Mahabharata 3.111.1-6

Devanāgarī

लोमश उवाच
सा तु नाव्याश्रमं चक्रे राजकार्यार्थसिद्धये ॥
संदेशाच् चैव नृपतेः स्वबुद्ध्या चैव भारत ॥
नानापुष्पफलैर् वृक्षैः कृत्रिमैर् उपशोभितम् ॥
नानागुल्मलतोपेतैः स्वादुकामफलप्रदैः ॥
अतीव रमणीयं तद् अतीव च मनोहरम् ॥
चक्रे नाव्याश्रमं रम्यम् अद्भुतोपमदर्शनम् ॥
ततो निबध्य तां नावम् अदूरे काश्यपाश्रमात् ॥
चारयाम् आस पुरुषैर् विहारं तस्य वै मुनेः ॥
ततो दुहितरं वेश्या समाधायेतिकृत्यताम् ॥
दृष्ट्वान्तरं काश्यपस्य प्राहिणोद् बुद्धिसंमताम् ॥
सा तत्र गत्वा कुशला तपोनित्यस्य संनिधौ ॥
आश्रमं तं समासाद्य ददर्श तम् ऋषेः सुतम् ॥

Transliteration (IAST)

lomaśa uvāca
sā tu nāvyāśramaṃ cakre rājakāryārthasiddhaye ||
saṃdeśāc caiva nṛpateḥ svabuddhyā caiva bhārata ||
nānāpuṣpaphalair vṛkṣaiḥ kṛtrimair upaśobhitam ||
nānāgulmalatopetaiḥ svādukāmaphalapradaiḥ ||
atīva ramaṇīyaṃ tad atīva ca manoharam ||
cakre nāvyāśramaṃ ramyam adbhutopamadarśanam ||
tato nibadhya tāṃ nāvam adūre kāśyapāśramāt ||
cārayām āsa puruṣair vihāraṃ tasya vai muneḥ ||
tato duhitaraṃ veśyā samādhāyetikṛtyatām ||
dṛṣṭvāntaraṃ kāśyapasya prāhiṇod buddhisaṃmatām ||
sā tatra gatvā kuśalā taponityasya saṃnidhau ||
āśramaṃ taṃ samāsādya dadarśa tam ṛṣeḥ sutam ||

Word-by-word

SanskritIASTMeaning

लोमश उवाच सा तु नाव्याश्रमं चक्रे राजकार्यार्थसिद्धये ॥ संदेशाच् चैव नृपतेः स्वबुद्ध्या चैव भारत ॥ नानापुष्पफलैर् वृक्षैः कृत्रिमैर् उपशोभितम् ॥ नानागुल्मलतोपेतैः स्वादुकामफलप्रदैः ॥ अतीव रमणीयं तद् अतीव च मनोहरम् ॥ चक्रे नाव्याश्रमं रम्यम् अद्भुतोपमदर्शनम् ॥ ततो निबध्य तां नावम् अदूरे काश्यपाश्रमात् ॥ चारयाम् आस पुरुषैर् विहारं तस्य वै मुनेः ॥ ततो दुहितरं वेश्या समाधायेतिकृत्यताम् ॥ दृष्ट्वान्तरं काश्यपस्य प्राहिणोद् बुद्धिसंमताम् ॥ सा तत्र गत्वा कुशला तपोनित्यस्य संनिधौ ॥ आश्रमं तं समासाद्य ददर्श तम् ऋषेः सुतम् ॥lomaśa uvāca sā tu nāvyāśramaṃ cakre rājakāryārthasiddhaye || saṃdeśāc caiva nṛpateḥ svabuddhyā caiva bhārata || nānāpuṣpaphalair vṛkṣaiḥ kṛtrimair upaśobhitam || nānāgulmalatopetaiḥ svādukāmaphalapradaiḥ || atīva ramaṇīyaṃ tad atīva ca manoharam || cakre nāvyāśramaṃ ramyam adbhutopamadarśanam || tato nibadhya tāṃ nāvam adūre kāśyapāśramāt || cārayām āsa puruṣair vihāraṃ tasya vai muneḥ || tato duhitaraṃ veśyā samādhāyetikṛtyatām || dṛṣṭvāntaraṃ kāśyapasya prāhiṇod buddhisaṃmatām || sā tatra gatvā kuśalā taponityasya saṃnidhau || āśramaṃ taṃ samāsādya dadarśa tam ṛṣeḥ sutam ||An old woman, for the sake of the king's affair, at Lomapada's command and by her own judgment, makes a floating ashram on a boat, adorned with artificial trees, flowers, fruits, bushes and vines bearing sweet, desirable fruits; having moored the boat not far from Kashyapa's ashram, she orders her people to watch the sage's walks, then instructs her courtesan daughter and, catching the moment of Kashyapa's absence, sends her to the sage's son.

Translation

Lomasha said: 'That woman, for the success of the king's affair, by the king's commission and by her own judgment, made an ashram on a boat. She adorned it with artificial trees bearing various flowers and fruits, and with many bushes and vines yielding sweet, desirable fruits. This floating ashram she made exceedingly beautiful, delighting to the mind, resembling a marvel. Then, having moored the boat not far from Kashyapa's ashram, she ordered her men to watch the sage's walks. After this, the courtesan instructed her daughter in what needed to be done, and, seeing that Kashyapa had gone away, sent the clever girl to the sage's son. Skilled as she was, she went there, approached the dwelling of the one ever devoted to austerity, and beheld the sage's son.'

Commentary

Lomapada tries to bring back the rain through cunning rather than through direct holiness. Thus, even at the outset, a tension is visible: a righteous goal mixed with a dubious means.

Version

cc3e6c621935 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:02:54 PM UTC

Available inRUEN