तामुवाच विशालाक्षीं प्रहस्यैव पुनः पुनः । अद्यैव भक्षितं मांसमायुपुत्रस्य सुंदरि
He spoke again and again, laughing, to the wide-eyed one: 'Today the meat of Ayu's son has been eaten, O beautiful one.'
जातमात्रस्य बालस्य नहुषस्य दुरात्मनः । एवमाकर्ण्य सा वाक्यं कोपं चक्रे सुदारुणम्
Of the newborn child, Nahusha, of evil mind. Hearing these words, she became fiercely angry.
प्रोवाच सत्यसंस्था सा तपसा भाविता पुनः । तप एव मया तप्तं मनसा नियमेन वै । आयुसुतश्चिरायुश्च सत्येनैव भविष्यति
Firm in truth, purified by austerity, she spoke again: 'I have performed austerity with my mind and discipline; Ayu's son will have long life by truth alone.'
इतो गच्छ दुराचार यदि जीवितुमिच्छसि । अन्यथा त्वामहं शप्स्ये पुनरेव न संशयः
Go from here, wicked one, if you wish to live; otherwise, I will curse you again—there is no doubt.
एवमाकर्णितं तस्याः सूदेन नृपतिं प्रति । परित्यज्य महाराज एतामन्यां समाश्रय
Having heard this from her, the cook said to the king: 'Abandon her, O great king, and seek another.'
सूदेन प्रेषितो दैत्यः स हुंडः पापचेतनः । निर्जगाम त्वरायुक्तः स स्वां भार्यां प्रियां प्रति
Sent by the cook, the demon Hunda, of evil mind, departed quickly toward his beloved wife.
चेष्टितं नैव जानाति दास्या सूदेन यत्कृतम् । तस्यै निवेदितं सर्वं प्रियायै वृत्तमेव च
The maid does not know what has been done by the cook; everything is reported to her, including the conduct towards the beloved.
सूत उवाच- अशोकसुंदरी सा च महता तपसा किल । दुःखशोकेन संतप्ता कृशीभूता तपस्विनी
The charioteer said: That Ashoka-sundari, indeed, through great austerity, afflicted by sorrow and grief, became emaciated, a woman devoted to penance.
चिंतयंती प्रियं कांतं तं ध्यायति पुनः पुनः । किं न कुर्वंति वै दैत्या उपायैर्विविधैरपि
Thinking of her beloved, she meditates on him again and again; what do not the demons attempt, by various means?
उपायज्ञाः सदा बुद्ध्या उद्यमेनापि सर्वदा । वर्तंते दनुजश्रेष्ठा नानाभावैश्च सर्वदा
Always skilled in strategies, with intelligence and effort, the foremost of the Danavas act in diverse ways at all times.
मायोपायेन योगेन हृताहं पापिना पुरा । तथा स घातितः पुत्र आयोश्चैव भविष्यति
By means of illusion and yoga, I was once abducted by the wicked one; likewise, her son was killed, and the same will happen to Ayu.
यं दृष्ट्वा दैवयोगेन भवितारमनामयम् । उद्यमेनापि पश्येत किं वा नश्यति वा न वा
Seeing him, through divine destiny, as the one who will be unharmed, even with effort one may see whether he perishes or not.
किं वा स उद्यमः श्रेष्ठः किं वा तत्कर्मजं फलम् । भाविभावः कथं नश्येत्ततो वेदः प्रतिष्ठति
Is effort supreme, or is the fruit born of action? How can the destined outcome be destroyed? Thus the Veda stands firm.
विशेषो भावितो देवैः स कथं चान्यथा भवेत् । एवमेवं महाभागा चिंतयंती पुनः पुनः
A special destiny has been established by the gods; how then could it be otherwise? Thus, O noble lady, she keeps pondering again and again.
किन्नरो विद्वरो नाम बृहद्वंशोमहातनुः । सनाभ्योर्धनरः कायः पक्षाभ्यां हि विवर्जितः
There was a Kinnara named Vidvara, of great lineage and mighty form; his body was human from the navel, lacking wings.
द्विभुजो वंशहस्तस्तु हारकंकणशोभितः । दिव्यगंधानुलिप्तांगो भार्यया सह चागतः
He had two arms, held a bamboo staff, adorned with necklace and bracelets; his body was smeared with divine fragrance, and he arrived with his wife.
तामुवाच निरानंदां स सुतां शंकरस्यहि । किमर्थं चिंतसे देवि विद्वरं विद्धि चागतम्
He spoke to her, the joyless daughter of Shankara: 'Why do you worry, O goddess? Know that Vidvara has arrived.'
किन्नरं विष्णुभक्तं मां प्रेषितं देवसत्तमैः । दुःखमेवं न कर्तव्यं भवत्या नहुषं प्रति
'I am the Kinnara, a devotee of Vishnu, sent by the best of the gods; you should not grieve so regarding Nahusha.'
हुंडेन पापचारेण वधार्थं तस्य धीमतः । कृतमेवाखिलं कर्म हृतश्चायुसुतः शुभे
By wicked conduct and deceit, for the purpose of killing that wise one, all actions have been performed, and Ayu, the son, has been taken, O auspicious one.
स तु वै रक्षितो देवैरुपायैर्विविधैरपि । हुंड एवं विजानाति आयुपुत्रो हृतो मया
But he was protected by the gods through various means; Huṇḍa thus knows that Ayu's son was taken by me.
भक्षितस्तु विशालाक्षि इति जानाति वै शुभे । भवतां श्रावयित्वा हि गतोसौ दानवोऽधमः
'He has been devoured, O wide-eyed one,' so he believes, O auspicious lady; after informing you all, that vile demon departed.
स्वेनकर्मविपाकेन पुण्यस्यापि महायशाः । पूर्वजन्मार्जितेनैव तव भर्त्ता स जीवति
By the ripening of his own actions, even of merit, the illustrious one, your husband, lives due to what was earned in a previous birth.
पुण्यस्यापि बलेनैव येषामायुर्विनिर्मितम् । स्वर्जितस्य महाभागे नाशमिच्छंति घातकाः
By the strength of merit alone, for those whose lifespan is established, O noble lady, the destroyers do not wish for the destruction of what is self-earned.
दुष्टात्मानो महापापाः परतेजोविदूषकाः । तेषां यशोविनाशार्थं प्रपंचंति दिने दिने
The evil-minded, greatly sinful, violators of others' power, day by day they strive for the destruction of their fame.
नानाविधैरुपायैस्ते विषशस्त्रादिभिस्ततः । हंतुमिच्छंति तं पुण्यं पुण्यकर्माभिरक्षितम्
With various means, such as poison and weapons, they seek to kill that virtuous one, who is protected by his meritorious deeds.
पापिनश्चैव हुंडाद्या मोहनस्तंभनादिभिः । पीडयंति महापापा नानाभेदैर्बलाविलैः
Indeed, sinners like sorcerers and the like, with enchantments, immobilizations, and other such acts, torment the greatly sinful by various kinds of force and deceit.
सुकृतस्य प्रयोगेण पूर्वजन्मार्जितेन हि । पुण्यस्यापि महाभागे पुण्यवंतं सुरक्षितम्
By the application of good deeds acquired in previous births, O noble lady, even great merit protects the virtuous one.
वैफल्यं यांति तेषां वै उपायाः पापिनां शुभे । यंत्रतंत्राणि मंत्राश्च शस्त्राग्निविषबंधनाः
Therefore, the methods of sinners—devices, spells, weapons, fire, poison, and bindings—prove fruitless against the virtuous.
रक्षयंति महात्मानं देवपुण्यैः सुरक्षितम् । कर्तारो भस्मतां यांति स वै तिष्ठति पुण्यभाक्
The great-souled one, protected by divine merit, is safeguarded, while those who attempt harm are reduced to ashes; he who partakes of merit remains unharmed.
आयुपुत्रस्य वीरस्य रक्षका देवताः शुभे । पुण्यस्य संचयं सर्वे तपसां निधिमेव तु
O noble one, the guardian deities protect the life and son of the heroic man, just as all treasures of penance preserve the accumulation of merit.