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.
अथाहम् उद्यतो गन्तुं दृष्टवान् पुरुषं पुनः । तादृशं तादृशाचारं प्रयतन्तं तथैव च
Then, as I was about to leave, I saw that man again—just the same as before, behaving in the same way, making the same efforts.
अवष्टभ्य तथैवाशु तस्य प्रोक्तं पुनर् मया । तथैवोत्पलपत्राक्ष नासौ तद् अवबुद्धवान्
Once more, I quickly approached and spoke to him in the same manner, but, O lotus-eyed one, he did not understand at all.
केवलं माम् असौ मूढो नैव जानामि किञ्चन । आः पाप दुर्द्विजेत्य् उक्त्वा स्वव्यापारपारो ययौ
That foolish man merely said to me, 'I do not know anything at all—ah, wicked, evil Brahmin!' and then went off, absorbed in his own affairs.
अथ तस्मिन् महारण्ये तथा विहरता मया । बहवस् तादृशा दृष्टाः पुरुषा दोषकारिणः
Then, as I wandered in that great forest, I saw many such men, all engaged in wrongdoing.
मत्पृष्टाः केचिद् आयान्ति स्वप्नसम्भ्रमवच् छमम् । मदुक्तं नाभिनन्दन्ति केचिच् छ्वविरुतं यथा
Some, when questioned by me, would approach as if in a dreamlike confusion and then become calm; others did not welcome my words, just as dogs ignore barking.
विनिपत्यान्धकूपेभ्यः केचिन् न प्रोत्थिताः पुनः । कदलीषण्डकात् केचिच् चिरेणापि न निर्गताः
Some, having fallen into dark pits, never rose again; others, caught in thickets of plantain trees, did not emerge even after a long time.
केचिद् अन्तर्हितास् स्फारे करञ्जवनकुञ्जके । न क्वचित् स्थितिम् आयान्ति केचिद् भ्रमपरायणाः
Some disappeared within the dense groves of karanja trees and never settled anywhere; others wandered about, devoted only to aimless roaming.
एवंविधा सा वितता रघूद्वह महाटवी । अद्यापि विद्यते यस्याम् इत्थं ते पुरुषास् स्थिताः
O best of the Raghu lineage, such is the vast forest, which even today exists, wherein people remain in this manner.
सा च दृष्टाटवी राम त्वयेह व्यवहारिणा । बाल्यात् तु बुद्धितत्त्वस्य न त्वं स्मरसि राघव
O Rama, as one engaged in worldly life, you have seen that forest here; but due to the immaturity of understanding in childhood, you do not remember it, O descendant of Raghu.
सा भीषणा विविधसङ्कटसङ्कटाङ्गी घोराटवी घनतमोगहना च लोकैः । आगत्य निर्वृतिम् अबुद्धिहतैर् न तज्ज्ञैर् आसेव्यते कुसुमगुल्मकवाटिकेव
That dreadful forest, filled with various dangers and perils, dense with thickest darkness, is not frequented by the wise, but only by those whose minds are clouded, just as a garden of flowering shrubs is not visited by them.