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.
पिंगाक्षा रक्तकेशाश्च श्यामदेह नखाधराः । वामना दीर्घचरणा ह्रस्वनासाश्च दंतुराः
With tawny eyes, red hair, dark bodies, and protruding nails, they were short, with long feet, flat noses, and large teeth.
नीयतां नीयतामेष धर्मराजस्य शासनात् । पुरीं संयमनीमेवमूचिरे ते परस्परम्
"Let him be taken, let him be taken by the command of Dharmaraja to the city of Samyamanī!"—thus they spoke to each other.
इत्युक्त्वा यातना देहे मां निवेश्य महारुषा । निबध्य दारुणैः पाशैर्जघ्नुर्लोहस्य मुद्गरैः
Having said this, the tormentors, filled with great anger, bound me with cruel fetters, struck me with iron clubs, and placed me in a body of suffering.
तैरहं नीयमानस्तु मार्गे ह्युत्तप्तवालुके । अरुदं भृशदुःखार्तस्ताडितोऽहं पुनश्च तैः
Dragged by them along a path of burning sand, I cried out in intense pain, struck again and again by them.
प्रोचुश्च ते ध्रुवं कृत्वा निर्भर्त्स्येति च मां बहु । यमदूता ऊचुः । त्वया लुप्तो गुरुर्यस्माद्वदता ब्रह्म निश्चलम्
They rebuked me harshly, saying many things: The messengers of Yama spoke—"Because you have insulted your teacher, speaking unshakable Brahman, you have committed a grave offense."
किं करोषि यमस्याग्रे द्रष्टव्यं दारुणं मुखम् । तस्य पापस्य भोक्तव्यं दारुणस्य फलं त्वया
"What will you do before Yama? You must see his dreadful face. You must endure the terrible fruit of your sin."
तेनैव पाप्मना पापिन्नपमृत्युं गतो भवान् । इत्युक्त्वा मां मुहूर्तेन बहुयोजनसंस्थिताम्
"Because of that very sin, O sinner, you have met with untimely death." Having said this, in a moment they brought me to a place many yojanas away.
पुरीं संयमनीं निन्युर्यत्र राजा स्वयं यमः । प्रणम्य धर्मराजानं स्थापयित्वा तु मां पुरः
They led me to the city of Samyamanī, where King Yama himself resides. Having bowed to Dharmaraja, they placed me before him.
आनीतोऽयं द्विजः पाप इति मां ते न्यवेदयन् । दृष्ट्वा मां धर्मराजोऽथ प्रोवाच स्वसभासदः
"This twice-born is a sinner"—thus they reported me. Seeing me, Dharmaraja then spoke to his assembly.
यम उवाच- भो सभ्या मामकीं वाचं शृण्वंतु सुसमाहिताः । यदाहं ब्रह्मणा ह्यस्मिन्नधिकारे निवेशितः
Yama said: "O assembly, listen attentively to my words. When I was appointed to this office by Brahmā—"
तदा मामित्युवाचासौ ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः । ब्रह्मोवाच- अधर्मिणां नराणां त्वं शास्ता संयमनीपतिः
"At that time, Brahmā, the Grandfather of the worlds, spoke to me: 'You are the ruler of Samyamanī, the punisher of unrighteous men.'"
यथापराधमाधत्स्व दंडं चंडकरात्मज । पित्रोरपोषको यस्तु समर्थो गुरुध्रुक्तु यः । एतौ महापातकिनौ निपात्यौ निरयेषु ते
"Impose punishment according to the offense, O son of Canda. Whoever neglects his parents or insults his teacher—these two are great sinners and must be cast into hell by you."
सर्वेषु यावद्वर्षाणां प्रत्येकमयुतं भवेत् । एतयोर्न त्वया कार्या दया जातु ककुप्पते
"For as many years as there are tens of thousands, let each of them suffer in all the hells. For these two, O lord of the southern quarter, you must never show mercy."
यम उवाच- इत्यहं ब्रह्मणो वाक्यात्स्वगुरुद्रुहि मानवे । न करोमि क्रियां सभ्यास्तथा पित्रोरपोषके
Yama said: "Thus, by the command of Brahmā, I do not perform rites for one who insults his teacher or neglects his parents, O assembly."
ब्राह्मणोऽयं गुरुद्रोही तद्द्रोहादपमृत्युताम् । प्राप्तो मच्छासनाद्भृत्यैरानीतो दर्शनाक्षमः
"This Brāhmaṇa is a betrayer of his teacher. Because of that betrayal, he has met with untimely death and, by my command, has been brought here by my servants, fit to be seen."
भो भृत्याः प्रथमं घोरे रौरवे वत्सरायुते । पात्यतां च पुनस्तस्मान्निःसार्य्यान्यत्र पात्यताम्
"O servants, first cast him into the terrible Raurava hell for ten thousand years; then, having brought him out, cast him elsewhere again."
तावंतमेव कालं वै पापोऽयं गुरुलोपकः । नरकेष्विति सर्वेषु यथाकालं स्थितं द्रुतम्
"For just so long, this sinner who has neglected his teacher shall remain in all the hells, each for the allotted time, swiftly."
मुकुंद उवाच- वेदायन गुरो स्वामिन्भृत्यास्ते यमशासनात् । नीत्वा मां रौरवे घोरे पाशैर्बध्वा न्यपातयन्
Mukunda said: "O Vedāyana, my teacher, lord, your servants, by the command of Yama, led me to the terrible Raurava hell, bound me with fetters, and cast me down."
तत्राहं तां व्यथां गुर्वी लब्धवानतिदारुणाम् । यथाकोऽपि क्षणस्तात नीतो मे युगवत्तदा
There, I endured that grievous and intense suffering, O dear one, so severe that even a single moment seemed to me like an age.
त्रिंशद्दिनानि तन्नीतं दुःखं मे तत्र तिष्ठता । एकत्रिंशतमे ह्यस्मिन्दिनेऽहं निर्गतस्तदा
For thirty days I remained there, bearing that pain; on the thirty-first day, I departed from that place.