< 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 AjJApayasi|
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 khaNDaM khaNDaM kariSyantItyAzaGkayA sahasrasenApatiH senAgaNaM tatsthAnaM yAtuM sabhAto balAt paulaM dhRtvA durgaM netaJcAjJApayat|
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 prAcInalokAnAJca samIpaM gatvA kathayan, vayaM paulaM na hatvA kimapi na bhokSyAmahe dRDhenAnena zapathena baddhvA abhavAma|
15 ataeva sAmprataM sabhAsadlokaiH saha vayaM tasmin kaJcid 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 vijJAya durgaM gatvA tAM vArttAM paulam uktavAn|
17 tasmAt paula ekaM zatasenApatim AhUya vAkyamidam bhASitavAn sahasrasenApateH samIpe'sya yuvamanuSyasya kiJcinnivedanam 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 pAnaJca 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 netuJca 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 vijJAya taM rakSitavAn|
28 kinnimittaM te tamapavadante tajjJAtuM 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 AjJApayam| bhavataH kuzalaM bhUyAt|
31 sainyagaNa AjJAnusAreNa paulaM gRhItvA tasyAM rajanyAm AntipAtrinagaram Anayat|
32 pare'hani tena saha yAtuM ghoTakArUDhasainyagaNaM 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 jJAtvA kathitavAn,
35 tavApavAdakagaNa Agate tava kathAM zroSyAmi| herodrAjagRhe taM sthApayitum AdiSTavAn|
