< mathiH 2 >
1 anantaraM hErOd saMjnjakE rAjnji rAjyaM zAsati yihUdIyadEzasya baitlEhami nagarE yIzau jAtavati ca, katipayA jyOtirvvudaH pUrvvasyA dizO yirUzAlamnagaraM samEtya kathayamAsuH,
2 yO yihUdIyAnAM rAjA jAtavAn, sa kutrAstE? vayaM pUrvvasyAM dizi tiSThantastadIyAM tArakAm apazyAma tasmAt taM praNantum agamAma|
3 tadA hErOd rAjA kathAmEtAM nizamya yirUzAlamnagarasthitaiH sarvvamAnavaiH sArddham udvijya
4 sarvvAn pradhAnayAjakAn adhyApakAMzca samAhUyAnIya papraccha, khrISTaH kutra janiSyatE?
5 tadA tE kathayAmAsuH, yihUdIyadEzasya baitlEhami nagarE, yatO bhaviSyadvAdinA itthaM likhitamAstE,
6 sarvvAbhyO rAjadhAnIbhyO yihUdIyasya nIvRtaH| hE yIhUdIyadEzasyE baitlEham tvaM na cAvarA|isrAyElIyalOkAn mE yatO yaH pAlayiSyati| tAdRgEkO mahArAjastvanmadhya udbhaviSyatI||
7 tadAnIM hErOd rAjA tAn jyOtirvvidO gOpanam AhUya sA tArakA kadA dRSTAbhavat, tad vinizcayAmAsa|
8 aparaM tAn baitlEhamaM prahItya gaditavAn, yUyaM yAta, yatnAt taM zizum anviSya taduddEzE prAptE mahyaM vArttAM dAsyatha, tatO mayApi gatvA sa praNaMsyatE|
9 tadAnIM rAjnja EtAdRzIm AjnjAM prApya tE pratasthirE, tataH pUrvvarsyAM dizi sthitaistai ryA tArakA dRSTA sA tArakA tESAmagrE gatvA yatra sthAnE zizUrAstE, tasya sthAnasyOpari sthagitA tasyau|
10 tad dRSTvA tE mahAnanditA babhUvuH,
11 tatO gEhamadhya pravizya tasya mAtrA mariyamA sAddhaM taM zizuM nirIkSaya daNPavad bhUtvA praNEmuH, aparaM svESAM ghanasampattiM mOcayitvA suvarNaM kunduruM gandharamanjca tasmai darzanIyaM dattavantaH|
12 pazcAd hErOd rAjasya samIpaM punarapi gantuM svapna IzvarENa niSiddhAH santO 'nyEna pathA tE nijadEzaM prati pratasthirE|
13 anantaraM tESu gatavatmu paramEzvarasya dUtO yUSaphE svapnE darzanaM datvA jagAda, tvam utthAya zizuM tanmAtaranjca gRhItvA misardEzaM palAyasva, aparaM yAvadahaM tubhyaM vArttAM na kathayiSyAmi, tAvat tatraiva nivasa, yatO rAjA hErOd zizuM nAzayituM mRgayiSyatE|
14 tadAnIM yUSaph utthAya rajanyAM zizuM tanmAtaranjca gRhItvA misardEzaM prati pratasthE,
15 gatvA ca hErOdO nRpatE rmaraNaparyyantaM tatra dEzE nyuvAsa, tEna misardEzAdahaM putraM svakIyaM samupAhUyam| yadEtadvacanam IzvarENa bhaviSyadvAdinA kathitaM tat saphalamabhUt|
16 anantaraM hErOd jyOtirvidbhirAtmAnaM pravanjcitaM vijnjAya bhRzaM cukOpa; aparaM jyOtirvvidbhyastEna vinizcitaM yad dinaM taddinAd gaNayitvA dvitIyavatsaraM praviSTA yAvantO bAlakA asmin baitlEhamnagarE tatsImamadhyE cAsan, lOkAn prahitya tAn sarvvAn ghAtayAmAsa|
17 ataH anEkasya vilApasya ninAda: krandanasya ca| zOkEna kRtazabdazca rAmAyAM saMnizamyatE| svabAlagaNahEtOrvai rAhEl nArI tu rOdinI| na manyatE prabOdhantu yatastE naiva manti hi||
18 yadEtad vacanaM yirImiyanAmakabhaviSyadvAdinA kathitaM tat tadAnIM saphalam abhUt|
19 tadanantaraM hErEdi rAjani mRtE paramEzvarasya dUtO misardEzE svapnE darzanaM dattvA yUSaphE kathitavAn
20 tvam utthAya zizuM tanmAtaranjca gRhItvA punarapIsrAyElO dEzaM yAhI, yE janAH zizuM nAzayitum amRgayanta, tE mRtavantaH|
21 tadAnIM sa utthAya zizuM tanmAtaranjca gRhlan isrAyEldEzam AjagAma|
22 kintu yihUdIyadEzE arkhilAyanAma rAjakumArO nijapitu rhErOdaH padaM prApya rAjatvaM karOtIti nizamya tat sthAnaM yAtuM zagkitavAn, pazcAt svapna IzvarAt prabOdhaM prApya gAlIldEzasya pradEzaikaM prasthAya nAsarannAma nagaraM gatvA tatra nyuSitavAn,
23 tEna taM nAsaratIyaM kathayiSyanti, yadEtadvAkyaM bhaviSyadvAdibhirukttaM tat saphalamabhavat|
