मया विना महाराज कथं धारयसे प्रजाः । अहं यदास्थिरा राजंस्तदा लोकाश्चराचराः
Without me, O great king, how will you sustain the people? When I am unstable, O king, then the worlds, both moving and unmoving, are unstable.
स्थिरत्वं यांति ते सर्वे स्थिरीभूता यदा ह्यहम् । मां विना तु इमे लोका विनश्येयुश्चराचराः
When I become stable, all these become stable; but without me, these worlds, both moving and unmoving, would perish.
ततः प्रजा विनश्येयुर्मम नाशे समागते । कथं धारयिता चासि प्रजा राजन्मया विना
Then, when I am destroyed, the people will perish; how will you sustain the subjects, O King, without me?
मयि लोकाः स्थिरा राजन्मयेदं धार्यते जगत् । मद्विनाशे विनश्येयुः प्रजाः सर्वा न संशयः
O King, the worlds are stable because of me; by me this universe is upheld. If I am destroyed, all beings will perish—of this there is no doubt.
न मामर्हसि वै हंतुं श्रेयश्चेत्त्वं चिकीर्षसि । प्रजानां पृथिवीपाल शृणु देव वचो मम
You ought not to kill me, if you desire the welfare of the people, O protector of the earth; listen, O King, to my words.
उपायैश्च महाभाग सुसिद्धिं यांत्युपक्रमाः । समालोक्य ह्युपायं त्वं प्रजा येन धरिष्यति
By various means, O greatly fortunate one, undertakings attain success; consider carefully by what means the people may be sustained.
मां हत्वा त्वं महाराज धारणे पालने सदा । पोषणे च महाप्राज्ञ मद्विना हि कथं नृप
Having killed me, O great King, how will you always support, protect, and nourish the people, O wise ruler, without me?
धरिष्यसि प्रजां चेमां कोपं यच्छ त्वमात्मनः । अन्नमयी भविष्यामि धरिष्यामि प्रजामिमाम्
Restrain your anger, O King; I will become composed of food and will sustain these people.
अहं नारी अवध्या च प्रायश्चित्ती भविष्यसि । अवध्यां तु स्त्रियं प्राहुस्तिर्यग्योनिगतामपि
I am a woman and not to be slain; you will incur expiation. Even those who enter animal wombs are said to be unfit for killing if they are women.
विचार्यैवं महाराज न धर्मं त्यक्तुमर्हसि । एवं नानाविधैर्वाक्यैरुक्तो धात्र्या नराधिपः
Having considered thus, O great King, you should not abandon righteousness. Thus addressed by the nurse with various words, the lord of men—
कोपमेनं महाराज त्यज दारुणमेव हि । प्रसन्ने त्वयि राजेंद्र तदा स्वस्था भवाम्यहम्
O great King, abandon this terrible anger; when you are calm, O lord of kings, then I will be at ease.
एवमुक्तस्तया राजा पृथुर्वैन्यः प्रजापतिः । तामुवाच महाभागां धरित्रीं द्विजसत्तमाः
Thus addressed by her, King Pṛthu, son of Vena and lord of the people, spoke to the greatly fortunate Earth, O best of twice-born.
पृथुरुवाच- हते चैव महापापे एकस्मिन्पापचारिणि । लोकाः सुखेन जीवंति साधवः पुण्यदर्शिनः
Pṛthu said: When a great sinner, a single evildoer, is slain, the worlds and the virtuous who see righteousness live in happiness.
तस्मादेकं प्रहर्तव्यं पापिष्ठं पापचेतनम् । तस्मात्त्वां हि हनिष्यामि सर्वसत्त्वप्रणाशिनीम्
Therefore, the most wicked, evil-minded one should be struck down; thus, I will kill you, who bring destruction to all beings.
त्वया बीजानि सर्वाणि लुप्तान्येतानि सांप्रतम् । ग्रासं कृत्वा स्थिरीभूत्वा प्रजां हत्वा क्व यास्यसि
By you, all seeds have now been destroyed; having consumed them and become steady, after killing the people, where will you go?
हते पापे दुराचारे सुखं जीवंतिसाधवः । तस्मात्पापं प्रहंतव्यं सत्यमेवं न संशयः
When the wicked and immoral are slain, the virtuous live happily; therefore, the wicked must be destroyed—this is the truth, without doubt.
पालितव्यं प्रयत्नेन यस्माद्धर्मः प्रवर्द्धते । भवत्या तु महत्पापं प्रजासंक्षयकारकम्
One must protect with effort, for from that righteousness grows; but through you, a great sin has arisen, causing the destruction of the people.
एकस्यार्थेन यो हन्यादात्मनो वा परस्य वा । लोकोपतापकं हत्वा न भवेत्तस्य पातकम्
If, for the sake of one, whether oneself or another, one kills a source of suffering for the world, there is no sin in that slaying.
सुखमेष्यंति बहवो यस्मिंस्तु निहते शुभे । वसुधे निहते दुष्टे पातकं नोपपातकम्
Many will attain happiness when the wicked one is slain; when the evil Earth is killed, there is no sin, nor any secondary fault.
प्रजानिमित्तं त्वामेव हनिष्यामि न संशयः । यदि मे पुण्यसंयुक्तं वचनं न करिष्यति
For the sake of the people, I will surely kill you—there is no doubt—if you do not act according to my righteous command.
जगतोऽस्य हितार्थाय साधु चैव वसुंधरे । हनिष्ये त्वां शितैर्बाणैर्मद्वाक्यात्तु पराङ्मुखीम्
For the welfare of this world, O Earth, and for righteousness, I will strike you with sharp arrows, for you have turned away from my command.
स्वीयेन तेजसा चैव पुण्यां त्रैलोक्यवासिनीम् । प्रजां चैव धरिष्यामि धर्मेणापि न संशयः
With my own power, I will uphold the virtuous beings who dwell in the three worlds, and I will sustain the people through righteousness—of this there is no doubt.
मच्छासनं समास्थाय धर्मयुक्तं वसुंधरे । इमाः प्रजा आज्ञया मे संजीवय सदैव हि
O Earth, abiding by my righteous command, always revive these people by my order.
एवं मे शासनं भद्रे अद्य यर्हि करिष्यसि । ततः प्रीतोऽस्मि ते नित्यं गोपायिष्यामि सर्वदा
O blessed one, when you carry out my command today in this way, then I will always be pleased with you and will forever protect you.
त्वामेव हि न संदेह अन्ये चैव नृपोत्तमाः । धेनुरूपेण सा पृथ्वी बाणांचितकलेवरा
There is no doubt that you alone, and other excellent kings as well, in the form of a cow, O Earth, have bodies marked by arrows.
उवाचेदं पृथुं वैन्यं धर्माधारं महामतिम् । धरण्युवाच-। तवादेशं महाराज सत्यपुण्यार्थसंयुतम्
She, the Earth, then spoke these words to Prithu, son of Vena, the upholder of righteousness and great wisdom: 'O great king, your command, united with truth and virtue—'
प्रजानिमित्तमत्यर्थं विधास्यामि न संशयः । उद्यमेनापि पुण्येन उपायेन नरेश्वर
'—for the sake of the people, I will certainly carry out to the utmost, without doubt, with effort and with righteous means, O lord of men.'
समारंभाः प्रसिद्ध्यंति पुण्याश्चैवाप्युपक्रमाः । उपायं पश्य राजेंद्र येन त्वं सत्यवान्भवेः
'Righteous undertakings and virtuous actions become renowned; consider, O king, the means by which you may remain true to your word.'
धारयेथाः प्रजाश्चेमा येन सर्वाः प्रवर्द्धये । संलग्नाश्चोत्तमा बाणा ममांगे ते शिलाशिताः
'By which you may support these people and cause them all to flourish; sharp, stone-tipped arrows are embedded in my body.'
समुद्धर स्वयं राजंश्छल्यंति भृशमेव ते । समां कुरु महाराज तिष्ठेन्मयि यथा पयः
'O king, remove them yourself, for they pain me greatly; make me level, O great king, so that I may hold water as before.'