असङ्ख्येयजगद्भूतहृत्पद्मकुहरालिने । जगत्त्रयैकनलिनीसरसे विष्णवे नमः
Salutations to Vishnu, the bee dwelling in the lotus cave of the hearts of countless beings, in the lake of the single lotus that is the three worlds.
मायाम् इमां त्वदुदितां भगवन् पारमात्मिकीम् । द्रष्टुम् इच्छामि संसारनाम्नीम् आश्चर्यकारिणीम्
O Lord, I wish to see this supreme māyā that you have revealed, known as saṃsāra, which is wondrous in its workings.
इमां द्रक्ष्यसि मायां त्वं ततस् त्यक्ष्यसि चेत्य् अजः । उक्त्वा ययाव् अदृश्यत्वं गान्धर्वम् इव पत्तनम्
You will see this māyā, and then you will abandon it—so said the unborn one, and departed, vanishing like a Gandharva city.
गते विष्णौ समुत्तस्थौ जलात् स ब्राह्मणेश्वरः । शीतलामलमूर्तित्वाद् इन्दुः क्षीरोदकाद् इव
When Viṣṇu had gone, that lordly brāhmaṇa rose from the water, shining with a cool and spotless form, like the moon emerging from the milky ocean.
बभूव परितुष्टात्मा दर्शनेन जगत्पतेः । दर्शनस्पर्शनैर् इन्दोर् उत्फुल्लम् इव कैरवम्
His soul became thoroughly satisfied by the sight of the Lord of the world, just as a lotus blooms from the touch and vision of the moon.
अथास्य कतिचित् तस्मिन् दिवसानि ययुर् वने । हरिसन्दर्शनानन्दवतो ब्राह्मणकर्मणा
Then, for several days in that forest, he remained absorbed in the joy of seeing Hari, performing the duties of a brāhmaṇa.
एकदारब्धवान् स्नानं सरस्य् उदितपङ्कजे । चिन्तयन् वैष्णवं वाक्यं महर्षिर् इव मानसे
One day, he began his bath in the lake, as the lotus had just opened, reflecting on the words of Viṣṇu like a great sage in contemplation.
अथ स्नानविधाव् अन्तर्जलम् एष चकार ह । सकलाघविघातार्थं परिवर्तनम् आत्मनः
During the bathing ritual, he immersed himself in the water, seeking to remove all sins and transform himself.
अन्तर्जलविधौ तस्मिन् विस्मृतध्यानमन्त्रधीः । पर्यस्तसंवित्प्रसरस् सो ऽपश्यज् जलमध्यगः
While performing the underwater ritual, his mind forgot its meditation and mantras; his awareness scattered, and he saw himself within the water.
मृतम् आत्मानम् आत्मीये सदने ऽसोम्यतां गतम् । पतितं वातवेगेन कन्दरान्तर् इव द्रुमम्
He saw his own self, dead, lying in his house, bereft of vitality, fallen by the force of the wind like a tree into a mountain cleft.
प्राणापानप्रवाहेण मुक्तम् अन्तम् उपागतम् । संशान्तावयवस्पन्दं निर्वात इव षण्डकम्
Released by the current of prāṇa and apāna, it had reached its end, its limbs utterly still, like a windless clump of reeds.
पाण्डुराननम् आम्लानं वृक्षपर्णम् इवारसम् । शवीभूतम् अनाह्लादं छिन्ननालम् इवाम्बुजम्
Its face was pale and withered, like a leaf drained of sap from a tree, lifeless and devoid of delight, like a lotus whose stalk has been cut.
विपर्यस्तेक्षणं प्रातर् मज्जत्तारम् इवाम्बरम् । सावग्रहम् इव ग्रामं सर्वतः पांसुधूसरम्
Its eyes were turned awry, like the sky at dawn sinking into darkness, covered all over with dust, like a village seized by calamity.
बाष्पक्लिन्नमुखैर् दीनैः करुणाक्रन्दकारिभिः । आवृतं बन्धुभिः खिन्नैः कुररैर् इव पादपम्
It was surrounded by sorrowful relatives, their faces wet with tears, raising cries of grief, like a tree encircled by distressed cranes.
सेतुभङ्गगलद्वारिम्लायमानमुखाब्जया । नलिन्या समधर्मिण्या भार्यया पादयोश् श्रितम्
At his feet rested his wife, her lotus-face faded and wilted, like a lotus pond whose bridge has collapsed and whose waters have ebbed, sharing in his fate.
ताराक्रन्दरणद्रूढप्रलापालापमुग्धया । मात्रा गृहीतं चिबुके नवव्यञ्जनलाञ्छिते
His mother, bewildered by the pain of her child's loss, held his chin, adorned with the marks of youth, uttering plaintive words in her grief.
अन्यैः पार्श्वगतैर् दीनैस् स्रवदस्रुमुखैर् जनैः । श्रितं गलदवश्यायैश् शुष्कपर्णैर् इव द्रुमम्
Other sorrowful people stood at his side, their faces streaming with tears, clinging to him in helplessness, like withered leaves to a tree.
वियोगभीत्या संयोगपरिहारपरैर् इव । दूरं प्रविसृतैर् अङ्गैर् अनात्मीयैर् इवावृतम्
As if out of fear of separation, its limbs were cast far apart, shrouded as though they no longer belonged to itself.
परस्परम् अलग्नाभ्याम् ओष्ठाभ्यां दशनैश् शनैः । सविरागम् इवाम्लानैर् हसन्तं स्वात्मजीवितम्
Its lips, not joined together, were gently touched by the teeth, as if faintly smiling with a lifeless, faded affection for its own self.
मौनं ध्यानम् इवापन्नं पङ्काद् इव विनिर्मितम् । अप्रबोधाय संसुप्तं विश्राम्यन्तम् इवोच्चकैः
It seemed to have entered a silence like meditation, as if fashioned from mud, deeply asleep and resting, unawakened.
बान्धवाक्रन्दसंरम्भकोलाहलगता गिरः । स्नेहभावविचारार्थं शृण्वन्तम् इव यत्नतः
It listened intently, as if striving to discern the voices of relatives, tumultuous with wailing, seeking the meaning of their bonds of affection.
अथ तत्कालकल्लोलप्रलापाकुलचेष्टितैः । सोरस्ताडनम् उच्छूननेत्रवारिभिर् आप्लुतैः
Then, amid the agitated gestures and delirious words of that moment, it was drenched with tears streaming from eyes swollen by the blows of sorrow.
क्रमेण स्वजनैः क्षुब्धैस् ताराक्रन्दितघर्घरैः । निष्कालितम् अमङ्गल्यम् अपुनर्दर्शनाय तैः
Gradually, by its distraught kin, with star-like cries and hoarse wailing, it was carried away—unblessed, never to be seen again.
नीतं श्मशानम् आश्यानवसापङ्ककलङ्कितम् । शुष्काशुष्कजरत्क्लिन्नकङ्कालशतसङ्कुलम्
It was taken to the cremation ground, stained with fat and mud, crowded with hundreds of dry, decayed, and damp skeletons.
गृध्राभ्रच्छन्नसूर्यांशु चिताज्वलननिस्तमः । शिवाशतमुखज्वालाजालपल्लवितावनि
The sun’s rays were obscured by clouds of vultures; the darkness was pierced by the flames of the funeral pyre, the earth blossoming with the tongues of fire from the mouths of countless jackals.
वहद्रक्तसरित्स्नातमद्गुकङ्कोग्रवायसम् । रक्तार्द्रतन्त्रीप्रसरजालबद्धजरत्खगम्
The aged bird, bathed in the great river of blood, bound in a net of blood-soaked, moist sinews, is pecked by the maggot, the vulture, the crow, and the jackal.
तत्र ते ज्वलने दीप्ते चक्रुस् तं भस्मसाच् छवम् । बान्धवास् सलिलापूरं समुद्रा इव वाडवे
There, in the blazing fire, the relatives made that corpse into ashes, as the oceans fill with water from the rain clouds.
चितिश् चटचटास्फोटैश् शवम् आशु ददाह तम् । शुष्केन्धनवद् उच्छूनज्वालाजालजटावती
The funeral pyre, with crackling sounds, quickly burned that corpse, its flames rising like tangled locks, as dry fuel is consumed.
अत्युल्लसच्चटचटारवमुक्तगन्धव्याप्ताम्बुवाहपटलो ऽस्थिचयं हुताशः । दन्ती विरन्ध्रम् इव वेणुवनं समन्ताद् उद्वान्तमेदुररसं दलयां चकार
The roaring fire, releasing fragrances, enveloped the heap of bones in a sheet of smoke, and, like an elephant crushing a bamboo grove, scattered the marrow and juices all around.
अथापश्यद् असौ गाधिस् स्वाधिपीवरया धिया । अन्तर्जलस्थ एवान्तर् आत्मनात्मन्य् अनिर्मले
Then Gadhi, with his own noble mind, saw himself within himself, as if submerged in water, in a state of impurity.