavato hy arthā na tiṣṭhanti kadā cana); lines 2-3 = CE 12.113.20a, 12.113.20c, with Wikisource परीक्षितसहायस्य for CE parīkṣyakāriṇo 'rthāś ca (a recension variant, kept).

Verse 21 (12.112.21)

इदं हि सद्भिः कथितं विधिज्ञैः । पुरा महेन्द्रप्रतिमप्रभावः । मयाऽपि चोक्तं तव शास्त्रदृष्ट्या । त्वमप्रमत्तः प्रचरस्व राजन् ॥

idaṃ hi sadbhiḥ kathitaṃ vidhijñaiḥ | purā mahendrapratimaprabhāvaḥ | mayā'pi coktaṃ tava śāstradṛṣṭyā | tvamapramattaḥ pracarasva rājan

This was told of old by good men who knew the rules, O you whose might is like great Indra's; and I too have spoken it to you in accord with the scriptures. Act with vigilance, O king.