इत्युक्त्वा निर्गताः सर्वे बृहस्पतिपुरोगमाः । दृष्ट्वा सरसि विस्तीर्णे स्वर्णपंकजकाननम्
Having said this, all of them, led by Bṛhaspati, departed; seeing in the vast lake a forest of golden lotuses.
तुष्टुवुर्देवराजानं प्रबोधो येन जायते । ततो गुरोः प्रबोधेन निर्गतः पद्मकुड्मलात्
They praised the king of the gods, by whose awakening he would arise; then, by the teacher's awakening, he emerged from the lotus bud.
दीनाननो विरूपस्तु व्रीडाकुंचितलोचनः । जग्राह चरणाविंद्रो गुरोस्तस्याग्रजन्मनः
His face dejected, his form altered, his eyes downcast with shame, Indra grasped the feet of his elder, the teacher.
त्राहि मां निष्कृतिं ब्रूहि पापस्यास्य बृहस्पते । देवराजवचः श्रुत्वा जगौ विप्रो बृहस्पतिः
'Protect me, tell me the expiation for this sin, O Bṛhaspati!' Hearing the words of the king of the gods, the sage Bṛhaspati spoke.
शृणु देवेंद्र वक्ष्येऽहमुपायं पापनाशनम् । प्रयागस्नानमात्रेण तत्क्षणादेव पातकात्
Hear, O lord of the gods, I will tell you a means to destroy sin: by merely bathing at Prayāga, you are freed from sin at that very moment.
मुच्यसे देवराजत्वं तत्र यामः सहैव ते । अथ पुरोधसा सार्धमागत्य बलमर्दनः
You will be released from your demerit, O king of the gods, simply by that; let us go there together with you. Then, accompanied by the priest, the subduer of Bala arrived.
सस्नौ सितासिते तीर्थे सद्यो मुक्तो ह्यघैस्ततः । अथ देवगुरुस्तस्मै प्रसन्नस्तु वरं ददौ
He bathed at the white and black fords, and was immediately freed from sins; then the preceptor of the gods, being pleased, granted him a boon.
प्रयागस्नानमात्रेण क्षीणं पापं त्वयानघ । क्षीणपापस्य ते शक्र मत्प्रसादेन सत्वरम्
By merely bathing at Prayāga, your sin is destroyed, O sinless one; O Śakra, with your sins gone, by my grace, swiftly—
सहस्रमेतद्योनीनां सहस्रं स्याद्दृशां तव । तदैव द्विजवाक्येन शुशुभे च शचीपतिः
A thousand yonis and a thousand eyes will be yours; then, by the word of the Brāhmaṇa, the lord of Śacī shone forth.
लोचनानां सहस्रेण पंकजैरिव मानसम् । अथ वृंदारकैः सर्वैरृषिभिश्चाभिपूजितः
With a thousand eyes, his mind was like a lake filled with lotuses; then, honored by all the attendants and sages—
गंधर्वैः स्तूयमानस्तु गतः शक्रोऽमरावतीम् । इत्थं सद्यो विपापोऽभूत्प्रयागे पाकशासनः
Praised by the Gandharvas, Śakra went to Amarāvatī; thus, at Prayāga, the subduer of Pāka was instantly freed from sin.
याहि त्वमपि कल्याणि प्रयागं देवसेवितम् । सद्यः पापविनाशाय तथा स्वर्गतये दृढम्
You too, O blessed one, go to Prayāga, revered by the gods; for the instant destruction of sin and, surely, for attaining heaven.
इति तस्य वचः श्रुत्वा सेतिहासं समंगलम् । तदैव संभ्रमापन्ना नत्वा पादौ द्विजस्य तु
Hearing his words, together with the auspicious story, she, seized by urgency, at once bowed to the feet of the Brāhmaṇa.
त्यक्त्वा बंधुजनं सर्वं दासदासीगृहं तथा । सकलान्विषयान्रक्षो विषग्रासानिव स्फुटम्
Abandoning all her relatives and the house of servants and maids, she left behind all pleasures as one would cast off poison.
वपुश्च क्षणविध्वंसि पश्यंती निर्गता ह्यहम् । नरकार्णवसंपात दारुणांतर वह्निना
Seeing her body perishing in a moment, I departed, tormented by the dreadful inner fire of the ocean of hell.
हृदये कुणपव्याघ्र तदा तत्तप्यमानया । मया गत्वा कृतं स्नानं माघे मासि सितासिते
With a heart afflicted by the beast of a corpse, I went and bathed at the white and black fords in the month of Māgha.
तस्य स्नानस्य माहात्म्यं शृणु वृद्धनिशाचर । त्र्यहात्पापक्षयो जातः सप्तविंशतिभिर्दिनैः
Hear, O aged night-wanderer, the greatness of that bath: in three days, my sins were destroyed; in twenty-seven days—
शेषैर्मे यदभूत्पुण्यं तेन देवत्वमागता । रममाणा तु कैलासे गिरिजायाः प्रिया सखी
The merit that remained to me from that bath brought me divinity; I delighted on Kailāsa as the dear friend of Girijā.
जातिस्मरा तथा जाता प्रयागस्य प्रभावतः । स्मृत्वा प्रयागमाहात्म्यं माघे माघे व्रजाम्यहम्
By the power of Prayāga, I was born with memory of my past life; remembering the greatness of Prayāga, I go there every Māgha.
इति राक्षस यत्पृष्टं त्वया विस्मितचेतसा । तन्मया कथितं सर्वं चरितं प्रीतये तव
Thus, O Rākṣasa, all that you, amazed in mind, asked, I have told you in full, my story, for your delight.
मत्प्रीतये चरित्रं स्वं त्वं ब्रूहि मम राक्षस । कर्मणा केनजातोऽसि विरूपोऽतिभयंकरः
Now, for my delight, tell me your own story, O Rākṣasa: by what deed were you born so deformed and terribly frightening?
श्मश्रुलो दीर्घदंष्ट्रंश्च क्रव्यादो गिरिगह्वरे । राक्षस उवाच। इष्टं ददाति गृह्णाति गुह्यं वदति पृच्छति
With a beard, long fangs, a flesh-eater in the mountain caves— The Rākṣasa said: He gives what is desired, receives, speaks secrets, asks—
प्रीत्या हि सज्जनो भद्रे तच्च सर्वं त्वयि स्थितम् । त्वया संभावितो नूनं मन्येऽहं वामलोचने
Indeed, O gentle one, the virtuous rejoice, and all that is established in you; surely, O woman with beautiful eyes, you are honored by them, I believe.
भाविनी निष्कृतिः सद्यस्त्वयास्य क्रूरकर्मणः । अतो वक्ष्यामि ते भद्रे दुष्कृतं यत्स्वयंकृतम्
O auspicious one, you will promptly bring about the remedy for this cruel deed; therefore, I will tell you, O gentle lady, the wrongdoing I myself have committed.
निवेद्य सज्जने दुःखं ततः सर्वसुखी भवेत् । शृणु सुश्रोण्यहं काश्यां बह्वृचो वेदपारगः
By revealing one's sorrow to the virtuous, one then becomes entirely happy; listen, O woman with lovely hips, I am a master of the Rig Veda, learned in Vedic lore, from Kashi.
जातः पुरा द्विजः श्रेष्ठः कुले महति निर्मले । राज्ञां दुष्कृतिनां भीरु शूद्राणां च तथा विशाम्
Long ago, I was born as a foremost Brahmin in a great and pure lineage; O timid one, among sinful kings, Shudras, and also the people.
वाराणस्यां कृतो घोरो मया दुष्टप्रतिग्रहः । बहुधा बहुधा वारं निषिद्धः कुत्सितो बहु
In Varanasi, I accepted wicked gifts, a terrible act; though forbidden many times, I repeatedly took them, much reviled.
चांडालस्यापि न त्यक्तो मया दुष्टप्रतिग्रहः । अन्यच्च पातकं तत्र ममाभून्मूढचेतसः । तन्नास्ति दुष्कृतं कर्म मया यत्र न यत्कृतम्
I did not even refuse wicked gifts from a Chandala; and there, with a deluded mind, I committed other sins; there is no evil deed which I did not do.
अन्यच्च श्रूयतां दोषः क्षेत्रस्य वरवर्णिनि । अविमुक्तेऽणुमात्रं यत्तदघं मेरुतां व्रजेत् । न धर्मस्तु मया कश्चित्संचितस्तत्र जन्मनि
Hear also, O fair-complexioned one, another fault concerning the sacred field: in Avimukta, even the smallest sin becomes as weighty as Mount Meru; in that birth, I accumulated no merit at all.
ततो बहुतिथे काले मृतस्तत्रैव शोभने । अविमुक्तप्रभावेण न चाहं नरकं गतः
Then, after a long time, I died there itself, O lovely one; by the power of Avimukta, I did not go to hell.