Adhyaya 170

Verse 1

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच । कामप्रमोदिनीसख्यो नीयमानां च तेन तु । दृष्ट्वा ताश्चुक्रुशुः सर्वा निःसृत्य जलमध्यतः

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya said: Seeing Kāmapramodinī being carried away by him, all her friends cried out, emerging from the midst of the water.

Verse 2

गता राजगृहे सर्वाः कथयन्ति सुदुःखिताः । कामप्रमोदिनी राजन्हृता श्येनेन पक्षिणा

All of them went to the royal palace and, in great distress, reported: “O King, Kāmapramodinī has been carried off by a hawk-bird.”

Verse 3

क्रीडन्ती च जलस्थाने तडागे देवसन्निधौ । अन्वेष्या च त्वया राजंस्तस्य मार्गं विजानता

“She was playing at the water-spot, at the pond near the deity’s presence. O King—since you know the paths—she must be searched for by you.”

Verse 4

तासां तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा देवपन्नः सुदुःखितः । हाहेत्युक्त्वा समुत्थाय रुदमानो वरासनात्

Hearing their words, the king—struck by misfortune—became exceedingly sorrowful. Crying “Alas! Alas!”, he rose up weeping from his noble seat.

Verse 5

मन्त्रिभिः सहितस्तस्मिंस्तडागे जलसन्निधौ । न चिह्नं न च पन्थानं दृष्ट्वा दुःखान्मुमोह च

Accompanied by his ministers, he came to that pond by the waters. Seeing neither sign nor pathway, he fainted from grief.

Verse 6

तस्य राज्ञस्तु दुःखेन दुःखितो नागरो जनः । क्षणेनाश्वासितो राजा मन्त्रिभिः सपुरोहितैः

Because of that king’s sorrow, the townspeople too became sorrowful. Soon the king was consoled by his ministers and his priests.

Verse 7

किं कुर्म इत्युवाचेदमस्मिन्काले विधीयताम् । सर्वैस्तत्संविदं कृत्वा वाहिनीं चतुरङ्गिणीम्

He said, “What shall we do? Let what is proper for this time be done.” Then, after taking counsel with all, he prepared a fourfold army.

Verse 8

प्रेषयामि दिशः सर्वा हस्त्यश्वरथसंकुला । वादित्राणि च वाद्यन्ते व्याकुलीभूतसंकुले

“I will dispatch forces to all directions, crowded with elephants, horses, and chariots.” And instruments were sounded amid the agitated throng.

Verse 9

नाराचैस्तोमरैर्भल्लैः खड्गैः परश्वधादिभिः । राजा संनाहबद्धोऽभूद्गनं ग्रसते किल

With arrows, javelins, spears, swords, axes, and the like, the king was fully armed—indeed, as though he would swallow up the enemy host.

Verse 10

न देवो न च गन्धर्वो न दैत्यो न च राक्षसः । किं करिष्यति राजाद्य न जाने रोषनिष्कृतिम्

Neither god, nor gandharva, nor daitya, nor rākṣasa—what can anyone do against the king today? I cannot foresee the outcome of his wrath.

Verse 11

नागरोऽपि जनस्तत्र दृष्ट्वा चकितमानसः । चतुर्दशसहस्राणि दन्तिनां सृणिधारिणाम्

There the townspeople too, seeing it, were struck with astonishment—fourteen thousand elephants bearing goads.

Verse 12

अश्वारोहसहस्राणि ह्यशीतिः शस्त्रपाणिनाम् । रथानां त्रिसहस्राणि विंशतिर्भरतर्षभ

There were thousands of cavalrymen, and eighty warriors bearing weapons in their hands; and there were three thousand and twenty chariots, O bull among the Bharatas.

Verse 13

सङ्ग्रामभेरीनिनदैः खुररेणुर्नभोगता । एतस्मिन्नन्तरे तात रक्षको नगरस्य हि

With the roar of war-drums, the dust raised by hooves rose up into the sky. Meanwhile, dear one, the city’s guard indeed…

Verse 14

गृहीत्वाभरणं तस्यास्त्वङ्गप्रत्यङ्गिकं तथा । कुण्डलाङ्गदकेयूरहारनूपुरझल्लरीः

Having taken her ornaments as well—those for the body and the limbs—earrings, armlets, keyūras, necklaces, anklets, and jingling adornments…

Verse 15

निवेद्याकथयद्राज्ञे मया दृष्टं त्ववेक्षणात् । तापसानामाश्रमे तु माण्डव्यो यत्र तिष्ठति

After making his report, he told the king what I myself had seen upon careful observation: in the hermitage of the ascetics—where Māṇḍavya dwells.

Verse 16

तापसैर्वेष्टितो यत्र ददृशे तत्र सन्निधौ । दण्डवासिवचः श्रुत्वा प्रत्यक्षाङ्गविभूषणम्

There, in his very presence, I saw him surrounded by ascetics. Hearing the words of the staff-bearing guard, I beheld the bodily ornaments as direct evidence.

Verse 17

स क्रोधरक्तनयनो मन्त्रिणो वीक्ष्य नैगमान् । ईदृग्भूतसमाचारो ब्राह्मणो नगरे मम

He, with eyes reddened by anger, looked at the ministers and the townsmen and said: “How can a Brahmin of such conduct exist in my city?”

Verse 18

चौरचर्यां व्रतच्छन्नः परद्रव्यापहरकः । तेन कन्या हृता मेऽद्य तपस्विपापकर्मिणा

Concealing theft beneath the guise of a vow, stealing others’ property—by that ascetic of sinful deeds my daughter has today been carried off.

Verse 19

शाकुन्तं रूपमास्थाय जलस्थो गगनं ययौ । पाखण्डिनो विकर्मस्थान् बिडालव्रतिकाञ्छठान्

Assuming the form of a bird, though in the water, he went up into the sky. Such are the pakhāṇḍin—engaged in forbidden acts—hypocrites of the “cat-vow” and deceivers…

Verse 20

चाटुतस्करदुर्वृत्तान् हन्यान्नस्त्यस्य पातकम् । न द्रष्टव्यो मया पापः स्तेयी कन्यापहारकः

If one were to slay such flattering thieves of wicked conduct, there would be no sin in it. This sinner—thief and abductor of a maiden—should not even be looked upon by me.

Verse 21

शूलमारोप्यतां क्षिप्रं न विचारस्तु तस्य वै । स च वध्यो मया दुष्टो रक्षोरूपी तपोधनः

Let him be impaled on the stake at once—there is no deliberation to be made about him. That wicked one, a ‘treasure of austerity’ only in appearance, is in truth rakṣasa-like; he must be executed by me.

Verse 22

एवं ब्रुवंश्चलन्क्रोधादादिश्य दण्डवासिनम् । कार्याकार्यं न विज्ञाय शूलमारोपयद्द्विजम्

Speaking thus, and trembling with anger, the king commanded the officer of punishment; not discerning what ought and ought not to be done, he had the twice-born (brāhmaṇa) impaled upon a stake.

Verse 23

पौरा जानपदाः सर्वे अश्रुपूर्णमुखास्तदा । हाहेत्युक्त्वा रुदन्त्यन्ये वदन्ति च पृथक्पृथक्

Then all the townspeople and villagers, their faces filled with tears, cried out ‘Alas!’—some wept, while others spoke in different voices, each in their own way.

Verse 24

कुत्सितं च कृतं कर्म राज्ञा चण्डालचारिणा । ब्राह्मणो नैव वध्यो हि विशेषेण तपोवृतः

A hateful deed has been done by the king who behaves like an outcaste; for a brāhmaṇa is not to be slain—especially one devoted to austerity and sacred vows.

Verse 25

यदि रोषसमाचारो निर्वास्यो नगराद्बहिः । न जातु ब्राह्मणं हन्यात्सर्वपापेऽप्यवस्थितम्

If one’s conduct is ruled by anger, let him be banished beyond the city; yet one should never kill a brāhmaṇa, even if he stands entangled in every sin.

Verse 26

राष्ट्रादेनं बहिष्कुर्यात्समग्रधनमक्षतम् । नाश्नाति च गृहे राजन्नाग्निर्नगरवासिनाम् । सर्वेऽप्युद्विग्नमनसो गृहव्याप्तिविवर्जिताः

He should be expelled from the kingdom, with his wealth left intact and unharmed. And, O King, in the homes of the city-dwellers the sacred fire does not ‘eat’ (accept offerings); all are anxious at heart, deprived of the settled fullness of household life.

Verse 170

। अध्याय

Chapter marker: “Adhyāya” (end/heading indicator).