शिवस्तत्प्रार्थनां श्रुत्वा प्रहस्य रसिकेश्वरः । प्रिये तव प्रियाः पञ्च भविष्यन्ति वरं ददौ
Śiva, the Lord of rasa, hearing her prayer, smiled and granted her a boon: "Beloved, you shall have five beloveds."
तेन सा पाण्डवानां च बभूव कामिनी प्रिया । इति ते कथितं सर्वं प्रस्तावं वास्तवं शृणु
Because of this, she became the beloved of the Pāṇḍavas. Thus, everything has been told to you; now hear the true account of the context.
अथ सम्प्राप्य लङ्कायां सीतां रामो मनोहराम् । विभीषणाय तां लङ्कां दत्त्वायोध्यां ययौ पुनः
Then, having regained the enchanting Sītā in Laṅkā, Rāma gave Laṅkā to Vibhīṣaṇa and returned to Ayodhyā.
एकादशसहस्राब्दं कृत्वा राज्यं च भारते । जगाम सर्वैर्लोकैश्च सार्धं वैकुण्ठमेव च
Having ruled in Bhārata for eleven thousand years, he departed to Vaikuṇṭha together with all the worlds.
कमलांशा वेदवती कमलायां विवेश सा । कथितं पुण्यमाख्यानं पुण्यदं पापनाशनम्
Vedavatī, a portion of Lakṣmī, entered into Lakṣmī herself. This sacred story has been told, which bestows merit and destroys sin.
सततं मूर्तिमन्तश्च वेदाश्चत्वार एव च । सन्ति यस्याश्च जिह्वाग्रे सा च वेदवती श्रुता
The four Vedas, ever embodied, are present at the tip of her tongue; she is known as Vedavatī, the heard one.
धर्मध्वजसुताख्यानं निबोध कथयामि ते
Now listen, I will tell you the story of Dharmadhvaja's daughter.
धर्मध्वजसुतातुलस्युपाख्यानवर्णनम् श्रीनारायण उवाच धर्मध्वजस्य पत्नी माधवीति च विश्रुता । नृपेण सार्धं सारामे रेमे च गन्धमादने
The story of Dharmadhvaja's daughter Tulasī is narrated. Śrī Nārāyaṇa said: Dharmadhvaja's wife, renowned as Mādhavī, delighted with the king in Gandhamādana.
शय्यां रतिकरीं कृत्वा पुष्पचन्दनचर्चिताम् । चन्दनालिप्तसर्वाङ्गीं पुष्पचन्दनवायुना
She made a bed pleasing for enjoyment, smeared with flowers and sandalwood, her whole body anointed with sandal, perfumed by the breeze of flowers and sandal.
स्त्रीरत्नमतिचार्वङ्गी रत्नभूषणभूषिता । कामुकी रसिका सृष्टा रसिकेन च संयुता
A jewel among women, with a most lovely form, adorned with gem ornaments, passionate and skilled in love, united with a connoisseur.
सुरते विरतिर्नास्ति तयोः सुरतिविज्ञयोः । गतं देववर्षशतं न ज्ञातं च दिवानिशम्
There was no cessation of enjoyment for those two, experts in love; a hundred divine years passed, unnoticed, day and night.
ततो राजा मतिं प्राप्य सुरताद्विरराम च । कामुकी सुन्दरी किञ्चिन्न च तृप्तिं जगाम सा
Then the king, coming to his senses, ceased from enjoyment; but the beautiful, passionate woman did not attain satisfaction.
दधार गर्भं सा सद्यो दैवादब्दशतं सती । श्रीगर्भा श्रीयुता सा च सम्बभूव दिने दिने
She immediately conceived, by divine will, and bore the pregnancy for a hundred years; she, endowed with fortune, grew more radiant day by day.
शुभे क्षणे शुभदिने शुभयोगे च संयुते । शुभलग्ने शुभांशे च शुभस्वामिग्रहान्विते
At an auspicious moment, on an auspicious day, under an auspicious conjunction and in an auspicious ascendant, with auspicious planets as lords—
कार्तिकीपूर्णिमायां तु सितवारे च पाद्मज । सुषाव सा च पद्मांशां पद्मिनीं तां मनोहराम्
On the full moon of Kārtika, on a bright day, O Lotus-born, she gave birth to the enchanting Padminī, a portion of Padmā.
शरत्पार्वणचन्द्रास्यां शरत्पङ्कजलोचनाम् । पक्वबिम्बाधरोष्ठीं च पश्यन्तीं सस्मितां गृहम्
Her face was like the autumn full moon, her eyes like autumn lotuses, her lips ripe as red fruit, smiling as she gazed about the house.
हस्तपादतलारक्तां निम्ननाभिं मनोरमाम् । तदधस्त्रिवलीयुक्तां नितम्बयुगवर्तुलाम्
Her hands and feet were red at the tips, her navel deep, her form delightful, adorned with three lines below the navel, and her hips beautifully rounded.
शीते सुखोष्णसर्वाङ्गीं ग्रीष्मे च सुखशीतलाम् । श्यामां सुकेशीं रुचिरां न्यग्रोधपरिमण्डलाम्
In cold she was pleasantly warm throughout her body, in heat she was soothingly cool; dark-complexioned, with lovely hair, charming, and shaped like a banyan tree's circle.
पीतचम्पकवर्णाभां सुन्दरीष्वेव सुन्दरीम् । नरा नार्यश्च तां दृष्ट्वा तुलनां दातुमक्षमाः
With the radiance of yellow campaka flowers, she was the most beautiful among beauties; men and women, seeing her, were unable to find any comparison.
तेन नाम्ना च तुलसीं तां वदन्ति मनीषिणः । सा च भूयिष्ठमानेन योग्या स्त्री प्रकृतिर्यथा
Therefore, the wise call her by the name Tulasī; she was, by her nature, the most suitable woman, as is proper.
सर्वैर्निषिद्धा तपसे जगाम बदरीवनम् । तत्र देवाब्दलक्षं च चकार परमं तपः
Forbidden by all from asceticism, she went to the Badarī forest, and there performed supreme austerity for a hundred thousand years.
मनसा नारायणः स्वामी भवितेति च निश्चिता । ग्रीष्मे पञ्चतपाः शीते तोयवस्त्रा च प्रावृषि
Resolving in her mind that Nārāyaṇa would be her lord, she practiced the fivefold austerity in summer, wore wet garments in the rainy season, and so on.
आसनस्था वृष्टिधाराः सहन्तीति दिवानिशम् । विंशत्सहस्रवर्षं च फलतोयाशना च सा
Sitting in meditation, she endured streams of rain day and night; for twenty thousand years she lived on fruits and water alone.
त्रिंशत्सहस्रवर्षं च पत्राहारा तपस्विनी । चत्वारिंशत्सहस्राब्दं वाय्वाहारा कृशोदरी
For thirty thousand years, the ascetic subsisted on leaves; for forty thousand years, with only air as food, her belly grew thin.
ततो दशसहस्राब्दं निराहारा बभूव सा । निर्लक्ष्यां चैकपादस्थां दृष्ट्वा तां कमलोद्भवः
Then, for ten thousand years, she remained without food; seeing her, standing on one foot and barely perceptible, the Lotus-born was amazed.
समाययौ वरं दातुं परं बदरिकाश्रमम् । चतुर्मुखं च सा दृष्ट्वा ननाम हंसवाहनम्
He came to the supreme Badarikā hermitage to grant her a boon; seeing the Four-faced One, riding a swan, she bowed down.
तामुवाच जगत्कर्ता विधाता जगतामपि । ब्रह्मोवाच वरं वृणीष्व तुलसि यत्ते मनसि वाच्छितम्
The creator of the world, the ordainer even of the worlds, spoke to her: Brahmā said: 'Choose a boon, Tulasī, whatever you desire in your heart.'
हरिभक्तिं हरेर्दास्यमजरामरतामपि । तुलस्युवाच शृणु तात प्रवक्ष्यामि यन्मे मनसि वाञ्छितम्
'Devotion to Hari, service to Hari, and even freedom from old age and death—' Tulasī said: 'Listen, father, I will tell you what I desire in my heart.'
सर्वज्ञस्यापि पुरतः का लज्जा मम साम्प्रतम् । अहं तु तुलसी गोपी गोलोकेऽहं स्थिता पुरा
'What shame could there be for me now, even before the all-knowing one? I am Tulasī, a gopī, who once dwelled in Goloka.'
कृष्णप्रिया किंकरी च तदंशा तत्सखी प्रिया । गोविन्दरतिसम्भुक्तामतृप्तां मां च मूर्च्छिताम्
'Beloved of Kṛṣṇa, his servant, a portion of him, his dear friend; though I enjoyed Govinda’s love, I was left unsatisfied and fainted.'