तक्षक उवाच अहं स पन्नगो ब्रह्मंस्तं धक्ष्यामि महीपतिम् । निवर्तस्व न शक्तस्त्वं मया दष्टं चिकित्सितुम्
Takṣaka said: 'I am that serpent, O brāhmaṇa, who will consume the king; turn back, for you are not able to heal one bitten by me.'
कश्यप उवाच अहं दष्टं त्वया सर्प नृपं शप्तं द्विजेन वै । जीवयिष्याम्यसन्देहं कामं मन्त्रबलेन वै
Kaśyapa said: 'O serpent, even if you bite the king cursed by the brāhmaṇa, I shall surely revive him by the power of my mantra—there is no doubt.'
तक्षक उवाच यदि त्वं जीवितुं यासि मया दष्टं नृपोत्तमम् । मन्त्रशक्तिबलं विप्र दर्शय त्वं ममानघ
Takṣaka said: 'If you are going to revive the best of kings after he is bitten by me, O sinless brāhmaṇa, then show me the power of your mantra.'
धक्ष्याम्येनं च न्यग्रोधं विषदंष्ट्राभिरद्य वै । कश्यप उवाच जीवयिष्ये त्वया दष्टं दग्धं वा पन्नगोत्तम
'Today I shall burn down this banyan tree with my venomous fangs.' Kaśyapa said: 'Even if you bite or burn it, O best of serpents, I shall revive it.'
सूत उवाच अदशत्पन्नगो वृक्षं भस्मसाच्च चकार तम् । उवाच कश्यपं भूयो जीवयैनं द्विजोत्तम
Sūta said: The serpent bit the tree and reduced it to ashes; then he said to Kaśyapa, 'Revive it, O best of brāhmaṇas.'
दृष्ट्वा भस्मीकृतं वृक्षं पन्नगेन विषाग्निना । सर्वं भस्म समाहृत्य कश्यपो वाक्यमब्रवीत्
Seeing the tree reduced to ashes by the serpent's fiery poison, Kaśyapa gathered all the ashes and spoke these words.
पश्य मन्त्रबलं मेऽद्य न्यग्रोधं पन्नगोत्तम । जीवयाम्यद्य वृक्षं वै पश्यतस्ते महाविष
'Behold today the power of my mantra, O best of serpents; I shall revive this banyan tree now, as you watch, O mighty one of great venom.'
इत्युक्त्वा जलमादाय कश्यपो मन्त्रवित्तमः । सिषेच भस्मराशिं तं मन्त्रितेनैव वारिणा
Having spoken thus, Kaśyapa, master of mantras, took water and sprinkled that heap of ashes with water empowered by mantra.
तद्वारिसेचनाज्जातो न्यग्रोधः पूर्ववच्छुभः । विस्मयं तक्षकः प्राप्तो दृष्ट्वा तं जीवितं नगम्
From the sprinkling of that water, the banyan tree was restored, beautiful as before; Takṣaka was amazed to see the tree brought back to life.
तमाह कश्यपं नागः किमर्थं ते परिश्रमः । सम्पादयामि तं कामं ब्रूहि वाडव वाञ्छितम्
The serpent said to Kaśyapa: 'Why do you exert yourself so? Tell me your desired wish, and I shall fulfill it for you.'
कश्यप उवाच वित्तार्थी नृपतिं मत्वा शप्तं पन्नग निःसृतः । गृहादहं चोपकर्तुं विद्यया नृपसत्तमम्
Kaśyapa said: Desiring wealth, I considered the king as my means and, after the serpent was cursed, I left my house to help the excellent king with my knowledge.
तक्षक उवाच वित्तं गृहाण विप्रेन्द्र यावदिच्छसि पार्थिवात् । ददामि स्वगृहं याहि सकामोऽहं भवाम्यतः
Takṣaka said: O foremost of Brahmins, take as much wealth as you wish from the king; I will give it to you. Go to your home; I am satisfied.
सूत उवाच तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य कश्यपः परमार्थवित् । चिन्तयामास मनसा किं करोमि पुनः पुनः
Sūta said: Hearing these words, Kaśyapa, who knew the supreme truth, began to ponder again and again in his mind, 'What should I do?'
धनं गहीत्वा स्वगृहं प्रयामि यद्यहं पुनः । भविष्यति न मे कीर्तिर्लोके लोभसमाश्रयात्
If I take the wealth and return to my home, my fame in the world will be lost due to attachment to greed.
जीवितेऽथ नृपश्रेष्ठे कीर्तिः स्यादचला मम । धनप्राप्तिश्च बहुधा भवेत्पुण्यं च जीवनात्
But if I save the excellent king's life, my fame will be unshakable, I will gain much wealth, and merit will come from saving a life.
रक्षणीयं यशः कामं धिग्धनं यशसा विना । सर्वस्वं रघुणा पूर्वं दत्तं विप्राय कीर्तये
Fame must be protected at all costs; cursed is wealth without fame. Formerly, Raghu gave away everything to a Brahmin for the sake of fame.
हरिश्चन्द्रेण कर्णेन कीर्त्यर्थं बहुविस्तरम् । उपेक्षेयं कथं भूपं दह्यमानं विषाग्निना
Hariścandra and Karṇa, too, gave away much for the sake of fame. How could I ignore a king burning with the fire of poison?
जीवितेऽद्य मया राज्ञि सुखं सर्वजनस्य च । अराजके प्रजानाशो भविता नात्र संशयः
If I save the king's life today, there will be happiness for all people; without a king, the destruction of the people is certain—there is no doubt of this.
प्रजानाशस्य पापं मे भविष्यति मृते नृपे । अपकीर्तिश्च लोकेषु धनलोभाद्भविष्यति
If the king dies, the sin of the people's destruction will be mine, and infamy will come to me in the world because of greed for wealth.
इति सञ्चिन्त्य मनसा ध्यानं कृत्वा स कश्यपः । गतायुषं च नृपतिं ज्ञातवाम्बुद्धिमत्तरः
Thinking thus in his mind, Kaśyapa, who was most wise, meditated and understood that the king's life was at its end.
आसन्नमृत्युं राजानं ज्ञात्वा ध्यानेन कश्यपः । गृहं ययौ स धर्मात्मा धनमादाय तक्षकात्
Knowing through meditation that the king was near death, Kaśyapa, righteous in soul, took the wealth from Takṣaka and went home.
निवर्त्य कश्यपं सर्पः सप्तमे दिवसे नृपम् । हन्तुकामो जगामाशु नगरं नागसाह्वयम्
After turning Kaśyapa back, the serpent, desiring to kill the king on the seventh day, quickly went to the city called Nāgasāhvaya.
शुश्राव नगरस्यान्ते प्रासादस्थं परीक्षितम् । मणिमन्त्रौषधैः कामं रक्ष्यमाणमतन्द्रितम्
He heard that, at the edge of the city, the king was in a palace, carefully guarded by jewels, mantras, and medicines, and watched over without negligence.
चिन्ताविष्टस्तदा नागो विप्रशापभयाकुलः । चिन्तयामास योगेन प्रविशेयं गृहं कथम्
Then the serpent, filled with anxiety and fearful of the Brahmin's curse, began to ponder through his yogic power, 'How can I enter the house?'
वञ्जयामि कथं चैनं राजानं पापकारिणम् । विप्रशापाद्धतं मूढं विप्रपीडाकरं शठम्
How can I deceive this sinful king, who is ruined by the Brahmin's curse, deluded, and a tormentor of Brahmins?
पाण्डवानां कुले जातः कोऽपि नैतादृशो भवेत् । तापसस्य गले येन मृतः सर्पो निवेशितः
No one born in the line of the Pāṇḍavas has ever done such a thing, by whom a dead serpent was placed on a sage's neck.
कृत्वा विगर्हितं कर्म जानन्कालगतिं नृपः । रक्षकान्भवने कृत्वा प्रासादमभिगम्य च
Knowing the course of time, the king committed a blameworthy act; he set guards in the palace and entered the mansion.
मृत्युं वञ्चयते राजा वर्ततेऽद्य निराकुलः । तं कथं धक्षयिष्यामि विप्रवाक्येन चोदितः
Today the king, free from anxiety, thinks he is cheating death. How shall I burn him, as commanded by the Brahmin's words?
न जानाति च मन्दात्मा मरणं ह्यनिवर्तनम् । तेनासौ रक्षकान्स्थाप्य सौधारूढोऽद्य मोदते
The deluded one does not know that death is irreversible; therefore, today he enjoys himself, having stationed guards and ascended the palace.
यदि वै विहितो मृत्युर्दैवेनामिततेजसा । स कथं परिवर्तेत कृतैर्यत्नैस्तु कोटिभिः
If death is indeed ordained by fate for one of immeasurable power, how could it be averted by any means, even with millions of efforts?