< preritAH 12 >
1 tasmin samaye herodrAjo maNDalyAH kiyajjanebhyo duHkhaM dAtuM prArabhat|
2 vizeSato yohanaH sodaraM yAkUbaM karavAlAghAten hatavAn|
3 tasmAd yihUdIyAH santuSTA abhavan iti vijJAya sa pitaramapi dharttuM gatavAn|
4 tadA kiNvazUnyapUpotsavasamaya upAtiSTat; ata utsave gate sati lokAnAM samakSaM taM bahirAneyyAmIti manasi sthirIkRtya sa taM dhArayitvA rakSNArtham yeSAm ekaikasaMghe catvAro janAH santi teSAM caturNAM rakSakasaMghAnAM samIpe taM samarpya kArAyAM sthApitavAn|
5 kintuM pitarasya kArAsthitikAraNAt maNDalyA lokA avizrAmam Izvarasya samIpe prArthayanta|
6 anantaraM herodi taM bahirAnAyituM udyate sati tasyAM rAtrau pitaro rakSakadvayamadhyasthAne zRGkhaladvayena baddhvaH san nidrita AsIt, dauvArikAzca kArAyAH sammukhe tiSThanato dvAram arakSiSuH|
7 etasmin samaye paramezvarasya dUte samupasthite kArA dIptimatI jAtA; tataH sa dUtaH pitarasya kukSAvAvAtaM kRtvA taM jAgarayitvA bhASitavAn tUrNamuttiSTha; tatastasya hastasthazRGkhaladvayaM galat patitaM|
8 sa dUtastamavadat, baddhakaTiH san pAdayoH pAduke arpaya; tena tathA kRte sati dUtastam uktavAn gAtrIyavastraM gAtre nidhAya mama pazcAd ehi|
9 tataH pitarastasya pazcAd vrajana bahiragacchat, kintu dUtena karmmaitat kRtamiti satyamajJAtvA svapnadarzanaM jJAtavAn|
10 itthaM tau prathamAM dvitIyAJca kArAM laGghitvA yena lauhanirmmitadvAreNa nagaraM gamyate tatsamIpaM prApnutAM; tatastasya kavATaM svayaM muktamabhavat tatastau tatsthAnAd bahi rbhUtvA mArgaikasya sImAM yAvad gatau; tato'kasmAt sa dUtaH pitaraM tyaktavAn|
11 tadA sa cetanAM prApya kathitavAn nijadUtaM prahitya paramezvaro herodo hastAd yihUdIyalokAnAM sarvvAzAyAzca mAM samuddhRtavAn ityahaM nizcayaM jJAtavAn|
12 sa vivicya mArkanAmrA vikhyAtasya yohano mAtu rmariyamo yasmin gRhe bahavaH sambhUya prArthayanta tannivezanaM gataH|
13 pitareNa bahirdvAra Ahate sati rodAnAmA bAlikA draSTuM gatA|
14 tataH pitarasya svaraM zruvA sA harSayuktA satI dvAraM na mocayitvA pitaro dvAre tiSThatIti vArttAM vaktum abhyantaraM dhAvitvA gatavatI|
15 te prAvocan tvamunmattA jAtAsi kintu sA muhurmuhuruktavatI satyamevaitat|
16 tadA te kathitavantastarhi tasya dUto bhavet|
17 pitaro dvAramAhatavAn etasminnantare dvAraM mocayitvA pitaraM dRSTvA vismayaM prAptAH|
18 tataH pitaro niHzabdaM sthAtuM tAn prati hastena saGketaM kRtvA paramezvaro yena prakAreNa taM kArAyA uddhRtyAnItavAn tasya vRttAntaM tAnajJApayat, yUyaM gatvA yAkubaM bhrAtRgaNaJca vArttAmetAM vadatetyuktA sthAnAntaraM prasthitavAn|
19 prabhAte sati pitaraH kva gata ityatra rakSakANAM madhye mahAn kalaho jAtaH|
20 herod bahu mRgayitvA tasyoddeze na prApte sati rakSakAn saMpRcchya teSAM prANAn hantum AdiSTavAn|
21 pazcAt sa yihUdIyapradezAt kaisariyAnagaraM gatvA tatrAvAtiSThat|
22 sorasIdonadezayo rlokebhyo herodi yuyutsau sati te sarvva ekamantraNAH santastasya samIpa upasthAya lvAstanAmAnaM tasya vastragRhAdhIzaM sahAyaM kRtvA herodA sArddhaM sandhiM prArthayanta yatastasya rAjJo dezena teSAM dezIyAnAM bharaNam abhavatM
23 ataH kutracin nirupitadine herod rAjakIyaM paricchadaM paridhAya siMhAsane samupavizya tAn prati kathAm uktavAn|
24 tato lokA uccaiHkAraM pratyavadan, eSa manujaravo na hi, IzvarIyaravaH|
25 tadA herod Izvarasya sammAnaM nAkarot; tasmAddhetoH paramezvarasya dUto haThAt taM prAharat tenaiva sa kITaiH kSINaH san prANAn ajahAt| kintvIzvarasya kathA dezaM vyApya prabalAbhavat| tataH paraM barNabbAzaulau yasya karmmaNo bhAraM prApnutAM tAbhyAM tasmin sampAdite sati mArkanAmnA vikhyAto yo yohan taM saGginaM kRtvA yirUzAlamnagarAt pratyAgatau|
