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.
द्विविधो विषयान्धश्च राजसस्तामसः स्मृतः । अशास्त्रज्ञस्तामसश्च शास्त्रज्ञो राजसः स्मृतः
There are two kinds of blindness to objects: one is called rajasic, the other tamasic. The one ignorant of scripture is called tamasic; the one who knows scripture is called rajasic.
शास्त्रं च द्विविधं मार्गं दर्शयेत्सुरपुङ्गव । प्रवृत्तिबीजमेकं च निवृत्तेः कारणं परम्
Scripture, O best of the gods, reveals two paths: one is the seed of engagement in the world, the other is the supreme cause of withdrawal.
चरन्ति जीविनश्चादौ प्रवृत्तेर्दुःखवर्त्मनि । स्वच्छन्दं च प्रसन्नं च निर्विरोधं च सन्ततम्
At first, living beings follow the path of activity, which is filled with suffering; yet it appears free, pleasant, and always without opposition.
आयाति मधुनो लोभात्क्लेशेन सुखमानितः । परिणामे नाशबीजे जन्ममृत्युजराकरे
Drawn by desire for honey, one pursues happiness through hardship; but in the end, it brings destruction, sowing the seeds of birth, death, and old age.
अनेकजन्मपर्यन्तं कृत्वा च भ्रमणं मुदा । स्वकर्मविहितायां च नानायोन्यां क्रमेण च
Thus, wandering joyfully through countless births, each according to their own karma, they take birth in various wombs, one after another.
ततश्चेशानुगहाग्रच्च सत्सङ्गं लभते च सः । सहस्रेषु शतेष्वेको भवाब्धिपारकारणम्
Then, by the supreme grace of the Lord, one attains the company of the virtuous; among thousands and hundreds, only one finds the means to cross the ocean of becoming.
साधुस्तत्त्वप्रदीपेन मुक्तिमार्गं प्रदर्शयेत् । तदा करोति यत्नं च जीवो बन्धनखण्डने
A holy person, with the lamp of truth, shows the path to liberation; then the soul strives to break its bonds.
अनेकजन्मयोगेन तपसानशनेन च । तदा लभेन्मुक्तिमार्गं निर्विघ्नं सुखदं परम्
Through the accumulation of many births, through austerity and fasting, one then attains the path of liberation, which is unobstructed and supremely blissful.
इदं श्रुतं गुरोर्वक्याद्यत् पृच्छसि पुरन्दर । मुनेस्तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा वीतरागो बभूव सः
This is what you have heard from the words of the guru, O Purandara; hearing the sage's teaching, he became free from passion.
वैराग्यं वर्धयामास तस्य ब्रह्मन् दिने दिने । मुनेः स्थानाद् गृहं गत्वा स ददर्शामरावतीम्
Day by day, his dispassion increased, O Brahman; leaving the sage's abode, he went home and saw Amaravati.
दैत्यैरसुरसङ्घैश्च समाकीर्णां भयाकुलाम् । विषमोपप्लवां पुत्रबन्धुहीनां च कुत्रचित्
He saw it filled with hosts of demons and asuras, overwhelmed by fear, afflicted by calamities, and in some places bereft of sons and relatives.
पितृमातृकलत्रादिविहीनामतिचञ्चलाम् । शत्रुग्रस्तां च तां दृष्ट्वा जगाम वाक्पतिं प्रति
Deprived of father, mother, wife, and others, exceedingly unstable, seized by enemies—seeing her thus, he went to the Lord of Speech.
शक्रो मन्दाकिनीतीरे ददर्श गुरुमीश्वरम् । ध्यायमानं परं ब्रह्म गङ्गातोये स्थितं परम्
On the bank of the Mandakini, Shakra saw his guru, the Lord, absorbed in meditation on the Supreme Brahman, standing in the waters of the Ganga, transcendent.
सूर्याभिसम्मुखं पूर्वमुखं च विश्वतोमुखम् । साश्रुनेत्रं पुलकिनं परमानन्दसंयुतम्
Facing the sun, facing east, facing all directions, his eyes filled with tears, his body thrilled, united with supreme bliss.
वरिष्ठं च गरिष्ठं च धर्मिष्ठं श्रेष्ठसेवितम् । प्रेष्ठं च बन्धुवर्गाणामतिश्रेष्ठं च ज्ञानिनाम्
Most excellent, most venerable, most righteous, served by the best, dearest to his kin, and supreme among the wise.
ज्येष्ठं च भ्रातृवर्गाणामनिष्टं सुरवैरिणाम् । दृष्ट्वा गुरुं जपन्तं च तत्र तस्थौ सुरेश्वरः
Eldest among his brothers, unwelcome to the enemies of the gods; seeing his guru reciting mantras, the Lord of the gods stood there.
प्रहरान्ते गुरुं दृष्ट्वा चोत्थितं प्रणनाम सः । प्रणम्य चरणाम्भोजे रुरोदोच्चैर्मुहुर्मुहुः
At the end of the day, seeing his guru rise, he bowed down; bowing at his lotus feet, he wept aloud again and again.
वृत्तान्तं कथयामास ब्रह्मशापादिकं तथा । पुनर्वरोपलब्धिं च ज्ञानप्राप्तिं सुदुर्लभाम्
He recounted the events, including Brahma's curse, and also the regaining of his boon and the attainment of knowledge, which is most rare.
वैरिग्रस्तां च स्वपुरीं क्रमेणैव सुरेश्वरः । शिष्यस्य वचनं श्रुत्वा सुबुद्धिर्वदतां वरः
Hearing his disciple's words, the wise lord of the gods, best among speakers, gradually returned to his own city, now seized by the enemy.
बृहस्पतिरुवाचेदं कोपसंरक्तलोचनः । गुरुरुवाच श्रुतं सर्वं सुरश्रेष्ठ मा रोदीर्वचनं शृणु
With eyes reddened by anger, Brihaspati, the revered teacher, spoke these words: 'All has been heard, O best of gods; do not weep, but listen to my words.'