01.224
Pancharatra: Mandapala and Jarita return to greet surviving Shangrakas. Women are not to be trusted, ways of the world are presented.
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥
Vaiśampāyana said.
मन्दपालोऽपि कौरव्य चिन्तयानः सुतांस्तदा। उक्तवानप्यशीतांशुं नैव स स्म न तप्यते ॥१-२२४-१॥
Mandapala, O descendant of Kuru, while thinking of his sons at that time, also spoke to the moon; yet he was not at all tormented.
स तप्यमानः पुत्रार्थे लपितामिदमब्रवीत्। कथं न्वशक्ताः प्लवने लपिते मम पुत्रकाः ॥१-२२४-२॥
Tormented for his son, he lamented and said: "How is it that my sons, while lamenting, are unable to leap?" (1-224-2)
वर्धमाने हुतवहे वाते शीघ्रं प्रवायति। असमर्था विमोक्षाय भविष्यन्ति ममात्मजाः ॥१-२२४-३॥
As the fire grows and the wind blows swiftly, my sons will be unable to free themselves. (1-224-3)
कथं न्वशक्ता त्राणाय माता तेषां तपस्विनी। भविष्यत्यसुखाविष्टा पुत्रत्राणमपश्यती ॥१-२२४-४॥
How will their ascetic mother, unable to protect, and afflicted by unhappiness, become, seeing no way to protect her son? (1-224-4)
कथं नु सरणेऽशक्तान्पतने च ममात्मजान्। सन्तप्यमाना अभितो वाशमानाभिधावती ॥१-२२४-५॥
How can I bear to see my sons, unable to run or even to fall, while I, burning with grief, run all around or cry out for them? (1-224-5)
जरितारिः कथं पुत्रः सारिसृक्वः कथं च मे। स्तम्बमित्रः कथं द्रोणः कथं सा च तपस्विनी ॥१-२२४-६॥
How is Jaritari's son? How is Sārisṛkva, and how is my Stambamitra? How is Droṇa, and how is she, the ascetic woman? (1-224-6)
लालप्यमानं तमृषिं मन्दपालं तथा वने। लपिता प्रत्युवाचेदं सासूयमिव भारत ॥१-२२४-७॥
O Bhārata, as Mandapala the sage was being addressed in the forest, the speaker replied to him as if with jealousy. (1-224-7)
न ते सुतेष्ववेक्षास्ति तानृषीनुक्तवानसि। तेजस्विनो वीर्यवन्तो न तेषां ज्वलनाद्भयम् ॥१-२२४-८॥
You do not have regard for your sons; you have called those sages brilliant and powerful; they have no fear from fire. (1-224-8)
तथाग्नौ ते परीत्ताश्च त्वया हि मम संनिधौ। प्रतिश्रुतं तथा चेति ज्वलनेन महात्मना ॥१-२२४-९॥
In this way, your protected ones, by you, indeed, in my presence, were promised thus by the great soul, by the fire. (1-224-9)
लोकपालोऽनृतां वाचं न तु वक्ता कथञ्चन। समर्थास्ते च वक्तारो न ते तेष्वस्ति मानसम् ॥१-२२४-१०॥
The guardian of the world never utters false words; though they are capable speakers, they lack true intention in their minds. (1-224-10)
तामेव तु ममामित्रीं चिन्तयन्परितप्यसे। ध्रुवं मयि न ते स्नेहो यथा तस्यां पुराभवत् ॥१-२२४-११॥
But you are tormented, thinking only of her, my enemy; surely, your affection for me is not as it once was for her. (1-224-11)
न हि पक्षवता न्याय्यं निःस्नेहेन सुहृज्जने। पीड्यमान उपद्रष्टुं शक्तेनात्मा कथञ्चन ॥१-२२४-१२॥
It is not just for one who is partial or for one without affection to witness the suffering of a dear person if one is able to help, in any way. (1-224-12)
गच्छ त्वं जरितामेव यदर्थं परितप्यसे। चरिष्याम्यहमप्येका यथा कापुरुषे तथा ॥१-२२४-१३॥
Go to the old woman for whom you are grieving. I too shall live alone, just as one does with a coward. (1-224-13)
मन्दपाल उवाच॥
Mandapāla said.
नाहमेवं चरे लोके यथा त्वमभिमन्यसे। अपत्यहेतोर्विचरे तच्च कृच्छ्रगतं मम ॥१-२२४-१४॥
I do not act in this world as you suppose; I act for the sake of offspring, and that too is a source of distress for me. (1-224-14)
भूतं हित्वा भविष्येऽर्थे योऽवलम्बेत मन्दधीः। अवमन्येत तं लोको यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ॥१-२२४-१५॥
Whoever, abandoning the past, relies only on the future is of dull intellect; such a person is despised by the world. Do as you wish. (1-224-15)
एष हि ज्वलमानोऽग्निर्लेलिहानो महीरुहान्। द्वेष्यं हि हृदि सन्तापं जनयत्यशिवं मम ॥१-२२४-१६॥
This burning fire, licking the trees, indeed generates inauspicious and hateful pain in my heart. (1-224-16)
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥
Vaiśampāyana said.
तस्माद्देशादतिक्रान्ते ज्वलने जरिता ततः। जगाम पुत्रकानेव त्वरिता पुत्रगृद्धिनी ॥१-२२४-१७॥
Having passed from that region and having been burned in the fire, then, desiring her sons, she hurried like one longing for her children. (1-224-17)
सा तान्कुशलिनः सर्वान्निर्मुक्ताञ्जातवेदसः। रोरूयमाणा कृपणा सुतान्दृष्टवती वने ॥१-२२४-१८॥
She saw all her sons, safe and freed from the fire, in the forest; distressed, she wept loudly. (1-224-18)
अश्रद्धेयतमं तेषां दर्शनं सा पुनः पुनः। एकैकशश्च तान्पुत्रान्क्रोशमानान्वपद्यत ॥१-२२४-१९॥
For them, it was the most unbelievable sight as she, again and again, approached each of her sons who were crying, one by one. (1-224-19)
ततोऽभ्यगच्छत्सहसा मन्दपालोऽपि भारत। अथ ते सर्व एवैनं नाभ्यनन्दन्त वै सुताः ॥१-२२४-२०॥
Then, O Bhārata, Mandapala suddenly arrived. However, all his sons did not welcome him at all. (1-224-20)
लालप्यमानमेकैकं जरितां च पुनः पुनः। नोचुस्ते वचनं किञ्चित्तमृषिं साध्वसाधु वा ॥१-२२४-२१॥
Though each of the singers was repeatedly addressed, none of them uttered even a single word to the sage, whether it was good or bad. (1-224-21)
मन्दपाल उवाच॥
Mandapāla said.
ज्येष्ठः सुतस्ते कतमः कतमस्तदनन्तरः। मध्यमः कतमः पुत्रः कनिष्ठः कतमश्च ते ॥१-२२४-२२॥
Which is your eldest son? Which one comes immediately after him? Which is your middle son? Which is your youngest son? (1-224-22)
एवं ब्रुवन्तं दुःखार्तं किं मां न प्रतिभाषसे। कृतवानस्मि हव्याशे नैव शान्तिमितो लभे ॥१-२२४-२३॥
To one speaking thus, afflicted with sorrow, why do you not answer me? O Havyāśa, I have done (what I could), yet I do not find peace here. (1-224-23)
जरितोवाच॥
Jarita spoke.
किं ते ज्येष्ठे सुते कार्यं किमनन्तरजेन वा। किं च ते मध्यमे कार्यं किं कनिष्ठे तपस्विनि ॥१-२२४-२४॥
What should you do with your eldest son, or with the next-born? And what should you do with the middle one? What about the youngest, O ascetic lady? (1-224-24)
यस्त्वं मां सर्वशो हीनामुत्सृज्यासि गतः पुरा। तामेव लपितां गच्छ तरुणीं चारुहासिनीम् ॥१-२२४-२५॥
You, who once entirely abandoned me and left long ago, go now to that very talkative young woman with the beautiful smile. (1-224-25)
मन्दपाल उवाच॥
Mandapala said.
न स्त्रीणां विद्यते किञ्चिदन्यत्र पुरुषान्तरात्। सापत्नकमृते लोके भवितव्यं हि तत्तथा ॥१-२२४-२६॥
There is nothing for women apart from another man; except in the world where there are co-wives, it must indeed be so. (1-224-26)
सुव्रतापि हि कल्याणी सर्वलोकपरिश्रुता। अरुन्धती पर्यशङ्कद्वसिष्ठमृषिसत्तमम् ॥१-२२४-२७॥
Even Arundhatī, the virtuous and renowned lady in all worlds, doubted Vasiṣṭha, the foremost among sages. (1-224-27)
विशुद्धभावमत्यन्तं सदा प्रियहिते रतम्। सप्तर्षिमध्यगं वीरमवमेने च तं मुनिम् ॥१-२२४-२८॥
He, whose mind was utterly pure and always engaged in what was dear and beneficial, was regarded as a hero among the seven sages, and as a sage. (1-224-28)
अपध्यानेन सा तेन धूमारुणसमप्रभा। लक्ष्यालक्ष्या नाभिरूपा निमित्तमिव लक्ष्यते ॥१-२२४-२९॥
Because of inattentiveness, she, with a radiance like smoke and sunrise, appears to him as something visible yet invisible, having the form of a navel, like a mark. (1-224-29)
अपत्यहेतोः सम्प्राप्तं तथा त्वमपि मामिह। इष्टमेवङ्गते हित्वा सा तथैव च वर्तसे ॥१-२२४-३०॥
Just as one obtains something for the sake of offspring, in the same way, you too have abandoned me here, and she too acts in the same manner as you. (1-224-30)
नैव भार्येति विश्वासः कार्यः पुंसा कथञ्चन। न हि कार्यमनुध्याति भार्या पुत्रवती सती ॥१-२२४-३१॥
A man should never place trust in a wife as 'wife'; for a wife, even if she is chaste and has a son, does not truly reflect upon his work. (1-224-31)
वैशम्पायन उवाच॥
Vaiśampāyana said.
ततस्ते सर्व एवैनं पुत्राः सम्यगुपासिरे। स च तानात्मजान्राजन्नाश्वासयितुमारभत् ॥१-२२४-३२॥
Then all his sons properly attended to him. And he, O king, began to console those sons. (1-224-32)
