Markandeya Purana

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.

तत्रापि तस्य विकृतिर्नाधर्मोत्था व्यवर्धत । एताः सर्वा दशास्तस्य याः स्वप्ने सम्प्रदर्शिताः॥८.

Even there, his distorted condition, born of unrighteousness, did not improve; all these states were shown to him in a dream.

सर्वास्तास्तेन सम्भुक्ता यावद्वर्षाणि द्वादश । अतीते द्वादशे वर्ष नीयमानो भटैर्बलात्॥८.

He experienced all those conditions for twelve years; and when the twelfth year had passed, he was dragged away by the guards with force.

यमं सोऽपश्यदाकारादुवाच च नराधिपम् । विश्वामित्रस्य कोपोऽयं दुर्निवार्यो महात्मनः॥८.

He saw Yama, and Yama spoke to the king: 'This is the wrath of Vishvamitra, the great soul, which is impossible to resist.'

पुत्रस्य ते मृत्युमपि प्रदास्यति स कौशिकः । गच्छ त्वं मानुषं लोकं दुः खशेषञ्च भुङ्क्ष्व वै । गतस्य तत्र राजेन्द्र श्रेयस्तव भविष्यति॥८.

'That Kaushika will even bring about the death of your son. Go now to the world of humans and experience the remainder of your suffering; once you have gone there, O king, it will be for your good.'

व्यतीते द्वादशे वर्षे दुः खस्यान्ते नराधिपः । अन्तरीक्षाच्च पतितो यमदूतैः प्रणोदितः॥८.

When the twelfth year had ended, the king, at the end of his suffering, was cast down from the sky by the messengers of Yama.

पतितो यमलोकाच्च विबुद्धो भयसम्भ्रमात् । अहो कष्टमिति ध्यात्वा क्षते क्षारावसेवनम्॥८.

Falling from Yama's realm, he awoke, agitated by fear; thinking, 'Ah, what misery!' he applied alkaline substances to his wounds.

स्वप्ने दुः खं महद्दृष्टं यस्यान्तो नोपलभ्यते । स्वप्ने दृष्टं मया यत्तु किं नु मे द्वादशाः समाः॥८.

He had seen great suffering in a dream, whose end could not be found; and he thought, 'What is this that I have seen in my dream? Have twelve years truly passed for me?'

गतेत्यपृच्छत् तत्रस्थान् पुक्कसांस्तु स सम्भ्रमात् । नेत्युचुः केचित् तत्रस्था एवमेवापरेऽब्रुवन्॥८.

He anxiously asked those present there, the outcastes: 'Has it passed?' Some of those present said, 'No,' while others replied, 'Yes, it has.'

श्रुत्वा दुः खी तदा राजा देवान् शरणमीयिवान् । स्वस्ति कुर्वन्तु मे देवाः शैव्याया बालकस्य च॥८.

Hearing this, the king became distressed and sought refuge in the gods, praying: May the gods grant well-being to me and to Shaivya's child.

नमो धर्माय महते नमः कृष्णाय वेधसे । परावराय शुद्धाय पुराणायाव्ययाय च॥८.

Salutations to the great Dharma, salutations to Krishna the creator, to the supreme and the lowest, to the pure, to the ancient and imperishable.

नमो बृहस्पते तुभ्यं नमस्ते वासवाय च । एवमुक्त्वा स राजा तु युक्तः पुक्कसकर्मणि॥८.

Salutations to you, Brihaspati; salutations also to Vasava. Having spoken thus, the king engaged himself in the work of the outcaste.

शवानां मूल्यकरणे पुनर्नष्टस्मृतिर्यथा । मलिनो जटिलः कृष्णो लकुटी विह्वलो नृपः॥८.

While collecting payment for the corpses, his memory was lost again; filthy, matted-haired, dark, carrying a staff, the king was bewildered.

नैव पुत्रो न भार्या तु तस्य वै स्मृतिगोचरे । नष्टोत्साहो राज्यनाशात् श्मशाने निवसंस्तदा॥८.

Neither son nor wife entered his memory; his enthusiasm destroyed by the loss of his kingdom, he dwelled then in the cremation ground.

अथाजगाम स्वसुतं मृतमादाय लापिनी । भार्या तस्य नरेन्द्रस्य सर्पदष्टं हि बालकम्॥८.

Then his wife, weeping, came carrying her dead son, the child of the king, bitten by a snake.

हा वत्स ! हा पुत्र ! शिशो ! इत्येवं वदती मुहुः । कृशा विवर्णा विमनाः पांशुध्वस्तशिरोरुहा॥८.

Alas, child! Alas, son! O little one!—she cried again and again, emaciated, pale, distressed, her hair disheveled with dust.

; राजपत्न्युवाच हा राजन्नद्य बालं त्वं पश्य सोमं महीतले । रममाणं पुरा दृष्टं दुष्टाहिना मृतम्॥८.

The queen spoke: Alas, king! Today look upon your child, Soma, lying on the earth, once seen playing, now dead by the bite of a wicked serpent.

तस्या विलापशब्दं तमाकर्ण्य स नराधिपः । जगाम त्वरितोऽत्रेति भविता मृतकम्बलः॥८.

Hearing her lamenting voice, the king hastened there, about to become the one who covers the dead.

स तां रोरुदतीं भार्यां नाभ्यजानात्तु पार्थिवः । चिरप्रवाससन्तप्तां पुनर्जातामिवाबलाम्॥८.

He did not recognize his wife, who was crying, scorched by long separation, as if she were newly born.

सापि तं चारुकेशान्तं पुरा दृष्ट्वा जटालकम् । नाभ्यजानान्नृपसुता शुष्कवृक्षोपमं नृपम्॥८.

She too, seeing him with beautiful hair now matted, did not recognize the king's son, resembling a dried-up tree.

सोऽपि कृष्णपटे बालं दृष्ट्वाशीविषपीडितम् । नरेन्द्रलक्षणोपेतं चिन्तामाप नरेश्वरः॥८.

He, seeing the child wrapped in a dark cloth, afflicted by snake venom, bearing royal marks, fell into deep thought.