माया बलवती ब्रह्मन् दुस्त्यजा ह्यकृतात्मभिः । अरूपा च निरालम्बा ज्ञानिनामपि मोहिनी
O Brahman, Māyā is powerful and difficult to abandon for those whose minds are untrained; for even the wise, she is formless, without support, and a bewilderer.
मातरि स्नेहसम्बद्धं तथा पुत्रेषु संवृतम् । न मे चित्तं वने शान्तिमगान्मुनिवरोत्तम
My mind, bound by affection for my mother and enveloped in attachment to my sons, O best of sages, did not find peace in the forest.
दोलारूढं मनो जातं कदाचिद्धस्तिनापुरे । पुनः सरस्वतीतीरे न चैकत्र व्यवस्थितिः
Sometimes my mind, like one riding a swing, would be in Hastināpura, then again on the banks of the Sarasvatī, never remaining steady in one place.
कदाचिच्चिन्तयन् ज्ञानं मानसे प्रतिभाति वै । केऽमी पुत्राः क्व मोहोऽयं न श्राद्धार्हा मृतस्य मे
At times, reflecting on knowledge, it would arise in my mind: 'Who are these sons? Where is this delusion? The dead do not deserve funeral rites from me.'
व्यभिचारोद्भवाः किं मे सुखदाः स्युः सुताः किल । माया बलवती मोहं वितनोति हि मानसे
Born of unfaithfulness, how could these sons truly bring me happiness? Māyā is powerful, for she spreads delusion in the mind.
जानन्मोहान्धकूपेऽस्मिन्पतितोऽहं मृषा मुने । इत्यकुर्वं रहस्तापं कदाचित्स्सुसमाहितः
Knowing this, I fell into the pit of delusion, O sage, and sometimes, in solitude and with a concentrated mind, I would lament thus.
राज्यं प्राप ततः पाण्डुर्बलवान्भीष्मसम्मतः । तदा मम मनो जातं प्रसन्नं सुतकारणात्
Then Pāṇḍu, strong and approved by Bhīṣma, obtained the kingdom; at that time, my mind became content because of my sons.
कुन्ती माद्री सुरूपे द्वे भार्ये तस्य बभूवतुः । शूरसेनसुता कुन्ती मद्रराजसुतापरा
Kuntī and Mādrī, both beautiful, became his wives—Kuntī, the daughter of Śūrasena, and the other, the daughter of the king of Madra.
स शापं द्विजतः प्राप्य कामिनीद्वयसंयुतः । पाण्डुर्निर्वेदमापन्नस्त्यक्त्वा राज्यं वनं गतः
Having received a curse from a brahmin, though united with two wives, Pāṇḍu became disillusioned, renounced the kingdom, and went to the forest.
तदा मामाविशच्छोकः श्रुत्वा पुत्रं वने स्थितम् । गतोऽहं तत्र यत्रासौ भार्याभ्यां सह संस्थितः
Then grief entered me when I heard that my son was dwelling in the forest; I went there, where he was staying with his wives.
तमाश्वास्य वने पाण्डुं पुनः प्राप्तो गजाह्वये । धृतराष्ट्रं समाभाष्य ह्यगमं ब्रह्मजातटे
After consoling Pāṇḍu in the forest, I returned to Hastināpura, spoke with Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and then went to the bank of the Ganges.
क्षेत्रजान्पञ्चपुत्रान्स समुत्पाद्य वनाश्रमे । धर्मतो वायुतः शक्रादश्विभ्यां पञ्च पाण्डवान्
There, in the forest hermitage, he fathered five sons through the field—by Dharma, Vāyu, Indra, and the Aśvins, the five Pāṇḍavas.
युधिष्ठिरो भीमसेनस्तथैवार्जुन इत्यपि । कुन्तीपुत्राः समाख्याता धर्मानिलसुरेशजाः
Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīmasena, and Arjuna—these are known as the sons of Kuntī, born of Dharma, Vāyu, and Indra.
नकुलः सहदेवश्च मद्रराजसुतासुतौ । कदाचित्तु रहो माद्रीं समालिङ्ग्य महीपतिः
Nakula and Sahadeva, sons of the daughter of the king of Madra; once, in private, the king embraced Mādrī.
मृतः शापात्तु मुनिभिः संस्कृतो हुतभुङ्मुखे । माद्री तत्र सती भूत्वा प्रविष्टा पतिना सह
He died from the curse, and was cremated in the sacrificial fire by the sages; Mādrī, becoming a devoted wife, entered the fire with her husband.
स्थिता पुत्रयुता कुन्ती ज्वलिते जातवेदसि । मुनयः सुतसंयुक्तां शूरसेनसुतां तदा
Kuntī remained with her sons as the fire blazed; then the sages brought Śūrasena's daughter, together with her sons.
दुःखितां पतिहीनां तामानिन्युर्गजसाह्वये । समर्पिताथ भीष्माय विदुराय महात्मने
They brought her, grieving and bereft of her husband, to Hastināpura, and entrusted her to Bhīṣma and the noble Vidura.
श्रुत्वाहं सुखदुःखाभ्यां पीडितस्तु परात्मभिः । भीष्मेण पालिताः पुत्राः पाण्डोरिति विचिन्त्य ते
Hearing this, I was afflicted by both happiness and sorrow, O supreme self; thinking that Bhīṣma was protecting the sons of Pāṇḍu.
विदुरेण तथा प्रीत्या धृतराष्ट्रेण धीमता । दुर्योधनादयस्तस्य पुत्रा ये क्रूरमानसाः
Vidura, with affection, and the wise Dhritarashtra, along with Duryodhana and his other sons of cruel mind—
एकत्र स्थितिमापन्ना विरोधं चकुरद्भुतम् । द्रोणाचार्यस्तु सम्माप्तस्तत्र भीष्मेण मानितः
All of them gathered together and created a remarkable conflict; Dronacharya was also present there, honored by Bhishma.
अध्यापनाय पुत्राणां पुरे तस्मिन्निवासितः । कर्णः कुन्त्या परित्यक्तो जातमात्रः शिशुर्यदा
He was settled in that city to teach the princes; Karna, abandoned by Kunti as a newborn child—
सूतेन पालितो नद्यां प्रान्तश्चाधिरथेन ह । दुर्योधनप्रियश्चाभूत्कर्णः शूरतमस्तथा
Was raised by the charioteer Adhiratha on the riverbank; Karna became very dear to Duryodhana and was exceedingly valiant.
परस्परं विरोधोऽभूद्भीमदुर्योधनादिषु । धृतराष्ट्रस्तु सञ्चिन्त्य क्लेशं पुत्रेषु तेषु च
There arose mutual enmity between Bhima, Duryodhana, and the others; Dhritarashtra, reflecting on the distress among his sons—
निवासं कल्पयामास पाण्डवानां महात्मनाम् । विरोधशमनायैव नगरे वारणावते
Arranged for the noble Pandavas to reside in the city of Varanavata, intending to quell the conflict.
दुर्योधनेन तत्रैव द्रोहाज्जतुगृहाणि वै । कारितानि च दिव्यानि प्रेष्य मित्रं पुरोचनम्
There, at Duryodhana’s command and out of deceit, houses of lac were constructed; he sent his friend Purochana as well.
श्रुत्वा जतुगृहे दग्धान्पाण्डवान्पृथया युतान् । पौत्रभावान्मुनिश्रेष्ठ मग्नोऽहं व्यसनार्णवे
Hearing that the Pandavas, along with Pritha, had been burned in the house of lac, O best of sages, I was plunged into an ocean of sorrow.
शोकातुरो भृशं शून्ये वने पश्यन्नहर्निशम् । दृष्टा मयैकचक्रायां पाण्डवा दुःखकर्शिताः
Tormented by grief, I wandered day and night in the desolate forest; there, in Ekachakra, I saw the Pandavas, worn by suffering.
ततस्तुष्टमनाश्चाहं जातः पार्थान्विलोक्य च । प्रेरितास्ते मया तूर्णं द्रुपदस्य पुरं प्रति
Then, seeing the sons of Pandu, my heart became joyful; I quickly sent them toward the city of Drupada.
ते गतास्तत्र दुःखार्ता विप्रवेषधराः कृशाः । मृगचर्मपरीधानाः सभायां संस्थितास्तदा
They went there, afflicted by sorrow, thin, dressed as Brahmins, clothed in deer skins, and stood in the assembly.
कृत्वा पराक्रमं जिष्णुः स जित्वा द्रुपदात्मजाम् । चक्रुर्विवाहं मानिन्या पञ्चैव मातृवाक्यतः
Having displayed his prowess, Arjuna won the daughter of Drupada; then, by their mother’s word, the five brothers married the noble lady.