अपश्यन्ती नापतिं तथा स्निग्धं सखीजनम्
Not seeing the king nor her affectionate friends,
तां वेगात् काञ्चनाक्षी तु महानद्यां नरेश्वर
With great speed, the golden-eyed one entered the great river, O king.
तयापि तस्यास्तद्भाव्यं विदित्वाथ विशां पते
She too, having understood what was to happen to him, O lord of the people,
एवं तस्याः स्वतन्त्राया एषावस्था श्रुता मया
Thus, I have heard of this condition of hers, being independent.
किमर्थमागतासीह निर्मनुष्यमृगे वने
For what purpose have you come here, into this forest devoid of people and full of wild animals?
श्रुत्वार्षिः कोपमगमदशपच्छिल्पिनां वपम्
Hearing this, the sage became angry and cursed the sculptors' form.
योजिता नैव पतिना तस्माच्छाखामृगो ऽस्तु सः
He was not united with her as a husband; therefore, let him become a branch-dwelling deer.
उपास्य पश्विमां सन्ध्यां पूजयामास शङ्करम्
Having worshipped the evening twilight, she honored Śaṅkara.
उवाचागम्यतां सुभ्रूं सुदतीं पतिलालसाम्
He said, 'Let the beautiful-browed, lovely-toothed woman, longing for her husband, approach.'
तत्रोपास्य महेशानं महान्तं हाटकेश्वरम्
There, having worshipped the great lord, Hāṭakeśvara,
आगमिष्यति दैत्यस्य पुत्री कन्दरमालिनः
The daughter of the demon, Kandaramālin, will come.
तथापरा वेदवती पर्जन्यदुहिता शुभा
Likewise, another, Vedavatī, the auspicious daughter of Parjanya.
हाटकाख्ये महादेव तदा संयोगमेष्यसि
At Hāṭaka, O Mahādeva, you will attain union.
सप्तगोदावरं तीर्थमगमत् त्वरिता ततः
Then, she quickly reached the holy place of the seven Godāvarīs.
समध्यास्ते शुचिपरा फलमूलाशनाभवत्
She sat in meditation, devoted to purity, subsisting on fruits and roots.
श्लोकमेकं महाख्यानं तस्याश्च प्रियकाम्यया
Out of desire for her beloved, she recited a single verse of the great legend.
इदं हि दुःखं मृगशावनेत्र्या निर्मार्जयेद् यः स्वपराक्रमेण
Whoever, by his own strength, removes this sorrow of the deer-eyed lady,
नदीं पयोष्णीं मुनिवृन्दवन्द्यां संचिन्तयन्नेव विशालनेत्राम्
Thinking of the river Payoṣṇī, revered by groups of sages, and her wide eyes,
स्मरन्त्याः सुरथं वीरं महान् कालः समभ्यगात्
While she remembered Suratha, the hero, a great period of time passed.
न्यपतन्मेरुशिखराद् भूपृष्ठं विधिचोदितः
He fell from the peak of Meru to the earth, impelled by fate.
शाक्वेयं पर्वतश्रेष्ठं समावसति सुन्दरि
O beautiful one, Śākveya dwells upon this foremost mountain.
कालो ऽत्यगाद् वरारोहे बहुवर्षगणो वने
O lovely-hipped one, many years passed in the forest.
प्रतिगृह्य समभ्यागात् ख्यातां देववतीमिति
Having received her, he approached the renowned Devavatī.
ददर्श वानरश्रेष्ठः प्रजग्राह बालत् करे
The foremost of monkeys saw and took the child into his hand.
कन्दरो वीक्ष्य संक्रुद्धः ख्ड्गमुद्यम्य चाद्रवत्
Seeing the cave, enraged, he raised his sword and rushed forward.
तथैव सह चार्वङ्ग्या हिमाचलमुपागतः
In the same way, together with the charming-limbed one, he reached Himāchala.
तस्याविदूरे गहनमाश्रमं ऋषिवर्जितम्
Not far from her, there was a dense hermitage, abandoned by sages.
न्यमञ्जत स कालिन्द्यां पश्यतो दानवस्य हि
She bowed down in the Kālindī river, as the Dānava watched.
जगाम च महातेजाः पातालं निलयं निजम्
And the mighty one went to Pātāla, his own abode.
नीतः शिवीति विख्याते देशं शुभजनावृतम्
He was brought to the land called Śivīti, filled with virtuous people.