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Second Skandha · Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Unit 28 of 318Second Skandha · Chapter 8Second Skandha · Chapter 81 source entries

Second Skandha · Chapter 8

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सूत उवाच ततो दिने तृतीये च धृतराष्ट्रः स भूपतिः । दावाग्निना वने दग्धः सभार्यः कुन्तिसंयुतः ॥ १ ॥ सञ्जयस्तीर्थयात्रायां गतस्त्यक्त्वा महीपतिम् । श्रुत्वा युधिष्ठिरो राजा नारदाद्दुःखमाप्तवान् ॥ २ ॥ षट्‌त्रिंशेऽथ गते वर्षे कौरवाणां क्षयात्पुनः । प्रभासे यादवाः सर्वे विप्रशापात्क्षयं गताः ॥ ३ ॥ ते पीत्वा मदिरां मत्ताः कृत्वा युद्धं परस्परम् । क्षयं प्राप्ता महात्मानः पश्यतो रामकृष्णयोः ॥ ४ ॥ देहं तत्याज रामस्तु कृष्णः कमललोचनः । व्याधबाणहतः शापं पालयन्भगवान्हरिः ॥ ५ ॥ वसुदेवस्तु तच्छ्रुत्वा देहत्यागं हरेरथ । जहौ प्राणाञ्छुचीन्कृत्वा चित्ते श्रीभुवनेश्वरीम् ॥ ६ ॥ अर्जुनस्तु ततो गत्वा प्रभासे चातिदुःखितः । संस्कारं तत्र सर्वेषां यथायोग्यं चकार ह ॥ ७ ॥ समीक्ष्याथ हरेर्देहं कृत्वा काष्ठस्य सञ्चयम् । अष्टाभिः सह पत्‍नीभिर्दाहयामास पार्थिवः ॥ ८ ॥ देहं रामस्य रेवत्या सह दग्ध्वा विभावसौ । अर्जुनो द्वारकामेत्य पुरान्निष्क्रामयज्जनम् ॥ ९ ॥ पुरी सा वासुदेवस्य प्लावितोदधिना ततः । अर्जुनः सर्वलोकान्वै गृहीत्वा निर्गतस्तदा ॥ १० ॥ कृष्णपत्‍न्यस्तदा मार्गे चौराभीरैश्च लुण्ठिता । धनं सर्वं गृहीतं च निस्तेजश्चार्जुनोऽभवत् ॥ ११ ॥ इन्द्रप्रस्थे समागत्य वज्रो राजा कृतस्तदा । अनिरुद्धसुतो नाम्ना पार्थेनामिततेजसा ॥ १२ ॥ व्यासाय कथितं दुःखं तेनोक्तोऽसौ महारथः । पुनर्यदा हरिस्त्वञ्च भवितासि महामते ॥ १३ ॥ तदा तेजस्तवात्युग्रं भविष्यति पुनर्युगे । तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं पार्थो गत्वा नागपुरेऽर्जुनः ॥ १४ ॥ दुःखितो धर्मराजानं वृत्तान्तं सर्वमब्रवीत् । देहत्यागं हरेः श्रुत्वा यादवानां क्षयं तथा ॥ १५ ॥ गमनाय मतिं चक्रे राजा हैमाचलं प्रति । षट्‌त्रिंशद्वार्षिकं राज्ये स्थापयित्वोत्तरासुतम् ॥ १६ ॥ निर्जगाम वनं राजा द्रौपद्या भ्रातृभिः सह । षट्‌त्रिंशच्चैव वर्षाणि कृत्वा राज्यं गजाह्वये ॥ १७ ॥ गत्वा हिमाचले षट् ते जहुः प्राणान्पृथासुताः । परीक्षिदपि राजर्षिः प्रजाः सर्वाः सुधार्मिकः ॥ १८ ॥ अपालयच्च राजेन्द्रः षष्टिवर्षाण्यतन्द्रितः । बभूव मृगयाशीलो जगाम च वनं महत् ॥ १९ ॥ विद्धं मृगं विचिन्वानो मध्याह्ने भूपतिः स्वयम् । तृषितश्च परिश्रान्तः क्षुधितश्चोत्तरासुतः ॥ २० ॥ राजा घर्मेण सन्तप्तो ददर्श मुनिमन्तिके । ध्याने स्थितं मुनिं राजा जलं पप्रच्छ चातुरः ॥ २१ ॥ नोवाच किञ्चिन्मौनस्थश्चुकोप नृपतिस्तदा । मृतं सर्पं तदादाय धनुष्कोट्या तृषातुरः ॥ २२ ॥ कलिनाविष्टचित्तस्तु कण्ठे तस्य न्यवेशयत् । आरोपिते तथा सर्पे नोवाच मुनिसत्तमः ॥ २३ ॥ न चचाल समाधिस्थो राजापि स्वगृहं गतः । तस्य पुत्रोऽतितेजस्वी गविजातो महातपाः ॥ २४ ॥ महाशक्तोऽथ शुश्राव क्रीडमानो वनान्तिके । मित्राण्याहुश्च तत्पुत्रं पितुः कण्ठे तवाधुना ॥ २५ ॥ लम्भितोऽस्ति मृतः सर्पः केनापीति मुनीश्वर । तेषां तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा चुकोपातिशयं तदा ॥ २६ ॥ शशाप नृपतिं क्रुद्धो गृहीत्वाशु करे जलम् । पितुः कण्ठेऽद्य मे येन विनिक्षिप्तो मृतोरगः ॥ २७ ॥ तक्षकः सप्तरात्रेण तं दशेत्पापपूरुषम् । मुनेः शिष्योऽथ राजानं समुपेत्य गृहे स्थितम् ॥ २८ ॥ शापं निवेदयामास मुनिपुत्रेण चार्पितम् । अभिमन्युसुतः श्रुत्वा शापं दत्तं द्विजेन वै ॥ २९ ॥ अनिवार्यं च विज्ञाय मन्त्रिवृद्धानुवाच ह । शप्तोऽहं द्विजरूपेण मम द्वेषादसंशयम् ॥ ३० ॥ किं विधेयं मयामात्या उपायश्चिन्त्यतामिह । मृत्युः किलानिवार्योऽसौ वदन्ति वेदवादिनः ॥ ३१ ॥ यत्‍नस्तथापि शास्त्रोक्तः कर्तव्यः सर्वथा बुधैः । उपायवादिनः केचित्प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः ॥ ३२ ॥ विज्ञोपायेन सिध्यन्ति कार्याणि नेतरस्य च । मणिमन्त्रौषधीनां वै प्रभावाः खलु दुर्विदः ॥ ३३ ॥ न भवेदिति किं तैस्तु मणिमद्‌भिः सुसाधितैः । सर्पदष्टा पुरा भार्या मुनेः सञ्जीविता मृता ॥ ३४ ॥ दत्त्वार्धमायुषस्तेन मुनिना सा वराप्सराः । भवितव्ये न विश्वासः कर्तव्यः सर्वथा बुधैः ॥ ३५ ॥ प्रत्यक्षं तत्र दृष्टान्तं पश्यन्तु सचिवाः किल । दिवि कोऽपि पृथिव्यां वा दृश्यते पुरुषः क्वचित् ॥ ३६ ॥ दैवे मतिं समाधाय यस्तिष्ठेत्तु निरुद्यमः । विरक्तस्तु यतिर्भूत्वा भिक्षार्थं याति सर्वथा ॥ ३७ ॥ गृहस्थानां गृहे काममाहूतो वाथवान्यथा । यदृच्छयोपपन्नं च क्षिप्तं केनापि वा मुखे ॥ ३८ ॥ उद्यमेन विना चास्यादुदरे संविशेत्कथम् । प्रयत्‍नश्चोद्यमे कार्यो यदा सिद्धिं न याति चेत् ॥ ३९ ॥ तदा दैवं स्थितं चेति चित्तमालम्बयेद्‌बुधः । मन्त्रिण ऊचुः को मुनिर्येन दत्त्वार्धमायुषो जीविता प्रिया ॥ ४० ॥ कथं मृता महाराज तन्नो ब्रूहि सविस्तरम् । राजोवाच भृगोर्भार्या वरारोहा पुलोमा नाम सुन्दरी ॥ ४१ ॥ तस्यां तु च्यवनो नाम मुनिर्जातोऽतिविश्रुतः । च्यवनस्य च शर्यातेः सुकन्या नाम सुन्दरी ॥ ४२ ॥ तस्यां जज्ञे सुतः श्रीमान्प्रमतिर्नाम विश्रुतः । प्रमतेस्तु प्रिया भार्या प्रतापी नाम विश्रुता ॥ ४३ ॥ रुरुर्नाम सुतो जातस्तथा परमतापसः । तस्मिंश्च समये कश्चित्स्थूलकेशश्च विश्रुतः ॥ ४४ ॥ बभूव तपसा युक्तो धर्मात्मा सत्यसम्मतः । एतस्मिन्नन्तरे मान्या मेनका च वराप्सराः ॥ ४५ ॥ क्रीडां चक्रे नदीतीरे त्रिषु लोकेषु सुन्दरी । गर्भं विश्वावसोः प्राप्य निर्गता वरवर्णिनी ॥ ४६ ॥ स्थूलकेशाश्रमे गत्वा विससर्ज वराप्सराः । कन्यकां च नदीतीरे त्रिषु लोकेषु सुन्दरीम् ॥ ४७ ॥ दृष्ट्वानाथां तदा कन्यां जग्राह मुनिसत्तमः । पुपोष स्थूलकेशस्तु नाम्ना चक्रे प्रमद्वराम् ॥ ४८ ॥ सा काले यौवनं प्राप्ता सर्वलक्षणसंयुता । रुरुर्दृष्ट्वाथ तां बालां कामबाणार्दितो ह्यभूत् ॥ ४९ ॥

sūta uvāca tato dine tṛtīye ca dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ sa bhūpatiḥ | dāvāgninā vane dagdhaḥ sabhāryaḥ kuntisaṃyutaḥ || 1 || sañjayastīrthayātrāyāṃ gatastyaktvā mahīpatim | śrutvā yudhiṣṭhiro rājā nāradādduḥkhamāptavān || 2 || ṣaṭ‌triṃśe'tha gate varṣe kauravāṇāṃ kṣayātpunaḥ | prabhāse yādavāḥ sarve vipraśāpātkṣayaṃ gatāḥ || 3 || te pītvā madirāṃ mattāḥ kṛtvā yuddhaṃ parasparam | kṣayaṃ prāptā mahātmānaḥ paśyato rāmakṛṣṇayoḥ || 4 || dehaṃ tatyāja rāmastu kṛṣṇaḥ kamalalocanaḥ | vyādhabāṇahataḥ śāpaṃ pālayanbhagavānhariḥ || 5 || vasudevastu tacchrutvā dehatyāgaṃ hareratha | jahau prāṇāñchucīnkṛtvā citte śrībhuvaneśvarīm || 6 || arjunastu tato gatvā prabhāse cātiduḥkhitaḥ | saṃskāraṃ tatra sarveṣāṃ yathāyogyaṃ cakāra ha || 7 || samīkṣyātha harerdehaṃ kṛtvā kāṣṭhasya sañcayam | aṣṭābhiḥ saha pat‍nībhirdāhayāmāsa pārthivaḥ || 8 || dehaṃ rāmasya revatyā saha dagdhvā vibhāvasau | arjuno dvārakāmetya purānniṣkrāmayajjanam || 9 || purī sā vāsudevasya plāvitodadhinā tataḥ | arjunaḥ sarvalokānvai gṛhītvā nirgatastadā || 10 || kṛṣṇapat‍nyastadā mārge caurābhīraiśca luṇṭhitā | dhanaṃ sarvaṃ gṛhītaṃ ca nistejaścārjuno'bhavat || 11 || indraprasthe samāgatya vajro rājā kṛtastadā | aniruddhasuto nāmnā pārthenāmitatejasā || 12 || vyāsāya kathitaṃ duḥkhaṃ tenokto'sau mahārathaḥ | punaryadā haristvañca bhavitāsi mahāmate || 13 || tadā tejastavātyugraṃ bhaviṣyati punaryuge | tacchrutvā vacanaṃ pārtho gatvā nāgapure'rjunaḥ || 14 || duḥkhito dharmarājānaṃ vṛttāntaṃ sarvamabravīt | dehatyāgaṃ hareḥ śrutvā yādavānāṃ kṣayaṃ tathā || 15 || gamanāya matiṃ cakre rājā haimācalaṃ prati | ṣaṭ‌triṃśadvārṣikaṃ rājye sthāpayitvottarāsutam || 16 || nirjagāma vanaṃ rājā draupadyā bhrātṛbhiḥ saha | ṣaṭ‌triṃśaccaiva varṣāṇi kṛtvā rājyaṃ gajāhvaye || 17 || gatvā himācale ṣaṭ te jahuḥ prāṇānpṛthāsutāḥ | parīkṣidapi rājarṣiḥ prajāḥ sarvāḥ sudhārmikaḥ || 18 || apālayacca rājendraḥ ṣaṣṭivarṣāṇyatandritaḥ | babhūva mṛgayāśīlo jagāma ca vanaṃ mahat || 19 || viddhaṃ mṛgaṃ vicinvāno madhyāhne bhūpatiḥ svayam | tṛṣitaśca pariśrāntaḥ kṣudhitaścottarāsutaḥ || 20 || rājā gharmeṇa santapto dadarśa munimantike | dhyāne sthitaṃ muniṃ rājā jalaṃ papraccha cāturaḥ || 21 || novāca kiñcinmaunasthaścukopa nṛpatistadā | mṛtaṃ sarpaṃ tadādāya dhanuṣkoṭyā tṛṣāturaḥ || 22 || kalināviṣṭacittastu kaṇṭhe tasya nyaveśayat | āropite tathā sarpe novāca munisattamaḥ || 23 || na cacāla samādhistho rājāpi svagṛhaṃ gataḥ | tasya putro'titejasvī gavijāto mahātapāḥ || 24 || mahāśakto'tha śuśrāva krīḍamāno vanāntike | mitrāṇyāhuśca tatputraṃ pituḥ kaṇṭhe tavādhunā || 25 || lambhito'sti mṛtaḥ sarpaḥ kenāpīti munīśvara | teṣāṃ tadvacanaṃ śrutvā cukopātiśayaṃ tadā || 26 || śaśāpa nṛpatiṃ kruddho gṛhītvāśu kare jalam | pituḥ kaṇṭhe'dya me yena vinikṣipto mṛtoragaḥ || 27 || takṣakaḥ saptarātreṇa taṃ daśetpāpapūruṣam | muneḥ śiṣyo'tha rājānaṃ samupetya gṛhe sthitam || 28 || śāpaṃ nivedayāmāsa muniputreṇa cārpitam | abhimanyusutaḥ śrutvā śāpaṃ dattaṃ dvijena vai || 29 || anivāryaṃ ca vijñāya mantrivṛddhānuvāca ha | śapto'haṃ dvijarūpeṇa mama dveṣādasaṃśayam || 30 || kiṃ vidheyaṃ mayāmātyā upāyaścintyatāmiha | mṛtyuḥ kilānivāryo'sau vadanti vedavādinaḥ || 31 || yat‍nastathāpi śāstroktaḥ kartavyaḥ sarvathā budhaiḥ | upāyavādinaḥ kecitpravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ || 32 || vijñopāyena sidhyanti kāryāṇi netarasya ca | maṇimantrauṣadhīnāṃ vai prabhāvāḥ khalu durvidaḥ || 33 || na bhavediti kiṃ taistu maṇimad‌bhiḥ susādhitaiḥ | sarpadaṣṭā purā bhāryā muneḥ sañjīvitā mṛtā || 34 || dattvārdhamāyuṣastena muninā sā varāpsarāḥ | bhavitavye na viśvāsaḥ kartavyaḥ sarvathā budhaiḥ || 35 || pratyakṣaṃ tatra dṛṣṭāntaṃ paśyantu sacivāḥ kila | divi ko'pi pṛthivyāṃ vā dṛśyate puruṣaḥ kvacit || 36 || daive matiṃ samādhāya yastiṣṭhettu nirudyamaḥ | viraktastu yatirbhūtvā bhikṣārthaṃ yāti sarvathā || 37 || gṛhasthānāṃ gṛhe kāmamāhūto vāthavānyathā | yadṛcchayopapannaṃ ca kṣiptaṃ kenāpi vā mukhe || 38 || udyamena vinā cāsyādudare saṃviśetkatham | prayat‍naścodyame kāryo yadā siddhiṃ na yāti cet || 39 || tadā daivaṃ sthitaṃ ceti cittamālambayed‌budhaḥ | mantriṇa ūcuḥ ko muniryena dattvārdhamāyuṣo jīvitā priyā || 40 || kathaṃ mṛtā mahārāja tanno brūhi savistaram | rājovāca bhṛgorbhāryā varārohā pulomā nāma sundarī || 41 || tasyāṃ tu cyavano nāma munirjāto'tiviśrutaḥ | cyavanasya ca śaryāteḥ sukanyā nāma sundarī || 42 || tasyāṃ jajñe sutaḥ śrīmānpramatirnāma viśrutaḥ | pramatestu priyā bhāryā pratāpī nāma viśrutā || 43 || rururnāma suto jātastathā paramatāpasaḥ | tasmiṃśca samaye kaścitsthūlakeśaśca viśrutaḥ || 44 || babhūva tapasā yukto dharmātmā satyasammataḥ | etasminnantare mānyā menakā ca varāpsarāḥ || 45 || krīḍāṃ cakre nadītīre triṣu lokeṣu sundarī | garbhaṃ viśvāvasoḥ prāpya nirgatā varavarṇinī || 46 || sthūlakeśāśrame gatvā visasarja varāpsarāḥ | kanyakāṃ ca nadītīre triṣu lokeṣu sundarīm || 47 || dṛṣṭvānāthāṃ tadā kanyāṃ jagrāha munisattamaḥ | pupoṣa sthūlakeśastu nāmnā cakre pramadvarām || 48 || sā kāle yauvanaṃ prāptā sarvalakṣaṇasaṃyutā | rururdṛṣṭvātha tāṃ bālāṃ kāmabāṇārdito hyabhūt || 49 ||

English translation

1-23. Suta said On the third day after the Pandavas had returned to Hastinapur, the king Dhritarastra was burnt up together with Gandhari and Kunti, by the conflagration of fire in the forest. Sanjaya went away at that time, leaving Dhritarastra in the forest, on a tour on pilgrimage. The king Yudhisthira heard all this from Narada and was very sorry. Now after thirty six years after the Kuru family had become extinct, all the descendants of Yadu in the Prabhas tirtha were destroyed by the Brahmana's curse. The high-souled descendants of Yadu, intoxicated by drinking wine, fought against each other and were extirpated in the presence of Krisna and Balaram. Balaram then quitted his mortal coil; the lotus-eyed Bhagavan Krisna quitted his life, struck by the arrows of a hunter, to pay respect to a Brahmin's curse. Vasudeva heard of Hari's quitting his mortal coil, and meditated the Goddess of the Universe within his heart and left his holy life. Arjuna became very sorry; he went to Prabhasa and performed the funeral obsequies of all duly. Seeing the dead body of Hah, Arjuna collected fuel and burnt his body together with his eight principal wives; he burnt also Balaram's body with that of his wife Revati. Arjuna, then, went to the Dvaraka city and removed all the inhabitants of the city when the whole Dwarka city of Vasudeva was drowned in the waters of the ocean. While Arjuna was taking all the persons with him after getting out of Dwarka, he felt himself very weak on the way; and therefore a band of robbers, known by the name of Abhiras plundered all the wealth and all the wives of Krisna. Arjuna, of indomitable valour, after his arrival at Indraprastha made Vajra, Aniruddha's son, the king of the place.

Then the highly powerful Arjuna informed Vyasa of his powerlessness when Vyasa said:-“0 highly intelligent one! When Hah and you will reincarnate in another Yuga, then your heroic

strength will again be manifested. Hearing all these words, Pritha's son Arjuna returned to Hastina with a sorrowful heart and informed everything to Yudhisthira, the Dharmaraja. Hearing the extinction of the Yadavas and Hari's quitting His mortal coil, Yudhisthira wanted to go to the Himalayas. He installed Pariksit, Uttara's son who was then thirty six years old on the throne and went out of his palace in company of his brothers, and Draupadi to the forests of the Himalayas. Thus the Pandavas, Pritha's son, reigned for thirty six years in Hastina and quitted their mortal coils in the Himalayas. Here the greatly religious sage-king Pariksit governed with vigilance all his subjects for sixty years. After this, Pariksit went once on an hunting expedition to a dense forest and shot a deer. He then searched for the deer and it became noon and he felt very thirsty, hungry, quite fatigued with his body, perspiring, when he saw a Muni merged in meditation; he asked the Muni “Where can water be had?” But the Muni held at that time the vow of silence; so he did not answer anything. Seeing this, the thirsty king, influenced by Kali, became angry and raised a dead serpent by the fore-end of his bow and coiled it round the Muni's neck. Even thus coiled with a snake round his neck the Muni remained as before motionless in his state of enlightenment and spoke nothing. The king also returned home.

24-49. Then the Muni's son, born from the cow's womb, S’ringi, a great ascetic, a fiery devotee of Mahas'akti, heard of the above event, while he was playing in the forest. His friends spoke to him “O Muni! Some body has now enclosed a dead serpent around the neck of your father.” Hearing their words, S’ringi became very angry and taking water in his hands, cursed thus:-- “He who has coiled to¬ day a dead serpent around my father's neck, let that villain be bitten by the serpent Taksak within one week from this day”. One disciple of the Muni then went to the king in his house and informed him of the Muni's curse. Abhimanyu's son Pariksit heard of the curse pronounced by a Brahmin, and knowing infallible, spoke to the aged councillors

"O Ministers! Certainly it is through my fault that I have been cursed by a Brahmin's son. Now find out and settle what is to be done though the persons versed in the Vedas say that death is inevitable under these circumstances; yet the wise ones should try their best to thwart this according to the S’astras. Many sages who are the advocates of taking steps to redress any act, say that all the actions of wise persons are fructified by proper means; their solution does not remain unsolved.

Therefore I am saying that the powers of manis, mantrams and herbs (osadhis) are indescribable; if applied duly, do you think that they will bear no fruit in this case? I heard that when a Muni's wife died out of snake-bite, the Muni gave away the half of his life to his wife Apsara and made her alive again. It is not proper for the learned to depend on the maxim that what is inevitable must come to pass; one must try one's best to act for the living present.

O Ministers! Have you seen any person in the Heavens or in the world who remains idle, depending on fate alone? The Sannyasins have renounced the world; but they must have to go to the houses of the house-holders, whether they be invited or not invited. See again, supposing that the food of a person is brought to him unasked and suppose it is thrown into the mouth by some one, can you conceive that food would go down into the belly, from the mouth without one's effort? Therefore one should exert one's own prowess from the very outset; though the intelligent ones should be satisfied with the thought “What can be done? It is not ordained in my fate.” When Pariksit said thus, the ministers asked “Which Muni made his dead wife alive again, by giving her half his own life? And how did his wife die? Kindly describe all these in detail to me.”

The king said Bhrigu Muni had a very beautiful wife Puloma. In her womb the world renowned Chyavana Muni was born. Sukanya, the daughter of S’aryati was the wife of Chyavana. In her womb was born a beautiful son named Pramati; he was very famous. Pramati

had his famous beautiful wife Pratapi. In her womb was born the great ascetic son Ruru. At this time a person named Sthulakes'a, a religious truthful man of great name, was practising tapasya. O Ministers! In the meanwhile, the chief Apsara Menaka held sexual intercourse with Visvavasu Gandharva on the banks of a river and became pregnant. She went out from that place to the hermitage of Sthulakes'a on the river bank and gave birth to a very beautiful daughter. Seeing this girl quite an orphan and very beautiful, the Muni Sthulakes'a began to rear up her and named her Pramadvara. This all-auspicious girl Pramadvara attained youth in due course when the Muni Ruru saw her and became smitten with passion.

Thus ends the eighth chapter of the Second Skandha on the extinction of the family of Yadu and on the anecdote of Pariksit in the Mahapuranam S’ri Mad Devi Bhagavatam of 18,000 verses.

Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24722, revision 366563 (2023-01-30T01:19:09Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk02ch08.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.