रराज राजा साश्चर्यम् उन्मीलितविलोचनः । गते हिमर्तौ प्रोल्लासिपुष्पौघ इव माधवः
The king shone with wonder, his eyes wide open, like the god of spring when the frost has departed and the multitude of flowers bursts forth.
अथातिसम्भ्रमाश्चर्यखिन्नस्मितमुखो बभौ । आसन्नमृत्युम् आलोक्य राहुम् इन्दुर् इवाम्बरे
Then, with a face weary from amazement and smiling with agitation, he appeared like the moon in the sky beholding Rahu, death approaching nearby.
ऐन्द्रजालिकम् आलोक्य प्रोवाचाथ हसन्न् इव । बभ्रुं हिंसात्मकं दृष्ट्वा सर्परूपीव तक्षकः
Beholding the illusionist’s display, he then spoke, as if smiling, just as a serpent, seeing the destructive brown snake, would address it.
जाल्म जालं जटालेन किम् एतद् भवता कृतम् । मीनस्पन्दाप्रसन्नो ऽब्धिः क्षणाद् एति प्रसन्नताम्
O wretch, what is this net you have woven with your matted hair? The ocean, troubled by the thrashing of fish, becomes calm again in a moment.
चित्रं चित्रा हि देवस्य पदार्थशतशक्तयः । सुशक्तम् अपि मे चित्तम् आभिर् मोहे निवेशितम्
How wondrous and varied are the powers of the Lord’s manifold objects! Even my mind, though strong, has been cast into delusion by them.
क्व वयं लोकपर्यायवृत्तान्तपरिदेविनः । क्व मनोमोहदायिन्यो वितताः प्राकृतापदः
Where are we, lamenting the endless turns of worldly affairs, and where are these widespread, natural calamities that bring confusion to the mind?
अप्य् अभ्यस्तमहाज्ञानं मनस् तिष्ठति देहके । कदाचिन् मोहम् आदत्ते क्षणं मतिमताम् अपि
Even a mind well-trained in supreme knowledge, while dwelling in the body, sometimes succumbs to delusion for a moment, even among the wise.
इदम् आश्चर्यम् आख्यानं शृणुताथ सभासदः । मम शाम्बरिकेणेह यन् मुहूर्तं प्रदर्शितम्
Now, O assembly, listen to this astonishing tale—what was shown to me here for a moment by the magic of Shambara.
दृष्टवान् अहम् एतस्मिन् बह्वीः कार्यदशाश् चलाः । मुहूर्ते प्रोत्थितध्वस्तशक्रास् सृष्टीर् इवाब्जजः
In that brief moment, I saw many shifting states of affairs—like the creator Brahma, who brings forth and dissolves worlds in an instant, after Indra’s power is overthrown.
इत्य् उक्त्वोन्मुखनेत्रेषु सभ्येषु स हसन्न् इव । राजा वर्णयितुं चित्रं वृत्तान्तम् उपचक्रमे
Having spoken thus, with the assembly’s eyes turned toward him, the king, as if smiling, began to describe the marvelous story.
इह विविधपदार्थसङ्कुलायां ह्रदनदपर्वतपत्तनाकुलायाम् । कुलशिखरिसमुद्रसङ्कटायां भुवि विभवावलितो ऽस्त्य् अयं प्रदेशः
Here, on this earth crowded with various objects—filled with lakes, rivers, mountains, and cities, with peaks and oceans close together—there is a region adorned with prosperity.
अस्ति तावद् अयं देशो नानावननदीयुतः । वसुधामण्डलस्यास्य सहोदर इवानुजः
There is, to begin with, this land, adorned with various forests and rivers, like a younger brother to this globe of earth.
अस्मिंश् चायम् अहम् राजा पौराभिमतवृत्तिमान् । इन्द्रस् स्वर्ग इवास्यां तु सभायाम् अद्य संस्थितः
And here I am the king, conducting myself according to the wishes of the citizens, just as Indra presides in his assembly in heaven.
यावद् अभ्यागतो दूरात् कश्चिच् छाम्बरिकस् त्व् अयम् । रसातलाद् अभ्युत्थितो मायी मय इव स्वयम्
Then, from afar, someone named Shambarika arrived—he seemed to have risen from the netherworld, like the magician Maya himself.
अनेन भ्रामितैषेह पिञ्छिका राजिराजिता । कल्पान्तपवनाभ्रेण शक्रचापलता यथा
By him, this peacock-feathered wand was spun here, its line made radiant, like Indra’s lightning streaked by the wind at the end of an age.
आलोक्यैताम् अहं लोलाम् अस्याश्वस्य पुरस्स्थितेः । पृष्ठम् आरूढवान् एक आत्मना भ्रान्तमानसः
Seeing this restless thing placed before his horse, I, with a mind disturbed, mounted its back alone.
ततो ऽद्रिं प्रलयक्षुब्धं पुष्करावर्तको यथा । तथा चलन्तं चलितस् स्वश्वम् आरूढवान् अहम्
Then, as a whirlwind stirs a mountain at the world’s end, so did I mount my agitated horse as it moved unsteadily.
गन्तुं प्रवृत्तो मृगयाम् एको ऽहम् अथ रंहसा । उर्वराम् इव निर्भेत्तुं कल्लोलः प्रलयाम्बुधेः
I set out swiftly, alone, to hunt—like a wave of the doomsday ocean rushing to break upon the land.
तेनानिलविलोलेन दूरं नीतो ऽस्मि वाजिना । भोगाभ्यासजडेनाज्ञो मुग्धस् स्वमनसा यथा
By that wind-tossed steed, I was carried far away—ignorant and bewildered, dulled by habitual pleasures, just as one’s own mind leads one astray.
अकिञ्चनमनश्शून्यं स्त्रीचित्तम् इव दुर्भगम् । ततः प्रलयनिर्दग्धजगदास्पदभीषणम्
My mind was destitute and empty, as unfortunate as the heart of a woman, and terrifying like the abode of a world consumed by dissolution.
निष्पक्षि क्षारनीहारं निर्वृक्षम् अजलं महत् । सम्प्राप्तो ऽहम् अपर्यन्तम् अरण्यं तान्तवाहनः
I arrived, exhausted, at a vast, endless wilderness—without birds, with saline mist, without trees, and devoid of water.
तद् द्वितीयम् इवाकाशं तथाष्टमम् इवाम्बुधिम् । पञ्चमं सागरम् इव संशुष्कं शून्यकोटरम्
It was like a second sky, or an eighth ocean, or a fifth sea—dry, with hollow emptiness.
ज्ञस्येव विततं चेतो मूर्खस्येव रुषो ऽजवम् । अदृष्टजनसंसर्गम् अजाततृणपल्लवम्
It was spread out like the mind of a wise man, swift in anger like a fool, untouched by the presence of people, and without any grass or sprouts ever born.
अरण्यं महद् आसाद्य मतिर् मे खेदम् आगता । ललनेवैत्य दारिद्र्यं निरन्नफलबान्धवम्
Having reached that great forest, my mind became weary, like a woman encountering poverty, with no food, fruit, or kin.
कचन्मरुमरीच्यम्बुपूरप्लुतककुब्मुखे । आसूर्यान्तं दिनं तत्र प्रक्रान्तं सीदता मया
In that place, whose quarters were flooded with mirages and the illusion of water in the desert, I, sinking down, spent the sunless day.
तद् अरण्यं मयातीतम् अतिकृच्छ्रेण खेदिना । विवेकिनेव संसारो मध्यशून्यातताकृतिः
I passed through that forest with great difficulty and fatigue, like a discerning person traversing the void-like expanse of worldly existence.
तद्दिनेनातिवाह्याहं प्राप्तवाञ् जङ्गलं महत् । अस्ताद्रिसानुं खिन्नः खं शून्यं भ्रान्त्वेव भास्करः
Having spent that day, I, weary, reached a vast wilderness—like the sun, having wandered through empty space, arrives at the peak of the western mountain.
जम्बूकदम्बप्रायेषु कलालापाः पतत्रिणः । यत्र स्फुरन्ति षण्डेषु पान्थानाम् इव बन्धवः
In groves thick with jambu and kadamba trees, the birds' chatter bursts forth, like the lively talk of travelers among their friends.
यत्र शष्पशिखाश्रेण्यो दृश्यन्ते ऽविरलास् स्थले । कदर्थलक्ष्म्या जिह्मस्य हृदीवानन्दवृत्तयः
There, on the ground, rows of grass blades are seen, unbroken, like the fleeting joys in the crooked heart of one favored by fickle fortune.
पूर्वाद् अरण्याद् अरसात् तद् धि किञ्चित् सुखावहम् । अत्यन्तदुःखान् मरणाद् वरं व्याधिर् हि जन्तुषु
Compared to the earlier forest, this place is somewhat more pleasant; for among creatures, disease is preferable to the utter misery of death.