12.125
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
śīlaṃ pradhānaṃ puruṣe kathitaṃ te pitāmaha। kathamāśā samutpannā yā ca sā tadvadasva me ॥12-125-1॥
O grandsire, character is said to be the chief quality in a person. How does hope arise, and what is it? Please explain that to me.
saṃśayo me mahāneṣa samutpannaḥ pitāmaha। chettā ca tasya nānyo'sti tvattaḥ parapurañjaya ॥12-125-2॥
O grandsire, a great doubt has arisen in me. There is no one other than you, O conqueror of enemy cities, who can remove it.
pitāmahāśā mahatī mamāsīddhi suyodhane। prāpte yuddhe tu yadyuktaṃ tatkartāyamiti prabho ॥12-125-3॥
O lord, my great desire for the grandsire was indeed in Suyodhana; but when the battle arrived, whatever was proper, that ought to be done.
sarvasyāśā sumahatī puruṣasyopajāyate। tasyāṃ vihanyamānāyāṃ duḥkho mṛtyurasaṃśayam ॥12-125-4॥
The hope of every person is very great. When that is destroyed, sorrow and death, without doubt, follow.
so'ham hatāśo durbuddhiḥ kṛtasten durātmanā। dhārtarāṣṭreṇa rājendra paśya mandātmatāṃ mama ॥12-125-5॥
O king, see how I, made despairing and of poor understanding by that wicked son of Dhritarashtra, have become so dull in spirit.
āśāṃ mahattarāṃ manye parvatād api sadrumāt। ākāśād api vā rājannaprameyaiva vā punaḥ ॥12-125-6॥
O king, I consider hope to be greater than a mountain, greater than a tree, greater even than the sky, or perhaps it is truly immeasurable.
eṣā caiva kuruśreṣṭha durvicintyā sudurlabhā। durlabhatvācca paśyāmi kimanyaddurlabhaṃ tataḥ ॥12-125-7॥
O best of the Kurus, this is indeed very difficult to comprehend and extremely rare. Because of its rarity, I do not see anything else rarer than this.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
atra te vartayiṣyāmi yudhiṣṭhira nibodha tat। itihāsaṃ sumitrasya nirvṛttamṛṣabhasya ca ॥12-125-8॥
Here, Yudhiṣṭhira, listen as I narrate to you the story of Sumitra and the accomplished Ṛṣabha.
sumitro nāma rājarṣirhaihayo mṛgayāṃ gataḥ। sasāra sa mṛgaṃ viddhvā bāṇena nataparvaṇā ॥12-125-9॥
Sumitra, a royal sage of the Haihaya lineage, went hunting. He chased the deer after striking it with a bent-jointed arrow.
sa mṛgo bāṇam-ādāya yayāv-amita-vikramaḥ। sa ca rājā balī tūrṇaṃ sasāra mṛga-m-antikāt ॥12-125-10॥
The deer of immeasurable valor, having taken the arrow, went away. And the strong king quickly pursued the deer from close by.
tato nimnaṃ sthalaṃ caiva sa mṛgo 'dravad āśugaḥ। muhūrtam eva rājendra samena sa pathāgamat ॥12-125-11॥
Then, O king, the swift deer ran down to the lower ground and, for a moment, followed the same path.
tataḥ sa rājā tāruṇyād aurasena balena ca। sasāra bāṇāsanabhṛt-sakhaḍgo haṃsavat tadā ॥12-125-12॥
Then that king, youthful, strong by birth, ran forth with his bow, arrows, and sword, moving like a swan.
tīrtvā nadān nadīś caiva palvalāni vanāni ca। atikramyābhyatikramya sasāraiva vane caran ॥12-125-13॥
He crossed rivers, streams, marshes, and forests, repeatedly passing through them, and continued wandering in the forest.
sa tu kāmān mṛgo rājann āsādy āsādya taṃ nṛpam। punar abhyeti javano javena mahatā tataḥ ॥12-125-14॥
But, O king, the deer, though desiring (to be caught), not having been reached, after approaching the king, again swiftly departs from there with great speed.
sa tasya bāṇair bahubhiḥ samabhyasto vanecaraḥ। prakrīḍann iva rājendra punar abhyeti cāntikam ॥12-125-15॥
O king, that forest-dweller, though thoroughly struck by many of his arrows, as if sporting, again comes near.
punaśca javamāsthāya javano mṛgayūthapaḥ। atītyātītya rājendra punarabhyeti cāntikam ॥12-125-16॥
O king, again the swift leader of the herd of deer, having assumed speed and having crossed (the distance) repeatedly, comes near once more.
tasya marmacchidaṃ ghoraṃ sumitro’mitrakarśanaḥ। samādāya śaraśreṣṭhaṃ kārmukānniravāsṛjat ॥12-125-17॥
Sumitra, the destroyer of enemies, took up the best arrow and shot from his bow a terrible shaft that pierced his foe’s vital parts.
tato gavyūtimātreṇa mṛgayūthapayūthapaḥ। tasya bāṇapathaṃ tyaktvā tasthivān prahasann iva ॥12-125-18॥
Then, having moved a gavyūti's distance away, the chief among the chiefs of the deer herd, leaving the range of the arrow, stood as if smiling.
tasminnipatite bāṇe bhūmau prajvalite tataḥ। praviveśa mahāraṇyaṃ mṛgo rājāpyathādravat ॥12-125-19॥
When that blazing arrow fell to the ground, then the deer entered the great forest; the king also then ran after.
praviśya tu mahāraṇyaṃ tāpasānām athāśramam। āsasāda tato rājā śrāntaś copāviśat punaḥ ॥12-125-20॥
After entering the great forest, the king reached the hermitage of the ascetics; then, being tired, he sat down again.
taṃ kārmukadharaṃ dṛṣṭvā śramārtaṃ kṣudhitaṃ tadā। sametya ṛṣayas tasmin pūjāṃ cakrur yathāvidhi ॥12-125-21॥
Then, having seen him, the bow-bearing one, afflicted by fatigue and hungry, the sages approached and performed honor to him according to the prescribed manner.
ṛṣayo rājaśārdūlam apṛcchan svaṃ prayojanam। kena bhadramukhārthena samprāpto'si tapovanam ॥12-125-22॥
The sages asked, "O tiger among kings, what is your purpose? With what auspicious intention have you come to the hermitage?"
padātirbaddhanistriṃśo dhanvī bāṇī nareśvara। etadicchāma vijñātuṃ kutaḥ prāpto'si mānada॥ kasminkule hi jātastvaṃ kiṃnāmāsi bravīhi naḥ॥12-125-23॥
O lord of men, you are a foot-soldier equipped with sword, bow, and arrows. We wish to know this: from where have you come, O giver of honor? In which family were you born? What is your name? Please tell us.
tataḥ sa rājā sarvebhyo dvijebhyaḥ puruṣarṣabha. ācakhyau tadyathānyāyaṃ paricaryāṃ ca bhārata ॥12-125-24॥
Then that king, O best of men, informed all the Brahmanas of the proper procedures and the service, O Bhārata.
haihayānāṃ kule jātaḥ sumitro mitranandanaḥ। carāmi mṛgayūthāni nighnanbāṇaiḥ sahasraśaḥ ॥ balena mahatā guptaḥ sāmātyaḥ sāvarodhanaḥ ॥12-125-25॥
Sumitra, son of Mitra, born in the family of the Haihayas, roamed among herds of deer, slaying thousands with arrows, protected by great strength, accompanied by ministers and women.
mṛgas tu viddho bāṇena mayā sarati śalyavān। taṃ dravantam anu prāpto vanam etad yadṛcchayā॥ bhavatsakāśe naṣṭaśrīr hatāśaḥ śramakarśitaḥ॥12-125-26॥
But the deer, which I pierced with an arrow, ran away with the dart still in it. Chasing after it, I happened to reach this forest. Now, in your presence, I am a man who has lost his fortune, is hopeless, and is worn out by fatigue.
kiṁ nu duḥkham ato'nya dvai yad ahaṁ śrama-karśitaḥ। bhavatām āśramam prāptaḥ hatāśaḥ naṣṭa-lakṣaṇaḥ ॥12-125-27॥
What greater suffering can there be than this? I, worn out by toil, have reached your hermitage, yet I am in despair, my signs of fortune lost.
na rājalakṣaṇatyāgo na purasya tapodhanāḥ। duḥkhaṃ karoti tat tīvraṃ yathāśā vihatā mama ॥12-125-28॥
It is not the abandonment of royal qualities, nor the ascetics of the city, that causes suffering; the suffering is intense because my hope has been destroyed.
himavānvā mahāśailaḥ samudro vā mahodadhiḥ। mahattvān nānvapadyetāṃ rodasyor antaraṃ yathā॥ āśāyās tapasi śreṣṭhās tathā nāntam ahaṃ gataḥ॥12-125-29॥
Just as even the Himalaya or the great ocean, due to their greatness, cannot fill the space between heaven and earth, so too, though hope and austerity are supreme, I have not found their end.
bhavatāṃ viditaṃ sarvaṃ sarvajñā hi tapodhanāḥ। bhavantaḥ sumahābhāgās tasmāt prakṣyāmi saṃśayam ॥12-125-30॥
Everything is known to you; you ascetics are indeed all-knowing and most highly fortunate. Therefore, I will ask you a question.
āśāvān puruṣo yaḥ syād antarikṣam athāpi vā। kiṃ nu jyāyas taraṃ loke mahattvāt pratibhāti vaḥ॥ etad icchāmi tattvena śrotuṃ kim iha durlabham॥ 12-125-31॥
Who, in your view, is greater in this world—a hopeful man, or even the sky itself? I wish to know truly: what is difficult to obtain here?
yadi guhyaṃ taponityā na vo brūteha māciram। na hi guhyamataḥ śrotumicchāmi dvijapuṅgavāḥ ॥12-125-32॥
If the secret is not revealed to you here, O ascetic, do not wait for long. Truly, O foremost of the twice-born, I do not wish to hear the secret.
bhavat-tapo-vighāto vā yena syād-virame tataḥ। yadi vāsti kathāyogo yo'yaṃ praśno mayeritaḥ॥12-125-33॥
If there is any obstacle to your penance by which it might be interrupted, or if there is an opportunity for conversation, this question has been asked by me.
etat-kāraṇa-sāmāgṛyaṃ śrotum icchāmi tattvataḥ। bhavanto hi tapo-nityā brūyur etat-samāhitāḥ ॥12-125-34॥
I wish to hear the complete cause of this in reality. You, who are ever devoted to austerity, may indeed speak this with concentration.
