देवि पित्रा त्व् अनुज्ञातः स्वयंवर इति श्रुतिः तत्र त्वं वरयित्री यं स ते भर्ता भवेद् इति
Devi, your father has permitted a svayaṃvara, so it is said. There, you will choose your own husband; whoever you select will become your spouse.
तद् आपृच्छ्य गमिष्यामि दुर्लभां त्वां वरानने रूपवन्तं समुत्सृज्य वृणोष्य् असदृशं कथम्
So, after taking leave, I will go. O beautiful-faced one, how could you abandon one so handsome and choose someone unworthy?
तेनोक्ता सा तदा तत्र भावयन्ती तदीरितम् भावं च रुद्रनिहितं प्रसादं मनसस् तथा
She, reflecting on what he had said and on the feeling placed in her heart by Rudra, replied to him there.
संप्राप्योवाच देवेशं मा ते ऽभूद् बुद्धिर् अन्यथा अहं त्वां वरयिष्यामि नाद्भुतं तु कथंचन
Having understood, she said to the lord of the gods: 'Let your mind not waver. I will choose you; there is nothing surprising in this.'
अथवा ते ऽस्ति संदेहो मयि विप्र कथंचन इहैव त्वां महाभाग वरयामि मनोगतम्
Or, if you have any doubt about me, O Brahmin, right here and now, O greatly fortunate one, I choose you in my heart.
गृहीत्वा स्तबकं सा तु हस्ताभ्यां तत्र संस्थिता स्कन्धे शंभोः समाधाय देवी प्राह वृतो ऽसि मे
She took a garland in her hands, stood there, placed it on Śambhu's shoulder, and said: 'You are chosen by me.'
ततः स भगवान् देवस् तया देव्या वृतस् तदा उवाच तम् अशोकं वै वाचा संजीवयन्न् इव
Then that blessed god, chosen by the goddess, spoke to that ashoka tree, as if reviving it with his words:
यस्मात् तव सुपुण्येन स्तबकेन वृतो ऽस्म्य् अहम् तस्मात् त्वं जरया त्यक्तस् त्व् अमरः संभविष्यसि
Because I have been chosen by you with this most auspicious garland, you will be free from old age and become immortal.
कामरूपी कामपुष्पः कामदो दयितो मम सर्वाभरणपुष्पाढ्यः सर्वपुष्पफलोपगः
You will have any form you wish, bear flowers at will, grant desires, be dear to me, adorned with all ornaments and flowers, and bear all flowers and fruits.
सर्वान्नभक्षकश् चैव अमृतस्वाद एव च सर्वगन्धश् च देवानां भविष्यसि दृढप्रियः
You will be able to consume all foods, taste like nectar, possess all fragrances, and be firmly beloved among the gods.
निर्भयः सर्वलोकेषु भविष्यसि सुनिर्वृतः आश्रमं वेदम् अत्यर्थं चित्रकूटेति विश्रुतम्
You will be fearless and content in all worlds. Your hermitage, renowned as Citrakūṭa, will be greatly revered.
यो हि यास्यति पुण्यार्थी सो ऽश्वमेधम् अवाप्स्यति यस् तु तत्र मृतश् चापि ब्रह्मलोकं स गच्छति
Whoever comes here seeking merit will obtain the fruit of an aśvamedha sacrifice. And whoever dies here will go to the world of Brahma.
यश् चात्र नियमैर् युक्तः प्राणान् सम्यक् परित्यजेत् स देव्यास् तपसा युक्तो महागणपतिर् भवेत्
And whoever here, endowed with discipline, properly relinquishes the life-breaths, he, united with the austerity of the Goddess, becomes the great Lord of Hosts.
एवम् उक्त्वा तदा देव आपृच्छ्य हिमवत्सुताम् अन्तर्दधे जगत्स्रष्टा सर्वभूतप ईश्वरः
Having spoken thus, the Lord, creator of the worlds and master of all beings, took leave of the daughter of Himavat and vanished.
सापि देवी गते तस्मिन् भगवत्य् अमितात्मनि तत एवोन्मुखी भूत्वा शिलायां संबभूव ह
And the Goddess, when that divine, immeasurable-souled one had departed, became intent from that very place and manifested herself upon a rock.
उन्मुखी सा भवे तस्मिन् महेशे जगतां प्रभौ निशेव चन्द्ररहिता न बभौ विमनास् तदा
She, intent upon that Lord, the great ruler of the worlds, shone not, like the moonless night, dispirited at that time.
अथ शुश्राव शब्दं च बालस्यार्तस्य शैलजा सरस्य् उदकसंपूर्णे समीपे चाश्रमस्य च
Then the daughter of the mountain heard the cry of a distressed child, near the hermitage, by a lake filled with water.
स कृत्वा बालरूपं तु देवदेवः स्वयं शिवः क्रीडाहेतोः सरोमध्ये ग्राहग्रस्तो ऽभवत् तदा
Thereupon, the god of gods, Śiva himself, having assumed the form of a child for the sake of play, was seized by a crocodile in the middle of the lake.
योगमायां समास्थाय प्रपञ्चोद्भवकारणम् तद् रूपं सरसो मध्ये कृत्वैवं समभाषत
Resorting to yogic illusion, the cause of the world's manifestation, he took that form in the midst of the lake and spoke thus.
त्रातु मां कश्चिद् इत्य् आह ग्राहेण हृतचेतसम् धिक् कष्टं बाल एवाहम् अप्राप्तार्थमनोरथः
"Save me, someone!" he cried, his mind overcome by the crocodile. "Alas, what misery! I am but a child, my hopes and desires unfulfilled."
प्रयामि निधनं वक्त्रे ग्राहस्यास्य दुरात्मनः शोचामि न स्वकं देहं ग्राहग्रस्तः सुदुःखितः
"I am going to my end in the jaws of this wicked crocodile. I do not grieve for my own body, though seized by the crocodile and greatly afflicted."
यथा शोचामि पितरं मातरं च तपस्विनीम् ग्राहगृहीतं मां श्रुत्वा प्राप्तं निधनम् उत्सुकौ
"As I grieve for my ascetic mother and father, who, hearing that I have been seized by the crocodile and have met my end, will be overcome with longing."
प्रियपुत्राव् एकपुत्रौ प्राणान् नूनं त्यजिष्यतः अहो बत सुकष्टं वै यो ऽहं बालो ऽकृताश्रमः अन्तर्ग्राहेण ग्रस्तस् तु यास्यामि निधनं किल
"Their beloved only son, their sole child, will surely give up their lives. Alas, what terrible suffering! I, a child, not yet initiated, will perish, seized by the crocodile from within."
श्रुत्वा तु देवी तं नादं विप्रस्यार्तस्य शोभना उत्थाय प्रस्थिता तत्र यत्र तिष्ठत्य् असौ द्विजः
Hearing that sound of the distressed and excellent child, the Goddess arose and went to where that brahmin boy was.
सापश्यद् इन्दुवदना बालकं चारुरूपिणम् ग्राहस्य मुखम् आपन्नं वेपमानम् अवस्थितम्
She saw, with a face like the moon, the beautiful boy, caught in the mouth of the crocodile, trembling and helpless.
सो ऽपि ग्राहवरः श्रीमान् दृष्ट्वा देवीम् उपागताम् तं गृहीत्वा द्रुतं यातो मध्यं सरस एव हि
And that illustrious king of crocodiles, seeing the Goddess approach, seized the boy and swiftly went to the middle of the lake.
स कृष्यमाणस् तेजस्वी नादम् आर्तं तदाकरोत् अथाह देवी दुःखार्ता बालं दृष्ट्वा ग्रहावृतम्
As he was being dragged away, the radiant boy uttered a cry of distress. Then the Goddess, seeing the boy seized by the crocodile, spoke in anguish.
ग्राहराज महासत्त्व बालकं ह्य् एकपुत्रकम् विमुञ्चेमं महादंष्ट्र क्षिप्रं भीमपराक्रम
"O king of crocodiles, mighty one, release this only child! O great-fanged, swift and terrible one, let him go at once!"
यो देवि दिवसे षष्ठे प्रथमं समुपैति माम् स आहारो मम पुरा विहितो लोककर्तृभिः
"O Goddess, whoever first approaches me on the sixth day is my food, as ordained long ago by the creators of the worlds."
सो ऽयं मम महाभागे षष्ठे ऽहनि गिरीन्द्रजे ब्रह्मणा प्रेरितो नूनं नैनं मोक्ष्ये कथंचन
"This one, O highly fortunate daughter of the mountain, on the sixth day, has surely been sent to me by Brahmā. I will not release him by any means."