सञ्चिन्तितं मया तत्र नारदोऽहमिहागतः । हरिणा सह स्त्रीभावं प्राप्तो मायाविमोहितः
There, as I pondered, I, Nārada, came here; together with Hari, I took on a woman's form, deluded by Māyā.
इति चिन्तापरश्चाहं यदा जातस्तदा हरिः । मामाह नारदागच्छ किं करोषि जले स्थितः
Immersed in such thoughts, when I was thus transformed, Hari said to me, 'Nārada, come! Why are you standing in the water?'
विस्मितोऽहं तदा स्मृत्वा स्त्रीभावं दारुणं भृशम् । पुनः पुरुषभावश्च सम्पन्नः केन हेतुना
Astonished, I then remembered that dreadful state of womanhood; again I became male—by what cause, I wondered.
; मायाप्राबल्यवर्णनम् नारद उवाच मां दृष्ट्वा नारदं विप्रं विस्मितोऽसौ महीपतिः । क्व गता मम भार्या सा कुतोऽयं मुनिसत्तमः
Nārada said: Seeing me, Nārada, the sage, the king was amazed: 'Where has my wife gone? Who is this eminent sage?'
विललाप नृपस्तत्र हा प्रियेति मुहुर्मुहुः । क्व गता मां परित्यज्य विलपन्तं वियोगिनम्
There the king lamented again and again, 'Alas, my beloved! Where has she gone, abandoning me as I grieve in separation?'
विना त्वां विपुलश्रोणि वृथा मे जीवितं गृहम् । राज्यं कमलपत्राक्षि किं करोमि शुचिस्मिते
Without you, broad-hipped one, my life and home are empty; O lotus-eyed, what use is the kingdom, O gentle-smiling one?
न प्राणा मे बहिर्यान्ति विरहेण तवाधुना । गतो वै प्रीतिधर्मस्तु त्वामृते प्राणधारणात्
Now, in your absence, my life-breath does not depart; the bond of love has left, yet I still hold on to life without you.
विलपामि विशालाक्षि देहि प्रत्युत्तरं प्रियम् । क्व गता सा मयि प्रीतिर्याभूत्प्रथमसङ्गमे
I lament, O wide-eyed one—give me a loving reply; where has that affection gone which was there at our first meeting?
निमग्ना किं जले सुभ्रूर्भक्षिता मत्स्यकच्छपैः । गृहीता वरुणेनाशु मम दौर्भाग्ययोगतः
Has she, with beautiful brows, sunk in the water, or been eaten by fish and turtles, or swiftly seized by Varuṇa, due to my misfortune?
धन्या सुचारुसर्वाङ्गि या त्वं पुत्रैः समागता । अकृत्रिमस्तु पुत्रेषु स्नेहस्तेऽमृतभाषिणि
Blessed are you, lovely in every limb, joined with your sons; your affection for your sons was genuine, O sweet-spoken one.
न युक्तमधुना यन्मां विहाय त्रिदिवं गता । विलपन्तं पतिं दीनं पुत्रस्नेहेन यन्त्रिता
It is not right that you, compelled by motherly love, have left me, your grieving husband, and gone to heaven.
उभयं मे गतं कान्ते पुत्रास्त्वं प्राणवल्लभा । तथापि मरणं नास्ति दुःखितस्य भृशं प्रिये
O beloved, both my sons and you, dearer than life, are gone; yet, though I am deeply sorrowful, death does not come.
किं करोमि क्व गच्छामि रामो नास्ति महीतले । रामाविरहजं दुःखं जानाति रघुनन्दनः
What shall I do, where shall I go? There is no Rāma on earth; only Rāghava knows the pain of separation from Rāmā.
विधिना निष्ठुरेणात्र विपरीतं कृतं भुवि । दम्पत्योर्मरणं भिन्नं सर्वथा समचित्तयोः
By the cruel decree of fate, things have turned contrary in this world; the death of husband and wife, though united in heart, is always separate.
उपकारस्तु नारीणां मुनिभिर्विहितः किल । यदुक्तं धर्मशास्त्रेषु ज्वलनं पतिना सह
It is said by sages that the duty of women, as stated in the scriptures, is to enter the fire with their husband.
एवं विलपमानं तं राजानं भगवान्हरिः । निवारयामास तदा वचनैर्युक्तियोजितैः
As the king lamented thus, Bhagavān Hari restrained him with words full of reason.
श्रीभगवानुवाच किं विषीदसि राजेन्द्र क्व गता ते प्रियाङ्गना । न श्रुतं किं त्वया शास्त्रं न कृतोऽसौ बुधाश्रयः
The Blessed Lord said: Why do you grieve, O king? Where has your beloved gone? Have you not heard the scriptures? Have you not sought the wise?
का सा कस्त्वं क्व संयोगो वियोगः कीदृशस्तव । प्रवाहरूपे संसारे नृणां नौतरतामिव
Who is she? Who are you? What is this union, and what kind of separation is yours? In the current of worldly existence, people are like logs carried by the stream.
गृहे गच्छ नृपश्रेष्ठ वृथा ते रुदितेन किम् । संयोगश्च वियोगश्च दैवाधीनः सदा नृणाम्
Go home, O foremost of kings; what use is your weeping? Union and separation are always subject to fate for people.
अनया सह ते राजन् संयोगस्त्विह संवृतः । भुक्ता त्वया विशालाक्षी सुन्दरी तनुमध्यमा
With her, O king, your union here has been fulfilled; you have enjoyed the beautiful, wide-eyed, slender-waisted woman.
न दृष्टौ पितरावस्यास्त्वया प्राप्ता सरोवरे । काकतालीप्रसङ्गेन यद्भूतं तत्तथा गतम्
Her parents were not seen by you; she was found at the lake. By a chance encounter, what happened has happened.
मा शोकं कुरु राजेन्द्र कालो हि दुरतिक्रमः । कालयोगं समासाद्य भुङ्क्ष्व भोगान् गृहे यथा
Do not grieve, O king; time cannot be overcome. Having met with the destined time, enjoy pleasures at home as before.
यथागता गता सा तु तथैव वरवर्णिनी । यथा पूर्वं तथा तत्र गच्छ कार्यं कुरु प्रभो
She has departed just as she came, that woman of excellent complexion. As before, go there and fulfill your duties, O lord.
रुदितेन तवाद्यैव नागमिष्यति कामिनी । वृथा शोचसि पृध्वीश योगयुक्तो भवाधुना
Your beloved will not return today because of your weeping. You grieve in vain, O lord of the earth; now be united with yoga.
भोगः कालवशादेति तथैव प्रतियाति च । नात्र शोकस्तु कर्तव्यो निष्फले भववर्त्मनि
Pleasure comes and goes according to time; likewise, it departs. There should be no sorrow here on the fruitless path of worldly existence.
नैकत्र सुखसंयोगो दुःखयोगस्तु नैकतः । घटिकायन्त्रवत्कामं भ्रमणं सुखदुःखयोः
Happiness is not always found in one place, nor is sorrow always united. Like the movement of a water-clock, pleasure and pain wander at will.
मनः कृत्वा स्थिरं भूप कुरु राज्यं यथासुखम् । अथवा न्यस्य दायादे वनं सेवय साम्प्रतम्
Make your mind steady, O king, and rule your kingdom as you please; or else, entrust it to your heir and now serve the forest.
दुर्लभो मानुषो देहः प्राणिनां क्षणभङ्गुरः । तस्मिन्प्राप्ते तु कर्तव्यं सर्वथैवात्मसाधनम्
The human body is rare and fleeting for living beings; once attained, one must always strive for self-realization.
जिह्वोपस्थरसो राजन् पशुयोनिषु वर्तते । ज्ञानं मानुषदेहे वै नान्यासु च कुयोनिषु
Taste of tongue and sexual pleasure, O king, exist in animal births; knowledge is found only in the human body, not in other inferior births.
तस्माद्गच्छ गृहं त्यक्त्वा शोकं कान्तासमुद्भवम् । मायेयं भगवत्यास्तु यया सम्मोहितं जगत्
Therefore, go home, abandoning the grief arising from your beloved. This is the illusion of the Goddess, by which the world is deluded.