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25 śarabha-jātakam

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25. śarabha-jātakam



jighāṃsumapyāpadgatamanukampanta eva mahākārūṇikā nopekṣante| tadyathānuśrūyate-

bodhisattvaḥ kilānyatamasminnaraṇyavanapradeśe nirmānuṣasaṃpātanīrave vividhamṛgakulādhivāse tṛṇagahananimagnamūlavṛkṣakṣupabahule pathikayānavāhanacaraṇairavinyastamārgasimāntalekhe salilamārgavalmīkaśvabhraviṣamabhūbhāge balajavavarṇasattvasaṃpannaḥ saṃhananavatkāyopapannaḥ śarabho mṛgo babhūva| sa kāruṇyābhyāsādanabhidrugdhacittaḥ sattveṣu tṛṇaparṇasalilamātravṛttiḥ saṃtoṣaguṇādaraṇyavāsaniratamatiḥ pravivekakāma iva yogī tamaraṇyapradeśamabhyalaṃcakāra|



mṛgākṛtirmānuṣadhīracetāstapasvivatprāṇiṣu sānukampaḥ|

cacāra tasmin sa vane vivikte yogīva saṃtuṣṭamatistṛṇāgraiḥ||1||



atha kadācidanyatamo rājā tasya viṣayasyādhipatisturagavarādhirūḍhaḥ sajyacāpabāṇavyagrapāṇirmṛgeṣvastrakauśalamātmano jijñāsamānaḥ saṃrāgavaśājjavena mṛgānanupatannuttamajavena vājinā dūrādapasṛtahastyaśvarathapadātikāyastaṃ pradeśamupajagāma| dūradeva cālokya taṃ mahāsattvaṃ hantumutpatitaniścayaḥ samutkṛṣṭaniśitasāyako yataḥ sa mahātmā tena turagavaraṃ saṃcodayāmāsa| atha bodhisattvaḥ samālokyaiva turagavaragataṃ sāyudhamabhipatantaṃ taṃ rājānaṃ śaktimānapi pratyavasthātuṃ nivṛttasāhasasaṃrambhatvātpareṇa javātiśayena samutpapāta| so'nugamyamānastena turaṃgameṇānumārgāgataṃ mahacchvabhraṃ goṣpadamiva javena laṅghayitvā pradudrāva| atha turagavarastenaiva mārgeṇa taṃ śarabhamanupatannuttamena javapramāṇena tacchvabhramāsādya laṅgayitumanadhyavasitamatiḥ sahasā vyatiṣṭhata|



athāśvapṛṣṭhādudgīrṇaḥ sāyudhaḥ sa mahīpatiḥ|

papāta mahati svabhre daityayodha ivodadhau||2||



nibaddhacakṣuḥ śarabhe sa tasmin saṃlakṣayāmāsa na taṃ prapātam|

visrambhadoṣāccalitāsano'tha drutāśvavegoparamātpapāta||3||



atha bodhisattvasturagakhuraśabdapraśamātkiṃ nu khalu pratinivṛttaḥ syādayaṃ rājeti samutpannavitarkaḥ paścādāvarjitāvadanaḥ samālokayan dadarśa tamaśvamanārohakaṃ tasmin prapātoddeśe'vasthitam| tasya buddhirabhavat-niyatamatra prapāte nipatitaḥ sa rājā| na hyatra kiṃcidviśramahetoḥ saṃśrayaṇīyarūpaṃ ghanapracchāyaṃ vṛkṣamūlamasti nīlotpaladalanīlavimalasalilamavagāhayogyaṃ vā saraḥ| na caiva vyālamṛgānuvicaritamaraṇyavanamavagāḍhena yatra kvacidupasṛjya turagavaraṃ viśramyate mṛgayā vānuṣṭhiyate| na cātra kiṃcittṛṇagahanamapi tadvidhaṃ yatra nilīnaḥ syāt| tadvyaktamātra śvabhre nipatitena tena rājñā bhavitavyamiti| tataḥ sa mahātmā niścayamupetya vadhake'pi tasmin parāṃ karuṇāmupajagāma|



adyaiva citradhvajabhūṣaṇena vibhrājamānāvaraṇāyudhena|

rathāśvapattidviradākulena vāditracitradhvaninā balena||4||



kṛtānuyātro rucirātapatraḥ parisphuraccāmarahāraśobhaḥ|

devendravatprāñjalibhirjanaughairabhyarcito rājasukhānyavāpya||5||



adyaiva magno mahati prapāte nipātavegādabhirugṇagātraḥ|

murchānvitaḥ śokaparāyaṇo vā kaṣṭaṃ bata kleśamayaṃ prapannaḥ||6||



kiṇāṅkitānīva manāṃsi duḥkhairna hīnavargasya tathā vyathante|

adṛṣṭaduḥkhānyatisaukumāryādyathottamānāṃ vyasanāgameṣu||7||



na cāyamataḥ śakṣyatei svayamuttartum| yadyapi sāvaśeṣaprāṇastannāyamupekṣituṃ yuktamiti vitarkayan sa mahātmā karuṇayā samākṛṣyamāṇahṛdayastaṃ prapātataṭāntamupajagāma| dadarśa cainaṃ tatra reṇusaṃsargānmṛditavārabāṇaśobhaṃ vyākulitoṣṇīṣavasanasaṃnāhaṃ prapātapatananighātasaṃjānītābhirvedanābhirāpīḍyamānahṛdayamāpatitavaitānyaṃ viceṣṭamānam|



dṛṣṭvāya taṃ tatra viceṣṭamānaṃ narādhipaṃ bāṣpaparītanetraḥ|

kṛpāvaśādvismṛtaśatrusaṃjñastadduḥkhasāmānyamupājagāma||8||



uvāca cainaṃ vinayābhijātamudbhāvayan sādhujanasvabhāvam|

āśvāsayan spaṣṭapadena sāmnā śiṣṭopacāreṇa manohareṇa||9||



kaccinmahārāja na pīḍito'si prapātapātālamidaṃ prapannaḥ|

kaccinna te vikṣatamatra gātraṃ kaccidrujaste tanutāṃ gacchanti||10||



nāmānuṣaścāsmi manuṣyavarya mṛgo'pyahaṃ tvadviṣayāntavāsī|

vṛddhamastvadīyena tṛṇodakena visrambhamityarhasi mayyupetum||11||



prapātapātādadhṛtiṃ ca mā gāḥ śakto'hamuddhartumito bhavantam|

visrambhitavyaṃ mayi manyase cettatkipramājñāpaya yāvadaimi||12||



atha sa rājā tena tasyādbhatenābhivyāhāreṇa vismayāvarjitahṛdayaḥ saṃjāyamānavrīḍo niyatamiti cintāmāpede-



dṛṣṭāvadāne dviṣati kā nāmāsya dayā mayi|

mama vipratipattiśca keyamasminnanāgasi||13||



aho madhuratīkṣṇena pratyādiṣṭo'smi karmaṇā|

ahameva mṛgo gaurvā ko'pyayaṃ śarabhākṛtiḥ||14||



tadarhatyayaṃ praṇayapratigrahasaṃpūjanamiti viniścityainamuvāca-

vārabāṇāvṛtamidaṃ gātraṃ me nātivikṣatam|

prapātaniṣpeṣakṛtāḥ sahyā eva ca me rujaḥ||15||



prapātapanakleśānna tvahaṃ pīḍitastathā|

iti kalyāṇahṛdaye tvayi praskhalanādyathā||16||



ākṛtipratyayādyacca dṛṣṭo'si mṛgavanmayā|

avijñāya svabhāvaṃ te tacca mā hṛdaye kṛthāḥ||17||



atha śarabhastasya rājñaḥ prītisūcakena tenābhivyāhāreṇānumatamuddharaṇamavetya puruṣabhāragurvyā śīlayā taduddharaṇayogyāṃ kṛtvā viditātmabalapramāṇastaṃ nṛpatimuddhartuṃ vyavasitamatiravatīrya taṃ prapātaṃ savinayamabhigamyovāca-



madgātrasaṃsparśamimaṃ muhūrtaṃ kāryānurodhāttvamanukṣamasva|

yāvatkaromi svahitābhipattyā prītiprasādābhimukhaṃ mukhaṃ te||18||



tadārohatu matpuṣṭhaṃ mahārājaḥ sulagnaśca mayi bhavatviti| sa tatheti pratiśrutyainamaśvavadāruroha|



tataḥ samabhyunnatapūrvakāyastenādhirūḍhaḥ sa narādhipena|

samutpatannuttamasattvavegaḥ khe toraṇavyālakavad babhāse||19||



uddhṛtya durgādatha taṃ narendraṃ prītaḥ samānīya turaṃgameṇa|

nivedya cāsmai svapurāya mārgaṃ vanaprayāṇābhimukho babhūva||20||



atha sa rājā kṛtajñatvāttena tasya vinayamadhureṇopacāreṇa samāvartitahṛdayaḥ saṃpariṣvajya śarabhamuvāca-



prāṇā amī me śarabha tvadīyāḥ prāgeva yatrāsti mama prabhutvam|

tadarhasi draṣṭumidaṃ puraṃ me satyāṃ rucau tatra ca te'stu vāsaḥ||21||



vyādhābhikīrṇe sabhaye vane'smin śītoṣṇavarsādyupasargaduḥkhe|

hitvā bhavantaṃ mama nanvayuktamekasya gehābhimukhasya gantum||22||



tadehi gacchāva iti| athainaṃ bodhisattvaḥ savinayamadhuropacāraṃ saṃrādhayan pratyuvāca-



bhavadvidheṣveva manuṣyavarya yuktaḥ kramo'yaṃ guṇavatsaleṣu|

abhyāsayogena hi sajjanasya svabhāvatāmeva guṇā vrajanti||23||



anugrahītavyamavaiṣi yattu vanocitaṃ māṃ bhavanāśrayeṇa|

tenālamanyaddhi sukhaṃ narāṇāmanyādṛśaṃ jātyucitaṃ mṛgāṇām||24



cikīrṣite te yadi matpriyaṃ tu vyādhavrataṃ vīra vimuñca tasmāt|

tiryaktvabhavājjaḍacetaneṣu kṛpaiva śocyeṣu mṛgeṣu yuktā||25||



sukhāśraye duḥkhavinodane ca samānacittānavagaccha sattvān|

ityātmanaḥ syādanabhīpsitaṃ yanna tatpareṣvācarituṃ kṣamaṃ te||26||



kīrtikṣayaṃ sādhujanādvigarhāṃ duḥkhaṃ ca pāpaprabhavaṃ viditvā|

pāpaṃ dviṣatpakṣamivoddharasva nopekṣituṃ vyādhiriva kṣamaṃ te||27||



lakṣmīniketaṃ yadapāśrayeṇa prāpto'si lokābhimataṃ nṛpatvam|

tānyeva puṇyāni vivardhayethā na karśanīyo hyupakāripakṣaḥ||28||



kālopacārasubhagairvipulaiḥ pradānaiḥ

śīlena sādhujanasaṃgataniścayena|

bhūteṣu cātmani yathā hitabuddhisiddhyā

puṇyāni saṃcinu yaśaḥ sukhasādhanāni||29||



iti sa mahātmā taṃ rājānaṃ dṛḍhaṃ sāṃparāyikeṣvartheṣvanugṛhya saṃpratigṛhītavacanastena rājñā sabahumānamabhivīkṣyamāṇastameva vanāntaṃ praviveśa|



tadevaṃ jighāṃsumapyāpadgatamanukampanta eva mahākārūṇikā nopekṣanta iti karuṇāvarṇe'pi vācyam| tathāgatamahātmye satkṛtya dharmaśravaṇe| avaireṇa vairapraśamananidarśane ca kṣāntikathāyāmapyupaneyam| evaṃ tiryaggatānāmapi mahātmanāṃ vadhakeṣvapi sānukrodhā pravṛttirdṛṣṭā | ko manuṣyabhūtaḥ pravrajitapratijño vā sattveṣvanukrośavikalaṃ śobheteti prāṇiṣu sānukrośenāryeṇa bhavitavyam|



iti śarabha-jātakaṃ pañcaviṃśatitamam|