Mahabharata 1.88: aṣṭāśītitamo'dhyāyaḥ

1.88.1

vasumanā uvāca |
pṛcchāmi tvāṃ vasumanā rauśadaśviryadyasti loko divi mahyaṃ narendra |
yadyantarikṣe prathito mahātmankṣetrajñaṃ tvāṃ tasya dharmasya manye || 1 ||

"Vasumat said, 'I am Vasumat, the son of Oshadaswa. I would ask thee, O king, whether there are any worlds for me to enjoy as fruits of my religious merits, in heaven or the firmament. Thou art, O high-souled one, acquainted with all holy regions.'

1.88.2

yayātiruvāca |
yadantarikṣaṃ pṛthivī diśaśca yattejasā tapate bhānumāṃśca |
lokāstāvanto divi saṃsthitā vai te nāntavantaḥ pratipālayanti || 2 ||

"Yayati answered, 'There are as many regions for thee to enjoy in heaven as the number of places in the firmament, the Earth and the ten points of the universe illumined by the Sun.'

1.88.3

vasumanā uvāca |
tāṃste dadāmi pata mā prapātaṃ ye me lokāstava te vai bhavantu |
krīṇīṣvaināṃstṛṇakenāpi rājanpratigrahaste yadi samyakpraduṣṭaḥ || 3 ||

"Vasumat then said, 'I give them to thee. Let those regions that are for me be thine. Therefore, though falling, thou shall not fall. If to accept them as gift be improper for thee, then, O monarch, buy them for a straw?'

1.88.4

yayātiruvāca |
na mithyāhaṃ vikrayaṃ vai smarāmi vṛthā gṛhītaṃ śiśukācchaṅkamānaḥ |
kuryāṃ na caivākṛtapūrvamanyairvivitsamānaḥ kimu tatra sādhu || 4 ||

"Yayati answered, 'I do not remember having ever bought and sold anything unfairly. This has never been done by other kings. How shall I therefore do it?'

1.88.5

vasumanā uvāca |
tāṃstvaṃ lokānpratipadyasva rājanmayā dattānyadi neṣṭaḥ krayaste |
ahaṃ na tānvai pratigantā narendra sarve lokāstava te vai bhavantu || 5 ||

"Vasumat said, 'If buying them, O king, be regarded by thee as improper, then take them as gilt from me. For myself I answer that I will never go to those regions that are for me. Let them, therefore, be thine.'

1.88.6

śibiruvāca |
pṛcchāmi tvāṃ śibirauśīnaro'haṃ mamāpi lokā yadi santīha tāta |
yadyantarikṣe yadi vā divi śritāḥ kṣetrajñaṃ tvāṃ tasya dharmasya manye || 6 ||

"Sivi then addressed the king thus, I am, O king, Sivi by name, the son of Usinara. O father, are there in the firmament or in heaven any worlds for me to enjoy? Thou knowest every region that one may enjoy as the fruit of his religious merit.'

1.88.7

yayātiruvāca |
na tvaṃ vācā hṛdayenāpi vidvanparīpsamānānnāvamaṃsthā narendra |
tenānantā divi lokāḥ śritāste vidyudrūpāḥ svanavanto mahāntaḥ || 7 ||

"Yayati said, 'Thou hast never, by speech or in mind, disregarded the honest and the virtuous that applied to thee. There are infinite worlds for thee to enjoy in heaven, all blazing like lightning.' Sivi then said, 'If thou regardest their purchase as improper, I give them to thee. Take them all, O king! I shall never take them, viz., those regions where the wise never feel the least disquiet.'

1.88.8

śibiruvāca |
tāṃstvaṃ lokānpratipadyasva rājanmayā dattānyadi neṣṭaḥ krayaste |
na cāhaṃ tānpratipatsyeha dattvā yatra gatvā tvamupāsse ha lokān || 8 ||

1.88.9

yayātiruvāca |
yathā tvamindrapratimaprabhāvaste cāpyanantā naradeva lokāḥ |
tathādya loke na rame'nyadatte tasmācchibe nābhinandāmi dāyam || 9 ||

Yayati answered, 'O Sivi, thou hast indeed, obtained for thyself, possessed of the prowess of Indra, infinite worlds. But I do not desire to enjoy regions given to me by others. Therefore, I accept not thy gift.'

1.88.10

aṣṭaka uvāca |
na cedekaikaśo rājam̐llokānnaḥ pratinandasi |
sarve pradāya bhavate gantāro narakaṃ vayam || 10 ||

"Ashtaka then said, 'O king, each of us has expressed his desire to give thee worlds that each of us has acquired by his religious merits. Thou acceptest not them. But leaving them for thee, we shall descend into the Earth-hell.'

1.88.11

yayātiruvāca |
yadarhāya dadadhvaṃ tatsantaḥ satyānṛśaṃsyataḥ |
ahaṃ tu nābhidhṛṣṇomi yatkṛtaṃ na mayā purā || 11 ||

"Yayati answered, 'Ye all are truth-loving and wise. Give me that which I deserve. I shall not be able to do what I have never done before.'

1.88.12

aṣṭaka uvāca |
kasyaite pratidṛśyante rathāḥ pañca hiraṇmayāḥ |
uccaiḥ santaḥ prakāśante jvalanto'gniśikhā iva || 12 ||

"Ashtaka then said, 'Whose are those five golden cars that we see? Do men that repair to these regions of everlasting bliss ride in them?'

1.88.13

yayātiruvāca |
yuṣmānete hi vakṣyanti rathāḥ pañca hiraṇmayāḥ |
uccaiḥ santaḥ prakāśante jvalanto'gniśikhā iva || 13 ||

"Yayati answered, 'Those five golden cars displayed in glory, and blazing as fire, would indeed, carry you to regions of bliss.'

1.88.14

aṣṭaka uvāca |
ātiṣṭhasva rathaṃ rājanvikramasva vihāyasā |
vayamapyanuyāsyāmo yadā kālo bhaviṣyati || 14 ||

"Ashtaka said, 'O king, ride on those cars thyself and repair to heaven. We can wait. We follow thee in time.'

1.88.15

yayātiruvāca |
sarvairidānīṃ gantavyaṃ sahasvargajito vayam |
eṣa no virajāḥ panthā dṛśyate devasadmanaḥ || 15 ||

"Yayati said, 'We can now all go together. Indeed, all of us have conquered heaven. Behold, the glorious path to heaven becomes visible."

1.88.16

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
te'dhiruhya rathānsarve prayātā nṛpasattamāḥ |
ākramanto divaṃ bhābhirdharmeṇāvṛtya rodasī || 16 ||

"Vaisampayana continued, 'Then all those excellent monarchs riding in those cars set out for heaven for gaining admittance into it, illuminating the whole firmament by the glory of their virtues.'

1.88.17

aṣṭaka uvāca |
ahaṃ manye pūrvameko'smi gantā sakhā cendraḥ sarvathā me mahātmā |
kasmādevaṃ śibirauśīnaro'yameko'tyagātsarvavegena vāhān || 17 ||

"Then Ashtaka, breaking the silence asked, 'I had always thought that Indra was my especial friend, and that I, of all others, should first obtain admittance into heaven. But how is it that Usinara's son, Sivi hath already left us behind?'

1.88.18

yayātiruvāca |
adadāddevayānāya yāvadvittamavindata |
uśīnarasya putro'yaṃ tasmācchreṣṭho hi naḥ śibiḥ || 18 ||

"Yayati answered, 'This Usinara's son had given all he possessed for attaining to the region of Brahman. Therefore, is he the foremost among us. Besides, Sivi's liberality, asceticism, truth, virtue, modesty, forgiveness, amiability, desire of performing good acts, have been so great that none can measure them!'

1.88.19

dānaṃ tapaḥ satyamathāpi dharmo hrīḥ śrīḥ kṣamā saumya tathā titikṣā |
rājannetānyapratimasya rājñaḥ śibeḥ sthitānyanṛśaṃsasya buddhyā |
evaṃvṛtto hrīniṣedhaśca yasmāttasmācchibiratyagādvai rathena || 19 ||

1.88.20

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
athāṣṭakaḥ punarevānvapṛcchanmātāmahaṃ kautukādindrakalpam |
pṛcchāmi tvāṃ nṛpate brūhi satyaṃ kutaśca kasyāsi sutaśca kasya |
kṛtaṃ tvayā yaddhi na tasya kartā loke tvadanyaḥ kṣatriyo brāhmaṇo vā || 20 ||

"Vaisampayana continued, 'After this, Ashtaka, impelled by curiosity, again asked his maternal grandfather resembling Indra himself, saying, 'O king, I ask thee, tell me truly, whence thou art, who thou art, and whose son? Is there any other Brahmana or Kshatriya who hath done what thou didst on earth?' Yayati answered, 'I tell thee truly, I am Yayati, the son of Nahusha and the father of Puru. I was lord of all the Earth. Ye are my relatives; I tell thee truly, I am the maternal grandfather of you all. Having conquered the whole earth, I gave clothes to Brahmanas and also a hundred handsome horses fit for sacrificial offering. For such acts of virtue, the gods became propitious to those that perform them. I also gave to Brahmanas this whole earth with her horses and elephants and kine and gold all kinds of wealth, along with a hundred Arbudas of excellent milch cows. Both the earth and the firmament exist owing to my truth and virtue; fire yet burneth in the world of men owing to my truth and virtue. Never hath a word spoken by me been untrue. It is for this that the wise adore Truth. O Ashtaka, all I have told thee, Pratardana, and Vasumat, is Truth itself. I know it for certain that the gods and the Rishis and all the mansions of the blessed are adorable only because of Truth that characteriseth them all. He that will without malice duly read unto good Brahmanas his account of our ascension to heaven shall himself attain to the same worlds with us.'

1.88.21

yayātiruvāca |
yayātirasmi nahuṣasya putraḥ pūroḥ pitā sārvabhaumastvihāsam |
guhyamarthaṃ māmakebhyo bravīmi mātāmaho'haṃ bhavatāṃ prakāśaḥ || 21 ||

1.88.22

sarvāmimāṃ pṛthivīṃ nirjigāya prasthe baddhvā hyadadaṃ brāhmaṇebhyaḥ |
medhyānaśvānekaśaphānsurūpāṃstadā devāḥ puṇyabhājo bhavanti || 22 ||

1.88.23

adāmahaṃ pṛthivīṃ brāhmaṇebhyaḥ pūrṇāmimāmakhilāṃ vāhanasya |
gobhiḥ suvarṇena dhanaiśca mukhyaistatrāsangāḥ śatamarbudāni || 23 ||

1.88.24

satyena me dyauśca vasuṃdharā ca tathaivāgnirjvalate mānuṣeṣu |
na me vṛthā vyāhṛtameva vākyaṃ satyaṃ hi santaḥ pratipūjayanti |
sarve ca devā munayaśca lokāḥ satyena pūjyā iti me manogatam || 24 ||

1.88.25

yo naḥ svargajitaḥ sarvānyathāvṛttaṃ nivedayet |
anasūyurdvijāgrebhyaḥ sa labhennaḥ salokatām || 25 ||

1.88.26

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca |
evaṃ rājā sa mahātmā hyatīva svairdauhitraistārito'mitrasāhaḥ |
tyaktvā mahīṃ paramodārakarmā svargaṃ gataḥ karmabhirvyāpya pṛthvīm || 26 ||

"Vaisampayana continued, 'It was thus that the illustrious king Yayati of high achievements, rescued by his collateral descendants, ascended to heaven, leaving the earth and covering the three worlds with the fame of his deeds.'"