कन्या ऊचुः-। इंद्रजालं स्फुटं वेत्ति मायां जानाति वा पुनः । दृष्टोऽप्यदृष्टरूपोभूदित्यूचुस्ताः परस्परम्
The maidens said: 'He clearly knows magic and understands illusion; though seen, he became invisible in form—so they spoke among themselves.'
व्याप्तं च हृदयं तासां तदैव विरहाग्निना । ज्वलद्दावानलेनेव सुस्निग्धं सर्वकाननम्
At that very moment, their hearts were consumed by the fire of separation, just as a lush forest is set ablaze by a raging wildfire.
त्यजेंद्रजालिकां विद्यां कांत दर्शय सत्वरम् । आत्मानं न हि ते युक्तं प्राग्ग्रासे मक्षिकोपमम्
Abandon your magical arts, beloved, and show yourself quickly; it is not fitting for you to vanish like a fly before our eyes.
हा कष्टं दर्शितः कस्माद्धात्रा त्वं घटितः कुतः । ज्ञातं महानुसंतापहेतुर्नः स्वं विनिर्मितः
Alas, how painful! Why were you shown to us? By whom were you brought here? We now know you were created only to be the cause of our great sorrow.
कच्चित्ते निर्दयं चेतः कच्चिदस्मासु नो मतिः । कच्चित्क्रूरोऽसि हे कांत कच्चिन्मुष्णासि नो मनः
Is your heart truly merciless? Do you have no thought for us? Are you cruel, beloved? Have you stolen our minds?
कच्चिन्न प्रत्ययोस्मा सु कच्चिदस्मान्परीक्षसे । कच्चिन्निर्ममता शीलः कच्चिन्मायाविशारदः
Have you not come to meet us? Are you testing us? Is your nature devoid of affection? Are you an expert in deception?
कच्चिच्चित्ते प्रवेष्टुं च वेत्सि विज्ञानलाघवम् । कच्चिन्निष्क्रमणोपायं न जानासि कुतः पुनः
Do you know how to enter the mind, understanding the subtlety of knowledge? Or do you not know the way to depart—how is it so?
कच्चिद्विनापराधं तु किमस्मासु प्रकुप्यसे । कच्चिद्दुःखं न जानासि परेषां विप्रलंभनम्
Do you become angry with us without cause? Do you not know the pain of others who are separated and deceived?
त्वद्दर्शनं विना नष्टा हृदयेश्वर सांप्रतम् । न जीवामोऽथ जीवामः पुनस्त्वद्दर्शनाशया
O lord of our hearts, now we are lost without seeing you; we do not live, yet we live on in hope of seeing you again.
वयं च नीयतां तत्र शीघ्रं यत्र गतो भवान् । त्वद्दर्शनहरो धाता व्यधान्मोदांकुरच्छिदाम्
Let us be taken quickly to wherever you have gone; the creator who deprived us of your sight has destroyed the sprouts of our joy.
सर्वथा दर्शनं देहि कारुण्यं भज सर्वथा । पर्य्यंतं न प्रपश्यंति कस्य चित्सुजना जनाः
By all means, grant us your sight; show compassion in every way. Good people never see the end of longing for anyone.
इत्थं विलप्यताः कन्याः प्रतीक्ष्य च बहुक्षणम् । पितुर्भयाद्गृहं गंतुं शीघ्रमारेभिरे ततः
Thus lamenting, the maidens, after waiting a long time, out of fear of their father, quickly set out to return home.
तत्प्रेमनिगडैर्बद्धा भृशं विरहविक्लवाः । कथंचिद्धैर्यमालंब्य ताः स्वंस्वं गृहमागताः
Bound tightly by the chains of love and distressed by separation, somehow regaining their composure, they each returned to their own homes.
आगत्य पतिताः सर्वा मातॄणां तु समीपतः । किमेतन्मातृभिः पृष्टाः कुतः कालात्ययोऽभवत्
Arriving, they all fell before their mothers; when asked by their mothers, 'What is this? Why have you come so late?'
क्रीडंत्यः किन्नरीभिस्तु सार्द्धं संगतकं यदा । संस्थितास्तेन न ज्ञातो दिवसोऽच्छोदसरोवरे
While playing with the Kinnari maidens, we did not notice the day passing by at the clear lake because we were absorbed with him.
पथि श्रांता वयं मातः संतापस्तेन नस्तनौ । मोहेन महता वक्तुं न केनाप्युत्सहामहे
Mother, we are weary from the journey; that encounter has exhausted us. Because of great bewilderment, none of us are able to speak.
इत्युक्त्वा लुठितास्तत्र मणिभूमौ कुमारिकाः । आकारं गोपयंत्यस्ता मुग्धा जल्पंति मातृभिः
Saying this, the maidens collapsed there on the jeweled floor, concealing their feelings, innocently conversing with their mothers.
काचिन्नर्तयति क्रीडामयूरं न मुदा तदा । न पाठयति तं कीरं पंजरेऽन्या कुतूहलात्
One does not make the peacock of play dance with joy, nor does another eagerly make the parrot in the cage recite its words.
लालयेन्नकुलं नान्या नोल्लापयति सारिकाम् । अपरातीव संमुग्धा नैव खेलति सारसैः
She no longer fondles the mongoose, nor does she coax the mynah bird; as if bewildered by some offense, she does not play with the cranes.
भेजिरे न विनोदं ता रेमिरे नैव मंदिरे । ऊचिरे बांधवैर्नालं वीणावाद्यं न चक्रिरे
They found no delight, nor did they take pleasure in the temple; they told their companions, 'enough,' and did not play the lute.
कल्पद्रुमप्रसूनं यत्सर्वं तच्चानलोपमम् । मंदारकुसुमामोदि न पपुर्मधुरं मधु
All the flowers of the wish-fulfilling tree seemed like fire; though the mandāra flowers were fragrant, they did not drink the sweet honey.
योगिन्य इव ताः कन्या नासाग्रन्यस्तलोचनाः । अलक्ष्यध्यानसंतानाः पुरुषोत्तममानसाः
Those maidens, like yoginis, kept their gaze fixed at the tip of their noses; their stream of meditation was unperceived, their minds set on the Supreme Person.
चंद्रकांतमणिच्छन्ने स्रवद्वारिणि कंदरे । क्षणं वातायने स्थित्वा जलयंत्रगृहेक्षणम्
In a cave veiled by moonstone, where water trickled down, they stood for a moment at the window, gazing at the waterworks.
रचयंति क्षणं शय्यां दीर्घिकां भोजिनीदलैः । वीज्यमानाः सखीभिस्ताः शीतलैर्नलिनीदलैः
For a moment they arranged their beds with leaves from the dining lotus pond, while their friends fanned them with cool lotus leaves.
इत्थं युगसमां रात्रिमनयंस्ता वरस्त्रियः । कथंचिद्धारणं कृत्वा विह्वलाः सज्वरा इव
Thus, those noble women passed the night, which seemed as long as an age, somehow maintaining their composure, as if feverish and distraught.
प्रातर्व्योममणिं दृष्ट्वा मन्यमानाः स्वजीवितम् । विज्ञाप्य मातरं स्वांस्वां गौरीं पूजयितुं गताः
At dawn, seeing the celestial gem in the sky, thinking of their own lives, they informed their mothers and went to worship Gaurī.
स्नात्वा तेन विधानेन पुष्पैर्धूपैस्तथा पुनः । विधाय पूजनं देव्या गायंत्यस्तत्र ताः स्थिताः
Having bathed according to the prescribed rite, with flowers and incense as before, they performed the worship of the goddess and stood there singing.
एतस्मिन्नंतरे विप्रः स्नातुं सोऽपि समागतः । पितुराश्रमतस्तस्मादच्छोदेऽत्र सरोवरे
Meanwhile, the brahmin also arrived there to bathe, having come from his father's hermitage to this pure lake.
मित्रं दृष्ट्वैव रात्र्यंते पद्मिन्य इव कन्यकाः । तत्फुल्लनयना जातास्तं दृष्ट्वा ब्रह्मचारिणम्
Seeing their friend at the end of the night, the maidens became like lotuses with blooming eyes, beholding the celibate youth.
गत्वा तत्रैव ताः कन्या समीपं ब्रह्मचारिणः । सव्यापसव्यबंधेन भुजपाशं च चक्रिरे
The maidens went right up to the celibate youth and, with their arms, encircled him from both sides.