The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 3.105: pañcādhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ

3.105.1

lomaśa uvāca |
etacchrutvāntarikṣācca sa rājā rājasattama |
yathoktaṃ taccakārātha śraddadhadbharatarṣabha || 1 ||

"Lomasa said, 'O most righteous of kings! When he heard these words (proceeding) from the sky, he had faith therein, and did all that he was directed to do, O chief of the men of Bharata's race! Then the ruler of men took separately each of the seeds and then placed these divisions (of the gourd) in vessels filled with clarified butter. And intent on the preservation of his sons, he provided a nurse for every (receptacle). Then after a long time there arose sixty thousand exceedingly powerful sons of that same king--gifted with unmeasured strength, they were born, O ruler of earth! to that saint-like king, by Rudra's favour. And they were terrible; and their acts were ruthless. And they were able to ascend and roam about in the sky; and being numerous themselves, despised everybody, including the gods. And they would chase even the gods, the Gandharvas, and the Rakshasas and all the born beings, being themselves valiant and addicted to fighting. Then all people, harassed by the dull-headed sons of Sagara, united with all the gods, went to Brahma as their refuge. And then addressed the blessed grandfather of all beings (Brahma), 'Go ye your way, ye gods, together with all these men. In a not very long space of time, there will come about, O gods! a great and exceedingly terrible destruction of Sagara's sons, caused by the deed perpetrated by them.' Thus addressed, those same gods, and men, O lord of the sons of Manu! bade adieu to the grandfather, and went back to whence they had come. Then, O chief of Bharata's race! after the expiry of very many days, the mighty king Sagara accepted the consecration for performing the rites of a horse-sacrifice. And his horse began to roam over the world, protected by his sons. And when the horse reached the sea, waterless and frightful to behold--although the horse was guarded with very great care--it (suddenly) vanished at the very spot (it stood upon). Then, O respected sir! those same sons of Sagara imagined the same fine horse to have been stolen; and returning to their father, narrated how it had been stolen out of sight. And thereupon he addressed them, saying, 'Go ye and search for the horse in all the cardinal points.' Then, O great king! by this command of their father, they began to search for the horse in the cardinal points and throughout the whole surface of the earth. But all those sons of Sagara, all mutually united, could not find the horse, nor the person who had stolen it. And coming back then, they with joined palms (thus addressed) their father, (standing) before them, 'O Protector of men! O ruler of the earth! O king! by thy command, the whole of this world with its hills and its forest tracts, with its seas, and its woods, and its islands, with its rivulets and rivers and caves, hath been searched through by us. But we cannot find either the horse, or the thief who had stolen the same.' And hearing the words, the same king became senseless with wrath, and then told them all, carried away by Destiny, 'Go ye all, may ye never return! Search ye again for the horse. Without that sacrificial horse, ye must never return, my boys!'"

3.105.2

ṣaṣṭiḥ putrasahasrāṇi tasyāpratimatejasaḥ |
rudraprasādādrājarṣeḥ samajāyanta pārthiva || 2 ||

3.105.3

te ghorāḥ krūrakarmāṇa ākāśaparisarpiṇaḥ |
bahutvāccāvajānantaḥ sarvām̐llokānsahāmarān || 3 ||

3.105.4

tridaśāṃścāpyabādhanta tathā gandharvarākṣasān |
sarvāṇi caiva bhūtāni śūrāḥ samaraśālinaḥ || 4 ||

3.105.5

vadhyamānāstato lokāḥ sāgarairmandabuddhibhiḥ |
brahmāṇaṃ śaraṇaṃ jagmuḥ sahitāḥ sarvadaivataiḥ || 5 ||

3.105.6

tānuvāca mahābhāgaḥ sarvalokapitāmahaḥ |
gacchadhvaṃ tridaśāḥ sarve lokaiḥ sārdhaṃ yathāgatam || 6 ||

3.105.7

nātidīrgheṇa kālena sāgarāṇāṃ kṣayo mahān |
bhaviṣyati mahāghoraḥ svakṛtaiḥ karmabhiḥ surāḥ || 7 ||

3.105.8

evamuktāstato devā lokāśca manujeśvara |
pitāmahamanujñāpya viprajagmuryathāgatam || 8 ||

3.105.9

tataḥ kāle bahutithe vyatīte bharatarṣabha |
dīkṣitaḥ sagaro rājā hayamedhena vīryavān |
tasyāśvo vyacaradbhūmiṃ putraiḥ suparirakṣitaḥ || 9 ||

3.105.10

samudraṃ sa samāsādya nistoyaṃ bhīmadarśanam |
rakṣyamāṇaḥ prayatnena tatraivāntaradhīyata || 10 ||

3.105.11

tataste sāgarāstāta hṛtaṃ matvā hayottamam |
āgamya piturācakhyuradṛśyaṃ turagaṃ hṛtam |
tenoktā dikṣu sarvāsu sarve mārgata vājinam || 11 ||

3.105.12

tataste piturājñāya dikṣu sarvāsu taṃ hayam |
amārganta mahārāja sarvaṃ ca pṛthivītalam || 12 ||

3.105.13

tataste sāgarāḥ sarve samupetya parasparam |
nādhyagacchanta turagamaśvahartārameva ca || 13 ||

3.105.14

āgamya pitaraṃ cocustataḥ prāñjalayo'grataḥ |
sasamudravanadvīpā sanadīnadakandarā |
saparvatavanoddeśā nikhilena mahī nṛpa || 14 ||

3.105.15

asmābhirvicitā rājañśāsanāttava pārthiva |
na cāśvamadhigacchāmo nāśvahartārameva ca || 15 ||

3.105.16

śrutvā tu vacanaṃ teṣāṃ sa rājā krodhamūrchitaḥ |
uvāca vacanaṃ sarvāṃstadā daivavaśānnṛpa || 16 ||

3.105.17

anāgamāya gacchadhvaṃ bhūyo mārgata vājinam |
yajñiyaṃ taṃ vinā hyaśvaṃ nāgantavyaṃ hi putrakāḥ || 17 ||

3.105.18

pratigṛhya tu saṃdeśaṃ tataste sagarātmajāḥ |
bhūya eva mahīṃ kṛtsnāṃ vicetumupacakramuḥ || 18 ||

"And those same sons of Sagara, accepted this command of their father, and once more began to search through the entire world. Now these heroes saw a rift on the surface of the earth. And having reached this pit, the sons of Sagara began to excavate it. And with spades and pickaxes they went on digging the sea, making the utmost efforts. And that same abode of Varuna (namely the ocean), being thus, excavated by the united sons of Sagara and rent and cut on all sides round, was placed in a condition of the utmost distress. And the demons and snakes and Rakshasas and various (other) animated beings began to utter distressful cries, while being killed by Sagara's sons. And hundreds and thousands of animated beings were beheld with severed heads and separated trunks and with their skins and bones and joints rent asunder and broken. Thus they went on digging the ocean, which was the abode of Varuna and an exceedingly long space of time expired in this work, but still the horse was not found. Then, O lord of earth! towards the north-eastern region of the sea, the incensed sons of Sagara dug down as far as the lower world, and there they beheld the horse, roaming about on the surface of the ground. And they saw the magnanimous Kapila, who looked like a perfect mass of splendour. And having beheld him shining with his brightness, just as the fire shineth with its flames, they, O king! seeing the horse, were flushed with delight. And they being incensed, sent forward by their fate, paid no heed to the presence of the magnanimous Kapila, and ran forward with a view to seizing the horse. Then, O great king! Kapila, the most righteous of saints,--he whom the great sages name as Kapila Vasudeva--assumed a fiery look, and the mighty saint shot flames towards them, and thereby burnt down the dull-headed sons of Sagara. And Narada, whose practice of austerities was very great, when he beheld them reduced to ashes, came to Sagara's side, and gave the information to him. And when the king learnt this terrible news which proceeded from the mouth of the saint, for nearly an hour he remained sad, and then he bethought himself of what Siva had said. Then sending for Ansuman, the son of Asamanjas, and his own grandson, he, O chief of Bharata's race! spake the following words, 'Those same sixty thousand sons of unmeasured strength having encountered Kapila's wrath, have met their death on my account. And, O my boy of stainless character! thy father also hath been forsaken by me, in order to discharge my duty (as a king), and being desirous of doing good to my subjects.'

3.105.19

athāpaśyanta te vīrāḥ pṛthivīmavadāritām |
samāsādya bilaṃ tacca khanantaḥ sagarātmajāḥ |
kuddālairhreṣukaiścaiva samudramakhanaṃstadā || 19 ||

3.105.20

sa khanyamānaḥ sahitaiḥ sāgarairvaruṇālayaḥ |
agacchatparamāmārtiṃ dāryamāṇaḥ samantataḥ || 20 ||

3.105.21

asuroragarakṣāṃsi sattvāni vividhāni ca |
ārtanādamakurvanta vadhyamānāni sāgaraiḥ || 21 ||

3.105.22

chinnaśīrṣā videhāśca bhinnajānvasthimastakāḥ |
prāṇinaḥ samadṛśyanta śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ || 22 ||

3.105.23

evaṃ hi khanatāṃ teṣāṃ samudraṃ makarālayam |
vyatītaḥ sumahānkālo na cāśvaḥ samadṛśyata || 23 ||

3.105.24

tataḥ pūrvottare deśe samudrasya mahīpate |
vidārya pātālamatha saṃkruddhāḥ sagarātmajāḥ |
apaśyanta hayaṃ tatra vicarantaṃ mahītale || 24 ||

3.105.25

kapilaṃ ca mahātmānaṃ tejorāśimanuttamam |
tapasā dīpyamānaṃ taṃ jvālābhiriva pāvakam || 25 ||