Markandeya Purana

बाला दीनमुखी दृष्ट्वा बालं दीनमुखं पुरः । मां स्मरत्यसुखाविष्टा मोचयिष्यति नौ नृपः॥८.

Seeing the child with a sorrowful face, and the girl with a sorrowful face before me, afflicted with suffering, she remembers me; the king will release us.

उपात्तवित्तो विप्राय दत्त्वा वित्तमतोऽधिकम् । न सा मां मृगशावाक्षी वेत्ति पापतरं कृतम्॥८.

Having obtained wealth, I gave even more to the brāhmaṇa; yet that doe-eyed one does not know the greater sin I have committed.

राज्यनाशः सुहृत्त्यागो भर्यातनयविक्रयः । प्राप्ता चण्डालता चेयमहो दुः खपरम्परा॥८.

The loss of the kingdom, the abandonment of friends, the sale of wife and son, and now this state as an outcaste—alas, what a succession of sorrows!

एवं स निवसन् नित्यं सस्मार दयितं सुतम् । आर्याञ्चात्मसमाविष्टां हृतसर्वस्व आतुरः॥८.

Thus, dwelling there always, he remembered his beloved son and his noble wife, who was as dear as his own self, distressed, having lost everything.

कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य मृतचेलापहारकः । हरिश्चन्द्रोऽभवद्राजा श्मशाने तद्वशानुगः॥८.

Then, after some time, Hariścandra the king became one who collected shrouds from the dead, following the command of the outcaste, at the cremation ground.

चण्डालेनानुशिष्टश्व मृतचेलापहारिणा । शवागमनमन्विच्छन्निह तिष्ठ दिवानिशम्॥८.

Instructed by the outcaste who gathered shrouds from the dead, he remained there day and night, watching for the arrival of corpses.

इदं राज्ञेऽपि देयञ्च षड्भागन्तु शवं प्रति । त्रयस्तु मम भागाः स्युर्द्वो भागौ तव वेतनम्॥८.

This must be given to the king as well—a sixth part from the corpse; three shares are mine, and two shares are your wages.

इति प्रतिसमादिष्टो जगाम शवमन्दिरम् । दिशन्तु दक्षिणां यत्र वाराणस्यां स्थितं तदा॥८.

Thus instructed, he went to the house of the dead, where offerings are given, at that time in Vārāṇasī.

श्मशानं घोरसंनादं शिवाशतसमाकुलम् । शवमौलिसमाकीर्णं दुर्गन्धं बहुधूमकम्॥८.

The cremation ground, resounding with dreadful noise, crowded with hundreds of Śiva's followers, filled with heaps of corpses, foul-smelling, and thick with smoke.

पिशाच-भूत-वेताल-डाकिनी-यक्षसङ्कुलम् । गृध्रगोमायुसङ्कीर्णं श्ववृन्दपरिवारितम्॥८.

Teeming with piśācas, ghosts, spirits, ḍākinīs, and yakṣas, crowded with vultures and jackals, surrounded by packs of dogs.

अस्थिसंघातसङ्कीर्णं महादुर्गन्धसंकुलम् । नानामृतसुहृन्नाद-रौद्रकोलाहलायुतम्॥८.

Filled with heaps of bones, pervaded by a terrible stench, resounding with various cries of the bereaved, and tumultuous with dreadful noise.

हा पुत्र ! मित्र ! हा बन्धो ! भ्रातर्वत्स ! प्रियाद्य मे । हा पते ! भगिनि ! मातर्हा मातुल ! पितामह॥८.

"Alas, my son! Friend! Kinsman! Brother! Beloved! Alas, my lord! Sister! Mother! Uncle! Grandfather!"

मातामह ! पितः ! क्व गतोऽस्येहि बान्धव । इत्येवं वदतां यत्र ध्वनिः संश्रुयते महान्॥८.

"Grandfather! Father! Where have you gone? Come, relatives!"—such is the great sound heard there from those who cry out.

ज्वलन्मांस-वसा-मेदच्छमच्छमितसंकुलम्॥८.

It was filled with burning flesh, fat, marrow, and heaps of half-burnt skin.

अर्धदग्धाः शवाः श्यामा विकसद्दन्तपङ्क्तयः । हसन्तीवाग्निमध्यस्थाः कायस्येयं दशा त्विति॥८.

Half-burnt corpses, dark in color, with rows of exposed teeth, seemed to be laughing as they lay in the midst of the fire—such is the condition of the body.

अग्नेश्चटचटाशब्दो वयसामस्थिपङ्क्तिषु । बान्धवाक्रान्दशब्दश्च पुक्कसेषु प्रहर्षजः॥८.

The crackling sound of the fire came from the rows of bones of birds, and the cries of relatives, mixed with the delighted shouts of the outcastes, were heard.

गायतां भूत-वेताल-पिशाचगणः रक्षसाम् । श्रूयते सुमहान् घोरः कल्पान्त इव निः स्वनः॥८.

The great and terrible roar of hosts of spirits, ghouls, and demons singing could be heard, as if at the end of the world.

महामहिषकारीष-गोशकृद्राशिसङ्कुलम् । तदुत्थभस्मकूटैश्च वृतं सास्थिभिरुन्नतैः॥८.

It was crowded with heaps of dung from buffaloes and cows, and covered with mounds of ash rising up, along with protruding bones.

नानोपहारस्त्रग्दीप-काकविक्षेपकालिकम् । अनेकशब्दबहुलं श्मशानं नरकायते॥८.

With various offerings, scattered lamps, and crows picking at remains, that cremation ground, full of many sounds, appeared like hell.

सवह्निगर्भैरशिवैः शिवारुतैर् निनादितं भीषणरावगह्वरम् । भयं भयस्याप्युपसञ्जनैर्भृशं श्मशानमाक्रन्दविरावदारुणम्॥८.

Echoing with the dreadful cries of those possessed by inauspicious spirits, filled with the howling of jackals, and resounding with terrifying wails, the cremation ground was a place of fear, even for fear itself, thick with the lamentations of the bereaved.

स राजा तत्र सम्प्राप्तो दुः खितः शोचनोद्यतः । हा भृत्या मन्त्रिणो विप्राः तद्राज्यं विधे गतम्॥८.

There the king arrived, distressed and overcome with grief, lamenting, 'Alas, my servants, ministers, and priests—my kingdom has gone to ruin.'

हा शैव्ये पुत्र हा बाल मां त्यक्त्वा मन्दभाग्यकम् । विश्वामित्रस्य दोषेण गताः कुत्रापि ते मम॥८.

'Alas, Shaivya! Alas, my son! Alas, my child! You have left me, wretched in fortune. Because of Vishvamitra's curse, you have gone somewhere beyond my reach.'

इत्येवं चिन्तयंस्तत्र चण्डालोक्तं पुनः पुनः । मलिनो रूक्षसर्वाङ्गः केशवान् गन्धवान् ध्वजी॥८.

Thinking thus again and again, as Chanda had spoken, he became filthy, rough in every limb, with matted hair, foul-smelling, and bearing a staff.

लकुटी कालकल्पश्च धावंश्चापि ततस्ततः । अस्मिन् शव इदं मूल्यं प्राप्तं प्राप्स्यामि चाप्युत॥८.

With a staff, looking like Death itself, he ran here and there, saying, 'For this corpse, I have received this price, and I will receive more.'

इदं मम इदं राज्ञे मुख्यचण्डालके त्विदम् । इति धावन् दिशो राजा जीवन् योन्यन्तरं गतः॥८.

'This is mine, this is the king's, and this belongs to the chief Chandalaka,' he cried, running in all directions, the king having entered another womb while still alive.

जीर्णकर्पण्टसुग्रन्थि-कृतकन्थापरिग्रहः चिताभस्मरजोलिप्त-मुखबाहूदराङिघ्रकः॥८.

Wearing a patched garment tied with many knots, his face, arms, belly, thighs, and feet smeared with the dust and ash of the funeral pyre.

नानामेदो-वसा-मज्जा लिप्तपाण्यङ्गुलिः श्वसन् । नानाशवोदनकृता-हारतृप्तिपरायणः॥८.

His hands and fingers were smeared with various fats, marrow, and grease, and he breathed heavily, always satisfied with the food taken from many corpses.

तदीयमाल्यसंश्लेषकृतमस्तकमण्डनः । न रात्रौ न दिवा शेते हा हेति प्रवदन् मुहुः॥८.

He adorned his head with garlands taken from the dead, and neither by night nor by day did he sleep, constantly crying out in distress.

एवं द्वादशमासास्तु नीताः शतसमोपमाः । स कदाचिन्नृपश्रेष्ठः श्रान्तो बन्धुवियोगवान्॥८.

Thus, twelve months passed, seeming like a hundred years, for that best of kings, weary and bereft of his kin.