लुब्धकेनापि पापेन केनाप्येकः शुकः शिशुः । बंधयित्वा समानीतो विक्रयार्थं समुद्यतः
By a greedy sinner, a young parrot was captured and brought, prepared for sale.
चाटुकांर सुरूपं तं पटुवाक्यं समीक्ष्य च । गृहीतो ब्राह्मणैकेन मम प्रीत्या समर्पितः
Seeing that charming, beautiful, and eloquent bird, a Brahmin took it and, out of affection, offered it to me.
ज्ञानध्यानस्थितो नित्यमहमेव द्विजोत्तम । समे बालस्वभावेन कौतुकात्करसंस्थितः
Always established in knowledge and meditation, O best of Brahmins, I, with the nature of a child, out of curiosity, kept it in my hand.
तस्य कौतुकवाक्यैर्वा मुग्धोऽहं द्विजसत्तम । शुकस्य पुत्ररूपस्य नित्यं तत्परमानसः
By its words of curiosity, I was captivated, O best of twice-born; my mind was always absorbed in that parrot, appearing as a son.
मामेवं वदते सोपि ताततातेति आस्यताम् । स्नातुं गच्छ महाभाग देवमर्चय सांप्रतम्
He would speak to me thus: 'Father, father, please sit; go bathe, O fortunate one, and worship the gods now.'
इत्यादिचाटुकैर्वाक्यैर्मामेवं परिभाषयेत् । तस्यवाक्यविनोदेन विस्मृतं ज्ञानमुत्तमम्
With such charming words, he would address me in this way; through the delight of his speech, my supreme knowledge was forgotten.
पुष्पार्थं फलभोगार्थं गतोहं वनमेव च । नीतः शुको बिडालेन मम दुःखस्य हेतवे
For the sake of flowers and enjoying fruits, I went to the forest; the parrot was taken by a cat, the cause of my sorrow.
मम संसर्गिभिः सर्वैर्वयस्यैः साधुचारिभिः । बिडालेन हतः पक्षी तेनैव भक्षितो हि सः
Among all my companions, who were virtuous in conduct, the bird was killed by the cat and was indeed eaten by it.
श्रुत्वा मृत्युं गतं विप्र शुकं तं चाटुकारकम् । महता दुःखभावेन असुखेनातिदुःखितः
Hearing that the parrot, the charming speaker, had died, O Brahmin, I was greatly afflicted with intense sorrow and unhappiness.
तस्य दुःखेन मुग्धोस्मि तीव्रेणापि सुपीडितः । महता मोहजालेन बद्धोऽहं द्विजपुंगव
By his sorrow I was bewildered, severely tormented; bound by a great net of delusion, O foremost of Brahmins.
प्रालपं रामचंद्रेति शुकराजेति पंडित । श्लोकराजेति तं विप्र मोहाच्चलितमानसः
I kept uttering 'Rama,' 'Shuka,' 'Scholar,' 'King of verses,' O Brahmin, my mind shaken by delusion.
ततोऽहं दुःखसंतप्तः संजातः स्वेनकर्मणा । वियोगेनापि विप्रेंद्र शुकस्य शृणु सांप्रतम्
Then, afflicted by sorrow, I was born by my own karma; also by separation, O chief of Brahmins, listen now about the parrot.
विस्मृतं तन्मया ज्ञानं सिद्धेनापि प्रकाशितम् । संस्मरञ्छोकसंतप्तस्तं शुकं चाटुकारकम्
That knowledge, revealed even by a perfected being, was forgotten by me; remembering that charming parrot, I was scorched by grief.
वत्सवत्सेति नित्यं वै प्रलपञ्छृणु भार्गव । गद्यपद्यमयैर्वाक्यैः संस्कृताक्षरसंयुतैः
Always uttering 'child, child,' listen, O Bhargava; with words composed in prose and verse, adorned with Sanskrit syllables.
त्वां विना कश्च मां वत्स बोधयिष्यति सांप्रतम् । कथाभिस्तु विचित्राभिः पक्षिराजप्रसाद्य माम्
Without you, my child, who would instruct me now, charming me with wondrous tales and winning me over by the favor of the king of birds?
अस्मिन्सुनिर्जनोद्याने विहाय क्व गतो भवान् । केन दोषेण लिप्तोस्मि तन्मे कथय सांप्रतम्
In this utterly deserted garden, where have you gone, leaving me behind? By what fault have I been tainted? Tell me this now.
एवंविधैरहं वाक्यैः करुणैस्तैस्तु मोहितः । एवमादि प्रलप्याहं शोकेनापि सुपीडितः
With such words, filled with sorrow, I was bewildered; speaking thus and more, I was overwhelmed by grief.
मृतोहं तेन मोहेन तद्भावेनापि मोहितः । मरणे यादृशो भावो मतिश्चासीच्च यादृशी
I died in that delusion, bewildered by that very state; and the disposition and thought I had at death—
तादृशेनापि भावेन जातोऽहं द्विजसत्तम । गर्भवासो मया प्राप्तो ज्ञानस्मृतिविधायकः
By that very disposition, O best of twice-born, I was reborn; I entered the womb, endowed with the faculty of knowledge and memory.
स्मृतं पूर्वकृतं कर्म स्वयमेव विचेष्टितम् । मया पापेन मूढेन किं कृतं ह्यकृतात्मना
I remembered the deeds I had done before, performed by my own misguided self; what sinful act did I commit, being so deluded and undisciplined?
गर्भयोगसमारूढः पुनस्तं चिंतयाम्यहम् । तेन मे निर्मलं ज्ञानं जातं वै सर्वदर्शकम्
Mounted upon the union of the womb, again I reflected on that; thereby pure knowledge arose in me, all-seeing indeed.
गुरोस्तस्य प्रसादाच्च प्राप्तं वै ज्ञानमुत्तमम् । तस्यवाक्योदकैः स्वच्छैः कायस्य मलमेव च
And by the grace of that teacher, supreme knowledge was attained; by the pure waters of his words, the impurity of my body was washed away.
सबाह्याभ्यंतरं विप्र क्षालितं निर्मलं कृतम् । तिर्यक्त्वं च मया प्राप्तं शुकजातिसमुद्भवम्
Both outwardly and inwardly, O Brahmin, I was cleansed and made pure; I attained the state of an animal, born in the lineage of parrots.
शुकस्य ध्यानभावेन मरणे समुपस्थिते । तस्मिन्काले मृतो विप्र तद्भावेनापि भावितः
By the meditative state of the parrot, when death approached, O Brahmin, I died at that time, my mind shaped by that very disposition.
तादृशोऽस्मि पुनर्जातः शुकरूपो महीतले । मरणे यादृशो भावः प्राणिनां परिजायते
Thus I was reborn on earth in the form of a parrot; whatever state of mind arises in beings at death—
तादृशाः स्युस्तु सत्वास्ते तद्रूपास्तत्परायणाः । तद्गुणास्तत्स्वरूपास्ते भावभूता भवंति हि
Such are the beings that come to be, of that very form and devoted to that; they possess those qualities, that very nature, becoming embodiments of that state.
मृत्यकालस्य विप्रेंद्र भावेनापि न संशयः । अतुलं प्राप्तवाञ्ज्ञानमहमत्र महामते
At the time of death, O foremost of Brahmins, there is no doubt that by such a disposition, I attained incomparable knowledge here, O wise one.
तेन सर्वं विपश्यामि यद्भूतं यद्भविष्यति । वर्तमानं महाप्राज्ञ ज्ञानेनापि महामते
By that, I see all—what has been, what will be, and what is present, O great sage, by knowledge, O wise one.
सर्वं विदाम्यहं ह्यत्र संस्थितोपि न संशयः । तारणाय मनुष्याणां संसारे परिवर्तताम्
I know everything here, without doubt, even while remaining thus; for the deliverance of humans revolving in saṃsāra.
नास्ति तीर्थं गुरुसमं बंधच्छेदकरं द्विज । एतत्ते सर्वमाख्यातं शृणु भार्गवनंदन
There is no holy place equal to the teacher, O Brahmin, who severs the bonds; all this has been told to you—listen, O delight of the Bhṛgu lineage.