स तद्विवृत्य विवरं महागिरे- स्तुल्यद्युतींश्चतुरोऽन्यान्ददर्श। स तानभिप्रेक्ष्य बभूव दुःखितः कच्चिन्नाहं भविता वै यथेमे
He opened the cave of the great mountain and saw four others of equal splendor. Seeing them, he became troubled: 'Will I too become like these?'
ततो देवो गिरिशो वज्रपाणिं विवृत्य नेत्रे कुपितोऽभ्युवाच। दरीमेतां प्रविश त्वं शतक्रतो यन्मां बाल्यादवमंस्थाः पुरस्तात्
Then the god, lord of mountains, angrily addressed Vajrapani, opening his eyes: 'Enter this cave, O Shatakratu, because you once scorned me in your youth.'
उक्तस्त्वेवं विभुना देवराजः प्रावेपताऽऽर्तो भृशमेवाभिषङ्गात्। स्रस्तैरङ्गैरनिलेनेव नुन्न- मश्वत्थपत्रं गिरिराजमूर्ध्नि
Thus addressed by the lord, the king of the gods trembled greatly, struck with fear. His limbs slack, he was like a leaf of the ashvattha tree shaken by the wind, on the mountain's summit.
स प्राञ्जलिर्वै वृषवाहनेन प्रवेपमानः सहसैवमुक्तः। उवाच देवं बहुरूपमुग्र- मद्याशेषस्य भुवनस्य त्वं भवाद्यः
With joined palms, trembling before the bull-bannered one, he was suddenly addressed thus. He spoke to the god of many forms, fierce: 'You are the first of all the worlds today.'
तमब्रवीदुग्रवर्चाः प्रहस्य नैवंशीलाः शेषमिहाप्नुवन्ति। एतेऽप्येवं भवितारः पुरस्ता- त्तस्मादेतां दरीमाविश्य शेष्य
Ugravarca, laughing, said to him: 'Those of such conduct do not attain what remains here. These too will meet the same fate in the future; therefore, enter this hollow tree and remain there.'
एषा भार्या भविता वो न संशयो योनिं सर्वे मानुषीमाविशध्वम्। तत्र यूयं कर्म कृत्वाऽविषह्यं बहूनन्यान्निधनं प्रापयित्वा
She will become your wife, without doubt. All of you should enter a human womb. There, after performing many difficult deeds and sending many others to their end—
कर्तव्यमन्यद्विविधार्थयुक्तम्
—you must accomplish other tasks, connected with various purposes.
गमिष्यामो मानुषं देवलोका- द्दुराधरो विहितो यत्र मोक्षः। देवास्त्वस्मानादधीरञ्जनन्यां धर्मो वायुर्मघवानश्विनौ च
We shall go from the world of the gods to the world of humans, where the difficult path to liberation is established. The gods—Dharma, Vayu, Maghavan, and the Ashvins—will enter us as fathers in the womb of a woman.
एतच्छ्रुत्वा वज्रपाणिर्वचस्तु देवश्रेष्ठं पुनरेवेदमाह। वीर्येणाहं पुरुषं कार्यहेतो- र्दद्यामेषां पञ्चमं मत्प्रसूतम्
Hearing these words, the wielder of the thunderbolt, foremost among the gods, spoke again: 'For the sake of this task, by my power, I will give them a fifth son, born from me.'
विश्वभुग्भूतधामा च शिबिरिन्द्रः प्रतापवान्। शान्तिश्चतुर्थस्तेषां वै तेजस्वी पञ्चमः स्मृतः
Vishvabhuk, the supporter of all beings, Shibi the mighty king, Shanti the fourth, and Tejasvi are remembered as the fifth among them.
तेषां कामं भगवानुग्रधन्वा प्रादादिष्टं सन्निसर्गाद्यथोक्तम्। तां चाप्येषां योषितं लोककान्तां श्रियं भार्यां व्यदधान्मानुषेषु
To them, the blessed one with the mighty bow granted the desired boon, as was fitting. And to them, he assigned as wife the woman beloved in all the worlds, as their fortune among humans.
तैरेव सार्धं तु ततः स देवो जगाम नारायणमप्रमेयम्। अनन्तमव्यक्तमजं पुराणं सनातनं विश्वमनन्तरूपम्
Then, together with them, that god went to Narayana, the immeasurable—eternal, unmanifest, unborn, ancient, everlasting, the universe itself, of infinite forms.
शुक्लमेकमपरं चापि कृष्णम्
One is white, another is black.
केशो योऽसौ वर्णतः कृष्ण उक्तः
He who is called Kesha is said to be black in color.
ये ते पूर्वं शक्ररूपा निबद्धा- स्तस्यां दर्यां पर्वतस्योत्तरस्य। इहैव ते पाण्डवा वीर्यवन्तः शक्रस्यांशः पाण्डवः सव्यसाची
Those who formerly assumed the forms of Indra, bound in that hollow of the northern mountain—here, these are the valorous Pandavas; among them, Savyasachi is a portion of Indra.
एवमेते पाण्डवाः संबभूवु- र्ये ते राजन्पूर्वमिन्द्रा बभूवुः। लक्ष्मीश्चैषां पूर्वमेवोपदिष्टा भार्या यैषा द्रौपदी दिव्यरूपा
Thus, these Pandavas were born, O King, who were formerly Indras. And this fortune was previously assigned to them—their wife, Draupadi of divine form.
कथं हि स्त्री कर्मणा ते महीतला- त्समुत्तिष्ठेदन्यतो दैवयोगात्। यस्या रूपं सोमसूर्यप्रकाशं गन्धश्चास्याः कोशमात्रात्प्रवाति
For how could a woman, by her own deeds, arise from the earth in any other way than by divine arrangement—she whose beauty shines like the moon and sun, and whose fragrance spreads from her very body?
इदं चान्यत्प्रीतिपूर्वं नरेन्द्र ददानि ते वरमत्यद्भुतं च। दिव्यं चक्षुः पश्य कुन्तीसुतांस्त्वं पुण्यैर्दिव्यैः पूर्वदेहैरुपेतान्
And now, O King, with affection I grant you another wondrous boon: see the sons of Kunti with divine sight, endowed with the merits and divine bodies of their previous births.
ततो व्यासः परमोदारकर्मा शुचिर्विप्रस्तपसा तस्य राज्ञः। चक्षुर्दिव्यं प्रददौ तांश्च सर्वान् राजाऽपश्यत्पूर्वदेहैर्यथावत्
Then Vyasa, of supremely noble deeds, pure, a sage, by his austerity, bestowed divine sight upon that king, and the king saw them all as they were in their former divine bodies.
ततो दिव्यान्हेमकिरीटमालिनः शक्रप्रख्यान्पावकादित्यवर्णान्। बद्धापीडांश्चारुरूपांश्च यूनो व्यूढोरस्कांस्तालमात्रान्ददर्श
Then he saw them adorned with golden crowns, shining like Indra, with the radiance of fire and the sun, with crested hair, beautiful in form, youthful, broad-chested, and tall as palm trees.
दिव्यैर्वस्त्रैरजोभिः सुगन्धै- र्माल्यैश्चाग्र्यैः शोभमानानतीव। साक्षात्त्र्यक्षान्वा वसूंश्चापि रुद्रा- नादित्यान्वा सर्वगुणोपपन्नान्
Clad in divine garments, adorned with pure, fragrant, and excellent garlands, they shone greatly—like the three-eyed ones, or Vasus, or Rudras, or Adityas, endowed with all virtues.
तान्पूर्वेन्द्रानभिवीक्ष्याभिरूपा- त्र्शक्रात्मजं चेन्द्ररूपं निशम्य। प्रीतो राजा द्रुपदो विस्मितश्च दिव्यां मायां तामवेक्ष्याप्रमेयाम्
Seeing those former Indras, handsome, and hearing that Savyasachi was in the form of Indra, King Drupada was delighted and amazed, beholding that immeasurable divine wonder.
तां चैवाग्र्यां स्त्रियमतिरूपयुक्तां दिव्यां साक्षात्सोमवह्निप्रकाशाम्। योग्यां तेषां रूपतेजोयशोभिः पत्नी मत्वा हृष्टवान्पार्थिवेन्द्रः
And seeing her, the foremost among women, endowed with surpassing beauty, radiant like the very light of Soma and Agni, worthy of those men by her form, splendor, and fame, the king of kings rejoiced, considering her his wife.
स तद्दृष्ट्वा महदाश्चर्यरूपं जग्राह पादौ सत्यवत्याः सुतस्य। नैतच्चित्रं परमर्षे त्वयीति प्रसन्नचेताः स उवाच चैनम्
Beholding that wondrous and marvelous sight, he grasped the feet of Satyavati’s son; and with a tranquil mind, he said to him, ‘O supreme sage, this is not surprising for you.’
इदं चापि पुरावृत्तं तन्निबोध च भूमिम। कीर्त्यमानं नृपर्षीणां पूर्वेषां दारकर्मणि
And now, hear also this ancient account, O ruler of the earth, as it is recounted among the royal sages regarding the marriage customs of old.
नितन्तुर्नाम राजर्षिर्बभूव भुवि विश्रुतः। तस्य पुत्रा महेष्वासा बभूवुः पञ्च भूमिताः
There was a royal sage named Nitantu, renowned upon the earth; he had five sons, mighty archers, O ruler of men.
साल्वेयः शूरसेनश्च श्रुतसेनश्च वीर्यवान्। तिन्दुसारोऽतिसारश्च क्षत्रियाः क्रतुयाजिनः
They were Sālveya, Śūrasena, the valiant Śrutasena, Tindusāra, and Atisāra—Kshatriyas, performers of sacrifices.
नातिचक्रमुरन्योन्यमन्योन्यस्य प्रियंवदाः। अनीर्ष्यवो धर्मविदः सौम्याश्चैव प्रियकराः
They did not surpass one another, always speaking kindly to each other, free from envy, knowers of righteousness, gentle, and doers of what is dear.
एतान्नैतन्तवान्पञ्च शिबिपुत्री स्वयंवरे। अवाप स्वपतीन्वीरान्भौमाश्वी मनुजाधिपान्
In the svayaṃvara, the daughter of Śibi, Bhaumāśvī, chose these five sons of Nitantu as her own husbands—heroes, lords of men, and rulers of the earth.
वीणेव मधुरारावा गान्धर्वस्वरमूर्च्छिता। उत्तमा सर्वनारीणां भौमाश्वी ह्यभवत्तदा
Like a vīṇā with sweet sound, attuned to the Gandharva mode, Bhaumāśvī became then the foremost among all women.