पश्य यद्य् अत्र ते कश् चिद् रोचते गुणतो वरः ॥
वरयिष्याव तं गत्वा यत्नम् आस्थाय मातले ॥
अण्डम् एतज् जले न्यस्तं दीप्यमानम् इव श्रिया ॥
आ प्रजानां निसर्गाद् वै नोद्भिद्यति न सर्पति ॥
नास्य जातिं निसर्गं वा कथ्यमानं शृणोमि वै ॥
पितरं मातरं वापि नास्य जानाति कश् चन ॥
अतः किल महान् अग्निर् अन्तकाले समुत्थितः ॥
धक्ष्यते मातले सर्वं त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम् ॥
कण्व उवाच
मातलिस् त्व् अब्रवीच् छ्रुत्वा नारदस्याथ भाषितम् ॥
न मे ऽत्र रोचते कश् चिद् अन्यतो व्रज माचिरम् ॥
paśya yady atra te kaś cid rocate guṇato varaḥ ||
varayiṣyāva taṃ gatvā yatnam āsthāya mātale ||
aṇḍam etaj jale nyastaṃ dīpyamānam iva śriyā ||
ā prajānāṃ nisargād vai nodbhidyati na sarpati ||
nāsya jātiṃ nisargaṃ vā kathyamānaṃ śṛṇomi vai ||
pitaraṃ mātaraṃ vāpi nāsya jānāti kaś cana ||
ataḥ kila mahān agnir antakāle samutthitaḥ ||
dhakṣyate mātale sarvaṃ trailokyaṃ sacarācaram ||
kaṇva uvāca
mātalis tv abravīc chrutvā nāradasyātha bhāṣitam ||
na me 'tra rocate kaś cid anyato vraja māciram ||
Kanva continued: 'And so it happened that among the gods, the daityas and gandharvas, men and the many sages, Matali found not a single husband fit for his daughter. Having then taken counsel by night with his wife Sudharma, Matali resolved to journey to the world of the nagas. And he thought to himself: "Among gods and men I have found no husband suited, in point of beauty, to my Gunakeshi. Surely such a one may be found among the nagas." So saying, he took leave of his wife and, having smelled his daughter's head, Matali descended into the lower regions.'
af31704c70c1 · published Jul 17, 2026, 5:18:56 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
This passage (5.97.16-20) develops the central theme of the Udyoga-parva: the effort toward peace is already underway against the backdrop of an unavoidable war. Dharma unfolds here through speech, the choice of an embassy, fidelity to one's word, and the responsibility kings bear for the consequences of their decisions.