भीष्म उवाच प्रविश्य स महारण्यं तापसानामथाश्रमम्। आससाद ततो राजा श्रान्तचोपाविशत् तदा।॥
Bhishma said Having entered that large forest, the king arrived at an asylum of ascetics. Worn out with toil, he sat himself down for rest.
तं कार्मुकधरं दृष्ट्वा श्रमार्तं क्षुधितं तदा। समेत्य ऋषयस्तस्मिन् पूजां चक्रुर्यथाविधि॥
Seeing him armed with bow, exhausted with toil, and hungry, the ascetics approached him and honoured him duly.
स पूजामृषिभिर्दत्तां सम्प्रगृह्य नराधिपः। अपृच्छत् तापसान् सर्वांस्तपसो वृद्धिमुत्तमाम्॥
Accepting the honours offered by the Rishis, the king asked them about the progress and advancement to their penances.
ते तस्य राज्ञो वचनं सम्प्रगृह्य तपोधनाः। ऋषयो राजशार्दूलं तमपृच्छन् प्रयोजनम्॥
Duly answering the questions of the king, those Rishis having asceticism for wealth, asked that foremost of kings as to the cause of his coming to that retreat.
केन भद्र सुखार्थेन सम्प्राप्तोऽसि तपोवनम्। पदातिर्बद्धनिस्त्रिंशो धन्वी बाणी नरेश्वर॥
And they said,-Blessed be you, in pursuit of what delightful object have you, O king, come to this hermitage, walking on foot and armed with sword, bow and arrows?
एतदिच्छामहे श्रोतुं कुतः प्राप्तोऽसि मानद। कस्मिन् कुले तु जातस्त्वं किंनामा चासि ब्रूहि नः॥
We wish to hear whence you are coming, O giver of honours! Tell us also in what family you are born and what your name is!-
ततः स राजा सर्वेभ्यो द्विजेभ्यः पुरुषर्षभ। आचचक्षे यथान्यायं परिचर्यां च भारत॥ हैहयानां, कुले जातः सुमित्रो मित्रनन्दनः। चरामि मृगयूथानि निनन् बाणैः सहस्रशः॥ बलेन महता गुप्तः सामात्यः सावरोधनः। मृगस्तु विद्धो बाणेन मया सरति शल्यवान्॥
Thus addressed, O foremost of men, the king described himself, O Bharata, saying.-I am born in the family of the Haihayas. My name is Sumitra, and I am the son of Mitra. I chase herds of deer, killing them in thousands with my shafts. Accompanied by a large army and my ministers and the ladies of my household, I have come out ahunting. I struck a deer with a shaft, but the animal with the arrow shaft, but the animal with arrow sticking to his body ran speedily.
तं द्रवन्तमनुप्राप्तो वनमेतद् यदृच्छया। भवत्सकाशं नष्टश्रीर्हताशः श्रमकर्शितः॥
In chasing it I have, purposelessly arrived at this forest and find myself before you, shorn of splendour, toil worn, and with hope disappointed.
किं नु दुःखमतोऽन्यद् वै यदहं श्रमकर्शितः। भवतामाश्रमं प्राप्तो हताशो भ्रष्टलक्षणः॥
What can be more pitiable than this, viz., that I have arrived at this hermitage, exhausted with toil, shorn of the signs of royalty, and disappointed of my hopes.
न राजलक्षणत्यागो न पुरस्य तपोधनाः। दुःखं करोति तत् तीनं यथाऽऽशा विहता मम॥
I am not at all sorry, Oh ye ascetics, at my being now divested of the sins of royalty or at my being now at a distance from my capital. I feel, however, a great grief for my hopes being frustrated.
हिमवान् वा महाशैलः समुद्रो वा महोदधिः। महत्त्वान्नान्वपद्येतां नभसो वान्तरं तथा॥
The king of mountains, viz., Himavat, and that vast receptacle of waters, viz., the ocean, cannot, for its vastness, equal the extent of the sky.
आशायास्तपसि श्रेष्ठास्तथा नान्तमहं गतः। भवतां विदितं सर्वं सर्वज्ञा हि तपोधनाः॥
Oh ye ascetics, likewise, I also cannot make out the limit of hope. With penances you have made yourselves omniscient. There is nothing which is hidden from you.
भवन्तः सुमहाभागास्तस्मात् पृच्छामि संशयम्। आशावान् पुरुषो यः स्यादन्तरिक्षमथापि वा॥ किं नु ज्यायस्तरं लोके महत्त्वात् प्रतिभाति वः। एतदिच्छामि तत्त्वेन श्रोतुं किमिह दुर्लभम्॥
You are also highly blessed. I beg you, therefore, to remove my doubt. Which of these two appears vaster to you, hope of man, or the wide sky? I desire to hear fully, what is so unconquerable as hope.
यदि गुह्यं न वो नित्यं तदा प्रब्रूत मा चिरम्। न गुह्यं श्रोतुमिच्छामि युष्मद्भयो द्विजसत्तमाः॥
If the subject be one which you can properly describe, then tell me all about it forthwith. I do not wish, ye foremost of the twice-born, to hear anything from you be a mystery and improper to describe. that may
भवत् तपोविघातो वा यदि स्याद् विरमे ततः। यदि वास्ति कथायोगो योऽयं प्रश्नो मयेरितः॥ एतत् कारणसामर्थ्यं श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः। भवन्तोऽपि तपोनित्या ब्रूयुरेतत् समन्विताः॥
If again the subject be injurious to your penances, I would not wish you to describe. If the question asked by me be a befitting subject of discourse, I would then wish to hear the cause fully. Devoted to penances as ye are, do ye all instruct me on the subject.'