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.
पितर्युपरते सोऽथ भ्रातृ-भ्रातृव्य-बान्धवैः । कारितः क्षेत्रकर्मादि कदन्नाहारपोषितः
After his father passed away, he was made to work in the fields and other tasks by his brothers, cousins, and relatives, and was sustained with coarse food.
स तूक्षपीनावयवो जद़कारी च कर्मणि । सर्वलोकोपकरणां बभूवाहारवेतनः
Though his limbs were thin and he acted as if dull, he performed all tasks for the benefit of others, receiving only food as his wage.
[तं तादृशमसंस्कारं विप्राकृविचेष्टितम् । क्षत्ता पृषतराजस्य काल्यै पशुमकल्पयत्
The chamberlain, seeing him in such a state, unrefined and behaving like a non-Brahmin, prepared him as a sacrificial animal for the goddess Kālī on the order of the king.
रात्रौ तं समलङकृत्य वैशसस्य विधानतः । अधिष्ठितं महाकाली ज्ञात्वा योगेश्वरं तथा
At night, after adorning him according to the prescribed rites for a Vaiśasa sacrifice, the goddess Mahākālī, knowing that the Yogeshvara was present, took her place.
ततः खड गं समादाय निशितं निशि सा तथा । क्षत्तार क्रूरकर्माणमच्छिनत् कण्ठमूलतः । स्वपार्षदयुता देवी पपौ रुधिरमुल्वणम्
Then, in the night, she took up a sharp sword and, together with her attendants, cruelly severed the chamberlain's neck at its root and drank the copious blood.
ततः सौवीरराजस्य प्रयातस्य महात्मनः । विष्टिकर्ताथ मन्येत विष्टियोग्योऽयमित्यपि
After that, when the great-souled king of Sauvīra set out, the collector of forced labor considered, 'This one is fit for forced labor.'
तं तादृशं महात्मानं भस्मच्छन्नमिवानलम् ।]* *[ एतदाकारबन्धनीदूयान्तर्गतबागः सर्वत्र पुस्तके न दृश्यते । श्रीधरेणाप्यस्य व्याख्या न कृता, अतः सर्वसम्मति शून्यत्वादयं बागो बन्धनीदूयगर्मै स्थापितः ।] तं तादृशमसंस्कारं विप्राकृतिविचेष्टितम् । क्षत्ता सौवीरराजस्य विष्टियोग्यममन्यत
That great-souled one, covered with ashes like fire, was regarded by the collector of forced labor as suitable for such work, seeing his unrefined state and non-Brahmin behavior.
स राजा शिविकारूढो गन्तूं कृतमतिर्द्रिज ! बभूवेक्षुमतीतीरे कपिलर्षेर्वराश्रमम्
The king, determined to go, mounted his palanquin, O twice-born, and proceeded to the excellent hermitage of the sage Kapila on the bank of the Ikṣumatī river.
श्रेयः किमत्र संसारे दुः खप्राये नृणामिति । प्रष्टुं तं मोक्षधर्मज्ञ कपिलाख्यं महामुनिम्
He wished to ask that great sage named Kapila, who knew the dharma of liberation, 'What is the highest good in this world, so full of suffering for men?'
उवाह शिविकां तस्य क्षत्तुर्वचनचोदितः । नृणां विष्टिगृहीतानामन्येषां सोऽपि मध्यगः
Urged by the words of the collector, he carried the king's palanquin, joining the other men who had been pressed into forced labor.