Rishabha Tells of the Lean Sage Tanu and King Viradyumna

Verse 1 (12.127.1)

ततस्तेषां समेतानामृषीणामृषिसत्तमः । ऋषभो नाम विप्रर्षिर्विस्मयन्निदमब्रवीत् ॥

tatasteṣāṃ sametānāmṛṣīṇāmṛṣisattamaḥ | ṛṣabho nāma viprarṣirvismayannidamabravīt

Then, among those assembled sages, the best of sages, the brahmin-seer named Rishabha, spoke these words, marvelling as he did so.

Verse 2 (12.127.2)

पुराऽहं राजशार्दूल तीर्थान्यनुचरन्प्रभो । समासादितवान्दिव्यं नरनारायणाश्रमम् ॥

purā'haṃ rājaśārdūla tīrthānyanucaranprabho | samāsāditavāndivyaṃ naranārāyaṇāśramam

Long ago, O tiger among kings, O lord, as I wandered among the sacred fords, I came to the divine hermitage of Nara and Narayana.

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: Rishabha speaks in the first person from here (and narrates the story), with no printed heading; the page's भीष्म heading covers only verse 1.

Verse 3 (12.127.3)

यत्र सा बदरी रम्या सरो वैहायसं तथा । यत्र चाश्वशिरा राजन्वेदान्पठति शाश्वतान् ॥

yatra sā badarī ramyā saro vaihāyasaṃ tathā | yatra cāśvaśirā rājanvedānpaṭhati śāśvatān

There stands that lovely jujube tree, and there is the lake called Vaihayasa; and there, O king, Ashvashira recites the eternal Vedas.

Verse 4 (12.127.4)

तस्मिन्सरसि कृत्वाऽहं विधिवत्तर्पणं पुरा । पितृणां देवतानां च ततोऽश्रममियां तदा ॥

tasminsarasi kṛtvā'haṃ vidhivattarpaṇaṃ purā | pitṛṇāṃ devatānāṃ ca tato'śramamiyāṃ tadā

In that lake I first made the offerings of water to my ancestors and the gods, as the rule requires, and then went on to the hermitage.

Note on the text: Corrected ततोश्रममियां → ततोऽश्रममियां (misprint in Wikisource; the avagraha of ततः + अश्रमम् is dropped; CE tato 'śramam iyāṃ).

Verse 5 (12.127.5)

रमाते यत्र तौ नित्यं नरनारायणावृषी । अदूरादाश्रमात्किंचिद्वासार्थमगमं तदा ॥

ramāte yatra tau nityaṃ naranārāyaṇāvṛṣī | adūrādāśramātkiṃcidvāsārthamagamaṃ tadā

There the two sages Nara and Narayana delight to dwell for ever; not far from that hermitage I went to a place where I might stay.

Verse 6 (12.127.6)

अत्र चीराजिनधरं कृशमुच्चमतीव च । अद्राक्षमृषिमायान्तं तनुं नाम तपोनिधिम् ॥

atra cīrājinadharaṃ kṛśamuccamatīva ca | adrākṣamṛṣimāyāntaṃ tanuṃ nāma taponidhim

There I saw approaching a sage named Tanu, a treasure of austerity, clad in bark and deerskin, lean, and exceedingly tall.

Verse 7 (12.127.7)

अन्यैर्नरैर्महाबाहो वपुषाऽप्रतिमं तदा । कृशता चापि राजर्षे न दृष्टा तादृशी मया ॥

anyairnarairmahābāho vapuṣā'pratimaṃ tadā | kṛśatā cāpi rājarṣe na dṛṣṭā tādṛśī mayā

O mighty-armed one, he was beyond compare in body among other men; and such leanness, O royal sage, I have never seen.

Verse 8 (12.127.8)

शरीरमपि राजेन्द्र तनु कानिष्ठिकासमम् । ग्रीवा बाहू तथा पादौ केशाश्चाद्भुतदर्शनाः ॥

śarīramapi rājendra tanu kāniṣṭhikāsamam | grīvā bāhū tathā pādau keśāścādbhutadarśanāḥ

His body, O king of kings, was slender, like a little finger; his neck, arms, feet and hair were wonderful to behold.

Verse 9 (12.127.9)

शिरः कायानुरूपं च कर्णौ नेत्रे तथैव च । तस्य वाक्चैव चेष्टा च सामान्ये राजसत्तम ॥

śiraḥ kāyānurūpaṃ ca karṇau netre tathaiva ca | tasya vākcaiva ceṣṭā ca sāmānye rājasattama

His head suited his frame, and so did his ears and eyes; but his speech and his movements were ordinary, O best of kings.

Verse 10 (12.127.10)

दृष्ट्वाऽहं तं कृशं विप्रं भीतः परमदुर्मनाः । पादौ तस्याभिवाद्याथ स्थितः प्राञ्जलिरग्रतः ॥

dṛṣṭvā'haṃ taṃ kṛśaṃ vipraṃ bhītaḥ paramadurmanāḥ | pādau tasyābhivādyātha sthitaḥ prāñjaliragrataḥ

Seeing that lean brahmin, I was afraid and greatly uneasy; I bowed at his feet and stood before him with folded hands.

Verse 11 (12.127.11)

निवेद्य नामगोत्रे च तथा कार्यं नरर्षभ । प्रदिष्टे चासने तेन शनैरहमुपाविशम् ॥

nivedya nāmagotre ca tathā kāryaṃ nararṣabha | pradiṣṭe cāsane tena śanairahamupāviśam

I told him my name and lineage and my purpose, O best of men, and then, at the seat he showed me, I sat down quietly.

Verse 12 (12.127.12)

ततः स कथयामास धर्मार्थसहिताः कथाः । ऋषिमध्ये महाराज तत्र धर्मभृतां वरः ॥

tataḥ sa kathayāmāsa dharmārthasahitāḥ kathāḥ | ṛṣimadhye mahārāja tatra dharmabhṛtāṃ varaḥ

Then, in the midst of the sages, O great king, that best of upholders of dharma began to tell tales filled with dharma and profit.

Verse 13 (12.127.13)

तस्मिंस्तु कथयत्येव राजा राजीवलोचनः । उपयाज्जवनैरश्वैः सबलः सावरोधनः ॥

tasmiṃstu kathayatyeva rājā rājīvalocanaḥ | upayājjavanairaśvaiḥ sabalaḥ sāvarodhanaḥ

While he was still speaking, a king with lotus-like eyes came up on swift horses, with his army and his women.

Note on the text: Restored तस्मिंस्तु for त--स्तु (Wikisource has lost the syllables स्मिं; CE 12.126.13a tasmiṃs tu kathayaty eva).

Verse 14 (12.127.14)

स्मरम्पुत्रमरण्ये वै नष्टं परमदुर्मनाः । भूरिद्युम्नपिता श्रीमान्वीरद्युम्नो महायशाः ॥

smaramputramaraṇye vai naṣṭaṃ paramadurmanāḥ | bhūridyumnapitā śrīmānvīradyumno mahāyaśāḥ

Remembering his son who had been lost in the forest, he was deeply distressed: the glorious and far-famed Viradyumna, father of Bhuridyumna.

Note on the text: Corrected भूविद्युम्न → भूरिद्युम्न (misprint in Wikisource; व for र; the son's name is Bhuridyumna, as in the next adhyaya and CE bhūridyumna).

Verse 15 (12.127.15)

इह द्रक्ष्यामि तं पुत्रं द्रक्ष्यामीहेति भारत । एवमाशाकृशो राजा चरन्वनमिदं पुरा ॥

iha drakṣyāmi taṃ putraṃ drakṣyāmīheti bhārata | evamāśākṛśo rājā caranvanamidaṃ purā

"I shall see that son here, I shall see him here," O Bharata - so, wasted by hope, the king had long been roaming this forest.

Verse 16 (12.127.16)

दुर्लभः स मया द्रष्टुं भूय एव च धार्मिक । एकः पुत्रो महारण्ये नष्ट इत्यसकृत्तदा ॥

durlabhaḥ sa mayā draṣṭuṃ bhūya eva ca dhārmika | ekaḥ putro mahāraṇye naṣṭa ityasakṛttadā

"He is hard for me to see again, O righteous one - my only son, lost in the great forest!" So he kept saying then, over and over.

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: the king's own words, quoted inside Rishabha's narration, fill the verse (only the closing tag इत्यसकृत्तदा is the narrator's).

Verse 17 (12.127.17)

न स शक्यो मया द्रष्टुमाशा च महती मम । तया परीतगात्रोऽहं मुमूर्षुर्नात्र संशयः ॥

na sa śakyo mayā draṣṭumāśā ca mahatī mama | tayā parītagātro'haṃ mumūrṣurnātra saṃśayaḥ

I cannot manage to see him, yet my hope is great; gripped by it in every limb, I am as good as dying - of that there is no doubt.

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: the king's own words, quoted inside Rishabha's narration, fill the verse.

Verse 18 (12.127.18)

एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु भगवांस्तनुर्मुनिवरोत्तमः । अवाक्शिरा ध्यानपरो मुहूर्तमिव तस्थिवान् ॥

etacchrutvā tu bhagavāṃstanurmunivarottamaḥ | avākśirā dhyānaparo muhūrtamiva tasthivān

Hearing this, the blessed Tanu, best of the foremost sages, lowered his head and remained for a moment lost in thought.

Note on the text: Removed a stray zero-width non-joiner inside अवाक्शिरा (a typing artefact).

Verse 19 (12.127.19)

तमनुध्यान्तमालक्ष्य राजा परमदुर्मनाः । उवाच वाक्यं दीनात्मा मन्दमन्दमिवासकृत् ॥

tamanudhyāntamālakṣya rājā paramadurmanāḥ | uvāca vākyaṃ dīnātmā mandamandamivāsakṛt

Seeing him lost in thought, the king, deeply distressed and wretched at heart, spoke again and again, in a very low voice.

Verse 20 (12.127.20)

दुर्लभं किंनु देवर्षे आशायाश्चैव किं महत् । ब्रवीतु भगवानेतद्यदि गुह्यं न चेत्तदा ॥

durlabhaṃ kiṃnu devarṣe āśāyāścaiva kiṃ mahat | bravītu bhagavānetadyadi guhyaṃ na cettadā

What is hard to obtain, O divine sage, and what is it that is great about hope? Let the blessed one tell me this, if it is not a secret.

Note on the text: Speaker supplied: the king's direct speech with no printed heading fills the whole verse (the input carried over भीष्म). CE 12.126.20 reads आशायाश्चैव किं भवेत्, ब्रवीतु भगवान् एतद् यदि गुह्यं न तन् मयि; Wikisource's wording is a recension variant, kept.

Verse 21 (12.127.21)

महर्षिर्भगवांस्तेन पूर्वमासीद्विमानितः । बालिशां बुद्धिमास्थाय मन्दभाग्यतयाऽऽत्मनः । अर्थयन्कुशलं राजन्काञ्चनं वल्कलानि च ॥

maharṣirbhagavāṃstena pūrvamāsīdvimānitaḥ | bāliśāṃ buddhimāsthāya mandabhāgyatayā''tmanaḥ | arthayankuśalaṃ rājankāñcanaṃ valkalāni ca

That blessed great sage was once slighted by him; through his own ill fortune he had fallen into a foolish way of thinking, and so he asked, O king, for welfare, for gold and for bark garments.

Note on the text: Speaker per the page's heading तनुरुवाच (12-127-21x). A three-line verse: lines 1-2 are CE 12.126.21a, 21c and line 3 is CE 12.126.22a (अर्थयन् कलशं राजन् काञ्चनं वल्कलानि च; Wikisource has कुशलं for कलशं, a recension variant, kept).

Verse 22 (12.127.22)

अवज्ञापूर्वकेनापि न संपादितवांस्ततः । निर्विण्णः स तु विप्रर्षिर्निराशः समपद्यत ॥

avajñāpūrvakenāpi na saṃpāditavāṃstataḥ | nirviṇṇaḥ sa tu viprarṣirnirāśaḥ samapadyata

Even though disdain had been shown, nothing was achieved thereafter; and that brahmin sage, disenchanted, was left without hope.

Note on the text: Removed the square brackets Wikisource prints round line 1 and the stray daṇḍa after them. Line 1 is the CE star line 12.126.22b*0291_01 (avajñāpūrvakenāpi na saṃpāditavāṃs tataḥ), not in the constituted text; line 2 is CE 12.126.22c.

Verse 23 (12.127.23)

एवमुक्तोऽभिवाद्याथ तमृषिं लोकपूजितम् । श्रान्तोऽवसीदद्धर्मात्मा यथा त्वं नरसत्तम ॥

evamukto'bhivādyātha tamṛṣiṃ lokapūjitam | śrānto'vasīdaddharmātmā yathā tvaṃ narasattama

Thus addressed, the righteous-souled king saluted that sage, honoured by the world, and, worn out, sank down in dejection just as you do, best of men.

Note on the text: Speaker corrected from तनु (carried over in the input): this is Rishabha's narration, spoken to Sumitra.

Verse 24 (12.127.24)

अर्ध्यं ततः समानीय पाद्यं चैव महायशाः । आरण्येनैव विधिना राज्ञे सर्वं न्यवेदयत् ॥

ardhyaṃ tataḥ samānīya pādyaṃ caiva mahāyaśāḥ | āraṇyenaiva vidhinā rājñe sarvaṃ nyavedayat

Then the greatly renowned sage brought water for the guest-offering and for the feet, and presented everything to the king according to the rule of the forest.

Note on the text: Speaker corrected from तनु (carried over in the input): Rishabha's narration.

Verse 25 (12.127.25)

ततस्तमृषयः सर्वे परिवार्य नरर्षभम् । उपाविशन्पुरस्कृत्य सप्तर्षय इव ध्रुवम् ॥

tatastamṛṣayaḥ sarve parivārya nararṣabham | upāviśanpuraskṛtya saptarṣaya iva dhruvam

Then all the sages surrounded that best of men and sat down, honouring him, like the seven sages round the Pole Star.

Note on the text: Speaker corrected from तनु (carried over in the input): Rishabha's narration.

Verse 26 (12.127.26)

अपृच्छंश्चैव तत्रैनं राजानमपराजितम् । प्रयोजनमिदं सर्वमाश्रमस्य प्रवेशने ॥

apṛcchaṃścaiva tatrainaṃ rājānamaparājitam | prayojanamidaṃ sarvamāśramasya praveśane

And there they asked that unconquered king for the whole reason of his entering the hermitage.

Note on the text: Speaker corrected from तनु (carried over in the input): Rishabha's narration. The page ends with its colophon (adhyaya 127); only Wikisource's commentary glosses follow, not added.