12.278
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
tiṣṭhate me sadā tāta kautūhalam idaṃ hṛdi. tad ahaṃ śrotum icchāmi tvattaḥ kurupitāmaha ॥12-278-1॥
O grandsire of the Kurus, this curiosity always remains in my heart, O father. Therefore, I wish to hear it from you.
kathaṁ devarṣiruśanā sadā kāvyo mahāmatiḥ। asurāṇāṁ priyakaraḥ surāṇāmapriye rataḥ ॥12-278-2॥
How is it that the divine sage Uśanā, always known as Kāvya and of great intellect, acts in ways pleasing to the Asuras and is engaged in what is disagreeable to the Devas?
vardhayāmāsa tejaś ca kimartham amitaujasām। nityaṃ vairanibaddhāś ca dānavāḥ surasattamaiḥ ॥12-278-3॥
He caused the splendor of those with immeasurable energy to increase; for what reason are the Dānavas always bound in enmity with the best of the gods?
kathaṁ cāpy uśanā prāpa śukratvam amaradyutiḥ। ṛddhiṁ ca sa kathaṁ prāptaḥ sarvam etad bravīhi me ॥12-278-4॥
How did Uśanā, the one with the splendor of the immortals, obtain the state of Śukra and attain prosperity? Tell me all this.
na yāti ca sa tejasvī madhyena nabhasaḥ katham। etadicchāmi vijñātuṃ nikhilena pitāmaha ॥12-278-5॥
O grandsire, I wish to know completely how that radiant one does not go through the middle of the sky.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
śṛṇu rājann-avahitaḥ sarvam etad yathā tatham। yathā-mati yathā ca etat śruta-pūrvaṃ mayā anagha ॥12-278-6॥
O king, listen attentively to all this exactly as it is; I will tell you as I understand and as I have previously heard it, O sinless one.
eṣa bhārgavadāyādo muniḥ satyo dṛḍhavrataḥ। asurāṇāṃ priyakaro nimitte karuṇātmake ॥12-278-7॥
This sage, a descendant of Bhṛgu, steadfast in truth and firm in his vows, performed acts pleasing to the Asuras for the sake of the compassionate one.
indro'tha dhanado rājā yakṣarakṣodhipaḥ sa ca। prabhaviṣṇuśca kośasya jagataśca tathā prabhuḥ॥12-278-8॥
Indra, then Kubera, the king and lord of the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, he also, being powerful, is the lord of the treasury and of the world as well.
tasyātmānam athāviśya yogasiddho mahāmuniḥ। ruddhvā dhanapatiṃ devaṃ yogena hṛtavānvasu ॥12-278-9॥
Then, the great sage, accomplished in yoga, having entered his own self, restrained the god, the lord of wealth, by yoga, and carried away the wealth.
hṛte dhane tataḥ śarma na lebhe dhanadas tathā। āpannamanyuḥ saṃvignaḥ so'bhagātsurasattamam ॥12-278-10॥
After his wealth was taken, Kubera found no happiness; troubled and angry, he went to the foremost of the gods.
nivedayāmāsa tadā śivāyāmitatejase। devaśreṣṭhāya rudrāya saumyāya bahurūpiṇe ॥12-278-11॥
Then he offered (it) to Śiva, the one of immeasurable brilliance, the foremost among gods, Rudra, the gentle one, the one of many forms.
kubera uvāca॥
Kubera said.
yogātmakenośanasā ruddhvā mama hṛtaṃ vasu। yogenātmagatiṃ kṛtvā niḥsṛtaśca mahātapāḥ ॥12-278-12॥
Uśanas, whose nature is yoga, having restrained and taken my stolen wealth, departed by means of yoga after making his soul's movement; the great ascetic thus left.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
etat-śrutvā tataḥ kruddho mahāyogī maheśvaraḥ। saṁrakta-nayano rājan śūlam ādāya tasthivān ॥12-278-13॥
O king, having heard this, the great yogi, the great lord Maheśvara, became angry, his eyes reddened, and he stood holding his trident.
kvāsvau kvāsāvitip rāha gṛhītvā paramāyudham। uśanā dūratastasya babhau jñātvā cikīrṣitam ॥12-278-14॥
He said, "Where are they? Where is she?"—having taken up the supreme weapon. Uśanā (Śukra), knowing his intention, shone from afar.
sa mahāyogino buddhvā taṃ roṣaṃ vai mahātmanaḥ। gatim-āgamanaṃ vetti sthānaṃ vetti tataḥ prabhuḥ ॥12-278-15॥
He, the lord, having perceived that anger of the great-souled great yogin, indeed knows the movement and arrival, and knows the place as well.
sañcintyogreṇa tapasā mahātmānaṃ maheśvaram। uśanā yogasiddhātmā śūlāgre pratyadṛśyata ॥12-278-16॥
Uśanā, perfected in yoga, beheld the great-souled Lord Maheśvara at the tip of the trident after deep contemplation and austerity.
vijñātarūpaḥ sa tadā tapaḥsiddhena dhanvinā। jñātvā śūlaṃ ca deveśaḥ pāṇinā samanāmayat ॥12-278-17॥
Then, having assumed a known form, he, the lord of the gods, with his own hand, aligned the spear, having recognized it, by the bowman perfected in austerity.
ānatena atha śūlena pāṇinā amita-tejasā। pinākam iti ca uvāca śūlam ugrayudhaḥ prabhuḥ ॥12-278-18॥
Then, the lord with fierce weapons, holding the spear in his hand with immeasurable brilliance, said, "Pinaka."
pāṇimadhyagataṃ dṛṣṭvā bhārgavaṃ tamumāpatiḥ। āsyaṃ vivṛtya kakudī pāṇiṃ samprākṣipacchanaiḥ ॥12-278-19॥
Seeing Bhārgava with his hand in the middle, Umāpati (Śiva) opened his mouth and slowly inserted the Kakudī finger and his hand.
sa tu praviṣṭa uśanā koṣṭhaṃ māheśvaraṃ prabhuḥ। vyacaraccāpi tatrāsau mahātmā bhṛgunandanaḥ ॥12-278-20॥
But Uśanā (Śukra), the great-souled descendant of Bhṛgu, entered the chamber of Maheśvara (Śiva) and moved about there.
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
kimarthaṃ vyacarad rājann uśanā tasya dhīmataḥ। jaṭhare devadevasya kiṃ cākārṣīn mahādyutiḥ॥12-278-21॥
O king, for what reason did Uśanā (Śukra), the wise one, move about? And what did the greatly radiant one do in the belly of the god of gods?
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
purā so'ntarjalagataḥ sthāṇubhūto mahāvrataḥ। varṣāṇāmabhavad rājann prayutānyarbudāni ca ॥12-278-22॥
Long ago, he entered the water and stood motionless, observing a great vow; O king, countless millions and hundreds of millions of years passed.
udatiṣṭhattapastaptvā duścaraṃ sa mahāhradāt। tato devātidevastaṃ brahmā samupasarpata ॥12-278-23॥
He rose from the great lake after performing severe austerities. Then Brahmā, the god above all gods, approached him.
tapovṛddhim apṛcchac ca kuśalaṃ ca enam avyayam। tapaḥ sucīrṇam iti ca provāca vṛṣabhadhvajaḥ ॥12-278-24॥
He inquired about the progress of asceticism and his imperishable welfare, and said, "Your asceticism is well-performed," thus spoke Śiva, the Bull-bannered one.
tatsaṃyogena vṛddhiṃ cāpyapaśyatsa tu śaṅkaraḥ। mahāmatiracintyātmā satyadharmarataḥ sadā ॥12-278-25॥
But Śaṅkara, who was great-minded, of inconceivable nature, and always delighting in true dharma, saw also the increase by that union.
sa tenāḍhyo mahāyogī tapasā ca dhanena ca। vyarājata mahārāja triṣu lokeṣu vīryavān ॥12-278-26॥
O great king, he, being wealthy and a great yogi, shone powerfully in the three worlds by his austerity and wealth.
tataḥ pinākī yogātmā dhyānayogaṃ samāviśat। uśanā tu samudvigno nililye jaṭhare tataḥ ॥12-278-27॥
Then Pinākī (Śiva), whose nature is yoga, entered into meditation. But Uśanā (Śukra), being agitated, hid himself in the belly at that time.
tuṣṭāva ca mahāyogī devaṃ tatrastha eva ca। niḥsāraṃ kāṅkṣamāṇas tu tejasā pratyahanyata ॥12-278-28॥
The great yogi, standing there, praised the god. Yet, desiring what was without true essence, he was repelled by the brilliance.
uśanā tu tadovāca jaṭharastho mahāmuniḥ। prasādaṃ me kuruṣveti punaḥ punararindama ॥12-278-29॥
But Uśanā, the great sage who was situated in the belly, then said, 'Grant me your favor,' again and again, O subduer of enemies.
tamuvāca mahādevo gaccha śiśnena mokṣaṇam। iti srotāṃsi sarvāṇi ruddhvā tridaśapuṅgavaḥ ॥12-278-30॥
Mahādeva said to him, "Go and obtain release with the penis." Thus, having blocked all the streams, the chief of the gods did so.
apaśyamānaḥ sa dvāraṃ sarvataḥpihito muniḥ। paryakrāmad dahyamāna itaś cetaś ca tejasā ॥12-278-31॥
Unable to see the door, which was covered on all sides, the sage moved about, burning here and there by the brilliance.
sa viniṣkramya śiśnena śukratvam abhipedivān। kāryeṇa tena nabhasaḥ nāgacchata ca madhyataḥ ॥12-278-32॥
He went out, and with his penis, having attained the state of semen by that act, he did not come down from the sky, but from the middle.
niṣkrāntamatha taṃ dṛṣṭvā jvalantamiva tejasā। bhavo roṣasamāviṣṭaḥ śūlodyatakaraḥ sthitaḥ ॥12-278-33॥
Then, seeing him depart, blazing as if with brilliance, Bhava (Śiva), filled with anger, stood with his hand raised holding the trident.
nyavārayata taṃ devī kruddhaṃ paśupatiṃ patim। putratvam-agamad-devyā vārite śaṅkare ca saḥ ॥12-278-34॥
The goddess stopped the angry Lord Paśupati. Because the goddess and Śaṅkara restrained him, he became their son.
devyuvāca॥
The goddess said.
hiṁsanīyastvayā naiṣa mama putratvamāgataḥ। na hi devodarāt kaścin niḥsṛto nāśam arcchati ॥12-278-35॥
He is to be harmed by you; he has not become my son. For, indeed, no one who is born from the belly of a god meets with destruction.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
tataḥ prīto'bhavaddevyāḥ prahasaṃścedamabravīt। gacchatveṣa yathākāmamiti rājān punaḥ punaḥ ॥12-278-36॥
Then, being pleased with the queen, he smiled and said: "Let her go as she wishes," O king, again and again.
tataḥ praṇamya varadaṃ devaṃ devī-mumāṃ tathā। uśanā prāpa tad dhīmān gatim iṣṭāṃ mahāmuniḥ ॥12-278-37॥
Then Uśanā, the wise great sage, after bowing to the boon-giving god and to the goddess Umā, attained the desired state.
etat te kathitaṃ tāta bhārgavasya mahātmanaḥ। caritaṃ bharataśreṣṭha yan māṃ tvaṃ paripṛcchasi ॥12-278-38॥
O best of the Bharatas, I have told you, dear one, the deeds of the great-souled Bhārgava, which you asked me about.
