Bhagavata Purana

तिर्यक् चेदागतो गर्भः तदा मे मरणं भवेत् । प्रसूतौ दारुणं दुःखं सुकुमारी कथं सहे

'If the fetus comes out sideways, I will die; childbirth brings terrible pain—how can I, so delicate, endure it?'

मन्दायां मयि सर्वस्वं ननान्दा संहरेत् तदा । सत्यशौचादिनियमो दुराराध्यः स दृश्यते

'If I am slow, my co-wife will seize everything; the vow of truth, purity, and the like appears very hard to observe.'

लालने पालने दुःखं प्रसूतायाश्च वर्तते । वन्ध्या वा विधवा नारी सुखिनी चेति मे मतिः

'There is suffering in raising and caring for a child, and also for a woman in labor; in my mind, a barren or widowed woman is happy.'

एवं कुतर्कयोगेन तत्फलं नैव भक्षितम् । पत्या पृष्टं फलं भुक्तं भुक्तं चेति तयेरितम्

Thus, by such faulty reasoning, she did not eat the fruit; when her husband asked, she said, 'I have eaten it, I have eaten it.'

एकदा भगिनी तस्याः तद्‌गृहः स्वेच्छयाऽऽगता । तदग्रे कथितं सर्वं चिन्तेयं महती हि मे

Once, her younger sister came to her house of her own accord; in her presence, she told everything, saying, 'I am greatly troubled.'

दुर्बला तेन दुःखेन ह्यनुजे करवाणि किम् । साब्रवीत् मम गर्भोस्ति तं दास्यामि प्रसूतितः

'I am weak from this distress—what shall I do, sister?' She replied, 'I am pregnant; I will give you the child after birth.'

तावत्कालं सगर्भेव गुप्ता तिष्ठ गृहे सुखम् । वित्तं त्वं मत्पतेर्यच्छ स ते दास्यति बालकम्

'Meanwhile, stay at home, pretending to be pregnant, and live happily; give my husband some wealth, and he will give you the boy.'

षण्मासिको मृतो बाल इति लोको वदिष्यति । तं बालं पोषयिष्यामि नित्यमागत्य ते गृहे

'People will say the child died at six months; I will raise the boy, coming daily to your house.'

फलमर्पय धेन्वै त्वं परीक्षार्थं तु साम्प्रतम् । तत् तद् आचरितं सर्वं तथैव स्त्रीस्वभावतः

'Now, for the sake of testing, offer the fruit to the cow; all this was done just so, as is the nature of women.'

अथ कालेन सा नारी प्रसूता बालकं तदा । आनीय जनको बालं रहस्ये धुन्धुलीं ददौ

Then, in due course, the woman gave birth to a boy; the father brought the child and secretly gave him to Dhundhuli.

तया च कथितं भर्त्रे प्रसूतः सुखमर्भकः । लोकस्य सुखमुत्पन्नं आत्मदेव प्रजोदयात्

She told her husband, 'A healthy boy has been born; joy has arisen for all, for Ātmadeva has begotten a son.'

ददौ दानं द्विजातिभ्यो जातकर्म विधाय च । गीतवादित्रघोषोऽभूत् तद्‌द्वारं मंगलं बहु

He gave gifts to the twice-born and performed the birth rites; there was much auspicious singing and music at the doorway.

भर्तुरग्रेऽब्रवीत् वाक्यं स्तन्यं नास्ति कुचे मम । अन्यस्तन्येन निर्दुग्धा कथं पुष्णामि बालकम्

In front of her husband, she said, 'There is no milk in my breast; another has drawn out the milk, so how can I nourish the child?'

मत्स्वसुश्च प्रसूताया मृतो बालस्तु वर्तते । तामाकार्य गृहे रक्ष सा तेऽर्भं पोषयिष्यति

But my co-wife, who has given birth, her child has died; bring her here and keep her in the house—she will nourish your child.

पतिना तत्कृतं सर्वं पुत्ररक्षणहेतवे । पुत्रस्य धुन्धुकारीति नाम मात्रा प्रतिष्ठितन्

All this was done by the husband for the sake of protecting his son; the mother gave the child the name Dhundhukari.

त्रिमासे निर्गते चाथ सा धेनुः सुषुवेऽर्भकम् । सर्वांगसुन्दरं दिव्यं निर्मलं कनकप्रभम्

After three months had passed, that cow gave birth to a calf—beautiful in every limb, divine, spotless, and shining like gold.

दृष्ट्वा प्रसन्नो विप्रस्तु संस्कारान् स्वयमादधे । मत्वा‌ऽऽश्चर्यं जनाः सर्वे दिदृक्षार्थं समागताः

Seeing this, the pleased brahmin himself performed the rites; thinking it a wonder, all the people gathered, desiring to see.

भाग्योदयोऽधुना जात आत्मदेवस्य पश्यत । धेन्वा बालः प्रसूतस्तु देवरूपीति कौतुकम्

Now, behold, good fortune has arisen for Atmadeva: a child has been born from the cow, and, being divine in form, it is a marvel.

न ज्ञातं तद्‍रहस्यं तु केनापि विधियोगतः । गोकर्णं तं सुतं दृष्ट्वा गोकर्णं नाम चाकरोत्

By the arrangement of fate, no one knew that secret; seeing the child with ears like a cow, they named him Gokarna.

कियत्कालेन तौ जातौ तरुणौ तनयावुभौ । गोकर्णः पण्डितो ज्ञानी धुन्धुकारी महाखलः

In due course, both sons grew up to be young men; Gokarna became learned and wise, while Dhundhukari was exceedingly wicked.

स्नानशौचक्रियाहीनो दुर्भक्षी क्रोधवर्जितः । दुष्परिग्रहकर्ता च शवहस्तेन भोजनम्

He neglected bathing and purity, ate improper food, was devoid of anger, engaged in wrongful acquisitions, and ate with hands defiled by corpses.

चौरः सर्वजनद्वेषी परवेश्मप्रदीपकः । लालनायार्भकान् धृत्वा सद्यः कूपे न्यपातयत्

He was a thief, hated by all people, set fire to others' houses, and, taking children for play, would immediately throw them into a well.

हिंसकः शस्त्रधारी च दीनान्धानां प्रपीडकः । चाण्डालाभिरतो नित्यं पाशहस्तः श्वसंगतः

He was violent, carried weapons, oppressed the poor and the blind, always consorted with outcastes, held a noose, and kept company with dogs.

तेन वेश्याकुसंगेन पित्र्यं वित्तं तु नाशितम् । एकदा पितरौ ताड्य पात्राणि स्वयमाहरत्

Through association with prostitutes, he squandered his ancestral wealth; once, after beating his parents, he himself took their vessels.

तत्पिता कृपणः प्रोच्चैः धनहीनो रुरोद ह । वध्यतवं तु समीचीनं कुपुत्रो दुःखदायकः

His pitiable father, now destitute, cried aloud, 'Such a wicked son who brings suffering deserves to be killed.'

क्व तिष्ठामि क्व गच्छामि को मे दुःखं व्यपोहयेत् । प्राणान् त्यजामि दुःखेन हा कष्टं मम संस्थितम्

'Where shall I stay, where shall I go, who will remove my sorrow? I will give up my life in this misery—alas, how wretched is my state!'

तदानीं तु समागत्य गोकर्णो ज्ञानसंयुतः । बोधयामास जनकं वैराग्यं परिदर्शयन्

Then Gokarna, endowed with wisdom, came and instructed his father, showing him the path of detachment.

असारः खलु संसारो दुःखरूपी विमोहकः । सुतः कस्य धनं कस्य स्नेहवान् ज्वलतेऽनिशम्

Indeed, this worldly existence is insubstantial, full of suffering, and deludes; whose son, whose wealth, whose affection truly burns constantly?

न चेन्द्रस्य सुखं किंचित् न सुखं चक्रवर्तिनः । सुखमस्ति विरक्तस्य मुनेः एकान्तजीविनः

There is no happiness even for Indra, nor for a universal monarch; happiness exists only for the dispassionate sage who lives in solitude.