कोटिभिः सप्तसंख्यातैः पूजयस्व महेश्वरम् । तदर्थं पूजयाम्येव ईश्वरं फलदायकम्
‘Worship Maheśvara with seven crores of such flowers; for that purpose, I worship the Lord, the bestower of fruits.’
कामोदसंभवैः पुष्पैर्दुर्लभैर्देवदानवैः । श्रीदेव्युवाच- क्व ते भावः क्व ते ध्यानं क्व ते ज्ञानं दुरात्मनः
‘With flowers born of the joy of desire, difficult for gods and demons to obtain—’ Śrīdevī said: ‘Where is your devotion, where is your meditation, where is your knowledge, O wicked one?’
ईश्वरस्यापि संबंधो नास्ति किंचित्त्वयैव हि । कामोदाया वरं रूपं कीदृशं वद सांप्रतम्
‘You have no connection at all with the Lord; tell me now, what is the form of the boon of desire?’
क्व लब्धानि सुपुष्पाणि तस्या हास्योद्भवानि च । विहुंड उवाच- भावं ध्यानं न जानामि न दृष्टा सा मया कदा
‘Where did you obtain those excellent flowers, and the laughter-born ones of hers?’ Vihuṇḍa said: ‘I do not know devotion or meditation; I have never seen her.’
गंगातोयगतान्येव परिगृह्णामि नित्यशः । तैरहं पूजयाम्येकं शंकरं प्रवदाम्यहम्
I always take only those flowers that have touched the waters of the Ganges; with them, I worship the one Śaṅkara and recite his praises.
ममाग्रे कथितं विप्र शुक्रेणापि महात्मना । वचनात्तस्य देवेशमर्चयामि दिनदिने
O brāhmaṇa, even the great soul Śukra told me before, in my presence, and by his words I worship the Lord of gods every day.
एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं यच्च पृष्टोस्मि सांप्रतम् । श्रीदेव्युवाच- कामोदारोदनाज्जातैः पुष्पैस्तैर्दुःखसंभवैः
All this I have told you, as you have just now asked me. Śrī Devī said: With those flowers born from the Kāmodāra tree, which arise from suffering—
लिंगमर्चयसे दुष्ट प्रभाते नित्यमेव च । यादृशेनापि भावेन पुष्पैश्च यादृशैस्त्वया
You worship the liṅga, O wicked one, every morning, and always with whatever feeling and with whatever flowers you have.
अर्चितो देवदेवेशस्तादृशं फलमाप्नुहि । दिव्यपूजां विनाश्यैवं शोकपुष्पैः प्रपूजसि
As you have worshipped the Lord of gods, so shall you obtain the corresponding result. Thus, neglecting divine worship, you honor him with flowers of sorrow.
असौ दोषस्तवैवाद्य समुत्पन्नः सुदारुणः । तस्माद्दण्डं प्रदास्यामि भुंक्ष्व स्वकर्मजं फलम्
This terrible fault has arisen in you today; therefore, I shall give you punishment—enjoy the fruit born of your own actions.
तस्या वाक्यं समाकर्ण्य कालकृष्टो बभाष ताम् । रे रे दुष्ट दुराचार मम कर्मप्रदूषक
Hearing her words, Kālakṛṣṭa spoke to her: 'Hey, you wicked, evil-doer, corrupter of my deeds—'
हन्मि त्वामिह खड्गेन अनेनापि न संशयः । इत्युक्त्वा ब्राह्मणं तं स निशितं खड्गमाददे
'I will kill you here with this sword—there is no doubt.' Saying this, he took up the sharp sword to slay that brāhmaṇa.
हंतुकामः स दुष्टात्मा अभ्यधावत दानवः । सा देवी विप्ररूपेण संक्रुद्धा परमेश्वरी
Desiring to kill, that evil-minded Dānava rushed forward; but that goddess, Parameśvarī, enraged and in the form of a brāhmaṇa—
हन्मि त्वामिह खड्गेन अनेनापि न संशयः । स्वस्थानमागतं दृष्ट्वा हुंकारं विससर्ज ह । तेन हुंकारनादेन पतितो दानवाधमः
'I will kill you here with this sword—there is no doubt.' Seeing him come to his own place, she uttered a roar; by the sound of that roar, the vile Dānava fell.
निश्चेष्टः कामरूपेण वज्राहत इवाचलः । पतिते दानवे तस्मिन्सर्वलोकविनाशके
Motionless in his desired form, like a mountain struck by a thunderbolt, he lay fallen—the Dānava who threatened all the worlds.
लोकाः स्वास्थ्यं गताः सर्वे दुःखतापविवर्जिताः । एतस्मात्कारणाद्वत्स सा स्त्री वै परिदेवति
With the fall of that Dānava, destroyer of all worlds, all beings became peaceful, free from sorrow and pain. For this reason, dear one, that woman laments—
गंगातीरे वरारोहा दुःखव्याकुलमानसा । एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं यत्त्वया परिपृच्छितम्
On the bank of the Ganges, that beautiful woman, her mind overwhelmed by grief. All this I have told you, as you have asked.
विष्णुरुवाच- एवमुक्त्वा सुपुत्रं तं कुंजलो अंडजेश्वरः । विरराम महाप्राज्ञः किञ्चिन्नोवाच भूपते
Viṣṇu said: Having thus spoken, Kuñjala, lord of birds, wise and learned, ceased and said nothing more, O king.
इति श्रीपद्मपुराणे भूमिखंडे वेनोपाख्याने गुरुतीर्थमाहात्म्ये च्यवनचरित्रे कामोदाख्याने एकविंशत्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the one hundred and twenty-first chapter, called the story of Kāmoda, in the account of Cyavana, in the greatness of Gurutīrtha, in the tale of Vena, in the Bhūmikhaṇḍa of the glorious Padma Purāṇa.
विष्णुरुवाच- कुंजलो धर्मपक्षी स इत्युक्त्वा तान्सुतान्प्रति । विरराम महाप्राज्ञः किंचिन्नोवाच तान्प्रति
Viṣṇu said: Having said thus, Kuñjala, who is on the side of dharma, ceased speaking to his sons, the wise one said nothing more to them.
वटाधःस्थो द्विजश्रेष्ठस्तमुवाच महाशुकम् । को भवान्धर्मवक्ता हि पक्षिरूपेण वर्तते
Beneath the banyan tree, the best of brāhmaṇas spoke to Mahāśuka: 'Who are you, speaker of dharma, dwelling in the form of a bird?'
किं वा देवोऽथ गंधर्वः किं वा विद्याधरो भवान् । कस्य शापादिमां प्राप्तो योनिं कीरस्य पातकीम्
'Are you a god, or a gandharva, or perhaps a vidyādhara? By whose curse have you obtained this sinful birth as a parrot?'
कस्मात्ते ईदृशं ज्ञानं वर्ततेऽतीद्रियं शुक । सुपुण्यस्य तु कस्यापि कस्य वै तपसः फलम्
Why do you possess such extraordinary knowledge, O Śuka, beyond the senses? Whose great merit or austerity has yielded this fruit?
किं वा च्छन्नेन रूपेण अनेनापि महामते । कस्त्वं सिद्धोऽसि देवो वा तन्मे कथय कारणम्
What is the purpose of this concealed form, O wise one? Who are you—are you perfected, or a deity? Tell me the reason for this.
कुंजल उवाच- भोः सिद्ध त्वामहं जाने कुलं ते गोत्रमुत्तमम् । विद्यां तपःप्रभावं च यस्माद्भ्रमसि मेदिनीम्
Kuñjala said: O perfected one, I know you; your lineage and noble ancestry, your knowledge and the power of your austerity, by which you wander the earth.
सर्वं विप्र प्रवक्ष्यामि स्वागतं तव सुव्रत । उपविश्यासने पुण्ये छायामाश्रयशीतलाम्
I will tell you everything, O virtuous brāhmaṇa; welcome to you. Sit upon this auspicious seat and rest in the cool shade.
अव्यक्तप्रभवो ब्रह्मा तस्माज्जज्ञे प्रजापतिः । ब्राह्मणस्तु गुणैर्युक्तो भृगुर्ब्रह्मसमो द्विजः
Brahmā, whose origin is unmanifest, was born, and from him came Prajāpati. The brāhmaṇa endowed with virtues is Bhṛgu, equal to Brahmā, O twice-born.
भार्गवो नाम तस्यासीत्सर्वधर्मार्थतत्ववित् । तस्यान्वये भवान्विप्र च्यवनः ख्यातिमान्भुवि
His descendant was named Bhārgava, knower of all dharma and truth. In his lineage, you are known, O brāhmaṇa, as Cyavana, famed upon the earth.
नाहं देवो न गंधर्वो नाहं विद्याधरः पुनः । योहं विप्र प्रवक्ष्यामि तन्मे निगदतः शृणु
I am not a god, nor a gandharva, nor again a vidyādhara. I will tell you who I am, O brāhmaṇa; listen as I speak.
कश्यपस्य कुले जातः कश्चिद्ब्राह्मणसत्तमः । वेदवेदांगतत्त्वज्ञः सर्वकर्मप्रकाशकः
Born in the lineage of Kaśyapa, a certain foremost brāhmaṇa, expert in the Vedas and their branches, illuminating all actions.