Parva 3 Chapter 106: haṁsaḍimbhakayormṛgayā - hamsa and ḍimbhaka go ahunting

vaiśampāyana said: (O janamejaya!) Afterwards, once those valiants went for hunting animals along with janārdana, accompanied by chariots, horses as well as elephants. vanaṁ gatvā tu tau vīrau siṁhavyāghrāṁścha jaghnatuḥ | śitairbāṇairmahārāja varāhānatha sarvaśaḥ ||3-106-2 O great king! (janamejaya!vaiśampāyana continued) Those valiants went to the forest and started killing many lions, tigers and boars with sharp arrows. vyālānanyānmṛgānhiṁsrāṣchvabhiścha sahitau nṛpa | O king! (janamejaya!vaiśampāyana continued) Along with (hunting)dogs, they hunted savage animals saying: eṣa āyāti vipulo varāho dīrghalocanaḥ ||3-106-3 enaṁ bāṇena saṣchindhi yāti cāyaṁ mṛgādhipaḥ | ayamanyo'tha mahiṣaḥ śṛṅgaprotasarīsṛpaḥ ||3-106-4 "Here comes a huge boar having large eyes. Let us cut him by shooting an arrow. Here goes the king of animals. Here is another buffalo having a serpent on his horns. ete khalu mṛgāḥ sārdhaṁ śāvairbādhanti sarvaśaḥ | etadbhramati sarvatra bhītaṁ śaśakulaṁ mahat ||3-106-5 Here are deer running away along with their young ones in all directions. Here large groups of hares are running around with fear. śāvaṁ stanaṁ pibatsādhu na hantavyāmidaṁ śubham | grahītavyamidaṁ sarvaṁ nirudhya śvagaṇairiva ||3-106-6 Here calves are sucking the breasts. Not killing these animals will be auspicious. All these animals should be surrounded with groups of (hunting) dogs and caught". ityādiśabdaḥ sumahānmṛgayāṁ kurvatāṁ nṛpa | kṣatriyāṇāṁ nṛpaśreṣṭha vyādhānāṁ caiva dhāvatām ||3-106-7 O king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) Loud voices such as these, of those warriors (kṣatriya-s) and hunters running about, engaged in hunting, O the best among kings! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued), were heard (from the forest). hatvā mṛgānsubahuśo vyāghrān siṁhānnṛpottamau | śramaṁ ca jagmaturvīrau madhyaṁ yāte divākare ||3-106-8 The best among kings (haṁsa and ḍimbhaka) killed many deer, tigers and lions. As the sun reached the middle of the sky (at noon) the valiant became tired due to their efforts. alaṁ hi mṛgayāsmākaṁ śramaḥ samupajāyate | ityūcaturmahārāja puṣkaraṁ jagmatuḥ saraḥ ||3-106-9 "Let us stop. Hunting is enough for us. We are feeling tired." Saying thus, O great king! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) they went to the lake puṣkara. saraḥ samīpamāgamya munisiddhaniṣevitam | vījanmārutasānūpaṁ śramāttatra sukhasthitau ||3-106-10 They came to the banks of the lake, served by the sages and siddhas. They rested comfortably on the sand banks where a breeze was blowing mildly and were relieved of their tiredness. tato janāḥ saraḥ sarve vigāhya śramakarṣitāḥ | bisānpravālānpadmānāṁ bhakṣayāmāsurārtavat ||3-106-11 All the men who were tired were relieved of their tiredness by bathing in the lake. Then as if distressed by hunger, they started eating the stalk and tender leaves of lotus. (See Translator's Note) janārdanena sahitau haṁso ḍimbhaka eva ca | saraḥ kvachitsamāśritya śramaṁ saṁtyajya tiṣṭhataḥ ||3-106-12 haṁsa and ḍimbhaka, along with janārdana entered somewhere in the lake, relieved their tiredness and sat on the banks. vishramya sarasastīre tadā''sāte sukhaṁ nṛpau | aśṛṇvātāṁ paraṁ brahma munimukhyaiḥ samīritam ||3-106-13 The kings (haṁsa and ḍimbhaka) rested comfortably on the banks of the lake. They heard the words praising the brahma (recital of veda), recited by the prominent sages. madhyaṁdinaṁ tathā sarvaiḥ savanaṁ sasvaraṁ nṛpau | tataḥ prītau nṛpau bhūtvā śrutvā vedadhvaniṁ tadā ||3-106-14 While all the sages were performing the noon service (madhyamdinasavanaṁ) by reciting the veda, both the kings heard the good voices. Hearing the sound of veda, both the kings became pleased. aicchetāṁ tau tadā draṣṭuṁ yajṣaṁ munikṛtaṁ tadā | Then the kings wanted to see the sacrifice performed by the sages. sthāpayitvā tataḥ senāṁ sarvāṁ mṛgasamanvitām ||3-106-15 ādāya ca mahācāpe śarānkatichideva ca | janārdanastadā vīrau haṁso ḍimbhaka eva ca ||3-106-16 padātinau mahārāja jagmatuścāśramaṁ kila | Making all the army stay along with the animals, taking the great bow and some arrows, janārdana, as well as the valiants haṁsa and ḍimbhaka, O great king, (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued ) went to the hermitage by walking. maharṣeḥ kāśyapasyātha satraṁ vaiṣṇavasaṁjṣakam | yajanto munibhiḥ sārdhaṁ japahomaparāyaṇaiḥ ||3-106-17 In the hermitage sage kashyapa was performing a sacrifice for viṣṇu along with sages who were engaged in chanting and offering oblation to the sacrificial fire. iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi haṁsaḍimbhakopākhyāne mṛgayāvarṇane ṣaḍadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ This is the one hundred and sixth chapter of bhaviṣyaparva, harivaṁśa, khila of mahābhārata, in the episode of haṁsa and ḍimbhaka, hamsa and ḍimbhaka go ahunting Translator's Note: In connection with the eating of lotus stalks when oppressed by hunger, see the enlightening and mystifying bisastanyopākhyāna, chapter 92, anuśāsana parva, mahābhārata. nīlakaṇṭha commentary · 3-106-1 tata iti || · 3-106-5 bādhanti | bādhamanubhavanti śāvaiḥ potaiḥ sahitaḥ || · 3-106-10 anūpaṁ sajalapradeshastena sahitaṁ sānūpaṁ vījanmārutavata'tmana sānūpaṁ cheti vigraha || · 3-106-17 satraṁ yajataḥ anutiṣṭhataḥ || iti śrīmahābhārate khileāṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi ṭīkāyāṁ ṣaḍadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ