दष्टा तु पन्नगेनाथ सा ममार वराङ्गना । कोलाहलस्तदा जातो मृतां दृष्ट्वा प्रमद्वराम्
Bitten by the serpent, that excellent woman died; a great commotion arose when Pramadvara was seen dead.
मिलिता मुनयः सर्वे चुक्रुशुः शोकसंयुताः । भूमौ तां पतितां दृष्ट्वा पिता तस्यातिदुःखितः
All the sages gathered, overcome with grief, and wailed; seeing her fallen on the ground, her father was overwhelmed with sorrow.
रुरोद विगतप्राणां दीप्यमानां सुतेजसा । रुरुः श्रुत्वा तदाक्रन्दं दर्शनार्थं समागतः
He wept over her, lifeless yet radiant; hearing the lamentation, Ruru came there to see.
ददर्श पतितां तत्र सजीवामिव कामिनीम् । रुदन्तं स्थूलकेशं च दृष्ट्वान्यानृषिसत्तमान्
He saw her lying there, as if alive, his beloved; and seeing Sthulakesha and the other eminent sages weeping—
रुरुः स्थानाद्बहिर्गत्वा रुरोद विरहाकुलः । अहो दैवेन सर्पोऽयं प्रेषितः परमाद्भुतः
Ruru went outside from that place and, distressed by separation, wept: 'Alas, by fate this serpent was sent—truly astonishing!'
मम शर्मविघाताय दुःखहेतुरयं किल । किं करोमि क्व गच्छामि मृता मे प्राणवल्लभा
'This indeed is the cause of my misery, the destroyer of my happiness; what shall I do, where shall I go—my beloved is dead.'
न वै जीवितुमिच्छामि वियुक्तः प्रिययानया । नालिङ्गिता वरारोहा न मया चुम्बिता मुखे
Truly, I do not wish to live, separated from my beloved; she of lovely form has not been embraced or kissed by me.
न पाणिग्रहणं प्राप्तं मन्दभाग्येन सर्वथा । लाजाहोमस्तथा चाग्नौ न कृतस्त्वनया सह
By my misfortune, I have not obtained her hand in marriage at all; nor have I performed the ritual of offering parched grain into the fire with her.
मानुष्यं धिगिदं कामं गच्छन्त्वद्य ममासवः । दुःखितस्य न वा मृत्युर्वाञ्छितः समुपैति हि
Fie upon this human life, for today my very life departs; for one who is suffering, even death does not come though it is desired.
सुखं तर्हि कथं दिव्यमाप्यते भुवि वाञ्छितम् । प्रपतामि ह्रदे घोरे पावके प्रपताम्यहम्
How, then, can the happiness I long for, whether heavenly or earthly, be attained? I will plunge into a dreadful river, or I will cast myself into fire.
विषमद्मि गले पाशं कृत्वा प्राणांस्त्यजाम्यहम् । विलप्यैवं रुरुस्तत्र विचार्य मनसा पुनः
I will drink poison, or tie a noose around my neck and abandon my life; lamenting thus, he wept there, pondering again in his mind.
उपायं चिन्तयामास स्थितस्तस्मिन्नदीतटे । मरणात्किं फलं मे स्यादात्महत्या दुरत्यया
Standing on that riverbank, he began to consider a means; what fruit would there be for me from death, from this terrible act of self-destruction?
दुःखितश्च पिता मे स्याज्जननी चातिदुःखिता । दैवस्तुष्टो भवेत्कामं दृष्ट्वा मां त्यक्तजीवितम्
My father would be grieved, and my mother exceedingly sorrowful; perhaps fate would be satisfied, seeing me having abandoned my life.
सर्वः प्रमुदितश्च स्यान्मत्क्षये नात्र संशयः । उपकारः प्रियायाः कः परलोके भवेदपि
All would rejoice at my destruction, of this there is no doubt; but what benefit would there be for my beloved, even in the next world?
मृते मय्यात्मघातेन विरहात्पीडितेऽपि च । परलोके प्रिया सापि न मे स्यादात्मघातिनः
If I die by my own hand, tormented by separation, even then in the next world, that beloved would not be mine, for one who has committed self-slaughter.
एतदर्थं मृते दोषा मयि नैवामृते पुनः । विमृश्यैव रुरुस्तत्र स्नात्वाचम्य शुचिः स्थितः
For this reason, the faults would be mine if I die, but not if I do not; reflecting thus, he wept there, having bathed and purified himself, standing firm.
अब्रवीद्वचनं कृत्वा जलं पाणावसौ मुनिः । यन्मया सुकृतं किञ्चित्कृतं देवार्चनादिकम्
Having spoken these words, the sage took water in his hands and said: Whatever good I have done, such as worship of the gods—
गुरवः पूजिता भक्त्या हुतं जप्तं तपः कृतम् । अधीतास्त्वखिला वेदा गायत्री संस्कृता यदि
If I have honored my teachers with devotion, offered oblations, recited, performed austerities, studied all the Vedas, and sanctified the Gāyatrī—
रविराराधितस्तेन सञ्जीवतु मम प्रिया । यदि जीवेन्न मे कान्ता त्यजे प्राणानहं ततः
If by worshipping the Sun I have gained merit, may my beloved be restored to life; if my beloved does not live, then I will abandon my own life.
इत्युक्त्वा तज्जलं भूमौ चिक्षेपाराध्य देवताः । राजोवाच एवं विलपतस्तस्य भार्यया दुःखितस्य च
Having said this, he poured that water upon the ground, having worshipped the deities.
देवदूतस्तदाभ्येत्य वाक्यमाह रुरुं ततः । देवदूत उवाच माकार्षीः साहसं ब्रह्मन्कथं जीवेन्मृता प्रिया
The king said: As he was lamenting thus, grieving for his wife—then a divine messenger approached and spoke to Ruru.
गतायुरेषा सुश्रोणी गन्धर्वाप्सरसोः सुता । अन्यां कामय चार्वङ्गीं मृतेयं चाविवाहिता
The divine messenger said: Do not commit such a rash act, O Brahmin; how can your beloved, who is dead, live again?
किं रोदिषि सुदुर्बुद्धे का प्रीतिस्तेऽनया सह । रुरुरुवाच देवदूत न चान्यां वै वरिष्याम्यहमङ्गनाम्
Her life is ended, this fair-hipped one, daughter of a Gandharva and an Apsaras; desire another beautiful woman, for this one has died unmarried.
यदि जीवेन्न जीवेद्वा मर्तव्यं चाधुना मया । राजोवाच विदित्वेति हठं तस्य देवदूतो मुदान्वितः
Why do you weep, O most foolish one? What joy could you have with her? Ruru said: Divine messenger, I will not choose another woman.
उवाच वचनं तथ्यं सत्यं चातिमनोहरम् । उपायं शृणु विप्रेन्द्र विहितं यत्सुरैः पुरा
He spoke words that were true, sincere, and exceedingly charming. Listen, O foremost of Brahmins, to the method once devised by the gods.
आयुषोऽर्धप्रदानेन जीवयाशु प्रमद्वराम् । रुरुरुवाच आयुषोऽर्धं प्रयच्छामि कन्यायै नात्र संशयः
By granting half of his lifespan, let Pramadvara be revived at once. Ruru said: I give half my life to the maiden; there is no doubt about this.
अद्य प्रत्यावृतप्राणा प्रोत्तिष्ठतु मम प्रिया । विश्वावसुस्तदा तत्र विमानेन समागतः
Today, with her life restored, let my beloved rise again. At that moment, Viśvāvasu arrived there in his celestial chariot.
ज्ञात्वा पुत्रीं मृतां चाशु स्वर्गलोकात्प्रमद्वराम् । ततो गन्धर्वराजश्च देवदूतश्च सत्तमः
Knowing that his daughter Pramadvara had died and departed from the heavenly realm, then the king of the Gandharvas and the noble divine messenger,
धर्मराजमुपेत्येदं वचनं प्रत्यभाषताम् । धर्मराज रुरोः पत्नी सुता विश्वावसोस्तथा
Approached the Lord of Dharma and addressed him with these words: O Lord of Dharma, Ruru’s wife is also the daughter of Viśvāvasu.
मृता प्रमद्वरा कन्या दष्टा सर्पेण चाधुना । सा रुरोरायुषोऽर्धेन मर्तुकामस्य सूर्यज
The maiden Pramadvara has died, bitten just now by a serpent. She, desiring to die, is to be revived by half of Ruru’s lifespan, O son of the Sun.