तुलसीवचनं श्रुत्वा भुक्त्वा पीत्वा नृपेश्वर । उवाच वचनं प्राज्ञो हितं सत्यं यथोचितम्
Hearing Tulasi's words, having eaten and drunk, the wise king spoke words that were beneficial, true, and fitting.
शंखचूड उवाच कालेन योजितं सर्वं कर्मभोगनिबन्धनम् । शुभं हर्षः सुखं दुःखं भयं शोकश्च मङ्गलम्
Shankhachuda said: All is joined by time, bound to the experience of karma—auspiciousness, joy, happiness, sorrow, fear, grief, and good fortune.
काले भवन्ति वृक्षाश्च स्कन्धवन्तश्च कालतः । क्रमेण पुष्पवन्तश्च फलवन्तश्च कालतः
In due time, trees arise, and in time they grow branches; in succession, they bear flowers and, in time, fruits.
तेषां फलानि पक्वानि प्रभवन्त्येव कालतः । ते सर्वे फलिताः काले पातं यान्ति च कालतः
Their fruits ripen in due time, and all of them, having borne fruit, fall in their own time.
काले भवन्ति विश्वानि काले नश्यन्ति सुन्दरि । कालात्स्रष्टा च सृजति पाता पाति च कालतः
All things come into being in time and perish in time, O beautiful one; by time the creator creates, and by time the preserver sustains.
संहर्ता संहरेत्काले क्रमेण सञ्चरन्ति ते । ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवादीनामीश्वरः प्रकृतिः परा
The destroyer, too, destroys in time; in succession they move—Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and others—whose Lord is the supreme Prakriti.
स्रष्टा पाता च संहर्ता स चात्मा कालनर्तकः । काले स एव प्रकृतिं स्वाभिन्नां स्वेच्छया प्रभुः
The creator, preserver, and destroyer—he himself is the dancer of time; in time, that Lord, by his own will, manifests his undivided Prakriti.
निर्माय कृतवान्सर्वान्विश्वस्थांश्च चराचरान् । सर्वेशः सर्वरूपश्च सर्वात्मा परमेश्वरः
Having fashioned and created all beings, both moving and unmoving, he is the Lord of all, of every form, the soul of all, the Supreme Lord.
जनं जनेन जनिता जनं पाति जनेन यः । जनं जनेन हरते तं देवं भज साम्प्रतम्
He who generates beings through beings, who protects beings through beings, who takes away beings through beings—worship that God now.
यस्याज्ञया वाति वातः शीघ्रगामी च साम्प्रतम् । यस्याज्ञया च तपनस्तपत्येव यथाक्षणम्
By whose command the wind now swiftly blows, and by whose command the sun burns at every moment—
यथाक्षणं वर्षतीन्द्रो मृत्युश्चरति जन्तुषु । यथाक्षणं दहत्यग्निश्चन्द्रो भ्रमति शीतवान्
At every moment Indra sends rain, death moves among creatures, fire burns, and the moon wanders, cool and bright.
मृत्योर्मृत्युं कालकालं यमस्य च यमं परम् । विभुं स्रष्टुश्च स्रष्टारं मातुश्च मातृकं भवे
He is the death of death, the time of time, the supreme controller of Yama; the Lord, the creator of the creator, the mother of the mother, O Bhava.
संहर्तारं च संहर्तुस्तं देवं शरणं व्रज । को वा बन्धुश्च केषां वा सर्वबन्धुं भज प्रिये
Take refuge in that God, the destroyer of the destroyer; who is a relative to whom? Worship the universal relative, dear one.
अहं को वा च त्वं का वा विधिना योजितः पुरा । त्वया सार्धं कर्मणा च पुनस्तेन वियोजितः
Who am I, and who are you, and by what destiny were we once joined? Through action we were united, and by that same destiny we are separated again.
अज्ञानी कातरः शोके विपत्तौ न च पण्डितः । सुखे दुःखे भ्रमत्येव कालनेमिक्रमेण च
The ignorant, fearful in sorrow and misfortune, is not wise; in happiness and sorrow, he wanders on, according to the wheel of time.
नारायणं तं सर्वेशं कान्तं यास्यसि निश्चितम् । तपः कृतं यदर्थं च पुरा बदरिकाश्रमे
You will surely go to Narayana, the Lord of all, beloved; for whose sake you once performed austerity in the hermitage at Badarika.
मया त्वं तपसा लब्धा ब्रह्मणस्तु वरेण च । हर्यर्थे यत्तव तपो हरिं प्राप्स्यसि कामिनि
You were obtained by me through austerity and by the boon of Brahma; the austerity you performed for Hari—you shall attain Hari, O lovely one.
वृन्दावने च गोविन्दं गोलोके त्वं लभिष्यसि । अहं यास्यामि तल्लोकं तनुं त्यक्त्वा च दानवीम्
In Vrindavana you will find Govinda, in Goloka you will attain him; I will go to that world, casting off my demonic form.
तत्र द्रक्ष्यसि मां त्वं च द्रक्ष्यामि त्वां च साम्प्रतम् । अगमं राधिकाशापाद्भारतं च सुदुर्लभम्
There you will see me, and I will see you as well; I have come here by Radha's curse, to this most difficult-to-attain Bharata.
पुनर्यास्यामि तत्रैव कः शोको मे शृणु प्रिये । त्वं च देहं परित्यज्य दिव्यरूपं विधाय च
I will return there again—why should I grieve, dear one? You too, casting off your body, will assume a divine form.
तत्कालं प्राप्स्यसि हरिं मा कान्ते कातरा भव । इत्युक्त्वा च दिनान्ते च तया सार्धं मनोहरम्
At that time you will attain Hari; do not be disheartened, beloved. Having spoken thus, at the end of the day, together with her, charmingly—
सुष्वाप शोभने तल्पे पुष्पचन्दनचर्चिते । नानाप्रकारविभवं चकार रत्नमन्दिरे
He slept well on a beautiful bed, adorned with flowers and sandalwood paste, and created various kinds of enjoyments in the jeweled palace.
रत्नप्रदीपसंयुक्ते स्त्रीरत्नं प्राप्य सुन्दरीम् । निनाय रजनीं राजा क्रीडाकौतुकमङ्गलैः
In the jeweled palace, illuminated by jeweled lamps, having obtained the jewel among women, the beautiful one, the king spent the night with games, amusements, and auspicious acts.
कृत्वा वक्षसि तां कान्तां रुदतीमतिदुःखिताम् । कृशोदरीं निराहारां निमग्नां शोकसागरे
Holding her, his beloved, to his chest—she weeping, greatly distressed, thin-waisted, fasting, immersed in an ocean of sorrow—
पुनस्तां बोधयामास दिव्यज्ञानेन ज्ञानवित् । पुरा कृष्णेन यद्दत्तं भाण्डीरे तत्त्वमुत्तमम्
Again, he awakened her with divine knowledge, being wise in knowledge, that supreme truth which was formerly given by Krishna at Bhāṇḍīra.
स च तस्यै ददौ सर्वं सर्वशोकहरं परम् । ज्ञानं सम्प्राप्य सा देवी प्रसन्नवदनेक्षणा
And he gave her all of it, the supreme knowledge that removes all sorrow; having attained this knowledge, the goddess became serene-faced and radiant.
क्रीडां चकार हर्षेण सर्वं मत्वेति नश्वरम् । तौ दम्पती च क्रीडन्तौ निमग्नौ सुखसागरे
She played joyfully, considering all this as transient; and the two spouses, playing together, were immersed in an ocean of happiness.
पुलकाञ्चितसर्वाङ्गौ मूर्च्छितौ निर्जने मुने । अङ्गप्रत्यङ्गसंयुक्तौ सुप्रीतौ सुरतोत्सुको
Their whole bodies thrilled with delight, they fainted in solitude, O sage, their limbs entwined, deeply pleased, eager for love's enjoyment.
एकाङ्गौ च तथा तौ द्वौ चार्धनारीश्वरो यथा । प्राणेश्वरं च तुलसी मेने प्राणाधिकं परम्
Thus, the two became as one body, like Ardhanārīśvara; and Tulasī regarded her lord as dearer than life itself.
प्राणाधिकां च तां मेने राजा प्राणेश्वरीं सतीम् । तौ स्थितौ सुखसुप्तौ च तन्द्रितौ सुन्दरौ समौ
And the king considered her, his chaste beloved, as dearer than life; the two remained, beautifully matched, sleeping happily and drowsy.