12.310
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
kathaṁ vyāsasya dharmātmā śuko jajñe mahātapāḥ। siddhiṁ ca paramāṁ prāptas tan me brūhi pitāmaha ॥12-310-1॥
O grandsire, tell me how Śuka, the righteous-souled son of Vyāsa, who was a great ascetic, was born and attained the highest perfection. (12-310-1)
kasyāṁ cotpādayāmāsa śukaṁ vyāsastapodhanaḥ। na hyasya jananīṁ vidma janma cāgryaṁ mahātmanaḥ ॥12-310-2॥
We do not know in which woman the ascetic Vyāsa produced Śuka, nor do we know the mother or the excellent birth of that great-souled one. (12-310-2)
kathaṁ ca bālasya sataḥ sūkṣmajñāne gatā matiḥ। yathā nānyasya loke'smindvitīyasyeha kasyacit ॥12-310-3॥
How did the mind of the child, who exists, go into subtle knowledge? As in this world, there is not anyone else here who is a second. (12-310-3)
etadicchāmyahaṃ śrotuṃ vistareṇa mahādyute। na hi me tṛptirastīha śṛṇvato'mṛtamuttamam ॥12-310-4॥
O greatly radiant one, I wish to hear this in detail; for I do not have satisfaction here, listening to the supreme nectar. (12-310-4)
māhātmyam-ātmayogaṃ ca vijñānaṃ ca śukasya ha। yathāvad-anupūrveṇa tan me brūhi pitāmaha ॥12-310-5॥
O grandsire, tell me in proper order the greatness, the union with the self, and the special knowledge of Śuka, as it truly is. (12-310-5)
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhishma said.
na hāyanairna palitairna vittena na bandhubhiḥ। ṛṣayaścakrire dharmaṃ yo'nūcānaḥ sa no mahān ॥12-310-6॥
It is not by age, grey hair, wealth, or relatives that one is considered great; the sages have established that he who is well-learned in dharma is truly great for us. (12-310-6)
tapomūlam idaṃ sarvaṃ yan māṃ pṛcchasi pāṇḍava। tad indriyāṇi saṃyamya tapo bhavati nānyathā ॥12-310-7॥
O Pāṇḍava, all that you ask me has austerity as its root; by restraining the senses, austerity is accomplished—never otherwise. (12-310-7)
indriyāṇāṃ prasaṅgena doṣam ṛcchaty asaṃśayam। saṃniyamya tu tān eva siddhiṃ prāpnoti mānavaḥ ॥12-310-8॥
By attachment to the senses, one certainly incurs faults; but by restraining them, a person attains success. (12-310-8)
aśvamedhasahasrasya vājapeyaśatasya ca। yogasya kalayā tāta na tulyaṃ vidyate phalam ॥12-310-9॥
O dear one, the fruit of a thousand horse-sacrifices and a hundred Vājapeya sacrifices is not equal to even a fraction of yoga. (12-310-9)
atra te vartayiṣyāmi janmayogaphalaṃ yathā। śukasyāgryāṃ gatiṃ caiva durvidāmakṛtātmabhiḥ ॥12-310-10॥
Here I will tell you about the result of the union of birth, and also the supreme state of Śuka, which is difficult to know for those whose selves are unpurified. (12-310-10)
meruśṛṅge kila purā karṇikāravanāyute। vijahāra mahādevo bhīmairbhūtaganairvṛtaḥ ॥12-310-11॥
Long ago, on the summit of Meru, which was covered with a forest of karṇikāra trees, the great god Mahadeva wandered, surrounded by fearsome hosts of spirits. (12-310-11)
śailarājasutā caiva devī tatrābhavat purā। tatra divyaṃ tapas tepe kṛṣṇadvaipāyanaḥ prabhuḥ ॥12-310-12॥
Formerly, the goddess, daughter of the king of mountains, became present there. There, the lord Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana performed divine austerity. (12-310-12)
yogenātmānam āviśya yogadharmaparāyaṇaḥ। dhārayan tapastepe putrārthaṃ kurusattama ॥12-310-13॥
O best of the Kurus, having entered into the self by yoga and devoted to the duty of yoga, he sustained austerity and practiced it for the sake of obtaining a son. (12-310-13)
agnerbhūmerapāṃ vāyorantarikṣasya cābhibho। vīryeṇa saṃmitaḥ putro mama bhūyāditi sma ha ॥12-310-14॥
May my son, measured by the strength of Agni, earth, waters, Vāyu, and the atmosphere, O mighty one, indeed become so. (12-310-14)
saṅkalpenātha so'nena duṣprāpeṇākṛtātmabhiḥ। varayāmāsa deveśamāsthitas tapa uttamam ॥12-310-15॥
Then, by his resolve, he, having undertaken supreme austerity that is difficult to attain for those whose selves are not mastered, chose the lord of the gods. (12-310-15)
atiṣṭhan mārutāhāraḥ śataṃ kila samāḥ prabhuḥ। ārādhayan mahādevaṃ bahurūpam umāpatim ॥12-310-16॥
The lord lived for a hundred years sustained only by air, worshipping Mahadeva, the many-formed husband of Uma. (12-310-16)
tatra brahmarṣayaś caiva sarve devarṣayas tathā। lokapālāś ca lokeśaṃ sādhyāś ca vasubhiḥ saha ॥12-310-17॥
There, the Brahma-sages, all the divine sages, the guardians of the worlds, the lord of the worlds, the Sādhyas, and the Vasus were all present together. (12-310-17)
ādityāś caiva rudrāś ca divākara-niśākarau। maruto mārutaś caiva sāgarāḥ saritas tathā ॥12-310-18॥
The Ādityas, and indeed the Rudras, the sun and the moon, the Maruts, the wind-god, as well as the oceans and the rivers also. (12-310-18)
aśvinau devagandharvāstathā nāradaparvatau। viśvāvasuśca gandharvaḥ siddhāścāpsarasāṃ gaṇāḥ ॥12-310-19॥
The two Aśvins, the divine Gandharvas, likewise Nārada and Parvata, Viśvāvasu the Gandharva, the Siddhas, and the groups of Apsarases. (12-310-19)
tatra rudro mahādevaḥ karṇikāramayīṃ śubhām। dhārayāṇaḥ srajaṃ bhāti jyotsnām iva niśākaraḥ ॥12-310-20॥
There, Rudra, the great god, adorned with an auspicious garland of karṇikāra flowers, shines like the moonlight of the moon. (12-310-20)
tasmin divye vane ramye devadevarṣi-saṅkule। āsthitaḥ paramaṃ yogam ṛṣiḥ putrārtham udyataḥ ॥12-310-21॥
In that beautiful and divine forest, crowded with gods and divine sages, the sage undertook supreme yoga, intent on obtaining a son. (12-310-21)
na cāsya hīyate varṇo na glānirupajāyate। trayāṇāmapi lokānāṃ tadadbhutamivābhavat ॥12-310-22॥
His complexion is not diminished, nor does any weakness arise in him; for all three worlds, that became as if a wonder. (12-310-22)
jaṭāś ca tejasā tasya vaiśvānarashikhopamāḥ। prajvalantyaḥ sma dṛśyante yuktasyāmitatejasaḥ ॥12-310-23॥
His matted locks, blazing with brilliance, appeared like the flames of fire; they were seen on the one endowed with immeasurable radiance. (12-310-23)
mārkaṇḍeyo hi bhagavānetadākhyātavān mama। sa devacaritānīha kathayāmāsa me sadā ॥12-310-24॥
Markandeya, the revered sage, has indeed narrated this to me. He has always recounted the divine deeds here to me. (12-310-24)
tā etādyāpi kṛṣṇasya tapasā tena dīpitāḥ। agnivarṇā jaṭāstāta prakāśante mahātmanaḥ ॥12-310-25॥
O dear one, even today, those matted locks of the great-souled Kṛṣṇa, illuminated by his austerity, shine with the color of fire. (12-310-25)
evaṃvidhena tapasā tasya bhaktyā ca bhārata। maheśvaraḥ prasannātmā cakāra manasā matim ॥12-310-26॥
O Bhārata, by such austerity and his devotion, the great Lord, with a pleased mind, made a resolve in his mind. (12-310-26)
uvāca cainaṁ bhagavāṁstryambakaḥ prahasanniva। evaṁvidhaste tanayo dvaipāyana bhaviṣyati ॥12-310-27॥
And the venerable three-eyed Lord (Śiva), as if smiling, said to him: "Such will your son Dvaipayana be." (12-310-27)
yathā hy agnir yathā vāyur yathā bhūmir yathā jalam। yathā ca khaṃ tathā śuddho bhaviṣyati suto mahān ॥12-310-28॥
Just as fire, wind, earth, water, and space are pure, so too will the great son become pure. (12-310-28)
tadbhāvabhāvī tadbuddhis tadātmā tadapāśrayaḥ। tejasāvṛtya lokāṃs trīn yaśaḥ prāpsyati kevalam ॥12-310-29॥
He who embodies that state, whose intellect, self, and support are all that, enveloping the three worlds with brilliance, will attain only fame. (12-310-29)
