12.141
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
pitāmaha mahāprājña sarvaśāstraviśārada। śaraṇaṃ pālayānasya yo dharmastaṃ vadasva me ॥12-141-1॥
O Grandfather, greatly wise and expert in all śāstras, please tell me what is the duty that serves as the refuge for one who seeks protection.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
mahāndharmo mahārāja śaraṇāgatapālane। arhaḥ praṣṭuṃ bhavāṃścaiva praśnaṃ bharatasattama ॥12-141-2॥
O great king, the duty of protecting those who have sought refuge is supreme. O best of the Bharatas, you are indeed worthy to ask this question.
nṛgaprabhṛtayo rājanrājānaḥ śaraṇāgatān। paripālya mahārāja saṃsiddhiṃ paramāṃ gatāḥ ॥12-141-3॥
O great king, kings such as Nṛga, having protected those who sought refuge, attained the highest perfection.
śrūyate hi kapotena śatruḥ śaraṇamāgataḥ। pūjitaś ca yathā-nyāyaṃ svaiś ca māṃsair nimantritaḥ॥12-141-4॥
It is said that the pigeon, seeing his enemy come for refuge, honored him as per the rules and even invited him with his own flesh.
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhishthira said.
kathaṁ kapotena purā śatruḥ śaraṇamāgataḥ। svamāṁsairbhojitaḥ kāṁ ca gatiṁ lebhe sa bhārata॥12-141-5॥
O Bhārata, how did the pigeon formerly feed the enemy who had come for refuge with his own flesh, and what state did he attain?
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
śṛṇu rājan kathāṃ divyāṃ sarvapāpapraṇāśinīm। nṛpater mucukundasya kathitāṃ bhārgaveṇa ha ॥12-141-6॥
O king, listen to the divine story that destroys all sins—the tale of King Mucukunda as narrated by Bhārgava.
imam arthaṃ purā pārtha mucukundo narādhipaḥ। bhārgavaṃ paripapraccha praṇato bharatarṣabha ॥12-141-7॥
O Pārtha, in ancient times, King Mucukunda, having bowed in reverence, asked Bhārgava about this matter, O best of the Bharatas.
tasmai śuśrūṣamāṇāya bhārgavo'kathayatkathām। iyaṃ yathā kapotena siddhiḥ prāptā narādhipa ॥12-141-8॥
Bhārgava narrated the story to the one who was serving him: "O king, this is how the pigeon attained success."
dharmaniścayasaṃyuktāṃ kāmārthasahitāṃ kathām। śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājangadato me mahābhuja ॥12-141-9॥
O mighty-armed king, listen attentively to the story, which is endowed with certainty of righteousness and accompanied by desire and purpose, as spoken by me.
kaścit-kṣudra-samācāraḥ pṛthivyāṃ kāla-saṃmataḥ। cacāra pṛthivīṃ pāpo ghoraḥ śakuni-lubdhakaḥ ॥12-141-10॥
A certain wicked bird-hunter of vile conduct, accepted by the times, roamed the earth; he was dreadful and evil.
kākola iva kṛṣṇāṅgo rūkṣaḥ pāpasamāhitaḥ। yavamadhyaḥ kṛśagrīvo hrasvapādo mahāhanuḥ ॥12-141-11॥
He is like a crow: black-bodied, rough, intent on evil, with a narrow waist, thin neck, short legs, and a large jaw.
naiva tasya suhṛtkaścinna sambandhī na bāndhavaḥ। sa hi taiḥ samparityaktastena ghoreṇa karmaṇā ॥12-141-12॥
He had neither any friend, nor relative, nor kinsman; indeed, he was completely abandoned by them because of that terrible deed.
sa vai kṣārakam ādāya dvijān hatvā vane sadā। cakāra vikrayaṃ teṣāṃ pataṅgānāṃ narādhipa ॥12-141-13॥
He, the king, would always take alkali, kill Brāhmaṇas in the forest, and sell their birds.
evaṃ tu vartamānasya tasya vṛttiṃ durātmanaḥ। agamatsumahānkālo na cādharmamabudhyata ॥12-141-14॥
Thus, while the wicked one continued his conduct, a very long time passed, but he did not realize his unrighteousness.
tasya bhāryāsahāyasya ramamāṇasya śāśvatam। daivayogavimūḍhasya nānyā vṛttirarocata ॥12-141-15॥
For him, who was enjoying eternal companionship with his wife, and was deluded by the conjunction of fate, no other way of life was pleasing.
tataḥ kadācittasyātha vanasthasya samudgataḥ। pātayanniva vṛkṣāṃstānsumahānvātasambhramaḥ ॥12-141-16॥
Then, at some time, a very great tumult of wind arose for him, who was dwelling in the forest, as if causing those trees to fall.
meghasaṅkulam ākāśaṃ vidyunmaṇḍalamaṇḍitam। sañchannaṃ sumuhūrtena nausthānenaiva sāgaraḥ ॥12-141-17॥
The sky, crowded with clouds and adorned with circles of lightning, was covered in a very short time, just as the ocean is by the position of a ship.
vāridhārāsamūhaiś ca samprahṛṣṭaḥ śatakratuḥ। kṣaṇena pūrayām āsa salilena vasundharām ॥12-141-18॥
Indra, overjoyed, instantly filled the earth with water by pouring down torrents of rain.
tato dhārākule loke sambhramannaṣṭacētanaḥ। śītārttastad vanaṃ sarvam ākulēnāntarātmanā ॥12-141-19॥
Then, bewildered and having lost consciousness in the world overwhelmed by torrents, afflicted by cold, he saw that entire forest with a deeply agitated heart.
naiva nimnaṃ sthalaṃ vāpi so'vindata vihaṅgahā। pūrito hi jalaughena mārgas tasya vanasya vai ॥12-141-20॥
He, the bird-killer, could not find any low ground or any place at all, for the path through that forest was completely flooded.
pakṣiṇo vātavegena hatā līnāstadābhavan। mṛgāḥ siṃhā varāhāśca sthalānyāśritya tasthire ॥12-141-21॥
The birds were swept away by the force of the wind and vanished at that time. The deer, lions, and boars took shelter in dry places and stayed there.
mahatā vātavarṣeṇa trāsitās te vanaukasaḥ। bhayārtāś ca kṣudhārtāś ca babhramuḥ sahitā vane ॥12-141-22॥
Driven by the great storm of wind and rain, those forest-dwellers, terrified and hungry, wandered together through the forest.
sa tu śītahatair gātrair jagāmaiva na tasthivān। so'paśyad vanaṣaṇḍeṣu meghanīlaṃ vanaspatim ॥12-141-23॥
But he, with limbs afflicted by cold, did not stand still and went on. In the forest groves, he saw a tree dark as a cloud.
tārāḍhyaṃ kumudākāram ākāśaṃ nirmalaṃ ca ha। meghair muktaṃ nabho dṛṣṭvā lubdhakaḥ śītavihvalaḥ ॥12-141-24॥
The hunter, overcome by cold, saw the pure sky, filled with stars and resembling a white lotus, now cleared of clouds.
diśo'valokayāmāsa velāṃ caiva durātmavān। dūre grāmaniveśaś ca tasmād deśād iti prabho ॥ kṛtabuddhir vane tasmin vastuṃ tāṃ rajanīṃ tadā ॥12-141-25॥
The wicked-minded one looked around at the directions and the boundary. O lord, since the village settlement was far from that region, he decided to spend that night there in the forest.
so'ñjaliṃ prayataḥ kṛtvā vākyam āha vanaspatim। śaraṇaṃ yāmi yāny asmin daivatāniha bhārata ॥12-141-26॥
He respectfully joined his palms and addressed the tree, saying: "O Bhārata, I seek refuge in the deities present here within this (tree)."
sa śilāyāṃ śiraḥ kṛtvā parṇāny āstīrya bhūtale। duḥkhena mahatāviṣṭas tataḥ suṣvāpa pakṣihā ॥12-141-27॥
He placed his head on the stone, spread leaves on the ground, and, overwhelmed by great pain, the bird-killer then slept.
