Mahabharata 3.116.1-9

Devanāgarī

अकृतव्रण उवाच
स वेदाध्ययने युक्तो जमदग्निर् महातपाः ॥
तपस् तेपे ततो देवान् नियमाद् वशम् आनयत् ॥
स प्रसेनजितं राजन्न् अधिगम्य नराधिपम् ॥
रेणुकां वरयाम् आस स च तस्मै ददौ नृपः ॥
रेणुकां त्व् अथ संप्राप्य भार्यां भार्गवनन्दनः ॥
आश्रमस्थस् तया सार्धं तपस् तेपे ऽनुकूलया ॥
तस्याः कुमाराश् चत्वारो जज्ञिरे रामपञ्चमाः ॥
सर्वेषाम् अजघन्यस् तु राम आसीज् जघन्यजः ॥
फलाहारेषु सर्वेषु गतेष्व् अथ सुतेषु वै ॥
रेणुका स्नातुम् अगमत् कदा चिन् नियतव्रता ॥
सा तु चित्ररथं नाम मार्त्तिकावतकं नृपम् ॥
ददर्श रेणुका राजन्न् आगच्छन्ती यदृच्छया ॥
क्रीडन्तं सलिले दृष्ट्वा सभार्यं पद्ममालिनम् ॥
ऋद्धिमन्तं ततस् तस्य स्पृहयाम् आस रेणुका ॥
व्यभिचारात् तु सा तस्मात् क्लिन्नाम्भसि विचेतना ॥
प्रविवेशाश्रमं त्रस्ता तां वै भर्तान्वबुध्यत ॥
स तां दृष्ट्वा च्युतां धैर्याद् ब्राह्म्या लक्ष्म्या विवर्जिताम् ॥
धिक्शब्देन महातेजा गर्हयाम् आस वीर्यवान् ॥

Transliteration (IAST)

akṛtavraṇa uvāca
sa vedādhyayane yukto jamadagnir mahātapāḥ ||
tapas tepe tato devān niyamād vaśam ānayat ||
sa prasenajitaṃ rājann adhigamya narādhipam ||
reṇukāṃ varayām āsa sa ca tasmai dadau nṛpaḥ ||
reṇukāṃ tv atha saṃprāpya bhāryāṃ bhārgavanandanaḥ ||
āśramasthas tayā sārdhaṃ tapas tepe 'nukūlayā ||
tasyāḥ kumārāś catvāro jajñire rāmapañcamāḥ ||
sarveṣām ajaghanyas tu rāma āsīj jaghanyajaḥ ||
phalāhāreṣu sarveṣu gateṣv atha suteṣu vai ||
reṇukā snātum agamat kadā cin niyatavratā ||
sā tu citrarathaṃ nāma mārttikāvatakaṃ nṛpam ||
dadarśa reṇukā rājann āgacchantī yadṛcchayā ||
krīḍantaṃ salile dṛṣṭvā sabhāryaṃ padmamālinam ||
ṛddhimantaṃ tatas tasya spṛhayām āsa reṇukā ||
vyabhicārāt tu sā tasmāt klinnāmbhasi vicetanā ||
praviveśāśramaṃ trastā tāṃ vai bhartānvabudhyata ||
sa tāṃ dṛṣṭvā cyutāṃ dhairyād brāhmyā lakṣmyā vivarjitām ||
dhikśabdena mahātejā garhayām āsa vīryavān ||

Word-by-word

SanskritIASTMeaning

अकृतव्रण उवाच स वेदाध्ययने युक्तो जमदग्निर् महातपाः ॥ तपस् तेपे ततो देवान् नियमाद् वशम् आनयत् ॥ स प्रसेनजितं राजन्न् अधिगम्य नराधिपम् ॥ रेणुकां वरयाम् आस स च तस्मै ददौ नृपः ॥ रेणुकां त्व् अथ संप्राप्य भार्यां भार्गवनन्दनः ॥ आश्रमस्थस् तया सार्धं तपस् तेपे ऽनुकूलया ॥ तस्याः कुमाराश् चत्वारो जज्ञिरे रामपञ्चमाः ॥ सर्वेषाम् अजघन्यस् तु राम आसीज् जघन्यजः ॥ फलाहारेषु सर्वेषु गतेष्व् अथ सुतेषु वै ॥ रेणुका स्नातुम् अगमत् कदा चिन् नियतव्रता ॥ सा तु चित्ररथं नाम मार्त्तिकावतकं नृपम् ॥ ददर्श रेणुका राजन्न् आगच्छन्ती यदृच्छया ॥ क्रीडन्तं सलिले दृष्ट्वा सभार्यं पद्ममालिनम् ॥ ऋद्धिमन्तं ततस् तस्य स्पृहयाम् आस रेणुका ॥ व्यभिचारात् तु सा तस्मात् क्लिन्नाम्भसि विचेतना ॥ प्रविवेशाश्रमं त्रस्ता तां वै भर्तान्वबुध्यत ॥ स तां दृष्ट्वा च्युतां धैर्याद् ब्राह्म्या लक्ष्म्या विवर्जिताम् ॥ धिक्शब्देन महातेजा गर्हयाम् आस वीर्यवान् ॥akṛtavraṇa uvāca sa vedādhyayane yukto jamadagnir mahātapāḥ || tapas tepe tato devān niyamād vaśam ānayat || sa prasenajitaṃ rājann adhigamya narādhipam || reṇukāṃ varayām āsa sa ca tasmai dadau nṛpaḥ || reṇukāṃ tv atha saṃprāpya bhāryāṃ bhārgavanandanaḥ || āśramasthas tayā sārdhaṃ tapas tepe 'nukūlayā || tasyāḥ kumārāś catvāro jajñire rāmapañcamāḥ || sarveṣām ajaghanyas tu rāma āsīj jaghanyajaḥ || phalāhāreṣu sarveṣu gateṣv atha suteṣu vai || reṇukā snātum agamat kadā cin niyatavratā || sā tu citrarathaṃ nāma mārttikāvatakaṃ nṛpam || dadarśa reṇukā rājann āgacchantī yadṛcchayā || krīḍantaṃ salile dṛṣṭvā sabhāryaṃ padmamālinam || ṛddhimantaṃ tatas tasya spṛhayām āsa reṇukā || vyabhicārāt tu sā tasmāt klinnāmbhasi vicetanā || praviveśāśramaṃ trastā tāṃ vai bhartānvabudhyata || sa tāṃ dṛṣṭvā cyutāṃ dhairyād brāhmyā lakṣmyā vivarjitām || dhikśabdena mahātejā garhayām āsa vīryavān ||Jamadagni, engaged in the study of the Vedas and great in austerity, subdued the gods by his vow; he came to King Prasenajit and asked for Renuka, and the king gave her to him; having obtained Renuka as his wife, the descendant of Bhrigu performed austerities in the ashram together with his obedient wife; four boys were born to her, the fifth being Rama; of all of them the youngest, Rama, was not the least worthy; one day, when all the sons had gone off for fruit, Renuka, who kept her vow, went to bathe; returning, she chanced to see King Chitraratha sporting in the water with his wife, wearing a garland of lotuses; seeing his splendor, Renuka desired it; because of this inward straying she entered the ashram wet, bereft of clarity and frightened; her husband perceived this; seeing her fallen from steadfastness and stripped of brahminical radiance, he rebuked her with the word "shame".

Translation

Akritavrana said: "Jamadagni, great in austerity, was engaged in the study of the Vedas; then he performed austerities and by his vow subdued the gods. Coming to King Prasenajit, he asked for Renuka, and the king gave her to him. Having received Renuka as his wife, the descendant of the Bhargavas performed austerities in the ashram together with his obedient wife. Four boys were born to her, and Rama was the fifth; of all of them, the youngest, Rama, was not the least. One day, when all the sons had gone off for fruit, Renuka, who kept her vow, went to bathe. On her way back she chanced to see King Chitraratha of Marttikavata: crowned with a lotus garland, he was sporting in the water together with his wife. Seeing his splendor, Renuka desired it. Because of this inward lapse she entered the ashram wet, bereft of clarity and frightened; her husband perceived her state. Seeing that she had fallen from steadfastness and lost her brahminical radiance, the mighty and greatly radiant Jamadagni rebuked her with the word "shame"."

Commentary

Renuka's fall begins not with an act but with the inner assent of desire. The epic shows that the purity of a vow is guarded first of all in the mind.

Version

0f7613676230 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:02:54 PM UTC

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