Madhavi Chooses the Forest; Yayati's Pride in Heaven

Verse 1 (5.120.1)

स तु राजा पुनस्तस्याः कर्तुकामः स्वयंवरम् । उपगम्याश्रमपदं गङ्गायामुनसङ्गमे ॥

sa tu rājā punastasyāḥ kartukāmaḥ svayaṃvaram | upagamyāśramapadaṃ gaṅgāyāmunasaṅgame

Then the king, wishing to hold a svayamvara for her once more, went to a hermitage at the confluence of the Ganga and the Yamuna.

Verse 2 (5.120.2)

गृहीतमाल्यदामां तां रथमारोप्य माधवीम् । पूरुर्यदुश्च भगिनीमाश्रमे पर्यधावताम् ॥

gṛhītamālyadāmāṃ tāṃ rathamāropya mādhavīm | pūruryaduśca bhaginīmāśrame paryadhāvatām

Puru and Yadu set their sister Madhavi, garland in hand, on a chariot and drove about the hermitage with her.

Verse 3 (5.120.3)

नागयक्षमनुष्याणां गन्धर्वमृगपक्षिणाम् । शैलद्रुमवनौकानामासीत्तत्र समागमः ॥

nāgayakṣamanuṣyāṇāṃ gandharvamṛgapakṣiṇām | śailadrumavanaukānāmāsīttatra samāgamaḥ

There was a great gathering there of nagas, yakshas and men, of gandharvas, beasts and birds, and of the dwellers of mountains, trees and forests.

Verse 4 (5.120.4)

नानापुरुषदेश्यानामीश्वरैश्च समाकुलम् । ऋषिभिर्ब्रह्मकल्पैश्च समन्तादावृतं वनम् ॥

nānāpuruṣadeśyānāmīśvaraiśca samākulam | ṛṣibhirbrahmakalpaiśca samantādāvṛtaṃ vanam

The forest was crowded with the lords of many peoples and lands, and surrounded on every side by sages equal to Brahma.

Verse 5 (5.120.5)

निर्दिश्यमानेषु तु सा वरेषु वरवर्णिनी । वरानुत्क्रम्य सर्वास्तान्वरं वृतवती वनम् ॥

nirdiśyamāneṣu tu sā vareṣu varavarṇinī | varānutkramya sarvāstānvaraṃ vṛtavatī vanam

But as the suitors were being pointed out to her, the lovely maiden passed over all of them and chose the forest as her groom.

Verse 6 (5.120.6)

अवतीर्य रथात्कन्या नमस्कृत्य च बन्धुषु । उपगम्य वनं पुण्यं तपस्तेपे ययातिजा ॥

avatīrya rathātkanyā namaskṛtya ca bandhuṣu | upagamya vanaṃ puṇyaṃ tapastepe yayātijā

Yayati's daughter stepped down from the chariot, bowed to her kinsmen, went into a holy forest and practised austerities.

Verse 7 (5.120.7)

उपवासैश्च विविधैर्दीक्षाभिर्नियमैस्तथा । आत्मनो लघुतां कृत्वा बभूव मृगचारिणी ॥

upavāsaiśca vividhairdīkṣābhirniyamaistathā | ātmano laghutāṃ kṛtvā babhūva mṛgacāriṇī

By fasts of many kinds, by consecrations and vows, she made herself light and took to roaming like the deer.

Verse 8 (5.120.8)

वैदूर्याङ्कुरकल्पानि मृदूनि हरितानि च । चरन्ती श्लक्ष्णशष्पाणि तिक्तानि मधुराणि च ॥

vaidūryāṅkurakalpāni mṛdūni haritāni ca | carantī ślakṣṇaśaṣpāṇi tiktāni madhurāṇi ca

Grazing on smooth grasses, soft and green like shoots of beryl, both bitter and sweet,

Verse 9 (5.120.9)

स्रवन्तीनां च पुण्यानां सुरसानि शुचीनि च । पिबन्ती वारिमुख्यानि शीतानि विमलानि च ॥

sravantīnāṃ ca puṇyānāṃ surasāni śucīni ca | pibantī vārimukhyāni śītāni vimalāni ca

drinking the choicest waters of holy streams, sweet and pure, cool and clear,

Note on the text: Corrected सुचीनि → शुचीनि (misprint in Wikisource; "pure", as in the critical edition).

Verse 10 (5.120.10)

वनेषु मृगराजेषु व्याघ्रविप्रोषितेषु च । दावाग्निविप्रयुक्तेषु शून्येषु गहनेषु च ॥

vaneṣu mṛgarājeṣu vyāghraviproṣiteṣu ca | dāvāgniviprayukteṣu śūnyeṣu gahaneṣu ca

in forests where lions lived and tigers roamed, free of forest fires, lonely and deep,

Verse 11 (5.120.11)

चरन्ती हरिणैः सार्धं मृगीव वनचारिणी । चचार विपुलं धर्मं ब्रह्मचर्येण संवृतम् ॥

carantī hariṇaiḥ sārdhaṃ mṛgīva vanacāriṇī | cacāra vipulaṃ dharmaṃ brahmacaryeṇa saṃvṛtam

roaming with the deer like a doe of the forest, she practised a great dharma, guarded by chastity.

Verse 12 (5.120.12)

ययातिरपि पूर्वेषां राज्ञां वृत्तमनुष्ठितः । बहुवर्षसहस्रायुर्युयुजे कालधर्मणा ॥

yayātirapi pūrveṣāṃ rājñāṃ vṛttamanuṣṭhitaḥ | bahuvarṣasahasrāyuryuyuje kāladharmaṇā

Yayati too, following the ways of the kings before him, met his death after a life of many thousands of years.

Verse 13 (5.120.13)

पूरुर्यदुश्च द्वौ वंशे वर्धमानौ नरोत्तमौ । ताभ्यां प्रतिष्ठितो लोके परलोके च नाहुषः ॥

pūruryaduśca dvau vaṃśe vardhamānau narottamau | tābhyāṃ pratiṣṭhito loke paraloke ca nāhuṣaḥ

Puru and Yadu, two best of men, flourished in his line, and through them the son of Nahusha was established both in this world and in the next.

Note on the text: Corrected पुरुर्यदुश्च → पूरुर्यदुश्च (misprint in Wikisource; the name is spelt पूरु in v. 2 and in the critical edition) and ताभ्भां → ताभ्यां (misprint; garbled conjunct).

Verse 14 (5.120.14)

महीपते नरपतिर्ययातिः स्वर्गमास्थितः । महर्षिकल्पो नृपतिः स्वर्गाग्र्यफलभुग्विभुः ॥

mahīpate narapatiryayātiḥ svargamāsthitaḥ | maharṣikalpo nṛpatiḥ svargāgryaphalabhugvibhuḥ

O lord of the earth, King Yayati dwelt in heaven, a ruler like a great sage, mighty, enjoying the highest fruits of heaven.

Verse 15 (5.120.15)

बहुवर्षसहस्राख्ये काले बहुगुणे गते । राजर्षिषु निषण्णेषु महीयःसु महर्धिषु ॥

bahuvarṣasahasrākhye kāle bahuguṇe gate | rājarṣiṣu niṣaṇṇeṣu mahīyaḥsu mahardhiṣu

When a long age of many thousands of years, rich in blessings, had passed, as the royal sages sat there, great and mighty in their prosperity,

Verse 16 (5.120.16)

अवमेने नरान्सर्वान्देवानृषिगणांस्तथा । ययातिर्मूढविज्ञानो विस्मयाविष्टचेतनः ॥

avamene narānsarvāndevānṛṣigaṇāṃstathā | yayātirmūḍhavijñāno vismayāviṣṭacetanaḥ

Yayati, his judgement clouded and his mind seized by conceit, despised all men, the gods and the hosts of sages.

Verse 17 (5.120.17)

ततस्तं बुबुधे देवः शक्रो बलनिषूदनः । ते च राजर्षयः सर्वे धिग्धिगित्येवमब्रुवन् ॥

tatastaṃ bubudhe devaḥ śakro balaniṣūdanaḥ | te ca rājarṣayaḥ sarve dhigdhigityevamabruvan

Then the god Shakra, slayer of Bala, became aware of him, and all those royal sages cried out, "Shame, shame!"

Verse 18 (5.120.18)

विचारश्च समुत्पन्नो निरीक्ष्य नहुषात्मजम् । कोऽन्वयं कस्य वा राज्ञः कथं वा स्वर्गमागतः ॥

vicāraśca samutpanno nirīkṣya nahuṣātmajam | ko'nvayaṃ kasya vā rājñaḥ kathaṃ vā svargamāgataḥ

Looking at Nahusha's son, they began to wonder: "Who is this? Whose son is he, of what king? How has he come to heaven?

Verse 19 (5.120.19)

कर्मणा केन सिद्धोऽयं क्व वाऽनेन तपश्चितम् । कथं वा ज्ञायते स्वर्गे केन वा ज्ञायतेऽप्युत ॥

karmaṇā kena siddho'yaṃ kva vā'nena tapaścitam | kathaṃ vā jñāyate svarge kena vā jñāyate'pyuta

By what deed has he won this? Where did he gather his austerity? How is he known in heaven, and who in fact knows him?"

Note on the text: Separated केनसिद्धोऽयं → केन सिद्धोऽयं (word-division slip in Wikisource; as in the critical edition).

Verse 20 (5.120.20)

एवं विचारयन्तस्ते राजानं स्वर्गवासिनः । दृष्ट्वा पप्रच्छुरन्योन्यं ययातिं नृपतिं प्रति ॥

evaṃ vicārayantaste rājānaṃ svargavāsinaḥ | dṛṣṭvā papracchuranyonyaṃ yayātiṃ nṛpatiṃ prati

Deliberating thus, the dwellers of heaven looked at the king and asked one another about King Yayati.

Note on the text: Corrected विचास्यन्तस्ते → विचारयन्तस्ते (misprint in Wikisource; as in the critical edition).

Verse 21 (5.120.21)

विमानपालाः शतशः स्वर्गद्वाराभिरक्षिणः । पृष्टा आसनपालाश्च न जानीमेत्यथाऽब्रुवन् ॥

vimānapālāḥ śataśaḥ svargadvārābhirakṣiṇaḥ | pṛṣṭā āsanapālāśca na jānīmetyathā'bruvan

The hundreds of guardians of the celestial cars, the keepers of heaven's gates and the keepers of the seats were asked, and they said, "We do not know him."

Verse 22 (5.120.22)

सर्वे ते ह्यावृतज्ञाना नाभ्यजानन्त तं नृपम् । स मुहूर्तादथ नृपो हतौजाश्चाभवत्तदा ॥

sarve te hyāvṛtajñānā nābhyajānanta taṃ nṛpam | sa muhūrtādatha nṛpo hataujāścābhavattadā

Their understanding was veiled, and none of them recognised the king. And in a moment the king was robbed of all his splendour.