तच्छ्रुत्वा नृपतिर्भृत्यानादिदेश महाबलान् । नयध्वं नन्दिनीं धेनुं बलदर्पसुसंस्थिताः
Hearing this, the king ordered his mighty servants: 'Take Nandini, the cow, you who are filled with pride in your strength.'
ते भृत्या जगृहुस्तां तु हठादाक्रम्य यन्त्रिताम् । वेपमाना मुनिं प्राह सुरभिः साश्रुलोचना
Those servants seized her by force, restraining her; trembling, Surabhi, with tearful eyes, spoke to the sage.
मुने त्यजसि मां कस्मात्कर्षयन्ति सुयन्त्रिताम् । मुनिस्तां प्रत्युवाचेदं त्यजे नाहं सुदुग्धदे
'O sage, why do you abandon me, as they drag me away so harshly?' The sage replied to her: 'I do not abandon you, O giver of excellent milk.'
बलान्नयति राजाऽसौ पूजितोऽद्य मया शुभे । किं करोमि न चेच्छामि त्यक्तुं त्वां मनसा किल
The king is taking you by force today, O auspicious one, though I have honored him; what can I do? I do not wish to abandon you in my heart.
इत्युक्ता मुनिना धेनुः क्रोधयुक्ता बभूव ह । हम्भारवं चकाराशु क्रूरशब्दं सुदारुणम्
Thus addressed by the sage, the cow became filled with anger; she immediately let out a harsh, dreadful bellow.
उद्गतास्तत्र देहात्तु दैत्या घोरतरास्तदा । सायुधास्तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति ब्रुवन्तः कवचावृताः
From her body then emerged fierce demons, armed and clad in armor, shouting, 'Stop! Stop!'
सैन्यं सर्वं हतं तैस्तु नन्दिनी प्रतिमोचिता । एकाकी निर्गतो राजा विश्वामित्रोऽतिदुःखितः
Those demons destroyed the entire army, and Nandini was freed; King Vishvamitra departed alone, deeply distressed.
हन्त पापोऽतिदीनात्मा निन्दन् क्षात्रबलं महत् । ब्राह्मं बलं दुराराध्यं मत्वा तपसि संस्थितः
Alas! Overwhelmed by sorrow, he reproached the great power of the warrior caste, considering the Brahmin's strength difficult to attain, and resolved to undertake austerities.
तप्त्वा बहूनि वर्षाणि तपो घोरं महावने । ऋषित्वं प्राप गाधेयस्त्यक्त्वा क्षात्रं विधिं पुनः
After performing severe austerities for many years in the great forest, Gādhi's son attained the status of a sage, abandoning the warrior's path.
तस्मात्त्वमपि राजेन्द्र मा कृथा वैरमद्भुतम् । कुलनाशकरं नूनं तापसैः सह संयुगम्
Therefore, O king, you too should not create extraordinary enmity; surely, conflict with ascetics brings destruction to one's lineage.
मुनिवर्यं व्रजाद्य त्वं समाश्वास्य तपोनिधिम् । सुदर्शनोऽपि राजेन्द्र तिष्ठत्वत्र यथासुखम्
Go now to the eminent sage, comfort the treasury of austerity; Sudarshana too, O king, may remain here as he pleases.
बालोऽयं निर्धनः किं ते करिष्यति नृपाहितम् । वृथा ते वैरभावोऽयमनाथे दुर्बले शिशौ
This boy is destitute; what harm can he do to you, O king? Your hostility toward this helpless, weak child is pointless.
दया सर्वत्र कर्तव्या दैवाधीनमिदं जगत् । ईर्ष्यया किं नृपश्रेष्ठ यद्भाव्यं तद्भविष्यति
Compassion must be shown everywhere; this world is subject to fate. What is the use of envy, O foremost of kings? What is destined will certainly happen.
वज्रं तृणायते राजन् दैवयोगान्न संशयः । तृणं वज्रायते क्वापि समये दैवयोगतः
By the workings of fate, O king, a thunderbolt becomes like straw—there is no doubt; and at times, straw becomes like a thunderbolt, through the power of destiny.
शशको हन्ति शार्दूलं मशको वै तथा गजम् । साहसं मुञ्च मेधाविन् कुरु मे वचनं हितम्
A hare kills a tiger, and a mosquito likewise slays an elephant; abandon recklessness, O wise one, and follow my beneficial advice.
व्यास उवाच तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य युधाजिन्नृपसत्तमः । प्रणम्य तं मुनिं मूर्घ्ना जगाम स्वपुरं नृपः
Vyasa said: Hearing his words, Yudhajit, the best among kings, bowed his head to the sage and returned to his own city.
मनोरमाऽपि स्वस्थाऽभूदाश्रमे तत्र संस्थिता । पालयामास पुत्रं तं सुदर्शनमृतव्रतम्
Manorama too remained well in the hermitage, caring for her son Sudarshana, who observed vows.
दिने दिने कुमारोऽसौ जगामोपचयं ततः । मुनिबालगतः क्रीडन्निर्भयः सर्वतः शुभः
Day by day, that prince grew in stature; playing among the children of sages, he was fearless and auspicious in every way.
एकस्मिन्समये तत्र विदल्लं समुपागतम् । क्लीबेति मुनिपुत्रस्तमामन्त्रयत्तदन्तिके
On one occasion, a cat approached there; the sage's son addressed it nearby, calling it 'impotent.'
सुदर्शनस्तु तच्छ्रुत्वा दधारैकाक्षरं स्फुटम् । अनुस्वारयुतं तच्च प्रोवाचापि पुनः पुनः
Sudarshana, hearing this, clearly pronounced the single syllable, with its nasal sound, and repeated it again and again.
बीजं वै कामराजाख्यं गृहीतं मनसा तदा । जजाप बालकोऽत्यर्थं धृत्वा चेतसि सादरम्
At that time, the boy mentally grasped the seed-mantra known as Kāmarāja; he recited it with great devotion, holding it in his mind.
भावियोगान्महाराज कामराजाख्यमद्भुतम् । स्वभावेनैव तेनेत्थं गृहीतं बालकेन वै
By the workings of destiny, O great king, the wondrous Kāmarāja mantra was naturally received by the boy in this way.
तदाऽसौ पञ्चमे वर्षे प्राप्य मन्त्रमनुत्तमम् । ऋषिच्छन्दोविहीनञ्च ध्यानन्यासविवर्जितम्
Then, in his fifth year, he obtained the supreme mantra, lacking the meter of the seers and without meditation or ritual gestures.
प्रजपन्मनसा नित्यं क्रीडत्यपि स्वपित्यपि । विसस्मार न तं मन्त्रं ज्ञात्वा सारमिति स्वयम्
Reciting that mantra silently every day, whether playing or sleeping, he never forgot it, knowing its essence himself.
वर्षे चैकादशे प्राप्ते कुमारोऽसौ नृपात्मजः । मुनिना चोपनीतोऽथ वेदमध्यापितस्तथा
When the eleventh year arrived, that prince was initiated by the sage and instructed in the Veda accordingly.
धनुर्वेदं तथा साङ्गं नीतिशास्त्रं विधानतः । अभ्यस्ताः सकला विद्यास्तेन मन्त्रबलादिना
He studied the Dhanurveda with its branches, the science of polity as prescribed, and all the arts, empowered by the strength of the mantra.
कदाचित्सोऽपि प्रत्यक्षं देवीरूपं ददर्श ह । रक्ताम्बरं रक्तवर्णं रक्तसर्वाङ्गभूषणम्
Once, he beheld with his own eyes the form of the Goddess: clothed in red, red in complexion, adorned with red ornaments on every limb.
गरुडे वाहने संस्थां वैष्णवीं शक्तिमद्भुताम् । दृष्ट्वा प्रसन्नवदनः स बभूव नृपात्मजः
Seated upon Garuda as her vehicle, manifesting as the wondrous Vaishnavi Shakti, the prince became joyful upon seeing her gracious face.
वने तस्मिंस्थितः सोऽथ सर्वविद्यार्थतत्त्ववित् । मातरं सेवमानस्तु विजहार नदीतटे
Dwelling in that forest, learned in all the truths of knowledge, he served the Mother and sported on the riverbank.
शरासनञ्च सम्प्राप्तं विशिखाश्च शिलाशिताः । तूणीरकवचं तस्मै दत्तं चाम्बिकया वने
There in the forest, Ambika gave him a bow, arrows tipped with iron, a quiver, and armor.