स्वप्रकाशं जगद्धेतु हेत्वतीतं गुणोर्जितम् । नित्यं विज्ञानमानंद स्वभासा भासयज्जगत्
It is self-luminous, the cause of the world, beyond cause, endowed with qualities; eternal, knowledge, bliss, illuminating the world by its own light.
न जिह्वा लेढि तच्चक्षुर्न पश्यति शृणोति न । श्रुतिर्जिघ्रति न घ्राणं न त्वक्स्पृशति कर्हिचित्
The tongue does not taste it, the eye does not see it, nor does the ear hear it; the ear does not smell it, nor does the nose, nor does the skin ever touch it.
अतीतमिंद्रियेभ्यस्तत्स्वप्रकाशकमात्मदृक् । अविषयं मनोदूरं बुद्धेरपि न गोचरम्
It is beyond the senses, self-revealing, the seer of the self; not an object, beyond the mind, not within the grasp of the intellect.
तस्यावताररूपाणि शुद्धसत्वानि देवताः । सेवंते तन्न जानंति रूपं यत्सदसत्परम्
Its incarnations are the pure-natured deities; they serve it, but do not know its form, which is beyond both existence and non-existence.
एवं स्वरूपमात्मा यस्तं समुद्दिश्य कः कुधीः । क्रोधं कुर्याद्यतस्तस्य नोत्पत्तिर्नैव संक्षयः
Thus, who with a misguided mind would become angry, aiming at that true self, whose origin and destruction do not exist?
इति श्रीपाद्मेमहापुराणे पचंपंचाशत्साहस्र्यां संहितायामुत्तरखंडे कालिंदीमाहात्म्ये नवाधिकद्विशततमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the two hundred and ninth chapter in the section on the greatness of the Kālindī, in the Uttara-khaṇḍa of the glorious Padma Mahāpurāṇa, in the compendium of fifty-five thousand verses.
नारद उवाच- एवं प्रबोध्य तान्सर्वान्वचोभिः पारमार्थिकैः । स हंसः कारयामास क्रियास्तस्यात्मसंभवाः
Nārada said—Thus, having instructed them all with words of ultimate truth, that swan caused them to perform rites connected to the self.
अंतर्वत्नी मुकुंदस्य निर्बंधं कुर्वती वधूः । अनुगंतुं स्वभर्तारं विदुषा तेन वारिता
The wife of Mukunda, who was pregnant, wished to follow her husband, but was restrained by that wise one.
तस्यास्थीनि समादाय तेन सन्यासिना समम् । तद्भ्राता प्रययौ गंगाजले पातयितुं नृप
Taking her bones, together with that renunciant, her brother set out, O king, to cast them into the waters of the Gaṅgā.
विप्रसन्यासिनौ तौ हि कतिभिर्वासरैर्नृप । सार्थलोकवशात्प्राप्तौ इंद्रप्रस्थेऽत्र सत्पदे
Those two, the brāhmaṇa and the renunciant, after a few days, O king, by the will of fate, arrived at the sacred place Indraprastha.
इंद्रप्रस्थांतरावर्तिन्येषा या कोशला नृप । अत्र सुप्तौ निशायां तौ यमुनातीरभूतले
This is the Kośalā, O king, which flows near Indraprastha; there, on the ground by the bank of the Yamunā, the two slept at night.
आत्मनोरुभयोर्मध्ये न्यस्यास्थिपटसंपुटम् । मार्गखेदपरिक्रांतौ दशां सौषुप्तिकीं गतौ
Placing the bundle of bones between themselves, weary from their journey, they fell into deep sleep.
निशीथेऽथ प्रसुप्तेषु सार्थलोकेषु कश्चन । एकः श्वा तत्र संप्राप्तः पक्वान्नादि जिहीर्षया
Then, at midnight, when all the travelers were asleep, a certain dog arrived there, desiring to eat cooked food.
बभ्राम सर्वशिविरे जिघ्रन्पाकस्थलीं मुहुः । भाजनानि लिहन्मूर्ध्नि क्व च दंडाहतिं सहन्
He wandered throughout the entire camp, repeatedly sniffing the cooking pots, licking the vessels, and enduring blows to his head in some places.
केनचित्ताडितो मूर्ध्नि निशब्दं विद्रुतस्ततः । प्रतिचक्रुमशक्तस्तु स्त्रीजितः स्वस्त्रिया यथा
Struck on the head by someone, he silently fled, unable to retaliate, like a man subdued by his own wife.
यत्रावकंडितः स श्वा दंडग्रावेष्टकादिभिः । पुनर्विवेश तत्रैव सान्नपात्रलिलिप्सया
Where the dog had been beaten with sticks, clods, and the like, he again entered there, driven by the desire for food and vessels.
भोगेच्छया यथा वेश्या स्नेहवान्निर्द्धनो जनः । भ्रमन्नेवं स चात्रापि यत्र सुप्तौ हि तावुभौ
Wandering about with the desire for enjoyment, just as a destitute man seeks affection from a courtesan, so too did he roam, until he found the two sleeping.
सारमेयस्तयोर्मध्याज्जह्रे स पटसंपुटम् । नीत्वा स कियतीं भूमिं दंतैस्तत्पटसंपुटम्
The dog took the bundle of cloth from between the two, and, carrying it some distance, held it in his teeth.
विदार्यास्थीनि तत्स्थानि निर्मांसान्यवलोक्य सः । एतस्याः कोशलायास्तु जलमध्ये समाक्षिपत्
Tearing open the bones found within, and seeing them devoid of flesh, he cast them into the water of that river.
क्षिप्तमात्रेषु तेनास्थिष्वेतदंबुनि भूपते । दिव्यं विमानमास्थाय मुकुंदोऽत्र समागतः
As soon as those bones were thrown into the water by him, O King, Mukunda arrived there, riding a divine aerial chariot.
दृष्ट्वा गुर्वनुजौ सुप्तौ शनैः प्राबोधयत्तदा । उवाच च नमस्कृत्य गुंरुं दिव्याकृतिर्नृप
Seeing his teacher and younger brother asleep, he gently awakened them, and, after bowing, addressed his teacher in a divine form.
मुकुंद उवाच। वेदायन गुरो तुभ्यं नम आशीस्तवानुज । प्रासादाद्वां ममास्थीनि तीर्थेऽत्र पतितानि वै
Mukunda said: O Vedayana, revered teacher, salutations to you and blessings to your younger brother. My bones have fallen here from the palace into this holy place.
अयं मृत्युमहं गत्वा निरयं प्राप्य तत्फलम् । एतत्तीर्थप्रसादेन दैवी लब्धा मया गतिः
Having met death, I entered hell and received its results; but by the grace of this holy place, I have now attained a divine state.
त्वां गुरुं तीर्थभूतं तु नमस्कर्तुमिहागतः । अहं गच्छन्विमानेन दिव्येन त्रिदशालयम्
I have come here to bow to you, teacher, who are the embodiment of the holy place. Departing, I will go by this divine chariot to the abode of the gods.
नमस्कृतो भवानेतत्तीर्थ चायं सहोदरः । दृष्टो मामनुजानीहि यामि स्वर्गं सुखोदयम्
Having bowed to you, and to this holy place, and to my brother, whom I have seen, permit me, for I go to heaven, the source of happiness.
नारद उवाच- श्रुत्वैवं वचनं तस्य मुकुंदस्य गुरुस्तदा । वेदायनो विमानस्थं तमूचे गतविस्मयः
Narada said: Hearing these words of Mukunda, the teacher Vedayana, astonished, spoke to him who was seated in the aerial chariot.
देवायन उवाच- मुकुंदाख्याहि मे सत्यं लब्ध्वा यन्मरणं भवान् । कस्मिंल्लोके गतस्तात यतो यात्यधुना दिवम्
Devayana said: Mukunda, tell me truthfully, having attained death, to which world did you go, and from where are you now departing for heaven?
किं वृत्तं तत्र ते तात तस्यलोकस्य कोऽधिपः । कीदृशी च प्रजा कीदृक्धर्मस्तत्राखिलं वद
What happened there, dear one? Who is the ruler of that world? What are its people like, and what is its law? Tell me everything.
मुकुंद उवाच- कथयामि गुरो तुभ्यं यद्वृत्तं मरणादनु । तीर्थस्यास्य प्रसादेन स्मृतिर्मे जायतेऽधुना
Mukunda said: I will tell you, teacher, what happened after my death. By the grace of this holy place, memory has now arisen in me.
यदाहं तेन निहतश्चंडकेन दुरात्मना । नापितेन तदा जग्मुर्यमभृत्याः सुदारुणाः
When I was slain by that wicked barber, the servants of Yama, fierce and terrible, took me away.