Khanitra's Story Concluded

Verse 1 (markandeya.115.1)

मार्कण्डेय उवाच ततः समस्तलोकस्य विस्मयः सोऽभवन्महान् । यदेककालं नेशुस्ते पृथक्पुरनिवासिनः ॥ 115.1 ॥

mārkaṇḍeya uvāca tataḥ samastalokasya vismayaḥ so'bhavanmahān yadekakālaṁ neśuste pṛthakpuranivāsinaḥ

Markandeya said: Then a great astonishment came upon the whole world, that all those dwelling in separate cities had perished at one and the same time.

Verse 2 (markandeya.115.2)

ततः शुश्राव निधनं यातान्भ्रातृपुरोहितान् । मन्त्रिणं च तथा भ्रातुर्दग्धं तं विश्ववेदिनम् ॥ 115.2 ॥

tataḥ śuśrāva nidhanaṁ yātānbhrātṛpurohitān mantriṇaṁ ca tathā bhrāturdagdhaṁ taṁ viśvavedinam

Then he heard that his brothers' priests had met their death, and likewise that his brother's minister, Vishvavedin, had been burnt.

Verse 3 (markandeya.115.3)

किमेतदिति सोऽतीव विस्मितो मुनिसत्तम । खनित्रोऽभून्महाराजो नाजानात्तच्च कारणम् ॥ 115.3 ॥

kimetaditi so'tīva vismito munisattama khanitro'bhūnmahārājo nājānāttacca kāraṇam

"What is this?" — exceedingly astonished, O best of sages, that great King Khanitra could not learn its cause.

Verse 4 (markandeya.115.4)

ततो वसिष्ठं पप्रच्छ स राजा गृहमागतम् । यत्कारणं विनेशुस्ते भ्रातृमन्त्रिपुरोहिताः ॥ 115.4 ॥

tato vasiṣṭhaṁ papraccha sa rājā gṛhamāgatam yatkāraṇaṁ vineśuste bhrātṛmantripurohitāḥ

Then that king asked Vasishtha, who had come to his home, for what reason his brothers' ministers and priests had perished.

Verse 5 (markandeya.115.5)

तेन पृष्टस्तदा प्राह यथा वृत्तं महामुनिः । यच्छौरिमन्त्रिणा प्रोक्तं यच्च शौरिरुवाच तम् ॥ 115.5 ॥

tena pṛṣṭastadā prāha yathā vṛttaṁ mahāmuniḥ yacchaurimantriṇā proktaṁ yacca śauriruvāca tam

Asked by him, that great sage then told him just as it had happened — what Shauri's minister had said, and what Shauri had said to him,

Verse 6 (markandeya.115.6)

यथा चानुष्ठितं तेन भ्रातॄणां भेदकारि वै । मन्त्रिणा तेन दुष्टेन यच्चक्रुश्च पुरोहिताः ॥ 115.6 ॥

yathā cānuṣṭhitaṁ tena bhrātṝṇāṁ bhedakāri vai mantriṇā tena duṣṭena yaccakruśca purohitāḥ

and how, by that wicked minister, it was carried out in a way that caused division among the brothers — and what the priests had done,

Verse 7 (markandeya.115.7)

यन्निमित्तं विनेशुस्ते अपापस्यापकारिणः । पुरोहितास्तस्य राज्ञः शत्रावपि दयावतः ॥ 115.7 ॥

yannimittaṁ vineśuste apāpasyāpakāriṇaḥ purohitāstasya rājñaḥ śatrāvapi dayāvataḥ

on account of which they perished — that king's priests, who had themselves done no wrong, and who were compassionate even toward an enemy.

Verse 8 (markandeya.115.8)

स तच्छ्रुत्वा ततो राजा हा हतोऽस्मीति वै वदन् । निनिन्दात्मानमत्यर्थं वसिष्ठस्याग्रतो द्विज ॥ 115.8 ॥

sa tacchrutvā tato rājā hā hato'smīti vai vadan ninindātmānamatyarthaṁ vasiṣṭhasyāgrato dvija

Hearing this, the king, saying, "Alas, I am ruined!", O brahmin, began to reproach himself exceedingly before Vasishtha.

Verse 9 (markandeya.115.9)

राजोवाच धिङ्मामपुण्यसंस्थानमल्पभाग्यमशोभनम् । दैवदोषकृतं पापं सर्वलोकविगर्हितम् ॥ 115.9 ॥

rājovāca dhiṅmāmapuṇyasaṁsthānamalpabhāgyamaśobhanam daivadoṣakṛtaṁ pāpaṁ sarvalokavigarhitam

The king said: "Shame upon me — devoid of merit, ill-fated, unlovely, the doer of a sin born of evil fate, condemned by the whole world!

Verse 10 (markandeya.115.10)

मन्निमित्तं विनष्टं तत्तद्ब्राह्मणचतुष्टयम् । मत्तः कोऽन्यः पापतरो भविष्यति पुमान्भुवि ॥ 115.10 ॥

mannimittaṁ vinaṣṭaṁ tattadbrāhmaṇacatuṣṭayam mattaḥ ko'nyaḥ pāpataro bhaviṣyati pumānbhuvi

Because of me alone, that group of four brahmins has perished; what man on this earth will be more sinful than I?

Verse 11 (markandeya.115.11)

नाभविष्यं यदि पुमानहमत्र महीतले । ततस्ते न विनश्येयुर्मम भ्रातृपुरोहिताः ॥ 115.11 ॥

nābhaviṣyaṁ yadi pumānahamatra mahītale tataste na vinaśyeyurmama bhrātṛpurohitāḥ

Had I never existed as a man here on this earth, then my brothers' priests would not have perished.

Verse 12 (markandeya.115.12)

धिग्राज्यं धिक्च मे जन्म भूभुजां महतां कुले । कारणत्वं गतो योऽहं विनाशस्य द्विजन्मनाम् ॥ 115.12 ॥

dhigrājyaṁ dhikca me janma bhūbhujāṁ mahatāṁ kule kāraṇatvaṁ gato yo'haṁ vināśasya dvijanmanām

Shame on this kingdom, shame on my birth in the lineage of great kings — I, who have become the cause of the twice-born's destruction!

Verse 13 (markandeya.115.13)

कुर्वन्तः स्वामिनां तेऽथ भ्रातॄणां मम याजकाः । नाशं ययुर्न दुष्टास्ते दुष्टोऽहं नाशकारणे ॥ 115.13 ॥

kurvantaḥ svāmināṁ te'tha bhrātṝṇāṁ mama yājakāḥ nāśaṁ yayurna duṣṭāste duṣṭo'haṁ nāśakāraṇe

Those priests, performing sacrifice for my brothers, their masters, met destruction — they were not wicked; it is I who am wicked, being the cause of that destruction.

Verse 14 (markandeya.115.14)

किं करोमि क्व गच्छामि नान्यो मत्तो हि पापकृत् । पृथिव्यामस्ति हेतुत्वं द्विजनाशस्य योगतः ॥ 115.14 ॥

kiṁ karomi kva gacchāmi nānyo matto hi pāpakṛt pṛthivyāmasti hetutvaṁ dvijanāśasya yogataḥ

What shall I do, where shall I go? Truly there is no one more sinful than I — on this earth, through this connection, I have become the cause of the twice-born's destruction."

Verse 15 (markandeya.115.15)

इत्थमुद्विग्नहृदयः खनित्रः पृथिवीपतिः । वनं यियासुः पुत्रस्य कृतवानभिषेचनम् ॥ 115.15 ॥

itthamudvignahṛdayaḥ khanitraḥ pṛthivīpatiḥ vanaṁ yiyāsuḥ putrasya kṛtavānabhiṣecanam

Thus, his heart in torment, Khanitra, lord of the earth, desiring to go to the forest, performed the consecration of his son.

Verse 16 (markandeya.115.16)

अभिषिच्य सुतं राज्ये क्षुपसंज्ञं महीपतिः । भार्याभिस्तिसृभिः सार्धं तपसे स वनं ययौ ॥ 115.16 ॥

abhiṣicya sutaṁ rājye kṣupasaṁjñaṁ mahīpatiḥ bhāryābhistisṛbhiḥ sārdhaṁ tapase sa vanaṁ yayau

Having consecrated his son, named Kshupa, in the kingdom, that lord of the earth went, together with his three wives, to the forest for austerity.

Verse 17 (markandeya.115.17)

तत्रागत्वा तपस्तेपे वानप्रस्थविधानवित् । शतानि त्रीणि वर्षाणां सार्द्धानि नृपसत्तमः ॥ 115.17 ॥

tatrāgatvā tapastepe vānaprasthavidhānavit śatāni trīṇi varṣāṇāṁ sārddhāni nṛpasattamaḥ

Having gone there, that excellent king, versed in the rule of the forest-dwelling life, performed austerity for three hundred and fifty years.

Verse 18 (markandeya.115.18)

तपसा क्षीणदेहस्तु राजवर्यो द्विजोत्तम । निगृह्य सर्वस्रोतांसि तत्याजासून्वनेचरः ॥ 115.18 ॥

tapasā kṣīṇadehastu rājavaryo dvijottama nigṛhya sarvasrotāṁsi tatyājāsūnvanecaraḥ

O best of the twice-born, his body wasted by austerity, that excellent king, restraining all his senses, gave up his life-breaths as a forest-dweller.

Verse 19 (markandeya.115.19)

ततः पुण्यान्ययौ लोकान्सर्वकामदुहोऽक्षयान् । अश्वमेधादिभिर्यज्ञैरवाप्या ये नराधिपैः ॥ 115.19 ॥

tataḥ puṇyānyayau lokānsarvakāmaduho'kṣayān aśvamedhādibhiryajñairavāpyā ye narādhipaiḥ

Then he went to those meritorious, imperishable worlds, granters of every desire, which are obtained by kings only through sacrifices such as the Ashvamedha.

Verse 20 (markandeya.115.20)

भार्याश्च तस्य तास्तिस्रः समन्तेनैव तत्यजुः । प्राणानवापुः सालोक्यं तेनैव सुमहात्मना ॥ 115.20 ॥

bhāryāśca tasya tāstisraḥ samantenaiva tatyajuḥ prāṇānavāpuḥ sālokyaṁ tenaiva sumahātmanā

And his three wives, all together, gave up their lives as well; they attained union with that great soul's own world.

Verse 21 (markandeya.115.21)

एतत्खनित्रचरितं श्रुतं कल्मषनाशनम् । पठतां च महाभाग क्षुपस्यातो निशामय ॥ 115.21 ॥

etatkhanitracaritaṁ śrutaṁ kalmaṣanāśanam paṭhatāṁ ca mahābhāga kṣupasyāto niśāmaya

O illustrious one, this story of Khanitra, which destroys sin when heard, has been told; now hear from here on the story of Kshupa.