Yudhishthira's Question on Hope; Sumitra Chases the Deer

Verse 1 (12.125.1)

शीलं प्रधानं पुरुषे कथितं ते पितामह । कथमाशा समुत्पन्ना का च सा तद्वदस्व मे ॥

śīlaṃ pradhānaṃ puruṣe kathitaṃ te pitāmaha | kathamāśā samutpannā kā ca sā tadvadasva me

Grandfather, you have said that good character is the chief thing in a man. How does hope arise, and what is it? Tell me that.

Verse 2 (12.125.2)

संशयो मे महानेष समुत्पन्नः पितामह । छेत्ता च तस्य नान्योऽस्ति त्वत्तः परपुरंजय ॥

saṃśayo me mahāneṣa samutpannaḥ pitāmaha | chettā ca tasya nānyo'sti tvattaḥ parapuraṃjaya

A great doubt has arisen in me, grandfather, and there is no one but you, O conqueror of enemy cities, who can cut it away.

Verse 3 (12.125.3)

पितामहाशा महती ममासीद्धि सुयोधने । प्राप्ते युद्धे तु तद्युक्तं तत्कर्ताऽयमिति प्रभो ॥

pitāmahāśā mahatī mamāsīddhi suyodhane | prāpte yuddhe tu tadyuktaṃ tatkartā'yamiti prabho

Grandfather, I had a great hope in Suyodhana: that when war came upon us, he would do what was fitting, O lord.

Note on the text: Wikisource प्राप्ते युद्धे तु तद्युक्तं तत्कर्ता against CE prāpte yuddhe tu yad yuktaṃ tat kartā is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 4 (12.125.4)

सर्वस्याशा सुमहती पुरुषस्योपजायते । तस्यां विहन्यमानायां दुःखो मृत्युर्न संशयः ॥

sarvasyāśā sumahatī puruṣasyopajāyate | tasyāṃ vihanyamānāyāṃ duḥkho mṛtyurna saṃśayaḥ

A great hope arises in every man. When it is thwarted, death is painful, without doubt.

Note on the text: Corrected स्यां → तस्यां (misprint in Wikisource; the initial त is dropped; CE tasyāṃ).

Verse 5 (12.125.5)

सोऽहं हताशो दुर्बुद्धिः कृतस्तेन दुरात्मना । धार्तराष्ट्रेण राजेन्द्र पश्य मन्दात्मतां मम ॥

so'haṃ hatāśo durbuddhiḥ kṛtastena durātmanā | dhārtarāṣṭreṇa rājendra paśya mandātmatāṃ mama

That is how I, my hope slain and my mind dull, was made by that evil-souled son of Dhritarashtra, O king of kings. See how feeble my mind is.

Note on the text: Restored lost letters: the page's line 1 begins ऽहं and line 2 begins र्तराष्ट्रेण (text cut off at the table margin); restored to सोऽहं and धार्तराष्ट्रेण from CE 12.125.5 (so 'haṃ hatāśo durbuddhiḥ … dhārtarāṣṭreṇa).

Verse 6 (12.125.6)

आशां बृहत्तरीं मन्ये पर्वतादपि सद्रुमात् । आकाशादपि वा राजन्नप्रमेयाऽथवा पुनः ॥

āśāṃ bṛhattarīṃ manye parvatādapi sadrumāt | ākāśādapi vā rājannaprameyā'thavā punaḥ

I think hope is greater than a mountain with its trees, greater even than the sky, or else it is immeasurable, O king.

Note on the text: Wikisource बृहत्तरीं … अप्रमेयाऽथवा against CE mahattarāṃ … aprameyaiva vā is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 7 (12.125.7)

एषा चैव कुरुश्रेष्ठ दुर्विचिन्त्या सुदुर्लभा । दुर्लभत्वाच्च पश्यामि किमन्यद्दुर्लभं ततः ॥

eṣā caiva kuruśreṣṭha durvicintyā sudurlabhā | durlabhatvācca paśyāmi kimanyaddurlabhaṃ tataḥ

And this, O best of the Kurus, is hard to conceive and very hard to attain. Seeing how hard it is to attain, what else do I see that is harder than it?

Verse 8 (12.125.8)

अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि युधिष्ठिर निबोध मे । इतिहासं सुमित्रस्य निर्वृत्तमृषभस्य च ॥

atra te vartayiṣyāmi yudhiṣṭhira nibodha me | itihāsaṃ sumitrasya nirvṛttamṛṣabhasya ca

On this I shall tell you, Yudhishthira; listen to me. It is the tale of Sumitra and Rishabha, and what befell them.

Note on the text: Wikisource निबोध मे against CE nibodha tat is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 9 (12.125.9)

सुमित्रो नाम राजर्षिर्हैहयो मृगयां गतः । ससार च मृगं विद्ध्वा बाणेनानतपर्वणा ॥

sumitro nāma rājarṣirhaihayo mṛgayāṃ gataḥ | sasāra ca mṛgaṃ viddhvā bāṇenānataparvaṇā

There was a royal sage named Sumitra, of the Haihaya line, who went hunting. He pursued a deer, having struck it with an arrow of straight joints.

Verse 10 (12.125.10)

स मृगो बाणमादाय ययावतिपराक्रमः । स च राजा बली तूर्णं ससार मृगमन्तिकात् ॥

sa mṛgo bāṇamādāya yayāvatiparākramaḥ | sa ca rājā balī tūrṇaṃ sasāra mṛgamantikāt

The deer, with the arrow in it, fled with tremendous speed, and the mighty king swiftly pursued it from close behind.

Note on the text: Wikisource ययावतिपराक्रमः against CE yayāv amitavikramaḥ is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 11 (12.125.11)

ततो निम्नं स्थलं चैव समृगोऽद्रवदाशुगः । मुहूर्तमिव राजेन्द्र समेन स पथाऽगमत् ॥

tato nimnaṃ sthalaṃ caiva samṛgo'dravadāśugaḥ | muhūrtamiva rājendra samena sa pathā'gamat

Then the swift deer ran over hollows and over rising ground, and for a moment, O king of kings, he followed it by level ground.

Verse 12 (12.125.12)

ततः स राजा तारुण्यादौरसेन बलेन च । चचार बाणासनभृत्सखड्गो हंसवत्तदा ॥

tataḥ sa rājā tāruṇyādaurasena balena ca | cacāra bāṇāsanabhṛtsakhaḍgo haṃsavattadā

Then the king, in his youth and with his own native strength, moved on like a swan, with bow in hand and sword at his side.

Note on the text: Corrected औरसन → औरसेन (misprint in Wikisource; the vowel े is dropped; CE aurasena) and सखङ्गो → सखड्गो (misprint; ङ्ग for ड्ग — sakhaḍgo, 'with a sword'). Wikisource चचार against CE sasāra is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 13 (12.125.13)

ततो नदान्नदीश्चैव पल्वलानि वनानि च । अतिक्रम्याभ्यतिक्रम्य ससारैको वनेचरः ॥

tato nadānnadīścaiva palvalāni vanāni ca | atikramyābhyatikramya sasāraiko vanecaraḥ

Crossing rivers great and small, pools and woods again and again, he sped on alone through the forest.

Verse 14 (12.125.14)

स तु तावन्मृगो राजन्नासाद्यासाद्य पार्थिवम् । पुनरभ्येति जवनो जवेन महता ततः ॥

sa tu tāvanmṛgo rājannāsādyāsādya pārthivam | punarabhyeti javano javena mahatā tataḥ

That swift deer, O king, drew up to the king again and again, and then came near him once more with great speed.

Verse 15 (12.125.15)

स तस्य बाणैर्बहुभिः समभ्यस्तो वनेचरः । प्रक्रीडन्निव राजेन्द्र पुनरभ्येति चान्तिकम् ॥

sa tasya bāṇairbahubhiḥ samabhyasto vanecaraḥ | prakrīḍanniva rājendra punarabhyeti cāntikam

Struck by many of his arrows, that forest-ranger came near again, O king of kings, as if at play.

Verse 16 (12.125.16)

पुनश्च जवमास्थाय जवनो मृगयूथपः । अतीत्यातीत्य राजेन्द्र पुनरभ्येति चान्तिकम् ॥

punaśca javamāsthāya javano mṛgayūthapaḥ | atītyātītya rājendra punarabhyeti cāntikam

And again taking to speed, the swift leader of the deer herd passed him again and again, O king of kings, and came back close.

Note on the text: Line 2 is printed in brackets by Wikisource; the bracket and double-danda marks are removed.

Verse 17 (12.125.17)

तस्य मर्मच्छिदं घोरं सुमित्रोऽमित्रकर्शनः । समादाय शरं श्रेष्ठं कार्मुकान्निरवासयत् ॥

tasya marmacchidaṃ ghoraṃ sumitro'mitrakarśanaḥ | samādāya śaraṃ śreṣṭhaṃ kārmukānniravāsayat

Then Sumitra, destroyer of foes, took up a splendid arrow, fearful and cutting to the vitals, and loosed it from his bow.

Note on the text: Wikisource निरवासयत् against CE niravāsṛjat is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 18 (12.125.18)

ततो गव्यूतिमात्रेण मृगयूथपयूथपः । तस्य बाणपथं मुक्त्वा तस्थिवान्प्रहसन्निव ॥

tato gavyūtimātreṇa mṛgayūthapayūthapaḥ | tasya bāṇapathaṃ muktvā tasthivānprahasanniva

Then, at a distance of a gavyuti, that leader of the leaders of deer herds avoided the path of the arrow and stood there as if laughing.

Note on the text: Line 1 is printed in brackets by Wikisource; the bracket marks are removed (Corrected [ततो … मृगयूथपयूथपः।] → ततो … मृगयूथपयूथपः).

Verse 19 (12.125.19)

तस्मिन्निपतिते बाणे भूमौ ज्वलिततेजसि । प्रविवेश मृगोऽरण्यं मृगं राजाऽप्यभिद्रवत् ॥

tasminnipatite bāṇe bhūmau jvalitatejasi | praviveśa mṛgo'raṇyaṃ mṛgaṃ rājā'pyabhidravat

When the arrow, blazing with brilliance, had fallen on the ground, the deer entered the forest, and the king too ran after the deer.

Note on the text: Wikisource ज्वलिततेजसि … मृगोऽरण्यं मृगं राजाऽप्यभिद्रवत् against CE prajvalite tataḥ … mahāraṇyaṃ mṛgo rājāpy athādravat is a recension variant, kept.