एकदा तु दुहितृस्नेहाकृष्टहृदयस्स महीपतिरतिदुःखितास्ता उत सुखिता वा इति विचिंत्य तस्य महर्षेराश्रमसमीपमुपेत्य स्फुरदंशुमालाललामां स्फटिकमयप्रासादमालामतिरम्योपवनजलाशयां ददर्श
Once, the king, his heart drawn by affection for his daughters, wondered whether they were unhappy or happy, and approached the sage's hermitage. He saw a radiant row of crystal palaces, adorned with shining garlands, and delightful gardens and lotus ponds.
प्रविश्य चैकं प्रासादमात्मजां परिष्वज्य कृतासनपरिग्रहः प्रवृद्धस्नेहनयनांबुगर्भनयनोब्रवीत्
Entering one palace, embracing his daughter, and taking a seat, his eyes filled with tears of affection, he spoke.
अप्यत्र वत्से भवत्यास्सुखमुत किंचिदसुखमपि ते महर्षिस्स्नेहवानुत न स्मर्यतेस्मद्गृहवास इत्युक्ता तं तनया पितरमाह
'My dear, are you happy here, or is there any discomfort? Is the sage affectionate, or do you not remember living in our house?' Thus questioned, the daughter replied to her father.
तातातिरमणीयः प्रासादोत्रातिमनोज्ञमुपवनमेते कलवाक्यविहंगमाभिरुताः प्रोत्फुल्लपद्माकरजलाशयाः मनोनुकूलभक्ष्यभोज्यानुलेपनवस्त्रभूषणादिभोगो मृदूनि शयनासनानि सर्वसंपत्समेतं मे गार्हस्थ्यम्
'Father, this palace is very charming, the gardens are exceedingly delightful, the birds sing sweetly, the lotus ponds are blooming, the food, delicacies, ointments, garments, ornaments, and all comforts are pleasing, the beds and seats are soft. My household life is complete in every way.'
तथापि केन वा जन्मभूमिर्न स्मर्यते
Still, who does not remember their birthplace?
त्वत्प्रसादादिदमश्षोमतिशोभनम्
All this splendor here is due to your favor.
किं त्वेकं ममैतद्दुःखकारणं यदस्मद्गृहान्महर्षिरयम्मद्भर्त्ता न विष्क्रामति ममैव केवलमतिप्रीत्या समीपपरिवर्त्तिनीनामन्यासामस्मद्भगिनीनाम्
Yet there is one cause of sorrow for me: that this great sage, my husband, does not leave our house out of special affection only for me, while he does visit the other wives, my sisters.
एवं च मम सोदर्योतिदुःखिता इत्येवमतिदुःखकारणमित्युक्तस्तया द्वितीयं प्रासादमुपेत्य स्वतनयां परिष्वज्योपविष्टस्तथैव पृष्टवान्
Thus, when she said, 'My co-wife is exceedingly distressed,' and explained this as the cause of her great sorrow, he went to a second palace, embraced his own daughter there, sat down, and questioned her in the same way.
तयापि च सर्वमेतत्तत्प्रासादाद्युपभोगसुखं भृशमाख्यातं ममैव केवलमतिप्रीत्या पार्श्वपरिवर्त्तिनीनामन्यासामस्मद्भगिनीनामित्येवमादिश्रुत्वा समस्तप्रासादेषु राजा प्रविवेश तनयां तनयां तथैवावृच्छत्
She too described in detail all the pleasures and comforts she enjoyed in that palace, saying, 'Out of special affection only for me, he stays near me and not with the other wives, my sisters.' Hearing this from each, the king entered all the palaces and questioned each daughter in the same way.
सर्वाभिश्च ताभिस्तथैवाभिहितः परितोषविस्मयनिर्भरविवशहृदयो भगवंतं सौभरिमेकांतावस्थितमुपेत्य कृतपूजोब्रवीत्
And all of them spoke to him in the same manner; his heart, overwhelmed with satisfaction and wonder, approached the venerable Saubhari, who was alone, and after offering worship, he spoke:
दृष्टस्ते भगवन् सुमहानेष सिद्धिप्रभावो नैवंविधमन्यस्य कस्यचिदस्माभिर्विभूतिभिर्विलसितमुपलक्षितं यदेतद्भगवतस्तपसः फलमित्यभिपूज्य तमृषिं तत्रैव तेन ऋषिवर्येण सह किंचित्कालमभिमतोपभोगान् बुभुजे स्वपुरं च जगाम
O venerable one, I have witnessed your immense power of accomplishment; never have I seen such prosperity displayed by anyone else. This, I understand, is the fruit of your austerity. Honoring the sage, he remained there for some time, enjoying the pleasures he desired together with that best of sages, and then returned to his own city.
कालेन गच्छता तस्य तासु राजतनयासु पुत्रशतं सार्धमभवत्
As time passed, he had a hundred sons with those royal daughters.
अनुदिनानुरूढस्नेहप्रसरश्च स तत्रातीवममताकृष्टहृदयोऽभवत्
Day by day, his affection grew deeper, and his heart became intensely attached by love.
अप्येतेऽस्मत्पुत्राः कलभाषिणः पद्भ्यां गच्छेयुः अप्येते यौवनिनो भवेयुः अपि कृतदारानेतान् पश्येयमप्येषां पुत्रा भवेयुः अप्येतत्पुत्रान्पुत्रसमन्वितान्पश्यामीत्यादिमनोरथाननुदिनं कालसंपत्तिप्रवृद्धानुपेक्ष्यैतच्चिंतयामास
Will these sons of mine, who now babble like calves, ever walk on their own feet? Will they reach youth? Will I see them married? Will they have sons? Will I see my sons surrounded by their own sons? Such thoughts, growing daily with the passage of time, he began to ponder, neglecting all else.
अहो मे मोहस्यातिविस्तारः
Alas, how vast is the expanse of my delusion!
मनोरथानां न समाप्तिरस्ति वर्षायुतेनाप्यथ वापि लक्षैः । पूर्णेषुपूर्णेषु मनोरथानामुत्पत्तयस्संति पुनर्नवानाम्
There is no end to desires, not even in ten thousand years or a hundred thousand; even when some are fulfilled, new desires arise again and again.
पद्भ्यां गता यौवनिनश्च जाता दारैश्च संयोगमिताः प्रसूताः । दृष्टाः सुतास्तत्तनयप्रसूतिं द्रष्टुं पुनर्वांच्छति मेंऽतरात्मा
Even when they walk on their own feet, reach youth, are united with wives, and have children, seeing my sons, my inner self still longs to see the birth of their sons.
द्रक्ष्यामि तेषामिति चेत्प्रसूतिं मनोरथो मे भविता ततोन्यः । पूर्णेपि तत्राप्यपरस्य जन्म निवार्यते केन मनोरथस्य
If I think, 'I will see their children,' then another desire will arise; even if that is fulfilled, yet another will be born—by whom can the arising of desires be prevented?
आमृत्युतो नैव मनोरथानामंतोस्ति विज्ञातमिदं मयाद्य । मनोरथासक्तिपरस्य चित्तं न जायते वै परमार्थसंगि
I have now realized that desires do not end even with death; the mind attached to desires does not attain true reality.
स मे समाधिर्जलवासमित्रमत्स्यस्य संगात्सहसैव नष्टः । परिग्रहस्संगकृतो मयायं परिग्रहोत्था च ममातिलिप्सा
My meditation, gained through the company of water-dwelling fish, was suddenly lost; this attachment I have created, and from this attachment, my excessive craving has arisen.
दुःखं यदैवैकशरीरजन्म शतार्द्धसंख्याकमिदं प्रसूतम् । परिग्रहेण क्षितिपात्मजानां सुतैरनेकैर्बहुलीकृतं तत
The suffering that began with a single body has now, through the birth of a hundred sons, been multiplied by attachment to the daughters of kings and many sons.
सुतात्मजैस्तत्तनयैश्च भूयो भूयश्च तेषां परिग्रहेण । विस्तारमेष्यत्यतिदुःखहेतुः परिग्रहो वै ममताभिधानः
Through sons, grandsons, and their sons, and through further attachments to them, this attachment, called possessiveness, will expand further and become a great cause of sorrow.
चीर्णं तपो यत्तु जलाश्रयेण तस्यार्द्धिरेषा तपसोंतरायः । मत्स्यस्य संगादभवच्च यो मे सुतादिरागो मुषितोस्मि तेन
The austerity I practiced in the water has been only half completed; this attachment has become an obstacle to my asceticism. From association with the fish, my passion for sons and the like arose, and by that I have been robbed.
निस्संगता मुक्तिपदं यतीनां संगादशेषाः प्रभवंति दोषाः । आरूढयोगो विनिपात्यतेधस्संगेन योगी किमुताल्पबुद्धिः
For the renunciants, freedom from attachment is the path to liberation; from attachment, all faults arise. Even one established in yoga falls by attachment—what then of one with little understanding?
अहं चरिष्यामि तदात्मनोर्थे परिग्रहग्राहगृहीतबुद्धिः । यदा हि भूयः परिहीनदोषो जनस्य दुःखैर्भविता न दुःखी
I will act for the sake of that Self, with understanding freed from attachment to possession and acquisition. For when a person is no longer afflicted by faults, he will not be made miserable by sorrows.
सर्वस्य धातारमचिंत्यरूपमणोरणीयांसमतिप्रमाणम् । सितासितं चेश्वरमीश्वराणामाराधयिष्ये तपसैव विष्णुम्
I shall worship Viṣṇu, the creator of all, whose form is inconceivable, subtler than the subtlest, immeasurable, both white and black, the Lord of lords, by means of austerity alone.
तस्मिन्नशेषौजसि सर्वरूपिण्यव्यक्तविस्पष्टतनावनंते । ममाचलं चित्तमपेतदोषं सदास्तु विष्णावभवाय भूयः
May my mind, free from faults, always remain steadfast in Viṣṇu—who is all-radiant, of every form, whose unmanifest and manifest body is infinite—so that I may attain liberation again.
समस्तभूतादमलादनंतात्सर्वेश्वरादन्यदनादिमध्यात् । यस्मान्न किंचित्तमहं गुरूणां परं गुरुं संश्रयमेमि विष्णुम्
I seek refuge in Viṣṇu, the supreme teacher of teachers, from whom nothing else exists apart—who is the pure, infinite, lord of all, without beginning or middle.
श्रीपराशर उवाच। इत्यात्मानमात्मनैवाभिधायासौ सौभरिरपहाय पुत्रगृहासनपरिग्रहादिकमशेषमर्थजातं सकलभार्यासमन्वितो वनं प्रविवेश
Śrī Parāśara said: Thus, having spoken to himself in this way, Saubhari abandoned entirely all his possessions—sons, home, seat, and everything else—together with all his wives, and entered the forest.
तत्राप्यनुदिनं वैखानसनिष्पाद्यमशेषक्रियाकलापं निष्पाद्य क्षपितसकलपापः परिपक्वमनोवृत्तिरात्मन्यग्नीन्समारोप्य भिक्षुरभवत्
There, daily performing all the duties prescribed for a hermit, having destroyed all his sins, with his mind matured, he established the sacred fires within himself and became a mendicant.