शौनक उवाच यदपृच्छत्तदा राजा मन्त्रिणो जनमेजयः। पितुः स्वर्गगतिं तन्मे विस्तरेण पुनर्वद॥
Shaunaka said: Tell me again in detail all that king Janamejaya asked his ministers to say about his father's ascension to heaven.
सौतिकवाच शृणु ब्रह्मन्यथापृच्छन्मन्त्रिणो नृपतिस्तदा। यथा चाख्यातवन्तस्ते निधनं तत्परीक्षितः॥
Sauti said : O Brahmana, hear all that the king asked his ministers and all that they said about the death of Parikshit.
जनमेजय उवाच जानन्ति स्म भवन्तस्तद्यथा वृत्तं पितुर्मम। आसीद्यथा स निधनं गतः काले महायशाः॥
Janamejaya said : You know all that happened to my father and how my illustrious father met with his death.
श्रुत्वा भवत्सकाशाद्धि पितुर्वृत्तमशेषतः। कल्याणं प्रतिपत्स्यामि विपरीतं न जातुचित्॥
Hearing from you all about my father, I shall do what is proper and good. I shall not do otherwise.
सौतिरुवाच मन्त्रिणोऽथाब्रुवन्वाक्यं पृष्टास्तेन महात्मना। सर्वे धर्मविदः प्राज्ञा राजानं जनमेजयम्॥
Sauti said : Being asked by that high-souled king Janamejaya, the virtuous and wise ministers thus replied.
मन्त्रिणः ऊचुः शृणु पार्थिव यद्भषे पितुस्तव महात्मनः। चरितं पार्थिवेन्द्रस्य यथा निष्ठां गतश्च सः॥
The Ministers said: Hear, O king, what you have asked. Hear an account of that king of the world, your illustrious father's life and how he left this world.
धर्मात्मा च महात्मा च प्रजापाल: पिता तव। आसीदिह यथावृत्तः स महात्मा शृणुष्व तत्॥
Your father was virtuous and noble and a protector of his subjects. Hear, how that highsouled king conducted himself on earth.
चातुर्वर्यं स्वधर्मस्थं स कृत्वा पर्यरक्षत। धर्मतो धर्मविद्राजा धर्मो विग्रहवानिव॥
That virtuous king, virtuously inclined, protected, like Virtue and Justice themselves, the four castes, keeping them in the duties of their respective orders.
ररक्ष पृथिवीं देवीं श्रीमानतुलविक्रमः। द्वेष्टारस्तस्य नैवासन्स च द्वेष्टि न कंचन॥
Blessed with fortune and with matchless prowess, he protected the goddess earth. He hated none and had none to hate him.
समः सर्वेषु भूतेषु प्रजापतिरिवाभवत्। ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रिया वैश्याः शूद्राश्चैव स्वकर्मसु॥
Like Prajapati he looked at all creatures with equal eyes. The Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras,
स्थिताः सुमनसो राजंस्तेन राज्ञा स्वधिष्ठिताः। विधवानाथविकलान्कृपणांश्च बभार सः॥
Engaged in their respective duties, O king, were all impartially protected by him. He maintained widows, orphans, the maimed and the poor.
सुदर्शः सर्वभूतानामासीत्सोम इवापरः। तुष्टपुष्टजनः श्रीमान्सत्यवाग्दृढविक्रमः॥
He was handsome and was like a second moon to all creatures. All were contented and blessed with good fortune by that truthful and greatly powerful king.
धनुर्वेद तु शिष्योऽभून्नृपः शारद्वतस्य सः। गोविन्दस्य प्रियश्चासीत्पिता ते जनमेजय॥
He was the disciple of Sharadvata in the science of arms. O Janamejaya, your father was the beloved of Govinda (Krishna).
लोकस्य चैव सर्वस्य प्रिय आसीन्महायशाः। परिक्षीणेषु कुरुषु सोत्तरायामजीजनत्॥
He was the favourite of all men and was greatly renowned. He was born in the womb of Uttara when the Kuru race was almost destroyed.
परिक्षिदभवत्तेन सौभद्रस्यात्मजो बली। राजधर्मार्थकुशलो युक्तः सर्वगुणैर्वृतः॥
Therefore the mighty son of Abhimanyu was called Parikshit. He was learned in the treatise on the duties of kings and was adorned with all the noble qualities.
जितेन्द्रियश्चात्मवांश्च मेधावी धर्मसेविता। षड्वर्गजिन्महाबुद्धिर्नीतिशास्त्रविदुत्तमः॥
He had his passions under control, he was intelligent, he was gifted with great memory, he was the practiser of all virtues, a conqueror of six passions, a great intelligent man, fully acquainted with the science of ethics.
प्रजा इमास्तव पिता षष्टिवर्षाण्यपालयत्। ततो दिष्टान्तमापन्नः सर्वेषां दुःखमावहन्॥ ततस्त्वं पुरुषश्रेष्ठ धर्मेण प्रतिपेदिवान्। इदं वर्षसहस्राणि राज्यं कुरुकुलागतम्। बाल एवाभिषिक्तस्त्वं सर्वभूतानुपालकः॥
Your father ruled over his subjects for sixty years. When he died, all the people were extremely sorry. After him, O best of men, you have acquired this hereditary kingdom of the Kurus, (who have been ruling over it) for the last thousand years. O protector of every creature, you were installed when you were a child.
जनमेजय उवाच नास्मिन्कुले जातु बभूव राजा यो न प्रजानां प्रियकृत्प्रियश्च। विशेषतः प्रेक्ष्य पितामहानां वृत्तं महद्वृत्तपरायणानाम्॥
Janamejaya said : None was born in our dynasty who did not look after the good of his subjects and who was not beloved by them. See specially the conduct of my grandfathers (five Pandava brothers) who were ever engaged in great deeds.
कथं निधनमापन्नः पिता मम तथाविधः। आचक्षध्वं यथावन्मे श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः॥
How did my such a noble father meet with his death? Describe it to me. I am desirous of hearing it.
सांतिरुवाच एवं संचोदिता राज्ञा मन्त्रिणस्ते नराधिपम्। ऊचुः सर्वे यथावृत्तं राज्ञः प्रियहितैषिणः॥
Sauti said : Thus asked by the king, the ministers, the well-wishers of the king, told him everything as it had happened.
मन्त्रिणः ऊचुः स राजा पृथिवीपालः सर्वशस्त्रभृतां वरः। बभूव मृगयाशीलस्तव राजन् पिता सदा॥ यथा पाण्डुर्महाबाहुर्धनुर्धरवरो युधि। अस्मास्वासज्य सर्वाणि राजकार्याण्यशेषतः॥
The Ministers said: O king, that monarch, the lord of the world, greatly obedient to all Shastras like the first of all beings, became addicted to sports like the best of bow-men, the great warrior and exceedingly powerful Pandu. He made over to us all state affairs.
स कदाचिद्वनगतो मृगं विव्याध पत्रिणा। विद्धवा चान्वसरतूर्णं तं मृगं गहने वने॥
Once on a time he went into the forest and pierced a deer with an arrow. Having thus wounded the deer, he followed it armed with sword and quiver into the dense forest,
पदातिबद्धनिस्त्रिंशस्ततायुधकलापवान्। न चाससाद गहने मृगं नष्टं पिता तव॥
Alone on foot. But he could not, however, come upon that lost deer.
परिश्रान्तो वयस्थश्च षष्टिवर्षो जरान्वितः। क्षुधितः स महारण्ये ददर्श मुनिसत्तमम्॥
He, wo was sixty years old and therefore fatigued and hungry, saw a great Rishi in that great forest.
स तं पप्रच्छ राजेन्द्रो मुनि मौनव्रते स्थितम्। न च किंचिदुवाचेदं पृष्टोऽपि स मुनिस्तदा॥
The king accosted that Rishi, who was then observing the vow of silence, but the Rishi did not make any reply.
ततो राजा क्षुच्छ्रमार्तस्तं मुनि स्थाणुवस्थितम्। मौनव्रतधरं शान्तं सद्यो मन्युवशंगतः॥
The fatigued and the hungry king grew angry with the Rishi who sat motionless as a piece of wood in observance of his vow of silence.
न बुबोध च तं राजा मौनव्रतधरं मुनिम्। स तं क्रोधसमाविष्टो धर्षयामास ते पिता॥
Knowing not that the Rishi was observing a vow of silence, your father, being angry, insulted him.
मृतं सर्प धनुष्कोट्या समुत्क्षिप्य धरातलात्। तस्य शुद्धात्मनः प्रादात्स्कन्धे भरतसत्तम॥
O excellent one of the Bharata race, he took up from the ground a dead snake with the end of his bow and placed it on the shoulder of that holy Rishi.
न चोवाच स मेधावी तमथो साध्वसाधु वा। तस्थौ तथैव चाक्रुद्धः सर्प स्कन्धेन धारयन्॥
But that wise man did not speak a word, good or bad and he did not become angry. He remained as he was, bearing the snake on his shoulder.