सुतं च मातरं चैव सखीर्द्रष्टुं च गोकुलं। आगता सत्यवाक्येन पुनर्यास्यामि तत्र वै
I have come, by the truth of my words, to see my son, my mother, my friends, and the cowherd village; I will return there again.
मातः क्षमस्व तत्सर्वं दौःशील्यादि कृतं मम। बालस्तवायं दौहित्रः किमत्रान्यद्ब्रवीम्यहं
Mother, forgive all the faults and misdeeds I have committed; this boy is your grandson—what more can I say?
विपुले चंपके मातर्भद्रे सुरभि मानिनि। वसुधारे प्रियानंदे महानंदे घटस्रवे
O noble mothers—Vipula, Campaka, Mātarbhadrā, Surabhi, Mānini, Vasudhārā, Priyānandā, Mahānandā, Ghaṭasravā—
अज्ञानाज्ज्ञानतो वापि यदुक्तं किंचिदप्रियं। तत्क्षमध्वं महाभागा यच्चान्यच्च कृतं मया
Whether through ignorance or knowingly, if I have spoken anything unpleasant, O greatly fortunate ones, please forgive me, and also whatever else I have done.
सर्वाः सर्वगुणोपेताः सर्वा लोकस्य मातरः। सर्वाः सर्वप्रदा नित्यं रक्षध्वं मम बालकं
All of you, endowed with every virtue, mothers of the world, always bestowers of all, protect my child.
अनाथं विकलं दीनं रक्षध्वं मम पुत्रकं। मातृशोकाभिसंतप्तं भगिन्यः पालयिष्यथ
Protect my son, who is helpless, afflicted, and miserable, scorched by the sorrow of his mother, O sisters, you must care for him.
यस्मादनाथमबलं पुत्रवत्पालयिष्यथ। क्षमध्वं च महाभागा यास्यामि सत्यसंश्रयात्
Because you will care for this helpless and powerless one as your own son, O greatly fortunate ones, forgive me, for I am about to depart, relying on truth.
न चिंता महती कार्या सखीभिश्च कथंचन। प्रथमस्यास्य जातस्य स्थितं मरणमग्रतः
No great anxiety should be felt by my friends in any way; for death stands before this firstborn.
श्रुत्वा तु नंदावचनं माता सख्यश्च दुःखिताः। विषादं परमं जग्मुरिदमूचुश्च विस्मिताः
Hearing Nandā’s words, the mother and her friends became distressed; they fell into deep sorrow and, astonished, spoke as follows:
अहोऽत्र महदाश्चर्यं यद्व्याघ्रवचनं त्वया। प्रकर्तुमुद्यतं भीमं नंदा त्वं सत्यवादिनी
Ah, this is a great wonder—that you, Nandā, truthful in speech, are prepared to carry out the dreadful words of the tiger.
शपथैः सत्यवाक्येन वंचयित्वा महाभयं। नाशनीयं प्रयत्नेन न गंतव्यं कथंचन
By oaths and truthful words, having deceived the great danger, one should not, by any means, go to destruction with effort.
नंदे न चैव गंतव्यमधर्मः क्रियते त्वया। यद्बालं स्वसुतं त्यक्त्वा सत्यलोभेन गम्यते
Nandā, you must not go; you are committing unrighteousness by abandoning your own child and departing out of attachment to truth.
अत्र गाथा पुरा प्रोक्ता ऋषिभिर्ब्रह्मवादिभिः। प्राणत्यागे समुत्पन्ने शपथैर्नास्ति पातकं
Here, a verse was formerly spoken by sages versed in Brahman: when the giving up of life arises, there is no sin in breaking oaths.
उक्त्वानृतं भवेद्यत्र प्राणिनां प्राणरक्षणं। अनृतं तत्र सत्यं स्यात्सत्यमप्यनृतं भवेत्
Where speaking untruth preserves the lives of beings, there untruth becomes truth, and truth itself may become untruth.
कामिनीषु विवाहेषु गवां मुक्तौ तथैव च। ब्राह्मणानां विपत्तौ च शपथैर्नास्ति पातकं
In matters of women, in marriage, in the release of cows, and in the calamity of Brāhmaṇas, there is no sin in breaking oaths.
नंदोवाच। परेषां प्राणरक्षार्थं वदाम्येवानृतं वचः। नात्मार्थमुत्सहे वक्तुं जीवितार्थे कथंचन
Nandā said: For the sake of protecting others’ lives, I will indeed speak untruth; but I am unable to speak it for my own sake, even to preserve my life.
एकः संश्लिष्यते गर्भे मरणे भरणे तथा। भुंक्ते चैकः सुखं दुःखमतः सत्यं वदाम्यहम्
Alone one is joined in the womb, alone in death and in bearing burdens; alone one enjoys happiness and sorrow—therefore I speak the truth.
सत्ये प्रतिष्ठिता लोका धर्मः सत्ये प्रतिष्ठितः। उदधिस्सत्यवाक्येन मर्यादां न विलंघते
The worlds are established on truth; righteousness is established on truth; the ocean, by the power of truth, does not transgress its bounds.
विष्णवे पृथिवीं दत्वा बलि पातालमाश्रितः। छद्मनापि बलिर्बद्धः सत्यवाक्यं न चात्यजत्
Having given the earth to Viṣṇu, Bali dwells in the netherworld; even by deception Bali was bound, yet he did not abandon his truthful word.
प्रवर्धमानः शैलेंद्रः शतशृंगः समुत्थितः। सत्येन संस्थितो विंध्यः प्रबन्धं नातिवर्तते
The great mountain Vindhya, rising with a hundred peaks, stands firm by truth and does not overstep its limit.
स्वर्गापवर्गनरकाः सत्यवाचि प्रतिष्ठिताः। यस्तु लोपयते वाचमशेषं तेन लोपितं
Heaven, liberation, and hell are established in truthfulness of speech; whoever destroys truth in speech, destroys all of these.
योऽन्यथा संतमात्मानमन्यथा प्रतिपद्यते। किं तेन न कृतं पापं चोरेणात्मापहारिणा४०० 1.18.
Whoever, being one thing in himself, presents himself as something else—what sin has not been committed by that thief, that stealer of his own self?
यास्यामि नरकं घोरं विलोप्यात्मानमात्मना। तस्य वैवस्वतो राजा धर्मस्यार्धं निकृंतति
Having destroyed his own self by himself, he will go to dreadful hell; for him, King Yama cuts away half of his righteousness.
अगाधे सलिले शुद्धे सत्य तीर्थे क्षमा ह्रदे। स्नात्वा पापविनिर्मुक्तः प्रयाति परमां गतिं
Bathing in deep, pure water, at the holy ford of truth, in the lake of forgiveness, one, freed from sin, attains the highest state.
अश्वमेधसहस्रं च सत्यं च तुलया धृतं। अश्वमेधसहस्राद्धि सत्यमेव विशिष्यते
A thousand horse sacrifices and truth, when weighed on a scale—truth indeed surpasses a thousand horse sacrifices.
सत्यं साधुफलं श्रुतं च परमं क्लेशादिभिर्वर्जितं। साधूनां निकटं सतां कुलधनं सर्वाश्रमाणां फलं। यस्मात्तं समवाप्य गच्छति दिवं संत्यज्यतेऽसौ कथं। लोकैरत्र समागमे प्रतिदिनं सत्यं वदध्वं ध्रुवं
Truth is the noble fruit, and learning is supreme, free from all afflictions; among the good, it is their treasure, the fruit of all stages of life; having attained that, one goes to heaven—how could he be abandoned? In this gathering of people, speak truth always, without fail.
सख्य ऊचुः। नंदे सा त्वं नमस्कार्या सर्वैरपि सुरासुरैः। या त्वं परमसत्वेन प्राणांस्त्यजसि दुस्त्यजान्
The friends said: O Nanda, you are worthy of reverence by all, gods and demons alike, for you, with supreme truthfulness, are giving up your life, which is so hard to give up.
ब्रूमः किं तत्र कल्याणि या त्वं धर्मधुरंधरा। त्यागेनानेन नाऽप्राप्यं त्रैलोक्ये वस्तु किंचन
We ask, O blessed one, what is there that you, bearer of the burden of righteousness, cannot attain in the three worlds by this act of renunciation?
अवियोगं च पश्यामस्त्यागादस्मात्सुतेन हि। नार्याः कल्याणचित्तायानापदः संति कुत्रचित्
We see that, because of this renunciation, there will be no separation from your son; for a woman of noble mind, there are no misfortunes anywhere.
दृष्ट्वा गोपीजनं सर्वं परिक्रम्य च गोकुलं। नंदा संप्रस्थिता देवान्वृक्षांश्चापृच्छ्य सा पुनः
Having seen all the cowherd folk and circled around Gokula, Nanda, taking leave of the gods and the trees, set out again.