< prEritAH 23 >
1 sabhAsadlOkAn prati paulO'nanyadRSTyA pazyan akathayat, hE bhrAtRgaNA adya yAvat saralEna sarvvAntaHkaraNEnEzvarasya sAkSAd AcarAmi|
2 anEna hanAnIyanAmA mahAyAjakastaM kapOlE capETEnAhantuM samIpasthalOkAn AdiSTavAn|
3 tadA paulastamavadat, hE bahiSpariSkRta, IzvarastvAM praharttum udyatOsti, yatO vyavasthAnusArENa vicArayitum upavizya vyavasthAM lagghitvA mAM praharttum AjnjApayasi|
4 tatO nikaTasthA lOkA akathayan, tvaM kim Izvarasya mahAyAjakaM nindasi?
5 tataH paulaH pratibhASitavAn hE bhrAtRgaNa mahAyAjaka ESa iti na buddhaM mayA tadanyacca svalOkAnAm adhipatiM prati durvvAkyaM mA kathaya, EtAdRzI lipirasti|
6 anantaraM paulastESAm arddhaM sidUkilOkA arddhaM phirUzilOkA iti dRSTvA prOccaiH sabhAsthalOkAn avadat hE bhrAtRgaNa ahaM phirUzimatAvalambI phirUzinaH satnAnazca, mRtalOkAnAm utthAnE pratyAzAkaraNAd ahamapavAditOsmi|
7 iti kathAyAM kathitAyAM phirUzisidUkinOH parasparaM bhinnavAkyatvAt sabhAyA madhyE dvau saMghau jAtau|
8 yataH sidUkilOkA utthAnaM svargIyadUtA AtmAnazca sarvvESAm EtESAM kamapi na manyantE, kintu phirUzinaH sarvvam aggIkurvvanti|
9 tataH parasparam atizayakOlAhalE samupasthitE phirUzinAM pakSIyAH sabhAsthA adhyApakAH pratipakSA uttiSThantO 'kathayan, Etasya mAnavasya kamapi dOSaM na pazyAmaH; yadi kazcid AtmA vA kazcid dUta EnaM pratyAdizat tarhi vayam Izvarasya prAtikUlyEna na yOtsyAmaH|
10 tasmAd atIva bhinnavAkyatvE sati tE paulaM khaNPaM khaNPaM kariSyantItyAzagkayA sahasrasEnApatiH sEnAgaNaM tatsthAnaM yAtuM sabhAtO balAt paulaM dhRtvA durgaM nEtanjcAjnjApayat|
11 rAtrO prabhustasya samIpE tiSThan kathitavAn hE paula nirbhayO bhava yathA yirUzAlamnagarE mayi sAkSyaM dattavAn tathA rOmAnagarEpi tvayA dAtavyam|
12 dinE samupasthitE sati kiyantO yihUdIyalOkA EkamantraNAH santaH paulaM na hatvA bhOjanapAnE kariSyAma iti zapathEna svAn abadhnan|
13 catvAriMzajjanEbhyO'dhikA lOkA iti paNam akurvvan|
14 tE mahAyAjakAnAM prAcInalOkAnAnjca samIpaM gatvA kathayan, vayaM paulaM na hatvA kimapi na bhOkSyAmahE dRPhEnAnEna zapathEna baddhvA abhavAma|
15 ataEva sAmprataM sabhAsadlOkaiH saha vayaM tasmin kanjcid vizESavicAraM kariSyAmastadarthaM bhavAn zvO 'smAkaM samIpaM tam Anayatviti sahasrasEnApatayE nivEdanaM kuruta tEna yuSmAkaM samIpaM upasthitEH pUrvvaM vayaM taM hantu sajjiSyAma|
16 tadA paulasya bhAginEyastESAmiti mantraNAM vijnjAya durgaM gatvA tAM vArttAM paulam uktavAn|
17 tasmAt paula EkaM zatasEnApatim AhUya vAkyamidam bhASitavAn sahasrasEnApatEH samIpE'sya yuvamanuSyasya kinjcinnivEdanam AstE, tasmAt tatsavidham EnaM naya|
18 tataH sa tamAdAya sahasrasEnApatEH samIpam upasthAya kathitavAn, bhavataH samIpE'sya kimapi nivEdanamAstE tasmAt bandiH paulO mAmAhUya bhavataH samIpam Enam AnEtuM prArthitavAn|
19 tadA sahasrasEnApatistasya hastaM dhRtvA nirjanasthAnaM nItvA pRSThavAn tava kiM nivEdanaM? tat kathaya|
20 tataH sOkathayat, yihUdIyalAkAH paulE kamapi vizESavicAraM chalaM kRtvA taM sabhAM nEtuM bhavataH samIpE nivEdayituM amantrayan|
21 kintu mavatA tanna svIkarttavyaM yatastESAM madhyEvarttinazcatvAriMzajjanEbhyO 'dhikalOkA EkamantraNA bhUtvA paulaM na hatvA bhOjanaM pAnanjca na kariSyAma iti zapathEna baddhAH santO ghAtakA iva sajjitA idAnIM kEvalaM bhavatO 'numatim apEkSantE|
22 yAmimAM kathAM tvaM nivEditavAn tAM kasmaicidapi mA kathayEtyuktvA sahasrasEnApatistaM yuvAnaM visRSTavAn|
23 anantaraM sahasrasEnApati rdvau zatasEnApatI AhUyEdam Adizat, yuvAM rAtrau praharaikAvaziSTAyAM satyAM kaisariyAnagaraM yAtuM padAtisainyAnAM dvE zatE ghOTakArOhisainyAnAM saptatiM zaktidhArisainyAnAM dvE zatE ca janAn sajjitAn kurutaM|
24 paulam ArOhayituM phIlikSAdhipatEH samIpaM nirvvighnaM nEtunjca vAhanAni samupasthApayataM|
25 aparaM sa patraM likhitvA dattavAn tallikhitamEtat,
26 mahAmahimazrIyuktaphIlikSAdhipatayE klaudiyaluSiyasya namaskAraH|
27 yihUdIyalOkAH pUrvvam EnaM mAnavaM dhRtvA svahastai rhantum udyatA EtasminnantarE sasainyOhaM tatrOpasthAya ESa janO rOmIya iti vijnjAya taM rakSitavAn|
28 kinnimittaM tE tamapavadantE tajjnjAtuM tESA sabhAM tamAnAyitavAn|
29 tatastESAM vyavasthAyA viruddhayA kayAcana kathayA sO'pavAditO'bhavat, kintu sa zRgkhalabandhanArhO vA prANanAzArhO bhavatIdRzaH kOpyaparAdhO mayAsya na dRSTaH|
30 tathApi manuSyasyAsya vadhArthaM yihUdIyA ghAtakAiva sajjitA EtAM vArttAM zrutvA tatkSaNAt tava samIpamEnaM prESitavAn asyApavAdakAMzca tava samIpaM gatvApavaditum AjnjApayam| bhavataH kuzalaM bhUyAt|
31 sainyagaNa AjnjAnusArENa paulaM gRhItvA tasyAM rajanyAm AntipAtrinagaram Anayat|
32 parE'hani tEna saha yAtuM ghOTakArUPhasainyagaNaM sthApayitvA parAvRtya durgaM gatavAn|
33 tataH parE ghOTakArOhisainyagaNaH kaisariyAnagaram upasthAya tatpatram adhipatEH karE samarpya tasya samIpE paulam upasthApitavAn|
34 tadAdhipatistatpatraM paThitvA pRSThavAn ESa kimpradEzIyO janaH? sa kilikiyApradEzIya EkO jana iti jnjAtvA kathitavAn,
35 tavApavAdakagaNa AgatE tava kathAM zrOSyAmi| hErOdrAjagRhE taM sthApayitum AdiSTavAn|
