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.
पुनस्तस्माद्विनिर्गत्य स्थावरत्वं प्रपद्यते । तस्मादपि पशुत्वं सा लभते बहुजन्मसु
Then, departing from there, she attains the state of immobile life; from that too, after many births, she obtains the condition of an animal.
ततो मुक्ता मनुष्यत्वे व्यंगा भवति तत्र सा । एवं पापगतिं ज्ञात्वा निवर्तध्वमतो जनात्
Afterwards, released from that, she becomes deformed in human birth; knowing thus the course of sin, turn back from it, people.
नो वा यास्यथ देहांते नरकं भृशदारुणम् । यदिच्छंति भवंत्यो मे सुखं तन्नेह लप्स्यथ । पापमेव हि युष्माकं यतोधःपतनं नृणाम्
Otherwise, at the end of your bodies, you will go to a most terrible hell; if you wish for happiness from me, you will not obtain it here. Indeed, your only result is sin, which is the downfall of people.
नारद उवाच- श्रुत्वैवं वचनं तस्य दृष्ट्वा भर्तृसुखानि च । लज्जयानम्र मुख्यस्ता लतावातहता इव
Nārada said: Hearing these words of his and seeing the happiness of their husbands, the chief women bowed their heads in shame, like creepers struck by the wind.
तासां तु पुरनारीणां स्मराग्निर्भृशदारुणः । शशाम तस्य शीतेन बटोर्वचनवारिणा
But the fierce fire of passion in those former women was extinguished by the cool water of the sage's words.
उत्थाय चेलुः सर्वास्ता विनिंदंत्य इति स्मरम् । ब्रह्मशक्रादिदेवानामपि मोहकरं नृप
All of them rose up, condemning the god of love, whose power bewilders even Brahmā, Indra, and other gods, O king.
स्त्रिय ऊचुः । धिगिमं पापकर्माणं शीलदारुकुठारकम् । कामवामदृशां प्रीत्यै धन्यो येन हतः स्मरः
The women said: Shame on this wicked one, the axe that fells the tree of virtue, by whom the god of love, dear to those with beautiful eyes, was slain for their pleasure.
किं वदेम जगत्पूज्यां रुक्मिणीं जठरे यया । धृतः प्रद्युम्ननाम्नाऽसौ राहुः स्त्रीशीलचंद्रभुक्
What shall we say of Rukmiṇī, revered by the world, by whom that Rahu named Pradyumna, devourer of women's virtue, was borne in her womb?
स देवाधम आयाति यदि नो दृष्टगोचरम् । भूयो ध्यानकृतेशान दृगग्नौ तं क्षिपामहे
If that lowest of the gods comes within our sight, we shall again cast him into the fire of our gaze, O Lord of meditation.
येनायं जनितः पापो ह्यात्मारामेण विष्णुना । कृतः षोडशसाहस्रस्त्रीप्रियः का हि नः कथा
By whom this sinful one was begotten—by Viṣṇu, delighting in himself—who made him fond of sixteen thousand women; what more need be said of us?