शंभुरुवाच- आयुष्यवर्द्धने हेतुस्त्रिविधस्यापि देहिनः । पापघ्नं शीतमुष्णं च स्पर्शाच्छिवपदप्रदम्
Śaṃbhu said: The reason for increasing the lifespan of embodied beings of all three types is that, by touch, it destroys sin, is cooling and heating, and grants the state of Śiva.
अत्र ते कीर्तयिष्यामि चेतिहासं पुरातनम् । आसीद्वासिष्ठवंश्यस्तु धनंजय इति द्विजः
Here, I will recount to you an ancient story: There was a brāhmaṇa named Dhanaṃjaya, descended from the line of Vasiṣṭha.
तस्य भार्याशतं चासीद्रूपलावण्यसंयुतम् । तासामेका तु सुषुवे शामाकाकरुणं मुने
He had a hundred wives endowed with beauty and charm; among them, one gave birth to a son named Karuṇa, O sage.
भार्याणां संख्यया राम सुताश्चासंस्तपस्विनः । पित्रा विभागस्तेषां च विषमः परिकल्पितः
Rāma, his wives were numerous, and his sons were ascetics; their father made an unequal division among them.
भ्रातॄणां च तदा ह्येव वैरबंधो महानभूत् । नराणामेकजातीनां वैरं नियतमेव तु
Then, a great enmity arose among the brothers; indeed, enmity is certain among men born of different mothers.
अथासौ करुणो गत्वा भवनाशिनिका तटे । नानामुनिगणैः सार्द्धं नरसिंहदिदृक्षया
Then Karuṇa went to the bank of the Bhavanāśinī river, together with various groups of sages, desiring to see Narasiṃha.
नृसिंहदर्शनार्थं तु ब्राह्मणेन तु केनचित् । उत्कृष्टफलितंवीरमानीतं रूपगंधवत्
For the purpose of seeing Narasiṃha, a certain brāhmaṇa brought a fruit, excellent and fragrant, to the hero.
करुणस्तु तदादाय व्यजिघ्रत्फलमुत्तमम् । तत्रस्थिता द्विजगणाः शापेन तमयोजयन्
Karuṇa took that fruit and smelled the excellent fruit; the brāhmaṇas present there cursed him.
मक्षिका भव पापात्मन्वर्षाणां शतमप्यतः । शापावसानं भविता दधीचेन महात्मना
Become a fly, O wicked-souled one, for a hundred years; the curse will end by the great-souled Dadhichi.
अथ मक्षिकतां प्राप्तो भार्यामिदमभाषत । मक्षिकात्वमहं प्राप्तो मां शुभे पालयस्व भोः
Then, having become a fly, he spoke this to his wife: 'I have attained the state of a fly; O good lady, please protect me.'
इत्युक्त्वा स तथा भूतो बभ्राम च ततस्ततः । अथैवंविधमाज्ञाय ज्ञातयः पापनिश्चयाः
Having said this, thus transformed, he wandered here and there; then, learning of this, his relatives, intent on evil,
तद्वधे यत्नमास्थाय तैलमध्ये ह्यपातयन् । मृतं पतिमथादाय दुःखिता सा कृशोदरी
Made efforts to kill him and dropped him into oil; then, taking her dead husband, the sorrowful, slender-waisted woman—
तद्दुःखशमनार्थाय प्राह देवीत्वरुंधती । अमुं संजीवयाम्यद्य भस्मनैव शुचिस्मिते
To relieve that sorrow, she spoke to the goddess Arundhati: 'Today, O beautiful-smiling one, I will revive him with ashes.'
अथाग्निहोत्रजं भस्म अरुंधत्यै न्यवेदयत् । मृत्युंजयेन मंत्रेण मृतजंतौ तथाक्षिपत्
Then Arundhati offered fire-ritual ashes; with the death-conquering mantra, she sprinkled them on the dead creature.
मंदवायुं तथा चक्रे व्यजनेन शुचिस्मिता । उदतिष्ठत्ततो जंतुर्भस्मनोऽस्य प्रभावतः
The beautiful-smiling one then created a gentle breeze with a fan; by the power of the ashes, the creature arose.
ततो वर्षशते पूर्णे ज्ञातिरेको ह्यमारयत् । मृते भर्तरि सा साध्वी दुःखिता च शुचिस्मिता
Then, when a hundred years had passed, one of the relatives killed him; with her husband dead, the virtuous and sorrowful lady—
दधीचं नाम विप्रेंद्रं महामाहेश्वरं मुनिम् । जगाम शरणं साध्वी प्राह विप्रस्तपोधनः
Sought refuge with the illustrious sage Dadhichi, the great devotee of Shiva; the ascetic sage spoke—
त्रियायुषा विहीनं तु जमदग्निं तपोनिधिम् । भस्मैव जीवयामास कश्यपं च तथाविधम्
'Jamadagni, the treasure of austerity, deprived of his lifespan, was revived by ashes, as was Kashyapa in the same way.'
देवानपि तथाभूतान्मामप्येतादृशं पुरा । तस्मात्तु भस्मना जंतुं जीवयामि तवानघे
'Even the gods, when they were in such a state, and myself in former times—therefore, O sinless one, I will revive your husband with ashes.'
इत्येवमुक्त्वा भगवान्दधीचो महेश्वरं वै शरणं जगाम । भस्माभिमंत्र्याथ करे गृहीत्वा संजीवयामास धवं सुसाध्व्याः
Having thus spoken, the venerable Dadhichi sought refuge with Maheshvara; then, having sanctified the ashes and taken them in his hand, he revived the good lady's husband.
महेशस्य करस्पर्शाद्विशापः करुणोऽभवत् । स्वरूपं च ततो गत्वा स्वमाश्रमपदं ययौ
By the touch of Mahesha's hand, the compassionate curse was lifted; then, regaining his own form, he went to his hermitage.
दधीचमपि सा साध्वी गृहमानीय भोजने । प्रार्थयामास विप्रर्षिं भुक्तवानथ स द्विजः
That virtuous lady brought Dadhichi to her house for a meal; she requested the sage to eat, and the twice-born one ate.
भुक्तवत्यथ विप्रेंद्रे कोटिशिष्याः समागताः । अथ देवाः समायाता भस्मोद्धूलितविग्रहाः
After the illustrious sage had eaten, countless disciples gathered; then the gods arrived, their forms covered in ashes.
नमस्कृत्य दधीचं तु पप्रच्छुः शिवकांक्षया । देवा ऊचुः - अस्माकं तु पुरा ज्ञानं नष्टमासीन्महामते
Having bowed to Dadhichi, they questioned him, desiring Shiva; the gods said: 'O wise one, formerly our knowledge was lost.'
गौतमस्य तु भार्यां वै दृष्ट्वा कामातुरा वयम् । तथा च धर्षिता देवी विवाहकृतमंगला
'Seeing Gautama's wife, we were overcome by desire; thus, the goddess, whose wedding rites had been performed, was violated.'
तां वै कामयमानानां नष्टं ज्ञानमभूच्च नः । ततः सर्वे वयं भूता गता दुर्वाससं मुनिम्
'Desiring her, our knowledge was lost; then we all went to the sage Durvasa.'
स उवाचाधुना सर्वमपनेष्यामि वोमलम् । शतरुद्रियमंत्रेण मंत्रितं शंभुना स्वयम्
He said, 'Now I will remove all impurity from you, with the Śatarudriya mantra, consecrated by Śambhu himself.'
ममापि दत्तं तेनैव ब्रह्महत्यादिशांतये । इत्येवमुक्त्वा दुर्वासा दत्तवान्भस्मचोत्तमम्
He also gave it to me, for the pacification of brahma-hatya and other sins; having said this, Durvāsas bestowed the excellent ashes.
अथ तद्वचनात्सर्वे वयं विकृतचेतनाः । शतरुद्रियमंत्रेण भस्मोद्धूलितविग्रहाः
Then, at those words, all of us, our minds transformed, dusted our bodies with ashes empowered by the Śatarudriya mantra.
निर्धूतपातकाः सर्वे संवृत्तास्तत्क्षणेन हि । आश्चर्यमेतज्जानीमो भस्मसामर्थ्यमीदृशम्
All of us were instantly freed from sin; we realized with wonder the remarkable power of the sacred ash.