आस्ते विस्फूर्जितमुखस्तीक्ष्णदंष्ट्रो भयावहः। तावत्तस्याः सुतो वत्स ऊर्द्ध्वपुच्छोतिवेगवान्
He sat with mouth wide open, sharp-fanged and terrifying; meanwhile, her son, O child, swift as one with tail raised, arrived.
आगत्य मातुरग्रेसौ मृगेंद्रस्याग्रतोऽभवत्। आगतं तु सुतं दृष्ट्वा मृत्युं तमग्रतः स्थितं
He came before his mother and stood before the king of beasts; seeing her son arrive, she saw death standing before her.
व्याघ्रं दृष्ट्वा तु सा धेनुरिदं वचनमब्रवीत्। भोभो मृगेंद्रागताहं सत्यधर्मव्रते स्थिता
Seeing the tiger, the cow spoke these words: 'O king of beasts, I have come, steadfast in truth and righteousness.'
कुरु तृप्तिं यथाकाममस्मन्मांसेन सांप्रतम्। संतर्पय स्वभूतानि पिब त्वं शोणितं मम
Fulfill your desire now, satisfy yourself with my flesh; nourish your own kind, drink my blood.
मृतायां तु मयि त्वं भो भक्षयेमं तु बालकम्। द्वीप्युवाच। स्वागतं तव कल्याणि धेनुके सत्यवादिनी
When I am dead, O sir, then eat this calf; the tiger said: 'Welcome to you, O virtuous cow, speaker of truth.'
न हि सत्यवतां किंचिदशुभं भवति क्वचित्। त्वयोक्तं धेनुके पूर्वं सत्यं प्रत्यागमे पुनः
For nothing inauspicious ever befalls those devoted to truth; what you said before, O cow, was truth, and you have returned again.
तेन मे कौतुकं प्राप्तं प्राप्ता गच्छेत्कथं पुनः। तव सत्यपरीक्षार्थं प्रेषितासि मया पुनः
Because of this, I am curious how you could return; for the sake of testing your truthfulness, I sent you again.
अन्यथा मां समासाद्य जीवंती यास्यसे कथम्। यच्च नः कौतुकं जातं सत्यमन्वेषणं मम
Otherwise, having met me, how could you depart alive? And my curiosity arose for the search of truth.
तस्मादनेन सत्येन मुक्तासि च मयाऽधुना। भगिनी भवती मह्यं भागिनेयः सुतस्तव
Therefore, by this truth, you are now released by me; you are my sister, and your son is my nephew.
दत्तोपदेशस्य शुभे मम पापिष्ठकर्मणः। सत्ये प्रतिष्ठिता लोका धर्मः सत्ये प्रतिष्ठितः
O auspicious one, having given instruction to me, though I am sinful in deed, worlds are established in truth, and righteousness is established in truth.
सत्येन गौः क्षीरधारां प्रमुंचति हविः प्रियाम्। स वै धन्यतमो गोपो यस्त्वत्क्षीरेण जीवति
By truth, the cow releases a stream of milk, the beloved offering; truly blessed is the cowherd who lives by your milk.
भूमिप्रदेशा धन्यास्ते सतृणा वीरुधः शुभे। ते धन्याश्च कृतार्थाश्च तैरेव सुकृतं कृतम्
Blessed are those lands, O auspicious one, where your grass grows; blessed and fulfilled are those who have done good by them.
तैराप्तं जन्मनः सारं ये पिबंति पयस्तव। मृगेंद्रः प्रत्ययं गत्वा विस्मयं परमं गतः
By them, the essence of birth is attained—those who drink your milk; the king of beasts, having gained conviction, was filled with utmost wonder.
प्रत्यादेशोऽयमस्माकं सत्यं देवैः प्रदर्शितः। सत्यमिष्टं गवां दृष्ट्वा न मे वाञ्छास्ति जीवितुम्
This command is ours, truth shown by the gods; seeing the truth of cows, I have no desire to live.
तत्करिष्याम्यहं कर्म येन मुच्येय किल्बिषात्। मया जीवसहस्राणि भक्षितानि शतानि च
Therefore I shall perform an act by which I may be freed from sin; by me, thousands and hundreds of lives have been eaten.
गतिं कामिह गच्छामि दृष्ट्वा गोः सत्यमीदृशम्। अहं पापो दुराचारो नृशंसो जीवघातकः
Desiring the path, I depart, having seen such truth in the cow; I am sinful, ill-behaved, cruel, a destroyer of life.
कांस्तु लोकान्गमिष्यामि कृत्वा कर्म सुदारुणम्। गमिष्ये पुण्यतीर्थानि करिष्ये पापशोधनम्
To which worlds shall I go, having performed such terrible deeds? I will visit holy pilgrimage sites and undertake purification from sin.
पतिष्ये गिरिमारुह्य प्रवेक्ष्ये वा हुताशनम्। धेनोऽद्य यन्मया कार्यं तपः पापाद्विशुद्धये
I will climb a mountain and throw myself down, or enter fire; O cow, what austerity should I perform today to cleanse myself of sin?
तदादिशस्व संक्षेपान्न कालो विस्तरस्य तु। धेनुरुवाच। तपः कृते प्रशंसंति त्रेतायां ज्ञानमेव च
Therefore instruct me briefly, for there is no time for lengthy explanation. The cow spoke: In the Krita age, austerity is praised; in the Treta, knowledge alone.
द्वापरे यज्ञमित्याहुर्दानमेकं कलौ युगे। सर्वेषामेव दानानामिदमेवैकमुत्तमम्
In the Dvapara, sacrifice is declared; in the Kali age, charity alone. Of all forms of charity, this one is the highest.
अभयं सर्वभूतानां नास्ति दानमतः परम्। चराचराणां भूतानामभयं यः प्रयच्छति
There is no gift greater than granting fearlessness to all beings; whoever gives fearlessness to living creatures, both moving and unmoving,
स च सर्वभयान्मुक्तः परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति। नास्त्यहिंसा समं दानं नास्त्यहिंसा समं तपः
He is freed from all fears and attains the supreme Brahman. There is no charity equal to nonviolence, nor is there any austerity equal to nonviolence.
यथा हस्तिपदेष्वन्यत्पदं सर्वं प्रलीयते। सर्वे धर्मास्तथा व्याघ्र प्रलीयंते ह्यहिंसया
Just as all other footprints disappear within the footprint of an elephant, so all dharmas, O tiger, are absorbed in nonviolence.
योगवृक्षस्य छाया या तापत्रयविनाशिनी। धर्मज्ञाने च पुष्पाणि स्वर्गमोक्षौ फलानि च
The shade of the tree of yoga destroys the threefold suffering; the flowers are knowledge of dharma, and the fruits are heaven and liberation.
दुःखत्रयाभितप्तस्य छाया योगतरोः स्मृता। न बाध्यते पुनर्दुःखैः प्राप्य निर्वाणमुत्तमम्
For one scorched by the threefold suffering, the shade of the yoga tree is remembered; having attained supreme nirvana, he is no longer afflicted by suffering.
इत्येतत्परमं श्रेयः कीर्तितं ते समासतः। ज्ञातं चैव त्वया सर्वं केवलं मां तु पृच्छसि
Thus, the highest good has been briefly described to you; you have understood everything, yet you continue to question me.
द्वीप्युवाच। अहं मृग्या पुरा शप्तो व्याघ्ररूपेण संस्थितः। ततः प्राणिवधात्सर्वमशेषं मम विस्मृतम्
The tiger spoke: I was once cursed by a deer to exist in the form of a tiger; as a result of killing creatures, all memory was lost to me.
त्वत्संपर्कोपदेशाभ्यां संजातं स्मरणं पुनः। त्वं चाप्यनेन सत्येन गमिष्यसि परां गतिं
Through your association and instruction, memory has arisen again; and by this truth, you too will attain the highest path.
तदहं त्वां पुनः पृच्छे प्रश्नमेकं हृदि स्थितम्। साग्रं वर्षशतं जातं चिंतयानस्य मे शुभे
Therefore, I ask you again a question that has remained in my heart for nearly a hundred years, O auspicious one, as I have pondered.
भवत्या भाग्ययोगेन कदाचित्स्वर्गशोभने। कृतं धर्मस्य संस्थानं सतां मार्गे प्रतिष्ठितम्
By the union of your fortune, at some time in the splendid heaven, the foundation of dharma was established, set upon the path of the virtuous.