जितं मया धनं वैश्य निर्लज्जः किं नु भाषसे मयैव विजितो धर्मो यथेष्टचरणात्मना
'I have won the wealth, O merchant; why do you shamelessly speak? By me alone, righteousness has been conquered, as I have acted as I wished.'
तद् ब्राह्मणवचः श्रुत्वा वैश्यः सस्मित ऊचिवान्
Hearing the words of the brahmin, the merchant, smiling, replied.
पुलाका इव धान्येषु पुत्तिका इव पक्षिषु तथैव तान् सखे मन्ये येषां धर्मो न विद्यते
Just as husks are found among grains, and mites among birds, so too, my friend, do I regard those who are without righteousness.
चतुर्णां पुरुषार्थानां धर्मः प्रथम उच्यते पश्चाद् अर्थश् च कामश् च स धर्मो मयि तिष्ठति कथं ब्रूषे द्विजश्रेष्ठ मया विजितम् इत्य् अदः
Of the four aims of human life, righteousness is said to be the first; only afterwards come wealth and desire. How can you say, O best of twice-born, that I have conquered, when righteousness abides with me?
द्विजो वैश्यं पुनः प्राह हस्ताभ्यां जायतां पणः तथेति मन्यते वैश्यस् तौ गत्वा पुनर् ऊचतुः
The Brahmin then said to the merchant, 'Let the wager be settled by our hands.' The merchant agreed, and both went forth and spoke again.
पूर्ववल् लौकिकान् गत्वा जितम् इत्य् अब्रवीद् द्विजः करौ छित्त्वा ततः प्राह कथं धर्मं तु मन्यसे आक्षिप्तो ब्राह्मणेनैवं वैश्यो वचनम् अब्रवीत्
Having gone as before to the worldly people, the Brahmin declared, 'I have won,' and, cutting off his hands, he then asked, 'How do you regard righteousness?' Thus challenged by the Brahmin, the merchant spoke these words.
धर्मम् एव परं मन्ये प्राणैः कण्ठगतैर् अपि माता पिता सुहृद् बन्धुर् धर्म एव शरीरिणाम्
I consider righteousness to be supreme, even when life itself is at the throat. For mother, father, friend, and kin—righteousness alone is the true companion of embodied beings.
एवं विवदमानौ ताव् अर्थवान् ब्राह्मणो ऽभवत् विमुक्तो वैश्यकस् तत्र बाहुभ्यां च धनेन च
Thus, as they disputed, the Brahmin became wealthy, while the merchant was left destitute, having lost both his arms and his wealth.
एवं भ्रमन्तौ संप्राप्तौ गङ्गां योगेश्वरं हरिम् यदृच्छया मुनिश्रेष्ठ मिथस् ताव् ऊचतुः पुनः
Wandering thus, they came to the Ganges, to the Lord of Yoga, Hari. By chance, O best of sages, the two again spoke to each other.
वैश्यो गङ्गां तु योगेशं धर्मम् एव प्रशंसति अतिकोपाद् द्विजो वैश्यम् आक्षिपन् पुनर् अब्रवीत्
The merchant praised only righteousness before the Ganges and the Lord of Yoga, while the Brahmin, in great anger, reproached the merchant and spoke again.
गतं धनं करौ छिन्नाव् अवशिष्टो शुभिर् भवान् त्वम् अन्यथा यदि ब्रूष आहरिष्ये ऽसिना शिरः
Your wealth is gone, your hands are severed, and you remain only with your virtues. If you say otherwise, I will cut off your head with my sword.
विहस्य पुनर् आहेदं वैश्यो गौतमम् अञ्जसा
The merchant laughed and then spoke plainly to Gautama.
धर्मम् एव परं मन्ये यथेच्छसि तथा कुरु ब्राह्मणांश् च गुरून् देवान् वेदान् धर्मं जनार्दनम्
I consider righteousness to be supreme; do as you wish. The Brahmins, teachers, gods, Vedas, righteousness, and Janardana—all these I revere.
यस् तु निन्दयते पापो नासौ स्पृश्यो ऽथ पापकृत् उपेक्षणीयो दुर्वृत्तः पापात्मा धर्मदूषकः
But he who reviles them is sinful; such a wrongdoer should not be touched. The wicked, the evil-minded, the corrupter of righteousness—he is to be shunned.
ततः प्राह स कोपेन धर्मं यद्य् अनुशंससि आवयोः प्राणयोर् अत्र पणः स्याद् इति वै मुने
Then, in anger, he said, 'If you praise righteousness, let the wager between us be for our very lives, O sage.'
एवम् उक्ते गौतमेन तथेत्य् आह वणिक् तदा पुनर् अप्य् ऊचतुर् उभौ लोकांल् लोकास् तथोचिरे
When Gautama said this, the merchant replied, 'So be it.' Again, both spoke to the people, and the people responded accordingly.
योगेश्वरस्य पुरतो गौतम्या दक्षिणे तटे तं निपात्य विशं विप्रश् चक्षुर् उत्पाट्य चाब्रवीत्
Before the Lord of Yoga, on the southern bank of the Ganges, Gautama struck him down; the Brahmin gouged out his eye and spoke.
गतो ऽसीमां दशां वैश्य नित्यं धर्मप्रशंसया गतं धनं गतं चक्षुश् छेदितौ करपल्लवौ पृष्टो ऽसि मित्र गच्छामि मैवं ब्रूयाः कथान्तरे
O merchant, by your constant praise of righteousness you have reached this state: your wealth is gone, your eye is lost, your tender hands are severed. You have been questioned, friend; I am leaving. Do not speak thus in another tale.
तस्मिन् प्रयाते वैश्यो ऽसौ चिन्तयाम् आस चेतसि हा कष्टं मे किम् अभवद् धर्मैकमनसो हरे
When he had departed, the merchant pondered in his mind, 'Alas, what misery has befallen me, O Hari, who am devoted solely to righteousness?'
स कुण्डलो वणिक्श्रेष्ठो निर्धनो गतबाहुकः गतनेत्रः शुचं प्राप्तो धर्मम् एवानुसंस्मरन्
That merchant chief, now poor, armless, and blind, was overcome with grief, yet continued to remember only righteousness.
एवं बहुविधां चिन्तां कुर्वन्न् आस्ते महीतले निश्चेष्टो ऽथ निरुत्साहः पतितः शोकसागरे
Thus, engaging in many kinds of thoughts, he remains on the earth, motionless and dispirited, fallen into the ocean of sorrow.
दिनावसाने शर्वर्याम् उदिते चन्द्रमण्डले एकादश्यां शुक्लपक्षे तत्रायाति विभीषणः
At the end of the day, during the night when the moon rises, on the eleventh day of the bright fortnight, Vibhīṣaṇa arrives there.
स तु योगेश्वरं देवं पूजयित्वा यथाविधि स्नात्वा तु गौतमीं गङ्गां सपुत्रो राक्षसैर् वृतः
Having worshipped the Lord of Yoga as prescribed, and having bathed in the Gautamī Gaṅgā, Vibhīṣaṇa, together with his son and surrounded by Rākṣasas, came.
विभीषणस्य हि सुतो विभीषण इवापरः वैभीषणिर् इति ख्यातस् तम् अपश्यद् उवाच ह
Indeed, Vibhīṣaṇa’s son, renowned as Vaibhīṣaṇi, another Vibhīṣaṇa in form, saw him and spoke.
वैश्यस्य वचनं श्रुत्वा यथावृत्तं स धर्मवित् पित्रे निवेदयाम् आस लङ्केशाय महात्मने स तु लङ्केश्वरः प्राह पुत्रं प्रीत्या गुणाकरम्
Hearing the merchant’s words as they occurred, that righteous son reported everything to his father, the great-souled Lord of Laṅkā; and the Lord of Laṅkā, pleased, spoke to his virtuous son.
श्रीमान् रामो मम गुरुस् तस्य मान्यः सखा मम हनुमान् इति विख्यातस् तेनानीतो गिरिर् महान्
The illustrious Rāma is my teacher, and Hanumān, who is renowned, is his honored friend and mine; by him, the great mountain was brought.
पुरा कार्यान्तरे प्राप्ते सर्वौषध्याश्रयो ऽचलः जाते कार्ये तम् आदाय हिमवन्तम् अथागमत्
Long ago, when another task arose, that mountain, the refuge of all herbs, was brought by him to Himavat when the need arose.
विशल्यकरणी चेति मृतसंजीवनीति च तदानीय महाबुद्धी रामायाक्लिष्टकर्मणे
He, of great intelligence, brought the Viśalyakaraṇī and the Mṛtasaṃjīvanī, for Rāma, whose actions are unwearied.
निवेदयित्वा तत् साध्यं तस्मिन् वृत्ते समागतः पुनर् गिरिं समादाय आगच्छद् देवपर्वतम्
Having accomplished that task and reported it, when the event was complete, he took the mountain again and returned to the divine mountain.
ताम् आनीयास्य हृदये निवेशय हरिं स्मरन् ततः प्राप्स्यत्य् अयं सर्वम् अपेक्षितम् उदारधीः
Bring that herb and place it in his heart, remembering Hari; then this noble-minded one will obtain all that he desires.