Chapter 118: Story of the Rākṣasas Aśvattha and Pippala

SS 194-195

brahmovāca:

BRP118.001.1 aśvatthatīrtham ākhyātaṃ pippalaṃ ca tataḥ param |
BRP118.001.2 uttare mandatīrthaṃ tu tatra vyuṣṭim itaḥ śṛṇu || 1 ||
BRP118.002.1 purā tv agastyo bhagavān dakṣiṇāśāpatiḥ prabhuḥ |
BRP118.002.2 devais tu preritaḥ pūrvaṃ vindhyasya prārthanaṃ prati || 2 ||
BRP118.003.1 sa śanair vindhyam abhyāgāt sahasramunibhir vṛtaḥ |
BRP118.003.2 tam āgatya nagaśreṣṭhaṃ bahuvṛkṣasamākulam || 3 ||
BRP118.004.1 spardhinaṃ merubhānubhyāṃ vindhyaṃ śṛṅgaśatair vṛtam |
BRP118.004.2 atyunnataṃ nagaṃ dhīro lopāmudrāpatir muniḥ || 4 ||
BRP118.005.1 kṛtātithyo dvijaiḥ sārdhaṃ praśasya ca nagaṃ punaḥ |
BRP118.005.2 idam āha muniśreṣṭho devakāryārthasiddhaye || 5 ||

agastya uvāca:

BRP118.006.1 ahaṃ yāmi nagaśreṣṭha munibhis tattvadarśibhiḥ |
BRP118.006.2 tīrthayātrāṃ karomīti dakṣiṇāśāṃ vrajāmy aham || 6 ||
BRP118.007.1 dehi mārgaṃ nagapate ātithyaṃ dehi yācate |
BRP118.007.2 yāvad āgamanaṃ me syāt sthātavyaṃ tāvad eva hi || 7 ||
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BRP118.008.1 nānyathā bhavitavyaṃ te tathety āha nagottamaḥ |
BRP118.008.2 ākrāman dakṣiṇām āśāṃ tair vṛto munibhir muniḥ || 8 ||
BRP118.009.1 śanaiḥ sa gautamīm āgāt sattrayāgāya dīkṣitaḥ |
BRP118.009.2 yāvat saṃvatsaraṃ sattram akarod ṛṣibhir vṛtaḥ || 9 ||
BRP118.010.1 kaiṭabhasya sutau pāpau rākṣasau dharmakaṇṭakau |
BRP118.010.2 aśvatthaḥ pippalaś ceti vikhyātau tridaśālaye || 10 ||
BRP118.011.1 aśvattho 'śvattharūpeṇa pippalo brahmarūpadhṛk |
BRP118.011.2 tāv ubhāv antaraṃ prepsū yajñavidhvaṃsanāya tu || 11 ||
BRP118.012.1 kurutāṃ kāṅkṣitaṃ rūpaṃ dānavau pāpacetasau |
BRP118.012.2 aśvattho vṛkṣarūpeṇa pippalo brāhmaṇākṛtiḥ || 12 ||
BRP118.013.1 ubhau tau brāhmaṇān nityaṃ pīḍayetāṃ tapodhana |
BRP118.013.2 ālabhante ca ye 'śvatthaṃ tāṃs tān aśnāty asau taruḥ || 13 ||
BRP118.014.1 pippalaḥ sāmago bhūtvā śiṣyān aśnāti rākṣasaḥ |
BRP118.014.2 tasmād adyāpi vipreṣu sāmago 'tīva niṣkṛpaḥ || 14 ||
BRP118.015.1 kṣīyamāṇān dvijān dṛṣṭvā munayo rākṣasāv imau |
BRP118.015.2 iti buddhvā mahāprājñā dakṣiṇaṃ tīram āśritam || 15 ||
BRP118.016.1 sauriṃ śanaiścaraṃ mandaṃ tapasyantaṃ dhṛtavratam |
BRP118.016.2 gatvā munigaṇāḥ sarve rakṣaḥkarma nyavedayan || 16 ||
BRP118.017.1 saurir munigaṇān āha pūrṇe tapasi me dvijāḥ |
BRP118.017.2 rākṣasau hanmy apūrṇe tu tapasy akṣama eva hi || 17 ||
BRP118.018.1 punaḥ procur munigaṇā dāsyāmas te tapo mahat |
BRP118.018.2 ity ukto brāhmaṇaiḥ sauriḥ kṛtam ity āha tān api || 18 ||
BRP118.019.1 saurir brāhmaṇaveṣeṇa prāyād aśvattharūpiṇam |
BRP118.019.2 rākṣasaṃ brāhmaṇo bhūtvā pradakṣiṇam athākarot || 19 ||
BRP118.020.1 pradakṣiṇaṃ tu kurvāṇaṃ mene brāhmaṇam eva tam |
BRP118.020.2 nityavad rākṣasaḥ pāpo bhakṣayām āsa māyayā || 20 ||
BRP118.021.1 tasya kāyaṃ samāviśya cakṣuṣāntrāṇy apaśyata |
BRP118.021.2 dṛṣṭaḥ sa rākṣasaḥ pāpo mandena ravisūnunā || 21 ||
BRP118.022.1 bhasmībhūtaḥ kṣaṇenaiva girir vajrahato yathā |
BRP118.022.2 aśvatthaṃ bhasmasāt kṛtvā anyaṃ brāhmaṇarūpiṇam || 22 ||
BRP118.023.1 rākṣasaṃ pāpanilayam eka eva tam abhyagāt |
BRP118.023.2 adhīyāno vipra iva śiṣyarūpo vinītavat || 23 ||
BRP118.024.1 pippalaḥ pūrvavac cāpi bhakṣayām āsa bhānujam |
BRP118.024.2 sa bhakṣitaḥ pūrvavac ca kukṣāv antrāṇy avaikṣata || 24 ||
BRP118.025.1 tenālokitamātro 'sau rākṣaso bhasmasād abhūt |
BRP118.025.2 ubhau hatvā bhānusutaḥ kiṃ kṛtyaṃ me vadantv atha || 25 ||
BRP118.026.1 munayo jātasaṃharṣāḥ sarva eva tapasvinaḥ |
BRP118.026.2 tataḥ prasannā hy abhavann ṛṣayo 'gastyapūrvakāḥ || 26 ||
BRP118.027.1 varān dadur yathākāmaṃ sauraye mandagāmine |
BRP118.027.2 sa prīto brāhmaṇān āha śaniḥ sūryasuto balī || 27 ||

saurir uvāca:

BRP118.028.1 maddvāre niyatā ye ca kurvanty aśvatthalambhanam |
BRP118.028.2 teṣāṃ sarvāṇi kāryāṇi syuḥ pīḍā madbhavā na ca || 28 ||
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BRP118.029.1 tīrthe cāśvatthasañjñe vai snānaṃ kurvanti ye narāḥ |
BRP118.029.2 teṣāṃ sarvāṇi kāryāṇi bhaveyur aparo varaḥ || 29 ||
BRP118.030.1 mandavāre tu ye 'śvatthaṃ prātar utthāya mānavāḥ |
BRP118.030.2 ālabhante ca teṣāṃ vai grahapīḍā vyapohatu || 30 ||

brahmovāca:

BRP118.031.1 tataḥ prabhṛti tat tīrtham aśvatthaṃ pippalaṃ viduḥ |
BRP118.031.2 tīrthaṃ śanaiścaraṃ tatra tatrāgastyaṃ ca sāttrikam || 31 ||
BRP118.032.1 yājñikaṃ cāpi tat tīrthaṃ sāmagaṃ tīrtham eva ca |
BRP118.032.2 ityādyaṣṭottarāṇy āsan sahasrāṇy atha ṣoḍaśa |
BRP118.032.3 teṣu snānaṃ ca dānaṃ ca sattrayāgaphalapradam || 32 ||