Mahabharata 3.128.1-8

Devanāgarī

सोमक उवाच
ब्रह्मन् यद् यद् यथा कार्यं तत् तत् कुरु तथा तथा ॥
पुत्रकामतया सर्वं करिष्यामि वचस् तव ॥
लोमश उवाच
ततः स याजयाम् आस सोमकं तेन जन्तुना ॥
मातरस् तु बलात् पुत्रम् अपाकर्षुः कृपान्विताः ॥
हा हताः स्मेति वाशन्त्यस् तीव्रशोकसमन्विताः ॥
तं मातरः प्रत्यकर्षन् गृहीत्वा दक्षिणे करे ॥
सव्ये पाणौ गृहीत्वा तु याजको ऽपि स्म कर्षति ॥
कुररीणाम् इवार्तानाम् अपाकृष्य तु तं सुतम् ॥
विशस्य चैनं विधिना वपाम् अस्य जुहाव सः ॥
वपायां हूयमानायां गन्धम् आघ्राय मातरः ॥
आर्ता निपेतुः सहसा पृथिव्यां कुरुनन्दन ॥
सर्वाश् च गर्भान् अलभंस् ततस् ताः पार्थिवाङ्गनाः ॥
ततो दशसु मासेषु सोमकस्य विशां पते ॥
जज्ञे पुत्रशतं पूर्णं तासु सर्वासु भारत ॥
जन्तुर् ज्येष्ठः समभवज् जनित्र्याम् एव भारत ॥
स तासाम् इष्ट एवासीन् न तथान्ये निजाः सुताः ॥
तच् च लक्षणम् अस्यासीत् सौवर्णं पार्श्व उत्तरे ॥
तस्मिन् पुत्रशते चाग्र्यः स बभूव गुणैर् युतः ॥

Transliteration (IAST)

somaka uvāca
brahman yad yad yathā kāryaṃ tat tat kuru tathā tathā ||
putrakāmatayā sarvaṃ kariṣyāmi vacas tava ||
lomaśa uvāca
tataḥ sa yājayām āsa somakaṃ tena jantunā ||
mātaras tu balāt putram apākarṣuḥ kṛpānvitāḥ ||
hā hatāḥ smeti vāśantyas tīvraśokasamanvitāḥ ||
taṃ mātaraḥ pratyakarṣan gṛhītvā dakṣiṇe kare ||
savye pāṇau gṛhītvā tu yājako 'pi sma karṣati ||
kurarīṇām ivārtānām apākṛṣya tu taṃ sutam ||
viśasya cainaṃ vidhinā vapām asya juhāva saḥ ||
vapāyāṃ hūyamānāyāṃ gandham āghrāya mātaraḥ ||
ārtā nipetuḥ sahasā pṛthivyāṃ kurunandana ||
sarvāś ca garbhān alabhaṃs tatas tāḥ pārthivāṅganāḥ ||
tato daśasu māseṣu somakasya viśāṃ pate ||
jajñe putraśataṃ pūrṇaṃ tāsu sarvāsu bhārata ||
jantur jyeṣṭhaḥ samabhavaj janitryām eva bhārata ||
sa tāsām iṣṭa evāsīn na tathānye nijāḥ sutāḥ ||
tac ca lakṣaṇam asyāsīt sauvarṇaṃ pārśva uttare ||
tasmin putraśate cāgryaḥ sa babhūva guṇair yutaḥ ||

Word-by-word

SanskritIASTMeaning

सोमक उवाच ब्रह्मन् यद् यद् यथा कार्यं तत् तत् कुरु तथा तथा ॥ पुत्रकामतया सर्वं करिष्यामि वचस् तव ॥ लोमश उवाच ततः स याजयाम् आस सोमकं तेन जन्तुना ॥ मातरस् तु बलात् पुत्रम् अपाकर्षुः कृपान्विताः ॥ हा हताः स्मेति वाशन्त्यस् तीव्रशोकसमन्विताः ॥ तं मातरः प्रत्यकर्षन् गृहीत्वा दक्षिणे करे ॥ सव्ये पाणौ गृहीत्वा तु याजको ऽपि स्म कर्षति ॥ कुररीणाम् इवार्तानाम् अपाकृष्य तु तं सुतम् ॥ विशस्य चैनं विधिना वपाम् अस्य जुहाव सः ॥ वपायां हूयमानायां गन्धम् आघ्राय मातरः ॥ आर्ता निपेतुः सहसा पृथिव्यां कुरुनन्दन ॥ सर्वाश् च गर्भान् अलभंस् ततस् ताः पार्थिवाङ्गनाः ॥ ततो दशसु मासेषु सोमकस्य विशां पते ॥ जज्ञे पुत्रशतं पूर्णं तासु सर्वासु भारत ॥ जन्तुर् ज्येष्ठः समभवज् जनित्र्याम् एव भारत ॥ स तासाम् इष्ट एवासीन् न तथान्ये निजाः सुताः ॥ तच् च लक्षणम् अस्यासीत् सौवर्णं पार्श्व उत्तरे ॥ तस्मिन् पुत्रशते चाग्र्यः स बभूव गुणैर् युतः ॥somaka uvāca brahman yad yad yathā kāryaṃ tat tat kuru tathā tathā || putrakāmatayā sarvaṃ kariṣyāmi vacas tava || lomaśa uvāca tataḥ sa yājayām āsa somakaṃ tena jantunā || mātaras tu balāt putram apākarṣuḥ kṛpānvitāḥ || hā hatāḥ smeti vāśantyas tīvraśokasamanvitāḥ || taṃ mātaraḥ pratyakarṣan gṛhītvā dakṣiṇe kare || savye pāṇau gṛhītvā tu yājako 'pi sma karṣati || kurarīṇām ivārtānām apākṛṣya tu taṃ sutam || viśasya cainaṃ vidhinā vapām asya juhāva saḥ || vapāyāṃ hūyamānāyāṃ gandham āghrāya mātaraḥ || ārtā nipetuḥ sahasā pṛthivyāṃ kurunandana || sarvāś ca garbhān alabhaṃs tatas tāḥ pārthivāṅganāḥ || tato daśasu māseṣu somakasya viśāṃ pate || jajñe putraśataṃ pūrṇaṃ tāsu sarvāsu bhārata || jantur jyeṣṭhaḥ samabhavaj janitryām eva bhārata || sa tāsām iṣṭa evāsīn na tathānye nijāḥ sutāḥ || tac ca lakṣaṇam asyāsīt sauvarṇaṃ pārśva uttare || tasmin putraśate cāgryaḥ sa babhūva guṇair yutaḥ ||Somaka bids the brahmin do everything exactly as it should be done, and for the sake of sons promises to fulfill his every word; Lomasha says the priest performed Somaka's sacrifice with Jantu; the mothers, filled with pity, forcibly pulled the son back, crying "alas, we are slain," overwhelmed with fierce grief; the mothers pulled him by the right hand, while the priest pulled him by the left; having torn the son away from the mothers grieving like kurari-birds, the priest cut him open according to the rule and offered his caul in oblation; when the caul was offered, the mothers caught its scent, fell to the ground at once in anguish, and all the royal women conceived; ten months later a full hundred sons were born to Somaka from all of them; Jantu became the eldest by the same mother and was dearer to all the mothers than their own sons; he bore a golden mark on his right side, and among the hundred sons he became foremost, endowed with virtues.

Translation

Somaka said: 'Brahmin, whatever must be done, and however it must be done, do it thus. For the sake of desiring sons, I will fulfill your every word.' Lomasha said: 'Then the priest performed the sacrifice for Somaka with this Jantu. But the mothers, filled with pity, forcibly pulled the son toward themselves. "Alas, we are slain!" they cried, overcome with fierce grief. The mothers pulled him toward themselves, seizing his right hand, while the priest pulled his left. Having torn the son away from these mothers grieving like kurari-birds, he cut him according to the rite and offered his caul in oblation. When the caul was being offered, the mothers caught its scent; in anguish they suddenly fell to the ground, O joy of the Kurus. Then all the royal women conceived. Ten months later, O lord of the people, a full hundred sons were born to Somaka from all of them, O Bharata. Jantu became the eldest, born of the same mother, O Bharata, and was dearer to all the mothers than their own sons. And he bore this mark: golden, on his right side. Among that hundred sons he became foremost, endowed with virtues.'

Commentary

The story deliberately does not soften the mothers' pain. Even when the rite yields the promised result, the memory of violence remains at the very center of the account.

Version

37f8a76917c1 · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:06:19 PM UTC

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