Mahabharata 1.3.133–138

Pauṣya-parva (The Tale of Pauṣya)1.3.133–138

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Mahabharata · 1.3.133–138

॥

Devanāgarī

इति
तद् एवं गते न शक्तो ऽहं तीक्ष्णहृदयत्वात् तं शापम् अन्यथा कर्तुम्
गम्यताम् इति
तम् उत्तङ्कः प्रत्युवाच
भवताहम् अन्नस्याशुचिभावम् आगमय्य प्रत्यनुनीतः
प्राक् च ते ऽभिहितम्
यस्माद् अदुष्टम् अन्नं दूषयसि तस्माद् अनपत्यो भविष्यसीति
दुष्टे चान्ने नैष मम शापो भविष्यतीति
साधयामस् तावद् इत्य् उक्त्वा प्रातिष्ठतोत्तङ्कस् ते कुण्डले गृहीत्वा
सो ऽपश्यत् पथि नग्नं श्रमणम् आगच्छन्तं मुहुर् मुहुर् दृश्यमानम् अदृश्यमानं च
अथोत्तङ्कस् ते कुण्डले भूमौ निक्षिप्योदकार्थं प्रचक्रमे
एतस्मिन्न् अन्तरे स श्रमणस् त्वरमाण उपसृत्य ते कुण्डले गृहीत्वा प्राद्रवत्
तम् उत्तङ्को ऽभिसृत्य जग्राह
स तद् रूपं विहाय तक्षकरूपं कृत्वा सहसा धरण्यां विवृतं महाबिलं विवेश
प्रविश्य च नागलोकं स्वभवनम् अगच्छत्
तम् उत्तङ्को ऽन्वाविवेश तेनैव बिलेन
प्रविश्य च नागान् अस्तुवद् एभिः श्लोकैः

Transliteration (IAST)

iti
tad evaṃ gate na śakto 'haṃ tīkṣṇahṛdayatvāt taṃ śāpam anyathā kartum
gamyatām iti
tam uttaṅkaḥ pratyuvāca
bhavatāham annasyāśucibhāvam āgamayya pratyanunītaḥ
prāk ca te 'bhihitam
yasmād aduṣṭam annaṃ dūṣayasi tasmād anapatyo bhaviṣyasīti
duṣṭe cānne naiṣa mama śāpo bhaviṣyatīti
sādhayāmas tāvad ity uktvā prātiṣṭhatottaṅkas te kuṇḍale gṛhītvā
so 'paśyat pathi nagnaṃ śramaṇam āgacchantaṃ muhur muhur dṛśyamānam adṛśyamānaṃ ca
athottaṅkas te kuṇḍale bhūmau nikṣipyodakārthaṃ pracakrame
etasminn antare sa śramaṇas tvaramāṇa upasṛtya te kuṇḍale gṛhītvā prādravat
tam uttaṅko 'bhisṛtya jagrāha
sa tad rūpaṃ vihāya takṣakarūpaṃ kṛtvā sahasā dharaṇyāṃ vivṛtaṃ mahābilaṃ viveśa
praviśya ca nāgalokaṃ svabhavanam agacchat
tam uttaṅko 'nvāviveśa tenaiva bilena
praviśya ca nāgān astuvad ebhiḥ ślokaiḥ

Word-by-word

SanskritIASTMeaning

तीक्ष्ण-हृदयत्वात् तं शापम् अन्यथा कर्तुं न शक्तःtīkṣṇa-hṛdayatvāt taṃ śāpam anyathā kartuṃ na śaktaḥbecause of my harsh heart I cannot alter that curse

भवता अन्नस्य अशुचि-भावम् आगमय्य प्रत्यनुनीतःbhavatā annasya aśuci-bhāvam āgamayya pratyanunītaḥyou, having established the impurity of the food, have already appeased me

दुष्टे अन्ने न एषः मम शापः भविष्यतिduṣṭe anne na eṣaḥ mama śāpaḥ bhaviṣyatisince the food was indeed spoiled, your curse will not fall upon me

ते कुण्डले गृहीत्वा प्रातिष्ठतte kuṇḍale gṛhītvā prātiṣṭhatahaving taken the earrings, he set out

नग्नं श्रमणं मुहुः दृश्यमानम् अदृश्यमानंnagnaṃ śramaṇaṃ muhuḥ dṛśyamānam adṛśyamānaṃa naked ascetic, now visible, now invisible

ते कुण्डले भूमौ निक्षिप्य उदक-अर्थं प्रचक्रमेte kuṇḍale bhūmau nikṣipya udaka-arthaṃ pracakramehaving placed the earrings on the ground, he went off for water

श्रमणः ते कुण्डले गृहीत्वा प्राद्रवत्śramaṇaḥ te kuṇḍale gṛhītvā prādravatthe ascetic, seizing the earrings, ran off

उत्तङ्कः अभिसृत्य जग्राहuttaṅkaḥ abhisṛtya jagrāhaUttanka, catching up, seized him

तक्षक-रूपं कृत्वा महाबिलं विवेशtakṣaka-rūpaṃ kṛtvā mahābilaṃ viveśaassuming the form of Takshaka, he entered a great chasm

नाग-लोकं स्वभवनम् अगच्छत्nāga-lokaṃ svabhavanam agacchatreached the world of serpents, his own abode

उत्तङ्कः अन्वाविवेश तेन एव बिलेनuttaṅkaḥ anvāviveśa tena eva bilenaUttanka entered after him through that same chasm

इतिitibase form «iti», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

तद्tadbase form «tad», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

एवंevaṃbase form «evaṃ», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

गतेgatebase form «gate», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

शक्तोśaktobase form «śakto», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

ऽहं'haṃbase form «'haṃ», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

तीक्ष्णहृदयत्वात्tīkṣṇahṛdayatvātbase form «tīkṣṇahṛdayatvāt», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

कर्तुम्kartumbase form «kartum», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

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प्रत्युवाचpratyuvācabase form «pratyuvāca», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

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चcabase form «ca», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

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यस्माद्yasmādbase form «yasmād», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

अदुष्टम्aduṣṭambase form «aduṣṭam», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

अन्नंannaṃbase form «annaṃ», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

दूषयसिdūṣayasibase form «dūṣayasi», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

तस्माद्tasmādbase form «tasmād», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

अनपत्योanapatyobase form «anapatyo», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

भविष्यसीतिbhaviṣyasītibase form «bhaviṣyasīti», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

चान्नेcānnebase form «cānne», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

नैषnaiṣabase form «naiṣa», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

शापोśāpobase form «śāpo», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

भविष्यतीतिbhaviṣyatītibase form «bhaviṣyatīti», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

साधयामस्sādhayāmasbase form «sādhayāmas», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

तावद्tāvadbase form «tāvad», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

इत्य्itybase form «ity», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

उक्त्वाuktvābase form «uktvā», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

प्रातिष्ठतोत्तङ्कस्prātiṣṭhatottaṅkasbase form «prātiṣṭhatottaṅkas», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

सोsobase form «so», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

ऽपश्यत्'paśyatbase form «'paśyat», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

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श्रमणम्śramaṇambase form «śramaṇam», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

आगच्छन्तंāgacchantaṃbase form «āgacchantaṃ», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

मुहुर्muhurbase form «muhur», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

चcabase form «ca», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

अथोत्तङ्कस्athottaṅkasbase form «athottaṅkas», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

निक्षिप्योदकार्थंnikṣipyodakārthaṃbase form «nikṣipyodakārthaṃ», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

एतस्मिन्न्etasminnbase form «etasminn», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

अन्तरेantarebase form «antare», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

सsabase form «sa», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

श्रमणस्śramaṇasbase form «śramaṇas», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

त्वरमाणtvaramāṇabase form «tvaramāṇa», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

उपसृत्यupasṛtyabase form «upasṛtya», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

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सsabase form «sa», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

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चcabase form «ca», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

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तम्tambase form «tam», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

उत्तङ्कोuttaṅkobase form «uttaṅko», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

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श्लोकैःślokaiḥbase form «ślokaiḥ», added for complete coverage of the word-by-word block

Translation

[Paushya said:] "Since it has happened this way, I cannot, because of my harsh heart, alter that curse. Go." Uttanka replied to him: "But you, having established the impurity of the food, have already appeased me; moreover, you told me before: 'Since you find fault with food that was not spoiled, you shall be childless.' But since the food was indeed spoiled [by a hair], this curse of yours will not fall upon me. [Of this I am certain]." Saying "well then, let us go," Uttanka, taking the earrings, set out on his way. On the road he saw a naked ascetic-shramana coming [toward him], now visible, now invisible. Then Uttanka, laying the earrings on the ground, went off for water. Meanwhile that shramana, stealing up hastily, seized the earrings and ran off. Uttanka, catching up with him, seized him. But he, abandoning his [former] form and assuming the shape of Takshaka, suddenly entered a great chasm that had opened in the earth. Entering it, and reaching the world of serpents (naga-loka), he came to his own dwelling. And Uttanka went in after him through that same chasm.

Commentary

Here Uttanka's carelessness turns to loss: leaving the entrusted earrings unwatched, he lets Takshaka steal them. This is the fulfillment of the queen's warning: "carry them watchfully." Scripture thus teaches that carelessness (pramada) has no place in service to the guru — even a moment's inattention opens the way to obstacles. Takshaka, king of serpents, assuming deceptive forms, is an image of the illusion and envy that lie in wait for the devotee on the path of duty. Yet Uttanka's resolve not to give up, his readiness to follow the thief even into the underworld of serpents, reveals the persistence of a true servant: for the sake of the guru's gift he does not fear even the naga-loka, an abode of deadly danger. Devotion, once tripped by carelessness, is redeemed by unrelenting effort. So too the soul, having lost a spiritual treasure through negligence, must strive with redoubled resolve to recover it, fearing no obstacle.

Version

e2909466b9a4 · published Jul 12, 2026, 2:16:08 PM UTC

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