वाहयत्य् अत्र मे दान्तान् उड्डारे पुक्कसः पिता । श्मशान इव वेतालः क्षुधितो धूलिधूसरः
Here, my father, a pukkasa, drives the docile ones for slaughter, hungry and dust-covered like a ghoul in the cremation ground.
तस्येदम् अन्नं भवति भर्तृत्वे दीयते स्थिते । प्राणैर् अपि हि सम्पूज्या वल्लभाः पुरुषा यतः
This food is given to him when he is established as husband; beloved men are to be honored even with one's life.
अथोक्ता सा मया भर्ता भवामि तव सुव्रते । केनापदि विचार्यन्ते वर्णधर्मकुलक्रमाः
Then I said to her, 'I will become your husband, O virtuous one; in adversity, distinctions of caste, duty, and family are considered.'
ततस् तयौदनाद् अर्धं मह्यम् एकं समर्पितम् । माधवीवामृताद् अर्धम् इन्द्रायाग्निमते पुरा
Then she offered me half of the rice, just as half of the nectar from Mādhavī was once given to Indra and Agni.
जम्बूफलरसः पीतस् स भुक्तः पुक्कसौदनः । विश्रान्तं च मया तत्र मोहापहृतचेतसा
Having drunk the juice of the jambu fruit, I ate the pukkasa's rice, and there I rested, my mind overcome by delusion.
मां तडाकम् इवापूर्य सा प्रावृट्श्यामला गता । हस्तेन समुपादाय प्राणं बहिर् इव स्थितम्
She, dark as the monsoon, filled me like a lake, and, taking my hand, drew out my life as if it were outside.
दुराकृतिं दुरारम्भम् आससाद भयप्रदम् । पितरं पीवराकारम् अवीचिम् इव शासना
She encountered my father, of dreadful form and undertaking, terrifying, corpulent like Avīci, the hell of punishment.
तया मदनुषङ्गिण्या स्वार्थस् तस्मै निवेदितः । मातङ्गाय भ्रमर्येव निस्स्वनेनालिलग्नया
To him, she who was attached to me offered her own interest, just as a bee, silent and clinging, offers itself to the elephant.
स तस्या बाढम् इत्य् उक्त्वा दिनान्ते समुपस्थिते । मुमोच दान्ताव् आबद्धौ कृतान्तः किङ्कराव् इव
He replied to her, 'Certainly,' and when the day drew to its close, he released us, as if we were two servants of Death bound by his teeth.
नीहाराभ्रकडारासु दिक्षु प्रोद्धूलितास्व् इव । वेतालवद् वनात् तस्माद् दिनान्ते चलिता वयम्
At day's end, we departed from that forest like ghosts, scattered in all directions as mist and clouds are swept away.
क्षणेन पक्कणं प्राप्तास् सन्ध्यायां दीर्घजङ्गलात् । श्मशानाद् इव वेतालाश् श्मशानम् इतरन् महत्
In a moment, at twilight, we reached the village from the vast jungle, as if ghosts from a cremation ground had arrived at another great cremation ground.
विकर्तितवराहाश्वकपिकुक्कुटवायसम् । रक्तसिक्तोर्वराभागप्रभ्रमन्मक्षिकागणम्
There were crowds of flies swarming over blood-soaked portions of earth, and the remains of boars, horses, monkeys, fowl, and crows scattered about.
शोषार्थप्रसृतार्द्रान्त्रतन्द्रीजालपतत्खगम् । निष्कुटास्थितजम्बीरषण्डलग्नश्वजाघनि
Birds hovered over nets of moist intestines laid out for drying, and the legs of dogs clung to clusters of lemons set in the alleys.
शुष्यद्गुरुवसापिण्डपूर्णालिन्दलसत्खगम् । दृतिप्रसक्तरक्ताक्तचर्मस्रवदसृग्लवम्
Birds perched on heaps of dried, heavy lumps of fat, and their eyes were fixed on skins soaked in blood, dripping with flesh and gore.
बालहस्तस्थितक्रव्यपिण्डारणितमक्षिकम् । जर्जरज्येष्ठचण्डालतर्जितारटितार्भकम्
Children held pieces of raw flesh in their hands, attracting buzzing flies, while elder outcastes, ragged and fierce, shouted at the crying infants.
तत् प्रविष्टा वयं कीर्णशिरोऽन्त्रं भीमपक्कणम् । मृतभूतं जगत् कल्पे कृतान्तानुचरा इव
We entered that place, its floor strewn with scattered skulls and entrails, a dreadful, foul-smelling abode, as if we were attendants of Death in a world at the end of an age.
सम्भ्रमोपहितानल्पकदलीदलपीठके । अहम् आस्थितवांस् तत्र नवे श्वशुरमन्दिरे
There, in the new house of my father-in-law, I sat anxiously on a small seat made of banana leaves.
श्वश्र्वा मे केकराक्ष्यास् तु तेनास्रुलवचक्षुषा । जामातायम् इति प्रोक्तं तया तद् अभिनन्दितम्
My mother-in-law, whose eyes were moist with tears, addressed me, her son-in-law, and welcomed me with those words.
अथ विश्रम्य चण्डालभोजनान्य् अजिनासने । सञ्चितान्य् उपभुक्तानि दुष्कृतानीव भूरिशः
Then, after resting on a deerskin seat, I consumed the food of outcastes that had been gathered there, as if partaking of accumulated misdeeds in abundance.
अनन्तदुःखबीजानि नमनोज्ञतराण्य् अपि । तानि प्रणयवाक्यानि श्रुतान्य् असुभगान्य् अलम्
Even the affectionate words spoken there, though seemingly pleasant, were seeds of endless sorrow and, in truth, entirely inauspicious.
निरभ्राम्बरनक्षत्रे कस्मिंश्चिन् दिवसे ततः । तैस् तैर् आरम्भसंरम्भैस् तैर् वस्त्रविभवार्पणैः
Then, on a certain day when the sky was clear, adorned with stars, with various ceremonies, bustling activities, and offerings of garments and wealth,
दत्ताथ तेन सा मह्यं कुमारी भयदायिनी । सुकृष्णा कृष्णवर्णेन दुष्कृतेनेव शासना
That man then gave me his daughter, a maiden who inspired fear, dark-skinned as if she were a punishment for evil deeds.
सरभसम् अभितो विनेदुर् अत्र प्रसृतमहामदिरासवाश् श्वपाकाः । हतपटुपटहा विलासवन्तस् स्वयम् इव दुष्कृतराशयो महान्तः
There, the outcastes, intoxicated with strong liquor, roared loudly all around; the great ones, their minds intent on evil, themselves seemed like the very embodiment of accumulated misdeeds, delighting in the beating of drums and wild revelry.
बहुनात्र किम् उक्तेन स्वोत्सवावर्जिताशयः । ततःप्रभृति तत्राहं सम्पन्नः पुष्टपुक्कसः
What need is there to say much here? From that time onward, with my mind devoid of any joy, I became a wretched and emaciated outcaste.
सप्तरात्रोत्सवस्यान्ते क्रमान् मासाष्टकं गतम् । पुष्पिता साथ सम्पन्ना स्थिता गर्भवती ततः
After the seven-day festival ended, gradually eight months passed; then she became fruitful and pregnant, standing as if bearing a child.
प्रासूत दुःखदां कन्यां विपद् दुःखक्रियाम् इव । सा कन्या ववृधे शीघ्रं मूर्खचिन्तेव पीवरी
She gave birth to a daughter who brought suffering, like a misfortune that brings pain; that girl quickly grew, stout like foolish anxiety.
पुनः प्रासूत सा वर्षैस् त्रिभिः पुत्रम् अशोभनम् । अनर्थम् इव दुर्बुद्धिर् आशापाशविधायकम्
Again, after three years, she gave birth to a son, unattractive, like misfortune itself, dull-witted and bound by the cords of hope.
पुनः प्रासूत कन्यां च पुनर् अप्य् अर्भकं ततः । कलत्रवान् अहं जातो वने जरढपुक्कसः
Again, she gave birth to a daughter, and then once more to a child; thus, I became a husband in the forest, an aged and decrepit outcaste.
तया सह समास् तत्र मया बह्व्यो ऽतिवाहिताः । नरके चिन्तया सार्धं ब्रह्मघ्नेनेव नश्यता
With her, many years passed by for me there; together with worry, like one perishing with the guilt of killing a Brahmin in hell.
शीतवातातपक्लेशविवशेन वनान्तरे । चिरं विलुलितं वृद्धकच्छपेनेव पल्वले
Overcome by the torment of cold, wind, and heat in the depths of the forest, I was tossed about for a long time, like an old turtle in a marsh.