Mahabharata 3.62: dviṣaṣṭitamo'dhyāyaḥ

3.62.1

bṛhadaśva uvāca |
sā tacchrutvānavadyāṅgī sārthavāhavacastadā |
agacchattena vai sārdhaṃ bhartṛdarśanalālasā || 1 ||

"Vrihadaswa said, 'Having heard the words of the leader of that caravan, Damayanti of faultless limbs proceeded with that caravan itself anxious to behold her lord. And after having proceeded for many days the merchants saw a large lake fragrant with lotuses in the midst of that dense and terrible forest. And it was beautiful all over, and exceedingly delightful, (with banks) abounding in grass and fuel and fruits and flowers. And it was inhabited by various kinds of fowls and birds, and fall of water that was pure and sweet. And it was cool and capable of captivating the heart. And the caravan, worn out with toil, resolved to halt there. And with the permission of their leader, they spread themselves around those beautiful woods. And that mighty caravan finding it was evening halted at that place. And (it came to pass that) at the hour of midnight when everything was hushed and still and the tired caravan had fallen asleep, a herd of elephants in going towards a mountain stream to drink of its water befouled by their temporal juice, saw that caravan as also the numerous elephants belonging to it. And seeing their domesticated fellows the wild elephants infuriated and with the temporal juice trickling down rushed impetuously on the former, with the intention of killing them. And the force of the rush of those elephants was hard to bear, like the impetuosity of peaks lessened from mountain summits rolling towards the plain. The rushing elephants found the forest paths to be all blocked up, for the goodly caravan was sleeping obstructing the paths around that lake of lotuses. And the elephants all of a sudden, began to crush the men lying insensible on the ground. And uttering cries of 'Oh!' and 'Alas!' the merchants, blinded by sleep, fled, in order to escape that danger, to copses and woods for refuge. And some were slain by the tusks, and some by the trunks, and some by the legs of those elephants. And innumerable camels and horses were killed, and crowds of men on foot, running in fright, killed one another. And uttering loud cries some fell down on the ground, and some in fear climbed on trees, and some dropped down on uneven ground. And, O king, thus accidentally attacked by that large herd of elephants, that goodly caravan suffered a great loss. And there arose a tremendous uproar calculated to frighten the three worlds, 'Lo! a great fire hath broken out. Rescue us.

3.62.2

atha kāle bahutithe vane mahati dāruṇe |
taḍāgaṃ sarvatobhadraṃ padmasaugandhikaṃ mahat || 2 ||

3.62.3

dadṛśurvaṇijo ramyaṃ prabhūtayavasendhanam |
bahumūlaphalopetaṃ nānāpakṣigaṇairvṛtam || 3 ||

3.62.4

taṃ dṛṣṭvā mṛṣṭasalilaṃ manoharasukhāvaham |
supariśrāntavāhāste niveśāya mano dadhuḥ || 4 ||

3.62.5

saṃmate sārthavāhasya viviśurvanamuttamam |
uvāsa sārthaḥ sumahānvelāmāsādya paścimām || 5 ||

3.62.6

athārdharātrasamaye niḥśabdastimite tadā |
supte sārthe pariśrānte hastiyūthamupāgamat |
pānīyārthaṃ girinadīṃ madaprasravaṇāvilām || 6 ||

3.62.7

mārgaṃ saṃrudhya saṃsuptaṃ padminyāḥ sārthamuttamam |
suptaṃ mamarda sahasā ceṣṭamānaṃ mahītale || 7 ||

3.62.8

hāhāravaṃ pramuñcantaḥ sārthikāḥ śaraṇārthinaḥ |
vanagulmāṃśca dhāvanto nidrāndhā mahato bhayāt |
keciddantaiḥ karaiḥ kecitkecitpadbhyāṃ hatā narāḥ || 8 ||

3.62.9

gokharoṣṭrāśvabahulaṃ padātijanasaṃkulam |
bhayārtaṃ dhāvamānaṃ tatparasparahataṃ tadā || 9 ||

3.62.10

ghorānnādānvimuñcanto nipeturdharaṇītale |
vṛkṣeṣvāsajya saṃbhagnāḥ patitā viṣameṣu ca |
tathā tannihataṃ sarvaṃ samṛddhaṃ sārthamaṇḍalam || 10 ||

3.62.11

athāparedyuḥ saṃprāpte hataśiṣṭā janāstadā |
vanagulmādviniṣkramya śocanto vaiśasaṃ kṛtam |
bhrātaraṃ pitaraṃ putraṃ sakhāyaṃ ca janādhipa || 11 ||

"The next day, O king, the remnant of that caravan left the place bewailing the destruction that had overtaken them and lamenting for their dead brothers and fathers and sons and friends. And the princess of Vidarbha began to lament, saying, 'Alas! What misdeed have I perpetrated! The crowd of men that I obtained in this lone forest, hath been destroyed by a herd of elephants, surely as a consequence of my ill luck. Without doubt, I shall have to suffer misery for a long time. I have heard from old men that no person dieth ere his time; it is for this that my miserable self hath not been trodden to death by that herd of elephants. Nothing that befalleth men is due to anything else than Destiny, for even in my childhood I did not commit any such sin in thought, word, or deed, whence might come this calamity. Methinks, I suffer this severance from my husband through the potency of those celestial Lokapalas, who had come to the Swayamvara but whom I disregarded for the sake of Nala.' Bewailing thus, O tiger among kings, that excellent lady, Damayanti, devoted to her husband, went, oppressed with grief and (pale) as the autumnal moon, with those Brahmanas versed in the Vedas that had survived the slaughter of the caravan. And departing speedily, towards evening, the damsel came to the mighty city of the truth-telling Suvahu, the king of the Chedis. And she entered that excellent city clad in half a garment. And the citizens saw her as she went, overcome with fear, and lean, melancholy, her hair dishevelled and soiled with dust, and maniac-like. And beholding her enter the city of the king of the Chedis, the boys of the city, from curiosity, began to follow her. And surrounded by them, she came before the palace of the king. And from the terrace the queen-mother saw her surrounded by the crowd. And she said to her nurse, 'Go and bring that woman before me. She is forlorn and is being vexed by the crowd. She hath fallen into distress and standeth in need of succour. I find her beauty to be such that it illumineth my house. The fair one, though looking like a maniac, seemeth a very Sree with her large eyes.' Thus commanded, the nurse went out and dispersing the crowd brought Damayanti to that graceful terrace. And struck with wonder, O king, she asked Damayanti, saying, 'Afflicted though thou art with such distress, thou ownest a beautiful form. Thou shinest like lightning in the midst of the clouds. Tell me who thou art, and whose. O thou possessed of celestial splendour, surely, thy beauty is not human, bereft though thou art of ornaments. And although thou art helpless, yet thou art unmoved under the outrage of these men.' Hearing these words of the nurse, the daughter of Bhima said, Know that I am a female belonging to the human species and devoted to my husband. I am a serving woman of good lineage. I live wherever I like, subsisting on fruit and roots, and whom a companion, and stay where evening overtaketh me. My husband is the owner of countless virtues and was ever devoted to me. And I also, on my part, was deeply attached to him, following him like his shadow. It chanced that once he became desperately engaged at dice. Defeated at dice, he came along into the forest. I accompanied my husband into the woods, comforting the hero clad in a single piece of cloth and maniac-like and overwhelmed with calamity. Once on a time for some cause, that hero, afflicted with hunger and thirst and grief, was forced to abandon that sole piece of covering in the forest. Destitute of garment and maniac-like and deprived of his senses as he was, I followed him, myself in a single garment. Following him, I did not sleep for nights together. Thus passed many days, until at last while I was sleeping, he cut off half of my cloth, and forsook me who had done him no wrong.

3.62.12

aśocattatra vaidarbhī kiṃ nu me duṣkṛtaṃ kṛtam |
yo'pi me nirjane'raṇye saṃprāpto'yaṃ janārṇavaḥ |
hato'yaṃ hastiyūthena mandabhāgyānmamaiva tu || 12 ||

3.62.13

prāptavyaṃ suciraṃ duḥkhaṃ mayā nūnamasaṃśayam |
nāprāptakālo mriyate śrutaṃ vṛddhānuśāsanam || 13 ||

3.62.14

yannāhamadya mṛditā hastiyūthena duḥkhitā |
na hyadaivakṛtaṃ kiṃcinnarāṇāmiha vidyate || 14 ||

3.62.15

na ca me bālabhāve'pi kiṃcidvyapakṛtaṃ kṛtam |
karmaṇā manasā vācā yadidaṃ duḥkhamāgatam || 15 ||

3.62.16

manye svayaṃvarakṛte lokapālāḥ samāgatāḥ |
pratyākhyātā mayā tatra nalasyārthāya devatāḥ |
nūnaṃ teṣāṃ prabhāvena viyogaṃ prāptavatyaham || 16 ||

3.62.17

evamādīni duḥkhāni sā vilapya varāṅganā |
hataśiṣṭaiḥ saha tadā brāhmaṇairvedapāragaiḥ |
agacchadrājaśārdūla duḥkhaśokaparāyaṇā || 17 ||

3.62.18

gacchantī sā cirātkālātpuramāsādayanmahat |
sāyāhne cedirājasya subāhoḥ satyavādinaḥ |
vastrārdhakartasaṃvītā praviveśa purottamam || 18 ||

3.62.19

tāṃ vivarṇāṃ kṛśāṃ dīnāṃ muktakeśīmamārjanām |
unmattāmiva gacchantīṃ dadṛśuḥ puravāsinaḥ || 19 ||

3.62.20

praviśantīṃ tu tāṃ dṛṣṭvā cedirājapurīṃ tadā |
anujagmustato bālā grāmiputrāḥ kutūhalāt || 20 ||

3.62.21

sā taiḥ parivṛtāgacchatsamīpaṃ rājaveśmanaḥ |
tāṃ prāsādagatāpaśyadrājamātā janairvṛtām || 21 ||

3.62.22

sā janaṃ vārayitvā taṃ prāsādatalamuttamam |
āropya vismitā rājandamayantīmapṛcchata || 22 ||

3.62.23

evamapyasukhāviṣṭā bibharṣi paramaṃ vapuḥ |
bhāsi vidyudivābhreṣu śaṃsa me kāsi kasya vā || 23 ||

3.62.24

na hi te mānuṣaṃ rūpaṃ bhūṣaṇairapi varjitam |
asahāyā narebhyaśca nodvijasyamaraprabhe || 24 ||

3.62.25

tacchrutvā vacanaṃ tasyā bhaimī vacanamabravīt |
mānuṣīṃ māṃ vijānīhi bhartāraṃ samanuvratām || 25 ||

3.62.26

sairandhrīṃ jātisaṃpannāṃ bhujiṣyāṃ kāmavāsinīm |
phalamūlāśanāmekāṃ yatrasāyaṃpratiśrayām || 26 ||

3.62.27

asaṃkhyeyaguṇo bhartā māṃ ca nityamanuvrataḥ |
bhartāramapi taṃ vīraṃ chāyevānapagā sadā || 27 ||

3.62.28

tasya daivātprasaṅgo'bhūdatimātraṃ sma devane |
dyūte sa nirjitaścaiva vanameko'bhyupeyivān || 28 ||

3.62.29

tamekavasanaṃ vīramunmattamiva vihvalam |
āśvāsayantī bhartāramahamanvagamaṃ vanam || 29 ||

3.62.30

sa kadācidvane vīraḥ kasmiṃścitkāraṇāntare |
kṣutparītaḥ suvimanāstadapyekaṃ vyasarjayat || 30 ||

3.62.31

tamekavasanaṃ nagnamunmattaṃ gatacetasam |
anuvrajantī bahulā na svapāmi niśāḥ sadā || 31 ||

3.62.32

tato bahutithe kāle suptāmutsṛjya māṃ kvacit |
vāsaso'rdhaṃ paricchidya tyaktavānmāmanāgasam || 32 ||

3.62.33

taṃ mārgamāṇā bhartāraṃ dahyamānā dinakṣapāḥ |
na vindāmyamaraprakhyaṃ priyaṃ prāṇadhaneśvaram || 33 ||

[paragraph continues] I am seeking my husband but unable to find him who is of hue like the filaments of the lotus, without being able to cast my eyes on that delight of my heart, that dear lord who owneth my heart and resembleth the celestials in mien, day and night do I burn in grief."

3.62.34

tāmaśruparipūrṇākṣīṃ vilapantīṃ tathā bahu |
rājamātābravīdārtāṃ bhaimīmārtatarā svayam || 34 ||

"Unto Bhima's daughter thus lamenting with tearful eyes, and afflicted and speaking in accents choked in grief, the queen-mother herself said, 'O blessed damsel, do thou stay with me. I am well pleased with thee. O fair lady, my men shall search for thy husband. Or, perhaps he may come here of his own accord in course of his wanderings. And, O beautiful lady, residing here thou wilt regain thy (lost) lord.' Hearing these words of the queen mother, Damayanti replied, 'O mother of heroes, I may stay with thee on certain conditions. I shall not eat the leavings on any dish, nor shall I wash anybody's feet, nor shall I have to speak with other men. And if anybody shall seek me (as a wife or mistress) he should be liable to punishment at thy hands. And, further, should he solicit me over and over again, that wicked one should be punished with death. This is the vow I have made. I intend to have an interview with those Brahmanas that will set out to search for my husband. If thou canst do all this, I shall certainly live with thee. If it is otherwise, I cannot find it in my heart to reside with thee.' The queen-mother answered her with a glad heart, saying, 'I will do all this. Thou hast done well in adopting such a vow!'"

3.62.35

vasasva mayi kalyāṇi prītirme tvayi vartate |
mṛgayiṣyanti te bhadre bhartāraṃ puruṣā mama || 35 ||

3.62.36

atha vā svayamāgacchetparidhāvannitastataḥ |
ihaiva vasatī bhadre bhartāramupalapsyase || 36 ||

3.62.37

rājamāturvacaḥ śrutvā damayantī vaco'bravīt |
samayenotsahe vastuṃ tvayi vīraprajāyini || 37 ||

3.62.38

ucchiṣṭaṃ naiva bhuñjīyāṃ na kuryāṃ pādadhāvanam |
na cāhaṃ puruṣānanyānsaṃbhāṣeyaṃ kathaṃcana || 38 ||

3.62.39

prārthayedyadi māṃ kaściddaṇḍyaste sa pumānbhavet |
bharturanveṣaṇārthaṃ tu paśyeyaṃ brāhmaṇānaham || 39 ||

3.62.40

yadyevamiha kartavyaṃ vasāmyahamasaṃśayam |
ato'nyathā na me vāso vartate hṛdaye kvacit || 40 ||

3.62.41

tāṃ prahṛṣṭena manasā rājamātedamabravīt |
sarvametatkariṣyāmi diṣṭyā te vratamīdṛśam || 41 ||

3.62.42

evamuktvā tato bhaimīṃ rājamātā viśāṃ pate |
uvācedaṃ duhitaraṃ sunandāṃ nāma bhārata || 42 ||

"Vrihadaswa continued, 'O king, having spoken so unto the daughter of Bhima, the queen-mother, O Bharata, said to her daughter named Sunanda, 'O Sunanda, accept this lady like a goddess as thy Sairindhri! Let her be thy companion, as she is of the same age with thee. Do thou, with heart free from care, always sport with her in joy.' And Sunanda cheerfully accepted Damayanti and led her to her own apartment accompanied by her associates. And treated with respect, Damayanti was satisfied, and she continued to reside there without anxiety of any kind, for all her wishes were duly gratified.'"

3.62.43

sairandhrīmabhijānīṣva sunande devarūpiṇīm |
etayā saha modasva nirudvignamanāḥ svayam || 43 ||