प्रार्थय त्वं महाराज देवीं सर्वेश्वरीं शिवाम् । मखेनानेन सन्तुष्टा सा तेऽभीष्टं विधास्यति
Pray, O great king, to the Goddess, the Supreme Ruler, the Auspicious One; satisfied by this sacrifice, she will grant you your wish.
स देवैरेवमुक्तस्तु प्रार्थयामास देवताम् । स्तोत्रैर्नानाविधैर्दिव्यैर्भक्त्या गद्गदया गिरा
Thus addressed by the gods, he prayed to the Goddess with various divine hymns, his voice choked with devotion.
प्रसन्ना सा तदा देवी प्रत्यक्षं दर्शनं ददौ । कोटिसूर्यप्रतीकाशं रूपं लावण्यदीपितम् । १६ दृष्ट्वा प्रमुदिताः सर्वे कृतकृत्याश्च चेतसि । प्रसन्नायां देवतायां राजा वव्रे वरं नृप
Then the Goddess, pleased, appeared before them in person, her form shining with the brilliance of ten million suns, radiant with beauty. Seeing her, all were filled with joy and felt fulfilled in their hearts. When the Goddess was pleased, the king asked for a boon, O king.
ज्ञानं तद्विमलं देहि येन मोक्षो भवेदपि । नेत्रेषु सर्वभूतानां निवासो मे भवेदिति
Grant me that pure knowledge by which liberation may be attained, and let my dwelling be in the eyes of all beings.
ततः प्रसन्ना देवेशी प्रोवाच जगदम्बिका । ज्ञानं ते विमलं भूयात्प्रारब्धस्यावशेषतः
Then the Goddess, pleased, the Mother of the Universe, spoke: 'May you obtain pure knowledge; as for what remains of your destiny—'
नेत्रेषु सर्वभूतानां निवासोऽपि भविष्यति । निमिषं यान्ति चक्षूंषि त्वत्कृतेनैव देहिनाम्
'Your dwelling will also be in the eyes of all beings; because of you, the eyes of embodied beings will blink.'
तव वासात्सनिमिषा मानवाः पशवस्तथा । पतङ्गाश्च भविष्यन्ति पुनश्चानिमिषाः सुराः
'Because of your presence, humans and animals will be called Sanimiṣa (blinking), and the gods will again be called Animisha (unblinking).'
इति दत्त्वा वरं तस्मै तदा श्रीवरदेवता । आमन्त्र्य च मुनीन्सर्वांस्तत्रैवान्तर्हिताभवत्
Thus granting him the boon, the blessed Goddess, having addressed all the sages, vanished from there.
अन्तर्हितायां देव्यां तु मुनयस्तत्र संस्थिताः । विचिन्त्य विथिवत्सर्वे निमेर्देहं समाहरन्
When the Goddess became invisible, the sages gathered there, all reflecting deeply, assembled the body of Nimi.
अरणिं तत्र संस्थाप्य ममन्धुर्मन्त्रवत्तदा । मन्त्रहोमैर्महात्मानः पुत्रहेतोर्निमेरथ
Placing the arani there, they churned it with mantras; those great souls performed mantra-offerings for the sake of obtaining a son for Nimi.
अरण्यां मथ्यमानायां पुत्रः प्रादुरभूत्तदा । सर्वलक्षणसम्पन्नः साक्षान्निमिरिवापरः
As the arani was being churned, a son appeared, endowed with all auspicious marks, another Nimi in every respect.
अरण्या मथनाज्जातस्तस्मान्मिथिरिति स्मृतः । येनायं जनकाज्जातस्तेनासौ जनकोऽभवत्
Born from the churning of the arani, he was called Mithi; since he was born from Janaka, he became known as Janaka.
विदेहस्तु निमिर्जातो यस्मात्तस्मात्तदन्वये । समुद्भूतास्तु राजानो विदेहा इति कीर्तिताः
Since Nimi was born without a body, the kings arising from his lineage are renowned as Videhas.
एवं निमिसुतो राजा प्रथितो जनकोऽभवत् । नगरी निर्मिता तेन गङ्गातीरे मनोहरा
Thus, the king born from Nimi became famous as Janaka; he built a beautiful city on the banks of the Ganges.
मिथिलेति सुविख्याता गोपुराट्टालसंयुता । धनधान्यसमायुक्ता हट्टशालाविराजिता
Widely known as Mithila, adorned with gates and towers, abundant in wealth and grain, resplendent with markets and halls.
वंशेऽस्मिन्येऽपि राजानस्ते सर्वे जनकास्तथा । विख्याता ज्ञानिनः सर्वे विदेहाः परिकीर्तिताः
In this lineage, all the kings are called Janakas; all are renowned as wise men, and celebrated as Videhas.
एतत्ते कथितं राजन्निमेराख्यानमुत्तमम् । शापाद्यस्य विदेहत्वं विस्तरादुदितं मया
O King, thus I have told you the excellent story of Nimi, whose Videha status, due to a curse, has been described in detail by me.
राजोवाच भगवन्भवता प्रोक्तं निमिशापस्य कारणम् । श्रुत्वा सन्देहमापन्नं मनो मेऽतीव चञ्चलम्
The king said: O revered one, you have explained the cause of Nimi's curse; hearing it, I have become doubtful, and my mind is greatly unsettled.
वसिष्ठो ब्राह्मणः श्रेष्ठो राज्ञश्चैव पुरोहितः । पुत्रः पङ्कजयोनेस्तु राज्ञा शप्तः कथं मुनिः
Vasiṣṭha, the foremost Brahmin and royal priest, son of the lotus-born, how was he cursed by the king, O sage?
गुरुं च ब्राह्मणं ज्ञात्वा निमिना न कृता क्षमा । यज्ञकर्म शुभं कृत्वा कथं क्रोधमुपागतः
Knowing him to be a Brahmin and guru, why did Nimi not forgive him? Having performed the auspicious sacrifice, how did he become angry?
ज्ञात्वा धर्मस्य विज्ञानं कथमिक्ष्वाकुसम्भवः । क्रोधस्य वशमापन्तः शप्तवान्ब्राह्मणं गुरुम्
Knowing the knowledge of dharma, how did the descendant of Ikṣvāku fall under the sway of anger and curse the Brahmin guru?
व्यास उवाच क्षमातिदुर्लभा राजन्प्राणिभिरजितात्मभिः । क्षमावान्दुर्लभो लोके सुसमर्थो विशेषतः
Vyāsa said: O King, forgiveness is exceedingly rare among creatures with uncontrolled minds; one who possesses forgiveness is especially rare and capable in this world.
सर्वसङ्गपरित्यागी मुनिर्भवतु तापसः । निद्राक्षुधोर्विजेता च योगाभ्यासे सुनिष्ठितः
A sage who renounces all attachments, becomes an ascetic, conquers sleep and hunger, and is firmly established in yoga practice.
कामः क्रोधस्तथा लोभो ह्यहङ्कारश्चतुर्थकः । दुर्ज्ञेया देहमध्यस्था रिपवस्तेन सर्वथा
Desire, anger, greed, and the fourth, pride—these enemies, dwelling within the body, are difficult to comprehend in every way.
न भूतपूर्वः संसारे न चैव वर्ततेऽधुना । भविता न पुमान्कश्चिद्यो जयेत रिपूनिमान्
There has never been, nor is there now, nor will there be anyone in existence who conquers these enemies.
न स्वर्गे न च भूलोके ब्रह्मलोके हरेः पदे । कैलासे नेदृशः कश्चिद्यो जयेत रिपूनिमान्
Neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor in the world of Brahma, nor at the abode of Hari, nor in Kailāsa, is there anyone who conquers these enemies.
मुनयो ब्रह्मपुत्राश्च तथान्ये तापसोत्तमाः । तेऽपि गुणत्रयाविद्धाः किं पुनर्मानवा भुवि
Even sages, sons of Brahma, and other foremost ascetics are pierced by the three qualities; what then of human beings on earth?
कपिलः सांख्यवेत्ता च योगाभ्यासरतः शुचिः । तेनापि दैवयोगाद्धि प्रदग्धाः सगरात्मजाः
Kapila, the knower of Sāṃkhya, pure and devoted to the practice of yoga—by his divine power, even the sons of Sagara were reduced to ashes.
तस्माद्राजन्नहङ्कारात्सञ्जातं भुवनत्रयम् । कार्यकारणभावात्तु तद्वियुक्तं कथं भवेत्
Therefore, O King, from ego arises the three worlds; due to the relationship of cause and effect, how could they exist apart from it?
ब्रह्मा गुणत्रयाविष्टो विष्णुश्चैवाथ शङ्करः । प्रभवन्ति शरीरेषु तेषां भावाः पृथक्पृथक्
Brahma, Vishnu, and also Shankara are possessed by the three qualities; in their bodies, these qualities manifest separately.