Mahabharata · Chapter 1.175
na viṣādastvayā kāryo bhayādasmātkathañcana /
upāyaḥ paridṛṣṭo'tra tasmānmokṣāya rakṣasaḥ //
naiva svayaṃ saputrasya gamanaṃ tatra rocaye / ekastava suto bālaḥ kanyā caikā tapasvinī /
na caitayostathā patnyā gamanaṃ tava rocaye //
mama pañca sutā brahmaṃsteṣāmeko gamiṣyati /
tvadarthaṃ balimādāya tasya pāpasya rakṣasaḥ //
brāhmaṇa uvāca /
nāhametatkariṣyāmi jīvitārthī kathañcana /
brāhmaṇasyātitheścaiva svārthe prāṇānviyojayan //
na tvetadakulīnāsu nādharmiṣṭhāsu vidyate /
yadbrāhmamārthaṃ visṛjedātmānamapi cātmajam //
ātmanastu vadhaḥ śreyo boddhavyamiti rocate /
brahamvadhyā'tmavadhyā vā śreyānātmavadho mama //
brahmavadhyā paraṃ pāpaṃ niṣkṛtirnātra vidyate /
abuddhipūrvaṃ kṛtvāpi pratyavāyo hi vidyate //
na tvahaṃ vadhamākāṅkṣe svayamevātmanaḥ śubhe /
paraiḥ kṛte vadhe pāpaṃ na kiñcinmayi vidyate //
abhisandhau kṛte tasminbrāhmaṇasya vadhe mayā /
niṣkṛtiṃ na prapaśyāmi nṛśaṃsaṃ kṣudrameva ca //
āgatasya gṛhaṃ tyāgastathaiva śaraṇārthinaḥ /
yācamānasya ca vadho nṛśaṃso garhito budhaiḥ //
kuryānna ninditaṃ karma na nṛśaṃsaṃ kathañcana /
iti pūrve mahātmāna āpaddharmavido viduḥ //
śreyāṃstu sahadārasya vināśo'dya mama svayam /
brāhmaṇasya vadhaṃ nāhamanumaṃsye kadācana //
kuntyuvāca /
mamāpyeṣā matirbrahmanviprā rakṣyā iti sthirā /
na cāpyaniṣṭaḥ putro me yadi putraśataṃ bhavet //
na cāsau rākṣasaḥ śakto mama putravināśane /
vīryamanmantrasiddhaśca tejasvī ca suto mama //
rākṣasāya ca tatsarvaṃ prāpayiṣyati bhojanam /
mokṣayiṣyati cātmānamiti me niścitā matiḥ //
samāgatāśca vīreṇa dṛṣṭapūrvāśca rākṣasāḥ /
balavanto mahākāyā nihatāścāpyanekaśaḥ //
na tvidaṃ keṣucidbrahmānvyāhartavyaṃ kathañcana /
vidyārthino hi me putrānviprakuryuḥ kutūhalāt //
guruṇā cānanujñāto grāhayedyaḥ suto mama /
na sa kuryāttathā kāryaṃ vidyayeti satāṃ matam //
vaiśampāyana uvāca /
evamuktastu pṛthayā sa vipro bhāryayā saha /
hṛṣṭaḥ sampūjayāmāsa tadvākyamamṛtopamam //
tataḥ kuntī ca vipraśca sahitāvanilātmajam /
tamabrūtāṃ kuruṣveti sa tathetyabravīcca tau //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0