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?
पाण्डवस्य च दायादो जानन्मृत्युं गतं नृपः । जीवने मतिमास्थाय स्थितः स्थाने निराकुलः
The king, heir of the Pāṇḍavas, knowing that death had come, remained composed in his place, fixing his mind on life.
दानपुण्यादिकं राजा कर्तुमर्हति सर्वथा । धर्मेण हन्यते व्याधिर्येनायुः शाश्वतं भवेत्
The king should always perform acts of charity and merit; by righteousness, disease is destroyed, and thus life becomes enduring.
नोचेन्मृत्युविधिं कृत्वा स्नानदानादिकाः क्रियाः । मरणं स्वर्गलोकाय नरकायान्यथा भवेतू
Otherwise, if the decree of death is not fulfilled, then acts like bathing and giving gifts at death would lead to heaven; otherwise, to hell.
द्विजपीडाकृतं पापं पृथग्वास्य च भूपतेः । विप्रशापस्तथा घोर आसन्ने मरणे किल
The sin committed by harming twice-borns, and the terrible curse of a brāhmaṇa, indeed approach at the time of death for the king.
न कोऽपि ब्राह्मणः पार्श्वे य एनं प्रतिबोधयेत् । वेधसा विहितो मृत्युरनिवार्यस्तु सर्वथा
There was no brāhmaṇa at his side to warn him; death ordained by the Creator is, in every way, unavoidable.
इति सञ्चिन्त्य सर्पोऽसौ स्वान्नागान्निकटे स्थितान् । कृत्वा तापसवेषांस्तान्प्राहिणोत्सुभुजङ्गमान्
Thinking thus, that serpent made those snakes nearby assume the guise of ascetics and sent them forth.
फलमूलादिकं गृह्य राज्ञे नागोऽथ तक्षकः । स्वयं च कीटरूपेण फलमध्ये ससार ह
Takṣaka, the serpent, taking fruits and roots, entered into the fruit himself in the form of a worm.
निर्गतास्ते तदा नागाः फलान्यादाय सत्वराः । ते राजभवनं प्राप्य स्थिताः प्रासादसन्निधौ
Then those serpents quickly departed, taking the fruits, and, reaching the royal palace, stood near the mansion.
रक्षकास्तापसान्दृष्ट्वा पप्रच्छुस्तच्चिकीर्षितम् । ऊचुस्ते भूपतिं द्रष्टुं प्राप्ताः स्मोऽद्य तपोवनात्
The guards, seeing the ascetics, questioned their purpose; they replied, 'We have come today from the forest hermitage to see the king.'
अभिमन्युसुतं वीरं कुलार्कं चारुदर्शनम् । परिवर्धयितुं प्राप्ता मन्त्रैराथर्वणैस्तथा
'We have come to bless the heroic son of Abhimanyu, the radiant scion of his line, and to nurture him with Atharvan mantras.'