तमुह्ममानं वेगेन वीचिमालापरिप्लुतम् । तजग्राह स नृपो गर्भात् पतितं मृगपोतकम्
The king seized the fawn, which had fallen from the womb and was swept away by the swift waves.
गर्भप्रव्युतिदोषेण प्रोत्तुङ्गाक्रमणोन च । मैत्रेय! सापि हरिणी पपात च ममार च
Due to the trauma of miscarriage and the strenuous leap, O Maitreya, the doe fell and died.
हरिणीं तां विलोक्याथ विपन्नां नृपतापसः । मृगपोतं समादाय निजमाश्वममागतः
Seeing the doe perished, the royal ascetic took the fawn and returned to his own hermitage.
चकारानुदिनञ्चासौ मृगपोतस्यवै नृपः । पोषण पुष्यमाणश्य स तेन वबृधे मुने
Day by day, the king cared for and nourished the fawn, and thus it grew, O sage.
चचाराश्रमपर्य्यन्तं तृणानि गहनेषु सः । दूरं गत्वा च शाद्दूलत्रासादभ्याययौ पुनः
He wandered around the hermitage, gathering grass in the thickets; when the fawn went far, it would return again out of fear of wild beasts.
प्रातर्गत्वातिदूरञ्च सायमायाद यथाश्वमम् । पुनश्च भरतस्याभूदाश्वमस्योटजाजिरे
In the morning it would go far, and in the evening return to the hermitage, just as a horse does; again, it became attached to Bharata’s hermitage.
तस्य तस्मिन्मृगे दूर-समीपपरिवर्त्तिनि । आसीच्चेतः समायुक्तं न ययावन्यतो द्रिज
The king’s mind became wholly absorbed in the fawn, whether it wandered near or far; he did not turn his attention elsewhere, O twice-born.
विमुक्तराज्यतनयः प्रोज्झिताशेषबान्धवः । ममत्वं स चकारोच्चैस्तस्मिन् हरिणबालके
Having renounced kingdom, sons, and all relatives, he developed intense affection for that young deer.
किं वृकैक्भक्षितो व्याघूः किं सिंहेन निपातितः । चिरायमाणे निष्कान्ते तस्यासीदिति मानसम्
He wondered anxiously, 'Has it been eaten by wolves? Has it been struck down by a tiger or lion? It has been gone a long time and has not returned.'
एषा वसुमती तस्य खुराग्रक्षतकर्बुरा । प्रीतये मम जातोऽसौ क्व ममैणकबालकः
'This earth is marked by the scratches of its hooves; it brings me joy. Where is my fawn?'
विषाणाग्रण मदूबाहुकण्डूयनपरो हि सः । क्षेमेणाभ्यागतोऽरण्यादिपि मां सुखयिष्यति
'He will come back safely from the forest, delighting me, scratching his neck with the tip of his horn.'
एते लूनशिखास्तस्य दशनैरचिरोदूगतैः । कुशाः कासा विराजन्ते वटवः सामगा इव
'These blades of grass, their tops bitten off by his teeth, shine beautifully like singers in a choir.'
इत्थं चिरगते तस्मिन् स चक्र मानसं मुनिः । प्रीतिप्रसन्नवदनः पार्श्वस्थे चाभवन्मृगे
Thus, when the fawn was gone for a long time, the sage’s mind was occupied with it, and when it was nearby, his face was joyful and pleased.
समाधिभङ्गस्तासीत् तन्ममत्वादृतात्मनः । सन्त्यक्तराज्यभोगर्द्धिखजनस्यापि भूपतेः
Due to his attachment, his meditation was disturbed, even though he was a king who had abandoned royal pleasures and prosperity.
चपलं चपले तस्मिन् दूरगं दूरगामिनि । मृगपतोऽभवज्वित्तं स्थैर्य्यवत्तस्य भूपतेः
The wealth of that king, who was steadfast, became as unsteady as a deer, and as distant as a creature that wanders far.
कालेन गच्छता सोऽथ कालञ्चक्र महीपतिः । पितेव सास्त्रं पुत्रेण मृगपोतेन वीक्षितः
As time passed, O king, the king was watched by the young deer as a son observes his father's conduct.
मृगमेव तदाद्राक्षीत् त्यजन् प्राणानसावपि । तन्मयत्वेन मैत्रय! नान्यत् किञ्चिदचिन्तयत्
Then, O Maitraya, even as he was giving up his life, he saw only the deer; absorbed in it, he thought of nothing else.
ततश्व तत्कालकृतां भावनां प्राप्य तादृशीम् । जम्बूमार्गे महारण्ये जातो जातिस्मरो मृगः
Thereafter, having attained such a state of mind at the time of death, he was born as a deer with memory of his past birth, in the great forest along the Jambu path.
जातिस्मरत्वादुद्रिग्नः संसारस्य द्रिजोत्तम! विहाय मातरं भूयः शालग्राममुपाययौ
Because of his remembrance of his previous birth, O best of twice-born, he became distressed by worldly existence, and, leaving his mother, he again went to Shalagrama.
शुष्कैस्तृणैस्तथा पर्णौः स कुर्व्वन्नात्मपोषणम् । मृगत्वहतुभूतस्य कर्म्मणो निष्कृतिं ययौ
There, sustaining himself on dry grass and leaves, he atoned for the karma that had caused his birth as a deer.
तत्र चोतसृष्टदेहोऽसौ जज्ञ जातिस्मरो द्रिजः । सदाचारवतां शुद्ध योगिनां प्रवरे कुले
There, having cast off his deer body, he was born with memory of his past birth in a pure and noble family of yogis, who were devoted to good conduct.
अर्व्वविज्ञानसम्पन्नः सर्व्वशास्त्रार्थतत्त्ववित् । अपश्यत् स च मैत्रेय ! आत्मानं प्रकृतेः परम्
Endowed with profound knowledge and understanding of the true meaning of all the scriptures, O Maitraya, he perceived the self as distinct from nature.
आत्मनोऽधिगतज्ञानो देवादीनि महामुने । सर्व्वभूतान्यभेदेन स ददर्श महामतिः
Having attained knowledge of the self, O great sage, he saw all beings, from the gods onward, as non-different from himself, with a great and unified mind.
न पपाठ गुरुप्रोक्तं कृतोपनयनः श्वुतिम् । न ददर्श च कर्माणि शास्त्रणि जगृहे न च
Though he had undergone the sacred thread ceremony, he did not recite what the teacher had taught, nor did he perform rituals or study the scriptures.
उक्तोऽपि बहुशः किञ्चिड़वाक्यमभाषत । तदप्यसंस्कारगुणां ग्राम्यवाक्योक्तिसंश्रितम्
Even when spoken to many times, he replied little, and even that was unrefined, relying on rustic speech and lacking the qualities of formal training.
अपध्वस्तवपुः सोऽपि मलिनाम्बरधृग् द्रिजः । क्लिन्नदन्तान्तरः सर्वैः परिभूतः स नागरैः
Though his body was emaciated and he wore soiled garments, with his teeth and mouth unclean, that twice-born was despised by all the townspeople.
सम्मानना परां हानिं योगर्द्धेः कुरुते यतः । जनेनावमतो योगी योगसिद्धिञ्च विन्दति
For, when a yogi is honored, it brings great harm to the power of yoga; but when disregarded by people, the yogi attains success in yoga.
तस्माज्वरेत वै योगी सतां मार्गमदूषयन् । जना यथावमन्येरन् गच्छयुर्नैव सङ्गतिम्
Therefore, the yogi should not deviate from the path of the virtuous, even if people scorn him; let them disregard him as they will, for they do not attain his state.
हिरण्यगर्भवचनं विचिन्त्येत्थं महामतिः । आत्मानं दर्शयामास जडोन्मत्ताकृतिं जने
Reflecting on the words of Hiranyagarbha, the great-minded one presented himself among people with the appearance of a dullard or madman.
भुहूक्ते कुलम्षव्रीह्मादिशाकं वन्यं फलं कणान् । यदू यदाप्रोति सुबहु तदत्ते कालसंयमम्
When he obtained grains, pulses, sesame, rice, roots, wild fruits, or seeds, he would eat them in abundance, observing restraint in time.