इष्टबन्धुवियोगार्तमानीय निजपक्कणे । निगडे स्थापयित्वा तं स्वयं सुष्वाप विज्वरः
Bringing him, who was afflicted by separation from his beloved relatives, into his own chamber, he placed him in shackles and himself slept peacefully, free from fever.
निगडस्थस्ततो राजा वसंश्चाण्डालपक्कणे । अन्नपाने परित्यज्य सदा वै तदशोचयत्
Then the king, confined in shackles, dwelled in the cāṇḍāla's chamber. He abandoned food and drink, and constantly grieved.
तन्वी दीनमुखी दृष्ट्वा बालं दीनमुखं पुरः । मां स्मरन्त्यसुखाविष्टा मोक्षयिष्यति नौ नृपः
Seeing the slender, sorrowful-faced child before him, remembering me and overwhelmed by unhappiness, she thought, 'The king will release us.'
उपात्तवित्तो विप्राय दत्त्वा वित्तं प्रतिश्रुतम् । रोदमानं सुतं वीक्ष्य मां च सम्बोधयिष्यति
Having given the acquired wealth to the brāhmaṇa as promised, seeing his son weeping and me as well, he will awaken to our plight.
तातपार्श्वं व्रजामीति रुदन्तं बालकं पुनः । तात तातेति भाषन्तं तथा सम्बोधयिष्यति
The child, again crying, saying, 'Let me go to father's side,' and calling out, 'Father, father,' will thus awaken him.
न सा मां मृगशावाक्षी वेत्ति चाण्डालतां गतम् । राज्यनाशः सुहृत्त्यागो भार्यातनयविक्रयः
That doe-eyed woman does not recognize me, who has become a cāṇḍāla. Loss of the kingdom, abandonment by friends, sale of wife and son—
ततश्चाण्डालता चेयमहो दुःखपरम्परा । एवं स निवसन्नित्यं स्मरंश्च दयितां सुतम्
And now this cāṇḍāla status—alas, a succession of sorrows! Thus, dwelling always in this way, he remembered his beloved son.
निनाय दिवसान् राजा चतुरो विधिपीडितः । अथाह्नि पञ्चमे तेन निगडान्मोचितो नृपः
The king, afflicted by fate, spent four days thus. On the fifth day, he was released from the shackles.
चाण्डालेनानुशिष्टश्च मृतचैलापहारणे । क्रुद्धेन परुषैर्वाक्यैर्निर्भत्स्य च पुनः पुनः
Instructed by the cāṇḍāla regarding the removal of the cloth from the dead, and repeatedly rebuked with harsh words by the angry cāṇḍāla,
काश्याश्च दक्षिणे भागे श्मशानं विद्यते महत् । तद्रक्षस्व यथान्यायं न त्याज्यं तत्त्वया क्वचित्
On the southern side of Kāśī there is a great cremation ground. Guard it properly; you must never abandon it.
इमं च जर्जरं दण्डं गृहीत्वा याहि मा चिरम् । वीरबाहोरयं दण्ड इति घोषस्व सर्वतः
Take this battered staff and go without delay. Announce everywhere, 'This is the staff of Vīrabāhu.'
सूत उवाच - कस्मिंश्चिदथ काले तु मृतचैलापहारकः । हरिश्चन्द्रोऽभवद्राजा श्मशाने दद्वशानुगः
The sūta said: At some point, King Hariścandra became the remover of cloth from the dead in the cremation ground, obedient to the cāṇḍāla.
चाण्डालेनानुशिष्टस्तु मृतचैलापहारिणा । राजा तेन समादिष्टो जगाम शवमन्दिरम्
Instructed by the cāṇḍāla, the king, as remover of cloth from the dead, went to the house of corpses as ordered.
पुर्यास्तु दक्षिणे देशे विद्यमानं भयानकम् । शवमाल्यसमाकीर्णं दुर्गन्धं बहुधूमकम्
In the southern region of the city, there was a terrifying place, filled with garlands of corpses, foul-smelling, and thick with smoke.
श्मशानं घोरसन्नादं शिवाशतसमाकुलम् । गृद्ध्रगोमायुसंकीर्णं श्ववृन्दपरिवारितम्
The cremation ground, filled with dreadful sounds, was crowded with hundreds of Śiva-ascetics, overrun by vultures and jackals, and surrounded by packs of dogs.
अस्थिसङ्घातसङ्कीर्णं महादुर्गन्धसंकुलम् । अर्धदग्धशवास्यानि विकसद्दन्तपंक्तिभिः
It was strewn with heaps of bones and pervaded by a terrible stench, with half-burnt corpses displaying rows of exposed teeth.
हसन्तीवाग्निमध्यस्थकायस्यैवं व्यवस्थितिः । नानामृतसुहृन्नादं महाकोलाहलाकुलम्
It seemed as if the bodies in the midst of the fire were laughing, and the place resounded with various cries of pain and tumultuous uproar.
हा पुत्र मित्र हा बन्धो भ्रातर्वत्स प्रियाद्य मे । हाप्यते भागिनेयार्ह हा मातुल पितामह
"Alas, my son! Friend! Relative! Brother! Dear one, where are you now? Nephew, uncle, grandfather!"
मातामह पितः पौत्र क्व गतोऽस्येहि बान्धव । इति शब्दैः समाकीर्णं भैरवैः सर्वदेहिनाम्
"Grandfather, father, grandson, where have you gone? Come here, kinsman!"—such cries of all embodied beings filled the air, mingled with terrifying sounds.
ज्वलन्मांसवसामेदच्छूमिति ध्वनिसङ्कुलम् । अग्नेश्चटचटाशब्दो भैरवो यत्र जायते
The place was filled with the crackling sound of burning flesh and fat, and the dreadful snapping of the fire.
कल्पान्तसदृशाकारं श्मशानं तत्सुदारुणम् । स राजा तत्र सम्प्राप्तो दुःखादेवमशोचत
That cremation ground, terrible as the end of an age, was exceedingly fearsome; there the king arrived and, overwhelmed by sorrow, lamented in this way.
हा भृत्या मन्त्रिणो यूयं क्व तद्राज्यं कुलोचितम् । हा प्रिय पुत्र मे बाल मां त्यक्त्वा मन्दभाग्यकम्
"Alas, my servants and ministers, where is that royal glory befitting our lineage? Alas, my dear child, you have abandoned your unfortunate father."
ब्राह्मणस्य च कोपेन गता यूयं क्व दूरतः । विना धर्मं मनुष्याणां जायते न शुभं क्वचित्
"Driven away by the anger of the brāhmaṇa, where have you all gone so far? Without righteousness, no good ever arises for mankind."
यत्नतो धारयेत्तस्मात्पुरुषो धर्ममेव हि । इत्येवं चिन्तयंस्तत्र चाण्डालोक्तं पुनः पुनः
"Therefore, a man must always uphold righteousness with effort." Thus reflecting there, he repeatedly recalled the words of the cāṇḍāla.
मलेन दिग्धसर्वाङ्गः शवानां दर्शने व्रजन् । लकुटाकारकल्पश्च धावंश्चापि ततस्ततः
Smeared all over with filth, approaching the sight of corpses, he wandered about, resembling a club-wielding outcaste, running here and there.
अस्मिञ्छव इदं मौल्यं शतं प्राप्स्यामि चाग्रतः । इदं मम इदं राज्ञ इदं चाण्डालकस्य च
"From this corpse I will get a hundred coins as my fee; this is mine, this is the king's, and this belongs to the cāṇḍāla as well."
इत्येवं चिन्तयन् राजा व्यवस्थां दुस्तरां गतः । जीर्णैकपटसुग्रन्थिकृतकन्थापरिग्रहः
Thus thinking, the king endured that unbearable condition, wearing a patched garment tied with a single knot.
चिताभस्मरजोलिप्तमुखबाहूदराङ्घ्रिकः । नानामेदोवसामज्जालिप्तपाण्यङ्गुलिः श्वसन्
His face, arms, belly, and feet were smeared with the ashes of the funeral pyre, and his hands and fingers were coated with various fats and marrow as he breathed.
नानाशवौदनकृतक्षुन्निवृत्तिपरायणः । तदीयमाल्यसंश्लेषकृतमस्तकमण्डलः
He lived on food taken from various corpses to satisfy his hunger, and his head was adorned with garlands taken from them.
न रात्रौ न दिवा शेते हाहेति प्रवदन्मुहुः । एवं द्वादश मासास्तु नीता वर्षशतोपमाः
He did not sleep by night or by day, constantly crying out in distress; thus twelve months passed, seeming like a hundred years.