< preritAH 12 >
1 tasmin samaye herodrAjo maNDalyAH kiyajjanebhyo duHkhaM dAtuM prArabhat|
2 visheShato yohanaH sodaraM yAkUbaM karavAlAghAten hatavAn|
3 tasmAd yihUdIyAH santuShTA abhavan iti vij nAya sa pitaramapi dharttuM gatavAn|
4 tadA kiNvashUnyapUpotsavasamaya upAtiShTat; ata utsave gate sati lokAnAM samakShaM taM bahirAneyyAmIti manasi sthirIkR^itya sa taM dhArayitvA rakShNArtham yeShAm ekaikasaMghe chatvAro janAH santi teShAM chaturNAM rakShakasaMghAnAM samIpe taM samarpya kArAyAM sthApitavAn|
5 kintuM pitarasya kArAsthitikAraNAt maNDalyA lokA avishrAmam Ishvarasya samIpe prArthayanta|
6 anantaraM herodi taM bahirAnAyituM udyate sati tasyAM rAtrau pitaro rakShakadvayamadhyasthAne shR^i Nkhaladvayena baddhvaH san nidrita AsIt, dauvArikAshcha kArAyAH sammukhe tiShThanato dvAram arakShiShuH|
7 etasmin samaye parameshvarasya dUte samupasthite kArA dIptimatI jAtA; tataH sa dUtaH pitarasya kukShAvAvAtaM kR^itvA taM jAgarayitvA bhAShitavAn tUrNamuttiShTha; tatastasya hastasthashR^i NkhaladvayaM galat patitaM|
8 sa dUtastamavadat, baddhakaTiH san pAdayoH pAduke arpaya; tena tathA kR^ite sati dUtastam uktavAn gAtrIyavastraM gAtre nidhAya mama pashchAd ehi|
9 tataH pitarastasya pashchAd vrajana bahiragachChat, kintu dUtena karmmaitat kR^itamiti satyamaj nAtvA svapnadarshanaM j nAtavAn|
10 itthaM tau prathamAM dvitIyA ncha kArAM la NghitvA yena lauhanirmmitadvAreNa nagaraM gamyate tatsamIpaM prApnutAM; tatastasya kavATaM svayaM muktamabhavat tatastau tatsthAnAd bahi rbhUtvA mArgaikasya sImAM yAvad gatau; tato. akasmAt sa dUtaH pitaraM tyaktavAn|
11 tadA sa chetanAM prApya kathitavAn nijadUtaM prahitya parameshvaro herodo hastAd yihUdIyalokAnAM sarvvAshAyAshcha mAM samuddhR^itavAn ityahaM nishchayaM j nAtavAn|
12 sa vivichya mArkanAmrA vikhyAtasya yohano mAtu rmariyamo yasmin gR^ihe bahavaH sambhUya prArthayanta tanniveshanaM gataH|
13 pitareNa bahirdvAra Ahate sati rodAnAmA bAlikA draShTuM gatA|
14 tataH pitarasya svaraM shruvA sA harShayuktA satI dvAraM na mochayitvA pitaro dvAre tiShThatIti vArttAM vaktum abhyantaraM dhAvitvA gatavatI|
15 te prAvochan tvamunmattA jAtAsi kintu sA muhurmuhuruktavatI satyamevaitat|
16 tadA te kathitavantastarhi tasya dUto bhavet|
17 pitaro dvAramAhatavAn etasminnantare dvAraM mochayitvA pitaraM dR^iShTvA vismayaM prAptAH|
18 tataH pitaro niHshabdaM sthAtuM tAn prati hastena sa NketaM kR^itvA parameshvaro yena prakAreNa taM kArAyA uddhR^ityAnItavAn tasya vR^ittAntaM tAnaj nApayat, yUyaM gatvA yAkubaM bhrAtR^igaNa ncha vArttAmetAM vadatetyuktA sthAnAntaraM prasthitavAn|
19 prabhAte sati pitaraH kva gata ityatra rakShakANAM madhye mahAn kalaho jAtaH|
20 herod bahu mR^igayitvA tasyoddeshe na prApte sati rakShakAn saMpR^ichChya teShAM prANAn hantum AdiShTavAn|
21 pashchAt sa yihUdIyapradeshAt kaisariyAnagaraM gatvA tatrAvAtiShThat|
22 sorasIdonadeshayo rlokebhyo herodi yuyutsau sati te sarvva ekamantraNAH santastasya samIpa upasthAya lvAstanAmAnaM tasya vastragR^ihAdhIshaM sahAyaM kR^itvA herodA sArddhaM sandhiM prArthayanta yatastasya rAj no deshena teShAM deshIyAnAM bharaNam abhavatM
23 ataH kutrachin nirupitadine herod rAjakIyaM parichChadaM paridhAya siMhAsane samupavishya tAn prati kathAm uktavAn|
24 tato lokA uchchaiHkAraM pratyavadan, eSha manujaravo na hi, IshvarIyaravaH|
25 tadA herod Ishvarasya sammAnaM nAkarot; tasmAddhetoH parameshvarasya dUto haThAt taM prAharat tenaiva sa kITaiH kShINaH san prANAn ajahAt| kintvIshvarasya kathA deshaM vyApya prabalAbhavat| tataH paraM barNabbAshaulau yasya karmmaNo bhAraM prApnutAM tAbhyAM tasmin sampAdite sati mArkanAmnA vikhyAto yo yohan taM sa NginaM kR^itvA yirUshAlamnagarAt pratyAgatau|
