The Gleaner Enters the Forest; End of the Shanti Parva

Verse 1 (12.375.1)

स चामन्त्र्योरगश्रेष्ठं ब्राह्मणः कृतनिश्चयः । दीक्षाकाङ्क्षी तदा राजंश्च्यवनं भार्गवं श्रितः ॥

sa cāmantryoragaśreṣṭhaṃ brāhmaṇaḥ kṛtaniścayaḥ | dīkṣākāṅkṣī tadā rājaṃścyavanaṃ bhārgavaṃ śritaḥ

Having taken leave of the best of serpents, that brahmin, firm in his resolve and desirous of initiation, then went, O king, to Chyavana the Bhargava.

Verse 2 (12.375.2)

स तेन कृतसत्कारो धर्ममेवाधितस्थिवान् । तथैव च कथामेतां राजन्कथितवांस्तदा ॥

sa tena kṛtasatkāro dharmamevādhitasthivān | tathaiva ca kathāmetāṃ rājankathitavāṃstadā

Honoured by him, he devoted himself to dharma alone; and in the same way, O king, he then told him this very tale.

Verse 3 (12.375.3)

भार्गवेणापि राजेन्द्र जनकस्य निवेशने । कथैषा कथिता पुण्या नारदाय महात्मने ॥

bhārgaveṇāpi rājendra janakasya niveśane | kathaiṣā kathitā puṇyā nāradāya mahātmane

And the Bhargava, O king of kings, told this holy tale to the great-souled Narada in Janaka's house.

Verse 4 (12.375.4)

नारदेनापि राजेन्द्र देवेन्द्रस्य निवेशने । कथिता भरतश्रेष्ठ पृष्टेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा ॥

nāradenāpi rājendra devendrasya niveśane | kathitā bharataśreṣṭha pṛṣṭenākliṣṭakarmaṇā

And Narada too, O king of kings, told it in the house of the lord of the gods, O best of the Bharatas, when asked by one of untroubled deeds.

Verse 5 (12.375.5)

देवराजेन च पुरा कथितैषा कथा शुभा । समस्तेभ्यः प्रशस्तेभ्यो विप्रेभ्यो वसुधाधिप ॥

devarājena ca purā kathitaiṣā kathā śubhā | samastebhyaḥ praśastebhyo viprebhyo vasudhādhipa

And long ago the king of the gods told this auspicious tale to all the eminent brahmins, O lord of the earth.

Verse 6 (12.375.6)

यदा च मम रामेण युद्धमासीत्सुदारुणम् । वसुभिश्च तदा राजन्कथेयं कथिता मम ॥

yadā ca mama rāmeṇa yuddhamāsītsudāruṇam | vasubhiśca tadā rājankatheyaṃ kathitā mama

When my terrible war with Rama took place, then, O king, the Vasus told me this tale.

Verse 7 (12.375.7)

पृच्छमानाय तत्त्वेन मया चैवोत्तमा तव । कथेयं कथिता पुण्या धर्म्या धर्मभृतांवर ॥

pṛcchamānāya tattvena mayā caivottamā tava | katheyaṃ kathitā puṇyā dharmyā dharmabhṛtāṃvara

And I too, when you asked in earnest, have told you this excellent tale, holy and righteous, O best of the upholders of dharma.

Verse 8 (12.375.8)

तदेव परमो धर्मो यन्मां पृच्छसि भारत । आसीद्धीरो ह्यनाकाङ्क्षी धर्मार्थकरणे नृप ॥

tadeva paramo dharmo yanmāṃ pṛcchasi bhārata | āsīddhīro hyanākāṅkṣī dharmārthakaraṇe nṛpa

That indeed is the highest dharma, O Bharata, about which you ask me: he was steadfast and free of craving, O king, in the pursuit of dharma and its ends.

Verse 9 (12.375.9)

स च किल कृतनिश्चयो द्विजो । भुजगपतिप्रतिदेशितात्मकृत्यः । यमनियमसहो वनान्तरं । परिगणितोञ्छशिलाशनः प्रविष्टः ॥

sa ca kila kṛtaniścayo dvijo | bhujagapatipratideśitātmakṛtyaḥ | yamaniyamasaho vanāntaraṃ | parigaṇitoñchaśilāśanaḥ praviṣṭaḥ

And that brahmin, so it is told, firm in his resolve, his own duty pointed out by the lord of serpents, able to bear restraints and observances, entered the heart of the forest, to live on carefully measured gleanings.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रतिदशित → प्रतिदेशित (misprint in Wikisource: dropped ए matra; CE reads pratideśita). Four-line verse = CE 12.353.9a, 9c (two lines each; the CE prints it as one verse); the page's readings आत्मकृत्यः, यमनियमसहो and वनान्तरं are its own (the CE has arthakṛtyaḥ, yamaniyamasamāhito, vanāntaṃ).