Adhyaya 312

Verse 1

#::73:.8 #:23::.7 (0) हि 2 7 > यहाँ मूल पाठमें मासका निर्देश करनेके लिये “दशोत्तरे” यह पद आया है, जिसका अर्थ है ग्यारहवें महीनेमें। यह ग्यारहवाँ महीना कौन-सा है? इस विषयमें दो प्रकारके मत उपलब्ध होते हैं। एक मतके अनुसार यहाँ “माघ” मास ग्रहण किया जाना चाहिये; कारण कि वर्षका आरम्भ चैत्रसे होता है, अत: इस क्रमसे गणना करनेपर “माघ” ही ग्यारहवाँ मास निश्चित होता है। दूसरे मतवालोंका कहना यह है कि पहले मार्गशीर्ष माससे वर्षकी गणना होती थी। इसीलिये वह “अग्रहायण” (वर्षका प्रथम मास) कहा जाता है। “मासानां मार्गशीर्षोडहम्‌” इस वचनसे भी यही सूचित होता है। इस क्रमसे गणना करनेपर “आश्विन मास” ग्यारहवाँ सिद्ध होता है। - इस प्रकार पिटारीमें बंद करके बहा देनेपर भी वह बालक इसलिये नहीं मरा कि वह अमृतसे उत्पन्न कवच और कुण्डल धारण किये हुए था। देखिये इसी अध्यायका सत्ताईसवाँ श्लोक। नवाधिकत्रिशततमो< ध्याय: अधिरथ सूत तथा उसकी पत्नी राधाको बालक दवा प्राप्ति, राधाके द्वारा उसका पालन, हस्तिनापुरमें उसकी शिक्षा-दीक्षा तथा कर्णके पास इन्द्रका आगमन वैशम्पायन उवाच एतस्मिन्नेव काले तु धृतराष्ट्रस्य वै सखा । सूतो5थधिरथ इत्येव सदारो जाह्नवीं ययौ,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! इसी समय राजा धृतराष्ट्रका मित्र अधिरथ सूत अपनी स्त्रीके साथ गंगाजीके तटपर आया

Vaiśampāyana said: “At that very time, Adhiratha the charioteer—who was a friend of King Dhṛtarāṣṭra—came with his wife to the river Jāhnavī (the Gaṅgā).” The verse sets the scene for a decisive turn of fate: a royal associate arrives at the riverbank, where what is found and how it is received will shape future duties, loyalties, and the moral tensions that later culminate in the great conflict.

Verse 2

तस्य भार्याभवद्‌ राजन्‌ रूपेणासदृशी भुवि । राधा नाम महाभागा न सा पुत्रमविन्दत,राजन्‌! उसकी परम सौभाग्यवती पत्नी इस भूतलपर अनुपम सुन्दरी थी। उसका नाम था राधा। उसके कोई पुत्र नहीं हुआ था

Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, his wife was unmatched in beauty upon the earth. That highly fortunate lady was named Rādhā; yet, O King, she did not obtain a son.”

Verse 3

अपत्यार्थे परं यत्नमकरोच्च विशेषत: । सा ददर्शाथ मज्जूषामुहामानां यदृच्छया,राधा पुत्रप्राप्तिके लिये विशेष यत्न करती रहती थी। दैवयोगसे उसीने गंगाजीके जलमें बहती हुई उस पिटारीको देखा

Vaiśampāyana said: “Desiring a child, she exerted herself with exceptional effort. Then, by a turn of fate, she happened to notice a casket drifting along in the waters.”

Verse 4

दत्तरक्षाप्रतिसरामन्वालम्भनशो भनाम्‌ । ऊर्मीतरज्जैर्जाह्विव्या: समानीतामुपह्दरम्‌,पिटारीके ऊपर उसकी रक्षाके लिये लता लपेट दी गयी थी और सिन्दूरका लेप लगा होनेसे उसकी बड़ी शोभा हो रही थी। गंगाकी तरंगोंके थपेड़े खाकर वह पिटारी तटके समीप आ लगी

Vaiśampāyana said: “The casket, secured with protective bindings and made beautiful by the fastening and adornment upon it, was driven along by the river Jāhnavī. Struck and tugged by the river’s waves like by ropes, it was carried close to the bank, toward the waterside.”

Verse 5

सा तु कौतूहलात प्राप्तां ग्राहयामास भाविनी । ततो निवेदयामास सूतस्याधिरथस्य वै

Moved by curiosity, the noble lady received the newcomer and had it taken into her care. Thereafter she reported the matter to Adhiratha, the charioteer.

Verse 6

भामिनी राधाने कौतूहलवश उस पिटारीको सेवकोंसे पकड़वा मँगाया और अधिरथ सूतको इसकी सूचना दी ।। स तामुद्धृत्य मज्जूषामुत्सार्य जलमन्तिकात्‌ । यन्त्ररुदघाटयामास सो5पश्यत्‌ तत्र बालकम्‌,अधिरथने उस पिटारीको पानीसे बाहर निकालकर जब यन्त्रों (औजारों) द्वारा उसे खोला, तब उसके भीतर एक बालकको देखा

Vaiśampāyana said: “Then Adhiratha, having lifted the casket out and drawn it away from the water’s edge, opened it with tools; and within it he saw a child.”

Verse 7

तरुणादित्यसंकाशं हेमवर्मधरं तथा । मृष्टकुण्डलयुक्तेन वदनेन विराजता,वह बालक प्रातःकालीन सूर्यके समान तेजस्वी था। उसने अपने अंगोंमें स्वर्णमय कवच धारण कर रखा था। उसका मुख कानोंमें पड़े हुए दो उज्ज्वल कुण्डलोंसे प्रकाशित हो रहा था

Vaiśampāyana said: The boy shone like the young morning sun. He wore a golden cuirass, and his face was made radiant by the bright, well-polished earrings that hung at his ears—an appearance that marks him as no ordinary child, but one endowed with auspicious, almost divine signs.

Verse 8

स सूतो भार्यया सार्थ विम्मयोत्फुल्ललोचन: । अड्कमारोप्य तं बालं भारया वचनमब्रवीत्‌,उसे देखकर पत्नीसहित सूतके नेत्रकमल आश्चर्य एवं प्रसन्नतासे खिल उठे। उसने बालकको गोदमें लेकर अपनी पत्नीसे कहा--

Vaiśampāyana said: The charioteer, accompanied by his wife, saw the child and his lotus-like eyes opened wide in astonished joy. Lifting the boy onto his lap, he spoke to his wife—his words shaped by wonder and the dawning sense of responsibility toward the helpless.

Verse 9

इदमत्यद्भुतं भीरु यतो जातो5स्मि भाविनि । दृष्टवान्‌ देवगर्भो5यं मन्येडस्माकमुपागतः,'भीरु! भाविनि! जबसे मैं पैदा हुआ हूँ, तबसे आज ही मैंने ऐसा अद्भुत बालक देखा है। मैं समझता हूँ, यह कोई देवबालक ही हमें भाग्यवश प्राप्त हुआ है

Vaiśampāyana said: “O timid one, O gentle lady—since the day I was born, never have I seen anything as wondrous as this. I believe this child is of divine origin, and has come to us by the working of fate.”

Verse 10

अनपत्यस्य पुत्रो<यं देवैर्दत्तो ध्रुवं मम । इत्युक्त्वा तं ददौ पुत्र राधायै स महीपते,“मुझ पुत्रहीनको अवश्य ही देवताओंने दया करके यह पुत्र प्रदान किया है।” राजन! ऐसा कहकर अधिरथने वह पुत्र राधाको दे दिया

Vaiśampāyana said: “To me, who am without a child, this boy has surely been granted by the gods.” Saying this, O king, Adhiratha gave that child to Rādhā, accepting him as the divinely bestowed answer to their childlessness and placing him within the duties and affections of a household.

Verse 11

प्रतिजग्राह तं राधा विधिवद्‌ दिव्यरूपिणम्‌ | पुत्र कमलगर्भाभ॑ देवगर्भ श्रिया वृतम्‌,(स्तन्यं समास्रवच्चास्या दैवादित्यथ निश्चय: ।) राधाने भी कमलके भीतरी भागके समान कान्तिमान्‌, शोभाशाली तथा दिव्यरूपधारी उस देवबालकको विधि-पूर्वक ग्रहण किया। निश्चय ही दैवकी प्रेरणासे राधाके स्तनोंसे दूघ भी झरने लगा

Vaiśampāyana said: Rādhā, following the proper rites, received that child of divine form—radiant like the inner heart of a lotus, a god-born infant surrounded by auspicious splendor—as her son. And indeed, by the prompting of fate, milk began to flow from her breasts, as if nature itself confirmed the bond of motherhood and the duty of care she had accepted.

Verse 12

पुपोष चैनं विधिवद्‌ ववृधे स च वीर्यवान्‌ । ततः प्रभृति चाप्यन्ये प्राभवन्नौरसा: सुता:,उसने विधिपूर्वक उस बालकका पालन-पोषण किया और वह धीरे-धीरे सबल होकर दिनोदिन बढ़ने लगा। तभीसे उस सूत-दम्पतिके और भी अनेक औरस पुत्र उत्पन्न हुए

Vaiśampāyana said: She reared that child in due accordance with proper rites and care, and he grew steadily, becoming strong and vigorous. From that time onward, the charioteer-couple also begot many other legitimate sons.

Verse 13

वसुवर्मधरं दृष्टवा तं बाल हेमकुण्डलम्‌ । नामास्य वसुषेणेति ततश्नक्रुर्द्धिजातय:,तदनन्तर वसु (सुवर्ण) मय कवच धारण किये तथा सोनेके ही कुण्डल पहने हुए उस बालकको देखकर ब्राह्मणोंने उसका नाम “वसुषेण” रखा

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Seeing that boy clad in a natural coat of mail and wearing golden earrings, the twice-born (brāhmaṇas) then gave him the name “Vasuṣeṇa.”

Verse 14

एवं स सूतपुत्रत्वं जगामामितविक्रम: । वसुषेण इति ख्यातो वृष इत्येव च प्रभु:,इस प्रकार वह अमितपराक्रमी एवं सामर्थ्यशाली बालक सूतपुत्र बन गया। लोकमें “वसुषेण” और “वृष” इन दो नामोंसे उसकी प्रसिद्धि हुई

Vaiśampāyana said: Thus that boy of immeasurable prowess came to be regarded as a charioteer’s son. In the world he became renowned by two names—Vasuṣeṇa and also Vṛṣa—signifying his strength and commanding presence.

Verse 15

सूतस्य ववृधेडड्रेषु श्रेष्ठ: पुत्र: स वीर्यवान्‌ | चारेण विदितश्लासीत्‌ पृथया दिव्यवर्मभूत्‌,अधिरथ सूतका वह पराक्रमी श्रेष्ठ पुत्र अंगदेशमें पालित होकर दिनोदिन बढ़ने लगा। कुन्तीने गुप्तचर भेजकर मालूम कर लिया था कि मेरा दिव्य कवचधारी पुत्र अधिरथके यहाँ पल रहा है

Vaiśampāyana said: The mighty and excellent son of the charioteer grew up day by day, being reared in the land of Aṅga. By means of spies, Pṛthā (Kuntī) had come to know that her son—endowed with a divine armor—was being brought up in the house of the charioteer Adhiratha.

Verse 16

सूतस्त्वधिरथ: पुत्र विवृद्धं समयेन तम्‌ । दृष्टवा प्रस्थापयामास पुरं वारणसाह्दयम्‌,अधिरथ सूतने अपने पुत्रको बड़ा हुआ देख उसे यथासमय हस्तिनापुर भेज दिया

Vaiśampāyana said: Adhiratha, the charioteer, seeing that the boy had grown up in due course, sent him at the proper time to the city—Hastināpura.

Verse 17

तत्रोपसदन चक्रे द्रोणस्येष्वस्त्रकर्मणि । सख्यं दुर्योधनेनैवमगमत्‌ स च वीर्यवान्‌,वहाँ उसने धरनुर्वेदकी शिक्षा लेनेके लिये आचार्य द्रोणकी शिष्यता स्वीकार की। इस प्रकार पराक्रमी कर्णकी दुर्योधनके साथ मित्रता हो गयी

There he formally entered into discipleship under Droṇa to learn the disciplines of archery and the use of missiles. In this way, the valiant Karṇa came to be bound in friendship with Duryodhana—an alliance that would later shape loyalties and moral choices amid the coming conflict.

Verse 18

द्रोणात्‌ कृपाच्च रामाच्च सो&स्त्रग्रामं चतुर्विधम्‌ | लब्धवा लोके5भवत््‌ ख्यात: परमेष्वासतां गत:,वह द्रोणाचार्य, कृपाचार्य तथा परशुरामसे चारों प्रकारकी अस्त्रविद्या सीखकर संसारमें एक महान्‌ धनुर्धरके रूपमें विख्यात हुआ

Vaiśampāyana said: Having learned from Droṇa, from Kṛpa, and from Rāma (Paraśurāma) the fourfold corpus of weapon-lore, he became renowned in the world and attained the standing of one counted among the foremost. The verse underscores how disciplined apprenticeship under eminent teachers, when joined to mastery of martial knowledge, elevates a warrior’s reputation and rank—yet it also hints that such power carries ethical responsibility in its later use.

Verse 19

संधाय धार्तराष्ट्रेण पार्थानां विप्रिये रत: । योद्धुमाशंसते नित्यं फाल्गुनेन महात्मना,धृतराष्ट्रपुत्र दुर्योधनसे मिलकर वह कुन्ती-कुमारोंका अनिष्ट करनेमें लगा रहता और सदा महामना अर्जुनसे युद्ध करनेकी इच्छा व्यक्त किया करता था

Vaiśampāyana said: Having entered into a compact with the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and delighting in what was hostile to the Pāṇḍavas, he continually expressed the desire to fight with the great-souled Phālguna (Arjuna). The verse underscores a willful commitment to enmity—choosing rivalry and harm as a standing policy—thereby intensifying the moral tension that precedes open conflict.

Verse 20

सदा हि तस्य स्पर्धा55सीदर्जुनेन विशाम्पते । अर्जुनस्य च कर्णेन यतो दृष्टो बभूव स:,राजन्‌! अर्जुन और कर्णने जबसे एक-दूसरेको देखा था, तभीसे कर्ण अर्जुनके साथ स्पर्धा रखता था और अर्जुन भी कर्णके साथ बड़ी स्पर्धा रखते थे

Vaiśampāyana said: O lord of the people, from the very moment Karṇa first set eyes on Arjuna, he continually harbored a spirit of rivalry toward him; and Arjuna too maintained a strong competitive resolve against Karṇa. Thus their mutual contest was rooted not in a single incident but in an enduring, pride-driven comparison that steadily shaped their conduct and choices.

Verse 21

एतद्‌ गुहाां महाराज सूर्यस्यासीन्न संशय: । यः सूर्यसम्भव: कर्ण: कुन्त्यां सूतकुले तथा,महाराज! निःसंदेह सूर्यका यही वह गुप्त रहस्य है कि कुन्तीके गर्भसे सूर्यद्वारा उत्पन्न कर्ण सूतकुलमें पला था

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O great king, this was indeed the Sun’s secret—there is no doubt about it: Karṇa, who was born from the Sun through Kuntī, was nevertheless brought up within the charioteer’s (sūta) community. O king, of this there is no uncertainty.”

Verse 22

त॑ तु कुण्डलिनं दृष्टवा वर्मणा च समन्वितम्‌ | अवध्यं समरे मत्वा पर्यतप्यद्‌ युधिषछ्िर:,उसे दिव्य कुण्डल और कवचसे संयुक्त देख युद्धमें अवध्य जानकर राजा युधिष्ठिर सदा संतप्त होते रहते थे

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Seeing him adorned with the divine earrings and equipped with armor, Yudhiṣṭhira judged him to be unassailable in battle; and, taking this to heart, the king remained continually troubled—his mind weighed down by the ethical burden of a war in which such a foe seemed beyond defeat.

Verse 23

यदा च कर्णों राजेन्द्र भानुमन्तं दिवाकरम्‌ | स्तौति मध्यन्दिने प्राप्ते प्राजजलि: सलिले स्थित:

Vaiśampāyana said: “And when Karṇa, O king, at the arrival of midday, stands in the water with hands joined in reverence and hymns the radiant Sun—the maker of day—he performs his daily act of devotion and discipline, honoring the source of light and order.”

Verse 24

तत्रैनमुपतिष्ठन्ति ब्राह्मणा धनहेतुना । नादेयं तस्य तत्काले किज्चिदस्ति द्विजातिषु

There, Brahmins approached and attended upon him with wealth as their motive. Yet at that time he had nothing at all that could be given to the twice-born as a gift—no proper offering was available from him.

Verse 25

राजेन्द्र! जब कर्ण दोपहरके समय जलमें खड़ा हो हाथ जोड़कर अंशुमाली भगवान्‌ दिवाकरकी स्तुति करता था, उस समय बहुत-से ब्राह्मण धनके लिये उसके पास आते थे। उस अवसरपर उसके पास कोई ऐसी वस्तु नहीं थी, जो ब्राह्मणोंके लिये अदेय हो ।। तमिन्द्रो ब्राह्मणो भूत्वा भिक्षां देहीत्युपस्थित: । स्वागतं चेति राधेयस्तमथ प्रत्यभाषत,इन्द्र भी उसी समय ब्राह्मण बनकर वहाँ उपस्थित हुए और बोले--“मुझे भिक्षा दो।' यह सुनकर राधानन्दन कर्णने उत्तर दिया--“विप्रवर! आपका स्वागत है”

O king! When Karna, standing in water at midday with hands joined, was praising the radiant Lord Sun, many Brahmins seeking wealth would come to him. At that moment there was nothing in his possession that he would deem ‘not to be given’ to Brahmins. Then Indra himself arrived there disguised as a Brahmin and said, “Give me alms.” Hearing this, Karna, son of Radha, replied, “Best of Brahmins, you are welcome.”

Verse 309

इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि कुण्डलाहरणपर्वणि राधाकर्णप्राप्तौ नवाधिकत्रिशततमो<ध्याय:

Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva, in the section concerning the taking away of the earrings, ends the three-hundred-and-ninth chapter (the 309th), dealing with Karṇa’s coming to (and being received by) Rādhā.