Chapter 167: The young Brahmin and the Rākṣasī

SS 266-267

brahmovāca:

BRP167.001.1 vipratīrtham iti khyātaṃ tathā nārāyaṇaṃ viduḥ |
BRP167.001.2 tasyākhyānaṃ pravakṣyāmi śṛṇu vismayakārakam || 1 ||
BRP167.002.1 antarvedyāṃ dvijaḥ kaścid brāhmaṇo vedapāragaḥ |
BRP167.002.2 tasya putrā mahāprājñā guṇarūpadayānvitāḥ || 2 ||
BRP167.003.1 teṣāṃ kanīyān yo bhrātā śānto guṇagaṇair vṛtaḥ |
BRP167.003.2 āsandiva iti khyātaḥ sarvajñāno mahāmatiḥ || 3 ||
BRP167.004.1 vivāhāya pitā tasmāai āsandivāya yatnavān |
BRP167.004.2 etasminn antare rātrau suptaṃ taṃ dvijaputrakam || 4 ||
BRP167.005.1 aviṣṇusmaraṇaṃ saumyaśiraskam asamāhitam |
BRP167.005.2 āsandivaṃ krūrarūpā rākṣasī kāmarūpiṇī || 5 ||
BRP167.006.1 tam ādāyāgamac chīghraṃ gautamyā dakṣiṇe taṭe |
BRP167.006.2 śrīgirer uttare pāre bahubrāhmaṇasevitam || 6 ||
BRP167.007.1 nagaraṃ dharmanilayaṃ lakṣmyā nilayam eva ca |
BRP167.007.2 tatra rājā bṛhatkīrtiḥ sarvakṣatraguṇānvitaḥ || 7 ||
BRP167.008.1 tasyāmitakṣemasubhikṣayuktaṃ |
BRP167.008.2 niśāvasāne dvijaputrayuktā |
516
BRP167.008.3 sā rākṣasī tat puram āsasāda |
BRP167.008.4 manojñarūpāṇi bibharti nityam || 8 ||
BRP167.009.1 sā kāmarūpeṇa caraty aśeṣāṃ |
BRP167.009.2 mahīm imāṃ tena samaṃ dvijena |
BRP167.009.3 godāvarīdakṣiṇatīrabhāge |
BRP167.009.4 vṛddhākṛtis taṃ dvijam āha bhīmā || 9 ||

rākṣasy uvāca:

BRP167.010.1 eṣā tu gaṅgā dvijamukhya sandhyā |
BRP167.010.2 upāsyatāṃ vipravaraiḥ sametya |
BRP167.010.3 yathocitaṃ vipravarās tu kāle |
BRP167.010.4 nopāsate yatnata eva sandhyām || 10 ||
BRP167.011.1 nīcās ta evābhihitāḥ sureśair |
BRP167.011.2 antyāvasāyipravarās ta ete |
BRP167.011.3 ahaṃ janitrī tava ceti vācyaṃ |
BRP167.011.4 no ced idānīṃ tvam upaiṣi nāśam || 11 ||
BRP167.012.1 madvākyakartāsi yadi dvijendra |
BRP167.012.2 sukhaṃ kariṣye tava yat priyaṃ ca |
BRP167.012.3 punaś ca deśaṃ nilayaṃ gurūṃś ca |
BRP167.012.4 samprāpayiṣye nanu satyam etat || 12 ||

brahmovāca:

BRP167.013.1 sa prāha kā tvaṃ dvijapuṅgavo 'pi |
BRP167.013.2 sovāca taṃ rākṣasī kāmarūpā |
BRP167.013.3 viśvāsayantī śapathair anekais |
BRP167.013.4 taṃ bhrāntacittaṃ munirājaputram || 13 ||
BRP167.014.1 kaṅkālinī nāma jagatprasiddhā |
BRP167.014.2 vipro 'pi tām āha niveditaṃ yat |
BRP167.014.3 tad eva kartāsmi na saṃśayo 'tra |
BRP167.014.4 yat tat priyaṃ vacmi karomi caiva || 14 ||

brahmovāca:

BRP167.015.1 tad vipravacanaṃ śrutvā rākṣasī kāmarūpiṇī |
BRP167.015.2 vṛddhā tathāpi cārvaṅgī divyālaṅkārabhūṣaṇā || 15 ||
BRP167.016.1 dvijam ādāya sarvatra matsuto 'yaṃ guṇākaraḥ |
BRP167.016.2 evaṃ vadantī sarvatra yāti vakti karoti ca || 16 ||
BRP167.017.1 taṃ vipraṃ rūpasaubhāgyavayovidyāvibhūṣitam |
BRP167.017.2 tāṃ ca vṛddhāṃ guṇopetām asya māteti menire || 17 ||
BRP167.018.1 tatra dvijavaraḥ kaścit svāṃ kanyāṃ bhūṣaṇānvitām |
BRP167.018.2 rākṣasīṃ tāṃ puraskṛtya prādāt tasmai dvijātaye || 18 ||
BRP167.019.1 sā kanyā taṃ patiṃ prāpya kṛtārthāsmīty acintayat |
BRP167.019.2 sa dvijo 'pi guṇair yuktāṃ patnīṃ dṛṣṭvā suduḥkhitaḥ || 19 ||

dvija uvāca:

BRP167.020.1 mām iyaṃ bhakṣayed eva rākṣasī pāparūpiṇī |
BRP167.020.2 kiṃ karomi kva gacchāmi kasyaitat kathayāmi vā || 20 ||
517
BRP167.021.1 mahat saṅkaṭam āpannaṃ rakṣayiṣyati ko 'tra mām |
BRP167.021.2 bhāryā mameyaṃ kalyāṇī guṇarūpavayoyutā |
BRP167.021.3 enām apy aśubhākasmād bhakṣayiṣyati rākṣasī || 21 ||

brahmovāca:

BRP167.022.1 etasminn antare tatra bhāryā sā guṇaśālinī |
BRP167.022.2 vṛddhāpy atidurādharṣā sā gatā kutracit tadā || 22 ||
BRP167.023.1 praśrayāvanatā bhūtvā bālā cāpi pativratā |
BRP167.023.2 bhartāraṃ duḥkhitaṃ jñātvā patiṃ prāha rahaḥ śanaiḥ || 23 ||

bhāryovāca:

BRP167.024.1 kasmāt te duḥkham āpannaṃ svāmiṃs tattvaṃ vadasva me || 24 ||

brahmovāca:

BRP167.025.1 śanaiḥ provāca tāṃ bhāryāṃ yathāvat pūrvavistaram |
BRP167.025.2 kim akathyaṃ priye mitre kulīnāyāṃ ca yoṣiti || 25 ||
BRP167.026.1 bhartṛvākyaṃ niśamyedaṃ provāca vadatāṃ varā || 26 ||

bhāryovāca:

BRP167.027.1 anātmanaḥ sarvato 'pi bhayam asti gṛheṣv api |
BRP167.027.2 kuto bhayaṃ hy ātmavatāṃ kiṃ punar gautamītaṭe || 27 ||
BRP167.028.1 vasatāṃ viṣṇubhaktānāṃ viraktānāṃ vivekinām |
BRP167.028.2 atra snātvā śucir bhūtvā stuhi devam anāmayam || 28 ||

brahmovāca:

BRP167.029.1 etad ākarṇya gaṅgāyāṃ snātvā vigatakalmaṣaḥ |
BRP167.029.2 tuṣṭāva gautamītīre dvijo nārāyaṇaṃ tathā || 29 ||

dvija uvāca:

BRP167.030.1 tvam antarātmā jagato 'sya nātha |
BRP167.030.2 tvam eva kartāsya mukunda hartā |
BRP167.030.3 tvaṃ pālakaḥ pālayase na dīnam |
BRP167.030.4 anāthabandho narasiṃha kasmāt || 30 ||
BRP167.031.1 śrutvaitat prārthanaṃ tasya jagacchokanivāraṇaḥ |
BRP167.031.2 nārāyaṇo 'pi tāṃ pāpāṃ nijaghāna sa rākṣasīm || 31 ||
BRP167.032.1 sudarśanena cakreṇa sahasrāreṇa bhāsvatā |
BRP167.032.2 tasmai prādād varān iṣṭān prāpayac ca guruṃ prabhuḥ || 32 ||
BRP167.033.1 tataḥ prabhṛti tat tīrthaṃ vipraṃ nārāyaṇaṃ viduḥ |
BRP167.033.2 snānadānena pūjādyair yatra sidhyati vāñchitam || 33 ||