अहं तपसि सन्नद्धो नागतः शृणु सुन्दरि । किं कृतं तु त्वया कान्ते विना द्रव्येण शोभने
I was engaged in austerities and did not come; listen, O beautiful one. What have you done, O lovely lady, without wealth, O splendid one?
मया चिन्ता कृता तत्र श्रुत्वा दुर्भिक्षमद्भुतम् । नागतोऽहं विचार्यैवं किं करिष्यामि निर्धनः
I was concerned upon hearing of the extraordinary famine there; considering thus, I did not come, for what could I do being destitute?
अहमप्यति वामोरु पीडितः क्षुधया वने । प्रविष्टश्चौरभावेन कुत्रचिच्छ्वपचालये
I too, O slender-thighed one, was afflicted by hunger in the forest; entering in the manner of a thief, I wandered somewhere into the house of a dog-eater.
श्वपचं निद्रितं दृष्ट्वा क्षुधया पीडितो भृशम् । महानसं परिज्ञाय भक्ष्यार्थं समुपस्थितः
Seeing the dog-eater asleep and being greatly tormented by hunger, I recognized the kitchen and approached for the sake of food.
यदा भाण्डं समुद्घाट्य पक्वं श्वतनुजामिषम् । गृह्णामि भक्षणार्थाय तदा दृष्टस्तु तेन वै
When I opened the vessel and took the cooked meat of the dog for eating, at that moment I was seen by him.
पृष्टः कस्त्वं कथं प्राप्तो गृहे मे निशि सादरम् । ब्रूहि कार्यं किमर्थं त्वमुद्घाटयसि भाण्डकम्
He asked, 'Who are you? How have you come to my house at night with respect? Tell me, what is your purpose? Why are you opening the vessel?'
इत्युक्तः श्वपचेनाहं क्षुधया पीडितो भृशम् । तमवोचं सुकेशान्ते कामं गद्गदया गिरा
Thus addressed by the dog-eater, I, greatly afflicted by hunger, spoke to him, O Sukeśā, with faltering words.
ब्राह्मणोऽहं महाभाग तापसः क्षुधयार्दितः । चौरभावमनुप्राप्तो भक्ष्यं पश्यामि भाण्डके
I am a Brahmin, O fortunate one, an ascetic tormented by hunger; assuming the guise of a thief, I see food in the vessel.
चौरभावेन सम्प्राप्तोऽस्म्यतिथिस्ते महामते । क्षुधितोऽस्मि ददस्वाज्ञां मांसमद्मि सुसंस्कृतम्
I have come in the manner of a thief, O wise one, as your guest; I am hungry, grant me permission to eat the well-prepared meat.
विश्वामित्र उवाच - श्वपचस्तु वचः श्रुत्वा मामुवाच सुनिश्चितम् । भक्षं मा कुरु वर्णाग्र्य जानीहि श्वपचालयम्
Viśvāmitra said: The dog-eater, hearing my words, spoke to me with certainty: 'Do not eat, O foremost of castes; know this is the house of a dog-eater.'
दुर्लभं खलु मानुष्यं तत्रापि च द्विजन्मता । द्विजत्वे ब्राह्मणत्वं च दुर्लभं वेत्सि किं न हि
Human birth is indeed rare, and even more so is birth among the twice-born; within the twice-born, Brahminhood is rare—do you not know this?
दुष्टाहारो न कर्तव्यः सर्वथा लोकमिच्छता । अग्राह्या मनुना प्रोक्ताः कर्मणा सप्त चान्त्यजाः
One who desires the world should never partake of impure food; Manu has declared that the seven lowest castes are unfit for ritual acts.
त्याज्योऽहं कर्मणा विप्र श्वपचो नात्र संशयः । निवारयामि भक्ष्यात्त्वां न लोभेनाञ्जसा द्विज
I am to be avoided in ritual, O Brahmin; I am a dog-eater, there is no doubt. I restrain you from eating, not out of greed, O twice-born.
वर्णसङ्करदोषोऽयं मा यातु त्वां द्विजोत्तम । विश्वामित्र उवाच सत्यं वदसि धर्मज्ञ मतिस्ते विशदान्त्यज
This is the fault of caste-mixing; let it not befall you, O best of Brahmins. Viśvāmitra said: You speak the truth, O knower of dharma; your mind is clear, O outcaste.
तथाप्यापदि धर्मस्य सूक्ष्ममार्गं ब्रवीम्यहम् । देहस्य रक्षणं कार्यं सर्वथा यदि मानद
Still, in adversity, I declare the subtle path of dharma; the preservation of the body must be ensured in every way, O honorable one.
पापस्यान्ते पुनः कार्यं प्रायश्चित्तं विशुद्धये । दुर्गतिस्तु भवेत्पापादनापदि न चापदि
At the end of sin, expiation must be performed for purification; misfortune arises from sin in normal times, not in adversity.
मरणात्क्षुधितस्याथ नरको नात्र संशयः । तस्मात्क्षुधापहरणं कर्तव्यं शुभमिच्छता
For one who is hungry, death leads to hell—there is no doubt about this; therefore, one who desires auspiciousness must remove hunger.
तेनाहं चौर्यधर्मेण देहं रक्षेऽप्यथान्त्यज । अवर्षणे च चौर्येण यत्पापं कथितं बुधैः
Therefore, by the dharma of theft, I preserve my body, O outcaste; and in famine, by theft, whatever sin is described by the wise—
यो न वर्षति पर्जन्यस्तत्तु तस्मै भविष्यति । इत्युक्ते वचने कान्ते पर्जन्यः सहसापतत्
If the rain-cloud does not pour, then that will happen to him—so it was said, O lovely one, and immediately the rain-cloud burst forth.
गगनाद्धस्तिहस्ताभिर्धाराभिरभिकाङ्क्षितः । मुदितोऽहं घनं वीक्ष्य वर्षन्तं विद्युता सह
From the sky, streams as thick as an elephant’s trunk fell, just as desired; I rejoiced, seeing the cloud raining down together with lightning.
तदाहं तद्गृहं त्यक्त्वा निःसृतः परया मुदा । कथय त्वं वरारोहे कालो नीतस्त्वया कथम्
Then, leaving that house, I went out with great joy; tell me, O beautiful one, how you spent the time in my absence.
कान्तारे परमः क्रूरः क्षयकृत्प्राणिनामिह । व्यास उवाच - इति तस्य वचः श्रुत्वा पतिमाह प्रियंवदा
In the wilderness, a most cruel, life-destroying calamity befell the living beings here. Vyāsa said: Hearing these words, Priyamvada spoke to her husband.
यथा शृणु मया नीतः कालः परमदारुणः । गते त्वयि मुनिश्रेष्ठ दुर्भिक्षं समुपागतम्
Listen, I will tell you how a most dreadful time was spent by me; when you had gone, O best of sages, a famine arose.
अन्नार्थं पुत्रकाः सर्वे बभूवुश्चातिदुःखिताः । क्षुधितान्बालकान्वीक्ष्य नीवारार्थं वने वने
All the children became extremely distressed for want of food; seeing the hungry boys, I wandered from forest to forest for wild rice.
भ्रान्ताहं चिन्तयाऽऽविष्टा किञ्चित्प्राप्तं फलं तदा । एवं च कतिचिन्मासा नीवारेणातिवाहिताः
I wandered, overcome by anxiety, and whatever little fruit I found then—thus, for a few months, we survived on wild rice.
तदभावे मया कान्त चिन्तितं मनसा पुनः । न भिक्षा किल दुर्भिक्षे नीवारा नापि कानने
When that too was lacking, O beloved, I thought again in my mind: in famine, there is no alms, nor wild rice in the forest.
न वृक्षेषु फलान्यासुर्न मूलानि धरातले । क्षुधया पीडिता बाला रुदन्ति भृशमातुराः
There were no fruits on the trees, nor roots in the earth; the children, tormented by hunger, cried out in great distress.
किं करोमि क्व गच्छामि किं ब्रवीमि क्षुधार्तितान् । एवं विचिन्त्य मनसा निश्चयस्तु मया कृतः
What shall I do, where shall I go, what shall I say to those afflicted by hunger? Thinking thus in my mind, I made a decision.
पुत्रमेकं ददाम्यद्य कस्मैचिद्धनिने किल । गृहीत्वा तस्य मौल्यं तु तेन द्रव्येण बालकान्
Today I will give one son to someone, indeed, for money; taking his price, with that wealth I will support the children.
पालयेऽहं क्षुधार्तांस्तु नान्योपायोऽस्ति पालने । इति सञ्चिन्त्य मनसा पुत्रोऽयं प्रहितो मया
I will sustain the hungry children with that, for there is no other means of support; thinking thus in my mind, I sent this son.