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.
विक्रयार्थं महाभाग क्रन्दमानो भृशातुरः । क्रन्दमानं गृहीत्वैनं निर्गताहं गतत्रपा
For the sake of sale, O great one, though he was crying and greatly distressed; taking the crying boy, I went out, my shame gone.
तदा सत्यव्रतो मार्गे मामुद्वीक्ष्य भृशातुराम् । पप्रच्छ स च राजर्षिः कस्माद्रोदिति बालकः
Then Satyavrata saw me on the road, greatly troubled; and that royal sage asked, 'Why is the boy crying?'
तदाहं तमुवाचेदं वचनं मुनिसत्तम । विक्रयार्थं नीयतेऽसौ बालकोऽद्य मया नृप
Then I said these words to him, O best of sages: 'This boy is being taken by me today for sale, O king.'
श्रुत्वा मे वचनं राजा दयार्द्रहृदयस्ततः । मामुवाच गृहं याहि गृहीत्वैनं कुमारकम्
Hearing my words, the king, his heart full of compassion, said to me, 'Go home, taking this boy with you.'
भोजनार्थे कुमाराणामामिषं विहितं तव । प्रापयिष्याम्यहं नित्यं यावन्मुनिसमागमः
'For the sake of feeding your children, I will provide you with meat every day until the sage returns.'
अहन्यहनि भूपालो वृक्षेऽस्मिन्मृगसूकरान् । विन्यस्य याति हत्वासौ प्रत्यहं दययान्वितः
Day by day, the king, out of compassion, would kill deer and wild boar on this tree, and leave them for us.
तेनैव बालकाः कान्त पालिता वृजिनार्णवात् । वसिष्ठेनाथ शप्ताऽसौ भूपतिर्मम कारणात्
By that very king, O beloved, the children were protected from the ocean of misfortune; then, because of me, Vasiṣṭha cursed him.
कस्मिंश्चिद्दिवसे मांसं न प्राप्तं तेन कानने । हता दोग्ध्री वसिष्ठस्य तेनासौ कुपितो मुनिः
On a certain day, meat was not obtained by him in the forest; the cow of Vasiṣṭha was killed, and thus the sage became angry.
त्रिशङ्कुरिति भूपस्य कृतं नाम महात्मना । कुपितेन वधाद्धेतोश्चाण्डालश्च कृतो नृपः
Triśaṅku became the name of the king, given by the great-souled sage; out of anger and for the sake of killing, the king was made an outcaste.
तेनाहं दुःखिता जाता तस्य दुःखेन कौशिक । श्वपचत्वमसौ प्राप्तो मत्कृते नृपनन्दनः
Because of this, O Kauśika, I became distressed by his suffering; for my sake, the king's son attained the state of a dog-eater.
येन केनाप्युपायेन भवता नृपतेः किल । तस्माद्रक्षा प्रकर्तव्या तपसा प्रबलेन ह
By whatever means possible, you must protect the king; therefore, you should undertake powerful austerity for his sake.
व्यास उवाच - इति भार्यावचः श्रुत्वा कौशिको मुनिसत्तमः । तामाह कामिनीं दीनां सान्त्वपूर्वमरिन्दम
Vyāsa said: Hearing these words of his wife, Kauśika, the foremost sage, spoke to the sorrowful lady, offering her gentle consolation.
विश्वामित्र उवाच - मोचयिष्यामि तं शापान्नृपं कमललोचने । उपकारः कृतो येन कान्ताराद्रक्षितासि वै
Viśvāmitra said: I will free the king from the curse, O lotus-eyed one; because he helped you, protecting you from the forest.
विद्यातपोबलेनाहं करिष्ये दुःखसंक्षयम् । इत्याश्वास्य प्रियां तत्र कौशिकः परमार्थवित्
With the power of knowledge, austerity, and strength, I will bring an end to his suffering; thus, Kauśika, knower of the highest truth, comforted his beloved there.
चिन्तयामास नृपतेः कथं स्याद्दुःखनाशनम् । संविमृश्य मुनिस्तत्र जगाम यत्र पार्थिवः
He began to contemplate how the king's suffering might be ended; after deliberating, the sage went to where the king was.
त्रिशङ्कुः पक्वणे दीनः संस्थितः श्वपचाकृतिः । आगच्छन्तं मुनिं दृष्ट्वा विस्मितोऽसौ नराधिपः
Triśaṅku, miserable and in the form of a dog-eater, was staying in the cremation ground; seeing the sage approaching, the king was astonished.
दण्डवन्निपपातोर्व्यां पादयोस्तरसा मुनेः । गृहीत्वा तं करे भूपं पतितं कौशिकस्तदा
He quickly fell prostrate on the ground at the feet of the sage; Kauśika then took the fallen king by the hand.
उत्थाप्योवाच वचनं सान्त्वपूर्वं द्विजोत्तमः । मत्कृते त्वं महीपाल शप्तोऽसि मुनिना यतः
Raising him up, the best of twice-born spoke words of gentle consolation: 'Because of me, O king, you were cursed by the sage.'
वाञ्छितं ते करिष्यामि ब्रूहि किं करवाण्यहम् । राजोवाच - मया सम्प्रार्थितः पूर्वं वसिष्ठो मखहेतवे
I will accomplish your desire; tell me, what shall I do? The king said: Formerly, I requested Vasiṣṭha for the sake of a sacrifice.
मां याजय मुनिश्रेष्ठ करोमि मखमुत्तमम् । यथेष्टं कुरु विप्रेन्द्र यथा स्वर्गं व्रजाम्यहम्
O best of sages, let me be consecrated; I will perform the supreme sacrifice. Do as you wish, O chief of Brahmins, so that I may go to heaven.