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.
तं विलोक्यामराकारं विस्मयं नृपतिर्गतः । किं कृतं कुत्सितं कर्म पुत्र्या लोकविगर्हितम्
Seeing him with the appearance of a celestial, the king was astonished. What disgraceful deed has my daughter done, condemned by the world?
निहतोऽसौ मुनिर्वृद्धस्त्वनयान्यः पतिः कृतः । कामपीडितया कामं प्रशान्तोऽप्यतिनिर्धनः
That aged sage has been destroyed by her; another husband has been made. Driven by desire, she has, though poor, satisfied her passion.
दुःसहयोऽयं पुष्पधन्वा विशेषेण च यौवने । कुले कलङ्कः सुमहाननया मानवे कृतः
This flower-arrowed god is unbearable, especially in youth. By her, a great stain has been brought upon our lineage.
धिक्तस्य जीवितं लोके यस्य पुत्री हि कुत्सिता । सर्वपापैस्तु दुःखाय पुत्री भवति देहिनाम्
Fie upon the life of one whose daughter is disgraced in the world! For all embodied beings, a daughter brings sorrow through all sins.
मया त्वनुचितं कर्म कृतं स्वार्थस्य सिद्धये । वृद्धायान्धाय या दत्ता पुत्री सर्वात्मना किल
I have performed an improper deed for the attainment of my own purpose: I gave my daughter, fully and completely, to an old and blind man.
कन्या योग्याय दातव्या पित्रा सर्वात्मना किल । तादृशं हि फलं प्राप्तं यादृशं वै कृतं मया
A daughter should be given by her father, wholeheartedly, to a worthy man; the result I have received is exactly as I acted.
हन्मि चेदद्य तनयां दुःशीलां पापकारिणीम् । स्त्रीहत्या दुस्तरा स्यान्मे तथा पुत्र्या विशेषतः
If I kill my daughter today, who is of bad conduct and a doer of evil, then the sin of killing a woman—especially a daughter—would be insurmountable for me.
मनुवंशस्तु विख्यातः सकलङ्कः कृतो मया । लोकापवादो बलवान्दुस्त्याज्या स्नेहशृङ्खला
The lineage of Manu, though renowned, has been stained by me; public reproach is powerful, and the bonds of affection are hard to cast off.
किं करोमीति चिन्ताब्धौ यदा मग्नः स पार्थिवः । सुकन्यया तदा दैवाद्दृष्टश्चिन्ताकुलः पिता
Immersed in the ocean of worry, that king was thinking, 'What should I do?' At that moment, by fate, his daughter Sukanya saw her father, troubled by anxiety.
सा दृष्ट्वा तं जगामाशु सुकन्या पितुरन्तिके । गत्वा पप्रच्छ भूपालं प्रेमपूरितमानसा
Seeing him, Sukanya quickly approached her father; going near, she asked the king, her heart filled with affection.