भुक्तं पीतं पुरा तेन येषु कर्परकेषु च । तैर् असन्मात्रमलिनैः परिपूर्णैर् इवावृतम्
Once, he had eaten and drunk there; the fragments and shards, stained merely by nonexistence, seemed to fill the place.
ताभिर् एवान्त्रतन्त्रीभिस् संशुष्काभिर् ऋताव् ऋतौ । तृष्णाभिर् इव दीर्घाभिः परितः परिवेष्टितम्
With those very dried intestines strung together, season after season, it was encircled all around, like by long thirsts.
चिरम् आलोकयाम् आस स तद् आत्मगृहं स्मयात् । प्राक्तनं शुष्कशवतां यातं देहम् इवात्मवान्
He gazed at that home of his for a long time, smiling; it had become like the body of one who has gone dry and withered, as in former times.
अथ विस्मयवान् एष ग्रामकं समुपाययौ । उल्लङ्घ्य म्लेच्छनगरम् आर्यदेशम् इवाध्वगः
Then, full of wonder, he approached the village, crossing over the city of foreigners like a traveler entering the land of the noble.
तत्रापृच्छज् जनं साधो कच्चित् स्मरति भो भवान् । प्राग् वृत्तम् अस्य ग्रामस्य पर्यन्ते श्वपचक्रमम्
There, he asked the people, 'O good sir, do you happen to remember the past events of this village, especially the area at its edge where the dog-eaters lived?'
सर्व एव हि धीमन्तश् चिरवृत्तम् अपि स्फुटम् । करस्थम् इव पश्यन्ति मयेति सुजनाच् छ्रुतम्
For indeed, all the wise clearly see even long-past events as if held in their hands; so I have heard from good people.
अत्र श्वपचम् एकान्तवासिनं वृद्धम् उन्नतम् । स्मरस्य् एकं किल तमोदुःखानाम् इव देहकम्
Here, do you recall a single old, prominent dog-eater who lived in seclusion—a body, as it were, of those afflicted by darkness and sorrow?
यदि जानासि भोस् साधो तन् मे कथय तं जनम् । पान्थसंशयविच्छेदे महत् पुण्यफलं स्मृतम्
If you know, O noble one, then tell me of that person; for resolving a traveler's doubt is said to yield great merit.
भूयो भूय इति ग्राम्याः पृष्टा गाधिद्विजन्मना । अनल्पस्मयसंरम्भा आर्तेनेव चिकित्सकाः
Again and again, the villagers were questioned by Gadhi's son; they responded with much pride and agitation, like doctors to a sufferer.
यथा कथयसि ब्रह्मंस् तत् तथा न तद् अन्यथा । कटञ्जनामा श्वपच इहाभूद् दारुणाकृतिः
O Brahmin, as you have said, so it is and not otherwise: here there was a dog-eater named Katañjana, of fierce appearance.
पुत्रपौत्रसुहृद्भृत्यबन्धुस्वजनपेटकम् । यस्यातिविस्तीर्णम् अभूत् पत्त्रवृन्दं तरोर् इव
His circle of sons, grandsons, friends, servants, relatives, and kin was vast, like the multitude of leaves on a tree.
तस्य वृद्धस्य तत् सर्वं कलत्रं मृत्युर् आच्छिनत् । अद्रेः पुष्पफलोपेतं महावनम् इवानिलः
For that old man, death took away all his family, as the wind strips a great forest on a mountain of its flowers and fruits.
यस् ततो देशम् उत्सृज्य ययौ कीरपुरान्तरम् । वर्षाण्य् अष्टाव् अनुद्वेगं तत्र राजा बभूव यः
He then left that place and went to another part of Kirapura, where he became king for eight years without distress.
यस् तत्राथ परिज्ञाय जनैर् दूरे तिरस्कृतः । यथा राशिर् अमेध्यस्य यथा ग्रामे विषद्रुमः
There, however, he was recognized by the people and shunned from afar, like a heap of filth or a poisonous tree in a village.
ततो जने ऽग्निं प्रविशत्य् आत्मना यो हुताशनम् । आर्यताम् आर्यसंसर्गाद् आर्यतः प्रविवेश ह
Then, among the people, he entered the fire himself; through association with the noble, he attained nobility.
किं त्वम् एकं प्रयत्नेन श्वपचं पृच्छसि प्रभो । किं ते बन्धुर् असौ कश्चिद् अभवत् संस्तुतो ऽथ वा
But why, O lord, do you persistently question this outcaste? Is he some relative of yours, or has he been praised by you in some way?
एवं कथयतो ग्राम्यान् गाधिः पृच्छन् पुनः पुनः । सर्वेषु तत्र ग्रामेषु मासम् एकम् उवास सः
Thus, as Gadhi repeatedly questioned the villagers, he stayed in all those villages for a month.
यथा तेनानुभूतं तच् छ्वपचत्वं तथैव तैः । ग्रामीणैस् तस्य कथितं सर्वैर् एवाविखण्डितम्
Just as he had experienced that outcaste existence, so too did all the villagers recount it to him, without contradiction.
अव्याहतं सकलहूनमुखाद् अथैतद् आकर्ण्य सम्यग् अवलोक्य यथानुभूतम् । गाधिश् शशाङ्कमलवद् धृदये विरूढं गूढाकृतिः परमविस्मयम् आजगाम
Hearing this, directly and without any distortion from every mouth, and carefully considering what he had experienced, Gadhi was seized by supreme astonishment, which took root in his heart like the mark on the moon, hidden in form.
लुठितं श्वपचागारं पुनर् विस्मयवान् ययौ । गाधिर् मनो हि नायाति तृप्तिम् आश्चर्यदर्शने
Amazed, Gadhi again visited the dwelling of the outcaste; for the mind does not find satisfaction in witnessing wonders.
तत्रावलोकयाम् आस स्थानानि सदनानि च । कल्पक्षोभविवृत्तानि जगन्तीवाम्बुजोद्भवः
There he observed the places and houses, disturbed by the upheaval of the aeon, as if he were the lotus-born (Brahma) beholding worlds arising from the cosmic waters.
उवाच स्वात्मनैवेदम् अरण्ये लुठितालये । शुष्कास्थिमालावलिते पिशाचक इव भ्रमन्
He said to himself, wandering in that ruined abode in the forest, strewn with garlands of dry bones, like a goblin:
इमास् ता मृतमातङ्गदन्तमाला वृतौ कृताः । अद्यापि संस्थिताः कल्पं प्रति मेरुशिखा इव
These garlands of dead elephant tusks, arranged in heaps, still remain today, enduring through an aeon like the peaks of Mount Meru.
इह तद् वानरीमांसं पक्वं वंशाङ्कुरैस् सह । भुक्तं सुरासवोन्मत्तैस् सह श्वपचबन्धुभिः
Here, cooked monkey meat together with bamboo shoots was eaten, along with companions intoxicated by liquor, among friends who were outcastes.
आलिङ्ग्य श्वपचीं श्यामाम् इह केसरिचर्मणि । सुप्तम् आपीय मैरेयं तिक्तं गजमदैर् नवैः
Here, embracing a dark-skinned outcaste woman upon a lion's hide, having drunk bitter mead mixed with fresh elephant musk, one slept.
कौलेयककुटुम्बिन्यः पिण्याकपरिवर्धिताः । इह बद्धा वरत्राभिर् मृतेभरदकाष्ठके
Here, the wives of the outcaste families, nourished by coarse grain, were bound with cords at the funeral pyre of a dead elephant.
इह वारणमुक्तानां तद् आसीत् पिठिरत्रयम् । पिनद्धं माहिषेणोग्रचर्मणाम्बुदशोभिना
Here, three seats of elephant pearls were arranged, bound with fierce buffalo hide shining like a rain cloud.
स्थलीष्व् एतासु तास्व् अत्र सह श्वपचबालकैः । चिरं विलुलितं चूतपत्त्रपुञ्जे पिकैर् इव
On these grounds, together with the children of outcastes, for a long time, mango leaves were scattered and tossed about, like cuckoos playing.
रूढतद्बालनिश्श्वासरणद्वंशानुवृत्तिमत् । गीतं पीतं शुनीरक्तसाधितासवतोषितैः
Songs were sung, drinks consumed, and satisfaction found in liquor prepared with dog’s blood, accompanied by the breath and cries of those children.
अत्र सार्धं कुटुम्बेन जन्यत्रेषु कुटुम्बिना । नृत्तं तत् कृतम् उन्नादं कल्लोलैर् जलधाव् इव
Here, together with the family and among relatives, the householder performed dances, loud and tumultuous like waves in the ocean.