दिशो विजेतुं स जगाम राजा पुरोधसा तेन नृपप्रवीरः पुरोधसं प्राह महानुभावं जित्वा दिशश् चाध्वनि संनिविष्टः
The king set out with his priest to conquer the directions; having conquered the regions, the foremost of kings, stationed on the journey, addressed his noble priest.
पप्रच्छेदं केन खेदं गतो ऽसि हेतुं वदस्वेति महानुभाव त्वम् एव राज्ये मम सर्वमान्यः समस्तविद्यानिरवद्यबोधः
He asked, 'What is the reason for your distress? Tell me the cause. O noble one, you alone are honored in my kingdom, possessing flawless knowledge of all sciences.'
विधूतपापः परितापशून्यः किम् अन्यचेता इव लक्ष्यसे त्वम् जितेयम् उर्वी विजिता नरेन्द्रा हर्षस्य हेतौ महतीह जाते
You are free from sin, untouched by sorrow; yet why do you appear as if your mind is elsewhere? The earth is conquered, the kings subdued, and a great cause for joy has arisen here.
किं त्वं कृशो मे वद सत्यम् एव द्विजातिवर्यातिमहानुभाव संबोध्य शर्यातिम् उवाच विप्रश् छन्दोमधुः प्रेममयीं प्रियोक्तिम्
Why are you emaciated? Tell me the truth. Then, the best of brahmins, of great nobility, addressed Śaryāti with words full of affection and love.
शृणु भूपाल मद्वाक्यं भार्यया यद् उदीरितम् स्थिते यामे वयं यामो यामिनी चार्धगामिनी
Hear, O king, what my wife said to me: as the night was half gone, while I remained, she awaited my return.
स्वामिनी चास्य देहस्य कामिनी मां प्रतीक्षते स्मृत्वा तत् कामिनीवाक्यं शोषं याति कलेवरम् विकारे स्मरसंजाते जीवातुर् नलिनानना
The mistress of this body, my beloved, waits for me; remembering her words, my body withers. When the agitation of love arises, the lotus-faced one, longing for life, wastes away.
विहस्य चाब्रवीद् राजा पुरोधसम् अरिंदमः
The king, subduer of foes, laughed and spoke to his priest.
त्वं गुरुर् मम मित्रं च किम् आत्मानं विडम्बसे किम् अनेन महाप्राज्ञ मम वाक्येन मानद क्षणविध्वंसिनि सुखे का नामास्था महात्मनाम्
You are my teacher and my friend; why do you mock yourself? O great sage, what is the use of my words? For those of great soul, what reliance is there on happiness that perishes in a moment?
एतद् आकर्ण्य मतिमान् मधुच्छन्दा वचो ऽब्रवीत्
Hearing this, the wise Madhucchandā spoke these words.
यत्रानुकूल्यं दंपत्योस् त्रिवर्गस् तत्र वर्धते न चेदं दूषणं राजन् भूषणं चातिमन्यताम्
Where there is harmony between husband and wife, the three aims of life flourish; O King, this is not a fault but should be regarded as a great virtue.
आजगाम स्वकं देशं महत्या सेनया वृतः परीक्षार्थं च तत्प्रेम पुर्यां वार्त्ताम् अदीदिशत्
He returned to his own land, surrounded by a great army, and to test their love, he sent out news in the city.
दिशो विजेतुं शर्यातौ याते राक्षसपुंगवः हत्वा रसातलं यातो राजानं सपुरोधसम्
When Śaryāti set out to conquer the quarters, the foremost of Rākṣasas, having slain the king along with his priest, went down to the netherworld.
राज्ञो भार्या निश्चयाय प्रवृत्ता मुनिसत्तम वार्त्तां श्रुत्वा दूतमुखान् मधुच्छन्दःप्रिया पुनः
O best of sages, the king’s wife, seeking certainty, after hearing the news from the messengers, again approached her beloved Madhucchandā.
तदैवाभूद् गतप्राणा तद् विचित्रम् इवाभवत् तस्या वृत्तं तु ते दृष्ट्वा दूता राज्ञे न्यवेदयन्
At that very moment, she lost her life; it was a strange event. Seeing her condition, the messengers reported it to the king.
यत् कृतं राजपत्नीभिः प्रियया च पुरोधसः विस्मितो दुःखितो राजा पुनर् दूतान् अभाषत
Astonished and distressed by what the royal wives and the beloved of the priest had done, the king again addressed the messengers.
शीघ्रं गच्छन्तु हे दूता ब्राह्मण्या यत् कलेवरम् रक्षन्तु वार्त्तां कुरुत राजागन्ता पुरोधसा
Go quickly, O messengers, and guard the body of the Brahmin lady; bring news, for the king and the priest will soon arrive.
इति चिन्तातुरे राज्ञि वाग् उवाचाशरीरिणी
As the king was troubled with anxiety, a bodiless voice spoke.
विधास्यत्य् अखिलं गङ्गा राजंस् तव समीहितम् सर्वाभिषङ्गशमनी पावनी भुवि गौतमी
O King, the Gaṅgā will accomplish all that you desire; Gautamī, purifier of the earth, dispeller of all afflictions, will fulfill your wish.
एतच् छ्रुत्वा स शर्यातिर् गौतमीतटम् आश्रितः ब्राह्मणेभ्यो धनं दत्त्वा तर्पयित्वा पितॄन् द्विजान्
Hearing this, Śaryāti went to the bank of the Gautamī, gave wealth to the Brāhmaṇas, and satisfied the ancestors and the twice-born.
पुरोहितं द्विजश्रेष्ठं प्रेषयित्वा धनान्वितम् अन्यत्र तीर्थे सार्थेषु दानं देहि प्रयत्नतः
He sent his chief priest, the best of Brāhmaṇas, endowed with wealth, to other holy places, saying, 'Give gifts diligently among the groups of travelers.'
एतत् सर्वं न जानाति राज्ञः कृत्यं पुरोहितः गते तस्मिन् गुरौ राजा वैश्वामित्रे महात्मनि
The priest did not know all these actions of the king; when the guru had departed, the king approached the great-souled Viśvāmitra.
सर्वं बलं प्रेषयित्वा गङ्गातीरे ऽग्निम् आविशत् इत्य् उक्त्वा स तु राजेन्द्रो गङ्गां भानुं सुरान् अपि
Having sent all his forces, the king entered the fire on the bank of the Gaṅgā, declaring thus to the Gaṅgā, the Sun, and the gods.
यदि दत्तं यदि हुतं यदि त्राता प्रजा मया तेन सत्येन सा साध्वी ममायुष्येण जीवतु
If I have given, if I have offered oblations, if I have protected my people—by that truth, may this virtuous woman live with my lifespan.
इत्य् उक्त्वाग्नौ प्रविष्टे तु शर्यातौ नृपसत्तमे तदैव जीविता भार्या राज्ञस् तस्य पुरोधसः
Having spoken thus, when the best of kings Śaryāti entered the fire, at that very moment, the wife of the king’s priest came back to life.
अग्निप्रविष्टं राजानं श्रुत्वा विस्मयकारणम् पतिव्रतां तथा भार्यां मृतां जीवान्वितां पुनः
Hearing that the king had entered the fire, which was a cause for wonder, and that his devoted wife, who had died, was restored to life—
तदर्थं चापि राजानं त्यक्तात्मानं विशेषतः आत्मनश् च पुनः कृत्यम् अस्मरन् नृपतेर् गुरुः
For this reason, and especially because the king had abandoned his own life, the king’s guru remembered again the duties that remained for himself.
अहम् अप्य् अग्निम् आवेक्ष्य उत यास्ये प्रियान्तिकम् अथवेह तपस् तप्स्ये ततो निश्चयवान् द्विजः
I too, having beheld the fire, will either go to my beloved, or here undertake austerities; then, determined, the twice-born acted.
एतद् एवात्मनः कृत्यं मन्ये सुकृतम् एव च जीवयामि च राजानं ततो यामि प्रियां पुनः
This alone I consider the proper duty for myself, and indeed a virtuous act; I sustain the king, and then I return again to my beloved.
एतद् एव शुभं मे स्यात् ततस् तुष्टाव भास्करम् न ह्य् अन्यः कोपि देवो ऽस्ति सर्वाभीष्टप्रदो रवेः
This alone would be auspicious for me; then he praised the Sun, for truly there is no other god who grants all desires except the Sun.
नमो ऽस्तु तस्मै सूर्याय मुक्तये ऽमिततेजसे छन्दोमयाय देवाय ओंकारार्थाय ते नमः
Salutations to that Sun, the liberator, of immeasurable brilliance, the deity composed of Vedic meters, to the one whose essence is Om—salutations to you.