नामानीति गृणन्नुच्चैस्तापसानां शिखामणिः । कव्यवाडादयस्ते तु प्रत्युत्थानाभिवादनैः
Those like Kavyavāha and others honored him with rising, greetings, and other courtesies.
आसनाद्युपचारैश्च सम्मानं बहु चक्रिरे । नानाकथाभिरन्योन्यं सम्भाषाञ्चक्रिरे तदा
They offered him seats and other forms of respect, and engaged in various conversations with one another.
तस्मिंस्तु समये कुम्भीपाकस्थानां तु पापिनाम् । घोरः समभवच्छब्दो हा हताः स्मेतिवादिनाम्
At that time, from those suffering in Kumbhīpāka, a dreadful sound arose, of people crying, 'Alas, we are destroyed!'
मृताः स्मेति वदन्त्येके दग्धाः स्मेति परे जगुः । छिन्नाः स्मेति विभिन्नाः स्मेत्येवं रोदनकारिणः
Some were saying, 'We are dead,' others sang, 'We are burned,' still others cried, 'We are cut,' 'We are split,' thus causing lamentation.
श्रुत्वा तं करुण शब्दं दुःखितो मुनिराड् हृदि । पप्रच्छ पितृनाथांस्तान्केषां शब्दोऽयमित्यपि
Hearing that pitiful sound, the sage-king was distressed at heart and asked the ancestors, 'Whose sound is this?'
ते समूचुर्मुनेऽत्रैव पुरी संयमनी परा । वर्तते यमराडत्र पापिनां भोगदायकः
They replied, 'O sage, here in this very city, the great Saṃyamanī, Yama rules, dispensing the fruits to sinners.'
नानादूतैः कालरूपैः कृष्णवर्णेर्भयङ्करैः । सहितोऽत्रैव तत्पुर्यां नायको विद्यतेऽनघ
'There, accompanied by various terrifying, black, time-formed messengers, the lord presides in that city, O sinless one.'
तत्र कुण्डान्यनेकानि पापिनां भोगदानि च । षडशीतिर्घोररूपैर्दूतैः परिवृतानि च
'There are many pits for the enjoyment of sinners, surrounded by eighty-six dreadful-looking messengers.'
तत्र मुख्यतमं कुण्डं कुम्भीपाकाभिधं महत् । वर्तते तद्गतानां च यातनानां तु वर्णनम्
There, the foremost pit called Kumbhipaka, vast in size, exists; and the description of the torments endured by those who enter it follows.
कर्तुं न शक्यते कैश्चिदपि वर्षशतैरपि । ये शिवद्रोहिणः सन्ति तथा देवीविनिन्दकाः
No one is able to describe them, not even in hundreds of years; such are those who are enemies of Shiva and those who revile the Goddess.
ये विष्णुद्रोहिणः सन्ति पतन्त्यत्रैव ते मुने । ये वेदनिन्दकाः सन्ति सूर्यस्य च गणेशितुः
Those who are enemies of Vishnu, O sage, fall here as well; those who revile the Vedas, the Sun, and Ganesha.
ब्राह्मणानां द्रोहिणो ये पतन्त्यत्रैव ते मुने । कामाचाराश्च ये सन्ति तप्तमुद्राङ्किताश्च ये
Those who are enemies of Brahmins, O sage, fall here as well; those who follow lustful conduct and those marked with heated seals.
त्रिशूलधारिणो ये च पतन्त्यत्रैव ते मुने । मातृपितृगुरुज्येष्ठपुराणस्मृतिनिन्दकाः
Those who bear tridents fall here as well, O sage; those who revile mother, father, teacher, elders, Purana, and Smriti.
ये धर्मदूषकाः सन्ति पतन्त्यत्रैव ते मुने । तेषामयं महाघोरः शब्दः श्रवणदारुणः
Those who corrupt dharma fall here as well, O sage; for them, a terrible sound, harsh to hear, arises.
श्रूयतेऽस्माभिरनिशं वैराग्यं यच्छ्रुतेर्भवेत् । इति तेषां वचः श्रुत्वा मुनिराट् तद्दिदृक्षया
We hear it constantly, and from hearing it, detachment arises; thus, upon hearing their words, the great sage, desiring to see,
उत्थाय चलितस्तूर्णं ययौ कुण्डसमीपतः । अवाङ्मुखो ददर्शाधस्तस्मिन्नेव क्षणे मुने
rose up and quickly went near the pit; facing downward, he saw below at that very moment, O sage,
तत्रत्यानां पापिनां तु स्वर्गाधिकमभूत्सुखम् । हसन्ति केचिद्गायन्ति नृत्यन्ति च तथापरे
For the sinners there, happiness greater than heaven appeared; some laughed, some sang, and others danced.
परस्परं रमन्ते तेऽत्युन्मत्ताः सुखवर्धनात् । मृदङ्गमुरजावीणाढक्कादुन्दुभिनिस्वनाः
They delight with each other, exceedingly intoxicated by the increase of pleasure; the sounds of mridanga, muraja, vina, dhakka, and dundubhi drums
समुद्भूतास्तु मधुराः पञ्चमस्वरभूषिताः । वसन्तवल्लीपुष्पाणां सुगन्धमरुतो ववुः
arose, sweet and adorned with the fifth note; fragrant breezes blew, carrying the scent of spring creeper flowers.
मुनिस्तु चकितो दृष्ट्वा यमदूताश्च विस्मिताः । शीघ्रं ते कथयामासुर्धर्मराजाय वेदिने
The sage was astonished to see this, and the messengers of Yama were amazed; they quickly reported it to Dharma Raja, the knower of the Vedas.
महाराज महाश्चर्यमधुनैवाभवद्विभो । स्वर्गादप्यधिकं सौख्यं कुम्भीपाकस्थपापिनाम्
O great king, a great wonder has just occurred, O lord; the sinners dwelling in Kumbhipaka are experiencing happiness greater than heaven.
निमित्तं नैव जानीमः कस्मादिदमभूद्विभो । चकिताः स्म वयं सर्वे प्राप्ता देव त्वदन्तिकम्
We do not know the cause for why this has happened, O lord; we are all bewildered and have come before you, O god.
निशम्य दूतवाणीं तां धर्मराट् शीघ्रमुत्थितः । महामहिषमारूढो ययौ ते यत्र पापिनः
Hearing that message from the messengers, Dharma Raja quickly rose; mounted on his great buffalo, he went to where the sinners were.
तां वार्तां प्रेषयामास दूतद्वारामरावतीम् । श्रुत्वा तां देवराजोऽपि प्राप्तो देवगणैः सह
He sent that news through a messenger to Amaravati; hearing it, the king of the gods also arrived with the hosts of gods.
ब्रह्मलोकात्पद्मजोऽपि वैकुण्ठाद्विष्टरश्रवाः । तत्तल्लोकाच्च दिक्पालाः समाजग्मुर्गणैः सह
From Brahmaloka, the lotus-born came, and from Vaikuntha, Vishnu with his retinue; and from their respective worlds, the guardians of the directions arrived with their hosts.
परिवार्य स्थिताः सर्वे कुम्भीपाकमितस्ततः । अपश्यंस्तद्गताञ्जीवान्स्वर्गाधिकसुखान्त्वितान्
All surrounded and stood there at Kumbhipaka; I saw those living beings within it, enjoying happiness greater than heaven.
चकिता एव ते सर्वे न विदुस्तस्य कारणम् । अहो पापस्य भोगार्थं कुण्डमेतद्विनिर्मितम्
All of them became startled and did not know the reason for it; they said, 'Ah, this pit has been made for the enjoyment of the sinful.'
तत्र सौख्यं यदा जातं तदा पापात्तु किं भयम् । उच्छिन्ना वेदमर्यादा परमेशकृता कथम्
When happiness has arisen there, then what fear can there be from sin? How could the boundaries of the Vedas, established by the Supreme Lord, be destroyed?
भगवान् स्वस्य संकल्पं वितथं कृतवान्कथम् । आश्चर्यमेतदाश्चर्यमेतदित्येव भाषिणः
How could the Blessed Lord make His own resolve come to nothing? They kept saying, 'This is a wonder, this is a wonder indeed.'
तटस्था अभवन्सर्वे न विदुस्तत्र कारणम् । एतस्मिन्नन्तरे शौरिः सम्मन्त्र्य विबुधादिभिः
All remained on the sidelines, not knowing the reason there; meanwhile, Śauri, after consulting with the gods and others,