शंस मे कारणं मातः करोमि विगतज्वराम् । विनतोवाच सपत्न्या दास्यहं पुत्र किं ब्रवीमि वृथा क्षता
'Tell me the reason, Mother; I will act so that your sorrow is gone.' Vinatā said: 'I must become a servant to my co-wife, my son. What more can I say, wounded as I am?'
वह मां सा ब्रवीत्यद्य तेनास्मि दुःखिता सुत । गरुड उवाच वहिष्येऽहं तत्र किल यत्र सा गन्तुमुत्सुका
'Carry me,' she says today; because of this, I am distressed, my son.' Garuḍa said: 'I will carry you wherever she wishes to go.'
मा शोकं कुरु कल्याणि निश्चिन्तां त्वां करोम्यहम् । व्यास उवाच इत्युक्ता सा गता पार्श्वं कद्रोश्च विनता तदा
'Do not grieve, O blessed one; I will make you free from care.' Vyāsa said: Thus addressed, Vinatā then went to Kadrū's side.
दासीभावमपाकर्तुं गरुडोऽपि महाबलः । उवाह तां सपुत्रां वै सिन्धोः पारं जगाम ह
To remove her mother's servitude, the mighty Garuḍa carried her and her son and went to the far shore of the ocean.
गत्वा तां गरुडः प्राह ब्रूहि मातर्नमोऽस्तु ते । कथं मुच्येत मे माता दासीभावादसंशयम्
Garuda went and said to her, 'Mother, I bow to you. How can my mother be freed from servitude without doubt?'
कद्रूरुवाच अमृतं देवलोकात्त्वं बलादानीय मे सुतान् । समर्पय सुताद्याशु मातरं मोचयाबलाम्
Kadru said: 'Bring the nectar from the realm of the gods by force and give it to my sons; then quickly free your powerless mother.'
व्यास उवाच इत्युक्तः प्रययौ शीघ्रमिन्द्रलोकं महाबलः । कृत्वा युद्धं जहाराशु सुधाकुम्भं खगोत्तमः
Vyasa said: Thus addressed, the mighty one swiftly went to Indra's world; after fighting, the best of birds quickly seized the pot of nectar.
समानीयामृतं मात्रे वैनतेयः समर्पयत् । मोचिता विनता तेन दासीभावादसंशयम्
Having brought the nectar, Vainateya offered it to his mother; by that, Vinata was certainly freed from servitude.
अमृतं सञ्जहारेन्द्रः स्नातुं सर्पा यदा गताः । दासीभावाद्विनिर्मुक्ता विनता विपतेर्बलात्
Indra took away the nectar when the serpents had gone to bathe; Vinata was freed from servitude by the power of her son.
तत्रास्तीर्णाः कुशास्तैस्तु लीढाः पन्नगनामकैः । द्विजिह्वास्ते सुसम्पन्नाः कुशाग्रस्पर्शमात्रतः
There, kusa grass was spread out, which was licked by the serpents; those with two tongues became so by merely touching the tips of the kusa grass.
मात्रा शप्ताश्च ये नागा वासुकिप्रमुखाः शुचा । ब्रह्माणं शरणं गत्वा ते होचुः शापजं भयम्
And the serpents, led by Vasuki, cursed by their mother and distressed, went to Brahma for refuge and spoke of the fear caused by the curse.
तानाह भगवान्ब्रह्मा जरत्कारुर्महामुनिः । वासुकेर्भगिनीं तस्मै अर्पयध्वं सनामिकाम्
The blessed Brahma said to them, 'Give your sister, with a name, to the great sage Jaratkaru as his wife.'
तस्यां यो जायते पुत्रः स वस्त्राता भविष्यति । आस्तीक इति नामासौ भविता नात्र संशयः
A son born from her will be the savior of your race; he will be named Astika, without doubt.
वासुकिस्तु तदाकर्ण्य वचनं ब्रह्मणः शिवम् । वनं गत्वा सुतां तस्मै ददौ विनयपूर्वकम्
Hearing these auspicious words of Brahma, Vasuki went to the forest and respectfully gave his daughter to him.
सनामां तां मुनिर्ज्ञात्वा जरत्कारुरुवाच तम् । अप्रियं मे यदा कुर्यात्तदा तां सन्त्यजाम्यहम्
Knowing her to be named, the sage Jaratkaru said to him, 'If ever she does anything displeasing to me, then I will abandon her.'
वाग्बन्धं तादृशं कृत्वा मुनिर्जग्राह तां स्वयम् । दत्त्वा च वासुकिः कामं भवनं स्वं जगाम ह
Making such an agreement, the sage took her himself; and Vasuki, having fulfilled his wish, returned to his own abode.
कृत्वा पर्णकुटीं शुभ्रां जरत्कारुर्महावने । तया सह सुखं प्राप रममाणः परन्तप
Building a pure leaf-hut in the great forest, Jaratkaru, scorcher of foes, lived happily there with her.
एकदा भोजनं कृत्वा सुप्तोऽसौ मुनिसत्तमः । भगिनी वासुकेस्तत्र संस्थिता वरवर्णिनी
Once, after eating, that best of sages fell asleep; there, Vasuki's beautiful sister was present.
न सम्बोधयितव्योऽहं त्वया कान्ते कथञ्चन । इत्युक्त्वा तु गतो निद्रां मुनिस्तां सुदतीं तदा
'Beloved, you must not wake me under any circumstance,' saying this, the sage then went to sleep, addressing her with lovely teeth.
रविरस्तगिरिं प्राप्तः सन्ध्याकाल उपस्थिते । किं करोमि न मे शान्तिस्त्यजेन्मां बोधितः पुनः
When the sun had reached the western mountain and evening approached, she thought, 'What should I do? I have no peace; if I wake him, he will abandon me again.'
धर्मलोपभयाद्भीता जरत्कारुरचिन्तयत् । नोचेत्प्रबोथयाम्येनं सन्ध्याकालो वृथा व्रजेत्
Fearing the loss of righteousness, Jaratkaru thought, 'If I do not wake him, the time for evening rites will pass in vain.'
धर्मनाशाद्वरं त्यागस्तथापि मरणं ध्रुवम् । धर्महानिर्नराणां हि नरकाय भवेत्पुनः
It is better to be abandoned than to destroy righteousness; even so, death is certain, for the destruction of righteousness leads men to hell again.
इति सञ्चिन्त्य सा बाला तं मुनिं प्रत्यबोधयत् । सन्ध्याकालोऽपि सञ्जात उत्तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठसुव्रत
Thinking thus, that young girl awakened the sage, saying: 'The time of twilight has come, rise, rise, O virtuous one!'
उत्थितोऽसौ मुनिः कोपात्तामुवाच व्रजाम्यहम् । त्वं तु भ्रातृगृहं याहि निद्राविच्छेदकारिणी
Rising, the sage, angered, said to her: 'I am leaving; you, who have disturbed my sleep, go to your brother's house.'
वेपमानाब्रवीद्वाक्यमित्युक्ता मुनिना तदा । भ्रात्रा दत्ता यदर्थं तत्कथं स्यादमितप्रभ
Trembling, she spoke these words, having been addressed so by the sage: 'O one of immeasurable radiance, how can the purpose for which my brother gave me be fulfilled?'
मुनिः प्राह जरत्कारुं तदस्तीति निराकुलः । गता सा मुनिना त्यक्ता वासुकेः सदनं तदा
The sage calmly replied to Jaratkaru, 'So be it.' Then, abandoned by the sage, she went to Vasuki's abode.
पृष्टा भ्रात्राब्रवीद्वाक्यं यथोक्तं पतिना तदा । अस्तीत्युक्त्वा च हित्वा मां गतोऽसौ मुनिसत्तमः
Questioned by her brother, she spoke the words as told by her husband: 'He said, “So be it,” and then, leaving me, that best of sages departed.'
वासुकिस्तु तदाकर्ण्य सत्यावाङ्मुनिरित्युत । विश्वासं च परं कृत्वा भगिनीं तां समाश्रयत्
Hearing this, Vasuki thought, 'The sage is indeed truthful,' and, placing great trust in her, sheltered his sister.
ततः कालेन कियता जातोऽसौ मुनिबालकः । आस्तीक इति नामासौ विख्यातः कुरुसत्तम
After some time, O best of the Kurus, a son was born to the sage and the maiden, who became renowned as Āstīka.
तेनायं रक्षितो यज्ञस्तव पार्थिवसत्तम । मातृपक्षस्य रक्षार्थं मुनिना भावितात्मना
By him, O best of kings, your sacrifice was protected, for the sake of safeguarding his mother's lineage, by the sage of purified soul.