यच्च किञ्चन तत्सर्वं नारीसञ्ज्ञं बभूव ह । एतस्मिन्नन्तरे राजा स इलः कर्दमात्मजः । निघ्नन्मृगसहस्राणि तं देशमुपचक्रमे ।। ७.८७.
And whatever else was there, all of it took on the form of women; meanwhile, King Ila, son of Kardama, entered that region, slaying thousands of animals.
स दृष्ट्वा स्त्रीकृतं सर्वं सव्यालमृगपक्षकम् । आत्मनं स्त्रीकृतं चैव सानुगं रघुनन्दन ।। ७.८७.
Seeing that everything, including wild beasts and birds, had become female, and that he himself along with his retinue had also become female, O descendant of Raghu—
तस्य दुःखं महच्चासीद्दृष्ट्वा ऽ ऽत्मानं तथागतम् । उमापतेश्च तत्कर्म ज्ञात्वा त्रासमुपागमत् ।। ७.८७.
Great sorrow came upon him when he saw himself thus transformed; and realizing this was the work of the lord of Uma, he was filled with fear.
ततो देवं महात्मानं शितिकण्ठं कपर्दिनम् । जगाम शरणं राजा सभृत्यबलवाहनः ।। ७.८७.
Then the king, along with his servants, army, and vehicles, sought refuge in the great-souled, matted-haired, blue-throated god.
ततः प्रहस्य वरदः सह देव्या महेश्वरः । प्रजापतिसुतं वाक्यमुवाच वरदः स्वयम् ।। ७.८७.
Then, smiling, the gracious lord Maheshvara, together with the goddess, spoke these words to the son of Prajapati, granting him a boon himself.
उत्तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ राजर्षे कार्दमेय महाबल । पुरुषत्वमृते सौम्य वरं वरय सुव्रत ।। ७.८७.
Rise, rise, O royal sage, mighty son of Kardama! Except for manhood, gentle one, choose a boon, O steadfast one.
ततः स राजा दुःखार्तः प्रत्याख्यातो महात्मना । न च जग्राह स्त्रीभूतो वरमन्यं सुरोत्तमात् ।। ७.८७.
Then that king, afflicted by sorrow, was refused by the great soul; and, having become a woman, he did not accept any other boon from the best of gods.
ततः शोकेन महता शैलराजसुतां नृपः । प्रणिपत्य ह्युमां देवीं सर्वेणैवान्तरात्मना ।। ७.८७.
Then, overwhelmed by great sorrow, the king bowed down to the daughter of the mountain, to the goddess Umā, with his whole heart.
ईशे वराणां वरदे लोकानामसि भामिनी । अमोघदर्शने देवी भज सौम्येन चक्षुषा ।। ७.८७.
O radiant one, giver of boons, sovereign of blessings, you are the mistress of the worlds; O goddess of unfailing vision, look upon me with gentle eyes.
हृद्गतं तस्य राजर्षेर्विज्ञाय हरसन्निधौ । प्रत्युवाच शुभं वाक्यं देवी रुद्रस्य संमता ।। ७.८७.
Perceiving in her heart the king-sage’s wish, in the presence of Hara, the goddess, approved by Rudra, spoke auspicious words.
अर्धस्य देवो वरदो वरार्धस्य तव ह्यहम् । तस्मादर्धं गृहाण त्वं स्त्रीपुंसोर्यावदिच्छसि ।। ७.८७.
The god is the bestower of boons for half, and I am for the other half of you; therefore, take whichever half you desire, whether male or female.
तदद्भुततरं श्रुत्वा देव्या वरमनुत्तमम् । सम्प्रहृष्टमना भूत्वा राजा वाक्यमथाब्रवीत् ।। ७.८७.
Hearing that wondrous and supreme boon from the goddess, the king, his mind filled with joy, then spoke these words.
यदि देवि प्रसन्ना मे रूपेणाप्रतिमा भुवि । मासं स्त्रीत्वमुपासित्वा मासं स्यां पुरुषः पुनः ।। ७.८७.
If you are pleased with me, O goddess, unrivaled in beauty on earth, let me be a woman for one month, and then a man again for one month.
ईप्सितं तस्य विज्ञाय देवी सुरुचिरानना । प्रत्युवाच शुभं वाक्यमेवमेव भविष्यति ।। ७.८७.
Knowing his desire, the goddess with a lovely face replied with auspicious words: 'So it shall be.'
राजन्पुरुषभूतस्त्वं स्त्रीभावं न स्मरिष्यसि । स्त्रीभूतश्च परं मासं न स्मरिष्यसि पौरुषम् ।। ७.८७.
O king, when you become a man, you will not remember your womanhood; and when you become a woman for that month, you will not remember your manhood.
एवं स राजा पुरुषो मासं भूत्वाथ कार्दमिः । त्रैलोक्यसुन्दरी नारी मासमेकमिला ऽभवत् ।। ७.८७.
Thus, the king became a man for one month, and then, O descendant of Kardama, for one month he became a woman, the most beautiful in the three worlds.
इत्यार्षे श्रीमद्रामायणे वाल्मीकीये आदिकाव्ये श्रीमदुत्तरकाण्डे सप्ताशीतितमः सर्गः
Thus ends the eighty-seventh sarga in the glorious Uttarakāṇḍa of the ancient and revered Rāmāyaṇa composed by Vālmīki.
तां कथामिलसम्बद्धां रामेण समुदीरिताम् । लक्ष्मणो भरतश्चैव श्रुत्वा परमविस्मितौ ।। ७.८८.
Hearing that story of Ilā, narrated by Rāma, both Lakṣmaṇa and Bharata were utterly amazed.
तौ रामं प्राञ्जली भूत्वा तस्य राज्ञो महात्मनः । विस्तरं तस्य भावस्य तदा पप्रच्छतुः पुनः ।। ७.८८.
With joined palms, those two approached Rāma, the great-souled king, and again asked him to tell the full account of that matter.
कथं स राजा स्त्रीभूतो वर्तयामास दुर्गतिः । पुरुषः स यदा भूतः कां वृत्तिं वर्तयत्यसौ ।। ७.८८.
How did that king, having become a woman, endure hardship? And when he became a man, what manner of life did he lead?
तयोस्तद्भाषितं श्रुत्वा कौतूहलसमन्वितम् । कथयामास काकुत्स्थस्तस्य राज्ञो यथागतम् ।। ७.८८.
Hearing their words, filled with curiosity, Kakutstha began to narrate the story of that king as it happened.
तमेव प्रथमं मासं स्त्रीभूता लोकसुन्दरी । ताभिः परिवृता स्त्रीभिर्ये च पूर्वपदानुगाः ।। ७.८८.
For that first month, having become a woman, the beauty of the worlds, Ilā, surrounded by women and those who had followed her previously, lived accordingly.
तत्काननं विगाह्वाशु विजह्रे लोकसुन्दरी । द्रुमगुल्मलताकीर्णं पद्भ्यां पद्मदलेक्षणा ।। ७.८८.
She, the beauty of the worlds, wandered swiftly through that forest, filled with trees, bushes, and creepers, her lotus-like eyes moving on foot.
वाहनानि च सर्वाणि सा त्यक्त्वा वै समन्ततः । पर्वताभोगविवरे तस्मिन्रेमे इला तदा ।। ७.८८.
Abandoning all her vehicles completely, Ilā then rested in the mountain caves of that place.
अथ तस्मिन्वनोद्देशे पर्वतस्याविदूरतः । सरः सुरुचिरप्रख्यं नानापक्षिगणैर्युतम् ।। ७.८८.
Then, in that part of the forest, not far from the mountain, there was a lake, shining like a jewel, filled with many kinds of birds.
ददर्श सा त्विला तस्मिन्बुधं सोमसुतं तदा । ज्वलन्तं स्वेन वपुषा पूर्णसोममिवोदितम् ।। ७.८८.
There, Ilā beheld Budha, the son of Soma, shining with his own radiance, like the full moon risen in the sky.
तपन्तं च तपस्तीव्रमम्भोमध्ये दुरासदम् । यशस्करं कामकरं कारुण्ये पर्यवस्थितम् ।। ७.८८.
He was engaged in intense austerity, difficult to approach in the midst of the waters, a source of fame and fulfillment of desires, established in compassion.
सा तं जलाशयं सर्वं क्षोभयामास विस्मिता । सहगैः पूर्वपुरुषैः स्त्रीभूतै रघुनन्दन ।। ७.८८.
Astonished, she agitated the entire lake, together with the women who had become her companions, O descendant of Raghu.
बुधस्तु तां समीक्ष्यैव कामबाणवशं गतः । नोपलेभे तदा ऽ ऽत्मानं सञ्चचाल तदा ऽ ऽम्भसि ।। ७.८८.
Budha, seeing her, was overcome by the arrows of desire; at that moment, he lost awareness of himself and was shaken in the water.
इलां निरीक्षमाणस्तु त्रैलोक्याभ्यधिकां शुभाम् । चिन्तां समभ्यतिक्रामत् का न्वियं देवताधिका ।। ७.८८.
Gazing upon Ilā, surpassing the three worlds in beauty, he was seized by the thought: 'Who is this, greater even than the goddesses?'