अथ कालवशाद् विप्रस् स पञ्चत्वम् उपाययौ । तस्मिन्न् एव गृहाकाशे जीवाकाशतया स्थितः
Then, by the force of time, that brahmin met his end, yet in that very house-space, he remained as a presence in the space of the soul.
सम्पन्नः प्राक्तनानल्पसङ्कल्पवशतस् स्वयम् । आकाशवपुर् एवोर्वीपतिः परमशक्तिमान्
By the power of his many past intentions, the lord of the earth, possessing supreme might, himself became manifest in a form of space.
प्रभावाज् जितभूपीठः प्रतापाक्रान्तविष्टपः । कृपापालितपातालस् त्रिलोकविजयी नृपः
By his influence, he conquered royal thrones, his might pervaded the worlds, he protected the underworlds with compassion, and as a king, he triumphed over the three worlds.
कालाग्निर् अरिपक्षाणां स्त्रीणां मकरकेतनः । मेरुर् विषयवायूनां साध्वब्जानां दिवाकरः
He was the fire of time to his enemies, the god of love to women, Mount Meru to the winds of sense-objects, and the sun to the lotuses of virtuous women.
आदर्शस् सर्वशास्त्राणाम् अर्थिनां कल्पपादपः । पादपीठं द्विजाग्र्याणां राका धर्मामृतत्विषः
He was a mirror for all the scriptures, a wish-fulfilling tree for those who sought, a footstool for the foremost twice-born, and the full moon to the radiance of the nectar of righteousness.
स्वगृहाभ्यन्तराकाशे चित्ताकाशमयात्मनि । तस्मिन् द्विजे शवीभूते भूताकाशशरीरिणि
Within the inner space of his own house, in the self made of the space of mind, that brahmin, having become a corpse, dwelled as one whose body was made of the space of elements.
सा तस्य ब्राह्मणी भार्या शोकेणात्यन्तकर्षिता । शुष्केव माषशिमिका हृदयेन द्विधागमत्
His wife, the Brahmin lady, was utterly wasted by grief; like a dried-up bean pod, her heart was split in two.
भर्त्रा सह शवीभूता देहम् उत्सृज्य दूरतः । आतिवाहिकदेहेन भर्तारं समुपाययौ
Having become lifeless along with her husband, she abandoned her body at a distance and, with her subtle body, approached her husband.
नदी निखातम् इव तं भर्तारम् अनुसृत्य सा । आजगाम विशोकत्वं सवसन्तेव मञ्जरी
Following her husband, as a river follows its channel, she attained freedom from sorrow, like a cluster of blossoms with the wind.
तत्रास्य विप्रस्य सुता गृहाणि भूस्थावरादीनि घनानि सन्ति । अद्याष्टमं वासरम् आप्तमृत्योर् जीवो गिरिग्रामकमन्दिरस्थः
There, the Brahmin's daughter possesses houses, land, and other wealth; today is the eighth day since her death, and her soul remains in the house in the mountain village.
स ते भर्ताद्य सम्पन्नो द्विजो भूपत्वम् आगतः । यासाव् अरुन्धती नाम ब्राह्मणी सा त्वम् अङ्गने
That husband of yours, now endowed with prosperity, has become a king; and you, O lady, who were called Arundhati the Brahmin's wife, are now his queen.
इहेमौ कुरुतो राज्यं तौ भवन्तौ सुदम्पती । चक्रवाकाव् इव नवौ भुवि जातौ शिवाव् इव
Here, you two rule the kingdom; you are a noble couple, newly born on earth like a pair of chakravaka birds, or like Shiva and his consort.
एष ते कथितस् सर्वः प्राक्तनस् संसृतिभ्रमः । भ्रान्तिमात्रकम् आकाशम् एव जीवस्वरूपधृत्
Thus, your entire previous wandering in transmigration has been recounted; it was only a delusion, the sky itself appearing as the form of the soul.
भ्रमाद् अस्माच् चिदादर्शे भ्रमो ऽयं प्रतिबिम्बितः । असत्य एव चासत्याद् भवतोर् भवभङ्गदः
From this delusion, in the mirror of consciousness, this illusion is reflected; though unreal, from unreality, it brings about the end of your worldly existence.
तस्माद् भ्रान्तिमयः कस् स्यात् को वा भ्रान्त्युज्झितो भवेत् । सर्गो निरर्गलानल्पबोधान् नान्यद् विजृम्भते
Therefore, who could be deluded, and who could be free from delusion? Creation is nothing but unimpeded, limited knowledge—nothing else manifests.
इत्य् आकर्ण्य चिरं चारुविस्मयोत्फुल्ललोचना । भूत्वोवाच वचो लीला लीलालसपदाक्षरम्
Hearing this for a long time, her eyes wide with charming wonder, Līlā then spoke words, her speech adorned with playful syllables.
देवि त्वद्वचनं मिथ्या कथं सम्पन्नम् ईदृशम् । क्व विप्रजीवस् स्वगृहे क्वेमे वयम् इह स्थिताः
O goddess, how could your statement turn out to be false in this way? Where is the departed soul in its own home, and where are we, standing here?
तादृग् लोकान्तरं सा भूस् ते शैलास् ता दिशो दश । कथं मान्ति गृहस्यान्तर् मद्भर्ता येष्व् अवस्थितः
That world is so different, that earth, those mountains, those ten directions—how can all these exist within the house where my husband resides?
मत्त ऐरावणो बद्धस् सिद्धार्थकणकोदरे । मषकेन कृतं युद्धं सिंहौघैर् अणुकोटरे
It is as if Airāvata, intoxicated, is bound inside a mustard seed; as if a mosquito wages war with a host of lions in the hollow of an atom.
पद्माक्षे स्थापितो मेरुर् निगीर्णो मधुपायिना । स्वप्नाभ्रगर्जितं श्रुत्वा चित्रे नृत्यन्ति वर्हिणः
Mount Meru is placed in a lotus eye, swallowed by a honey-drinker; hearing the thunder of dream-clouds, the peacocks dance in wonder.
असमञ्जसम् एवैतद् यथा सर्वेश्वरेश्वरि । तथा गृहान्तः पृथिवी शैलाश् चेत्य् असमञ्जसम्
This is indeed inconceivable, O goddess of all gods; likewise, the earth and mountains within a house are equally inconceivable.
यथावद् एतद् देवेशि कथयामलया धिया । प्रसादसुगृहीते हि नोद्विजन्ते महौजसः
O goddess of the gods, please explain this properly with pure understanding; for those who are well established in grace and strength do not become disturbed.
नाहं मिथ्या वदामीदं यथावच् छृणु सुन्दरि । भेदनं नियतीनां हि क्रियते नास्मदादिभिः
I do not speak falsely; listen carefully, O beautiful one. The division of destinies is not performed by me or others like me.
विभिद्यमानाम् अन्येन स्थापयाम्य् अहम् एव याम् । मर्यादां तां मया भिन्नां को ऽपरः पालयिष्यति
When another divides it, I alone establish the boundary. If I break that boundary, who else will uphold it?
सग्रामं द्विजजीवात्मा तस्मिन्न् एव स्वसद्मनि । व्योम्न्य् एवेदं महीराष्ट्रं व्योमात्मैव प्रपश्यति
The twice-born soul, with its household and battlefield, perceives this land and its kingdoms as existing only in the sky, seeing them as sky itself.
प्राक्तनी सा स्मृतिर् लुप्ता युवयोर् उदितान्यथा । स्वप्ने जाग्रत्स्मृतिर् यद्वद् एतन्मरणम् अङ्गने
The former memory is lost, and a new one arises for you both; just as in a dream, the memory of waking is different—so is death, O lady.
यथा स्वप्ने त्रिभुवनं सङ्कल्पात् त्रिजगद् यथा । यथा कथार्थसङ्ग्रामो मरुभूमौ यथा जलं
Just as the three worlds arise in a dream from imagination, just as the three worlds are imagined, just as a story's battle is, and just as water in a desert.
तस्य ब्राह्मणगेहस्य सशैलवनपत्तना । इयम् अन्तस्स्थिता भूमिस् सङ्कल्पादर्शयोर् इव
This land, with its mountains, forests, and cities, exists within the house of the brahmin, as if inside the mirror of imagination.
असत्यैवेयम् आभाति सत्येव घनसर्गता । तस्यासत्यावभासस्य चिद्व्योम्नः कोशकोटरे
This appears unreal, yet seems real due to its dense manifestation; within the hollow of consciousness-space, for this unreal appearance.
असत्याद् यत् समुत्पन्नं स्मृत्या नाम तद् अप्य् असत् । मृगतृष्णातरङ्गिण्यास् तरङ्गो ऽपि न सत्यतः
Whatever arises from the unreal, even if named by memory, is also unreal; just as a wave in a mirage-stream is not real.