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.
एतस्मिन्समये पुत्री काशिराजस्य सुप्रिया । नाम्ना शशिकला दिव्या सर्वलक्षणसंयुता
At that time, Supriya, the daughter of the king of Kashi, named Shashikala, divine and endowed with all auspicious marks—
शुश्राव नृपपुत्रं तं वनस्थञ्च सुदर्शनम् । सर्वलक्षणसम्पन्नं शूरं काममिवापरम्
Heard of that prince, Sudarshana, dwelling in the forest, handsome, possessing all marks, heroic, like another god of love.
बन्दीजनमुखाच्छ्रुत्वा राजपुत्रं सुसङ्गतम् । चकमे मनसा तं वै वरं वरयितुं धिया
Hearing from the mouths of bards about the well-endowed prince, she desired in her heart to choose him as her husband.
स्वप्ने तस्याः समागम्य जगदम्बा निशान्तरे । उवाच वचनं चेदं समाश्वास्य सुसंस्थिता
In a dream, at night, Jagadamba appeared to her and, comforting her, spoke these words:
वरं वरय सुश्रोणि मम भक्तः सुदर्शनः । सर्वकामप्रदस्तेऽस्तु वचनान्मम भामिनि
"Choose your boon, O lovely-hipped one! Sudarshana, my devotee, will grant you all desires, by my word, O beautiful lady."
एवं शशिकला दृष्टा स्वप्ने रूपं मनोहरम् । अम्बाया वचनं स्मृत्वा जहर्ष भृशभामिनी
Thus Shashikala saw in her dream the enchanting form of the Mother; remembering her words, the noble lady rejoiced greatly.
उत्थिता सा मुदा युक्ता पृष्टा मात्रा पुनः पुनः । प्रमोदे कारणं बाला नोवाचातित्रपान्विता
Rising, filled with joy, she was repeatedly questioned by her mother, but the girl, out of great shyness, did not reveal the cause of her happiness.
जहास मुदमापन्ना स्मृत्वा स्वप्नं मुहुर्मुहुः । सखीं प्राह तदान्यां वै स्वप्नवृत्तं सविस्तरम्
She laughed, filled with delight, recalling her dream again and again, and then told another friend in detail the events of her dream.
कदाचित्सा विहारार्थमवापोपवनं शुभम् । सखीयुक्ता विशालाक्षी चम्पकैरुपशोभितम्
Once, for amusement, she went to a beautiful grove adorned with champaka flowers, accompanied by her friends, her eyes wide and lovely.
पुष्पाणि चिन्वती बाला चम्पकाधःस्थिताबला । अपश्यद्ब्राह्मणं मार्गे आगच्छन्तं त्वरान्वितम्
While gathering flowers, the maiden, standing beneath a champaka tree with her companions, saw a Brahmin hastening along the path.