03190001A bhUya eva brAhmaNamahAbhAgyaM vaktum arhasIty abravIt pANDaveyo mArkaNDeyam janamejaya said, 'It behoveth thee to narrate to me in full the greatness of the brAhmaNas even as the mighty ascetic Markandeya had expounded it to the sons of pANDu.' 'vaizaMpAyana said, 'The eldest son of pANDu had asked Markandeya saying, 'It behoveth thee to expound to me the greatness of brAhmaNas.' Markandeya answered him saying, 'Hear, O king, about the behaviour of brAhmaNas in days of old.'
03190003A ayodhyAyAm ikSvAkukulotpannaH pArthivaH parikSin nAma mRgayAm agamat 'There was a king in Ayodhya, by name Parikshit, belonging to the race of Ikshvaku. And once upon a time Parikshit went a-hunting.
03190004A tam ekAzvena mRgam anusarantamM mRgo dUram apAharat And as he was riding alone on a horse chasing deer, the animal led him to a great distance (from the habitations of men).
03190005A athAdhvani jAtazramaH kSuttRSNAbhibhUtaz ca And fatigued by the distance he had ridden and afflicted with hunger and thirst
03190005Aa kasmiMz cid uddeze nIlaM vanaSaNDam apazyat he beheld in that part of the country whither he had been led, a dark and dense forest, and the king, beholding that forest,
03190005B tac ca viveza entered it
03190006A tatas tasya vanaSaNDasya madhye 'tIva ramaNIyaM saro dRSTvA sAzva eva vyagAhata and seeing a delightful tank within the forest, both the rider and the horse bathed in it,
03190007A athAzvastasH sa bisamRNAlam azvasyAgre nikSipya puSkariNItIre samAvizat and refreshed by the bath and placing before his horse some stalks and fibres of the lotus, the king sat by the side of the tank.
03190008A tatazH zayAno madhuraGM gItazabdam azRNot And while he was lying by the side of the tank, he heard certain sweet strains of music,
03190009A sa zrutvAcintayat and hearing those strains, he reflected,
03190009B neha manuSyagatimM pazyAmi 'I do not see here the foot-prints of men.
03190009C kasya khalv ayaGM gItazabda iti Whose and whence then these strains?'
03190010A athApazyat kanyAmM paramarUpadarzanIyAmM puSpANy avacinvatIGM gAyantIJM ca And the king soon beheld a maiden of great beauty gathering flowers singing all the while,
03190011A atha sA rAjJasH samIpe paryakrAmat and the maiden soon came before the king,
03190012A tAm abravId rAjA
03190012B kasyAsi subhage tvam iti and the king thereupon asked her, 'Blessed one, who art thou and whose?'
03190013A sA pratyuvAca
03190013B kanyAsmIti And she replied, 'I am a maiden.'
03190014A tAM rAjovAca
03190014B arthI tvayAham iti And the king said, 'I ask thee to be mine.'
03190015A athovAca kanyA And the maiden answered,
03190015B samayenAhaM zakyA tvayA labdhum 'Give me a pledge, for then only I can be thine,
03190015C nAnyatheti else not.'
03190016A tAM rAjA samayam apRcchat And the king then asked about the pledge
03190017A tataH kanyedam uvAca and the girl answered.
03190017B udakamM me na darzayitavyam iti 'Thou wilt never make me cast my eyes on water',
03190018A sa rAjA bADham ity uktvA tAM samAgamya tayA sahAste and the king saying, 'agreed,' married her, and king Parikshit having married her sported (with her) in great joy, and sat with her in silence,
03190019A tatraivAsIne rAjani senAnvagacchat and while the king was staying there, his troops reached the spot,
03190019B padenAnupadanM dRSTvA rAjAnamM parivAryAtiSThat and those troops beholding the monarch stood surrounding him,
03190020A paryAzvastaz ca rAjA tayaiva saha zibikayA prAyAd avighATitayA and cheered by the presence of troops, the king entered a handsome vehicle accompanied by his (newly) wedded wife.
03190020B svanagaram anuprApya rahasi tayA saha ramann Aste And having arrived at his capital he began to live with her in privacy.
03190020C nAnyat kiJM canApazyat And persons that were even near enough to the king could not obtain any interview with him
03190021A atha pradhAnAmAtyas tasyAbhyAzacarAsH striyo 'pRcchat and the minister-in-chief enquired of those females that waited upon the king, asking,
03190021B kim atra prayojanaM vartata iti 'What do ye do here?'
