दर्शयन्ती स्वकं शून्यं वपुर् अक्ष्णोर् अकृत्रिमम् । मुखारण्यजरत्कूपरूपया गर्तशोभया
She reveals her own emptiness—her unfeigned form—by the gaping hollowness of her eyes, like a well in the wilderness with a mouth wide open.
तापोपतप्ता संसिक्ता वर्षाजलभरेण सा । पांसुना पवनोत्थेन दुष्कृतेनेव रूषिता
Scorched by heat, she is drenched by the weight of rainwater, and covered with dust raised by the wind, as if stained by misdeeds.
शुष्ककाष्ठवद् आलोला पातेषु कृतझाङ्कृता । धारानिकरपातेन विनुन्ना जलदागमे
Swaying like dry wood, she rattles when falling, battered by the downpour at the coming of the clouds.
प्रावृण्निर्झरपूरेण प्लुता गिरिनदीतटे । तारमारुतशीत्कारा वनोपल इव स्थिता
Flooded by the torrent of monsoon streams on the riverbank of the mountain, she stands like a forest stone, chilled by the sharp wind.
वक्रा शुष्कान्त्रतन्त्री च पूता झाङ्कारकारिणी । अरण्यलक्ष्मीवीणेव शून्यचर्ममयोदरी
Crooked, with dried entrails as strings, pure yet producing a rattling sound, she is like the veena of the goddess of the forest, her belly made of empty hide.
रागद्वेषविहीनत्वात् तस्य पुण्याश्रमस्य तु । महातपस्त्वाच् च भृगोर् न भुक्ता मृगपक्षिभिः
Because that sacred hermitage was free from attachment and aversion, and due to the great austerity of Bhrigu, it was not consumed by beasts or birds.
यमनियमकृशीकृताङ्गयष्टेश् चरति तपस् स्म भृगूद्वहस्य चेतः । तनुर् अथ पवनापनीतरक्ता चिरम् अलुठन् महतीषु सा शिलासु
The mind of Bhrigu, whose body was made lean by observance of restraint and discipline, wandered in austerity; and his body, with its blood removed by the wind, lay for a long time upon the great rocks.
नापश्यद् अग्रे तनयं तं नयावनताननम् । सीमान्तं गुणसीमायाः पुण्यं मूर्तम् इव स्थितम्
He did not see his son ahead, whose face was bowed in humility; he saw only the boundary of virtue, standing as if virtue itself had taken form.
अपश्यत् केवलं कालं कङ्कालं पुरतो महत् । देहयुक्तम् इवाभाग्यं दारिद्र्यम् इव मूर्तिमत्
He saw only time, a skeleton, vast and before him; misfortune embodied, as if poverty had taken form with a body.
तापशुष्कवपुः कृत्तिरन्ध्रस्फुरिततित्तिरि । संशुष्कान्त्रोदरगुहाछायाविश्रान्तदर्दुरम्
With a body dried by heat, skin torn, joints protruding, and a parched frog resting in the shadow of its hollow, dried-up belly.
नेत्रगर्तकसंसुप्तप्रसूनवनकीटकम् । मक्षिकापञ्जरप्रोतकोशकारक्रिमिव्रजम्
In the hollow of the eye, sleeping forest insects; a swarm of silk-producing worms, woven into the cage of flies.
प्राक्तनीम् उपभोगेहाम् इष्टानिष्टफलप्रदाम् । धाराधौतान्तया तन्वा हसच् छुष्कास्थिमालया
The former abode of enjoyment, which gave fruits both pleasant and unpleasant, now washed clean by streams, with a dry heap of bones laughing.
शिरोघटेन शुभ्रेण सम्पन्नेनेन्दुवर्चसा । विडम्बयच् च कर्पूरप्लुतलिङ्गशिरश्श्रियम्
With a pure skull, shining with the radiance of the moon, it mocked the glory of a Shiva-linga head anointed with camphor.
ऋज्वा संशुष्कसितया स्वास्थिमात्रावशेषया । ग्रीवयात्मानुसृतया दीर्घीकुर्वद् इवाकृतिम्
With a neck straight, dried and ashen, leaving only the barest remnant of flesh, following the line of the self, as if elongating the form.
मृणालिकापाण्डुरया धारावधुतमांसया । नासास्थिलतया वक्त्रं कृतसीमाक्रमं दधत्
With a neck pale as clay, the flesh washed away in a stream, the face marked only by the nasal bone, bearing the boundary of its former shape.
दीर्घकन्धरया नूनम् उत्तानीकृतवक्त्रया । प्रेक्षमाणम् इव प्राणान् उत्क्रान्तान् अम्बरोदरे
With a long neck, the face turned upward, as if watching the departing breaths vanish into the hollow of the sky.
जङ्घोरुजानुदोर्दण्डैर् द्विगुणं दीर्घतां गतैः । प्रमिमाणम् इवाशान्तं दीर्घाध्वश्रमभीतितः
With shins, knees, and arms doubled in length, as if measuring the endless expanse, worn out by the fatigue and fear of a long journey.
उदरेणातिनिम्नेन चर्मशेषेण शोषिणा । प्रदर्शयद् इवाज्ञस्य हृदयस्यातिशून्यताम्
With a deeply sunken belly, the remaining skin shriveled, as if displaying to the ignorant the utter emptiness of the heart.
प्रेक्ष्य तच् छुष्ककङ्कालम् आलानम् इव दन्तिनः । पूर्वापरपरामर्शम् अकुर्वन् भृगुर् उत्थितः
Seeing that dried skeleton, like an elephant's frame, Bhrigu rose, not recalling past or future contact.
आलोकसमकालं हि प्रतिभातं ततो भृगोः । चिरम् उत्क्रान्तजीवः किं मत्पुत्रो ऽयम् इति क्षणात्
At the very moment of seeing, it appeared to Bhrigu: 'Is this my son, whose life departed long ago?'—so he thought in an instant.
अचिन्तयत एवास्य भविष्यत्ताबलं ततः । कालं प्रति बभूवाशु कोपः परमदारुणः
He could only think of his son's lost youth, and immediately, an intense and terrible anger arose in him toward Time.
अकाल एव मत्पुत्रो नीतः किम् इति कोपितः । कालाय शापम् उत्स्रष्टुं भगवान् उपचक्रमे
The Lord began to utter a curse upon Time, angered that his son had been taken away prematurely.
अथाकलितरूपो ऽसौ कालः कवलितप्रजः । आधिभौतिकम् आस्थाय वपुर् मुनिम् उपाययौ
Then Time, whose form is subtle and who consumes all creatures, assuming a physical body, approached the sage.
खड्गपाशधरश् श्रीमान् कुण्डली कवचान्वितः । षड्भुजष् षण्मुखो बह्व्या वृतः किङ्करसेनया
He was splendid, bearing sword and noose, adorned with earrings and armor, six-armed and six-faced, surrounded by a great host of attendants.
यच्छरीरसमुत्थेन ज्वालाजालेन वल्गता । फुल्लकिंशुकवृक्षस्य बभाराद्रेश् श्रियं नभः
From his body arose a network of leaping flames, which bestowed upon the sky the glory of a blossoming kimshuka tree upon a mountain.
यत्करस्थत्रिशूलाग्रनिष्ठ्यूतैर् अग्निमण्डलैः । विरेजुर् उदितैर् आशाः कानकैर् इव कुण्डलैः
The circles of fire emanating from the tips of his trident, held in his hand, shone forth in all directions like golden earrings rising in the sky.
यत्पाशश्वसनायस्तशिखरा मेदिनीभृतः । दोलाम् इव समारूढाश् चेलुः पेतुश् च घूर्णिताः
The peaks of the earth, bound by the breath of his noose, swayed and spun as if mounted upon a swing.
यत्खड्गमण्डलोद्द्योतश्यामं बिम्बं विवस्वतः । कल्पदग्धजगद्धूमपर्याकुलम् इवाबभौ
The darkened orb of the sun, dimmed by the radiance of his sword, appeared as if enveloped by the smoke of a world consumed at the end of an age.
स उपेत्य महाबाहुः कुपितं तं महामुनिम् । कल्पक्षुब्धाब्धिगम्भीरं सान्त्वपूर्वम् उवाच ह
That mighty-armed one approached the great sage, who was angry and deep as an ocean agitated at the end of an age, and spoke to him first with words of conciliation.
विज्ञातलोकस्थितयो मुने दृष्टपरावराः । हेतुनापि न मुह्यन्ति किम् उ हेतुम् विनोत्तमाः
O sage, those who have understood the ways of the world and have seen both the higher and lower realities do not become deluded even by causes—how much less so, then, would the best among them without any cause!