preritAH 18

1tadghaTanAtaH paraM paula AthInInagarAd yAtrAM kR^itvA karinthanagaram AgachChat|

2tasmin samaye klaudiyaH sarvvAn yihUdIyAn romAnagaraM vihAya gantum Aj nApayat, tasmAt priskillAnAmnA jAyayA sArddham itAliyAdeshAt ki nchitpUrvvam Agamat yaH pantadeshe jAta AkkilanAmA yihUdIyalokaH paulastaM sAkShAt prApya tayoH samIpamitavAn|

3tau dUShyanirmmANajIvinau, tasmAt parasparam ekavR^ittikatvAt sa tAbhyAM saha uShitvA tat karmmAkarot|

4paulaH prativishrAmavAraM bhajanabhavanaM gatvA vichAraM kR^itvA yihUdIyAn anyadeshIyAMshcha pravR^ittiM grAhitavAn|

5sIlatImathiyayo rmAkidaniyAdeshAt sametayoH satoH paula uttaptamanA bhUtvA yIshurIshvareNAbhiShikto bhavatIti pramANaM yihUdIyAnAM samIpe prAdAt|

6kintu te .atIva virodhaM vidhAya pAShaNDIyakathAM kathitavantastataH paulo vastraM dhunvan etAM kathAM kathitavAn, yuShmAkaM shoNitapAtAparAdho yuShmAn pratyeva bhavatu, tenAhaM niraparAdho .adyArabhya bhinnadeshIyAnAM samIpaM yAmi|

7sa tasmAt prasthAya bhajanabhavanasamIpasthasya yustanAmna Ishvarabhaktasya bhinnadeshIyasya niveshanaM prAvishat|

8tataH krIShpanAmA bhajanabhavanAdhipatiH saparivAraH prabhau vyashvasIt, karinthanagarIyA bahavo lokAshcha samAkarNya vishvasya majjitA abhavan|

9kShaNadAyAM prabhuH paulaM darshanaM datvA bhAShitavAn, mA bhaiShIH, mA nirasIH kathAM prachAraya|

10ahaM tvayA sArddham Asa hiMsArthaM kopi tvAM spraShTuM na shakShyati nagare.asmin madIyA lokA bahava Asate|

11tasmAt paulastannagare prAyeNa sArddhavatsaraparyyantaM saMsthAyeshvarasya kathAm upAdishat|

12gAlliyanAmA kashchid AkhAyAdeshasya prADvivAkaH samabhavat, tato yihUdIyA ekavAkyAH santaH paulam Akramya vichArasthAnaM nItvA

13mAnuSha eSha vyavasthAya viruddham IshvarabhajanaM karttuM lokAn kupravR^ittiM grAhayatIti niveditavantaH|

14tataH paule pratyuttaraM dAtum udyate sati gAlliyA yihUdIyAn vyAharat, yadi kasyachid anyAyasya vAtishayaduShTatAcharaNasya vichAro.abhaviShyat tarhi yuShmAkaM kathA mayA sahanIyAbhaviShyat|

15kintu yadi kevalaM kathAyA vA nAmno vA yuShmAkaM vyavasthAyA vivAdo bhavati tarhi tasya vichAramahaM na kariShyAmi, yUyaM tasya mImAMsAM kuruta|

16tataH sa tAn vichArasthAnAd dUrIkR^itavAn|

17tadA bhinnadeshIyAH sosthininAmAnaM bhajanabhavanasya pradhAnAdhipatiM dhR^itvA vichArasthAnasya sammukhe prAharan tathApi gAlliyA teShu sarvvakarmmasu na mano nyadadhAt|

18paulastatra punarbahudinAni nyavasat, tato bhrAtR^igaNAd visarjanaM prApya ki nchanavratanimittaM kiMkriyAnagare shiro muNDayitvA priskillAkkilAbhyAM sahito jalapathena suriyAdeshaM gatavAn|

19tata iphiShanagara upasthAya tatra tau visR^ijya svayaM bhajanabhvanaM pravishya yihUdIyaiH saha vichAritavAn|

20te svaiH sArddhaM punaH katipayadinAni sthAtuM taM vyanayan, sa tadanurarIkR^itya kathAmetAM kathitavAn,

21yirUshAlami AgAmyutsavapAlanArthaM mayA gamanIyaM; pashchAd IshvarechChAyAM jAtAyAM yuShmAkaM samIpaM pratyAgamiShyAmi| tataH paraM sa tai rvisR^iShTaH san jalapathena iphiShanagarAt prasthitavAn|

22tataH kaisariyAm upasthitaH san nagaraM gatvA samAjaM namaskR^itya tasmAd AntiyakhiyAnagaraM prasthitavAn|

23tatra kiyatkAlaM yApayitvA tasmAt prasthAya sarvveShAM shiShyANAM manAMsi susthirANi kR^itvA kramasho galAtiyAphrugiyAdeshayo rbhramitvA gatavAn|

24tasminneva samaye sikandariyAnagare jAta ApallonAmA shAstravit suvaktA yihUdIya eko jana iphiShanagaram AgatavAn|

25sa shikShitaprabhumArgo manasodyogI cha san yohano majjanamAtraM j nAtvA yathArthatayA prabhoH kathAM kathayan samupAdishat|

26eSha jano nirbhayatvena bhajanabhavane kathayitum ArabdhavAn, tataH priskillAkkilau tasyopadeshakathAM nishamya taM svayoH samIpam AnIya shuddharUpeNeshvarasya kathAm abodhayatAm|

27pashchAt sa AkhAyAdeshaM gantuM matiM kR^itavAn, tadA tatratyaH shiShyagaNo yathA taM gR^ihlAti tadarthaM bhrAtR^igaNena samAshvasya patre likhite sati, ApallAstatropasthitaH san anugraheNa pratyayinAM bahUpakArAn akarot,

28phalato yIshurabhiShiktastrAteti shAstrapramANaM datvA prakAsharUpeNa pratipannaM kR^itvA yihUdIyAn niruttarAn kR^itavAn|