अध्याप्य वेदाञ्छास्त्राणि ततो ऽस्त्रं प्रत्यपादयत्
Having taught him the Vedas and the scriptures, he then bestowed upon him the missile.
पह्लवांश्चैव निःशेषान्कर्तुं व्यवसितो नृपः
The king resolved to destroy the Pahlavas completely.
वसिष्ठं शरणं सर्वे संप्राप्ताः शरणैषिणः
All those seeking refuge came to Vasiṣṭha for protection.
सगरं वारयामास तेषां दत्त्वाभयं तथा
He restrained Sagara, granting them safety as well.
जघान धर्मं वै तेषां वेषान्यत्वं चकार ह
He destroyed their righteousness and indeed caused them to assume a different appearance.
यवनानां शिरः सर्वं कांबोजानां तथैव च
He took the heads of all the Yavanas, and likewise of the Kambojas.
निःस्वाध्यायवषट्काराः कृतास्तेन महात्मना
By that great soul, they were made devoid of study of the Vedas and the utterance of 'vaṣaṭ.'
कलिस्पर्शा महिषिका दार्वस्छोलाः खशास्तथा
Touched by Kali, the Mahishikas, Darvas, Sholas, and also the Khashas—
वसिष्ठवचनात्पूर्वं सगरेण महात्मना
Before the words of Vasiṣṭha, by the great-souled Sagara—
अश्वं वै चारयामास वाजिमेधाय दीक्षितः
He, having been initiated for the horse sacrifice, let the horse roam.
वेलासमीपे ऽपहृतो भूमिं चैव प्रवेशितः
Near the shore, it was seized and made to enter the earth.
आसेदुश्च ततस्तस्मिन्खनन्तस्ते महार्मवे
Then they arrived there, digging into that great abyss.
विष्णुं कपिलरूपेण हंसं नारायणं प्रभुम्
They saw Viṣṇu in the form of Kapila, the lord Nārāyaṇa as a sage.
दग्धाः पुत्रास्तदा सर्वेचत्वारस्त्ववशेषिताः
Then all the sons were burned, with only four left remaining.
शूरः पञ्चजनश्चैव तस्य वंशकराः प्रभोः
Śūra and Pañcajana became the progenitors of that lord's lineage.
अक्षयत्वं स्ववंशस्य वाजिमेधशतं तथा
He obtained the imperishability of his own lineage and also a hundred horse sacrifices.
तं समुद्रो ऽश्वमादाय ववन्दे सरितांपतिः
The ocean, having taken the horse, paid homage to the lord of rivers.
तं चाश्वमेधिकं सो ऽश्वं समुद्रात्प्राप्य पार्थिवः
The king, having obtained that sacrificial horse from the ocean—
षष्टिं पुत्रसहस्राणि दग्धान्यस्य रुषा विभो
Sixty thousand sons were burned by his wrath, O lord.
पुत्राणां तु सहस्राणि षष्टिस्तु इति नः श्रुतम्
We have heard that there were indeed sixty thousand sons.
विक्रान्ताः षष्टिसाहस्रा विधिना केन वा वद
Tell me, by what means or by whom did those sixty thousand mighty ones act?
ज्येष्ठा विदर्भदुहिता केशिनी नाम नामतः
The eldest was the daughter of Vidarbha, named Keśinī by name.
अरिष्टनेमिदुहिता रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि
The daughter of Ariṣṭanemi was unrivaled in beauty upon the earth.
एका जनिष्यते पुत्रं वंशकर्त्तारमीप्सितम्
She alone would give birth to a son, the desired continuer of the lineage.
मुनेस्तु वचनं श्रुत्वा केशिनी पुत्रमेककम्
Hearing the sage’s words, Keśinī bore a single son.
षष्टिं पुत्रसहस्राणि सुपर्णभगिनी तथा
And Suparṇā, the sister of Garuḍa, gave birth to sixty thousand sons.
अथ काले गते ज्येष्ठा ज्येष्ठं पुत्रं व्यजायत
Then, when the time had passed, the elder wife gave birth to her eldest son.
सुमतिस्त्वपि जज्ञे वै गर्भतुंबं यशस्विनी
Sumati too, illustrious, gave birth to a womb shaped like a jar.
घृतपूर्णेषु कुंभेषु तान्गर्भान्यदधात्ततः
She placed those embryos into jars filled with ghee.
ततो नवसु मासेषु समुत्तस्थुर्यथासुखम्
Then, after nine months, they emerged comfortably.