अश्वादुत्तीर्य तरसा तद्गृहं स्वयमाविशत् । कतिभिः पत्तिभिः सार्द्धं शयानं च ददर्श ह
Dismounting quickly from his horse, he entered the house himself, together with a few soldiers, and saw the barber lying there.
पत्तयस्तु तदाज्ञप्ताः केशेष्वाकृष्य तत्क्षणात् । तल्पादुत्थापयामासुस्तं पापं नापिताधमम्
The soldiers, commanded at that moment, dragged him by the hair and lifted that wicked, vile barber from his bed.
किं किमित्येव संजल्पन्नेत्रे उन्मीलयत्यसौ । यावत्स नापितः पापस्तावत्तं ददृशे पुरः
Muttering ‘What, what?’ he opened his eyes, and as soon as the sinful barber saw them before him,
संस्मरंतं निजं कर्म रात्रौ यत्कृतवानघम् । अधोमुखः क्षणं तस्थौ पश्यन्मूर्ध्नि स्थितं यमम्
Remembering his own deed, the sin he committed at night, he stood for a moment with his head bowed, seeing Yama standing above his head.
ग्राहयित्वा च सचिवस्तं पापं च स्वपत्तिभिः । निनाय नृपतेः पार्श्वमिति चोवाच भूपतिम्
The minister, having seized that wicked one with his soldiers, brought him before the king and spoke to the ruler.
आनीतो ब्रह्महा राजन्नयं चंडक नापितः । यदाज्ञापयसि स्वामिंस्तरसा तत्करोम्यहम्
He said: ‘O king, here is the murderer of a brāhmaṇa, the fierce barber. Whatever you command, master, I will do at once.’
राजोवाच- धर्मज्ञ सचिवश्रेष्ठ शृणु त्वं वचनं मम । इयं सरिद्वरा युष्मंश्चंद्रभागात्र निर्मलाः
The king said: ‘O wise minister, listen to my words. This river, Candrabhāgā, is pure and excellent among rivers.’
त्यजंति येऽत्र वै प्राणाल्लँभंते ते सुरास्पदम् । अत एष न हंतव्यः पापात्मा ह्यत्र नापितः
Those who give up their lives here attain the abode of the gods. Therefore, this sinful barber must not be killed here.
पंचकोशांतरे ह्यस्या मर्यादाया बहिर्यदि । नरकान्दारुणान्ह्येष ब्रह्महा यातु मा चिरम्
If, outside the boundary of this river, in the region of Pañcakośa, he crosses the limit, let this murderer of a brāhmaṇa quickly go to the dreadful hells.
नारदोवाच- इत्युक्तस्तेन वै राज्ञा स राजन्मंत्रिसत्तमः । श्वपचान्प्रेरयामास हंतुं तं भूपशासनात्
Nārada said: Thus instructed by the king, the excellent minister sent the outcaste men to kill him by the king’s order.
श्वपचास्ते तमुन्नीय चंद्रभागापरे तटे । योजनद्वयभूभागं चिच्छिदुस्तस्य मस्तकम्
Those outcastes, taking him to the far bank of the Candrabhāgā, at a distance of two yojanas, severed his head.
स पापो मारवे देशे सर्पोऽभूत्कालविग्रहः । धवकोटरमध्यस्थो विषज्वालाकराननः
That sinner became a serpent in the region of Māra, with the form of Time, dwelling in the hollow of a dhava tree, his mouth blazing with poison flames.
स शुष्को धववृक्षस्तु तस्य फूत्कारवह्निना । तथा तपनतापेन सरसोऽपि यथा ह्रदः
Just as a dry dhava tree is consumed by the blast of fire, or as a pond dries up from the heat of the sun,
गमनात्तस्य पापस्य सर्वतो वृक्षमूषरम् । उच्छिद्य तृणजातादि जातं पश्वहितं तदा
so, because of that sinner's passage, the entire grove became barren, all grasses and plants useful for cattle were destroyed.
तत्र जातु समायातः सार्थो दक्षिणदेशतः । नारायणाश्रमं गच्छन्बदर्याख्यं शिवे नृप
Once, a caravan arrived there from the southern region, O king, traveling toward the holy hermitage of Nārāyaṇa, called Badarī.
तत्रैको ब्राह्मणः कश्चित्सार्थेसंमीलितः पथि । निश्छिद्रां काष्ठमंजूषां पितृमात्रस्थिसंयुताम्
There, a certain brāhmaṇa from the caravan, having stopped on the path, was carrying a wooden box without any holes, containing the bones of his father and mother.
स्कंधेन धारयन्याति तानि पातयितुं नृप । गंगांभसि महाभाग पापिनामपि कामदे
He carried it on his shoulder, O blessed one, intending to immerse those remains in the waters of the Gaṅgā, which fulfills the wishes even of sinners.
सोऽप्यागतस्तत्र वने यत्रास्ति स भुजंगमः । विविक्ते क्षिप्य मंजूषां शलाकालोहनिर्मिताम्
He too arrived in that forest where the serpent resided, and in a secluded spot he set down the box, which was made with iron rods.
अथागत्य भुजंगोऽसौ शलाकां फणयाघटत् । किंचिदुद्धाटितायां स मंजूषायां समाविशत्
Then the serpent came there, struck the rod with his hood, and, as the box was slightly opened, he entered inside.
पुनः शलाका स्वंस्थानमागताथ स कुंडली । तत्रैव तस्थौ निश्चेष्टो मंजूषायां विषोल्बणः
The rod returned to its place, and the coiled serpent remained there, motionless and full of venom, inside the box.
अथ प्रभाते सर्वे ते चेलुः स्थानात्ततो नृप । ब्राह्मणः सोऽपि मंजूषां कंबलेन समावृताम्
At dawn, all those people set out from that place, O king, and the brāhmaṇa too took up the box, wrapping it with a blanket.
कृत्वा शिरसि राजेंद्र चचाल प्रति जाह्नवीम् । कतिभिर्वासरैः सार्थः संप्राप्तस्तीर्थगामिनाम्
Placing it on his head, O king, he proceeded toward the Gaṅgā; after a few days, the caravan reached the place of the pilgrims.
इहैव कोशलायां वै पुनीतायां महीपते । अथ शीतातुरो विप्रः कंबलं चोदघाटयत्
There, in the purified land of Kośalā, O king, the brāhmaṇa, afflicted by cold, unwrapped the blanket.
मंजूषावरणं राजन्तत्रायोध्यातटे शुभे । सोऽपि सर्पो निराहारो लब्ध्वा मारुतभोजनम्
On the auspicious bank of Ayodhyā, O king, he uncovered the box, and the serpent, having fasted, survived by consuming air.
निश्चक्राम बहिस्तस्मादुत्क्षेप्य सुशलाकिकाम् । तं निःसृतं समालोक्य सर्प्प सर्प इति क्रुधा
He emerged from it, lifting the well-barred lid; seeing him come out, people angrily shouted, 'Snake! Snake!'
व्याहरंतो जनाः सर्वे लोष्टहस्ताः समभ्ययुः । यावत्पलायते सर्पस्तावदेकेन घातितः
All the people, shouting and holding clods of earth, rushed toward him; as the serpent tried to flee, he was struck down by one of them.
तत्याज स तदा प्राणान्पश्यतां तीर्थगामिनाम् । त्यक्त्वा भुजंगदेहं स देवत्वं प्राप दुर्लभम्
There, in the sight of the pilgrims, he gave up his life; leaving the serpent's body, he attained the rare state of divinity.
दिव्यं विमानमारुह्य प्रोवाचेदं जनानि ह । सर्प उवाच- भो दाक्षिणात्याः शृणुत ब्राह्मणा वचनं मम
Ascending a divine aerial chariot, he addressed the people, saying: The serpent spoke— 'O brāhmaṇas from the south, listen to my words.'
पुरा चंडकनामाहं नापितो ब्रह्महाधमः । ब्रह्महत्याप्रदोषेण सर्पआसं मरुस्थले
'Formerly, I was a barber named Caṇḍaka, a wretched slayer of a brāhmaṇa; because of the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa, I became a serpent in the desert.'
भुक्त्वा नरकदुःखानि वर्षाणां लक्षपंचकम् । अतीतं सर्पयोनौ मे वर्षाणामयुतद्वयम्
'Having suffered the torments of hell for five hundred thousand years, I have now spent twenty thousand years in the serpent's womb.'