सा लोकान् ब्रह्मलोकादीन् गत्वा वैण्यभयात् तदा प्रददर्शाग्रतो वैण्यं प्रगृहीतशरासनम्
She, out of fear of Vena's son, fled to all the worlds, even to Brahmā's realm, but everywhere saw Vena's son before her, armed with a drawn bow.
ज्वलद्भिर् निशितैर् बाणैर् दीप्ततेजसम् अन्ततः महायोगं महात्मानं दुर्धर्षम् अमरैर् अपि
With blazing, sharp arrows, radiant in his splendor, he appeared everywhere—a great yogin, a great soul, unconquerable even by the immortals.
अलभन्ती तु सा त्राणं वैण्यम् एवान्वपद्यत कृताञ्जलिपुटा भूत्वा पूज्या लोकैस् त्रिभिस् तदा
Finding no refuge, she turned back to Vena's son, joining her palms in reverence, honored then by the three worlds.
उवाच वैण्यं नाधर्मं स्त्रीवधे परिपश्यसि कथं धारयिता चासि प्रजा राजन् विना मया
She said to Vena's son: 'You do not see unrighteousness in slaying a woman; how will you sustain the people, O king, without me?
मयि लोकाः स्थिता राजन् मयेदं धार्यते जगत् मद्विनाशे विनश्येयुः प्रजाः पार्थिव विद्धि तत्
O king, the worlds exist in me; by me this universe is supported. Know, O ruler of men, that if I perish, the people would also perish.'
न माम् अर्हसि हन्तुं वै श्रेयश् चेत् त्वं चिकीर्षसि प्रजानां पृथिवीपाल शृणु चेदं वचो मम
You ought not to kill me; if you wish for the welfare of the people, O protector of the earth, listen to these words of mine.
उपायतः समारब्धाः सर्वे सिध्यन्त्य् उपक्रमाः उपायं पश्य येन त्वं धारयेथाः प्रजाम् इमाम्
All undertakings succeed when begun with proper means; find a way by which you may sustain these people.
हत्वापि मां न शक्तस् त्वं प्रजानां पोषणे नृप अनुकूला भविष्यामि यच्छ कोपं महामते
Even if you kill me, you will not be able to nourish the people, O king. I will be favorable to you; restrain your anger, O great-minded one.
अवध्यां च स्त्रियं प्राहुस् तिर्यग्योनिगतेष्व् अपि यद्य् एवं पृथिवीपाल न धर्मं त्यक्तुम् अर्हसि
It is said that a woman must not be slain, even among animals. If this is so, O protector of the earth, you should not abandon righteousness.
एवं बहुविधं वाक्यं श्रुत्वा राजा महामनाः कोपं निगृह्य धर्मात्मा वसुधाम् इदम् अब्रवीत्
Hearing these many words, the great-minded king, self-controlled and righteous, restrained his anger and spoke to the earth.
एकस्यार्थे तु यो हन्याद् आत्मनो वा परस्य वा बहून् वा प्राणिनो ऽनन्तं भवेत् तस्येह पातकम्
If, for the sake of one, whether oneself or another, or for many living beings, one kills, endless sin accrues to him here.
सुखम् एधन्ति बहवो यस्मिंस् तु निहते ऽशुभे तस्मिन् हते नास्ति भद्रे पातकं चोपपातकम्
If, by killing one wicked being, many prosper, then there is no sin, nor even minor fault, in slaying that evil one.
सो ऽहं प्रजानिमित्तं त्वां हनिष्यामि वसुंधरे यदि मे वचनान् नाद्य करिष्यसि जगद्धितम्
Therefore, for the sake of the people, I will slay you, O earth, if today you do not act for the good of the world as I command.
त्वां निहत्याद्य बाणेन मच्छासनपराङ्मुखीम् आत्मानं प्रथयित्वाहं प्रजा धारयिता स्वयम्
Having slain you today with an arrow, since you disregard my command, I myself will make my name renowned and sustain the people.
सा त्वं शासनम् आस्थाय मम धर्मभृतां वरे संजीवय प्रजाः सर्वाः समर्था ह्य् असि धारणे
Therefore, you, upholding my command, best among the upholders of righteousness, revive all beings; for you are indeed capable of sustaining them.
दुहितृत्वं च मे गच्छ तत एनम् अहं शरम् नियच्छेयं त्वद्वधार्थम् उद्यन्तं घोरदर्शनम्
And become my daughter; then I would restrain this terrible and fearsome dart, which has arisen for the purpose of killing you.
सर्वम् एतद् अहं वीर विधास्यामि न संशयः वत्सं तु मम संपश्य क्षरेयं येन वत्सला
All this, O hero, I shall accomplish—there is no doubt; but see my calf, O loving one, for whose sake I might perish.
समां च कुरु सर्वत्र मां त्वं धर्मभृतां वर यथा विस्यन्दमानं मे क्षीरं सर्वत्र भावयेत्
And make me equal everywhere, O best of the righteous; so that my milk may flow and be present everywhere.
तत उत्सारयाम् आस शैलाञ् शतसहस्रशः धनुष्कोट्या तदा वैण्यस् तेन शैला विवर्धिताः
Then, with the tip of his bow, Vainya drove away mountains by the hundred-thousand, and by him those mountains grew.
नहि पूर्वविसर्गे वै विषमे पृथिवीतले संविभागः पुराणां वा ग्रामाणां वाभवत् तदा
For, in the previous creation, on the uneven surface of the earth, there was no division then of ancient lands or villages.
न सस्यानि न गोरक्ष्यं न कृषिर् न वणिक्पथः नैव सत्यानृतं चासीन् न लोभो न च मत्सरः
There were no crops, no cattle-keeping, no agriculture, no trade routes; neither truth nor falsehood existed, nor greed, nor envy.
वैवस्वते ऽन्तरे तस्मिन् सांप्रतं समुपस्थिते वैण्यात् प्रभृति वै विप्राः सर्वस्यैतस्य संभवः
When the interval of Vaivasvata arrived, O Brāhmaṇas, from Vainya onward, the origin of all this began.
यत्र यत्र समं त्व् अस्या भूमेर् आसीत् तदा द्विजाः तत्र तत्र प्रजाः सर्वा निवासं समरोचयन्
Wherever on this earth there was equality, O twice-born, there all beings chose to dwell.
आहारः फलमूलानि प्रजानाम् अभवत् तदा कृच्छ्रेण महता युक्त इत्य् एवम् अनुशुश्रुम
At that time, the food of the people was fruits and roots, obtained with great difficulty—so we have heard.
स कल्पयित्वा वत्सं तु मनुं स्वायंभुवं प्रभुम् स्वपाणौ पुरुषव्याघ्रो दुदोह पृथिवीं ततः
Then, having appointed Manu Svāyambhuva, the lord, as the calf, the tiger among men milked the earth with his own hand.
सस्यजातानि सर्वाणि पृथुर् वैण्यः प्रतापवान् तेनान्नेन प्रजाः सर्वा वर्तन्ते ऽद्यापि सर्वशः
All kinds of crops were produced by Pṛthu, son of Vena, the mighty; by that food, all beings continue to subsist even now, entirely.
ऋषयश् च तदा देवाः पितरो ऽथ सरीसृपाः दैत्या यक्षाः पुण्यजना गन्धर्वाः पर्वता नगाः
Then, the seers, the gods, the ancestors, the reptiles, the demons, the yakṣas, the virtuous beings, the gandharvas, the mountains, and the trees—
एते पुरा द्विजश्रेष्ठा दुदुहुर् धरणीं किल क्षीरं वत्सश् च पात्रं च तेषां दोग्धा पृथक् पृथक्
These, O best of Brāhmaṇas, once milked the earth indeed; for them, there was a calf and a vessel, and each had a separate milker.
ऋषीणाम् अभवत् सोमो वत्सो दोग्धा बृहस्पतिः क्षीरं तेषां तपो ब्रह्म पात्रं छन्दांसि भो द्विजाः
For the seers, Soma was the calf, Bṛhaspati the milker; their milk was austerity, Brahman, and the vessel was the Vedas, O Brāhmaṇas.
देवानां काञ्चनं पात्रं वत्सस् तेषां शतक्रतुः क्षीरम् ओजस्करं चैव दोग्धा च भगवान् रविः
For the gods, the vessel was gold, their calf was Indra; their milk was vigor, and the milker was the blessed Sun.