केचिच्च पुण्यविशेषाद्युत्क्रमेणापि मनुष्यजन्माश्नुवते
Yet, by special merit, some attain human birth in due course.
मनुष्यजन्म नापि च चर्मकारचण्डालव्याधानापितरजककुंभकारलोहकारस्वर्णकारतन्तुवाचसौचिकजटिलसिद्धधावकलेखकभृतकशासनहारिनीचभृत्यद्ररिदहीनाङ्गाधिकाङ्गत्वादि दुःखबहुलज्वरतापशीतश्लेष्मगुल्मपादाक्षिशिरोगर्भपार्श्ववेदनादिदुःखमनुभवन्ति
Even in human birth, there is suffering in being born as a tanner, outcaste, hunter, sweeper, potter, blacksmith, goldsmith, weaver, tailor, ascetic, mendicant, washerman, scribe, servant, menial, pauper, or one with bodily defects; and there is much suffering from fever, heat, cold, phlegm, tumors, pain in the feet, eyes, head, womb, sides, and so on.
मनुष्यत्वे ऽपि यदा स्त्रीपुरुषयोर्व्यवायस्तत्समयेरेतो यदा जरायुं प्रविशति तदैव कर्मवशाज्जन्तुः शुक्रेण सह जरायुं प्रविश्य शुक्रशोणितकलले प्रवर्त्तते
Even in humanity, when a man and woman unite, at that time, the semen enters the womb; then, by the force of karma, the being enters the womb along with the semen and begins to develop in the mixture of semen and blood.
पलवलभावमुपेत्य मासे प्रादेशमात्रत्वमापद्यते
Assuming the form of a lump, in a month it attains the size of a finger’s breadth.
ततः प्रभृति वायुवशाच्चैतन्याभावे ऽपि मातुरुह्ये दुःसहतापल्केशतयैकत्र स्थातुमशक्यत्वाद् भ्रमति
From then on, though lacking consciousness due to the force of wind, it suffers greatly in the mother’s womb, unable to remain in one place, and is tossed about.
मासे द्वितीये पूर्णे पुरुषाकारमात्रतामुपगमय मासत्रितये पूर्णे करचरणाद्यवयवभावमुपगम्य चतुर्षु मासेषु गतेषु सर्वावयवानां संधिभेदपरिज्ञानं पञ्चस्वतीतेषु नखानामभिव्यञ्जककता षट्स्वतीतेषु नखसंधिपरिस्फुटतामुपगम्य नाभिसूत्रेण पुष्यमाणममेध्यमूत्रसिक्ताङ्गं जरायुणा बन्धितरक्तास्थिक्रिमिवसामज्जास्नायुकेशादिदूषिते कुत्सिते शरीरे निवासिनं स्वयमप्येवं परिदूषितदेहं मातुश्च कट्वम्ललवणात्युष्णभुक्तदह्यमात्मानं दृष्ट्वा देही पूर्वजन्मस्मरणानुभावात्पूर्वानुभूतनरकदुःथानि च स्मृत्वान्तर्दुःखेन च परिदह्यमानो मातुर्देहातिमूत्रादिरुक्षेण दह्यमान एवं मनसि प्रलयति
At the end of the second month, it attains the form of a human; at the end of the third month, it develops limbs such as hands and feet; after four months, the joints of all limbs are distinguished; after five months, the nails begin to appear; after six months, the nail joints become clear. Nourished by the navel cord, its body is soaked with impure urine, bound by the womb, polluted by blood, bones, worms, fat, marrow, sinews, hair, and so on, residing in this impure body. Seeing itself thus polluted, and scorched by the mother’s intake of pungent, sour, salty, and excessively hot foods, the embodied being, remembering previous births and the sufferings of hell, is burned within by inner pain and scorched without by the mother’s body, and thus grieves in its mind.
अहो ऽत्यन्तपापो ऽहंपूर्वजन्मनिभृत्यापत्यमित्रयोषिद्गृहक्षेत्रधनधान्यादिष्वत्यन्तरागेण कलत्रपोषणार्थं परधनक्षेत्रादिकं पश्यतो हरणाद्युपायैरपह्यत्य कामान्धतया परस्त्रीहरणादिकमनुभूय महापापान्याचरंस्तैः पापैरहमेक एवंविधनरकाननुभूय पुनः स्थावरादिषु महादुःखमनुभूय संप्रति जरायुणा परिवेष्टितो ऽन्तर्दुखेन बहिस्तापेन च दह्यामि
Alas, I am extremely sinful! In previous births, out of intense attachment to servants, children, friends, wives, houses, fields, wealth, and grain, for the sake of supporting my wife, I looked at the wealth and fields of others, and by means such as theft, blinded by desire, I committed great sins like abducting others’ wives. Because of those sins, I alone, having experienced the torments of hell and then great suffering among plants and other beings, am now enveloped by the womb, burning with inner and outer pain.
मया पोषिता दाराश्च स्वकर्मवशादन्यतो गताः
The wives whom I supported have, by the force of their own karma, gone elsewhere.
अहो दुखं हि देहिनाम्
Alas, suffering indeed belongs to embodied beings.
भृत्यभित्रकलत्रार्थमन्यद्द्रव्यं हृतं मया
For the sake of servants, children, and wives, I took the wealth of others.
दृष्ट्वान्यस्य श्रियं पूर्वं सतत्पो ऽहमसूयया खितः
Seeing another’s prosperity before, I was always disturbed by envy.
कायेन मनसा वाचा परपीडामकारिषम्तेन पापेन दह्यामि त्वहमेको ऽतिदुःखितः
By body, mind, and speech, I caused harm to others; by that sin, I alone am burned, exceedingly afflicted.
एवं बहुविधं गर्भस्थो जन्तुर्विलप्य स्वयमेव वा
Thus, while still in the womb, the being laments in many ways, either aloud or within.
आत्मानमाश्वास्य उत्पत्तेरनन्तरं सत्संगेन विष्णोश्चरितश्रवणेन च विशुद्धमना भूत्वा सत्कर्माणि निर्वर्त्य अखिलजगदन्तरात्मनः सत्यज्ञानानन्दमयस्य शक्तिप्रभावानुष्टितविष्टपवर्गस्य लक्ष्मीपतेर्नारायणस्य सकलसुरासुरयक्षगन्धर्वराक्षसपन्न गमुनिकिन्नरसमूहार्चितचरणकमलयुगं भक्तितः समभ्यर्च्य दुःसहः संसारच्छेदस्यकारणभूतं वेदरहस्योपनिषद्भिः परिस्फुटं सकललोकपरायणं हृदिनिधाय दुःखतरमिमं संस्कारागारमतिक्रमिष्यामीति मनसि भवयति
Consoling itself, after birth, through association with the good and by hearing the deeds of Viṣṇu, with a purified mind, performing virtuous acts, worshipping with devotion the lotus feet of Lakṣmīpati Nārāyaṇa—the inner soul of all worlds, composed of truth, knowledge, and bliss, whose power upholds all realms, worshipped by all gods, demons, yakṣas, gandharvas, rākṣasas, serpents, munis, and kinnaras—holding in the heart the secret of the Vedas, the Upaniṣads, which is the means to cut the unbearable bondage of saṃsāra, he resolves in his mind: ‘I will cross over this house of suffering, the abode of saṃskāras.’
यतस्तन्मातुः प्रसूतिसमये सति गर्भस्थोदेही नारदमुने वायुनापरिपीडितो मातुश्चापि दुःखं कुर्वन्कर्मपाशेन बलाद्योनिमार्गान्निष्क्रामन्सकलयातनाभोगमेककालभवमनुभवति
O sage Narada, at the time of birth, the embodied being who is still in the womb is afflicted by the wind, causing pain to his mother, and, bound by the force of the fetters of karma, is compelled to exit through the birth passage, thereby experiencing all the torments at once.
तेनातिक्लेशेन योनियन्त्रपूडितो गर्भान्निष्कान्तो निःसंज्ञतां याति
Because of this extreme suffering, being pressed by the mechanism of birth, as he emerges from the womb, he falls into a state of unconsciousness.
बाह्यवायुस्पर्शसमनन्तरमेव नष्टस्मृतिपूर्वानुभूताखिलदुःखानि वर्त्तमानान्यपि ज्ञानाभावदविज्ञायात्यन्तदुःखमनुभवति
Immediately upon contact with the external air, all the sufferings previously experienced, now forgotten due to loss of memory, are not recognized, yet he endures intense pain in the present because of the absence of knowledge.
एवं बालत्वमापन्नो जन्तुस्तत्रापि स्वमलमूत्रलित्पदेह आध्यात्मिकादिपीड्यमानो ऽपि वक्तुमशक्तक्षुत्तृषापीडितो रुदिते सति स्तनादिकं देयमिति मन्वानाः प्रयतन्ते
Thus, having entered infancy, the creature, whose body is smeared with its own excrement and urine, is afflicted by internal and other pains, unable to speak, tormented by hunger and thirst, and when it cries, those around try to give it breast milk and such, thinking it should be soothed.
एवमनेकं देहभोगमन्याधीनतयानुभूयमानो दंशादिष्वपि निवारयितुमशक्तः
In this way, experiencing many bodily sufferings dependent on others, he is unable even to ward off biting insects and the like.
बाल्यभावमासाद्य मातापित्रोरुपाध्यायस्य ताडनं सदा पर्यटनशीलत्वं पांशुभस्मपङ्कादिषुक्रीडनं सदा कलहनियतत्वाम शुचित्वं बहुव्यापाराभासकार्यनियतत्वं तदसंभव आध्यात्मिकदुःखमेवंविधमनुभवति
Having reached childhood, he suffers inner pain of this kind: being beaten by mother, father, or teacher, always wandering about, playing in dust, ashes, and mud, constantly quarreling, being unclean, forced into many activities, and unable to avoid them.
ततस्तु तरुणभावेन धनार्जनमर्जितस्य रक्षणं तस्य नाशव्ययादिषु चात्यन्तदुःखिता मायया मोहिताः कामक्रोधादिदुष्टमनसाः सदासूयापरायणाः परस्वपरस्त्रीहरणोपायपरायणाः पुत्रमित्रकलत्रादिभरणोपायचिन्तापरायणा वृथाहङ्कारदूषिताः पुत्रादिषु व्याध्यादि पीडितेषु सत्सु सर्वव्यात्पिं परित्यज्य रोगादिभिः क्लेशितानां समीपे स्वयमाध्यात्मिकदुःखेन परिप्लुता वक्ष्यमाणप्रकारेण चितामश्नुवते
Then, in youth, he is greatly troubled by earning wealth, protecting what is acquired, and its inevitable loss and expenditure; deluded by illusion, with minds corrupted by desire and anger, always devoted to envy, intent on seizing others' wealth and wives, preoccupied with providing for sons, friends, and wives, tainted by vain pride; when his children and others are afflicted by disease, abandoning all, he himself, overwhelmed by inner suffering, approaches the funeral pyre in the manner to be described.
समृद्धस्य कुटुम्बस्य कथं भवति वर्त्तनम्
How will the prosperous family be maintained?
अश्वः पलायितः कुत्र गावः किं नागता मम
Where has the horse run off to? Why have the cows not returned to me?
अविचारात्कृषिर्नष्टा पुत्रा नित्यं रुदन्ति च
Through lack of discernment, the crops are lost, and my sons are always weeping.
न लभ्यते वर्त्तनं च राज बाधातिदुःसहा
Livelihood cannot be obtained, and, O King, the oppression from the ruler is unbearable.
व्यवसायाक्षमश्चाहं प्रात्पाः प्राघूर्णका अमी
I am incapable of enterprise, and these companions are all lazy and unsteady.
एवमत्यन्तचिन्ताकुलः स्वदुःखानि निवारयितुमक्षमो धिग्विधिं भाग्यहीनं मां किमर्थं विदधे इति दैवमाक्षिपति
Thus, overwhelmed by constant anxiety, unable to dispel his own sufferings, he reproaches fate, saying, 'Fie upon destiny! Why did fate create me, so devoid of fortune?'
प्रकंपमानावयवश्वासकासादिपीडितो लोलाविललोचनः श्लेष्मण्यात्पकण्ठः पुत्रदारादिभिर्भर्त्स्यमानः कदा मरणमुपयामीति चिन्ताकुलो मयि मृते सति मदर्जितं गृहक्षेत्रादिकं वस्तु पुत्रादयः कथं रक्षन्ति कस्य वा भविष्यति
Trembling in all his limbs, afflicted by breathlessness, cough, and the like, with restless, clouded eyes, his throat choked by phlegm, scolded by sons, wife, and others, he is filled with anxious thoughts: 'When will death come to me? After I die, how will my sons and others protect the house, fields, and property I acquired? To whom will they belong?'
मद्धने परैरपहृते पुत्रादीनां कथं वर्त्तनं भविष्यतीति ममतादुःखपरिप्लुतो गाढं निःश्वस्य स्वेन वयसा कृतानि कर्माणि पुनः पुनः स्मरन् क्षणे विस्मरति च संततस्त्वासन्नमरणो
When my wealth is taken away by others, how will my sons and the rest survive? Overwhelmed by the sorrow of attachment, sighing deeply, he repeatedly remembers and forgets the deeds he performed in his lifetime, while death draws ever nearer.
व्याधिपीडितो ऽन्तस्तापार्तः क्षणं शय्यायां क्षणं मञ्चे च ततस्ततः पर्यटन् क्षुत्तृटूपरिपूडितः किञ्चिन्मात्रमुदकं देहीत्यतिकार्पण्येन याचमानस्तत्रापि ज्वराविष्टानामुदकं न श्रेयस्करमिति ब्रुवतो मनसातिद्वेषं कुर्वन्मन्द चैतन्यो भवति
Afflicted by disease, burning within, he shifts from bed to cot, tormented by hunger and thirst, begging in utter misery for even a little water, but when told by those suffering from fever that water is not beneficial, he feels great resentment in his mind and becomes dull-witted.