ततः प्रहस्य मुदिता सा तं प्राह महामुनिम् किम् अद्य सर्वधर्मज्ञ परिवृत्तम् अहस् तव गतम् एतन् न कुरुते विस्मयं कस्य कथ्यते
Then, laughing joyfully, she spoke to the great sage: 'O knower of all dharmas, is it today that your day has passed? This does not cause wonder; to whom is it told?'
प्रातस् त्वम् आगता भद्रे नदीतीरम् इदं शुभम् मया दृष्टासि सुश्रोणि प्रविष्टा च ममाश्रमम्
In the morning, O blessed one, you came to this beautiful riverbank; I saw you, lovely-hipped, and you entered my hermitage.
इयं च वर्तते संध्या परिणामम् अहो गतम् अवहासः किमर्थो ऽयं सद्भावः कथ्यतां मम
Now evening is here, the day has passed; what is the reason for this jest? Tell me truly, what is this situation?
प्रत्यूषस्य् आगता ब्रह्मन् सत्यम् एतन् न मे मृषा किंत्व् अद्य तस्य कालस्य गतान्य् अब्दशतानि ते
At dawn you arrived, O Brahman, this is true, not false; but today, for that period, hundreds of years have passed for you.
ततः ससाध्वसो विप्रस् तां पप्रच्छायतेक्षणाम् कथ्यतां भीरु कः कालस् त्वया मे रमतः सदा
Then, trembling, the sage questioned the wide-eyed woman: 'Tell me, timid one, how much time has passed while you have been with me?'
सप्तोत्तराण्य् अतीतानि नववर्षशतानि च मासाश् च षट् तथैवान्यत् समतीतं दिनत्रयम्
Seven hundred and nine years have passed, and six months as well, and three more days have elapsed.
सत्यं भीरु वदस्य् एतत् परिहासो ऽथवा शुभे दिनम् एकम् अहं मन्ये त्वया सार्धम् इहोषितम्
Is this true, timid one, what you say, or is it a jest, O auspicious one? I think only a single day has been spent here with you.
वदिष्याम्य् अनृतं ब्रह्मन् कथम् अत्र तवान्तिके विशेषाद् अद्य भवता पृष्टा मार्गानुगामिना
How could I speak falsehood here in your presence, O Brahman? Especially today, when you have questioned me, following the proper path.
निशम्य तद् वचस् तस्याः स मुनिर् द्विजसत्तमाः धिग् धिङ् माम् इत्य् अनाचारं विनिन्द्यात्मानम् आत्मना
Hearing her words, the sage, foremost among twice-born, reproached himself, saying, 'Fie, fie upon me!' condemning his own misconduct.
तपांसि मम नष्टानि हतं ब्रह्मविदां धनम् हृतो विवेकः केनापि योषिन् मोहाय निर्मिता
My austerities are destroyed, the wealth of the knowers of Brahman is lost, discernment has been stolen by someone, and a woman has been created for delusion.
ऊर्मिषट्कातिगं ब्रह्म ज्ञेयम् आत्मजयेन मे गतिर् एषा कृता येन धिक् तं काममहाग्रहम्
Brahman, which transcends the six waves, is to be known through self-mastery; this is the path I have made, by which I have overcome that great craving for desire—shame upon it.
व्रतानि सर्ववेदाश् च कारणान्य् अखिलानि च नरकग्राममार्गेण कामेनाद्य हतानि मे
All vows, all the Vedas, and every cause—today, through the path leading to the village of hell, have been destroyed by desire.
न त्वां करोम्य् अहं भस्म क्रोधतीव्रेण वह्निना सतां साप्तपदं मैत्र्यम् उषितो ऽहं त्वया सह
I will not turn you to ashes with the fierce fire of anger, for I have shared the seven steps of friendship with you, as is the custom among the virtuous.
अथवा तव दोषः कः किं वा कुर्याम् अहं तव ममैव दोषो नितरां येनाहम् अजितेन्द्रियः
Or else, what fault is yours? What could I do to you? The fault is entirely mine, for I am one who has not conquered the senses.
यथा शक्रप्रियार्थिन्या कृतो मत्तपसो व्ययः त्वया दृष्टिमहामोहमनुनाहं जुगुप्सितः
Just as, for the sake of pleasing Śakra, my intoxicated austerity was wasted, so by your glance, accompanied by great delusion, I have become contemptible.
यावद् इत्थं स विप्रर्षिस् तां ब्रवीति सुमध्यमाम् तावत् स्खलत्स्वेदजला सा बभूवातिवेपथुः
As long as the sage spoke thus to the fair-waisted woman, she became trembling, drenched in sweat, and greatly agitated.
प्रवेपमानां स च तां स्विन्नगात्रलतां सतीम् गच्छ गच्छेति सक्रोधम् उवाच मुनिसत्तमः
Seeing her trembling, her vine-like body covered in sweat, the eminent sage, with anger, said to her, 'Go, go!'
सा तु निर्भर्त्सिता तेन विनिष्क्रम्य तदाश्रमात् आकाशगामिनी स्वेदं ममार्ज तरुपल्लवैः
Thus rebuked by him, she departed from that hermitage, and, moving through the sky, wiped her sweat with the leaves of trees.
वृक्षाद् वृक्षं ययौ बाला उदग्रारुणपल्लवैः निर्ममार्ज च गात्राणि गलत्स्वेदजलानि वै
The young woman went from tree to tree, using the tender red leaves to wipe her body, which was dripping with sweat.
ऋषिणा यस् तदा गर्भस् तस्या देहे समाहितः निर्जगाम सरोमाञ्चस्वेदरूपी तदङ्गतः
Then, by the sage, a seed was placed in her body, and it emerged, in the form of sweat, from her limbs.
तं वृक्षा जगृहुर् गर्भम् एकं चक्रे च मारुतः सोमेनाप्यायितो गोभिः स तदा ववृद्धे शनैः
The trees took hold of that embryo, and the wind made it one; nourished by Soma and by cows, it gradually grew.
मारिषा नाम कन्याभूद् वृक्षाणां चारुलोचना प्राचेतसानां सा भार्या दक्षस्य जननी द्विजाः
A maiden named Māriṣā, beautiful-eyed, was born of the trees; she became the wife of the Prācetasa and the mother of Dakṣa, O twice-born.
स चापि भगवान् कण्डुः क्षीणे तपसि सत्तमः पुरुषोत्तमाख्यं भो विप्रा विष्णोर् आयतनं ययौ
And the blessed Kaṇḍu, when his austerity was exhausted, O best of sages, went to the abode of Viṣṇu called Puruṣottama.
ददर्श परमं क्षेत्रं मुक्तिदं भुवि दुर्लभम् दक्षिणस्योदधेस् तीरे सर्वकामफलप्रदम्
He saw the supreme field, bestowing liberation, rare upon earth, on the southern shore of the ocean, granting all desired fruits.
सुरम्यं वालुकाकीर्णं केतकीवनशोभितम् नानाद्रुमलताकीर्णं नानापक्षिरुतं शिवम्
It was delightful, covered with sand, adorned with ketakī groves, filled with various trees and vines, and resonant with the calls of many birds—auspicious.
सर्वत्र सुखसंचारं सर्वर्तुकुसुमान्वितम् सर्वसौख्यप्रदं नॄणां धन्यं सर्वगुणाकरम्
Everywhere was easy to traverse, adorned with flowers of all seasons, granting all happiness to people, blessed and the source of all virtues.
भृग्वाद्यैः सेवितं पूर्वं मुनिसिद्धवरैस् तथा गन्धर्वैः किंनरैर् यक्षैस् तथान्यैर् मोक्षकाङ्क्षिभिः
It was formerly served by Bhṛgu and others, by sages, siddhas, gandharvas, kinnaras, yakṣas, and others desiring liberation.
ददर्श च हरिं तत्र देवैः सर्वैर् अलंकृतम् ब्राह्मणाद्यैस् तथा वर्णैर् आश्रमस्थैर् निषेवितम्
There he saw Hari, adorned by all the gods, served by Brahmins and others of all castes, and by those dwelling in hermitages.
दृष्ट्वैव स तदा क्षेत्रं देवं च पुरुषोत्तमम् कृतकृत्यम् इवात्मानं मेने स मुनिसत्तमः
Upon seeing that sacred field and the supreme Lord, the best of sages regarded himself as one whose purpose was fulfilled.
तत्रैकाग्रमना भूत्वा चकाराराधनं हरेः ब्रह्मपारमयं कुर्वञ् जपम् एकाग्रमानसः ऊर्ध्वबाहुर् महायोगी स्थित्वासौ मुनिसत्तमः
There, with his mind firmly concentrated, he began to worship Hari, performing the supreme Brahman-chant with single-pointed focus, standing with arms raised, that great yogi, the eminent sage.