एवं गच्छति काले तु ध्रुवसन्धिर्नृपोत्तमः । जगाम वनमध्येऽसौ मृगयाभिरतः सदा
As time passed in this way, King Dhruvasandhi, ever fond of hunting, went into the forest.
निघ्नन्मृगान् रुरून्कम्बून्सूकरान्गवयाञ्छशान् । महिषाञ्छरभान्खड्गांश्चिक्रीड नृपतिर्वने
There, the king sported in the forest, killing deer, antelopes, boars, wild oxen, hares, buffaloes, sarabhas, and rhinoceroses.
क्रीडमाने नृपे तत्र वने घोरेऽतिदारुणे । उदतिष्ठन्निकुञ्जात्तु सिंहः परमकोपनः
While the king was thus sporting in that dreadful and terrifying forest, a very enraged lion emerged from a thicket.
राज्ञा शिलीमुखेनादौ विद्धः क्रोधवशं गतः । दृष्ट्वाग्रे नृपतिं सिंहो ननाद मेघनिःस्वनः
Struck first by the king’s arrow and overcome by anger, the lion, seeing the king before him, roared with a sound like thunder.
कृत्वा चोर्ध्वं स लाङ्गूलं प्रसारितबृहत्सटः । हन्तुं नृपतिमाकाशादुत्पपातातिकोपनः
Raising its tail and spreading its great mane, the furious lion leapt from the sky, intent on killing the king.
नृपतिस्तरसा वीक्ष्य दधारासिं करे तदा । वामे चर्म समादाय स्थितः सिंह इवापरः
Seeing this, the king swiftly took up his sword in his hand and, taking his shield in his left, stood firm like another lion.
सेवकास्तस्य ये सर्वे तेऽपि बाणान्पृथक्पृथक् । अमुञ्चन्कुपिताः कामं सिंहोपरि रुषान्विताः
All his attendants, filled with anger, also shot arrows separately at the lion, enraged as they were.
हाहाकारो महानासीत्सम्प्रहारश्च दारुणः । उत्पपात ततः सिंहो नृपस्योपरि दारुणः
A great outcry arose, and a fierce battle took place; then the dreadful lion leapt upon the king.
तं पतन्तं समालोक्य खड्गेनाभ्यहनन्नृपः । सोऽपि क्रूरैर्नखाग्रैश्च तत्रागत्य विदारितः
Seeing the lion falling upon him, the king struck with his sword, but the lion, coming near, tore him with its cruel claws.
स नखैराहतो राजा पपात च ममार वै । चुक्रुशुः सैनिकास्ते तु निर्जघ्नुर्विशिखैस्तदा
Struck by the lion’s claws, the king fell and died; the soldiers cried out and then killed the lion with arrows.
मृतः सिंहोऽपि तत्रैव भूपतिश्च तथा मृतः । सैनिकैर्मन्त्रिमुख्याश्च तत्रागत्य निवेदिताः
There, both the lion and the king died; the chief ministers and soldiers, having arrived, reported this.
परलोकगतं भूपं श्रुत्वा ते मन्त्रिसत्तमाः । संस्कारं कारयामासुर्गत्वा तत्र वनान्तिके
Hearing that the king had departed to the next world, the chief ministers went to the forest and performed his funeral rites.
परलोकक्रियां सर्वां वसिष्ठो विधिपूर्वकम् । कारयामास तत्रैव परलोकसुखावहम्
Vasiṣṭha performed all the rites for the afterlife there, according to prescribed rules, bringing happiness in the next world.
प्रजाः प्रकृतयश्चैव वसिष्ठश्च महामुनिः । सुदर्शनं नृपं कर्तुं मन्त्रं चक्रुः परस्परम्
The people, the ministers, and the great sage Vasiṣṭha together consulted among themselves to make Sudarśana king.
धर्मपत्नीसुतः शान्तः पुरुषश्च सुलक्षणः । अयं नृपासनार्हश्च ह्यब्रुवन्मन्त्रिसत्तमाः
They said, 'This son of the lawful wife is peaceful, virtuous, and possesses good qualities; he is worthy of the royal throne,' declared the foremost ministers.
वसिष्ठोऽपि तथैवाह योग्योऽयं नृपतेः सुतः । बालोऽपि धर्मवान् राजा नृपासनमिहार्हति
Vasiṣṭha also said likewise, 'This son of the king is fit; though young, he is righteous and deserves the royal seat here.'
कृते मन्त्रे मन्त्रिवृद्धैर्युधाजिन्नाम पार्थिवः । तत्राजगाम तरसा श्रुत्वा तूज्जयिनीपतिः
When the decision was made by the senior ministers, King Yudhājit, hearing of it, swiftly arrived there, being the lord of Ujjayinī.
मृतं जामातरं श्रुत्वा लीलावत्याः पिता तदा । तत्राजगाम त्वरितो दौहित्रप्रियकाम्यया
Hearing that his daughter's husband had died, the father of Līlāvatī then came there quickly, desiring the welfare of his grandson.
वीरसेनस्तथाऽऽयातः सुदर्शनहितेच्छया । कलिङ्गाधिपतिश्चैव मनोरमापिता नृपः
Vīrasena also came, wishing for Sudarśana's good, and the king of Kaliṅga, father of Manoramā, arrived as well.
उभौ तौ सैन्यसंयुक्तौ नृपौ साध्वससंस्थितौ । चक्रतुर्मन्त्रिमुख्यैस्तैर्मन्त्रं राज्यस्य कारणात्
Both those kings, accompanied by their armies and standing in anxiety, held a consultation with the chief ministers for the sake of the kingdom.
युधाजित्तु तदाऽपृच्छज्ज्येष्ठः कः सुततोर्द्वयोः । राज्यं प्राप्नोति ज्येष्ठो वै न कनीयान्कदाचन
Then Yudhājit asked, 'Which of the two sons is the elder? The elder alone obtains the kingdom; never the younger.'
वीरसेनोऽपि तत्राह धर्मपत्नीसुतः किल । राज्यार्हः स यथा राजन् शास्त्रज्ञेभ्यो मया श्रुतम्
Vīrasena then said there, 'The son of the lawful wife is indeed worthy of the kingdom, as I have heard from those learned in the scriptures, O King.'
युधाजित्पुनराहेदं ज्येष्ठोऽयं च यथा गुणैः । राजलक्षणसंयुक्तो न तथायं सुदर्शनः
Yudhājit replied again, 'This one is the elder and, by his qualities, possesses the marks of royalty; Sudarśana does not have them in the same way.'
विवादोऽत्र सुसम्पन्नो नृपयोस्तत्र लुब्धयोः । कः सन्देहमपाकर्तुं क्षमः स्यादतिसङ्कटे
A sharp dispute arose there between those two greedy kings; who could remove the doubt in such a difficult situation?
युधाजिन्मन्त्रिणः प्राह यूयं स्वार्थपराः किल । सुदर्शनं नृपं कृत्वा धनं भोक्तुं किलेच्छथ
Yudhājit said to the ministers, 'You are all self-interested; you wish to make Sudarśana king so you may enjoy the wealth.'
युष्माकं तु विचारोऽयं मया ज्ञातस्तथेङ्गितैः । शत्रुजित्सबलस्तस्मात्सम्मतो वो नृपासने
'I have understood your intention by your gestures; therefore, I approve Śatrujit, who has an army, for the royal seat.'
मयि जीवति कः कुर्यात्कनीयांसं नृपं किल । त्यक्त्वा ज्येष्ठं गुणार्हञ्च सेनया च समन्वितम्
'While I am alive, who would make the younger son king, abandoning the elder, who is worthy by his qualities and supported by the army?'
नूनं युद्धं करिष्यामि तस्मिन्खड्गस्य मेदिनी । धारया च द्विधा भूयाद्युष्माकं तत्र का कथा
'Surely I will wage war there; the earth will be split in two by the sword's power—what need is there to speak of you?'
वीरसेनस्तु तच्छ्रुत्वा युधाजितमभाषत । बालौ द्वौ सदृशप्रज्ञौ को भेदोऽत्र विचक्षण
Hearing this, Vīrasena said to Yudhājit, 'Both are young and equal in intelligence; what difference is there here, O wise one?'
एवं विवदमानौ तौ संस्थितौ नृपती तदा । प्रजाश्च ऋषयश्चैव बभूवुर्व्यग्रमानसाः
Thus, as those two kings argued, the people and the sages became anxious in their minds.