श्रद्धा पुष्पमिदं प्रोक्तं फलं ब्रह्मसमागमः आयुः पुत्रान् धनं विद्यां स्वर्गं मोक्षं सुखानि च
Faith is said to be the flower, and union with Brahman is the fruit; long life, sons, wealth, knowledge, heaven, liberation, and happiness too.
राज्यं चैव प्रयच्छन्ति प्रीताः पितृगणा नृणाम् श्रूयते च पुरा मोक्षं प्राप्ताः कौशिकसूनवः पञ्चभिर्जन्मसम्बन्धैर् गता विष्णोः परं पदम्
The satisfied hosts of ancestors grant kingship to men; it is heard that in ancient times, the sons of Kauśika attained liberation and reached the supreme abode of Viṣṇu through fivefold birth connections.
कथं कौशिकदायादाः प्राप्तास्ते योगमुत्तमम् पञ्चभिर्जन्मसम्बन्धैः कथं कर्मक्षयो भवेत्
How did the descendants of Kauśika attain the highest yoga? Through fivefold birth connections, how does the exhaustion of karma occur?
कौशिको नाम धर्मात्मा कुरुक्षेत्रे महानृषिः नामतः कर्मतस्तस्य सुतान्सप्त निबोधत
There was a great sage named Kauśika, righteous in soul, in Kurukṣetra; listen to the names and deeds of his seven sons.
श्वसृपः क्रोधनो हिंस्रः पिशुनः कविरेव च वाग्दुष्टः पितृवर्ती च गर्गशिष्यास्तदाभवन्
They were: Śvasṛpa, Krodhana, Hiṃsra, Piśuna, Kavi, Vāgduṣṭa, and Pitṛvartin; these became disciples of Garga.
पितर्युपरते तेषाम् अभूद्दुर्भिक्षमुल्बणम् अनावृष्टिश्च महती सर्वलोकभयंकरी
When their father passed away, a severe famine befell them; a great drought arose, causing fear to all the worlds.
गर्गादेशाद्वने दोग्ध्रीं रक्षन्तस्ते तपोधनाः खादामः कपिलामेतां वयं क्षुत्पीडिता भृशम्
On Garga's instruction, those ascetics guarded a milch cow in the forest; tormented by hunger, they thought, 'Let us eat this tawny cow.'
इति चिन्तयतां पापं लघुः प्राह तदानुजः यद्यवश्यमियं वध्या श्राद्धरूपेण योज्यताम्
As they considered this sinful act, the youngest brother said, 'If she must be killed, let it be done in the form of a śrāddha offering.'
श्राद्धे नियोज्यमानेयं पापात्त्रास्यति नो ध्रुवम् एव कुर्वित्यनुज्ञातः पितृवर्ती तदानुजैः
When this one was to be appointed for the śrāddha, she refused, saying, 'I will not do it, for it is sinful.' But, being permitted by those devoted to their father, she performed it.
चक्रे समाहितः श्राद्धम् उपयुज्य च तां पुनः द्वौ दैवे भ्रातरौ कृत्वा पित्रे त्रीनप्यनुक्रमात्
With focused mind, he performed the śrāddha, and after offering it to her again, he made two brothers as divine guests, and in succession, all three for the father.
तथैकमतिथिं कृत्वा श्राद्धदः स्वयमेव तु चकार मन्त्रवच्छ्राद्धं स्मरन्पितृपरायणः
In the same way, appointing one as a guest, the performer of the śrāddha himself conducted the ritual with mantras, remembering his father with devotion.
विना गवा वत्सको ऽपि गुरवे विनिवेदितः व्याघ्रेण निहता धेनुर् वत्सो ऽयं प्रतिगृह्यताम्
Without a cow, even a calf offered to the teacher—when the cow was killed by a tiger, it was said, 'Let this calf be accepted.'
एवं सा भक्षिता धेनुः सप्तभिस्तैस्तपोधनैः वैदिकं बलमाश्रित्य क्रूरे कर्मणि निर्भयाः
Thus, that cow was eaten; but those seven ascetics, relying on Vedic power, were fearless in that cruel act.
ततः कालावकृष्टास्ते व्याधा दाशपुरे ऽभवन् जातिस्मरत्वं प्राप्तास्ते पितृभावेन भाविताः
Then, drawn by time, those hunters were born in Daśapura, having attained the state of remembering past births, their minds shaped by devotion to their fathers.
यत्कृतं क्रूरकर्मापि श्राद्धरूपेण तैस्तदा तेन ते भवने जाता व्याधानां क्रूरकर्मिणाम्
Because of that cruel act performed in the form of a śrāddha, they were born in the house of hunters, doers of cruel deeds.
पितॄणां चैव माहात्म्याज् जाता जातिस्मरास्तु ते ते तु वैराग्ययोगेन आस्थायानशनं पुनः
Yet, by the greatness of their fathers, they were born with memory of past lives; and through dispassion and yoga, they again undertook fasting.
जातिस्मराः सप्त जाता मृगाः कालञ्जरे गिरौ नीलकण्ठस्य पुरतः पितृभावानुभाविताः
Those seven, born with memory, became deer on Mount Kālanjara, before Nīlakaṇṭha, influenced by their devotion to their fathers.
तत्रापि ज्ञानवैराग्यात् प्राणानुत्सृज्य धर्मतः लोकैर् अवेक्ष्यमाणास्ते तीर्थान्ते ऽनशनेन तु
There too, through knowledge and dispassion, they gave up their lives righteously, observed by the people, at the end of a pilgrimage, by fasting.
मानसे चक्रवाकास्ते संजाताः सप्त योगिनः नामतः कर्मतः सर्वाञ् छृणुध्वं द्विजसत्तमाः
In the Mānasa lake, those seven became cakravāka birds, yogis by name and by deed; hear all their names, O best of twice-born.
सुमनाः कुमुदः शुद्धश् छिद्रदर्शी सुनेत्रकः सुनेत्रश्चांशुमांश्चैव सप्तैते योगपारगाः
Sumanā, Kumuda, Śuddha, Chidradarśī, Sunetraka, Sunetra, and Aṃśumān—these seven excelled in yoga.
योगभ्रष्टास्त्रयस्तेषां बभ्रमुश् चाल्पचेतनाः दृष्ट्वा विभ्राजमानं तम् उद्याने स्त्रीभिरन्वितम्
Of them, three fell from yoga and wandered with little awareness, seeing that one shining forth in the garden, surrounded by women.
क्रीडन्तं विविधैर्भावैर् महाबलपराक्रमम् पञ्चालान्वयसम्भूतं प्रभूतबलवाहनम्
Playing in various ways, possessing great strength and valor, born in the lineage of the Pāñcālas, with abundant power and vehicles.
राज्यकामो ऽभवच्चैकस् तेषां मध्ये जलौकसाम् पितृवर्ती च यो विप्रः श्राद्धकृत् पितृवत्सलः
Among those aquatic beings, one became desirous of kingship; and the brāhmaṇa, devoted to his father, who performed the śrāddha, was loving like a son to his father.
अपरौ मन्त्रिणौ दृष्ट्वा प्रभूतबलवाहनौ मन्त्रित्वे चक्रतुश्चेच्छाम् अस्मिन्मर्त्ये द्विजोत्तमाः
The other two, seeing the one with abundant power and vehicles, became ministers by their own wish among mortals, O best of brāhmaṇas.
तन्मध्ये ये तु निष्कामास् ते बभूवुर् द्विजोत्तमाः विभ्राजपुत्रस्त्वेको ऽभूद् ब्रह्मदत्त इति स्मृतः
Among them, those who were desireless became the best of brāhmaṇas; but one, the son of Vibhrāja, became known as Brahmadatta.
मन्त्रिपुत्रौ तथा चोभौ कण्डरीकसुबालकौ ब्रह्मदत्तो ऽभिषिक्तः सन् पुरोहितविपश्चिता
The two sons of ministers were Kaṇḍarīka and Subālaka; Brahmadatta was anointed king, with a learned priest as his advisor.
पञ्चालराजो विक्रान्तः सर्वशास्त्रविशारदः योगवित्सर्वजन्तूनां रुतवेत्ताभवत्तदा
The king of Panchala was valiant, expert in all scriptures, knowledgeable in yoga among all creatures, and skilled in understanding their sounds.
तस्य राज्ञो ऽभवद्भार्या देवलस्यात्मजा शुभा संनतिर्नाम विख्याता कपिला याभवत्पुरा
That king's wife was the auspicious daughter of Devala, renowned as Samnati, who was once called Kapila.
पितृकार्ये नियुक्तत्वाद् अभवद्ब्रह्मवादिनी तया चकार सहितः स राज्यं राजनन्दनः
Because she was engaged in ancestral rites, she became a speaker of Brahman; together with her, the king's son ruled the kingdom.
कदाचिदुद्यानगतस् तया सह स पार्थिवः ददर्श कीटमिथुनम् अनङ्गकलहाकुलम्
Once, while the king was in the garden with her, he saw a pair of insects, agitated by the quarrel of love.