Markandeya Purana

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.

निद्राभिभूतो रूक्षाङ्गो निश्चेष्टः सुप्त एव च । तत्रापि शयनीये स दृष्टवानद्भुतं हमत्॥८.

Overcome by sleep, his body rough and motionless, he lay as if dead; and there, on his bed, he saw a wondrous vision.

श्मशानाभ्यासयोगेन दैवस्य बलवत्तया । अन्यदेहेन दत्त्वा तु गुरवे गुरुदक्षिणाम्॥८.

By the force of fate and his constant association with the cremation ground, he, in another body, gave the teacher his due offering.

तदा द्वादश वर्षाणि दुः खदानात्तु निष्कृतिः । आत्मानं स ददर्शाथ पुक्कसीगर्भसम्भवम्॥८.

Then, after twelve years of suffering, he found release; he saw himself born from the womb of a low-caste woman.

तत्रस्थश्चाप्यसौ राजा सोऽचिन्तयदिदं तदा । इतो निष्क्रान्तमात्रो हि दानधर्मं करोम्यहम्॥८.

While he was there, that king thought to himself at that time: 'As soon as I am freed from here, I will perform acts of charity and righteousness.'

अनन्तरं स जातस्तु तदा पुक्कसबालकः । श्मशानमृतसंस्कार-करणेषु सदोद्यतः॥८.

Immediately after being born, that low-caste boy was always engaged in preparing the funeral rites at the cremation ground.

प्राप्ते तु सप्तमे वर्षे श्मशानेऽथ मृतो द्विजः । आनीतो बन्धुभिर्दृष्टस्तेन तत्राधनो गुणी॥८.

When his seventh year arrived, a twice-born man died at the cremation ground; he was brought there by relatives, and the poor but virtuous boy saw him.

मूल्यार्थिना तु तेनापि परिभूतास्तु ब्राह्मणाः । ऊचुस्ते ब्राह्मणास्तत्र विश्वामित्रस्य चेष्टितम्॥८.

The brahmins there were insulted by him as he demanded payment; those brahmins then spoke about the actions of Viśvāmitra.

पापिष्ठमशुभं कर्म कुरु त्वं पापकारक । हरिश्चन्द्रः पुरा राजा विश्वामित्रेण पुक्कसः॥८.

‘Commit this most sinful and inauspicious act, you doer of evil! Long ago, King Hariścandra was made a low-caste by Viśvāmitra.’

कृतः पुण्यविनाशेन ब्राह्मणस्वापनाशनात् । यदा न क्षमते तेषां तैः स शप्तो रुषा तदा॥८.

‘He was made so by the loss of his merit, for taking away the property of brahmins; when he could not endure their words, he was cursed by them in anger.’

गच्छ त्वं नरकं घोरमधुनैव नराधम । इत्युक्तमात्रे वचने स्वप्नस्थः स नृपस्तदा॥८.

‘Go now to the terrible hell, you most wicked man!’ As soon as these words were spoken, the king found himself in a dreamlike state.