निर्जने बालकं दृष्ट्वा स्निग्धा सापि जगाद ह
Seeing the boy in that lonely place, she, affectionate, spoke to him.
को भवानिति पप्रच्छ तं शिशुं पुरतः स्थितम्
She asked the child standing before her, 'Who are you?'
श्रुत्वा शैलसुता प्रश्नं प्रहस्य परमेश्वरः
Hearing the question of the daughter of the mountain, the Supreme Lord smiled.
शंकर उवाच का त्वं कान्ताऽतिकान्तारे तपश्चरसि सुन्दरि
Śaṃkara said: Who are you, O beautiful one, performing austerities in this deep forest?
वद कस्य कुले जाता कस्य कन्या च काऽभिधा
Tell me, in which family were you born? Whose daughter are you? What is your name?
अहो वा तपसां राशिः स्वयं मूर्तिमती सती
Ah, what a heap of austerities! Satī herself, embodied, stands before me.
स्वयं तेजःस्वरूपा वा मूलप्रकृतिरीश्वरी
Are you yourself the embodiment of radiance, or the primal nature, the supreme Lady?
किं वा त्रिलोके लक्ष्मीस्त्वं संपद्रूपा सनातनी
Or are you Lakshmi in the three worlds, the eternal form of prosperity?
किं वाम्बिका त्वं देवानां स्वयं मूर्तिमती सती 4.40.
Or are you Ambika, the manifest form of the gods, truly existing as Sati?
रागाधिष्ठातृदेवी वा स्वयं साक्षात्सरस्वती
Or are you the goddess presiding over passion, or Sarasvati herself, directly present?
एतासु मध्ये का वा त्वं नाहं तर्कितुमीश्वरः
Among these, which one are you? I am not capable of discerning this, O Lady.
सति त्वयि प्रसन्नायां प्रसन्नः परमेश्वरः
When you are pleased, the Supreme Lord is pleased.
तुष्टे नारायणे देवे शश्वत्तुष्टं जगत्त्रयम्
When the god Narayana is satisfied, the three worlds are always satisfied.
शिशोस्तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा प्रहस्य परमेश्वरी
Hearing those words of the child, the Supreme Lady smiled.
पार्वत्युवाच जन्म मे भारते वर्षे साम्प्रतं शैलकन्यका
Parvati said: My birth is now in the land of Bharata, as the daughter of the mountain.
पूर्वं जन्म दक्षगेहे सती शंकरकामिनी
In my previous birth I was Sati, the daughter of Daksha, desiring Shankara.
अत्र जन्मनि पुण्येन सम्प्राप्ते शंकरे द्विज
In this birth, through merit, I have attained Shankara, O twice-born one.
प्रयाते शंकरे तापाद्व्रीडयाऽहं पितुर्गृहात्
When Shankara departed, out of grief and shame I left my father's house.
तपः कृत्वा कठोरं च सुचिरं प्राणवल्लभम् 4.40.
Having performed severe austerities for a long time, for the sake of my beloved.
गच्छ त्वं प्रविशाम्यग्नौ प्रलयाग्निशिखोपमे
He said, 'Go, I will enter the fire, blazing like the fire of dissolution.'
यत्र यत्र जनुर्लब्ध्वा लभिष्यामि शिवं परम्
Wherever I am born, I will obtain the supreme Shiva.
सर्वा हि स्वप्रियं लब्धुं लभन्ति जन्म वाञ्छितम्
Indeed, all women attain their beloved and the birth they desire.
प्राक्तनीयो हि यो भर्ता स तासां प्रतिजन्मनि
The former husband is theirs in every birth.
तद्देहमिह न प्राप्य कृत्वा घोरतरं तपः
Not having attained that body here, I performed even more terrible austerities.
इत्युक्त्वा पार्वती तत्र तत्पुरः प्रविवेश ह
Having spoken thus, Pārvatī entered there before him.
वह्निप्रवेशं कुर्वन्त्याः पार्वत्याः परमेश्वरि
As Pārvatī, O supreme goddess, was entering the fire,
क्षणं तदन्तरे स्थित्वा चोत्पतन्तीं शिवां शिवः
Having remained there for a moment, Śiva beheld the rising goddess.
श्रीमहादेव उवाच न दग्धो वह्निना देहो न च प्राप्तो मनीषितः
Śrī Mahādeva said: The body was not burned by the fire, nor was the desired result attained.
शिवं कल्याणरूपं च भर्तारं कर्तुमिच्छसि 4.40.
You wish to make Śiva, the auspicious one, your husband.
संहर्तारं च भर्तारं यदीच्छसि शुचिस्मिते
If you desire as husband the destroyer, O pure-smiling one,