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.
किं विचारयसे राजंश्चिन्ताव्याकुलिताननः । उपविष्टं मुनिं वीक्ष्य युवानमम्बुजेक्षणम्
"Why are you pondering, O king, your face clouded with worry? Seated before you is a sage, young and lotus-eyed."
एह्येहि पुरुषव्याघ्र प्रणमस्व पतिं मम । मा विषादं नृपश्रेष्ठ साम्प्रतं कुरु मानव
"Come, come, O best of men, bow to my husband. Do not be disheartened, O foremost of kings; do not let anxiety overcome you now, O prince."
व्यास उवाच - इति पुत्र्या वचं श्रुत्वा शर्यातिः क्रोधपीडितः । प्रोवाच वचनं राजा पुरःस्थां तनयां ततः
Vyasa said: Hearing his daughter's words, Sharyati, afflicted with anger, then spoke these words to his daughter standing before him.
राजोवाच - क्व मुनिश्च्यवनः पुत्रि वृद्धोऽन्धस्तापसोत्तमः । कोऽयं युवा मदोन्मत्तः सन्देहोऽत्र महान्मम
The king said: "Where is the sage Cyavana, my daughter—the old, blind, best of ascetics? Who is this young, intoxicated man? I have great doubt about this."
मुनिः किं निहतः पापे त्वया दुष्कृतकारिणि । नूतनोऽसौ पतिः कामात्कृतः कुलविनाशिनि
"Has the sage been killed by you, O sinful one, doer of wicked deeds? Is this a new husband you have taken out of desire, destroyer of the family?"
सोऽहं चिन्तातुरस्तं न पश्याम्याश्रमसंस्थितम् । किं कृतं दुष्कृतं कर्म कुलटाचरितं किल
"I, distressed by worry, do not see him in the hermitage. What wicked act has been done? Is this the conduct of a wanton woman?"
निमग्नोऽहं दुराचारे शोकाब्धौ त्वत्कृतेऽधुना । दृष्ट्वैनं पुरुषं दिव्यमदृष्ट्वा च्यवनं मुनिम्
"I am now plunged into the ocean of grief because of your misconduct, having seen this divine man and not seeing the sage Cyavana."
विहस्य तमुवाचाशु सा श्रुत्वा वचनं पितुः । गृहीत्वाऽऽनीय पितरं भर्तुरन्तिकमादरात्
Hearing her father's words, she quickly smiled at him, and, taking her father by the hand, respectfully led him to her husband.
च्यवनोऽसौ मुनिस्तात जामाता ते न संशयः । अश्विभ्यामीदृशः कान्तः कृतः कमललोचनः
"This is Cyavana, O father, the sage, your son-in-law, without doubt. By the Ashvins, he has been made so handsome, with lotus-like eyes."
यदृच्छयात्र सम्प्राप्तौ नासत्यावाश्रमे मम । ताभ्यां करुणया नूनं च्यवनस्तादृशः कृतः
"By chance, the Ashvins came to my hermitage; through their compassion, Cyavana has become like this."