त्यक्त्वोरणौ गताः सर्वे गन्धर्वाः पथि पार्थिवः । नग्नो जग्राह तौ श्रान्तो जगाम स्वगृहं प्रति
Having left the forest, all the Gandharvas departed; the king, exhausted and naked, seized the two and went towards his own house.
तदोर्वशीं गतां दृष्ट्वा विललापातिदुःखितः । नग्नं वीक्ष्य पतिं नारी गता सा वरवर्णिनी
Seeing Urvashi gone, he lamented in great sorrow; the noble lady, seeing her husband naked, departed.
क्रन्दन्स देशदेशेषु बभ्राम नृपतिः स्वयम् । तच्चित्तो विह्वलः शोचन्विवशः काममोहितः
The king himself wandered from place to place, crying out, his mind disturbed, grieving, helpless, and overwhelmed by desire.
भ्रमन्वै सकलां पृथ्वीं कुरुक्षेत्रे ददर्श ताम् । दृष्ट्वा संहृष्टवदनः प्राह सूक्तं नृपोत्तमः
Wandering over the whole earth, he saw her at Kurukshetra; seeing her, the best of kings, with a joyful face, spoke these words.
अये जाये तिष्ठ तिष्ठ घोरे न त्यक्तुमर्हसि । मां त्वं त्वन्मनसं कान्तं वशगं चाप्यनागसम्
'Ah, wife, stay, stay! In this terrible place, you should not abandon me, your beloved, who is devoted to you and innocent.'
स देहोऽयं पतत्यत्र देवि दूरं हृतस्त्वया । खादन्त्येनं वृकाः काकास्त्वया त्यक्तं वरोरु यत्
'This body will fall here, O goddess, taken far away by you; wolves and crows will devour it, since you, O fair one, have abandoned it.'
एवं विलपमानं तं राजानं प्राह चोर्वशी । दुःखितं कृपणं श्रान्तं कामार्तं विवशं भृशम्
As he lamented thus, Urvashi spoke to the king, who was miserable, pitiable, exhausted, tormented by desire, and utterly helpless.
उर्वश्युवाच मूर्खोऽसि नृपशार्दूल ज्ञानं कुत्र गतं तव । क्वापि सख्यं न च स्त्रीणां वृकाणामिव पार्थिव
Urvashi said: 'You are a fool, O tiger among kings! Where has your wisdom gone? There is no true friendship with women, O king, just as with wolves.'
न विश्वासो हि कर्तव्यः स्त्रीषु चौरेषु पार्थिवैः । गृहं गच्छ सुखं भुंक्ष्व मा विषादे मनः कृथाः
One should not place trust in women, thieves, or kings. Go home, enjoy yourself in comfort, and do not let your mind fall into despair.
इत्येवं बोधितो राजा न विवेदातिमोहितः । दुःखं च परमं प्राप्तः स्वैरिणीस्नेहयन्त्रितः
Thus instructed, the king, utterly deluded, did not understand; bound by the affection of a wanton woman, he fell into the greatest sorrow.
सूत उवाच इति सर्वं समाख्यातमुर्वशीचरितं महत् । वेदे विस्तरितं चैतत्संक्षेपात्कथितं मया
Sūta said: Thus the entire great story of Urvaśī has been recounted; this, which is elaborated in the Vedas, I have told you in brief.
व्यासेन गृहस्थधर्मवर्णनम् सूत उवाच दृष्ट्वा तामसितापाङ्गीं व्यासश्चिन्तापरोऽभवत् । किं करोमि न मे योग्या देवकन्येयमप्सराः
Sūta said: Seeing her with dark, intoxicated eyes, Vyāsa became absorbed in thought: 'What should I do? This divine maiden, this apsaras, is not suitable for me.'
एवं चिन्तयमानं तु दृष्ट्वा व्यासं तदाप्सराः । भयभीता हि सञ्जाता शापं मा विसृजेदयम्
As Vyāsa was thinking thus, the apsaras, seeing him, became filled with fear, anxious that he might utter a curse.
सा कृत्वाथ शुकीरूपं निर्गता भयविह्वला । कृष्णस्तु विस्मयं प्राप्तो विहङ्गीं तां विलोकयन्
Then, taking the form of a female parrot, she departed, trembling with fear; Kṛṣṇa was astonished upon seeing her in the form of a bird.
कामस्तु देहे व्यासस्य दर्शनादेव सङ्गतः । मनोऽतिविस्मितं जातं सर्वगात्रेषु विस्मितः
Desire arose in Vyāsa's body merely from seeing her; his mind became exceedingly astonished, and he was amazed in every limb.
स तु धैर्येण महता निगह्णन्मानसं मुनिः । न शशाक नियन्तुं च स व्यासः प्रसृतं मनः
But the sage, with great self-control, restrained his mind; yet Vyāsa could not subdue his mind, which had become unrestrained.
बहुशो गृह्यमाणं च घृताच्या मोहितं मनः । भावित्वान्नैव विधृतं व्यासस्यामिततेजसः
Though he tried repeatedly to control his mind, which was deluded by Ghṛtācī, due to destiny, Vyāsa of boundless energy could not hold it back.
मन्धनं कुर्वतस्तस्य मुनेरग्निचिकीर्षया । अरण्यामेव सहसा तस्य शुक्रमथापतत्
While the sage was producing fire by friction, wishing to kindle a sacred fire, his semen suddenly fell there in the forest.
सोऽविचिन्त्य तथा पातं ममन्थारणिमेव च । तस्माच्छुकः समुद्भूतो व्यासाकृतिमनोहरः
Without thinking about that emission, he continued to churn the fire-sticks; from that, a son named Śuka was born, possessing Vyāsa's captivating form.
विस्मयं जनयन्बालः सञ्जातस्तदरण्यजः । यथाध्वरे समिद्धोऽग्निर्भाति हव्येन दीप्तिमान्
A child was born from the fire-sticks, causing wonder, just as a blazing fire shines brightly at a sacrifice when fed with offerings.
व्यासस्तु सुतमालोक्य विस्मयं परमं गतः । किमेतदिति सञ्चिन्त्य वरदानाच्छिवस्य वै
Vyāsa, seeing his son, was filled with the utmost amazement; pondering what this could be, he remembered the boon given by Śiva.
तेजोरूपी शुको जातोऽप्यरणीगर्भसम्भवः । द्वितीयोऽग्निरिवात्यर्थं दीप्यमानः स्वतेजसा
Śuka, though born from the fire-sticks, was of the very form of brilliance; like a second fire, he blazed intensely with his own radiance.
विलोकयामास तदा व्यासस्तु मुदितं सुतम् । दिव्येन तेजसा युक्तं गार्हपत्यमिवापरम्
Then Vyāsa looked upon his joyful son, endowed with divine splendor, like a second household fire.
गङ्गान्तः स्नापयामास समागत्य गिरेस्तदा । पुष्पवृष्टिस्तु खाज्जाता शिशोरुपरि तापसाः
Then, coming from the mountain, Vyāsa bathed him in the waters of the Gaṅgā; a shower of flowers fell from the sky upon the child, as ascetics gathered.
जातकर्मादिकं चक्रे व्यासस्तस्य महात्मनः । देवदुन्दुभयो नेदुर्ननृतुश्चाप्सरोगणाः
Vyāsa performed all the birth rites for that great-souled one; divine drums resounded, and the hosts of apsarases danced.
जगुर्गन्धर्वपतयो मुदितास्ते दिदृक्षवः । विश्वावसुर्नारदश्च तुम्बुरुः शुकसम्भवे
The lords of the Gandharvas sang joyfully, eager to see him—Viśvāvasu, Nārada, and Tumburu—at the birth of Śuka.
तुष्टुवुर्मुदिताः सर्वे देवा विद्याधरास्तथा । दृष्ट्वा व्याससुतं दिव्यमरणीगर्भसम्भवम्
All the gods and the Vidyādharas, delighted, offered praise upon seeing Vyāsa’s divine son, born from the womb of a fire-stick.
अन्तरिक्षात्पपातोर्व्यां दण्डः कृष्णाजिनं शुभम् । कमण्डलुस्तथा दिव्यः शुकस्यार्थे द्विजोत्तमाः
From the sky descended a staff, a beautiful black antelope skin, and a divine water pot, all for Śuka, O best of twice-born.
सद्यः स ववृधे बालो जातमात्रोऽतिदीप्तिमान् । तस्योपनयनं चक्रे व्यासो विद्याविधानवित्
That boy, radiant and just born, immediately grew; Vyāsa, knower of the rites of learning, performed his initiation.
उत्पन्नमात्रं तं वेदाः सरहस्याः ससंग्रहाः । उपतस्थुर्महात्मानं यथास्य पितरं तथा
As soon as he was born, the Vedas, with all their secrets and collections, approached that great soul just as they had his father.