मुनिना च सशिष्येण दत्तास्तस्मै शुभाशिषः । विष्णुदत्तं पारिजातपुष्पं च सुमनोहरम्
The sage, along with his disciples, bestowed auspicious blessings upon him, and gave him a most delightful Pārijāta flower granted by Viṣṇu.
तज्जरारोगमृत्युघ्नं शोकजं मोक्षकारकम् । शक्रः पुष्पं गहीत्वा च प्रमत्तो राज्यसम्पदा
That flower destroys old age, disease, and death, and grants liberation from sorrow; Indra, intoxicated by royal fortune, took the flower.
पुष्पं स न्यस्तयामास तदैव करिमस्तके । हस्ती तत्स्पर्शमात्रेण रूपेण च गुणेन च
He immediately placed the flower on the head of his elephant; by its mere touch, and by its qualities—
तेजसा वयसाकस्माद्विष्णुतुल्यो बभूव ह । त्यक्त्वा शक्रं गजेन्द्रश्च जगाम घोरकाननम्
The elephant suddenly became equal to Viṣṇu in brilliance and vigor; abandoning Indra, the lord of elephants went into a dreadful forest.
न शशाक महेन्द्रस्तं रक्षितुं तेजसा मुने । तत्पुण्यं त्यक्तवन्तं च दृष्ट्वा शक्रं मुनीश्वरः
O sage, Mahendra was unable to restrain him by his power; seeing Indra deprived of that merit, the lord of sages—
तमुवाच महारुष्टः शशाप च रुषान्वितः । मुनिरुवाच अरे श्रिया प्रमत्तस्त्वं कथं मामवमन्यसे
Addressed him with great anger and cursed him in wrath: The sage said: 'Hey! Intoxicated by prosperity, how could you disregard me?'
मद्दत्तपुष्पं दत्तं च गर्वेण करिमस्तके । विष्णोर्निवेदितं चैव नैवेद्यं वा फलं जलम्
'The flower I gave, given with pride, was placed on the elephant's head; what is offered to Viṣṇu—be it fruit, water, or food—'
प्राप्तिमात्रेण भोक्तव्यं त्यागेन ब्रह्महा भवेत् । भ्रष्टश्रीर्भ्रष्टबुद्धिश्च पुरभ्रष्टो भवेत्तु सः
'Must be consumed as soon as it is received; to discard it is like slaying a Brāhmaṇa. He will lose fortune, lose wisdom, and lose his city.'
यस्त्यजेद्विष्णुनैवेद्यं भाग्येनोपस्थितं शुभम् । प्राप्तिमात्रेण यो भुङ्क्ते भक्तो विष्णुनिवेदितम्
'Whoever discards Viṣṇu's consecrated offering, which has come to him by good fortune, or consumes it immediately without devotion—'
पुंसां शतं समुद्धृत्य जीवन्मुक्तः स्वयं भवेत् । नैवेद्यं भोजनं कृत्वा नित्यं यः प्रणमेद्धरिम्
'He rescues a hundred men and attains liberation while living; one who, after offering food to Viṣṇu, daily bows to Hari—'
पूजयेत्स्तौति वा भक्त्या स विष्णुसदृशो भवेत् । तत्स्पर्शवायुना सद्यस्तीर्थौघश्च विशुध्यति
'Or worships or praises him with devotion, becomes like Viṣṇu; by the mere wind touched by that, a multitude of sacred places is instantly purified.'
तत्पादरजसा मूढ सद्यः पूता वसुन्धरा । पुंश्चल्यन्नमवीरान्नं शूद्रश्राद्धान्तमेव च
'By the dust of his feet, O fool, the earth is immediately purified—even food from an unchaste woman, food from the childless, or offerings from a Śūdra.'
यद्धरेरनिवेद्यं च वृथा मांसस्य भक्षणम् । शिवलिङ्गप्रदानं च यद्दत्तं शूद्रयाजिना
The eating of meat that has not been offered to Hari, the giving of a Shiva lingam, and whatever is given by a Shudra or one who does not perform sacrifices—
चिकित्सकद्विजान्नं च देवलान्नं तथैव च । कन्याविक्रयिणामन्नं यदन्नं योनिजीविनाम्
Food from physicians, from twice-born who serve temples, food from those who sell their daughters, and food from those who live by prostitution—
उच्छिष्टान्नं पर्युषितं सर्वभक्षावशेषितम् । शूद्रापतिद्विजानां च भूषवाहद्विजान्नकम्
Leftover food, stale food, remnants from those who eat everything, and food from twice-born who have married Shudra women or who carry corpses—
अदीक्षितद्विजानां च यदन्नं शवदाहिनाम् । अगम्यागामिनां चैव द्विजानामन्नमेव च
Food from twice-born who are not initiated, from those who eat corpses, and from twice-born who have had relations with forbidden women—
मित्रद्रुहां कृतज्जानामन्नं विश्वासघातिनाम् । मिथ्यासाक्ष्यप्रदान्नं च ब्राह्मणान्नं तथैव च
Food from betrayers of friends, from the ungrateful, from those who break trust, from those who give false testimony, and from Brahmins—
एते सर्वे विशुध्यन्ति विष्णोनैवेद्यभक्षणात् । श्वपचश्चेद्विष्णुसेवी वंशानां कोटिमुद्धरेत्
All these are purified by eating food offered to Vishnu; if even a dog-eater serves Vishnu, he can uplift ten million generations of his lineage.
हरेरभक्तो मनुजः स्वं च रक्षितुमक्षमः । अज्ञानाद्यदि गृह्णाति विष्णोर्निर्माल्यमेव च
A man who is not devoted to Hari and cannot protect himself, if he ignorantly takes even Vishnu's leftover offerings—
सप्तजन्मार्जितात्पापान्मुच्यते नात्र संशयः । ज्ञात्वा भक्त्या च गृह्णाति विष्णोनैवेद्यमेव च
He is freed from sins accumulated over seven births, without doubt; and one who knowingly and with devotion accepts food offered to Vishnu—
कोटिजन्मार्जितात्पापान्मुच्यते निश्चितं हरे । यस्मात्संस्थापितं पुष्पं गर्वेण करिमस्तके
He is certainly freed from sins accumulated over ten million births, O Hari, because a flower placed with pride on an elephant's head is established.
तस्माद्युष्मान्परित्यज्य यातु लक्ष्मीर्हरेः पदम् । नारायणस्य भक्तोऽहं न बिभेमि सुराद्विधेः
Therefore, abandoning you, O Indra, Lakshmi goes to the feet of Hari; I am a devotee of Narayana and do not fear even the lord of the gods.
कालान्मृत्योर्जरातश्च कानन्यान् गणयामि च । किं करिष्यति ते तातः कश्यपश्च प्रजापतिः
Why should I count Time, Death, Old Age, or others? What could your father, Kashyapa, or Prajapati do?
बृहस्पतिर्गुरुश्चैव निःशङ्कस्य च मे हरे । इदं पुष्पं यस्य मूर्ध्नि तस्यैव पूजनं परम्
What could Brihaspati, your guru, do to me, O Hari, who am without fear? The one on whose head this flower rests, for him alone is the highest worship.
इति श्रुत्वा महेन्द्रश्च धृत्वा स चरणं मुनेः । उच्चै रुरोद शोकार्तस्तमुवाच भयाकुलः
Hearing this, Mahendra (Indra), holding the sage's feet, cried out loudly in grief and, overcome by fear, spoke to him.
महेन्द्र उवाच दत्तः समुचितः शापो मह्यं मायापहः प्रभो । हृतां न याचे सम्पत्तिं किञ्चिज्ज्ञानं च देहि मे
Mahendra said: The curse given to me is just, O Lord, remover of illusion; I do not ask for my lost wealth, but grant me a little knowledge.
ऐश्वर्यं विपदां बीजं ज्ञानप्रच्छन्नकारणम् । मुक्तिमार्गकुठारश्च भक्तेश्च व्यवधायकम्
Wealth is the seed of misfortune, the cause that conceals knowledge, the axe that cuts the path to liberation, and the obstacle to devotion.
मुनिरुवाच जन्ममृत्युजराशोकरोगबीजाङ्कुरं परम् । सम्पत्तितिमिरान्धश्च मुक्तिमार्गं न पश्यति
The sage said: It is the supreme sprout of the seeds of birth, death, old age, sorrow, and disease; blinded by the darkness of prosperity, one does not see the path to liberation.
सम्पन्मत्तो विमूढश्च सुरामत्तः स एव च । बान्धवैर्वेष्टितः सोऽपि बन्धुत्वेनैव हे हरे
Intoxicated by wealth, deluded, just like one drunk on wine, surrounded by relatives—he too, O Hari, is bound by the very ties of kinship.
सम्पत्तिमदमत्तश्च विषयान्धश्च विह्वलः । महाकामी राजसिकः सत्त्वमार्गं न पश्यति
Intoxicated by prosperity, blinded by sense-objects, agitated, filled with great desire, dominated by passion—he does not see the path of goodness.