सहस्रेण स बाहूनाम् आदाय परिघान् बहून् । प्रहरत्य् आत्मनः पृष्ठे स्वात्मनैव पलायते
With his thousand arms, he seizes many clubs and strikes his own back, and then flees from himself.
दृढप्रहारैः प्रहरन् स्वयम् एवात्मनात्मनि । प्रविद्रवति भीतात्मा स योजनशतान्य् अपि
Striking himself with strong blows, he himself flees from himself, his own fearful mind running for hundreds of leagues.
क्रन्दन् पलायमानो ऽसौ गत्वा दूरम् इतस् ततः । श्रमवान् विवशाकारो विशीर्णचरणाङ्गकः
Crying out as he flees here and there to a great distance, exhausted, helpless, his feet and limbs broken, he collapses.
पतितो ऽवश एवाशु महत्य् अन्धो ऽन्धकूपके । कृष्णरात्रितमोभीमनभोगम्भीरकोटरे
Helpless, he quickly falls into a great, dark, blind well, whose depths are filled with the darkness of a black night and the pride of ignorance.
ततः कालेन महता सो ऽन्धकूपात् समुत्थितः । पुनः प्रहारैः प्रहरन् विद्रवत्य् आत्मनात्मनः
After a long time, he rises from that blind well, and again, striking himself with blows, flees from himself.
पुनर् दूरतरं गत्वा करञ्जवनगुल्मकम् । प्रविष्टः कण्टकव्याप्तं शलभः पावकं यथा
Then, going still farther, he entered a thicket of karanja bushes, filled with thorns, like a grasshopper entering fire.
तस्मात् करञ्जगहनाद् विनिष्क्रम्य क्षणाद् इव । स्वयं प्रहारैः प्रहरन् विद्रवत्य् आत्मनात्मनः
From that dense karanja grove, he emerged in a moment, striking himself with his own blows, fleeing from himself.
पुनर् दूरतरं गत्वा तम् एवान्धो ऽन्धकूपकम् । स सम्प्रविष्टस् त्वरया विशीर्णावयवाकृतिः
Again, going farther, that blind man quickly entered the same blind well, his limbs disordered in his haste.
अन्धकूपात् समुत्थाय प्रविष्टः कदलीवनम् । पुनः प्रहारैः प्रहरन् विद्रवत्य् आत्मनात्मनः
Rising from the blind well, he entered a grove of plantains, again striking himself with blows, fleeing from himself.
पुनर् दूरतरं गत्वा शशाङ्ककरशीतलम् । कदलीकाननं कान्तं सम्प्रविष्टो हसन्न् इव
Again, going farther, he entered a lovely plantain forest, cool as moonbeams, as if laughing.
कदलीषण्डकात् तस्माद् विनिष्क्रम्य पुनः क्षणात् । कदलीकाननाच् छुभ्रं करञ्जवनगुल्मकम्
From that cluster of plantains, he emerged again in a moment, and from the plantain forest, entered the bright thicket of karanja bushes.
करञ्जकवनात् कूपं कूपाद् रम्भावनान्तरम् । प्रविश्य प्रहरंश् चैव स्वयम् आत्मनि संस्थितः
From the karanja grove to a well, from the well to another plantain grove, he entered, and striking himself, remained established in himself.
एवंरूपनिजाचारस् सो ऽवलोक्यादरान् मया । अवष्टभ्य बलाद् एव मुहूर्तं परिबोधितः
Observing his conduct of this kind, I, with care, forcibly restrained him and awakened him for a moment.
पृष्टश् च कस् त्वं किम् इदं केनार्थेन करोषि वा । किं नामाभिमतं ते स्यात् किं मुधा परिमुह्यसि
He was asked: 'Who are you? What is this? For what purpose are you doing this? What is your name, what do you desire? Why are you so utterly bewildered in vain?'
इति पृष्टेन कथितं तेन मे रघुनन्दन । नाहं कश्चिन् न चैवेदं मुने किञ्चित् करोम्य् अहम्
Questioned thus, he replied to me, O descendant of Raghu: 'I am no one, nor is this anything; O sage, I do not do anything at all.'
त्वयायम् अवभग्नो ऽस्मि त्वं मे शत्रुर् अरिन्दम । त्वया दृष्टो ऽस्मि नष्टो ऽस्मि दुःखाय च सुखाय च
By you I have been exposed; you are my enemy, O subduer of foes. Seen by you, I am lost, both for sorrow and for happiness.
इति उक्त्वा माम् असाव् अङ्गान्य् आलोक्य स्वानि तिष्ठवान् । रुरोदार्तरवं दीनो मेघो वर्षन्न् इवारवी
Having spoken thus to me, he looked at his own limbs and stood still; then, miserable, he wailed loudly, like a cloud pouring rain upon the earth.
क्षणमात्रेण तत्रासाव् उपसंहृत्य रोदनम् । स्वान्य् अङ्गानि समालोक्य जहासेन्द्वंशुवत् सितम्
In but a moment, he ceased his weeping there; gazing upon his own limbs, he shed his whiteness like the moon casts off its rays.
अथाट्टहासपर्यन्ते स पुमान् पुरतो मम । क्रमेण तानि तत्याज स्वान्य् अङ्गानि समन्ततः
Then, after a burst of laughter, that man before me gradually abandoned all his limbs, one after another, in every direction.
प्रथमं पतितं तस्य शिरः परमदारुणम् । ततस् ते बाहवः पश्चाद् वक्षस् तदनु चोदरम्
First, his head fell, exceedingly dreadful; then his arms, next his chest, and after that, his abdomen.
अथ क्षणेन स पुमांस् तान्य् अङ्गानि च सम्भ्रमः । सर्वम् अन्तर्धिम् आयातं स्वप्नो बोधवतो यथा
Then, in a moment, that man, his limbs, and all confusion vanished completely, just as a dream disappears upon waking.
विचार्य नियतेश् शक्तिं ततो गन्तुम् उपस्थितः । दृष्टवान् अहम् एकान्ते पुनर् अन्यं तथा नरम्
Having reflected on the power of fate, I then set out to depart; in a secluded place, I saw yet another man in the same way.
सो ऽपि प्रहारान् परितः प्रयच्छन् स्वयम् आत्मनि । बाहुभिः पीवराकारैस् स्वयम् एव पलायते
He too was striking himself all around with his own strong arms, and was fleeing from himself.
कूपे पतति कूपात् तु समुत्थायाभिधावति । पुनः पतति कुञ्जे ऽन्तः पुनर् आर्तः पलायते
He falls into a well, then, rising up from the well, he runs; again he falls into a thicket, and again, in distress, he flees.
पुनः प्रविशति स्वच्छं क्षणं शिशिरकाननम् । रुष्टः पुनः पुनस् तुष्टः पुनः प्रहरति स्वयम्
Again he enters a clear, cool forest for a moment; then, angry again, then pleased again, he strikes himself once more.
एवम्प्रायनिजाचारश् चिरम् आलोक्य सस्मयम् । स मया समवष्टभ्य परिपृष्टस् तथैव हि
Observing his strange behavior for a long time, with a smile, I approached and questioned him accordingly.
तेनैवाथ क्रमेणासौ रुदित्वा सम्प्रहस्य च । अङ्गैर् विशीर्णताम् एत्य ययाव् अलम् अलक्ष्यताम्
Then, gradually, he wept and laughed, and as his limbs became shattered, he departed and was no longer seen.
विचार्य नियतेश् शक्तिं ततो गन्तुम् उपस्थितः । दृष्टवान् अहम् एकान्ते पुनर् अन्यं तथा नरम्
Having reflected on the power of fate, I then set out to depart; in a secluded place, I saw yet another man in the same way.
प्रहरंस् तद्वद् एवासौ स्वयम् एव पलायते । पलायमानः पतितो महत्य् अन्धो ऽन्धकूपके
He too, striking himself in the same way, fled from himself; while fleeing, he fell into a great, dark pit.
तत्राहं सुचिरं कालम् अवसं तत्प्रतीक्षकः । यावत् स सुचिरेणापि कूपाद् अभ्युत्थितश् शठः
There I remained for a long time, waiting for him, until that deceitful man finally emerged from the well after a great while.