दिष्टस्त्वं क्षुधितस्याद्य देवैर्भक्षो महाभुज। दिष्ट्या कालस्य महतः प्रियाः प्राणा हि देहिनां
By fate, O mighty-armed one, today you are the food of a hungry being, ordained by the gods; by fate, for living beings, life is dear indeed.
यथा त्विदं मया प्राप्तं भुजङ्गत्वमरिंदम। तदवश्यं त्वया मत्तः श्रोतव्यं शृणु यन्मम
Just as I have come to this state of being a serpent, O subduer of foes, you must certainly hear from me how this happened; listen to my words.
इमामवस्थां संप्राप्तो ह्यहं कोपान्महर्षिणा। शापस्यान्तं परिप्रेप्सुः सर्वस् कथयामि तत्
I have come to this condition because of the anger of a great sage; desiring the end of the curse, I will tell you everything.
नहुषो नाम राजर्षिर्व्यक्तं ते श्रोत्रमागतः। तवैव पूर्वः पूर्वेषामायोर्वंशधरः सुतः
Nahusha, the royal sage by name, you have surely heard of him; he was your ancestor, a son of the illustrious lineage.
सोहं शापादगस्त्यस्य ब्राह्मणानवमत्य च। इमामवस्थामापन्नः पश्य दैवमिदं मम
I, having disrespected Brahmanas and by the curse of Agastya, have come to this state; see how fate has dealt with me.
त्वां चेदवध्यमायान्तमतीव प्रियदर्शनम्। अहमद्योपयोक्ष्यामि विधानं पश्य यादृशम्
If you, who are invulnerable and of most pleasing appearance, have come to me, I shall consume you today; see what fate decrees.
न हि मे मुच्यते कश्चित्कथंचित्प्रग्रहं गतः। गचजोवा महिषो वाऽपि षष्ठे काले नरोत्तम
No one whom I have seized ever escapes me in any way, whether man or buffalo, O best of men, even after six months.
नासि केवलसर्पेण तिर्यग्योनिषु वर्तता। गृहीतः कौरवश्रेष्ठ वरदानमिदं मम
You are not held by an ordinary serpent dwelling among animals; O best of the Kurus, I have obtained this boon.
पतता हि विमानाग्रान्मया शक्रासनाद्द्रुतम्। कुरु शापान्तमित्युक्तो भगवान्मुनिसत्तमः
As I was falling swiftly from the seat of Indra's chariot, the revered sage said to me, 'Fulfill the end of your curse.'
यस्त्वया वेष्टितो राजन्मोहमेति महाबलः'। मोक्षस्ते भविता राजन्कस्माच्चित्कालपर्ययात्
Whoever is bound by you, O king, even if he is very powerful, will become deluded; his release will come, O king, at some destined time.
ततोस्मि पतितो भूमौ न च मामजहात्स्मृतिः। स्मार्तमस्ति पुराणं मे यथैवाधिगतं तथा
Then I fell to the ground, yet my memory did not abandon me; all that I had learned from the ancient scriptures remained with me as before.
यस्तु ते व्याहृतान्प्रश्नान्प्रतिब्रूयाद्विभागवित्। स त्वां मोक्षयिता शापादिति मामब्रवीदृषिः
The sage told me: 'He who can answer your questions about the divisions of knowledge will be the one to free you from this curse.'
गृहीतस्य त्वया राजन्प्राणिनोपि बलीयसः। सत्वभ्रंशोऽधिकस्यापि सर्वस्याशु भविष्यति
O King, when you seize even a powerful living being, the loss of strength will quickly befall anyone, no matter how mighty.
इतिचाप्यहमश्रौषं वचस्तेषां दयावताम्। मयि संजातहार्दानामथ तेऽन्तर्हिता द्विजाः
And so I heard the compassionate words of those brahmins; their hearts softened toward me, and then they vanished from my sight.
सोहं परमदुष्कर्मा वसामि निरयेऽशुचौ। सर्पयोनिमिमां प्राप्यकालाकाङ्क्षी महाद्युते
Thus, I, who have committed a terrible deed, dwell in this impure hell, having attained this serpent birth, awaiting the end of my time, O mighty one.
तमुवाच महाबाहुर्भीमसेनो भुजङ्गमम्। न ते कुप्ये महासर्प नात्मने द्विजसत्तम
Bhimasena, the mighty-armed, spoke to the serpent: 'I do not blame you, great serpent, nor do I bear anger toward you, best of twice-born.'
यस्मादभावी भावी वा मनुष्यः सुखदुःखयोः। आगमे यदि वाऽपाये न तत्र ग्लपयेन्मनः
For whatever is destined or not destined to happen to a person, whether happiness or sorrow comes or goes, one should not let the mind be distressed by it.
दैवं पुरुषकारेण को वञ्चयितुमर्हति। दैवमेव परं मन्ये पौरुषं तु निरर्थकम्
Who can overcome fate by personal effort? I consider fate to be supreme; human effort is fruitless.
पश्य दैवोपघाताद्धि भुजवीर्यव्यपाश्रयम्। इमामवस्थां संप्राप्तमनिमित्तमिहाद्य माम्
See how, by the blow of fate, despite relying on the strength of my arms, I have come to this state today, for no apparent reason.
किंतु नाद्यानुशोचामि तथाऽऽत्मानं विनाशितम्। तथा तु विपिने न्यस्तान्भ्रातॄन्राज्यपरिच्युतान्
Yet today I do not grieve so much for my own destruction, but rather for my brothers, cast into the forest and deprived of their kingdom.
हिमवांश्च सुदुर्गोऽयं यक्षराक्षससंकुलः। मां समुद्वीक्षमाणास्ते प्रयतिष्यन्ति विह्वलाः
This Himalaya is extremely difficult to traverse, filled with yakshas and rakshasas; seeing my plight, they will be troubled and strive anxiously.
विनष्टमथ मां श्रुत्वा भविष्यन्ति निरुद्यमाः। धर्मशीला मया ते हि बाध्यन्ते राज्यगृद्धिना
When they hear that I am lost, they will become dispirited; for my sake, those righteous ones are afflicted by their longing for the kingdom.
अथवा नार्जुनो धीमान्विषादमुपयास्यति। सर्वास्त्रविदनाधृष्यो देवगन्धर्वराक्षसैः
Or perhaps Arjuna, wise and skilled in all weapons, invincible even to gods, gandharvas, and rakshasas, will not fall into despair.
समर्थः स महाबाहुरेकाङ्ना सुमहाबलः। देवराजमपि स्थानात्प्रच्यावयितुमञ्जसा
That mighty-armed one, powerful even when alone, is capable of easily dislodging even the king of the gods from his throne.
किं पुनर्धृतराष्ट्रस् पुत्रं दुर्द्यूतदेविनम्। विद्विष्टं सर्वलोकस्य दम्भमोहपरायणम्
What then of Dhritarashtra's son, addicted to wicked dice, hated by all the world, devoted to deceit and delusion?
मातरं चैव शोचामि कृपणां पुत्रगृद्धिनीम्। याऽस्माकं नित्यमाशास्ते महत्त्वमधिकं परैः
And I grieve for our mother, pitiable and longing for her sons, who always hopes for our greatness to surpass that of others.
तस्याः कथं त्वनाथाया मद्विनाशाद्भुजङ्गम्। सफलास्ते भविष्यन्ति मयि सर्वे मनोरथाः
How, O serpent, will all her hopes be fulfilled in me, now that she is left helpless by my destruction?
नकुलः सहदेवश्च यमौ च गुरुवर्तिनौ। मद्वाहुबलसंगुप्तौ नित्यं पुरुषमानिनौ
Nakula and Sahadeva, the twin sons who follow the path of the elders, always proud of their manliness, are protected by the strength of my arms.
भविष्यतो निरुत्साहौ भ्रष्टवीर्यपराक्रमौ। मद्विनाशात्परिद्यूनाविति मे वर्तते मतिः
Without hope for the future, their strength and valor lost, they will be dejected by my destruction—such is my thought.
एवंविधं बहु तदा विललाप वृकोदरः। भुजङ्गभोगसंरुद्धो नाशकच्च विचेष्टितुम्
Thus, in many ways, Vṛkodara lamented, bound by the coils of the serpent, unable to move.