Markandeya Purana

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.

एवं वर्षशतं पूर्णं गतं तत्र कुयोनिषु । अपश्यच्च कदाचित् स राजा तत् स्वकुलोद्भवम्॥८.

In this way, a full hundred years passed for him in those degraded births; and once, that king saw someone from his own lineage there.

तत्र स्थितस्य तस्यापि राज्यं द्यूतेन हारितम् । भार्या हृता च पुत्रश्च स चैकाकी वनं गतः॥८.

Even while he remained there, his kingdom was lost through gambling; his wife and son were taken, and he, left alone, went to the forest.

तत्रापश्यत स सिंहं वै व्यादितास्यं भयावहम् । बिभक्षयिषुमायातं शरभेण समन्वितम्॥८.

There he saw a lion, its mouth wide open and terrifying, coming to devour him, accompanied by a wild ox.

पुनश्च भक्षितः सोऽपि भार्यां शोचितुमुद्यतः । हा शैव्ये ! क्व गतास्यद्य मामिहापास्य दुः खितम्॥८.

Again, he too was devoured, and, overcome with grief for his wife, he lamented: 'O Shaivya, where have you gone now, leaving me here in misery?'

अपश्यत् पुनरेवापि भार्यां स्वं सहपुत्रकाम् । त्रायस्व त्वं हरिश्चन्द्र किं द्यूतेन तव प्रभो॥८.

Then again he saw his own wife with their son, and she cried out: 'Save us, Harishchandra! What has gambling done to you, my lord?'

पुत्रस्ते शोच्यतां प्राप्तो भर्यंया शैव्यया सह । स नापश्यत् पुनरपि धावमानः पुनः पुनः॥८.

Your son has come to a pitiable state, along with your wife Shaivya; but he could not see them again, though he ran after them again and again.

अथापश्यत् पुनरपि स्वर्गस्थः स नराधिपः । नीयते मुक्तकेशी सा दीना विवसना बलात्॥८.

Then once more, that king saw, as if in heaven, his wife, her hair disheveled, distressed, and half-clothed, being dragged away by force.

हाहावाक्यं प्रमुञ्चन्ती त्रायस्वेत्यसकृत्स्वना । अथापश्यत् पुनस्तत्र धर्मराजस्य शासनात्॥८.

She cried out repeatedly in distress, 'Save me!' Then again he saw, by the command of the Lord of Dharma, the following scene.

आक्रान्दन्त्यन्तरीक्षस्था आगच्छेह नराधिप । विश्वामित्रेण विज्ञप्तो यमो राजंस्तवार्थतः॥८.

He heard voices wailing in the sky: 'Come here, O king! Yama has been informed by Vishvamitra for your sake.'

इत्युक्त्वा सर्पपाशैस्तु नीयते बलवद्विभुः । श्राद्धदेवेन कथितं विश्वामित्रस्य चेष्टितम्॥८.

Having said this, the mighty one was dragged away forcefully with serpent-nooses; this was told by Shraddhadeva, and was the doing of Vishvamitra.