कथं करोम्यहं चात्र दुर्घटं च गृहाश्रमम् । एवं चिन्तयतस्तस्य घृताची दिव्यरूपिणी
How shall I undertake this difficult life of a householder? While he was thus reflecting, Ghritachi, of divine form,
प्राप्ता दृष्टिपथं तत्र समीपे गगने स्थिता । तां दृष्ट्वा चञ्चलापाङ्गीं समीपस्थां वराप्सराम्
appeared within his sight, standing nearby in the sky; seeing that enchanting-eyed, nearby, excellent apsara,
पञ्चबाणपरीताङ्गस्तूर्णमासीद्धृतव्रतः । चिन्तयामास च तदा किं करोम्यद्य संकटे
his body was at once overcome by the five arrows of love, though he was firm in his vow; then he thought, 'What shall I do now in this peril?'
धर्मस्य पुरतः प्राप्ते कामभावे दुरासदे । अङ्गीकरोमि यद्येनां वञ्चनार्थमिहागताम्
When, in the presence of Dharma, the state of desire—so hard to overcome—arises, if I accept her, who has come here to deceive,
हसिष्यन्ति महात्मानस्तापसा मां तु विह्वलम् । तपस्तप्त्वा महाघोरं पूर्णवर्षशतं त्विह
'Great souls, ascetics, will laugh at me, seeing me agitated, though I have performed severe austerity for a full hundred years.'
दृष्ट्वाप्सरां च विवशः कथं जातो महातपाः । कामं निन्दापि भवतु यदि स्यादतुलं सुखम्
'How has this great ascetic become helpless at the sight of an apsara? Let there be reproach if only there is incomparable pleasure.'
गृहस्थाश्रमसम्भूतं सुखदं पुत्रकामदम् । स्वर्गदं च तथा प्रोक्तं ज्ञानिनां मोक्षदं तथा
'The householder's life brings happiness, grants sons, is said to give heaven, and, for the wise, even liberation.'
न भविष्यति तन्नूमनया देवकन्यया । नारदाच्च मया पूर्वं श्रुतमस्ति कथानकम् । यथोर्वशीवशो राजा पराभूतः पुरूरवाः
'But that will not happen with this celestial maiden; I have already heard the tale from Narada, how King Pururavas was defeated, enslaved by Urvashi.'
बुधोत्पत्तिः ऋषय ऊचुः कोऽसौ पुरूरवा राजा कोर्वशी देवकन्यका । कथं कष्टं च सम्प्राप्तं तेन राज्ञा महात्मना
The sages said: Who is this King Pururavas? Who is Urvashi, the celestial maiden? What hardship did that great-souled king encounter?
सर्वं कथानकं ब्रूहि लोमहर्षणजाधुना । श्रोतुकामा वयं सर्वे त्वन्मुखाब्जच्युतं रसम्
Tell us the whole story, O son of Lomaharshana; we all wish to hear the nectar flowing from your lotus mouth.
अमृतादपि मिष्टा ते वाणी सूत रसात्मिका । न तृप्यामो वयं सर्वे सुधया च यथामराः
Your speech, O Suta, is sweeter than nectar, full of flavor; we all never tire of it, just as the gods never tire of ambrosia.
सूत उवाच शृणुध्वं मुनयः सर्वे कथां दिव्यां मनोरमाम् । वक्ष्याम्यहं यथाबुद्ध्या श्रुतां व्यासवरोत्तमात्
Suta said: Listen, O sages, to this divine and delightful tale; I shall tell it as I have heard it from the noble Vyasa, to the best of my understanding.
गुरोस्तु दयिता भार्या तारा नामेति विश्रुता । रूपयौवनयुक्ता सा चार्वङ्गी मदविह्वला
The beloved wife of the guru, famed as Tara, was endowed with beauty and youth, graceful in form, and intoxicated with passion.
गतैकदा विधोर्धाम यजमानस्य भामिनी । दृष्टा च शशिनात्यर्थं रूपयौवनशालिनी
Once, that radiant lady went to the abode of the Moon, the sacrificer; she was seen by the Moon, resplendent with beauty and youth.
कामातुरस्तदा जातः शशी शशिमुखीं प्रति । सापि वीक्ष्य विधुं कामं जाता मदनपीडिता
Then the Moon became overwhelmed with desire for her, the moon-faced one; and she, seeing the Moon, was likewise afflicted by love.
तावन्योन्यं प्रेमयुक्तौ स्मरार्तौ च बभूवतुः । तारा शशी मदोन्मत्तौ कामबाणप्रपीडितौ
The two, filled with love for each other and tormented by passion, Tara and the Moon, maddened by desire, were both pierced by love's arrows.
रेमाते मदमत्तौ तौ परस्परस्पृहान्वितौ । दिनानि कतिचित्तत्र जातानि रममाणयोः
Those two, intoxicated with passion and mutually desiring each other, spent several days there, delighting in each other's company.
बृहस्पतिस्तु दुःखार्तस्तारामानयितुं गृहम् । प्रेषयामास शिष्यं तु नायाता सा वशीकृता
Bṛhaspati, afflicted with sorrow, sent his disciple to bring Tārā home; but she, having been enchanted, did not return.
पुनः पुनर्यदा शिष्यं परावर्तत चन्द्रमाः । बृहस्पतिस्तदा क्रुद्धो जगाम स्वयमेव हि
When the disciple repeatedly returned without her, Bṛhaspati, angered, went himself.
गत्वा सोमगृहं तत्र वाचस्पतिरुदारधीः । उवाच शशिनं क्रुद्धः स्मयमानं मदान्वितम्
Arriving at Soma's house, the noble-minded Bṛhaspati, enraged, spoke to the smiling, intoxicated Moon.
किं कृतं किल शीतांशो कर्म धर्मविगर्हितम् । रक्षिता मम भार्येयं सुन्दरी केन हेतुना
"O Moon, what is this deed you have done, so condemned by righteousness? For what reason have you taken my wife, whom I was protecting?"
तव देव गुरुश्चाहं यजमानोऽसि सर्वथा । गुरुभार्या कथं मूढ भुक्ता किं रक्षिताथवा
"I am your guru, O god, and you are always the sacrificer; how, O fool, have you enjoyed your teacher's wife, or was she protected by you?"
ब्रह्महा हेमहारी च सुरापो गुरुतल्पगः । महापातकिनो ह्येते तत्संसर्गी च पञ्चमः
"A slayer of a Brāhmaṇa, a thief of gold, a drinker of liquor, one who violates the teacher's bed—these are great sinners, and one who associates with them is the fifth."
महापातकयुक्तस्त्वं दुराचारोऽतिगर्हितः । न देवसदनार्होऽसि यदि भुक्तेयमङ्गना
"You are engaged in a great sin, of wicked conduct and utterly condemned; you are not fit for the abode of the gods if you have enjoyed this woman."
मुञ्चेमामसितापाङ्गीं नयामि सदनं मम । नोचेद्वक्ष्यामि दुष्टात्मन् गुरुदारापहारिणम्
"Release this dark-eyed woman, let me take her to my house; otherwise, I will declare you, O wicked one, as a thief of your guru's wife."
इत्येवं भाषमाणं तमुवाच रोहिणीपतिः । गुरुं क्रोधसमायुक्तं कान्ताविरहदुःखितम्
As he was speaking thus, the lord of Rohiṇī replied to the guru, who was filled with anger and distressed by separation from his beloved.
इन्दुरुवाच क्रोधात्ते तु दुराराध्या ब्राह्मणाः क्रोधवर्जिताः । पूजार्हा धर्मशास्त्रज्ञा वर्जनीयास्ततोऽन्यथा
The Moon said: "Because of your anger, Brāhmaṇas are difficult to please; they are worthy of worship, versed in the law, and must be avoided if otherwise."
आगमिष्यति सा कामं गृहं ते वरवर्णिनी । अत्रैव संस्थिता बाला का ते हानिरिहानघ
"She, the beautiful one, will come to your house as she wishes; she is merely staying here, still a girl—what harm is there to you here, O sinless one?"
इच्छया संस्थिता चात्र सुखकामार्थिनी हि सा । दिनानि कतिचित्स्थित्वा स्वेच्छया चागमिष्यति
"She remains here of her own will, desiring pleasure; after staying a few days, she will return as she wishes."
त्वयैवोदाहृतं पूर्वं धर्मशास्त्रमतं तथा । न स्त्री दुष्यति चारेण न विप्रो वेदकर्मणा
"You yourself have previously stated the doctrine of the law: a woman is not defiled by wandering, nor a Brāhmaṇa by Vedic rites."