आयांति यांति ते सर्वे तापं दत्वा सुदारुणम् । पुत्ररूपेण ते सर्वे संसारे द्विजसत्तम
They come and go, all of them, causing severe pain; all these, in the form of sons, O best of twice-born, exist in the world.
पूर्वजन्मकृतं पुण्यं यत्त्वया परिपालितम् । तत्सर्वं हि प्रवक्ष्यामि श्रूयतामद्भुतं पुनः
The merit you accumulated and preserved in your previous birth, I shall now recount in full—listen again to this wondrous tale.
वसिष्ठ उवाच- भवाञ्छूद्रो महाप्राज्ञ पूर्वजन्मनि नान्यथा । कृषिकर्त्ता ज्ञानहीनो महालोभेन संयुतः
Vasiṣṭha said: You were a Śūdra, O wise one, in your former birth, not otherwise; a farmer, lacking knowledge, filled with great greed.
एकभार्या सदा द्वेषी बहुपुत्रो ह्यदत्तवान् । धर्मं नैव विजानासि सत्यं नैव परिश्रुतम्
Having one wife, always hostile, with many sons you gave nothing; you did not know righteousness, nor had you ever heard of truth.
दानं नैव त्वया दत्तं शास्त्रं नैव प्रतिश्रुतम् । कृता नैव त्वया तीर्थे यात्रा चैव महामते
You never gave gifts, nor did you study scripture; you never undertook pilgrimages to holy places, O wise one.
एवं कृतं त्वया विप्र कृषिमार्गं पुनः पुनः । पशूनां पालनं सर्व गवां चैव द्विजोत्तम
Thus you repeatedly engaged in farming, O brāhmaṇa, and in caring for all animals and cows, O best of twice-born.
महिषीणां तथाऽश्वानां पालनं च पुनः पुनः । एवं पू र्वंकृतं कर्म त्वयैव द्विजसत्तम
Likewise, you repeatedly tended buffaloes and horses; such was the work you did before, O best of brāhmaṇas.
विपुलं च धनं तद्वल्लोभेन परिसंचितम् । तस्य व्ययं सुपुण्येन न कृतं तु त्वया कदा
You amassed great wealth, gathered out of greed; yet you never spent it for meritorious acts.
पात्रे दानं न दत्तं तु दृष्ट्वा दुर्बलमेव च । कृपां कृत्वा न दत्तं तु भवता धनमेव च
You did not give charity to the worthy, even when seeing the weak; you did not give out of compassion, but only hoarded your wealth.
गोमहिष्यादिकं सर्वं पशूनां संचितं त्वया । विक्रीय च धनं विप्र संचितं विपुलं त्वया
All the cows, buffaloes, and other animals were gathered by you; selling them, O brāhmaṇa, you amassed great wealth.
तक्रं घृतं तथा क्षीरं विक्रयित्वा ततो दधि । दुष्कालं चिंतितं विप्र मोहितो विष्णुमायया
You sold buttermilk, ghee, and milk, and then curds; you worried about hard times, deluded by Viṣṇu's illusion.
कृतं महार्घमेवात्र अन्नं ब्राह्मणसत्तम । निर्दयेन त्वया दानं न दत्तं तु कदाचन
You made food very expensive, O best of brāhmaṇas; you never gave charity, being pitiless.
देवानां पूजनं विप्र भवता न कृतं कदा । प्राप्य पर्वाणि विप्रेभ्यो द्रव्यं न च समर्पितम्
You never worshipped the gods, O brāhmaṇa; even during festivals, you did not offer gifts to the brāhmaṇas.
श्राद्धंकालंतुसंप्राप्यश्रद्धयानकृतंत्वया । भार्या वदति ते साध्वी दिनमेनं समागतम्
When the time for ancestral rites arrived, you did not perform them with faith; your virtuous wife would remind you of the day.
श्वशुरस्य श्राद्धकालः श्वश्र्वाश्चैव महामते । त्वं श्रुत्वा तद्वचस्तस्या गृहं त्यक्त्वा पलायसे
It was the time for your father-in-law's and mother-in-law's ancestral rites, O wise one; hearing your wife's words, you would leave the house and flee.
धर्ममार्गं न दृष्टं ते श्रुतं नैव कदा त्वया । लोभो मातापिता भ्राता लोभः स्वजनबांधवाः
You never saw the path of righteousness, nor ever heard of it; greed was your mother, father, brother, and greed was your kin and relatives.
पालितं लोभमेवैकं त्यक्त्वा धर्मं सदैव हि । तस्माद्दुःखी भवाञ्जातो दरिद्रेणातिपीडितः
You have always upheld greed alone, having abandoned righteousness; therefore, you were born miserable, afflicted by extreme poverty.
दिनेदिने महातृष्णा हृदये ते प्रवर्द्धते । यदायदा गृहे द्रव्यं वृद्धिमायाति ते तदा
Day by day, great craving grows in your heart, especially whenever wealth in your house increases.
तृष्णया दह्यमानस्तु तया त्वं वह्निरूपया । रात्रौ वा सुप्रसुप्तस्तु निश्चितो हि प्रचिंतसि
Burned by that craving, which is like fire, even when you sleep soundly at night, you are certainly anxious in your thoughts.
दिनं प्राप्य महामोहैर्व्यापितोसि सदैव हि । सहस्रं लक्षं मे कोटिः कदा अर्बुदमेव च
When day arrives, you are always occupied with great delusions: 'When will I have a thousand, a hundred thousand, a crore, or even ten million?'
भविष्यति कदा खर्वो निखर्वश्चाथ मे गृहे । एवं सहस्रं लक्षं च कोटिरर्बुदमेव च
'When will I have a kharva or a nikharva in my house?' In this way, you think of thousands, lakhs, crores, and arbudas.
खर्वो निखर्वः संजातस्तृष्णा नैव प्रगच्छति । तव कायं परित्यज्य वृद्धिमायाति सर्वदा
Even when kharvas and nikharvas are obtained, your craving never departs; it always grows, abandoning your very body.
नैव दत्तं हुतं विप्र भुक्तं नैव कदा त्वया । खनितं भूमिमध्ये तु क्षिप्तं पुत्रानजानते
You have never given, offered oblations, or enjoyed (your wealth), O Brahmin; what you buried in the earth, your sons do not know.
अन्यमेवमुपायं तु द्रव्यागमनकारणात् । कुरुषे सर्वदा विप्र लोकान्पृच्छसि बुद्धिमान्
For the sake of acquiring wealth, you always seek out other means, O Brahmin, and wisely question people everywhere.
खनित्रमंजनं वादं धातुवादमतः परम् । पृच्छमानो भ्रमस्येकस्तृष्णया परिमोहितः
You inquire about mining, alchemy, and the science of metals; deluded by craving, you wander about, confused.
स्पर्शंचिंतयसेनित्यंकल्पान्सिद्धिप्रदायकान् । प्रवेशं विवराणां तु चिंतमानः सु पृच्छसि
You constantly ponder touchstones and wish-fulfilling gems, and, thinking about entering caves, you eagerly ask questions.
तृष्णानलेन दग्धेन सुखं नैव प्रगच्छसि । तृष्णानलेन संदीप्तो हाहाभूतो विचेतनः
Burned by the fire of craving, you never attain happiness; inflamed by the fire of craving, you become distraught and lose awareness.
एवं मुग्धोसि विप्रेंद्र गतस्त्वं कालवश्यताम् । दारापुत्रेषु तद्द्रव्यं पृच्छमानेषु वै त्वया
Thus, O best of Brahmins, you have been deluded and have come under the sway of time, while your wife and sons inquire about that wealth from you.
कथितं नैव वृत्तांतं प्राणांस्त्यक्त्वा गतो यमम् । एवं सर्वं मया ख्यातं वृत्तांतं तव पूर्वकम्
You never told them the story, and, abandoning your life, you went to Yama; thus, I have revealed to you your previous story in full.
अनेन कर्मणा विप्र निर्धनोसि दरिद्रवान् । संसारे यस्य सत्पुत्रा भक्तिमंतः सदैव हि
Because of this action, O Brahmin, you are poor and destitute; in this world, one whose sons are devoted always has happiness.