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.
अपश्यद्यमदूतान् वै पाशहस्तान् भयावहान् । तैः संगृहीतमात्मानं नीयमानं तदा बलात्॥८.
He saw the terrifying messengers of Yama, holding nooses; he saw himself seized by them and forcibly dragged away.
पश्यति स्म भृशं खिन्नो हा मातः पितरद्य मे । एवंवादी स नरके तैलद्रोण्यां निपातितः॥८.
Greatly distressed, he cried out, ‘Alas, my mother, my father, today!’ Speaking thus, he was cast into hell, plunged into a cauldron of boiling oil.
क्रकचैः पाट्यमानस्तु क्षुरधाराभिरप्यधः । अन्धे तमसि दुः खार्तः पूयशोणितभोजनः॥८.
He was cut apart with saws, and also with razor-sharp blades; tormented in blinding darkness, he was forced to eat pus and blood.
सप्तवर्षं मृतात्मानं पुक्कसत्वे ददर्श ह । दिनं दिनन्तु नरके दह्यते पच्यतेऽन्यतः॥८.
For seven years he saw himself dead, existing as a low-caste; and each day in hell he was burned, and elsewhere he was cooked.
खिद्यते क्षोभ्यतेऽन्यत्र मार्यते पाट्यतेऽन्यतः । क्षार्यते दीप्यतेऽन्यत्र शीतवाताहतोऽन्यतः॥८.
Elsewhere he was tormented, agitated, killed, and cut apart; in other places he was scraped, burned, or struck by cold winds.
एवं दिनं वर्षशत-प्रमाणं नरकेऽभवत् । तथा वर्षशतं तत्र श्रीवितं नरके भटैः॥८.
In this way, he spent a hundred years in hell, day after day; for a hundred years he was tormented there by the attendants of hell.
ततो निपातितो भूमौ विष्ठाशी श्वा व्यजायत । वान्ताशी शीतदग्धश्च मासमात्रे मृतोऽपि सः॥८.
Then he was cast down to earth, born as a dog eating excrement; eating vomit, burned by cold, he died after only a month.
अथापश्यत् खरं देहं हस्तिनं वानरं पशुम् । छागं विडालं कङ्कञ्च गामविं पक्षिणं कृमिम्॥८.
Then he saw himself as a donkey, an elephant, a monkey, a beast, a goat, a cat, a heron, a cow, a bird, and a worm.
मत्स्यं कूर्मं वराहञ्च श्वाविधं कुक्कुटं शुकम् । शारिकां स्थावरांश्चैव सर्पमन्यांश्व देहिनः॥८.
A fish, a tortoise, a boar, a hunting dog, a cock, a parrot, a mynah, immobile beings, a snake, and other embodied creatures as well.
दिवसे दिवसे जन्म प्राणिनः प्राणिनस्तदा । अपश्यद् दुः खसन्तप्तो दिनं वर्षशतं तथा॥८.
Day after day, he saw himself born as various living beings; tormented by suffering, he endured this for a hundred years, day by day.