Uttara-khaṇḍa · Chapter 191
Sourceईश्वर उवाच- षोडशाध्यायसामर्थ्यं कथितं शृणु सांप्रतम् । स्पष्टं सप्तदशाध्यायमहिमांभोनिधिं शिवे १। खड्गबाहोः सुतस्यैव भृत्यो दुःशासनोऽभवत् । तं गजं धर्तुमागत्य गजात्प्राप्तो यमक्षयम् २। तद्वासनानिबद्धात्मा गजयोनिमवाप्य च । गीता सप्तदशाध्यायं श्रुत्वा प्राप्तः परं पदम् ३। देव्युवाच । दुःशासनो गजत्वं च प्राप्य मुक्त इति श्रुतम् । तदेव वद कल्याण विस्तरेण मम प्रभो ४। ईश्वर उवाच-। स्थितः कश्चन दुर्मेधा मंडलीककुमारकैः । बहुमूल्यं पणं कृत्वा गजमारूढवांस्ततः ५। गत्वा कतिपयान्येव पदानि जनवारितः । नाम्ना दुःशासनो मूढः प्रौढवाक्यमुदीरयन् ६। ततो निशम्य तद्वाक्यं क्रोधांधः सिंधुरोऽभवत् । न्यपतच्च स्खलत्पादः कंपमानकुमारकैः ७। ततो निपतितं किंचिदुच्छ्वसंतं गजो रुषा । ऊर्द्ध्वमुन्मूलयांचक्रे कृतांतकनिरंकुशः ८। गतासोरपि रोषेण तस्यास्थ्न्यां च गणं गजः । विकीर्णवान्पृथक्कृत्वा मत्तो दंतावलस्ततः ९। ततः कालेन संप्रेत्य गजयोनिमवाप सः । महांतं कालमनयत्सिंहलद्वीपभूपतेः १०। मैत्री गरीयसी सार्द्धं खड्गबाहुमहीभुजा । ततोऽयं जलमार्गेण प्रापितो वारुणो मतः ११। जयदेवेन खड्गबाहोः प्रीत्या नीतो महीभुजा । जातिं स्मरन्स्वकीयां स पश्यन्बंधून्सहोदरान् १२। दुःखेन महतास्तोकान्दिवसानत्यवाहयत् । उवास खड्गबाहोश्च गृहे तूष्णीमनिर्दिशन् १३। स कदाचित्तु संतुष्टः समस्याश्लोकपूरणे । कस्मैचित्कवये प्रादात्तमुपायन हस्तिनम् १४। शतेन तेन कविना रोगोपद्रवभीरुणा । मालवक्षोणिपालस्य विक्रीतश्चैत्यकुंजरः १५। कियत्यपि गते काले पाल्यमानोऽपि यत्नतः । मुमूर्षुरभवत्तत्र कुंजरो दुर्जरज्वरः १६। न जिघ्रति पयः शीतं नादत्ते कवलं गजः । स्वपित्यपि न सौख्येन मुंचत्यश्रूणि केवलम् । ततो हस्तिपकाख्यातं वृत्तांतमवनीपतिः १७। आकर्ण्य स समायातो यत्रास्ते ज्वरितो गजः । स चावलोक्य भूपालं जगद्विस्मयकारिणीम् १८। वाचमूचे गजः सम्यग्विसृष्टज्वरवेदनः । राजन्नशेषशास्त्रज्ञ राजनीतिपयोनिधे १९। निर्जितारातिसंघात मुरारिचरणप्रिय । किमौषधैरलं वैद्यैः किं धानैः किं नु जापकैः २०। गीतासप्तदशाध्यायजापकं द्विजमानय । तेनायं मामको रोगः शाम्यत्यत्र न संशयः २१। यथादिष्टं गजेनासौ तथा चक्रे नराधिपः । ततो गजत्वमुत्सृज्य मुक्तो दुःशासनोऽभवत् २२। तेन विप्रेणाभिमंत्र्य जले क्षिप्ते तदुत्तमे । अथ दिव्यं समारूढं विमानमवनीपतिः २३। तं दुःशासनमद्राक्षीत्पाकशासनतेजसम् २४। राजोवाच। किं जातीयः किमात्मा त्वं किं वृत्त इति मे वद । केन वा कर्मणा जातो गजः कथमिहागतः २५। पृष्टो राज्ञा विमुक्तोऽसौ विमानस्थः स्थिराक्षरम् । वृत्तं यथा यदाचख्यौ निजं दुःशासनः क्रमात् २६। गीतासप्तदशाध्यायं जपन्मालवभूपतिः । नरवर्माभवन्मुक्तः कालेनाल्पीयसा ततः २७। इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्सहस्रसंहितायामुत्तरखंडे गीतामाहात्म्ये एकनवत्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः १९१ ।
īśvara uvāca- ṣoḍaśādhyāyasāmarthyaṃ kathitaṃ śṛṇu sāṃpratam | spaṣṭaṃ saptadaśādhyāyamahimāṃbhonidhiṃ śive 1| khaḍgabāhoḥ sutasyaiva bhṛtyo duḥśāsano'bhavat | taṃ gajaṃ dhartumāgatya gajātprāpto yamakṣayam 2| tadvāsanānibaddhātmā gajayonimavāpya ca | gītā saptadaśādhyāyaṃ śrutvā prāptaḥ paraṃ padam 3| devyuvāca | duḥśāsano gajatvaṃ ca prāpya mukta iti śrutam | tadeva vada kalyāṇa vistareṇa mama prabho 4| īśvara uvāca-| sthitaḥ kaścana durmedhā maṃḍalīkakumārakaiḥ | bahumūlyaṃ paṇaṃ kṛtvā gajamārūḍhavāṃstataḥ 5| gatvā katipayānyeva padāni janavāritaḥ | nāmnā duḥśāsano mūḍhaḥ prauḍhavākyamudīrayan 6| tato niśamya tadvākyaṃ krodhāṃdhaḥ siṃdhuro'bhavat | nyapatacca skhalatpādaḥ kaṃpamānakumārakaiḥ 7| tato nipatitaṃ kiṃciducchvasaṃtaṃ gajo ruṣā | ūrddhvamunmūlayāṃcakre kṛtāṃtakaniraṃkuśaḥ 8| gatāsorapi roṣeṇa tasyāsthnyāṃ ca gaṇaṃ gajaḥ | vikīrṇavānpṛthakkṛtvā matto daṃtāvalastataḥ 9| tataḥ kālena saṃpretya gajayonimavāpa saḥ | mahāṃtaṃ kālamanayatsiṃhaladvīpabhūpateḥ 10| maitrī garīyasī sārddhaṃ khaḍgabāhumahībhujā | tato'yaṃ jalamārgeṇa prāpito vāruṇo mataḥ 11| jayadevena khaḍgabāhoḥ prītyā nīto mahībhujā | jātiṃ smaransvakīyāṃ sa paśyanbaṃdhūnsahodarān 12| duḥkhena mahatāstokāndivasānatyavāhayat | uvāsa khaḍgabāhośca gṛhe tūṣṇīmanirdiśan 13| sa kadācittu saṃtuṣṭaḥ samasyāślokapūraṇe | kasmaicitkavaye prādāttamupāyana hastinam 14| śatena tena kavinā rogopadravabhīruṇā | mālavakṣoṇipālasya vikrītaścaityakuṃjaraḥ 15| kiyatyapi gate kāle pālyamāno'pi yatnataḥ | mumūrṣurabhavattatra kuṃjaro durjarajvaraḥ 16| na jighrati payaḥ śītaṃ nādatte kavalaṃ gajaḥ | svapityapi na saukhyena muṃcatyaśrūṇi kevalam | tato hastipakākhyātaṃ vṛttāṃtamavanīpatiḥ 17| ākarṇya sa samāyāto yatrāste jvarito gajaḥ | sa cāvalokya bhūpālaṃ jagadvismayakāriṇīm 18| vācamūce gajaḥ samyagvisṛṣṭajvaravedanaḥ | rājannaśeṣaśāstrajña rājanītipayonidhe 19| nirjitārātisaṃghāta murāricaraṇapriya | kimauṣadhairalaṃ vaidyaiḥ kiṃ dhānaiḥ kiṃ nu jāpakaiḥ 20| gītāsaptadaśādhyāyajāpakaṃ dvijamānaya | tenāyaṃ māmako rogaḥ śāmyatyatra na saṃśayaḥ 21| yathādiṣṭaṃ gajenāsau tathā cakre narādhipaḥ | tato gajatvamutsṛjya mukto duḥśāsano'bhavat 22| tena vipreṇābhimaṃtrya jale kṣipte taduttame | atha divyaṃ samārūḍhaṃ vimānamavanīpatiḥ 23| taṃ duḥśāsanamadrākṣītpākaśāsanatejasam 24| rājovāca| kiṃ jātīyaḥ kimātmā tvaṃ kiṃ vṛtta iti me vada | kena vā karmaṇā jāto gajaḥ kathamihāgataḥ 25| pṛṣṭo rājñā vimukto'sau vimānasthaḥ sthirākṣaram | vṛttaṃ yathā yadācakhyau nijaṃ duḥśāsanaḥ kramāt 26| gītāsaptadaśādhyāyaṃ japanmālavabhūpatiḥ | naravarmābhavanmuktaḥ kālenālpīyasā tataḥ 27| iti śrīpādme mahāpurāṇe paṃcapaṃcāśatsahasrasaṃhitāyāmuttarakhaṃḍe gītāmāhātmye ekanavatyadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ 191 |
English translation
[ Note : this page corresponds to chapter 191 of the Book 6 (Uttarakhaṇḍa) of the translation of The Padmapurāṇa ]
The lord said :
1-9. I told you the power of the sixteenth chapter. Now listen clearly, O Śiva , to the greatness of the seventeenth chapter. Duḥśāsana was a servant of Khaḍgabāhu ’s son. He came to seize that elephant and was killed by the elephant. With his mind fixed on that desire, he obtained the stock of the elephant, (but)obtained the highest position on listening to the seventeenth chapter of the Gītā .
The goddess said :
I have heard that Duḥśāsana became an elephant and was released. O auspicious lord, tell me that only in detail.
The lord said :
There was a certain wicked-minded man. He laid a high-priced wager with the feudal princes and then mounted upon an elephant. The fool named Duḥśāsana, having gone a few steps only, (though) warded off by people, uttered audacious words. Then the elephant, hearing them, was blind with fury. With the princes trembling, he, with his steps stumbling, fell down. Then the elephant, unrestrained like death, angrily uprooted something panting and fallen. The mad elephant separating his bones, even though he was already dead, scattered them.
10-17. Then having died in course of time, he obtained the stock of elephant. He passed a long time (like that). The king of Siṃhaladvīpa had a close friendship with king Khaḍgabāhu. Then the honoured elephant was sent by the water-route by Jayadeva to Khaḍgabāhu. That king also took him with joy. Remembering his previous existence, and seeing his kinsmen and his brothers, he passed a few days with great grief. Not showing (any recognition) he quietly lived in Khaḍgabāhu’s house. He, some time being pleased by the completing of an incomplete stanza (in a contest) (by a poet) gave the poet the elephant as a present. The poet, being afraid of a harm from a disease, sold the temple-elephant to the Mālava king for a hundred (coins). After some time had passed, the elephant suffering from fever due to old age difficult to be enjoyed, was on the point of dying. The elephant did not smell cold water, nor did he take a morsel; he did not sleep comfortably, but shed tears only.
18-27. Then hearing the account told by the elephant-driver, the king came where the elephant suffering from fever, lay. The elephant too, seeing the king, gave up the agony due to the fever, and spoke in a voice causing wonder to the world. “O king, O you who know all sacred texts, O you ocean of the science of politics, O you who have vanquished the host of your enemies, O you to whom Viṣṇu ’s feet are dear, what is the use of medicines, shoots, and mutterings of hymns? Bring a brāhmaṇa who would mutter the seventeenth chapter of the Gītā. There is no doubt that my disease will end due to that.” The king did as was told by the elephant. Then Duḥśāsana gave up his state as an elephant, and got release. When the brāhmaṇa had thrown consecrated water on the excellent one, the king saw that Duḥśāsana, lustrous like Indra , got into a divine aeroplane.
The king said :
Tell me what your caste is, who you are, what your livelihood is. Due to what act did you become an elephant? How did you come here?
Asked by the king, Duḥśāsana who was freed, remaining in the aeroplane, told in definite words his account. Then the lord of Mālava, muttering the seventeenth chapter of the Gītā, was released after a short time.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 44909, revision 333582 (2022-03-11T23:50:42Z). English is N. A. Deshpande’s complete translation, controlled against its chapter page at https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/the-bhagavad-gita-mahatmya/d/doc365773.html and the ten-volume archival witness. The witnesses are aligned at chapter level; no unsupported verse-by-verse equivalence is asserted.