मुनिमामन्त्र्य तरसा गमनायोद्यतावुभौ । लब्ध्वा तु च्यवनो रूपं नेत्रे भार्यां च यौवनम्
Having taken leave of the sage, both gods swiftly prepared to depart; Cyavana regained his form, and his wife her youthful beauty.
हृष्टोऽब्रवीन्महातेजास्तौ नासत्याविदं वचः । उपकारः कृतोऽयं मे युवाभ्यां सुरसत्तमौ
Overjoyed, the great and radiant Cyavana spoke these words to the two Aśvins: 'You, noble gods, have done me a great favor.'
किं ब्रवीमि सुखं प्राप्तं संसारेऽस्मिन्ननुत्तमे । प्राप्य भार्यां सुकेशान्तां दुःखं मेऽभवदन्वहम्
'What can I say? I have attained supreme happiness in this world; after gaining my beautiful-haired wife, I suffered daily sorrow.'
अन्धस्य चातिवृद्धस्य भोगहीनस्य कानने । युवाभ्यां नयने दत्ते यौवनं रूपमद्भुतम्
'Blind, very old, deprived of pleasure, dwelling in the forest—by you two, I have been given sight, youth, and wondrous beauty.'
सम्पादितं ततं किञ्चिदुपकर्तुमहं ब्रुवे । उपकारिणि मित्रे यो नोपकुर्यात्कथञ्चन
'Therefore, I declare that I must do something in return; whoever does not repay a benefactor, even if a friend, is to be censured.'
तं धिगस्तु नरं देवौ भवेच्च ऋणवान्भुवि । तस्माद्वां वाञ्छितं किञ्चिद्दातुमिच्छामि साम्प्रतम्
'Such a man, O gods, is to be condemned and remains indebted on earth; therefore, I now wish to grant you whatever you desire.'
आत्मनो ऋणमोक्षाय देवेशौ नूतनस्य च । प्रार्थितं वां प्रदास्यामि यदलभ्यं सुरासुरैः
'To free myself from this debt, O lords of the gods, and for your sake as well, I will grant you whatever you seek—even that which is unattainable by gods and demons.'
ब्रुवाथां वां मनोद्दिष्टं प्रीतोऽस्मि सुकृतेन वाम् । श्रुत्वा तौ तु मुनेर्वाक्यमभिमन्त्र्य परस्परम्
'Speak what is in your hearts; I am pleased by your good deed.' Hearing the sage's words, the two conferred with each other.
तमूचतुर्मुनिश्रेष्ठं सुकन्यासहितं स्थितम् । मुने पितुः प्रसादेन सर्वं नो मनसेप्सितम्
They addressed the best of sages, who stood there with Sukanyā: 'O sage, by your favor, may all that we desire in our hearts be fulfilled.'
उत्कण्ठा सोमपानस्य वर्तते नौ सुरैः सह । भिषजाविति देवेन निषिद्धौ चमसग्रहे
'We long to drink soma together with the gods, but as physicians, we have been forbidden by the gods to take the soma cup.'
शक्रेण वितते यज्ञे ब्रह्मणः कनकाचले । तस्मात्त्वमपि धर्मज्ञ यदि शक्तोऽसि तापस
'When Indra performed the sacrifice on Mount Meru, we were excluded from the soma by the command of the god.'
कार्यमेतद्धि कर्तव्यं वाञ्छितं नौ सुसम्मतम् । एतद्विज्ञाय वा ब्रह्मन्कुरु वां सोमपायिनौ
'Therefore, O knower of dharma, if you are able, ascetic, this is the deed we desire and approve; knowing this, O Brahmin, make us drinkers of soma.'
पिपासास्ति सुदुष्प्रापपा त्वत्तः समुपयास्यति । च्यवनस्तु तयोः प्राह तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं मृदु
'We thirst for that which is most difficult to obtain; it will come to us through you.' Cyavana, hearing their gentle words, replied:
यदहं रूपसम्पन्नो वयसा च समन्वितः । कृतो भवद्भ्यां वृद्धः सन्भार्यां च प्राप्तवानिति
'Because of you, I, though old, have become endowed with beauty and youth, and have regained my wife.'
तस्माद्युवां करिष्यामि प्रीत्याहं सोमपायिनौ । मिषतो देवराजस्य सत्यमेतद्ब्रवीम्यहम्
'Therefore, out of affection, I will make you both drinkers of soma, even in the presence of the king of the gods; this I truly promise.'
राज्ञस्तु वितते यज्ञे शर्यातेरमितद्युतेः । इत्याकर्ण्य वचो हृष्टौ तौ दिवं प्रतिजग्मतुः
'When King Śaryāti, of boundless splendor, performed the sacrifice—' Hearing these words, the two joyfully departed for heaven.
च्यवनस्तां गृहीत्वा तु जगामाश्रममण्डलम्
Cyavana took her and went to the hermitage grounds.
च्यवनेश्विनोः कृते सोमपानाधिकारत्वचेष्टावर्णनम् जनमेजय उवाच - च्यवनेन कथं वैद्यौ तौ कृतौ सोमपायिनौ । वचनं च कथं सत्यं जातं तस्य महात्मनः
Description of the actions by Cyavana and the Ashvins regarding the right to drink Soma. Janamejaya said: How did Cyavana make those two physicians eligible to drink Soma? And how did the word of that great soul become true?
मानुषस्य बलं कीदृग्देवराजबलं प्रति । निषिद्धौ भिषजौ तेन कृतौ तौ सोमपायिनौ
What is the strength of a human compared to the strength of the king of the gods? Those two physicians were forbidden, yet Cyavana made them Soma-drinkers.
धर्मनिष्ठ तदाश्चर्यं विस्तरेण वद प्रभो । चरितं च्यवनस्याद्य श्रोतुकामोऽस्मि सर्वथा
O steadfast in Dharma, tell me that wondrous story in detail, O Lord. I wish to hear the deeds of Cyavana today, in every way.
व्यास उवाच - निशामय महाराज चरितं परमाद्भुतम् । च्यवनस्य मखे तस्मिञ्छर्यातेर्भुवि भारत
Vyasa said: Listen, O great king, to the most marvelous story of Cyavana, and the wonder that occurred in his sacrifice on earth, O descendant of Bharata.
सुकन्यां सुन्दरीं प्राप्य च्यवनः सुरसन्निभः । विजहार प्रसन्नात्मा देवकन्यामिवापरः
Having obtained Sukanya, the beautiful one, Cyavana, radiant as a god, enjoyed life with a joyful heart, like another divine maiden.
कदाचिदथ शर्यातिभार्या चिन्तातुरा भृशम् । पतिं प्राह वेपमाना वचनं रुदती प्रिया
Once, the wife of Sharyati, greatly troubled by anxiety, trembling and weeping, spoke these words to her beloved husband.
राजन् पुत्री त्वया दत्ता मुनयेऽन्धाय कानने । मृता जीवति वा सा तु द्रष्टव्या सर्वथा त्वया
O king, you gave your daughter to the blind sage in the forest. Whether she is dead or alive, you must see her by all means.
गच्छ नाथ मुनेस्तावदाश्रमं द्रष्टुमादरात् । किं करोति सुकन्या सा प्राप्य नाथं तथाविधम्
Go, O lord, to the sage's hermitage at once to see what Sukanya is doing, having obtained such a husband.
पुत्रीदुःखेन राजर्षे दग्धास्मि सर्वथा हृदि । तामानय विशालाक्षीं तपःक्षामां मदन्तिके
O royal sage, I am utterly burned in my heart by grief for my daughter. Bring to me the wide-eyed, emaciated one, worn by austerity.
पश्यामि सर्वथा पुत्रीं कृशाङ्गीं वल्कलावृताम् । अन्धं पतिं समासाद्य दुःखभाजं कृशोदरीम्
I wish to see my daughter, thin-bodied and clad in bark garments, who, having met her blind husband, suffers and is slender-waisted.
शर्यातिरुवाच - गच्छामोऽद्य विशालाक्षि सुकन्यां द्रष्टुमादरात् । प्रियपुत्रीं वरारोहे मुनिं तं संशितव्रतम्
Sharyati said: Let us go today, O wide-eyed one, to see Sukanya, our beloved daughter, O lovely-limbed one, and that sage of firm vows.
व्यास उवाच - एवमुक्त्व तु शर्यातिः कामिनीं शोकसंकुलाम् । जगाम रथमारुह्य त्वरितश्चाश्रमं मुनेः
Vyasa said: Thus speaking, Sharyati, overwhelmed by desire and sorrow, mounted his chariot and quickly went to the sage's hermitage.
गत्वाऽऽश्रमसमीपे तु तमपश्यन्महीपतिः । नवयौवनसम्पन्नं देवपुत्रोपमं मुनिम्
Having reached near the hermitage, the king saw the sage endowed with fresh youth, resembling a divine son.