Sumitra at the Hermitage Asks About Hope

Verse 1 (12.126.1)

प्रविश्य च महारण्यं तापसानामथाश्रमम् । आससाद ततो राजा श्रान्तश्चोपाविशत्तदा ॥

praviśya ca mahāraṇyaṃ tāpasānāmathāśramam | āsasāda tato rājā śrāntaścopāviśattadā

Entering the great forest, the king came to a hermitage of ascetics, and being tired he sat down there.

Verse 2 (12.126.2)

तं कार्मुकधरं दृष्ट्वा श्रमार्तं क्षुधितं तदा । समेत्य ऋषयस्तस्मै पूजां चक्रुर्यथाविधि ॥

taṃ kārmukadharaṃ dṛṣṭvā śramārtaṃ kṣudhitaṃ tadā | sametya ṛṣayastasmai pūjāṃ cakruryathāvidhi

Seeing him with bow in hand, weary and hungry, the sages gathered round and honoured him as is proper.

Verse 3 (12.126.3)

स पूजामृषिभिर्दत्तां प्रतिगृह्य नराधिपः । अपृच्छत्तापसान्सर्वांस्तपोवृद्धिमनुत्तमाम् ॥

sa pūjāmṛṣibhirdattāṃ pratigṛhya narādhipaḥ | apṛcchattāpasānsarvāṃstapovṛddhimanuttamām

Accepting the honour the sages gave him, the king asked all the ascetics about the matchless growth of their austerity.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's constituted text (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition records it as the star passage 12.125.21d*0290 (lines 01–02: sa pūjām ṛṣibhir dattāṃ pratigṛhya narādhipaḥ / apṛcchat tāpasān sarvāṃs tapaso vṛddhim uttamām).

Verse 4 (12.126.4)

ते तस्य राज्ञो वचनं प्रतिगृह्य तपोधनाः । ऋषयो राजशार्दूलमपृच्छंस्तत्प्रयोजनम् ॥

te tasya rājño vacanaṃ pratigṛhya tapodhanāḥ | ṛṣayo rājaśārdūlamapṛcchaṃstatprayojanam

Those ascetics, having heard the king's words, asked that best of kings the purpose of his coming.

Note on the text: Line 1 is the star line 12.125.21d*0290_03 (te tasya rājño vacanaṃ pratigṛhya tapodhanāḥ), not in the constituted text; line 2 is a recension variant of CE 12.125.22a (ṛṣayo rājaśārdūlam apṛcchan svaṃ prayojanam).

Verse 5 (12.126.5)

केन भद्रमुखार्थेन तपोवनमुपागतः । पदातिर्बद्धनिस्त्रिंशो धन्वी बाणी नरेश्वर ॥

kena bhadramukhārthena tapovanamupāgataḥ | padātirbaddhanistriṃśo dhanvī bāṇī nareśvara

'With what auspicious purpose have you come to the penance-grove, O lord of men, on foot, sword girded on, with bow and arrows, O fair-faced one?'

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: the sages' direct question, with no printed heading; it fills the whole verse (the input carried Bhishma). Line 1 is CE 12.125.22c; line 2 is CE 12.125.23a.

Verse 6 (12.126.6)

एतदिच्छामहे श्रोतुं कुतः प्राप्तोऽसि मानद । कस्मिन्कुले तु जातस्त्वं किंनामा चासि ब्रूहि नः ॥

etadicchāmahe śrotuṃ kutaḥ prāpto'si mānada | kasminkule tu jātastvaṃ kiṃnāmā cāsi brūhi naḥ

'We wish to hear this: where have you come from, O giver of honour? In what family were you born, and what is your name? Tell us.'

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: the sages' direct question, with no printed heading; it fills the whole verse (the input carried Bhishma). Line 1 is CE 12.125.23c; line 2 is CE 12.125.23e (with a recension variant, ब्रूहि नः).

Verse 7 (12.126.7)

ततः स राजा सर्वेभ्यो द्विजेभ्यः पुरुषर्षभ । आचख्यौ तद्यथावृत्तं परिचर्यां च भारत ॥

tataḥ sa rājā sarvebhyo dvijebhyaḥ puruṣarṣabha | ācakhyau tadyathāvṛttaṃ paricaryāṃ ca bhārata

Then that king told all those brahmins, O best of men, what had happened, just as it was, and the course of his errand, O Bharata.

Note on the text: Wikisource तद्यथावृत्तम् against CE tad yathānyāyam is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 8 (12.126.8)

हैहयानां कुले जातः सुमित्रोऽमित्रकर्शनः । चरामि मृगयूथानि निघ्रन्बाणैः सहस्रशः ॥

haihayānāṃ kule jātaḥ sumitro'mitrakarśanaḥ | carāmi mṛgayūthāni nighranbāṇaiḥ sahasraśaḥ

'I was born in the family of the Haihayas, and I am Sumitra, a scourge of my enemies. I roam hunting herds of deer, slaying them with my arrows by the thousand,

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: King Sumitra's direct speech to the sages (introduced by verse 7), with no printed heading; it fills verses 8–19 (the input carried Bhishma). Wikisource सुमित्रोऽमित्रकर्शनः against CE sumitro mitranandanaḥ is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 9 (12.126.9)

बलेन महता ब्रह्मन्सामात्यः सावरोधकः । मृगस्तु विद्धो बाणेन मया सरति शल्यवान् ॥

balena mahatā brahmansāmātyaḥ sāvarodhakaḥ | mṛgastu viddho bāṇena mayā sarati śalyavān

with a great army, O brahmin, with my ministers and my household. A deer struck by my arrow runs on with the shaft in it,

Note on the text: Speaker Sumitra (see verse 8). Line 1 is CE 12.125.25e; line 2 is CE 12.125.26a.

Verse 10 (12.126.10)

तं द्रवन्तमनुप्राप्तो वनमेतद्यदृच्छया । भवत्सकाशं नष्टश्रीर्हताशः श्रमकर्शितः ॥

taṃ dravantamanuprāpto vanametadyadṛcchayā | bhavatsakāśaṃ naṣṭaśrīrhatāśaḥ śramakarśitaḥ

and chasing it as it fled, I came by chance to this forest, to your presence, robbed of splendour, my hope dead, worn out with weariness.

Note on the text: Speaker Sumitra (see verse 8). Line 1 is CE 12.125.26c; line 2 is CE 12.125.26e.

Verse 11 (12.126.11)

किंनु दुःखमतोऽन्यद्वै यदहं श्रमकर्शितः । भवतामाश्रमं प्राप्तो हताशो भ्रष्टलक्षणः ॥

kiṃnu duḥkhamato'nyadvai yadahaṃ śramakarśitaḥ | bhavatāmāśramaṃ prāpto hatāśo bhraṣṭalakṣaṇaḥ

What greater sorrow is there than this, that, worn out with weariness, I have come to your hermitage with my hope dead and my royal marks lost?

Note on the text: Speaker Sumitra (see verse 8). Wikisource भ्रष्टलक्षणः against CE naṣṭalakṣaṇaḥ is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 12 (12.126.12)

न राजलक्षणत्यागः पुनरस्य तपोधनाः । दुःखं करोति मे तीव्रं यथाऽऽशा विहता मम ॥

na rājalakṣaṇatyāgaḥ punarasya tapodhanāḥ | duḥkhaṃ karoti me tīvraṃ yathā''śā vihatā mama

It is not the loss of my royal marks, again, O ascetics, that gives me such sharp pain as my hope shattered does.

Note on the text: Speaker Sumitra (see verse 8). Wikisource पुनरस्य … दुःखं करोति मे against CE na purasya … duḥkhaṃ karoti tat is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 13 (12.126.13)

हिमवान्वा महाशैलः समुद्रो वा महोदधिः । महत्त्वान्नान्वपद्येतां रोदस्योरन्तरं यथा ॥

himavānvā mahāśailaḥ samudro vā mahodadhiḥ | mahattvānnānvapadyetāṃ rodasyorantaraṃ yathā

Neither the great mountain Himavat nor the great ocean reaches, in vastness, the space between heaven and earth;

Note on the text: Speaker Sumitra (see verse 8). Line 1 is CE 12.125.29a; line 2 is CE 12.125.29c.

Verse 14 (12.126.14)

आशायास्तपसि श्रेष्ठास्तथा नान्तमहं गतः । भवतां विदितं सर्वं सर्वज्ञा हि तपोधनाः ॥

āśāyāstapasi śreṣṭhāstathā nāntamahaṃ gataḥ | bhavatāṃ viditaṃ sarvaṃ sarvajñā hi tapodhanāḥ

so too, O foremost of ascetics, I have not reached the end of hope. All this is known to you, for you ascetics know all things.

Note on the text: Speaker Sumitra (see verse 8). Line 1 is CE 12.125.29e; line 2 is CE 12.125.30a.

Verse 15 (12.126.15)

भवन्तः सुमहाभागास्तस्मात्पृच्छामि संशयम् । आशावान्पुरुषो यः स्यादन्तरिक्षमथापि वा ॥

bhavantaḥ sumahābhāgāstasmātpṛcchāmi saṃśayam | āśāvānpuruṣo yaḥ syādantarikṣamathāpi vā

You are of great fortune, and so I put my doubt to you: of a man who is full of hope, and of the sky,

Note on the text: Speaker Sumitra (see verse 8). Line 1 is CE 12.125.30c (with a recension variant, पृच्छामि for प्रक्ष्यामि); line 2 is CE 12.125.31a.

Verse 16 (12.126.16)

किंनु ज्यायस्तरं लोके महत्त्वे प्रतिभाति वः । एतदिच्छामि तत्त्वेन श्रोतुं किमिह दुर्लभम् ॥

kiṃnu jyāyastaraṃ loke mahattve pratibhāti vaḥ | etadicchāmi tattvena śrotuṃ kimiha durlabham

which seems to you the greater in vastness in this world? I wish to hear this truly: what here is hard to attain?

Note on the text: Speaker Sumitra (see verse 8). Line 1 is CE 12.125.31c; line 2 is CE 12.125.31e.

Verse 17 (12.126.17)

यदि गुह्यं न वो नित्यं तदा प्रब्रूत मा चिरम् । न हि गुह्यतमं श्रोतुमिच्छामि द्विजपुङ्गवाः ॥

yadi guhyaṃ na vo nityaṃ tadā prabrūta mā ciram | na hi guhyatamaṃ śrotumicchāmi dvijapuṅgavāḥ

If it is not always a secret of yours, then speak without delay; I do not wish to hear what is most secret, O foremost of brahmins.

Note on the text: Speaker Sumitra (see verse 8). Wikisource यदि गुह्यं न वो नित्यं तदा प्रब्रूत against CE yadi guhyaṃ taponityā na vo brūteha (the page's footnote cites yet another reading) is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 18 (12.126.18)

भवत्तपोविघातो वा येन स्याद्विरमे ततः । यदि वाऽस्ति कथायोगो योऽयं प्रश्नो मयेरितः ॥

bhavattapovighāto vā yena syādvirame tataḥ | yadi vā'sti kathāyogo yo'yaṃ praśno mayeritaḥ

Or if it would hinder your austerity, I shall desist for that reason; but if there is room for talk on the question I have put,

Verse 19 (12.126.19)

एतत्कारणसामर्थ्यं श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः । भवन्तोऽपि तपोनित्या ब्रूयुरेतत्समाहिताः ॥

etatkāraṇasāmarthyaṃ śrotumicchāmi tattvataḥ | bhavanto'pi taponityā brūyuretatsamāhitāḥ

I wish to hear the truth of the ground and the force of this matter; and you, ever devoted to austerity, may tell it with composure.

Note on the text: Speaker Sumitra (see verse 8). Wikisource कारणसामर्थ्यम् … तपोनित्या against CE kāraṇasāmagryam … hi taponityā is a recension variant, kept.