< prEritAH 17 >
1 paulasIlau AmphipalyApallOniyAnagarAbhyAM gatvA yatra yihUdIyAnAM bhajanabhavanamEkam AstE tatra thiSalanIkInagara upasthitau|
2 tadA paulaH svAcArAnusArENa tESAM samIpaM gatvA vizrAmavAratrayE taiH sArddhaM dharmmapustakIyakathAyA vicAraM kRtavAn|
3 phalataH khrISTEna duHkhabhOgaH karttavyaH zmazAnadutthAnanjca karttavyaM yuSmAkaM sannidhau yasya yIzOH prastAvaM karOmi sa IzvarENAbhiSiktaH sa EtAH kathAH prakAzya pramANaM datvA sthirIkRtavAn|
4 tasmAt tESAM katipayajanA anyadEzIyA bahavO bhaktalOkA bahyaH pradhAnanAryyazca vizvasya paulasIlayOH pazcAdgAminO jAtAH|
5 kintu vizvAsahInA yihUdIyalOkA IrSyayA paripUrNAH santO haTaTsya katinayalampaTalOkAn sagginaH kRtvA janatayA nagaramadhyE mahAkalahaM kRtvA yAsOnO gRham Akramya prEritAn dhRtvA lOkanivahasya samIpam AnEtuM cESTitavantaH|
6 tESAmuddEzam aprApya ca yAsOnaM katipayAn bhrAtRMzca dhRtvA nagarAdhipatInAM nikaTamAnIya prOccaiH kathitavantO yE manuSyA jagadudvATitavantastE 'trApyupasthitAH santi,
7 ESa yAsOn AtithyaM kRtvA tAn gRhItavAn| yIzunAmaka EkO rAjastIti kathayantastE kaisarasyAjnjAviruddhaM karmma kurvvati|
8 tESAM kathAmimAM zrutvA lOkanivahO nagarAdhipatayazca samudvignA abhavan|
9 tadA yAsOnastadanyESAnjca dhanadaNPaM gRhItvA tAn parityaktavantaH|
10 tataH paraM bhrAtRgaNO rajanyAM paulasIlau zIghraM birayAnagaraM prESitavAn tau tatrOpasthAya yihUdIyAnAM bhajanabhavanaM gatavantau|
11 tatrasthA lOkAH thiSalanIkIsthalOkEbhyO mahAtmAna Asan yata itthaM bhavati na vEti jnjAtuM dinE dinE dharmmagranthasyAlOcanAM kRtvA svairaM kathAm agRhlan|
12 tasmAd anEkE yihUdIyA anyadEzIyAnAM mAnyA striyaH puruSAzcAnEkE vyazvasan|
13 kintu birayAnagarE paulEnEzvarIyA kathA pracAryyata iti thiSalanIkIsthA yihUdIyA jnjAtvA tatsthAnamapyAgatya lOkAnAM kupravRttim ajanayan|
14 ataEva tasmAt sthAnAt samudrENa yAntIti darzayitvA bhrAtaraH kSipraM paulaM prAhiNvan kintu sIlatImathiyau tatra sthitavantau|
15 tataH paraM paulasya mArgadarzakAstam AthInInagara upasthApayan pazcAd yuvAM tUrNam Etat sthAnaM AgamiSyathaH sIlatImathiyau pratImAm AjnjAM prApya tE pratyAgatAH|
16 paula AthInInagarE tAvapEkSya tiSThan tannagaraM pratimAbhiH paripUrNaM dRSTvA santaptahRdayO 'bhavat|
17 tataH sa bhajanabhavanE yAn yihUdIyAn bhaktalOkAMzca haTTE ca yAn apazyat taiH saha pratidinaM vicAritavAn|
18 kintvipikUrIyamatagrahiNaH stOyikIyamatagrAhiNazca kiyantO janAstEna sArddhaM vyavadanta| tatra kEcid akathayan ESa vAcAlaH kiM vaktum icchati? aparE kEcid ESa janaH kESAnjcid vidEzIyadEvAnAM pracAraka ityanumIyatE yataH sa yIzum utthitinjca pracArayat|
19 tE tam arEyapAganAma vicArasthAnam AnIya prAvOcan idaM yannavInaM mataM tvaM prAcIkaza idaM kIdRzaM Etad asmAn zrAvaya;
20 yAmimAm asambhavakathAm asmAkaM karNagOcarIkRtavAn asyA bhAvArthaH ka iti vayaM jnjAtum icchAmaH|
21 tadAthInInivAsinastannagarapravAsinazca kEvalaM kasyAzcana navInakathAyAH zravaNEna pracAraNEna ca kAlam ayApayan|
22 paulO'rEyapAgasya madhyE tiSThan EtAM kathAM pracAritavAn, hE AthInIyalOkA yUyaM sarvvathA dEvapUjAyAm AsaktA ityaha pratyakSaM pazyAmi|
23 yataH paryyaTanakAlE yuSmAkaM pUjanIyAni pazyan ‘avijnjAtEzvarAya` EtallipiyuktAM yajnjavEdImEkAM dRSTavAn; atO na viditvA yaM pUjayadhvE tasyaiva tatvaM yuSmAn prati pracArayAmi|
24 jagatO jagatsthAnAM sarvvavastUnAnjca sraSTA ya IzvaraH sa svargapRthivyOrEkAdhipatiH san karanirmmitamandirESu na nivasati;
25 sa Eva sarvvEbhyO jIvanaM prANAn sarvvasAmagrIzca pradadAti; ataEva sa kasyAzcit sAmagyrA abhAvahEtO rmanuSyANAM hastaiH sEvitO bhavatIti na|
26 sa bhUmaNPalE nivAsArtham EkasmAt zONitAt sarvvAn manuSyAn sRSTvA tESAM pUrvvanirUpitasamayaM vasatisImAnjca niracinOt;
27 tasmAt lOkaiH kEnApi prakArENa mRgayitvA paramEzvarasya tatvaM prAptuM tasya gavESaNaM karaNIyam|
28 kintu sO'smAkaM kasmAccidapi dUrE tiSThatIti nahi, vayaM tEna nizvasanaprazvasanagamanAgamanaprANadhAraNAni kurmmaH, punazca yuSmAkamEva katipayAH kavayaH kathayanti ‘tasya vaMzA vayaM smO hi` iti|
29 ataEva yadi vayam Izvarasya vaMzA bhavAmastarhi manuSyai rvidyayA kauzalEna ca takSitaM svarNaM rUpyaM dRSad vaitESAmIzvaratvam asmAbhi rna jnjAtavyaM|
30 tESAM pUrvvIyalOkAnAm ajnjAnatAM pratIzvarO yadyapi nAvAdhatta tathApIdAnIM sarvvatra sarvvAn manaH parivarttayitum AjnjApayati,
31 yataH svaniyuktEna puruSENa yadA sa pRthivIsthAnAM sarvvalOkAnAM vicAraM kariSyati taddinaM nyarUpayat; tasya zmazAnOtthApanEna tasmin sarvvEbhyaH pramANaM prAdAt|
32 tadA zmazAnAd utthAnasya kathAM zrutvA kEcid upAhaman, kEcidavadan EnAM kathAM punarapi tvattaH zrOSyAmaH|
33 tataH paulastESAM samIpAt prasthitavAn|
34 tathApi kEcillOkAstEna sArddhaM militvA vyazvasan tESAM madhyE 'rEyapAgIyadiyanusiyO dAmArInAmA kAcinnArI kiyantO narAzcAsan|
