The Great Epic of the Bhārata dynasty 5.15: pañcadaśo'dhyāyaḥ

5.15.1

śalya uvāca |
evamuktaḥ sa bhagavāñśacyā punarathābravīt |
vikramasya na kālo'yaṃ nahuṣo balavattaraḥ || 1 ||

"Salya said, 'Thus addressed by Sachi, the illustrious god said to her again, 'This is not the time for putting forth valour. Nahusha is stronger than I am. O beautiful lady, he hath been strengthened by the Rishis with the merits of offerings to the gods and the Pitris. I shall have recourse to policy now. Thou wilt have to carry it out, O goddess. O lady, thou must do it secretly and must not disclose it to any person. O lady of a beautiful waist, going to Nahusha in private, tell him, O lord of the Universe, thou must visit me mounted on a nice vehicle borne by Rishis. In that case I shall be pleased and shall place myself at thy disposal. This shouldst thou tell him.' And thus addressed by the king of the gods, his lotus-eyed consort expressed her consent and went to Nahusha. And Nahusha, having seen her, smilingly addressed her, saying, 'I welcome thee, O lady of lovely thighs. What is thy pleasure, O thou of sweet smiles. Accept me, O lady of propitious looks, who am devoted to thee. What is thy will, O spirited dame. I shall do thy wish, O lady of propitious looks and slender waist. Nor needst thou be bashful, O thou of lovely hips. Have trust in me. In the name of truth I swear, O goddess, that I shall do thy bidding.'

5.15.2

vivardhitaśca ṛṣibhirhavyaiḥ kavyaiśca bhāmini |
nītimatra vidhāsyāmi devi tāṃ kartumarhasi || 2 ||

5.15.3

guhyaṃ caitattvayā kāryaṃ nākhyātavyaṃ śubhe kvacit |
gatvā nahuṣamekānte bravīhi tanumadhyame || 3 ||

5.15.4

ṛṣiyānena divyena māmupaihi jagatpate |
evaṃ tava vaśe prītā bhaviṣyāmīti taṃ vada || 4 ||

5.15.5

ityuktā devarājena patnī sā kamalekṣaṇā |
evamastvityathoktvā tu jagāma nahuṣaṃ prati || 5 ||

5.15.6

nahuṣastāṃ tato dṛṣṭvā vismito vākyamabravīt |
svāgataṃ te varārohe kiṃ karomi śucismite || 6 ||

5.15.7

bhaktaṃ māṃ bhaja kalyāṇi kimicchasi manasvini |
tava kalyāṇi yatkāryaṃ tatkariṣye sumadhyame || 7 ||

5.15.8

na ca vrīḍā tvayā kāryā suśroṇi mayi viśvasa |
satyena vai śape devi kartāsmi vacanaṃ tava || 8 ||

5.15.9

indrāṇyuvāca |
yo me tvayā kṛtaḥ kālastamākāṅkṣe jagatpate |
tatastvameva bhartā me bhaviṣyasi surādhipa || 9 ||

"Sachi said, 'O lord of Universe, I wanted the time that thou hast assigned to me. Thereafter, O lord of the gods, thou shalt be my husband. I have a wish. Attend and hear, O king of the gods. What it is I shall say, O king, so that thou mayst do what I like. This is an indulgence that I ask from thy love for me. If thou grantest it, I shall be at thy disposal. Indra had horses for carrying him, and elephants, and cars. I want thee to have, O king of the gods, a novel vehicle, such as never belonged to Vishnu, or Rudra, or the Asuras, or the Rakshasas, O lord. Let a number of highly dignified Rishis, united together, bear thee in a palanquin. This is what commends itself to me. Thou shouldst not liken thyself to the Asuras or the gods. Thou absorbest the strength of all by thy own strength as soon as they look at thee. There is none so strong as to be able to stand before thee.'

5.15.10

kāryaṃ ca hṛdi me yattaddevarājāvadhāraya |
vakṣyāmi yadi me rājanpriyametatkariṣyasi |
vākyaṃ praṇayasaṃyuktaṃ tataḥ syāṃ vaśagā tava || 10 ||

5.15.11

indrasya vājino vāhā hastino'tha rathāstathā |
icchāmyahamihāpūrvaṃ vāhanaṃ te surādhipa |
yanna viṣṇorna rudrasya nāsurāṇāṃ na rakṣasām || 11 ||

5.15.12

vahantu tvāṃ mahārāja ṛṣayaḥ saṃgatā vibho |
sarve śibikayā rājannetaddhi mama rocate || 12 ||

5.15.13

nāsureṣu na deveṣu tulyo bhavitumarhasi |
sarveṣāṃ teja ādatsva svena vīryeṇa darśanāt |
na te pramukhataḥ sthātuṃ kaścidicchati vīryavān || 13 ||

5.15.14

śalya uvāca |
evamuktastu nahuṣaḥ prāhṛṣyata tadā kila |
uvāca vacanaṃ cāpi surendrastāmaninditām || 14 ||

"Salya continued, 'Thus addressed, Nahusha was very much pleased. And the lord of the deities said to that lady of faultless features, 'O lady of the fairest complexion, thou hast spoken of a vehicle never heard of before. I like it exceedingly, O goddess. I am in thy power, O thou of lovely face. He cannot be a feeble person who employeth Rishis for bearing him. I have practised austerities, and am mighty. I am the lord of the past, the present, and the future. The Universe would be no more if I were in rage. The whole Universe is established in me. O thou of sweet smiles, the gods, the Asuras and Gandharvas, and snakes, and Rakshasas are together unable to cope with me when I am in rage. Whomsoever I gaze upon I divest him of his energy. Therefore, thy request I shall no doubt fulfil, O goddess. The seven Rishis, and also the regenerate Rishis, shall carry me. See our greatness and splendour, O lady of lovely complexion.'

5.15.15

apūrvaṃ vāhanamidaṃ tvayoktaṃ varavarṇini |
dṛḍhaṃ me rucitaṃ devi tvadvaśo'smi varānane || 15 ||

5.15.16

na hyalpavīryo bhavati yo vāhānkurute munīn |
ahaṃ tapasvī balavānbhūtabhavyabhavatprabhuḥ || 16 ||

5.15.17

mayi kruddhe jaganna syānmayi sarvaṃ pratiṣṭhitam |
devadānavagandharvāḥ kiṃnaroragarākṣasāḥ || 17 ||

5.15.18

na me kruddhasya paryāptāḥ sarve lokāḥ śucismite |
cakṣuṣā yaṃ prapaśyāmi tasya tejo harāmyaham || 18 ||

5.15.19

tasmātte vacanaṃ devi kariṣyāmi na saṃśayaḥ |
saptarṣayo māṃ vakṣyanti sarve brahmarṣayastathā |
paśya māhātmyamasmākamṛddhiṃ ca varavarṇini || 19 ||

5.15.20

evamuktvā tu tāṃ devīṃ visṛjya ca varānanām |
vimāne yojayitvā sa ṛṣīnniyamamāsthitān || 20 ||

"Salya continued, 'Having thus addressed that goddess of lovely face, and having dismissed her thus, he harnessed to his heavenly car a number of saints devoted to the practice of austerities. A disregarder of Brahmanas, endued with power and intoxicated with pride, capricious, and of vicious soul, he employed those saints to carry him. Meanwhile, dismissed by Nahusha, Sachi went to Vrihaspati and said, 'But little remaineth of the term assigned by Nahusha to me. But compassionate unto me who respect thee so, and quickly find out Indra.'

5.15.21

abrahmaṇyo balopeto matto varamadena ca |
kāmavṛttaḥ sa duṣṭātmā vāhayāmāsa tānṛṣīn || 21 ||

5.15.22

nahuṣeṇa visṛṣṭā ca bṛhaspatimuvāca sā |
samayo'lpāvaśeṣo me nahuṣeṇeha yaḥ kṛtaḥ |
śakraṃ mṛgaya śīghraṃ tvaṃ bhaktāyāḥ kuru me dayām || 22 ||

5.15.23

bāḍhamityeva bhagavānbṛhaspatiruvāca tām |
na bhetavyaṃ tvayā devi nahuṣādduṣṭacetasaḥ || 23 ||

"The illustrious Vrihaspati then said to her, 'Very good, thou needst not, O goddess, fear, Nahusha of vicious soul. Surely, he shall not long retain his power. The wretch, in fact, is already gone, being regardless of virtue and because, O lovely dame, of his employing the great saints to carry him. And I shall perform a sacrifice for the destruction of this vicious wretch, and I shall find out Indra. Thou needst not fear. Fare thee well.' And Vrihaspati of great power then kindled a fire in the prescribed form, and put the very best offerings upon it in order to ascertain where the king of the gods was. And having put his offerings, O king, he said to the Fire, 'Search out Indra.' And there upon that revered god, the eater of burnt offerings, assumed of his own accord a wonderful feminine form and vanished from sight at that very spot. And endued with speed of the mind, he searched everywhere, mountains and forests, earth and sky, and came back to Vrihaspati within the twinkling of the eye. And Agni said, Vrihaspati, nowhere in these places do I find the king of the gods. The waters alone remain to be searched. I am always backward in entering the waters. I have no ingress therein. O Brahmana, what I am to do for thee.' The preceptor of the gods then said to him, 'O illustrious god, do thou enter the water.'

5.15.24

na hyeṣa sthāsyati ciraṃ gata eṣa narādhamaḥ |
adharmajño maharṣīṇāṃ vāhanācca hataḥ śubhe || 24 ||

5.15.25

iṣṭiṃ cāhaṃ kariṣyāmi vināśāyāsya durmateḥ |
śakraṃ cādhigamiṣyāmi mā bhaistvaṃ bhadramastu te || 25 ||

5.15.26

tataḥ prajvālya vidhivajjuhāva paramaṃ haviḥ |
bṛhaspatirmahātejā devarājopalabdhaye || 26 ||

5.15.27

tasmācca bhagavāndevaḥ svayameva hutāśanaḥ |
strīveṣamadbhutaṃ kṛtvā sahasāntaradhīyata || 27 ||

5.15.28

sa diśaḥ pradiśaścaiva parvatāṃśca vanāni ca |
pṛthivīṃ cāntarikṣaṃ ca vicīyātimanogatiḥ |
nimeṣāntaramātreṇa bṛhaspatimupāgamat || 28 ||

5.15.29

agniruvāca |
bṛhaspate na paśyāmi devarājamahaṃ kvacit |
āpaḥ śeṣāḥ sadā cāpaḥ praveṣṭuṃ notsahāmyaham |
na me tatra gatirbrahmankimanyatkaravāṇi te || 29 ||

5.15.30

śalya uvāca |
tamabravīddevagururapo viśa mahādyute || 30 ||

5.15.31

agniruvāca |
nāpaḥ praveṣṭuṃ śakṣyāmi kṣayo me'tra bhaviṣyati |
śaraṇaṃ tvāṃ prapanno'smi svasti te'stu mahādyute || 31 ||

"Agni said, 'I cannot enter the water. Therein it is extinction that awaits me. I place myself in thy hand, O thou of great effulgence. Mayst thou fare well! Fire rose from water, the military caste rose from the priestly caste; and iron had its origin in stone. The power of these which can penetrate all other things, hath no operation upon the sources from which they spring.'"

5.15.32

adbhyo'gnirbrahmataḥ kṣatramaśmano lohamutthitam |
teṣāṃ sarvatragaṃ tejaḥ svāsu yoniṣu śāmyati || 32 ||