अवधीर्येति तं चित्तमोहं गाधिर् निनाय सः । दिनानि कतिचित् तस्मिन् स्वक एवाश्रमे तदा
Disregarding that delusion of mind, Gadhi remained for several days then in his own hermitage.
एकदा गाधिम् आगच्छत् कश्चिद् अन्नप्रियो ऽतिथिः । ब्रह्माणम् इव दुर्वासास् स विशश्राम सश्रमः
One day, a guest fond of food came to Gadhi; he, weary, rested there like Durvasa visiting Brahma.
परमां तृप्तिम् आनीतः फलपुष्परसाशनैः । सो ऽतिथिर् गाधिना तेन वसन्तेनेव पादपः
That guest, brought to utmost satisfaction by eating fruits, flowers, and nectar, was like a tree nourished by spring, thanks to Gadhi.
अथ वन्दितसन्ध्यौ तौ कृतजप्याव् उभाव् अपि । क्रमाच् छयनम् आसाद्य तस्थतुर् मृदुपल्लवम्
Then, both having honored the evening and performed their recitations, gradually reached their beds and rested on soft leaves.
ततः प्रववृते शान्ता तयोस् तापसयोः कथा । स्वव्यापारोचिता पुष्पश्रीर् इवर्तुस् स्वमासयोः
Afterwards, a peaceful conversation began between the two ascetics, suited to their own pursuits, like the blossoming of flowers in their respective seasons.
पप्रच्छाथातिथिं गाधिः प्रसङ्गापतितं वचः । किम् ब्रह्मन् सुकृशाङ्गस् त्वं किम् इति श्रमवान् असि
Then Gadhi questioned the guest, who had come by chance, saying: 'O Brahmin, why are you so thin of limb, and why do you appear so weary?'
ममातिकार्श्यश्रमयोर् भगवञ् शृणु कारणम् । कथयामि यथाभूतं वयं नासत्यवादिनः
O venerable one, listen to the reason for my extreme thinness and fatigue; I will tell you the truth as it is, for we do not speak falsehood.
अस्त्य् अस्मिन् वसुधापीठे उत्तराशानिकुञ्जके । कीरो नामातिविख्यातश् श्रीमाञ् जनपदो महान्
On this earth, in a grove to the north, there is a very renowned and prosperous region called Kira, a great land.
तत्राहम् अवसं मासं पूज्यमानः पुरे जनैः । अनन्तास्वादलोलात्मचित्तवेतालमोहितः
There I stayed for a month, honored by the people of the city, my mind deluded by the endless taste for pleasure and the intoxication of self-indulgence.
एकदैकेन तत्रोक्तं कथाप्रस्तावतः क्वचित् । इहाभूच् छ्वपचो राजा वर्षाण्य् अष्टौ द्विजेति मे
One day, in the course of a conversation, someone there happened to say: 'Here, a dog-eater was king for eight years, O Brahmin.'
ततो ग्रामेषु मत्पृष्टैः प्रोक्तं सकलजन्तुभिः । राजा बभूव श्वपचो वर्षाण्य् अष्टाव् इहेति तैः
Then, in the villages, when I asked, all the people said: 'A dog-eater was indeed king here for eight years.'
स एवान्ते परिज्ञातः प्रविष्टो ज्वलनं जवात् । ततो द्विजशतानीह प्रविष्टानि हुताशनम्
At the end, when this was discovered, he quickly entered the fire; then hundreds of Brahmins here entered the sacrificial fire as well.
इति तेषां मुखाच् छ्रुत्वा तस्मान् निर्गत्य मण्डलात् । प्रयागे ऽकरवं शुद्ध्यै प्रायश्चित्तम् अहं द्विज
Having heard this from their mouths, I left that region and performed penance at Prayaga for purification, O Brahmin.
कृत्वा चान्द्रायणस्यान्ते तृतीयस्याद्य पारणम् । इहाहम् आगतस् तेन श्रान्तो ऽस्म्य् अतिकृशो ऽस्मि च
Having completed the breaking of the third lunar fast today, I have come here; because of this, I am weary and exceedingly thin.
इति श्रुतवता तेन गाधिना स तदा द्विजः । भूयः पृष्टो ऽप्य् एतद् एव कथयाम् आस नान्यथा
Having heard this, Gādhi questioned that twice-born one again, but he only repeated the same thing and said nothing else.
अथ विस्मयवान् गाधिस् तां नीत्वा तत्र शर्वरीम् । जगद्गेहमहादीपे रवाव् उदयम् आगते
Then, filled with wonder, Gādhi spent the night there, and when the sun, the great lamp of the world, had risen,
कृते प्रातस्तनविधाव् आपृच्छ्याश्व् अतिथौ गते । इदं सञ्चिन्तयाम् आस विस्मयोद्धुरया धिया
After performing the morning rituals and bidding farewell to the guest who departed on his horse, he began to reflect with a mind stirred by amazement.
यन् मया सम्भ्रमे दृष्टं सत्यं भूतं द्विजेन तत् । उक्तं ममेति किं नाम स्यान् मायाशम्बरे क्रमः
What I saw in confusion, the twice-born one truly spoke as fact—what could be the sequence of illusion’s display in this matter?
यद् बन्धुमध्ये मरणं मया तद् दृष्टम् आत्मनः । सा मायैव न सन्देहश् शेषे पश्यामि सत्यताम्
What I saw as my own death among my relatives was surely only illusion—of the rest, I perceive the reality.
तद् आत्मश्वपचोदन्तं द्रष्टुं तावद् अखिन्नधीः । हूनमण्डलपर्यन्तग्रामं गच्छामि सत्वरम्
Therefore, with an unwearied mind, I will go swiftly to see the place of my supposed outcaste birth, up to the edge of the Hūna region.
इति सञ्चिन्तयन् गन्तुं मण्डलान्तरम् आदरात् । उत्तस्थौ भास्करः पार्श्वं मेरोर् द्रष्टुम् इवोद्यतः
Thinking thus, he rose eagerly to go to another region, like the sun rising to behold the side of Mount Meru.
विनिर्गत्यावहन् मार्गे प्रावृडोघजवेन सः । देशान् उल्लङ्घयाम् आस बहून् वाततरङ्गवत्
He set out along the road, moving with the swiftness of the monsoon torrent, crossing many lands like a wave driven by the wind.
तुच्छदेशजनाचारं हूनमण्डलम् आसदत् । करभः कण्टकौघार्थी कारञ्जम् इव काननम्
He entered a region devoid of people and customs, a desolate expanse, like a young elephant seeking a thicket of thorns, or a forest filled with karanja trees.
तत्र संवित्स्थितेनैव सन्निवेशेन वै पुरः । अपश्यद् ग्रामकं कञ्चिद् गन्धर्व इव पत्तनम्
There, remaining aware and composed, he saw before him a certain small village, appearing like a city of gandharvas.
ददर्श तस्य पर्यन्ते तम् एव श्वपचालयम् । अधस् त्रिभुवनस्येव पाताले नरकव्रजम्
At the edge of that place, he saw the very dwelling of the outcaste, like a herd of hell-beings in the netherworld beneath the three realms.
चित्रचिन्तितविस्तारिसन्निवेशमयं पुरम् । गन्धर्ववद् असाव् आत्मश्वपचेशस्य दृष्टवान्
He beheld a city, its layout and expanse shaped by the varied thoughts and imaginings of its lord, appearing like the city of a gandharva, yet belonging to that outcaste king.
तेनैव सन्निवेशेन प्राग् दृष्टं श्वपचास्पदम् । तस्य काम् अपि वैराग्यपदवीम् अनयन् मनः
With that same arrangement as seen before, he beheld the abode of the outcaste; his mind was led to a certain state of dispassion.
प्रावृडासारलुठितं भित्तिजातयवाङ्कुरम् । पर्यस्तच्छादनार्धाङ्कं किञ्चिदादृष्टकन्दरम्
It was battered by the monsoon rains, with sprouts growing from the cracks in the walls, half its coverings fallen away, and some caves barely visible.
दारिद्र्यं तं दृढम् इव दौर्भाग्यम् इव कुट्टितम् । भ्रष्टाङ्गम् इव दौरात्म्यं दौस्स्थित्यम् इव खण्डितम्
He saw poverty there, firm as if it were solidified misfortune, wretchedness as if it were mangled limbs, and ruin as if it were broken stability.
गाधिदन्तावदलितैर् गवाश्वमहिषास्थिभिः । धवलैर् व्याप्तपर्यन्तं साक्ष्यं कर्तुम् इव स्थितैः
As if to bear witness, the entire expanse was covered with white bones of cows, horses, and buffaloes, shattered like Gadhi's teeth.