Third Skandha · Chapter 17
Sourceव्यास उवाच इत्याकर्ण्य वचस्तस्य मुनेस्तत्रावनीपतिः । मन्त्रिवृद्धं समाहूय पप्रच्छ तमतन्द्रितः ॥ १ ॥ किं कर्तव्यं सुबुद्धेऽत्र मयाऽद्य वद सुव्रत । बलान्नयामि तां कामं सपुत्राञ्च सुभाषिणीम् ॥ २ ॥ रिपुरल्पोऽपि नोपेक्ष्यः सर्वथा शुभमिच्छता । राजयक्ष्मेव संवृद्धो मृत्यवे परिकल्पयेत् ॥ ३ ॥ नात्र सैन्यं न योद्धास्ति यो मामत्र निवारयेत् । गृहीत्वा हन्मि तं तत्र दौहित्रस्य रिपुं किल ॥ ४ ॥ निष्कण्टकं भवेद्राज्यं यताम्यद्य बलादहम् । हते सुदर्शने नूनं निर्भयोऽसौ भवेदिति ॥ ५ ॥ प्रधान उवाच साहसं न हि कर्तव्यं श्रुतं राजन् मुनेर्वचः । विश्वामित्रस्य दृष्टान्तः कथितस्तेन मारिष ॥ ६ ॥ पुरा गाधिसुतः श्रीमान्विश्वामित्रोऽतिविश्रुतः । विचरन्स नृपश्रेष्ठो वसिष्ठाश्रममभ्यगात् ॥ ७ ॥ नमस्कृत्य च तं राजा विश्वामित्रः प्रतापवान् । उपविष्टो नृपश्रेष्ठो मुनिना दत्तविष्टरः ॥ ८ ॥ निमन्त्रितो वसिष्ठेन भोजनाय महात्मना । ससैन्यश्च स्थितो राजा गाधिपुत्रो महायशाः ॥ ९ ॥ नन्दिन्याऽऽसादितं सर्वं भक्ष्यभोज्यादिकं च यत् । भुक्त्वा राजा ससैन्यश्च वाञ्छितं तत्र भोजनम् ॥ १० ॥ प्रतापं तञ्च नन्दिन्याः परिज्ञाय स पार्थिवः । ययाचे नन्दिनीं राजा वसिष्ठं मुनिसत्तमम् ॥ ११ ॥ विश्वामित्र उवाच मुने धेनुसहस्रं ते घटोध्नीनां ददाम्यहम् । नन्दिनीं देहि मे धेनुं प्रार्थयामि परन्तप ॥ १२ ॥ वसिष्ठ उवाच होमधेनुरियं राजन्न ददामि कथञ्चन । सहस्रञ्चापि धेनूनां तवेदं तव तिष्ठतु ॥ १३ ॥ विश्वामित्र उवाच अयुतं वाथ लक्ष्यं वा ददामि मनसेप्सितम् । द्देहि मे नन्दिनीं साधो ग्रहीष्यामि बलादथ ॥ १४ ॥ वसिष्ठ उवाच कामं गृहाण नृपते बलादद्य यथारुचि । नाहं ददामि ते राजन्स्वेच्छया नन्दिनीं गृहात् ॥ १५ ॥ तच्छ्रुत्वा नृपतिर्भृत्यानादिदेश महाबलान् । नयध्वं नन्दिनीं धेनुं बलदर्पसुसंस्थिताः ॥ १६ ॥ ते भृत्या जगृहुस्तां तु हठादाक्रम्य यन्त्रिताम् । वेपमाना मुनिं प्राह सुरभिः साश्रुलोचना ॥ १७ ॥ मुने त्यजसि मां कस्मात्कर्षयन्ति सुयन्त्रिताम् । मुनिस्तां प्रत्युवाचेदं त्यजे नाहं सुदुग्धदे ॥ १८ ॥ बलान्नयति राजाऽसौ पूजितोऽद्य मया शुभे । किं करोमि न चेच्छामि त्यक्तुं त्वां मनसा किल ॥ १९ ॥ इत्युक्ता मुनिना धेनुः क्रोधयुक्ता बभूव ह । हम्भारवं चकाराशु क्रूरशब्दं सुदारुणम् ॥ २० ॥ उद्गतास्तत्र देहात्तु दैत्या घोरतरास्तदा । सायुधास्तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति ब्रुवन्तः कवचावृताः ॥ २१ ॥ सैन्यं सर्वं हतं तैस्तु नन्दिनी प्रतिमोचिता । एकाकी निर्गतो राजा विश्वामित्रोऽतिदुःखितः ॥ २२ ॥ हन्त पापोऽतिदीनात्मा निन्दन् क्षात्रबलं महत् । ब्राह्मं बलं दुराराध्यं मत्वा तपसि संस्थितः ॥ २३ ॥ तप्त्वा बहूनि वर्षाणि तपो घोरं महावने । ऋषित्वं प्राप गाधेयस्त्यक्त्वा क्षात्रं विधिं पुनः ॥ २४ ॥ तस्मात्त्वमपि राजेन्द्र मा कृथा वैरमद्भुतम् । कुलनाशकरं नूनं तापसैः सह संयुगम् ॥ २५ ॥ मुनिवर्यं व्रजाद्य त्वं समाश्वास्य तपोनिधिम् । सुदर्शनोऽपि राजेन्द्र तिष्ठत्वत्र यथासुखम् ॥ २६ ॥ बालोऽयं निर्धनः किं ते करिष्यति नृपाहितम् । वृथा ते वैरभावोऽयमनाथे दुर्बले शिशौ ॥ २७ ॥ दया सर्वत्र कर्तव्या दैवाधीनमिदं जगत् । ईर्ष्यया किं नृपश्रेष्ठ यद्भाव्यं तद्भविष्यति ॥ २८ ॥ वज्रं तृणायते राजन् दैवयोगान्न संशयः । तृणं वज्रायते क्वापि समये दैवयोगतः ॥ २९ ॥ शशको हन्ति शार्दूलं मशको वै तथा गजम् । साहसं मुञ्च मेधाविन् कुरु मे वचनं हितम् ॥ ३० ॥ व्यास उवाच तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य युधाजिन्नृपसत्तमः । प्रणम्य तं मुनिं मूर्घ्ना जगाम स्वपुरं नृपः ॥ ३१ ॥ मनोरमाऽपि स्वस्थाऽभूदाश्रमे तत्र संस्थिता । पालयामास पुत्रं तं सुदर्शनमृतव्रतम् ॥ ३२ ॥ दिने दिने कुमारोऽसौ जगामोपचयं ततः । मुनिबालगतः क्रीडन्निर्भयः सर्वतः शुभः ॥ ३३ ॥ एकस्मिन्समये तत्र विदल्लं समुपागतम् । क्लीबेति मुनिपुत्रस्तमामन्त्रयत्तदन्तिके ॥ ३४ ॥ सुदर्शनस्तु तच्छ्रुत्वा दधारैकाक्षरं स्फुटम् । अनुस्वारयुतं तच्च प्रोवाचापि पुनः पुनः ॥ ३५ ॥ बीजं वै कामराजाख्यं गृहीतं मनसा तदा । जजाप बालकोऽत्यर्थं धृत्वा चेतसि सादरम् ॥ ३६ ॥ भावियोगान्महाराज कामराजाख्यमद्भुतम् । स्वभावेनैव तेनेत्थं गृहीतं बालकेन वै ॥ ३७ ॥ तदाऽसौ पञ्चमे वर्षे प्राप्य मन्त्रमनुत्तमम् । ऋषिच्छन्दोविहीनञ्च ध्यानन्यासविवर्जितम् ॥ ३८ ॥ प्रजपन्मनसा नित्यं क्रीडत्यपि स्वपित्यपि । विसस्मार न तं मन्त्रं ज्ञात्वा सारमिति स्वयम् ॥ ३९ ॥ वर्षे चैकादशे प्राप्ते कुमारोऽसौ नृपात्मजः । मुनिना चोपनीतोऽथ वेदमध्यापितस्तथा ॥ ४० ॥ धनुर्वेदं तथा साङ्गं नीतिशास्त्रं विधानतः । अभ्यस्ताः सकला विद्यास्तेन मन्त्रबलादिना ॥ ४१ ॥ कदाचित्सोऽपि प्रत्यक्षं देवीरूपं ददर्श ह । रक्ताम्बरं रक्तवर्णं रक्तसर्वाङ्गभूषणम् ॥ ४२ ॥ गरुडे वाहने संस्थां वैष्णवीं शक्तिमद्भुताम् । दृष्ट्वा प्रसन्नवदनः स बभूव नृपात्मजः ॥ ४३ ॥ वने तस्मिंस्थितः सोऽथ सर्वविद्यार्थतत्त्ववित् । मातरं सेवमानस्तु विजहार नदीतटे ॥ ४४ ॥ शरासनञ्च सम्प्राप्तं विशिखाश्च शिलाशिताः । तूणीरकवचं तस्मै दत्तं चाम्बिकया वने ॥ ४५ ॥ एतस्मिन्समये पुत्री काशिराजस्य सुप्रिया । नाम्ना शशिकला दिव्या सर्वलक्षणसंयुता ॥ ४६ ॥ शुश्राव नृपपुत्रं तं वनस्थञ्च सुदर्शनम् । सर्वलक्षणसम्पन्नं शूरं काममिवापरम् ॥ ४७ ॥ बन्दीजनमुखाच्छ्रुत्वा राजपुत्रं सुसङ्गतम् । चकमे मनसा तं वै वरं वरयितुं धिया ॥ ४८ ॥ स्वप्ने तस्याः समागम्य जगदम्बा निशान्तरे । उवाच वचनं चेदं समाश्वास्य सुसंस्थिता ॥ ४९ ॥ वरं वरय सुश्रोणि मम भक्तः सुदर्शनः । सर्वकामप्रदस्तेऽस्तु वचनान्मम भामिनि ॥ ५० ॥ एवं शशिकला दृष्टा स्वप्ने रूपं मनोहरम् । अम्बाया वचनं स्मृत्वा जहर्ष भृशभामिनी ॥ ५१ ॥ उत्थिता सा मुदा युक्ता पृष्टा मात्रा पुनः पुनः । प्रमोदे कारणं बाला नोवाचातित्रपान्विता ॥ ५२ ॥ जहास मुदमापन्ना स्मृत्वा स्वप्नं मुहुर्मुहुः । सखीं प्राह तदान्यां वै स्वप्नवृत्तं सविस्तरम् ॥ ५३ ॥ कदाचित्सा विहारार्थमवापोपवनं शुभम् । सखीयुक्ता विशालाक्षी चम्पकैरुपशोभितम् ॥ ५४ ॥ पुष्पाणि चिन्वती बाला चम्पकाधःस्थिताबला । अपश्यद्ब्राह्मणं मार्गे आगच्छन्तं त्वरान्वितम् ॥ ५५ ॥ तं प्रणम्य द्विजं श्यामा बभाषे मधुरं वचः । कुतो देशान्महाभाग कृतमागमनं त्वया ॥ ५६ ॥ द्विज उवाच भारद्वाजाश्रमाद्बाले नूनमागमनं मम । जातं वै कार्ययोगेन किं पृच्छसि वदस्व मे ॥ ५७ ॥ शशिकलोवाच तत्राश्रमे महाभाग वर्णनीयं किमस्ति वै । लोकातिगं विशेषेण प्रेक्षणीयतमं किल ॥ ५८ ॥ ब्राह्मण उवाच ध्रुवसन्धिसुतः श्रीमानास्ते सुदर्शनो नृपः । यथार्थनामा सुश्रोणि वर्तते पुरुषोत्तमः ॥ ५९ ॥ तस्य लोचनमत्यन्तं निष्फलं प्रतिभाति मे । येन दृष्टो न वामोरु कुमारस्तु सुदर्शनः ॥ ६० ॥ एकत्र निहिता धात्रा गुणाः सर्वे सिसृक्षुणा । गुणानामाकरं द्रष्टुं मन्ये तेनैव कौतुकात् ॥ ६१ ॥ तव योग्यः कुमारोऽसौ भर्ता भवितुमर्हति । योगोऽयं विहितोऽप्यासीन्मणिकाञ्चनयोरिव ॥ ६२ ॥
vyāsa uvāca ityākarṇya vacastasya munestatrāvanīpatiḥ | mantrivṛddhaṃ samāhūya papraccha tamatandritaḥ || 1 || kiṃ kartavyaṃ subuddhe'tra mayā'dya vada suvrata | balānnayāmi tāṃ kāmaṃ saputrāñca subhāṣiṇīm || 2 || ripuralpo'pi nopekṣyaḥ sarvathā śubhamicchatā | rājayakṣmeva saṃvṛddho mṛtyave parikalpayet || 3 || nātra sainyaṃ na yoddhāsti yo māmatra nivārayet | gṛhītvā hanmi taṃ tatra dauhitrasya ripuṃ kila || 4 || niṣkaṇṭakaṃ bhavedrājyaṃ yatāmyadya balādaham | hate sudarśane nūnaṃ nirbhayo'sau bhavediti || 5 || pradhāna uvāca sāhasaṃ na hi kartavyaṃ śrutaṃ rājan munervacaḥ | viśvāmitrasya dṛṣṭāntaḥ kathitastena māriṣa || 6 || purā gādhisutaḥ śrīmānviśvāmitro'tiviśrutaḥ | vicaransa nṛpaśreṣṭho vasiṣṭhāśramamabhyagāt || 7 || namaskṛtya ca taṃ rājā viśvāmitraḥ pratāpavān | upaviṣṭo nṛpaśreṣṭho muninā dattaviṣṭaraḥ || 8 || nimantrito vasiṣṭhena bhojanāya mahātmanā | sasainyaśca sthito rājā gādhiputro mahāyaśāḥ || 9 || nandinyā''sāditaṃ sarvaṃ bhakṣyabhojyādikaṃ ca yat | bhuktvā rājā sasainyaśca vāñchitaṃ tatra bhojanam || 10 || pratāpaṃ tañca nandinyāḥ parijñāya sa pārthivaḥ | yayāce nandinīṃ rājā vasiṣṭhaṃ munisattamam || 11 || viśvāmitra uvāca mune dhenusahasraṃ te ghaṭodhnīnāṃ dadāmyaham | nandinīṃ dehi me dhenuṃ prārthayāmi parantapa || 12 || vasiṣṭha uvāca homadhenuriyaṃ rājanna dadāmi kathañcana | sahasrañcāpi dhenūnāṃ tavedaṃ tava tiṣṭhatu || 13 || viśvāmitra uvāca ayutaṃ vātha lakṣyaṃ vā dadāmi manasepsitam | ddehi me nandinīṃ sādho grahīṣyāmi balādatha || 14 || vasiṣṭha uvāca kāmaṃ gṛhāṇa nṛpate balādadya yathāruci | nāhaṃ dadāmi te rājansvecchayā nandinīṃ gṛhāt || 15 || tacchrutvā nṛpatirbhṛtyānādideśa mahābalān | nayadhvaṃ nandinīṃ dhenuṃ baladarpasusaṃsthitāḥ || 16 || te bhṛtyā jagṛhustāṃ tu haṭhādākramya yantritām | vepamānā muniṃ prāha surabhiḥ sāśrulocanā || 17 || mune tyajasi māṃ kasmātkarṣayanti suyantritām | munistāṃ pratyuvācedaṃ tyaje nāhaṃ sudugdhade || 18 || balānnayati rājā'sau pūjito'dya mayā śubhe | kiṃ karomi na cecchāmi tyaktuṃ tvāṃ manasā kila || 19 || ityuktā muninā dhenuḥ krodhayuktā babhūva ha | hambhāravaṃ cakārāśu krūraśabdaṃ sudāruṇam || 20 || udgatāstatra dehāttu daityā ghoratarāstadā | sāyudhāstiṣṭha tiṣṭheti bruvantaḥ kavacāvṛtāḥ || 21 || sainyaṃ sarvaṃ hataṃ taistu nandinī pratimocitā | ekākī nirgato rājā viśvāmitro'tiduḥkhitaḥ || 22 || hanta pāpo'tidīnātmā nindan kṣātrabalaṃ mahat | brāhmaṃ balaṃ durārādhyaṃ matvā tapasi saṃsthitaḥ || 23 || taptvā bahūni varṣāṇi tapo ghoraṃ mahāvane | ṛṣitvaṃ prāpa gādheyastyaktvā kṣātraṃ vidhiṃ punaḥ || 24 || tasmāttvamapi rājendra mā kṛthā vairamadbhutam | kulanāśakaraṃ nūnaṃ tāpasaiḥ saha saṃyugam || 25 || munivaryaṃ vrajādya tvaṃ samāśvāsya taponidhim | sudarśano'pi rājendra tiṣṭhatvatra yathāsukham || 26 || bālo'yaṃ nirdhanaḥ kiṃ te kariṣyati nṛpāhitam | vṛthā te vairabhāvo'yamanāthe durbale śiśau || 27 || dayā sarvatra kartavyā daivādhīnamidaṃ jagat | īrṣyayā kiṃ nṛpaśreṣṭha yadbhāvyaṃ tadbhaviṣyati || 28 || vajraṃ tṛṇāyate rājan daivayogānna saṃśayaḥ | tṛṇaṃ vajrāyate kvāpi samaye daivayogataḥ || 29 || śaśako hanti śārdūlaṃ maśako vai tathā gajam | sāhasaṃ muñca medhāvin kuru me vacanaṃ hitam || 30 || vyāsa uvāca tacchrutvā vacanaṃ tasya yudhājinnṛpasattamaḥ | praṇamya taṃ muniṃ mūrghnā jagāma svapuraṃ nṛpaḥ || 31 || manoramā'pi svasthā'bhūdāśrame tatra saṃsthitā | pālayāmāsa putraṃ taṃ sudarśanamṛtavratam || 32 || dine dine kumāro'sau jagāmopacayaṃ tataḥ | munibālagataḥ krīḍannirbhayaḥ sarvataḥ śubhaḥ || 33 || ekasminsamaye tatra vidallaṃ samupāgatam | klībeti muniputrastamāmantrayattadantike || 34 || sudarśanastu tacchrutvā dadhāraikākṣaraṃ sphuṭam | anusvārayutaṃ tacca provācāpi punaḥ punaḥ || 35 || bījaṃ vai kāmarājākhyaṃ gṛhītaṃ manasā tadā | jajāpa bālako'tyarthaṃ dhṛtvā cetasi sādaram || 36 || bhāviyogānmahārāja kāmarājākhyamadbhutam | svabhāvenaiva tenetthaṃ gṛhītaṃ bālakena vai || 37 || tadā'sau pañcame varṣe prāpya mantramanuttamam | ṛṣicchandovihīnañca dhyānanyāsavivarjitam || 38 || prajapanmanasā nityaṃ krīḍatyapi svapityapi | visasmāra na taṃ mantraṃ jñātvā sāramiti svayam || 39 || varṣe caikādaśe prāpte kumāro'sau nṛpātmajaḥ | muninā copanīto'tha vedamadhyāpitastathā || 40 || dhanurvedaṃ tathā sāṅgaṃ nītiśāstraṃ vidhānataḥ | abhyastāḥ sakalā vidyāstena mantrabalādinā || 41 || kadācitso'pi pratyakṣaṃ devīrūpaṃ dadarśa ha | raktāmbaraṃ raktavarṇaṃ raktasarvāṅgabhūṣaṇam || 42 || garuḍe vāhane saṃsthāṃ vaiṣṇavīṃ śaktimadbhutām | dṛṣṭvā prasannavadanaḥ sa babhūva nṛpātmajaḥ || 43 || vane tasmiṃsthitaḥ so'tha sarvavidyārthatattvavit | mātaraṃ sevamānastu vijahāra nadītaṭe || 44 || śarāsanañca samprāptaṃ viśikhāśca śilāśitāḥ | tūṇīrakavacaṃ tasmai dattaṃ cāmbikayā vane || 45 || etasminsamaye putrī kāśirājasya supriyā | nāmnā śaśikalā divyā sarvalakṣaṇasaṃyutā || 46 || śuśrāva nṛpaputraṃ taṃ vanasthañca sudarśanam | sarvalakṣaṇasampannaṃ śūraṃ kāmamivāparam || 47 || bandījanamukhācchrutvā rājaputraṃ susaṅgatam | cakame manasā taṃ vai varaṃ varayituṃ dhiyā || 48 || svapne tasyāḥ samāgamya jagadambā niśāntare | uvāca vacanaṃ cedaṃ samāśvāsya susaṃsthitā || 49 || varaṃ varaya suśroṇi mama bhaktaḥ sudarśanaḥ | sarvakāmapradaste'stu vacanānmama bhāmini || 50 || evaṃ śaśikalā dṛṣṭā svapne rūpaṃ manoharam | ambāyā vacanaṃ smṛtvā jaharṣa bhṛśabhāminī || 51 || utthitā sā mudā yuktā pṛṣṭā mātrā punaḥ punaḥ | pramode kāraṇaṃ bālā novācātitrapānvitā || 52 || jahāsa mudamāpannā smṛtvā svapnaṃ muhurmuhuḥ | sakhīṃ prāha tadānyāṃ vai svapnavṛttaṃ savistaram || 53 || kadācitsā vihārārthamavāpopavanaṃ śubham | sakhīyuktā viśālākṣī campakairupaśobhitam || 54 || puṣpāṇi cinvatī bālā campakādhaḥsthitābalā | apaśyadbrāhmaṇaṃ mārge āgacchantaṃ tvarānvitam || 55 || taṃ praṇamya dvijaṃ śyāmā babhāṣe madhuraṃ vacaḥ | kuto deśānmahābhāga kṛtamāgamanaṃ tvayā || 56 || dvija uvāca bhāradvājāśramādbāle nūnamāgamanaṃ mama | jātaṃ vai kāryayogena kiṃ pṛcchasi vadasva me || 57 || śaśikalovāca tatrāśrame mahābhāga varṇanīyaṃ kimasti vai | lokātigaṃ viśeṣeṇa prekṣaṇīyatamaṃ kila || 58 || brāhmaṇa uvāca dhruvasandhisutaḥ śrīmānāste sudarśano nṛpaḥ | yathārthanāmā suśroṇi vartate puruṣottamaḥ || 59 || tasya locanamatyantaṃ niṣphalaṃ pratibhāti me | yena dṛṣṭo na vāmoru kumārastu sudarśanaḥ || 60 || ekatra nihitā dhātrā guṇāḥ sarve sisṛkṣuṇā | guṇānāmākaraṃ draṣṭuṃ manye tenaiva kautukāt || 61 || tava yogyaḥ kumāro'sau bhartā bhavitumarhati | yogo'yaṃ vihito'pyāsīnmaṇikāñcanayoriva || 62 ||
English translation
1-3. Vyasa said O King! Hearing thus the words of the Maharsi Bharadvaja and seeing that he made a firm resolve, the King Yudhajit called his prime minister quickly and asked, “O intelligent one! What am I to do now? I want to carry away by force this boy with his mother sweet Manorama; no one desirous of one’s welfare won’t trifle away his enemy, be he even a very weak one; if he does so, that enemy will get stronger day by day, as the disease consumption becomes stronger; and will ultimately become the cause of death.
4. There is no warrior, nor any soldiers here of the other party; no one will be able to resist me; I can take away, as I like, the enemy of my daughter’s son and can kill him.
5. I will try to-day to carry him away by force, and Sudars’ana being killed, my daughter’s son will reign fearlessly without an enemy; there in no doubt in this.”
6. The prime minister said No such hazardous courage need be shewn now; you have heard the Maharshi's words; he quoted you the example of Vis’vamitra.
7. O King! In days of yore, Vis’vamitra, the son of the King Gadhi, was a celebrated monarch; one day while roaming, he accidentally reached the hermitage of Vas’istha.
8. The powerful king VisVamitra bowed down before the Muni, and the Muni gave him a seat. The king took his seat there.
9. Then the high souled Vas'istha invited the king to a dinner. VisVamitra, the king, went there with his whole army.
10-12. There was a cow, named Nandini, of Vas’istha. The Muni prepared all sorts of eatables from her milk and entertained them all. The king with his whole army was very much pleased; and, coming to know of the divine power of the cow, asked Vas’istha to give his cow Nandini over to him and said “The udder of your cow Nandini is like a big jar. I will give you thousand cows like that; I pray you to let me have your cow Nandini.”
13. Vas'istha said “O King! This is my sacrificial cow; I cannot give you this cow in any way, let your thousand cows be yours.”
14. Vis'vamitra said “O Saint! I will give you cows lakhs or tens and hundreds of lakhs or any number you like. Please give me your cow; in case you be unwilling, I will carry her away perforce.”
15. Vas'istha said “O King! As you like, better take it perforce; I will never be able to give you my cow Nandini from my house.”
16. O King! Hearing thus the Vas'istha's words, Vis’vamitra, the King, ordered at once his powerful followers to carry the cow Nandini away by fastening a cord round her neck per sheer force.
17-19. The followers, obeying the order at once bound the cow with ropes and began to carry her away by force. At this Nandini, trennbling and with tears in her eyes, began to say to the Muni “O One! whose wealth consists only in asceticism! Are you going to leave me? Otherwise why these fellows are binding me with a cord and dragging me away?” At this the Muni replied “O Nandini! I have never parted with you; I perform all my sacrifices through your milk. O auspicious one! I honoured this king, my guests, with eatables prepared from your food and for that reason he is carrying you away from me by sheer force. What can I do? O Nandini! I have not the least desire to part with you.”
20. Hearing these words from the Muni, the cow became very angry and bellowed loudly and terribly.
21. At once came out from her body, on that very spot, the terrible demons wearing coats of armour, and holding various weapons; and they uttered aloud, “Wait; you will soon meet with vengeance.”
22. They then destroyed all the forces of the king. And the king alone was left and he went away alone, much dejected and sorrowful.
23. Oh! That wicked king then cursed with great humility the Ksattriya S’akti; and thinking the Brahmanic power would be attained with great exertion, began to practise asceticism and penance.
24. Performing penance and tapasya, very hard indeed, in the great forest, VisVamitra, the son of Gadhi, succeeded at last in becoming a Risi and then he renounced his Ksattriya Dharma.
25. Therefore, O King! Dost Thou never quarrel with these ascetics and be involved in wars resulting in great enmity and causing the extinction of the race.
26. Better dost thou appease the Muni and now go back to your own kingdom. Let Sudars'ana remain here at his pleasure.
27. O King! This minor boy has no wealth; what harm can he do to you? It is useless to show your enmity towards an orphan, a weak minor boy.
28. This world is under the control of Destiny; therefore one should shew mercy to all. O king! What use is there to shew one’s jealousy? What is inevitable will surely come to pass.
29. O king! The thunderbolt comes sometimes like a blade of grass; a blade of grass acts sometimes like a thunderbolt.
30. O king! You are very intelligent; consider that by, combinations of circumstances, a hair can kill a powerful tiger and a gnat can kill an elephant. Therefore dost thou forsake this rashness and hear my beneficent advice.
31. Vyasa said O king! The best of kings, Yudhajit hearing the prime minister's advice bowed down humbly at the feet of the Muni and returned to his own city.
32. Manorama, too, became free from anxiety, and, remaining peaceful in the hermitage, began to nourish and support her child, engaged in vows.
33. The lovely son of the king began to grow daily like the phases of the waxing moon and sport fearlessly with the boys of the Munis, altogether, wherever they liked, a sight very auspicious.
34. One day the minister Vidalla came there and the sons of the Munis seeing him began, in the presence of Sudars’ana, to address him “Klib,” “Klib.”
35. Sudars’ana, too, hearing them pronounce “Klib,” “Klib” took up the one letter, “Kli” and uttered this only repeatedly, which is, in fact the prince of the root mantras of Kama, with anusvara omitted.
36. Then the son of the king took that mantram and silently repeated this in his mind.
37. O King! Thus that boy Sudars'ana was initiated in this root mantra of Kama (desire) spontaneously, out of his original Samskara (innate tendency) owing to the unavoidable destiny of Fate.
38-39. The son of the king, when he was five years old, got this most excellent mantra, though without its Risi (seer), meditation, without its chhanda (metre) and without Nyasa (assignment of the various parts of the body to different deities, accompanied with prayers and corresponding gesticulations), and considered this as the
quintessence of all, therefore meditated this always in his mind spontaneously and never forgot it.
40-41. When the king's son grew eleven years old, the Muni performed his Upanayana (sacred thread) ceremony and made him begin the study of the Vedas. The son, with that mantra power, soon mastered all the studies about archery, all the moral and political sciences in conformity with proper rules, within a very short time.
42-43. One day Sudars'ana got a vision of the form of the Supreme Goddess, of a red colour, wearing red apparel and decorated with red ornaments, mounting on Garuda and with Her wonderful Vaisnavi powers and Her face, fully opened like the budding of a lotus flower.
44. Thus, expert in many branches of learning, Sudars’ana served his Mother in that forest and began to wander on the banks of the Ganges.
45. One day the Mother of the Universe gave the bows, sharpened arrows, quiver and a mail coat of armour to that boy in that forest.
46-47. O King! At this time the extraordinary beautiful and lovely princess S’as’ikala, endowed with all auspicious qualities, the daughter of the king of Kashi, came to hear that a beautiful prince named Sudars’ana, a second Kandarpa, full of heroism and endowed with all auspicious qualities is dwelling in a forest.
48. The princess, hearing this from a soothsayer, mentally loved and desired him and wanted finally to accept him as her legal husband.
49-50. Thus, on one occasion, at the end of a night (night-fall), the Goddess appeared in her dreams before her and consoled her and said “O fair one! ask a boon from me; Sudars’ana is my devotee; he will fulfill, at my word, all your desires.”
51. Thus seeing the beautiful figure of the Goddess in her dreams and hearing Her sweet words, the honoured S’as’ikala was drowned in the ocean of bliss.
52. When the princess awoke, her face beaming with gladness, her mother perceived her joy and inferred that her daughter must have been internally very glad, and asked her repeatedly, but S’as’ikala was too much abashed and did not give vent to the cause of her satisfaction.
53. The princess, remembering her dreams, began to laugh repeatedly on account of her excessive joy. At last she spoke out in detail all about her dreams to one of her lady friends, or companions.
54. On one occasion, that large eyed S’as’ikala went out for enjoyment to a nice garden beautified with champaka flowers, attended by her companion.
55. While the King’s daughter seated under a champaka tree, was collecting flowers, she saw a Brahmin, coming towards her in great haste.
56. After bowing down before him, that beautiful princess, endowed with all auspicious qualifications, addressed him in sweet words “O blessed one! whence are you coming?”
57. The Brahmana said “O girl! I am coming on an errand from the hermitage of Bharadvaja Muni. Please mention what you are going to ask me?”
58. S’as’ikala replied “O Noble one! What beautiful thing is therein that hermitage that is extraordinary and worth describing.”
59. The Brahmana said “O fair one! There is staying the most lovely Sudars’ana, the son of the King Dhruvasandhi. He is the loveliest of all men.
60. O fair one! He who has not seen him, I think, has his eyes given to him in vain.
61. O auspicious one! It appears as if the Creator, with a view to see how it looks, has invested him with all the qualities.
62. O beautiful one! what shall I say more to you, suffice to say that, that prince is fit to become your husband. I think that the Creator has, no doubt, settled already the union between you two, as a happy union of two congenial things (gold in union with Jewel).”
Thus ends the seventeenth chapter on the story of VisVannitra and on the getting of the root mantra of Kama by the son of the King in S’ri Mad Devi Bhagavatam, of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyasa.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24742, revision 187853 (2019-01-30T00:44:32Z). 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/bk03ch17.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.