Vana Parva, Mahabharata/Book III Chapter 116
Mahabharata Book III Chapter 116:English
"Akritavrana said, 'Jamadagni devoted himself to the study of the Veda and the practice of sacred penances, and became famous for his great austerities. Then he pursued a methodical course of study and obtained a mastery over the entire Veda. And, O king, he paid a visit to Prasenajit and solicited the hand of Renuka in marriage. And this prayer was granted by the king. And the delight of Bhrigu's race having thus obtained Renuka for his wife, took his residence with her in a hermitage, and began to practice penances, being assisted by her. And four boys were born of her, with Rama for the fifth. And although the youngest, Rama was superior to all in merit. Now once upon a time, when her sons had gone out for the purpose of gathering fruits, Renuka who had a pure and austere life, went out to bathe. And, O king, while returning home, she happened to cast her glance towards the king of Martikavataka, known by the name of Chitraratha. The king was in the water with his wives, and wearing on his breast a lotus wreath, was engaged in sport. And beholding his magnificent form, Renuka was inspired with desire. And this unlawful desire she could not control, but became polluted within the water, and came back to the hermitage frightened at heart. Her husband readily perceived what state she was in. And mighty and powerful and of a wrathful turn of mind, when he beheld that she had been giddy and that the lustre of chastity had abandoned her, he reproached her by crying out 'Fie!' At that very moment came in the eldest of Jamadagni's sons, Rumanvan; and then, Sushena, and then, Vasu, and likewise, Viswavasu. And the mighty saint directed them all one by one to put an end to the life of their mother. They, however, were quite confounded and lost heart. And they could not utter a single word. Then he in ire cursed them. And on being cursed they lost their sense and suddenly became like inanimate objects, and comparable in conduct to beasts and birds. And then Rama, the slayer of hostile heroes, came to the hermitage, last of all. Him the mighty-armed Jamadagni, of great austerities, addressed, saying, 'Kill this wicked mother of thine, without compunction, O my son.' Thereupon Rama immediately took up an axe and therewith severed his mother's head.
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[paragraph continues] Then, O great king, the wrath of Jamadagni of mighty soul, was at once appeased; and well-pleased, he spake the following words, 'Thou hast, my boy, performed at my bidding this difficult task, being versed in virtue. Therefore, whatsoever wishes there may be in thy heart, I am ready to grant them all. Do thou ask me.' Thereupon Rama solicited that his mother might be restored to life, and that he might not be haunted by the remembrance of this cruel deed and that he might not be affected by any sin, and that his brothers might recover their former state, and that he might be unrivalled on the field of battle, and that he might obtain long life. And, O Bharata's son, Jamadagni, whose penances were the most rigid, granted all those desires of his son. Once, however, O lord, when his sons had gone out as before, the valourous son of Kartavirya, the lord of the country near the shore of the sea, came up to the hermitage. And when he arrived at that hermitage, the wife of the saint received him hospitably. He, however, intoxicated with a warrior's pride, was not at all pleased with the reception accorded to him, and by force and in defiance of all resistance, seized and carried off from that hermitage the chief of the cows whose milk supplied the sacred butter, not heeding the loud lowing of the cow. And he wantonly pulled down the large trees of the wood. When Rama came home, his father himself told him all that had happened. Then when Rama saw how the cow was lowing for its calf, resentment arose in his heart. And he rushed towards Kartavirya's son, whose last moments had drawn nigh. Then the descendant of Bhrigu, the exterminator of hostile heroes, put forth his valour on the field of battle, and with sharpened arrows with flattened tips, which were shot from a beautiful bow, cut down Arjuna's arms, which numbered a thousand, and were massive like (wooden) bolts for barring the door. He, already touched by the hand of death, was overpowered by Rama, his foe. Then the kinsmen of Arjuna, their wrath excited against Rama, rushed at Jamadagni in his hermitage, while Rama was away. And they slew him there; for although his strength was great, yet being at the time engaged in penances, he would not fight. And while thus attacked by his foes, he repeatedly shouted the name of Rama in a helpless and piteous way. And, O Yudhishthira, the sons of Kartavirya shot Jamadagni, with their arrows, and having thus chastised their foe, went their way. And when they had gone away, and when Jamadagni had breathed his last, Rama, the delight of Bhrigu's race, returned to the hermitage, bearing in his arms, fuel for religious rites. And the hero beheld his father who had been put to death. And grieved exceedingly he began to bewail the unworthy fate that had laid his father low."
Mahabharata Book III Chapter 116:Sanskrit
1 [अक]
स वेथाध्ययने युक्तॊ जमथग्निर महातपः
तपस तेपे ततॊ थेवान नियमाथ वशम आनयत
2 स परसेनजितं राजन्न अधिगम्य नराधिपम
रेणुकां वरयाम आस स च तस्मै थथौ नृपः
3 रेणुकां तव अद संप्राप्य भार्यां भार्गवनन्थनः
आश्रमस्दस तया सार्धं तपस तेपे ऽनुकूलया
4 तस्याः कुमाराश चत्वारॊ जज्ञिरे राम पञ्चमाः
सर्वेषाम अजघन्यस तु राम आसीज जघन्यजः
5 फलाहारेषु सर्वेषु गतेष्व अद सुतेषु वै
रेणुका सनातुम अगमत कथा चिन नियतव्रता
6 सा तु चित्ररदं नाम मार्त्तिकावतकं नृपम
थथर्श रेणुका राजन्न आगच्छन्ती यथृच्छया
7 करीडन्तं सलिले थृष्ट्वा सभार्यं पथ्ममालिनम
ऋथ्धिमन्तं ततस तस्य सपृहयाम आस रेणुका
8 वयभिचारात तु सा तस्मात कलिन्नाम्भसि वि चेतना
परविवेशाश्रमं तरस्ता तां वै भर्तान्वबुध्यत
9 स तां थृष्ट्वा चयुतां धैर्याथ बराह्म्या लक्ष्म्या विवर्जिताम
धिक शब्थेन महातेजा गर्हयाम आस वीर्यवान
10 ततॊ जयेष्ठॊ जामथग्न्यॊ रुमण्वान नाम नाम तः
आजगाम सुषेणश च वसुर विश्वावसुस तदा
11 तान आनुपूर्व्याथ भगवान वधे मातुर अचॊथयत
न च ते जातसंमॊहाः किं चिथ ऊचुर वि चेतसः
12 ततः शशाप तान कॊपात ते शप्ताश चेतनां जहुः
मृगपक्षिस धर्माणः कषिप्रम आसञ जडॊपमाः
13 ततॊ रामॊ ऽभयगात पश्चाथ आश्रमं परवीर हा
तम उवाच महामन्युर जमथग्निर महातपाः
14 जहीमां मातरं पापां मा च पुत्र वयदां कृदाः
तत आथाय परशुं रामॊ मातुः शिरॊ ऽहरत
15 ततस तस्य महाराज जमथग्नेर महात्मनः
कॊपॊ अगच्छत सहसा परसन्नश चाब्रवीथ इथम
16 ममेथं वचनात तात कृतं ते कर्म थुष्करम
वृणीष्व कामान धर्मज्ञ यावतॊ वाञ्छसे हृथा
17 स वव्रे मातुर उत्दानम अस्मृतिं च वधस्य वै
पापेन तेन चास्पर्शं भरातॄणां परकृतिं तदा
18 अप्रतिथ्वन्थ्व तां युथ्धे थीर्घम आयुश च भारत
थथौ च सर्वान कामांस ताञ जमथग्निर महातपाः
19 कथा चित तु तदैवास्य विनिष्क्रान्ताः सुताः परभॊ
अदानूप पतिर वीरः कार्तवीर्यॊ ऽभयवर्तत
20 तम आश्रमपथं पराप्तम ऋषेर भार्यासमर्चयत
स युथ्धमथसंमत्तॊ नाभ्यनन्थत तदार्चनम
21 परमद्य चाश्रमात तस्माथ धॊम धेन्वास तथा बलात
जहार वत्सं करॊशन्त्या बभञ्ज च महाथ्रुमान
22 आगताय च रामाय तथाचष्ट पिता सवयम
गां च रॊरूयतीं थृष्ट्वा कॊपॊ राम समाविशत
23 स मन्युवशम आपन्नः कार्तवीर्यम उपाथ्रवत
तस्याद युधि विक्रम्य भार्गवः परवीर हा
24 चिच्छेथ निशितैर भल्लैर बाहून परिघसंनिभान
सहस्रसंमितान राजन परगृह्य रुचिरं धनुः
25 अर्जुनस्याद थाया था रामेण कृतमन्यवः
आश्रमस्दं विना रामं जमथग्निम उपाथ्रवन
26 ते तं जघ्नुर महावीर्यम अयुध्यन्तं तपॊ विनम
असकृथ राम रामेति विक्रॊशन्तम अनादवत
27 कार्तवीर्यस्य पुत्रास तु जमथग्निं युधिष्ठिर
घातयित्वा शरैर जग्मुर यदागतम अरिंथमाः
28 अपक्रान्तेषु चैतेषु जमथग्नौ तदागते
समित पाणिर उपागच्छथ आश्रमं भृगुनन्थनः
29 स थृष्ट्वा पितरं वीरस तदा मृत्युवशं गतम
अनर्हन्तं तदा भूतं विललाप सुथुःखितः
Mahabharata Book III Chapter 116:Transliteration
1 [ak]
sa vedādhyayane yukto jamadagnir mahātapaḥ
tapas tepe tato devān niyamād vaśam ānayat
2 sa prasenajitaṃ rājann adhigamya narādhipam
reṇukāṃ varayām āsa sa ca tasmai dadau nṛpaḥ
3 reṇukāṃ tv atha saṃprāpya bhāryāṃ bhārgavanandanaḥ
āśramasthas tayā sārdhaṃ tapas tepe 'nukūlayā
4 tasyāḥ kumārāś catvāro jajñire rāma pañcamāḥ
sarveṣām ajaghanyas tu rāma āsīj jaghanyajaḥ
5 phalāhāreṣu sarveṣu gateṣv atha suteṣu vai
reṇukā snātum agamat kadā cin niyatavratā
6 sā tu citrarathaṃ nāma mārttikāvatakaṃ nṛpam
dadarśa reṇukā rājann āgacchantī yadṛcchayā
7 krīḍantaṃ salile dṛṣṭvā sabhāryaṃ padmamālinam
ṛddhimantaṃ tatas tasya spṛhayām āsa reṇukā
8 vyabhicārāt tu sā tasmāt klinnāmbhasi vi cetanā
praviveśāśramaṃ trastā tāṃ vai bhartānvabudhyata
9 sa tāṃ dṛṣṭvā cyutāṃ dhairyād brāhmyā lakṣmyā vivarjitām
dhik śabdena mahātejā garhayām āsa vīryavān
10 tato jyeṣṭho jāmadagnyo rumaṇvān nāma nāma taḥ
ājagāma suṣeṇaś ca vasur viśvāvasus tathā
11 tān ānupūrvyād bhagavān vadhe mātur acodayat
na ca te jātasaṃmohāḥ kiṃ cid ūcur vi cetasaḥ
12 tataḥ śaśāpa tān kopāt te śaptāś cetanāṃ jahuḥ
mṛgapakṣisa dharmāṇaḥ kṣipram āsañ jaḍopamāḥ
13 tato rāmo 'bhyagāt paścād āśramaṃ paravīra hā
tam uvāca mahāmanyur jamadagnir mahātapāḥ
14 jahīmāṃ mātaraṃ pāpāṃ mā ca putra vyathāṃ kṛthāḥ
tata ādāya paraśuṃ rāmo mātuḥ śiro 'harat
15 tatas tasya mahārāja jamadagner mahātmanaḥ
kopo agacchat sahasā prasannaś cābravīd idam
16 mamedaṃ vacanāt tāta kṛtaṃ te karma duṣkaram
vṛṇīṣva kāmān dharmajña yāvato vāñchase hṛdā
17 sa vavre mātur utthānam asmṛtiṃ ca vadhasya vai
pāpena tena cāsparśaṃ bhrātṝṇāṃ prakṛtiṃ tathā
18 apratidvandva tāṃ yuddhe dīrgham āyuś ca bhārata
dadau ca sarvān kāmāṃs tāñ jamadagnir mahātapāḥ
19 kadā cit tu tathaivāsya viniṣkrāntāḥ sutāḥ prabho
athānūpa patir vīraḥ kārtavīryo 'bhyavartata
20 tam āśramapadaṃ prāptam ṛṣer bhāryāsamarcayat
sa yuddhamadasaṃmatto nābhyanandat tathārcanam
21 pramathya cāśramāt tasmād dhoma dhenvās tadā balāt
jahāra vatsaṃ krośantyā babhañja ca mahādrumān
22 āgatāya ca rāmāya tadācaṣṭa pitā svayam
gāṃ ca rorūyatīṃ dṛṣṭvā kopo rāma samāviśat
23 sa manyuvaśam āpannaḥ kārtavīryam upādravat
tasyātha yudhi vikramya bhārgavaḥ paravīra hā
24 ciccheda niśitair bhallair bāhūn parighasaṃnibhān
sahasrasaṃmitān rājan pragṛhya ruciraṃ dhanuḥ
25 arjunasyātha dāyā dā rāmeṇa kṛtamanyavaḥ
āśramasthaṃ vinā rāmaṃ jamadagnim upādravan
26 te taṃ jaghnur mahāvīryam ayudhyantaṃ tapo vinam
asakṛd rāma rāmeti vikrośantam anāthavat
27 kārtavīryasya putrās tu jamadagniṃ yudhiṣṭhira
ghātayitvā śarair jagmur yathāgatam ariṃdamāḥ
28 apakrānteṣu caiteṣu jamadagnau tathāgate
samit pāṇir upāgacchad āśramaṃ bhṛgunandanaḥ
29 sa dṛṣṭvā pitaraṃ vīras tathā mṛtyuvaśaṃ gatam
anarhantaṃ tathā bhūtaṃ vilalāpa suduḥkhitaḥ