The Imprisoned Kings

ततो मगधभूमृता चिरनिरोधसंक्लेशितं
शताष्टकयुतायुतद्वितयमीश भूमीभृताम् ।
अनाथशरणाय ते कमपि पूरुषं प्राहिणो
दयाचत स मागधक्षपणमेव किं भूयसा

tato magadhabhūmṛtā ciranirodhasaṁkleśitaṁ śatāṣṭakayutāyutadvitayamīśa bhūmībhṛtām anāthaśaraṇāya te kamapi pūruṣaṁ prāhiṇo dayācata sa māgadhakṣapaṇameva kiṁ bhūyasā

“Then by the Magadha lord, by long imprisonment ground down, the eight thousand kings of the earth, oppressed, sent some person, for whom there was no other refuge, to you.”

यियासुरभिमागधं तदनु नारदोदीरिता
द्युधिष्ठिरमखोद्यमादुभयकार्यपर्याकुलः ।
विरुद्धजयिनोऽध्वरादुभयसिद्धिरित्युद्धवे
शशंसुषि निजैः समं पुरमियेथ यौधिष्ठिरीम्

yiyāsurabhimāgadhaṁ tadanu nāradodīritā dyudhiṣṭhiramakhodyamādubhayakāryaparyākulaḥ viruddhajayino'dhvarādubhayasiddhirityuddhave śaśaṁsuṣi nijaiḥ samaṁ puramiyetha yaudhiṣṭhirīm

“Jarāsandha had imprisoned the kings, planning to sacrifice them to Rudra. By your inspiration, a brāhmaṇa came secretly to Indraprastha to ask for help.”

अशेषदयितायुते त्वयि समागते धर्मजो
विजित्य सहजैर्महीं भवदपाङ्गसंवर्धितैः ।
श्रियं निरुपमां वहन्नहह भक्तदासायितं
भवन्तमयि मागधे प्रहितवान्सभीमार्जुनम्

aśeṣadayitāyute tvayi samāgate dharmajo vijitya sahajairmahīṁ bhavadapāṅgasaṁvardhitaiḥ śriyaṁ nirupamāṁ vahannahaha bhaktadāsāyitaṁ bhavantamayi māgadhe prahitavānsabhīmārjunam

“Yudhiṣṭhira's Rājasūya-sacrifice was being planned. You proposed: first kill Jarāsandha, then the sacrifice. The kings would be freed; the sacrifice would be valid.”

गिरिव्रजपुरं गतास्तदनु देव यूयं त्रयो
ययाच समरोत्सवं द्विजमिषेण तं मागधम् ।
अपूर्णसुकृतं त्वमुं पवनजेन संग्रामयन्
निरीक्ष्य सह जिष्णुना त्वमपि राजयुध्वा स्थितः

girivrajapuraṁ gatāstadanu deva yūyaṁ trayo yayāca samarotsavaṁ dvijamiṣeṇa taṁ māgadham apūrṇasukṛtaṁ tvamuṁ pavanajena saṁgrāmayan nirīkṣya saha jiṣṇunā tvamapi rājayudhvā sthitaḥ

“Bhīma went with you and Arjuna to Magadha. In private combat, by your subtle hint to Bhīma about how to split a body that re-joins, Jarāsandha was killed.”

अशान्तसमरोद्धतं विटपपाटनासंज्ञया
निपात्य जरसस्सुतं पवनजेन निष्पाटितम् ।
विमुच्य नृपतीन्मुदा समनुगृह्य भक्तिं परां
दिदेशिथ गतस्पृहानपि च धर्मगुप्त्यै भुवः

aśāntasamaroddhataṁ viṭapapāṭanāsaṁjñayā nipātya jarasassutaṁ pavanajena niṣpāṭitam vimucya nṛpatīnmudā samanugṛhya bhaktiṁ parāṁ dideśitha gataspṛhānapi ca dharmaguptyai bhuvaḥ

“The kings were freed. They went home. The Rājasūya was performed; you yourself washed the feet of the brāhmaṇas at the sacrifice.”

प्रचक्रुषि युधिष्ठिरे तदनु राजसूयाध्वरं
प्रसन्नभृतकीभवत्सकलराजकव्याकुलम् ।
त्वमप्ययि जगत्पते द्विजपदावनेजादिकं
चकर्थ किमु कथ्यते नृपवरस्य भाग्योन्नतिः

pracakruṣi yudhiṣṭhire tadanu rājasūyādhvaraṁ prasannabhṛtakībhavatsakalarājakavyākulam tvamapyayi jagatpate dvijapadāvanejādikaṁ cakartha kimu kathyate nṛpavarasya bhāgyonnatiḥ

“Even at the great sacrifice, you took the lowest service. The lord chose to be the foot-washer, not the king-of-honour.”

ततस्सवनकर्मणि प्रवरमग्र्यपूजाविधिं
विचार्य सहदेववागनुगतस्स धर्मात्मजः ।
व्यधत्त भवते मुदा सदसि विश्वभूतात्मने
तदा ससुरमानुषं भुवनमेव तृप्तिः दधौ

tatassavanakarmaṇi pravaramagryapūjāvidhiṁ vicārya sahadevavāganugatassa dharmātmajaḥ vyadhatta bhavate mudā sadasi viśvabhūtātmane tadā sasuramānuṣaṁ bhuvanameva tṛptiḥ dadhau

“By that choice, the entire idea of greatness was redefined. Greatness was service. The Bhāgavata holds this as its highest teaching.”

ततस्सपदि चेदिपो मुनिनृपेषु तिष्ठत्स्वहो
सभाजयति को जडः पशुपदुर्दुरूटं वटुम् ।
इति त्वयि स दुर्वचोविततिमुद्वमन्नासना
दुदापतदुदायुधः समपतन्नमुं पाण्डवाः

tatassapadi cedipo muninṛpeṣu tiṣṭhatsvaho sabhājayati ko jaḍaḥ paśupadurdurūṭaṁ vaṭum iti tvayi sa durvacovitatimudvamannāsanā dudāpatadudāyudhaḥ samapatannamuṁ pāṇḍavāḥ

“By each such redefinition, the Bhāgavata was making the new culture of devotion replace the old culture of sacrifice.”

निवार्य निजपक्षगानभिमुखस्य विद्वेषिण
स्त्वमेव जहृषे शिरो दनुजदारिणा स्वारिणा ।
जनुस्त्रितयलब्धया सततचिन्तया शुद्धधी
स्त्वया स परमेकतामधृत योगिनां दुर्लभाम्

nivārya nijapakṣagānabhimukhasya vidveṣiṇa stvameva jahṛṣe śiro danujadāriṇā svāriṇā janustritayalabdhayā satatacintayā śuddhadhī stvayā sa paramekatāmadhṛta yogināṁ durlabhām

“Lord, by such low-seat-taking, you teach the high-seat-takers their place.”

ततस्सुमहितो त्वया क्रतुवरे निरूढे जनो
ययौ जयति धर्मजो जयति कृष्ण इत्यालपन् ।
खलः स तु सुयोधनो धुतमनास्सपत्नश्रिया
मयार्पितसभामुखे स्थलजलभ्रमादभ्रमीत्

tatassumahito tvayā kratuvare nirūḍhe jano yayau jayati dharmajo jayati kṛṣṇa ityālapan khalaḥ sa tu suyodhano dhutamanāssapatnaśriyā mayārpitasabhāmukhe sthalajalabhramādabhramīt

“Lord of the wind-house, save me from the inability to take the foot-washer's seat when it is offered.”

तदा हसितमुत्थितं द्रुपदन्दनाभीमयो
रपाङ्गकलया विभो किमपि तावदुज्जृम्भयन् ।
धराभरनिराकृतौ सपदि नाम बीजं वपन्
जनार्दन मरुत्पुरीनिलय पाहि मामामयात्

tadā hasitamutthitaṁ drupadandanābhīmayo rapāṅgakalayā vibho kimapi tāvadujjṛmbhayan dharābharanirākṛtau sapadi nāma bījaṁ vapan janārdana marutpurīnilaya pāhi māmāmayāt

Modern English in preparation.