तस्य गीतिध्वनिं श्रुत्वा मूर्छनातानसंयुतम् । त्वक्त्वा स्वगृहकार्याणि तमीयुः पौरयोषितः
Hearing the sound of his singing, adorned with notes and melodies, the city’s women abandoned their household duties and came to him.
मोहितास्तस्य रूपेण कामवेगं न सेहिरे । जाता स्खलितवीर्यास्ता गीतं श्रुत्वा समक्षतः
Enchanted by his appearance, they could not withstand the surge of desire; upon hearing his song in person, they lost control of themselves.
ब्रह्मणो मानसं येन लोभितं भारतीं प्रति । शिवस्यार्द्धशरीरं च पार्वत्यै येन दापितम्
He was the one who tempted Brahmā’s mind toward Sarasvatī, and who caused Śiva to give half his body to Pārvatī.
ताभ्यामन्यो जनो लोके वशी वा ज्ञानवानपि । यः स्मरं तं क्षमो जेतुं स्त्रियः प्रकृतिचंचलाः
Except for those two, no one else in the world—no matter how self-controlled or wise—can conquer Kāmadeva; women by nature are fickle.
ताः स्मरावेशमासोढुं न साध्योपि विषेहिरे । वक्तव्यमिति किं राजन्लोके कामो हि दुर्जयः
Even those women could not endure the onslaught of desire, though they tried; what more can be said, O king? For in this world, Kāmadeva is truly hard to overcome.
अथ तास्तत्र तत्रेयुर्यत्र यत्र व्रजत्यसौ । प्रगायन्कंठवीणाभ्यां प्रगायन्स्वरमोहितः
Then, wherever he went, singing and playing the vīṇā with his enchanting voice, they followed him there.
तासां पतिसुतभ्रातृपितरोऽथ नराधिप । आगत्य भर्त्सयित्वा ता निन्युः स्वान्स्वान्गृहान्प्रति
Their husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers, O king, came and rebuked them, then led each woman back to her own home.
तमन्विष्य पुनस्तास्तु जग्मुः सर्वास्तदंतिके । यदा तदा पौरजना वृत्तं तत्प्राहुरीश्वरे
But after searching for him, all those women again went to him; whenever this happened, the townspeople reported it to the king.
राजापि तं समाहूय पप्रच्छ रहसि द्विजम् । केन मंत्रेण भो विप्र मोहितास्ताः पुरस्त्रियः
The king summoned that brāhmaṇa in private and asked: 'O brāhmaṇa, by what mantra have you enchanted the women of the city?'
तन्ममाचक्ष्व विप्रेंद्र दास्यामि बहु ते धनम् । नोचेन्निष्कासयामि त्वां निजराज्यान्न संशयः
'Tell me this, best of brāhmaṇas, and I will give you much wealth; otherwise, without doubt, I will expel you from my kingdom.'
नारद उवाच- श्रुत्वेति नृपतेर्वाक्यं नृपतिं स द्विजोत्तमः । उवाच सत्यं तस्याग्रे वचोरूपगुणार्णवः
Nārada said: Hearing the king’s words, that foremost brāhmaṇa, an ocean of eloquence and virtue, spoke the truth before the king.
द्विज उवाच- न मंत्रं नौषधं राजन्विद्यते मयि भिक्षुके । किंतु ते नगरे सर्वा योषितो ह्यजितेंद्रियाः
The brāhmaṇa said: 'O king, I am a beggar and possess neither mantra nor medicine; but in your city, all the women are without self-control.'
रूपं मम समालोक्य श्रुत्वा गीतध्वनिं तथा । स्मरवेगं सहंते न राजंस्तव पुरे स्त्रियः
O King, seeing my form and hearing the sound of my singing, the women in your city cannot endure the surge of passion.
किं करोमि महाराज कोऽपराधोस्ति मे विभो । पुराकृतमिवोल्लंघ्यं शासनं न महीपते
What am I to do, great King? What fault is mine, O Lord? I have not transgressed any command previously established, O ruler of the earth.
नारद उवाच- उशीनरशीबे राजन्नेवं कथयति द्विजे । सर्वे पौराः समेत्याथ प्रावदन्निति भूपतिम्
Nārada said: O King of the Uśīnaras, as he thus spoke to the king, all the citizens gathered together and addressed the king as follows.
पौरा ऊचुः - राजन्ननेन विप्रेण मोहिताः पौरयोषितः । गृहेषु न हि तिष्ठंति ह्यस्माभिरनिवारिताः
The citizens said: O King, by this brāhmaṇa our city’s women have been enchanted; they no longer remain in their homes, nor can we restrain them.
यद्ययं मोहनः स्त्रीणां नगरे वत्स्यति प्रभो । तदा देशांतराण्येव यास्यामो वयमद्य वै । गतोऽस्माकं वृषो देवो हव्यकव्यक्रियात्मकः
If this enchanter of women stays in the city, O Lord, then today we will go to other lands; our divine bull, the source of sacrificial rites, has departed from us.
तमनुप्रस्थितात्क्षेत्राद्गौरियं पापिनामिव । विना तं शरणं यातं त्यक्तश्रीभिर्नरेश्वर
Just as the goddess Gaurī departs from the field of the wicked, so too, without him as refuge, those bereft of prosperity have left, O King.
अथैनमनुयास्यंति वासिताभिर्वृषं यथा । शून्यालये कथं लक्ष्मीर्यत्नतोप्यवतिष्ठति
Then, as cows follow their bull, the women, made fragrant, will follow him; how can prosperity remain in an empty house, however much one tries?
धर्मोऽर्थश्च गृहं चैतत् त्रयं स्त्रीवशगं यतः । कांताधर्म धनाधीना तयोर्नाशे न तिष्ठति
Dharma, wealth, and the household—these three are under the power of women; since dharma and wealth depend on the beloved, when they are lost, nothing remains.
नारद उवाच- एवं वदत्सु पौरेषु स्त्रियस्तेषां समागताः । राजांतिक उपाविष्टा इत्यूचुस्ताः परस्परम्
Nārada said: As the citizens spoke thus, their women gathered together, sat before the king, and spoke among themselves.
पौरस्त्रिय ऊचुः । कामं वामाकृतिं विप्रमेनं प्राप्यमनांसि नः । उल्लसंति दिवाधीशं कमलानीव वारिणि
The city women said: O Lord of the day, upon seeing this brāhmaṇa of beautiful form, our minds blossom like lotuses in water.
संकुचंति विना तेन कुमुदानि यथेंदुना । आगच्छंतमिलित्वैनंधारयामोनृपाग्रतः
Without him, our hearts shrink like lotuses without the moon; let us go together and seize him before the king.
अवध्योऽयं वयं चास्य किं करिष्यति भूपतिः । नारद उवाच- इत्युक्त्वा तास्त्वरावत्यो जगृहुस्तं द्विजोत्तमम्
He cannot be harmed, nor can we; what will the king do? Nārada said: Having spoken thus, those eager women seized that best of brāhmaṇas.
पश्यतां निजभर्तॄणां राज्ञश्चैव पुरस्तदा । ऊचुश्चैनं मनोनाथ गृहानागच्छ हृच्छयम्
In the sight of their own husbands and before the king, they said to him: 'O lord of our hearts, come to our homes and relieve our longing.'
शमयाशु विनाद्यत्वां स्थातुं नैव च शक्नुमः । इत्याकर्ण्य वचस्तासां स विप्रः प्रत्युवाच ह
'Satisfy us quickly, for without you we cannot remain.' Hearing these words, that brāhmaṇa replied to them.
विप्र उवाच- भवतीनामहं पुत्रो भवत्यो मातरो मम । गृहान्किमर्थमुत्सृज्य भवत्यः पर्यटंति हि
The brāhmaṇa said: I am a son to you all, and you are mothers to me; why do you abandon your homes and wander about?
आराधयत नाथान्स्वान्यतो लोकद्वयं ध्रुवम् । आराधितेषु पतिषु विष्णुः सर्वसुरेश्वरः
Worship your own husbands, for thus both worlds are surely attained; when husbands are worshipped, Viṣṇu, lord of all gods, is pleased.
प्रसन्नो भवति त्वत्र प्रसन्ने किमु दुर्लभम् । या स्त्री स्वपतिमुत्सृज्य सेवतेऽन्यसुखेच्छया
When he is pleased, what is unattainable here? But a woman who abandons her husband and seeks the pleasure of another—
सापवादमवाप्नोति याति घोरां च दुर्गतिम् । उषित्वा तत्र कल्पांते यावत्सा पतिवंचना
She incurs blame and goes to a terrible fate; as long as she deceives her husband, she dwells there until the end of the age.