SanskritIASTMeaning
वैशंपायनः उवाच सुरापानात् वञ्चनां अतिघोरं संज्ञानाशं च प्रापयित्वा तथा अभिरूपं कचं दृष्ट्वा मोहितेन सुरया पीतं [इति] काव्यः समन्युः उत्थाय विप्रहितं चिकीर्षुः सुरापानं प्रति जातशङ्कः इदं वाक्यं जगादvaiśaṃpāyanaḥ uvāca surāpānāt vañcanāṃ atighoraṃ saṃjñānāśaṃ ca prāpayitvā tathā abhirūpaṃ kacaṃ dṛṣṭvā mohitena surayā pītaṃ [iti] kāvyaḥ samanyuḥ utthāya viprahitaṃ cikīrṣuḥ surāpānaṃ prati jātaśaṅkaḥ idaṃ vākyaṃ jagādaVaishampayana said: [realizing] that he, deluded, had drunk together with the wine [the ashes of Kacha], and had thus been cruelly deceived and robbed of his senses, [and now], seeing Kacha before him, handsome as before, the sage Kavya, enraged, rising up, wishing well for the brahmins, in dread over the drinking of wine, spoke these words:
यः कः चित् ब्राह्मणः अद्य प्रभृति इह मन्दबुद्धिः मोहात् सुरां पास्यति सः अपेतधर्मः ब्रह्महा च स्यात् अस्मिन् लोके परे च गर्हितः स्यात्yaḥ kaḥ cit brāhmaṇaḥ adya prabhṛti iha mandabuddhiḥ mohāt surāṃ pāsyati saḥ apetadharmaḥ brahmahā ca syāt asmin loke pare ca garhitaḥ syāt"Any brahmin who, from this day forth, being dull of mind, out of delusion drinks wine, shall be one fallen from dharma, as though a slayer of a brahmin, and shall be condemned in this world and in the next."
मया इमां विप्रधर्मोक्तिसीमां मर्यादां सर्वलोके स्थापितां सन्तः विप्राः गुरूणां शुश्रुवांसः देवाः लोकाः च सर्वे उपशृण्वन्तुmayā imāṃ vipradharmoktisīmāṃ maryādāṃ sarvaloke sthāpitāṃ santaḥ viprāḥ gurūṇāṃ śuśruvāṃsaḥ devāḥ lokāḥ ca sarve upaśṛṇvantu"By me this boundary, this limit of the brahmins' dharma declared as a decree, is now established throughout the whole world; let the virtuous brahmins, obedient to their teachers, and the gods, and all the worlds, hear it."
इतीदं उक्त्वा तपोनिधीनां अप्रमेयः निधिः सः महानुभावः दैवविमूढबुद्धीन् तान् दानवान् समाहूय इदं वचः अभ्युवाचitīdaṃ uktvā taponidhīnāṃ aprameyaḥ nidhiḥ saḥ mahānubhāvaḥ daivavimūḍhabuddhīn tān dānavān samāhūya idaṃ vacaḥ abhyuvācaHaving said this, that great one, the immeasurable treasury of treasuries of austerity, summoning those danavas whose minds were bewildered by fate, spoke these words to them:
दानवाः वः बालिशाः स्थ आचक्षे सिद्धः कचः मत्सकाशे वत्स्यति महार्थां संजीवनीं विद्यां प्राप्य ब्रह्मणा तुल्यप्रभावः ब्रह्मभूतःdānavāḥ vaḥ bāliśāḥ stha ācakṣe siddhaḥ kacaḥ matsakāśe vatsyati mahārthāṃ saṃjīvanīṃ vidyāṃ prāpya brahmaṇā tulyaprabhāvaḥ brahmabhūtaḥ"O danavas, you are fools -- I tell you: the perfected Kacha shall now dwell with me; having obtained the great science of reviving the dead, he has become equal in power to Brahma, himself as one with Brahma."
सः कचः गुरोः सकाशे दश वर्षशतानि उष्य अनुज्ञातः त्रिदशालयं गन्तुं इयेषsaḥ kacaḥ guroḥ sakāśe daśa varṣaśatāni uṣya anujñātaḥ tridaśālayaṃ gantuṃ iyeṣaThat Kacha, having dwelt with his teacher for a thousand years, and having received permission, wished to go to the abode of the gods.
वैशंपायनvaiśaṃpāyanaoriginal form "vaiśaṃpāyana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सुरापानाद्surāpānādoriginal form "surāpānād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथातिघोरम्tathātighoramoriginal form "tathātighoram", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चापिcāpioriginal form "cāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथाभिरूपंtathābhirūpaṃoriginal form "tathābhirūpaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तदाtadāoriginal form "tadā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
समन्युर्samanyuroriginal form "samanyur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महानुभावस्mahānubhāvasoriginal form "mahānubhāvas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तदोशनाtadośanāoriginal form "tadośanā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्वयंsvayaṃoriginal form "svayaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वाक्यम्vākyamoriginal form "vākyam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वैvaioriginal form "vai", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
योyooriginal form "yo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ब्राह्मणोbrāhmaṇooriginal form "brāhmaṇo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽद्य'dyaoriginal form "'dya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
प्रभृतीहprabhṛtīhaoriginal form "prabhṛtīha", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कश्kaśoriginal form "kaś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चिन्cinoriginal form "cin", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अपेतधर्मोapetadharmooriginal form "apetadharmo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चैवcaivaoriginal form "caiva", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्याद्syādoriginal form "syād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अस्मिंल्asmiṃloriginal form "asmiṃl", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चेमांcemāṃoriginal form "cemāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वैvaioriginal form "vai", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सन्तोsantooriginal form "santo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शुश्रुवांसोśuśruvāṃsooriginal form "śuśruvāṃso", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
देवाdevāoriginal form "devā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
लोकाश्lokāśoriginal form "lokāś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चोपशृण्वन्तुcopaśṛṇvantuoriginal form "copaśṛṇvantu", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इतीदम्itīdamoriginal form "itīdam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महानुभावस्mahānubhāvasoriginal form "mahānubhāvas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
निधिर्nidhiroriginal form "nidhir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वचोvacooriginal form "vaco", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽभ्युवाच'bhyuvācaoriginal form "'bhyuvāca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वोvooriginal form "vo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दानवाdānavāoriginal form "dānavā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कचोkacooriginal form "kaco", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तुल्यप्रभावोtulyaprabhāvooriginal form "tulyaprabhāvo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
गुरोर्gurororiginal form "guror", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तुtuoriginal form "tu", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कचोkacooriginal form "kaco", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
गन्तुम्gantumoriginal form "gantum", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
त्रिदशालयम्tridaśālayamoriginal form "tridaśālayam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here the origin of the prohibition on wine for brahmins reveals itself. It is telling that Shukra himself, having unwittingly drunk his disciple's ashes together with the wine and thereby been deceived, establishes the injunction: "any brahmin who drinks wine is, as it were, a slayer of a brahmin, fallen from dharma." This is one of the grounds for the prohibition of intoxicants (madya) -- one of the four pillars of sin (along with meat-eating, gambling, and illicit union). The lesson runs deep: intoxication robs one of reason and turns a person into an instrument of deceit and evil, as happened to Shukra himself; therefore intoxicants are forbidden to one who upholds dharma, and all the more so to a brahmin and a devoted soul. It is also telling that the prohibition is born from the sage's own bitter experience: even the greatest can fall through intoxication; hence -- complete abstinence. And the tale ends peacefully: Kacha, having fulfilled his mission (obtaining the science through honest service), returns to the gods with his teacher's leave. Thus, through devotion, love, death, and revival, the design is accomplished; and the tradition leaves us the vow of sobriety as the fruit of this tale. What follows (the falling-out between Kacha and Devayani) will lead on to the story of Yayati.