01.120
Pancharatra:Kripa's story.
जनमेजय उवाच॥
Janamejaya said.
कृपस्यापि महाब्रह्मन्सम्भवं वक्तुमर्हसि । शरस्तम्भात्कथं जज्ञे कथं चास्त्राण्यवाप्तवान् ॥१-१२०-१॥
O great Brāhmaṇa, you ought to tell also the origin of Kṛpa. How was he born from the column of arrows, and how did he obtain weapons?
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥
Vaiśampāyana said.
महर्षेर्गौतमस्यासीच्छरद्वान्नाम नामतः । पुत्रः किल महाराज जातः सह शरैर्विभो ॥१-१२०-२॥
O great king, there was a son of the great sage Gautama named Śaradvat, who was born along with arrows, O lord.
न तस्य वेदाध्ययने तथा बुद्धिरजायत । यथास्य बुद्धिरभवद्धनुर्वेदे परन्तप ॥१-१२०-३॥
His intellect did not arise so much in the Vedas as it did in the science of archery, O scorcher of foes.
अधिजग्मुर्यथा वेदांस्तपसा ब्रह्मवादिनः । तथा स तपसोपेतः सर्वाण्यस्त्राण्यवाप ह ॥१-१२०-४॥
As the speakers of Brahman mastered the Vedas through austerity, so he, endowed with austerity, indeed obtained all weapons.
धनुर्वेदपरत्वाच्च तपसा विपुलेन च । भृशं सन्तापयामास देवराजं स गौतमः ॥१-१२०-५॥
Due to his deep devotion to archery and intense austerity, that Gautama greatly afflicted the king of the gods.
ततो जालपदीं नाम देवकन्यां सुरेश्वरः । प्राहिणोत्तपसो विघ्नं कुरु तस्येति कौरव ॥१-१२०-६॥
Then the lord of gods sent a divine maiden named Jālapadī as an obstacle to his austerity, O Kaurava.
साभिगम्याश्रमपदं रमणीयं शरद्वतः । धनुर्बाणधरं बाला लोभयामास गौतमम् ॥१-१२०-७॥
She approached the delightful hermitage of Śaradvat and tempted Gautama, the bearer of bow and arrows.
तामेकवसनां दृष्ट्वा गौतमोऽप्सरसं वने । लोकेऽप्रतिमसंस्थानामुत्फुल्लनयनोऽभवत् ॥१-१२०-८॥
Seeing her clothed in a single garment, Gautama beheld the nymph in the forest and became wide-eyed, for she had a matchless form in the world.
धनुश्च हि शराश्चास्य कराभ्यां प्रापतन्भुवि । वेपथुश्चास्य तां दृष्ट्वा शरीरे समजायत ॥१-१२०-९॥
His bow and arrows indeed fell from his hands to the ground, and trembling arose in his body on seeing her.
स तु ज्ञानगरीयस्त्वात्तपसश्च समन्वयात् । अवतस्थे महाप्राज्ञो धैर्येण परमेण ह ॥१-१२०-१०॥
However, due to the superiority of knowledge and combination of austerity, the great sage stood firm with supreme steadiness.
यस्त्वस्य सहसा राजन्विकारः समपद्यत । तेन सुस्राव रेतोऽस्य स च तन्नावबुध्यत ॥१-१२०-११॥
O king, a sudden change occurred in him, and thereby his semen was discharged, but he did not realize it.
स विहायाश्रमं तं च तां चैवाप्सरसं मुनिः । जगाम रेतस्तत्तस्य शरस्तम्बे पपात ह ॥१-१२०-१२॥
Abandoning that hermitage and that nymph, the sage went away, and his semen fell on the arrow-pile.
शरस्तम्बे च पतितं द्विधा तदभवन्नृप । तस्याथ मिथुनं जज्ञे गौतमस्य शरद्वतः ॥१-१२०-१३॥
O king, that which fell on the arrow-pile became divided in two, and a pair was born of Gautama, Śaradvat’s line.
मृगयां चरतो राज्ञः शन्तनोस्तु यदृच्छया । कश्चित्सेनाचरोऽरण्ये मिथुनं तदपश्यत ॥१-१२०-१४॥
While King Śantanu was hunting, a soldier by chance saw that pair in the forest.
धनुश्च सशरं दृष्ट्वा तथा कृष्णाजिनानि च । व्यवस्य ब्राह्मणापत्यं धनुर्वेदान्तगस्य तत् । स राज्ञे दर्शयामास मिथुनं सशरं तदा ॥१-१२०-१५॥
Seeing the bow with arrows and also the black-deer-skins, he concluded they were offspring of a Brāhmaṇa versed in Dhanurveda, and he showed the armed pair to the king.
स तदादाय मिथुनं राजाथ कृपयान्वितः । आजगाम गृहानेव मम पुत्राविति ब्रुवन् ॥१-१२०-१६॥
Then the king, filled with compassion, took the pair and came home saying, “These are my sons.”
ततः संवर्धयामास संस्कारैश्चाप्ययोजयत । गौतमोऽपि तदापेत्य धनुर्वेदपरोऽभवत् ॥१-१२०-१७॥
Then he raised them and also performed sacraments, and Gautama, arriving then, became devoted to archery.
कृपया यन्मया बालाविमौ संवर्धिताविति । तस्मात्तयोर्नाम चक्रे तदेव स महीपतिः ॥१-१२०-१८॥
Because I raised these two children with compassion, the king gave them names based on that very act.
निहितौ गौतमस्तत्र तपसा तावविन्दत । आगम्य चास्मै गोत्रादि सर्वमाख्यातवांस्तदा ॥१-१२०-१९॥
Gautama found those two there through austerity, and coming to him then, told him everything including lineage.
चतुर्विधं धनुर्वेदमस्त्राणि विविधानि च । निखिलेनास्य तत्सर्वं गुह्यमाख्यातवांस्तदा ॥ सोऽचिरेणैव कालेन परमाचार्यतां गतः ॥१-१२०-२०॥
He taught him the fourfold Dhanurveda and various secret weapons fully, and in short time he attained supreme mastery.
ततोऽधिजग्मुः सर्वे ते धनुर्वेदं महारथाः । धृतराष्ट्रात्मजाश्चैव पाण्डवाश्च महाबलाः ॥ वृष्णयश्च नृपाश्चान्ये नानादेशसमागताः ॥१-१२०-२१॥
Then all those great warriors — sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the mighty Pāṇḍavas, the Vṛṣṇis, and kings from various regions — mastered Dhanurveda.
