Adi Parwa 10

Mahabharata 1.10

 

Adi Parwa 10

 

  1 [र]
     मम पराणसमा भार्या दष्टासीद भुजगेन ह
     तत्र मे समयॊ घॊर आत्मनॊरग वै कृतः
 2 हन्यां सदैव भुजगं यं यं पश्येयम इत्य उत
     ततॊ ऽहं तवां जिघांसामि जीवितेन विमॊक्ष्यसे
 3 [दु]
     अन्ये ते भुजगा विप्र ये दशन्तीह मानवान
     डुण्डुभान अहि गन्धेन न तवं हिंसितुम अर्हसि
 4 एकान अर्थान पृथग अर्थान एकदुःखान पृथक सुखान
     डुण्डुभान धर्मविद भूत्वा न तवं हिंसितुम अर्हसि
 5 [सूत]
     इति शरुत्वा वचस तस्य भुजगस्य रुरुस तदा
     नावदीद भयसंविग्न ऋषिं मत्वाथ डुण्डुभम
 6 उवाच चैनं भगवान रुरुः संशमयन्न इव
     कामया भुजग बरूहि कॊ ऽसीमां विक्रियां गतः
 7 [दु]
     अहं पुरा रुरॊ नाम्ना ऋषिर आसं सहस्रपात
     सॊ ऽहं शापेन विप्रस्य भुजगत्वम उपागतः
 8 [रु]
     किमर्थं शप्तवान करुद्धॊ दविजस तवां भुजगॊत्तम
     कियन्तं चैव कालं ते वपुर एतद भविष्यति

 

 1 [r]
     mama prāṇasamā bhāryā daṣṭāsīd bhujagena ha
     tatra me samayo ghora ātmanoraga vai kṛtaḥ
 2 hanyāṃ sadaiva bhujagaṃ yaṃ yaṃ paśyeyam ity uta
     tato 'haṃ tvāṃ jighāṃsāmi jīvitena vimokṣyase
 3 [du]
     anye te bhujagā vipra ye daśantīha mānavān
     ḍuṇḍubhān ahi gandhena na tvaṃ hiṃsitum arhasi
 4 ekān arthān pṛthag arthān ekaduḥkhān pṛthak sukhān
     ḍuṇḍubhān dharmavid bhūtvā na tvaṃ hiṃsitum arhasi
 5 [sūta]
     iti śrutvā vacas tasya bhujagasya rurus tadā
     nāvadīd bhayasaṃvigna ṛṣiṃ matvātha ḍuṇḍubham
 6 uvāca cainaṃ bhagavān ruruḥ saṃśamayann iva
     kāmayā bhujaga brūhi ko 'sīmāṃ vikriyāṃ gataḥ
 7 [du]
     ahaṃ purā ruro nāmnā ṛṣir āsaṃ sahasrapāt
     so 'haṃ śāpena viprasya bhujagatvam upāgataḥ
 8 [ru]
     kimarthaṃ śaptavān kruddho dvijas tvāṃ bhujagottama
     kiyantaṃ caiva kālaṃ te vapur etad bhaviṣyati

 

Sauti said, 'And Ruru, on hearing those words, replied, 'My wife, dear to me as life, was bit by a snake; upon which, I took, O snake, a dreadful vow, viz., that I would kill every snake that I might come across. Therefore shall I smite thee and thou shalt be deprived of life.'

 

"And the Dundubha replied, 'O Brahmana, the snakes that bite man are quite different in type. It behoveth thee not to slay Dundubhas who are serpents only in name. Subject like other serpents to the same calamities but not sharing their good fortune, in woe the same but in joy different, the Dundubhas should not be slain by thee under any misconception.'

 

"Sauti continued, 'And the Rishi Ruru hearing these words of the serpent, and seeing that it was bewildered with fear, albeit a snake of the Dundubha species, killed it not. And Ruru, the possessor of the six attributes, comforting the snake addressed it, saying, 'Tell me fully, O snake, who art thou thus metamorphosed?' And the Dundubha replied, 'O Ruru! I was formerly a Rishi by name Sahasrapat. And it is by the curse of a Brahmana that I have been transformed into a snake. And Ruru asked, 'O thou best of snakes, for what wast thou cursed by a Brahmana in wrath? And how long also will thy form continue so?