तमुवाचासितापाङ्गी लज्जमानाप्यधोमुखी । चन्द्रस्येति शनैरन्तर्जगाम वरवर्णिनी
She, with dark eyes, though embarrassed and with her face lowered, softly replied, 'He is the son of Chandra,' and the radiant lady entered within.
जग्राह तं सुतं सोमः प्रहृष्टेनान्तरात्मना । नाम चक्रे बुध इति जगाम स्वगृहं पुनः
Soma joyfully took his son, named him Budha, and returned again to his own house.
ययौ ब्रह्मा स्वकं धाम सर्वे देवाः सवासवाः । यथागतं गतं सर्वैः सर्वशः प्रेक्षकैर्जनैः
Brahma went to his own abode, and all the gods, along with Indra, departed as they had come, together with all the assembled people.
कथितेयं बुधोत्पत्तिर्गुरुक्षेत्रे च सोमतः । यथा श्रुता मया पूर्वं व्यासात्सत्यवतीसुतात्
Thus has the birth of Budha from Soma in Gurukshetra been narrated, as I heard it before from Vyasa, the son of Satyavati.
सुद्युम्नस्तुतिः सूत उवाच ततः पुरूरवा जज्ञे इलायां कथयामि वः । बुधपुत्रोऽतिधर्मात्मा यज्ञकृद्दानतत्परः
Suta said: Then Pururavas was born from Ila; I shall tell you. The son of Budha, exceedingly righteous, devoted to sacrifice and giving.
सुद्युम्नो नाम भूपालः सत्यवादी जितेन्द्रियः । सैन्धवं हयमारुह्य चचार मृगयां वने
A king named Sudyumna, truthful and self-controlled, mounted a Sindhu horse and went hunting in the forest.
युतः कतिपयामात्यैर्दर्शितश्चारुकुण्डलः । धनुराजगवं बद्ध्वा बाणसङ्घं तथाद्भुतम्
Accompanied by a few ministers, adorned with beautiful earrings, he tied a bow made of horn, and a wondrous collection of arrows.
स भ्रमंस्तद्वनोद्देशे हन्यमानो रुरून्मृगान् । शशांश्च सूकरांश्चैव खड्गांश्च गवयांस्तथा
He wandered in that region of the forest, striking deer, hares, boars, rhinoceroses, and wild oxen.
शरभान्महिषांश्चैव साम्भरान्वनकुक्कुटान् । निघ्नन्मेध्यान् पशून् राजा कुमारवनमाविशत्
He slew sarabhas, buffaloes, sambars, and wild fowl; killing sacrificial animals, the king entered the grove of youths.
मेरोरधस्तले दिव्यं मन्दारद्रुमराजितम् । अशोकलतिकाकीर्णं बकुलैरधिवासितम्
Beneath Mount Meru, a divine place adorned with mandara trees, covered with asoka creepers, and fragrant with bakula flowers.
सालैस्तालैस्तमालैश्च चम्पकैः पनसैस्तथा । आम्रैर्नीपैर्मधूकैश्च माधवीमण्डपावृतम्
Sheltered by sal, palmyra, tamala, champaka, jackfruit, mango, nipa, and madhuka trees, and covered with a pavilion of madhavi vines.
दाडिमैर्नारिकेलैश्च कदलीखण्डमण्डितम् । यूथिकामालतीकुन्दपुष्पवल्लीसमावृतम्
Adorned with pomegranate, coconut, and clusters of banana trees, enveloped by creepers of jasmine, malati, and kund flowers.
हंसकारण्डवाकीर्णं कीचकध्वनिनादितम् । भ्रमरालिरुतारामं वनं सर्वसुखावहम्
Filled with swans and cranes, resounding with the calls of kicaka birds, and humming with bees, the forest brought every delight.
दृष्ट्वा प्रमुदितो राजा सुद्युम्नः सेवकैर्वृतः । वृक्षान्सुपुष्पितान्वीक्ष्य कोकिलारावमण्डितान्
Seeing it, King Sudyumna, delighted and surrounded by attendants, beheld the trees in full bloom, adorned by the songs of cuckoos.
प्रविष्टस्तत्र राजर्षिः स्त्रीत्वमाप क्षणात्ततः । अश्वोऽपि वडवा जातश्चिन्ताविष्टः स भूपतिः
Entering there, the royal sage suddenly became a woman; even his horse turned into a mare, and the king was overcome with anxiety.
किमेतदिति चिन्तार्तश्चिन्त्यमानः पुनः पुनः । दुःखं बहुतरं प्राप्तः सुद्युम्नो लज्जयान्वितः
Distressed, he wondered again and again, 'What is this?' Sudyumna, afflicted by much sorrow, was filled with shame.
किं करोमि कथं यामि गृहं स्त्रीभावसंयुतः । कथं राज्यं करिष्यामि केन वा वञ्चितो ह्यहम्
What shall I do? How can I return home, being bound in a woman's form? How can I rule the kingdom? By whom have I been deceived?
ऋषय ऊचुः सूताश्चर्यमिदं प्रोक्तं त्वया यल्लोमहर्षण । सुद्युम्नः स्त्रीत्वमापन्नो भूपतिर्देवसन्निभः
The sages said: O Sūta, what you have told is astonishing, O Lomaharṣaṇa! Sudyumna, the king equal to the gods, has obtained womanhood.
किं तत्कारणमाचक्ष्व वने तत्र मनोहरे । किं कृतं तेन राज्ञा च विस्तरं वद सुव्रत
What is the cause of this? Tell us in detail what happened in that enchanting forest. What did that king do? Speak fully, O virtuous one.
सूत उवाच एकदा गिरिशं द्रष्टुमृषयः सनकादयः । दिशो वितिमिराभासाः कुर्वन्तः समुपागमन्
Sūta said: Once, the sages headed by Sanaka, wishing to see the Lord of the Mountain, arrived, making the quarters appear as if dispelling darkness.
तस्मिंश्च समये तत्र शङ्करः प्रमदायुतः । क्रीडासक्तो महादेवो विवस्त्रा कामिनी शिवा
At that very time, there was Śaṅkara, surrounded by women, the great god absorbed in play, and Śivā, his beloved, unclothed and desirous.
उत्सङ्गे संस्थिता भर्तू रममाणा मनोरमा । तान्विलोक्याम्बिका देवी विवस्त्रा व्रीडिता भृशम्
The lovely goddess, delighting in her husband's lap, saw the sages and, being unclothed, was greatly ashamed.
भर्तुरङ्कात्समुत्थाय वस्त्रमादाय पर्यधात् । लज्जाविष्टा स्थिता तत्र वेपमानातिमानिनी
Rising from her husband's lap, she took a garment and covered herself, standing there filled with modesty, trembling, and proud.
ऋषयोऽपि तयोर्वीक्ष्य प्रसङ्गं रममाणयोः । परिवृत्य ययुस्तूर्णं नरनारायणाश्रमम्
The sages, seeing the intimacy of the two as they delighted together, quickly turned away and went to the hermitage of Nara-Nārāyaṇa.
ह्रीयुतां कामिनीं वीक्ष्य प्रोवाच भगवान्हरः । कथं लज्जातुरासि त्वं सुखं ते प्रकरोम्यहम्
Seeing the bashful and desirous goddess, the blessed Hara spoke: 'Why are you overcome by shame? I will make you happy.'
अद्यप्रभृति यो मोहात्पुमान्कोऽपि वरानने । वनं च प्रविशेदेतत्स वै योषिद्भविष्यति
From this day onward, O beautiful-faced one, any man who, out of delusion, enters this forest shall become a woman.
इति शप्तं वनं तेन ये जानन्ति जनाः क्वचित् । वर्जयन्तीह ते कामं वनं दोषसमृद्धिमत्
Thus, because of that curse, those who know of it avoid this forest, which is full of faults, as they wish.
सुद्युम्नस्तु तदज्ञानात्प्रविष्टः सचिवैः सह । तथैव स्त्रीत्वमापन्नस्तैः सहेति न संशयः
But Sudyumna, unaware, entered with his ministers, and just so, he became a woman along with them—there is no doubt.
चिन्ताविष्टः स राजर्षिर्न जगाम गृहं ह्रिया । विचचार बहिस्तस्माद्वनदेशादितस्ततः
That royal sage, filled with anxiety, did not return home out of shame, but wandered outside, here and there in the forest region.
इलेति नाम सम्प्राप्तं स्त्रीत्वे तेन महात्मना । विचरंस्तत्र सम्प्राप्तो बुधः सोमसुतो युवा
In that state of womanhood, the great-souled one became known as Ilā. As she wandered there, Budha, the youthful son of Soma, arrived.