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!
त्वम् अनन्ततपा विप्रो वयं नियतिपालकाः । तेन सम्पूज्यसे पूज्य साधो नेतरयेच्छया
You are a brahmin of boundless austerity, while we are the guardians of destiny; for this reason, O worthy one, you are to be honored—such honor is not due to mere personal preference.
मा तपः क्षपय क्षुब्धैः कल्पकालमहानलैः । यो न दग्धो ऽस्मि मे तस्य किं त्वं शापेन धक्ष्यसि
Do not exhaust yourself with fierce austerities, like the great fires of the end of an age; if I have not been burned by those, how will you burn me with a curse?
संसारावलयो ग्रस्ता निगीर्णा रुद्रकोटयः । भुक्तानि विष्णुवृन्दानि केन शप्ता वयं मुने
The coils of worldly existence have consumed countless Rudras, and multitudes of Vishnus have been devoured; by whom, O sage, have we been cursed?
भोक्तारो हि वयं ब्रह्मन् भोजनं युष्मदादयः । स्वयं नियतिर् एषा हि नावयोर् एतद् ईहितम्
Indeed, O brahmin, we are the enjoyers, and beings like you are the food; this is the course of destiny itself—neither of us is the true agent here.
स्वयम् ऊर्ध्वं प्रयात्य् अग्निस् स्वयं यान्ति पयांस्य् अधः । भोक्तारं भोजनं याति सृष्टिश् चाप्य् अन्तकं स्वयम्
Fire rises upward by its own nature, water flows downward by itself, food goes to the eater, and creation itself proceeds to its own end—all by their own nature.
इदम् इत्थं मुने रूपम् अस्येह परमात्मनः । स्वात्मनि स्वयम् एवात्मा स्वत एव विजृम्भते
O sage, in this way, this is the nature of the Supreme Self here: the Self alone manifests itself within itself, by itself.
नेह कर्ता न भोक्तास्ति दृष्ट्या नष्टकलङ्कया । बहवश् चेह कर्तारो दृष्ट्यानष्टकलङ्कया
Here, when seen with a pure vision, there is neither doer nor enjoyer; but when seen with an impure vision, there appear to be many doers.
कर्तृताकर्तृते ब्रह्मन् केवलं परिकल्पिते । असम्यग्दर्शनेनैव न सम्यग्दर्शनेन वः
O Brahman, the notions of doership and non-doership are merely imagined; they arise only from incorrect perception, not from true understanding.
पुष्पाणि तरुषण्डेषु भूतानि भुवनेषु च । स्वयम् आयान्ति यान्तीह कल्प्यते हेतुता विधेः
Flowers appear on trees and beings come into existence in the world by themselves; here, the idea of causation is only imagined as the work of fate.
अब्बिम्बितस्य चन्द्रस्य चलने कर्त्रकर्तृते । न सत्ये नानृते यद्वत् तद्वत् कालस्य सृष्टिषु
Just as the movement of the reflected moon involves doership and non-doership, which is neither true nor false, so it is with the creations of time.
मनो मिथ्याभ्रमाल् लोके कर्तृताकर्तृतामयीम् । करोति कलनां रज्ज्वां भ्रान्तेक्षण इवाहिताम्
The mind, through false delusion, constructs in the world the notion of doership and non-doership, like the mistaken perception of a rope as a snake.
तेन मा गा मुने कोपम् आपदाम् ईदृशः क्रमः । यद् यथा तत् तथैवास्तु सत्यम् आलोकयाकुलः
Therefore, O sage, do not be angry; such is the order of events in adversity. Let things be as they are, for truth is seen in the midst of confusion.
न वयं प्रभुतार्थेन नाभिमानवशीकृताः । स्वतो हेवाकवशतः केवलं नियतौ स्थिताः
We are not governed by authority or pride; we remain only in the domain of necessity, subject to its inherent power.
प्रकृतव्यवहारेहां नियतां नियतेर् वशात् । प्राज्ञस् समनुवर्तेत नाभिमानमहातमाः
One should pursue natural duties according to the force of necessity; the wise follow this, not those who are dominated by pride.
कर्तव्यम् एव क्रियते केवलं कार्यकोविदैः । सौषुप्तीं वृत्तिम् आश्रित्य कयाचिद् अपि नाशया
Actions are performed only by those skilled in work, relying on the state of deep sleep, and not by any cause leading to destruction.
क्व सा ज्ञानमयी दृष्टिः क्व महत्त्वं क्व धीरता । मार्गे सर्वप्रसिद्धे हि किम् अन्ध इव मुह्यसि
Where is that vision made of knowledge, where is greatness, where is steadfastness? Why do you wander confused like a blind man on a path well known to all?
त्रिकालामलदर्शित्वं धारयन्न् अपि चेतसि । अविचार्य जगद्यात्रां किं मूर्ख इव मुह्यसि
Even while holding in your mind the pure perception of the three times, why do you, without considering the course of the world, become bewildered like a fool?
स्वकर्मफलपाकोत्थाम् अविचार्य दशां सुते । किं मूर्ख इव सर्वज्ञ मुधा मां शप्तुम् अर्हसि
Without reflecting on the condition of your son, which arises from the ripening of his own actions' fruits, why do you, all-knowing, foolishly deserve to curse me in vain?
देहिनाम् इह सर्वेषां शरीरं द्विविधं मुने । किं न जानासि वा देहम् एकम् अन्यन् मनोऽभिधम्
O sage, do you not know that for all embodied beings here, the body is of two kinds: one is the physical body, the other is called the mental body?
तत्र देहो जडो ऽत्यर्थं विनाशैकपरायणः । मनस् तूत्थाननियतं कदर्थात् क्षीयते न वा
Of these, the physical body is inert and entirely devoted to destruction; but the mind, being restless, is not necessarily worn away by affliction.