16. Chapter 16

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । अथाक्षिप्य वचस्तस्य तनयस्य तथा भृगोः । उवाच भगवान्कालो वचो गम्भीरनिःस्वनः ॥ १ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | athākṣipya vacastasya tanayasya tathā bhṛgoḥ | uvāca bhagavānkālo vaco gambhīraniḥsvanaḥ || 1 ||

Vasishtha continued:—Then the god Yama, interrupted the long lamentation of Sukra, and addressed him in words, sounding as deep as the roaring of a cloud.

काल उवाच । समङ्गातापसीमेतां तनुं संत्यज्य भार्गव । प्रविशेमां तनुं साधो नगरीमिव पार्थिवः ॥ २ ॥

kāla uvāca | samaṅgātāpasīmetāṃ tanuṃ saṃtyajya bhārgava | praviśemāṃ tanuṃ sādho nagarīmiva pārthivaḥ || 2 ||

Yama said:—Now, O Sukra! cast off thy body of the Samanga devotee, and enter this dead body in the manner of a prince entering his palace.

काले पूर्वजया तन्वा तपः कृत्वा तया पुनः । गुरुत्वमसुरेन्द्राणां कर्तव्यं भवतानघ ॥ ३ ॥

kāle pūrvajayā tanvā tapaḥ kṛtvā tayā punaḥ | gurutvamasurendrāṇāṃ kartavyaṃ bhavatānagha || 3 ||

Thou shalt perform austere devotion with this thy first born body, and obtain by virtue of that, the preceptorship of the Daitya tribe.

महाकल्पान्त आयाते भवता भार्गवी तनुः । अपुनर्ग्रहणायैषा त्याज्या प्रम्लानपुष्पवत् ॥ ४ ॥

mahākalpānta āyāte bhavatā bhārgavī tanuḥ | apunargrahaṇāyaiṣā tyājyā pramlānapuṣpavat || 4 ||

Then at the end of the great kalpa, thou shalt have to shuffle off thy mortal coil for ever, as one casts off a faded flower.

जीवन्मुक्तपदं प्राप्तस्तन्वा प्राक्तनरूपया । महासुरेन्द्रगुरुतां कुर्वंस्तिष्ठ महामते ॥ ५ ॥

jīvanmuktapadaṃ prāptastanvā prāktanarūpayā | mahāsurendragurutāṃ kurvaṃstiṣṭha mahāmate || 5 ||

Having attained the state of living liberation, by merit of thy prior acts; thou shalt continue in the preceptorship of the leader of the great Asuras for ever.

कल्याणमस्तु वां यामो वयं त्वभिमतां दिशम् । न किंचिदपि यच्चित्तं यस्य नाभिमतं भवेष्पत् ॥ ६ ॥

kalyāṇamastu vāṃ yāmo vayaṃ tvabhimatāṃ diśam | na kiṃcidapi yaccittaṃ yasya nābhimataṃ bhaveṣpat || 6 ||

Fare you well, we shall now depart to our desired habitation; know for certain that there is nothing desirable to the mind, which it cannot accomplish.

इत्युक्त्वा मुञ्चतोर्वाष्पं तयोः सोऽन्तरधीयत । तप्तांग्योरिव रोदस्योः सममंशुभिरंशुमान् ॥ ७ ॥

ityuktvā muñcatorvāṣpaṃ tayoḥ so'ntaradhīyata | taptāṃgyoriva rodasyoḥ samamaṃśubhiraṃśumān || 7 ||

Saying so, the god vanished from before the weeping father and son, and moved amidst the burning sky, like the dispenser of light.

गते तस्मिन्भगवति कृतान्ते भवितव्यताम् । विचार्य भार्गवोऽभेद्यां नियतेर्नियतां गतिम् ॥ ८ ॥

gate tasminbhagavati kṛtānte bhavitavyatām | vicārya bhārgavo'bhedyāṃ niyaterniyatāṃ gatim || 8 ||

After the god had gone to the place of his destination, and gained his destined state among the gods, the Bhrigus remained to ruminate on the inexplicable and unalterable course of destiny.

कालकारणसंशुष्कां भाविपुष्पशुभोदयाम् । विवेश तां तनुं बालां सुलतामिव माधवः ॥ ९ ॥

kālakāraṇasaṃśuṣkāṃ bhāvipuṣpaśubhodayām | viveśa tāṃ tanuṃ bālāṃ sulatāmiva mādhavaḥ || 9 ||

Sukra entered into his withered corpse, as the season of spring enters into a faded plant, in order to adorn it again with its vernal bloom, and its re-springing blossoms.

सा ब्राह्मणीतनुर्भूमौ विवर्णवदनाङ्गिका । पपात कम्पिता तूर्णं छिन्नमूला लता यथा ॥ १० ॥

sā brāhmaṇītanurbhūmau vivarṇavadanāṅgikā | papāta kampitā tūrṇaṃ chinnamūlā latā yathā || 10 ||

His Brahmanical body fell down immediately on the ground, staggering as when a tree is felled or falls down with its uprooted trunk; and it became disfigured in a moment in its face and limbs.

तस्यां प्रविष्टजीवायां पुत्रतन्वां महामुनिः । चकाराप्यायनं मन्त्रैः स कमण्डलुवारिभिः ॥ ११ ॥

tasyāṃ praviṣṭajīvāyāṃ putratanvāṃ mahāmuniḥ | cakārāpyāyanaṃ mantraiḥ sa kamaṇḍaluvāribhiḥ || 11 ||

The old sage Bhrigu finding the revivification of the dead body of his son, sanctified it with propitiatory mantras and sprinkling of water, from his sacerdotal water pot.

सर्वा नाड्यस्ततस्तन्वास्तस्याः पूर्णा विरेजिरे । सरितः प्रावृषीवाम्बुपूरपूरितकोटराः ॥ १२ ॥

sarvā nāḍyastatastanvāstasyāḥ pūrṇā virejire | saritaḥ prāvṛṣīvāmbupūrapūritakoṭarāḥ || 12 ||

The veins and arteries and all the cells and cavities of the dead body, were again supplied with their circulating blood; as the dry beds of rivers, are filled again with floods of water in the rainy weather.

नलिनी प्रावृषीवासौ मधाविव नवा लता । यदा पूर्णा तदा तस्याः प्रान्ताः पल्लविता बभुः ॥ १३ ॥

nalinī prāvṛṣīvāsau madhāviva navā latā | yadā pūrṇā tadā tasyāḥ prāntāḥ pallavitā babhuḥ || 13 ||

The body being filled with blood, gave the limbs to bloom; like the growth of lotuses in rainy lakes, and the bursting of new shoots and buds in vernal plants.

अथ शुक्रः समुत्तस्थौ वहत्प्राणसमीरणः । रसमारुतसंयोगादापूर्ण इव वारिदः ॥ १४ ॥

atha śukraḥ samuttasthau vahatprāṇasamīraṇaḥ | rasamārutasaṃyogādāpūrṇa iva vāridaḥ || 14 ||

Sukra then rose up from the ground, breathing the breath of life, like the cloud ascending to the sky by force of the winds.

पुरोऽभिवादयामास पितरं पावनाकृतिम् । प्रथमोल्लासितो मेघः स्तनितेनेव पर्वतम् ॥ १५ ॥

puro'bhivādayāmāsa pitaraṃ pāvanākṛtim | prathamollāsito meghaḥ staniteneva parvatam || 15 ||

He bowed down to his father, standing in his holy figure before him; as the rising cloud clings to, and kisses the foot of the lofty mountain.

पिताथ प्राक्तनीं तन्वा आलिलिङ्गाकृतिं ततः । स्नेहार्द्रवृत्तिर्जलदश्चिरादद्रितटीमिव ॥ १६ ॥

pitātha prāktanīṃ tanvā āliliṅgākṛtiṃ tataḥ | snehārdravṛttirjaladaścirādadritaṭīmiva || 16 ||

The father then embraced the revived body of his son, and shed a flood of his affectionate tears upon him; as the high risen cloud washes the mountain top with showers.

भृगुर्ददर्श सस्नेहं प्राक्तनीं तानवीं तनुम् । मत्तो जातेयमित्यास्थां हसन्नपि महामतिः ॥ १७ ॥

bhṛgurdadarśa sasnehaṃ prāktanīṃ tānavīṃ tanum | matto jāteyamityāsthāṃ hasannapi mahāmatiḥ || 17 ||

Bhrigu looked with affection on the new risen old body of his son; and smiled to see the resuscitation of the body that was begotten by him.

मत्पुत्रोऽयमिति स्नेहो भृगुमप्यहरत्तदा । परमात्मीयता देहे यावदाकृतिभाविनी ॥ १८ ॥

matputro'yamiti sneho bhṛgumapyaharattadā | paramātmīyatā dehe yāvadākṛtibhāvinī || 18 ||

He was pleased to know him as the son born of himself;and to find his features engrafted in him.

बभूवतुः पितापुत्रौ तावथान्योन्यशोभितौ । निशावसानमुदितावर्कपद्माकराविव ॥ १९ ॥

babhūvatuḥ pitāputrau tāvathānyonyaśobhitau | niśāvasānamuditāvarkapadmākarāviva || 19 ||

Thus the son and sire graced each other by their company, as the sun and lotus-lake rejoice to see one another, after the shade of night.

चिरसंगमसंबद्धाविव चक्राह्वदम्पती । घनागमनसस्नेहौ मयूरजलदाविव ॥ २० ॥

cirasaṃgamasaṃbaddhāviva cakrāhvadampatī | ghanāgamanasasnehau mayūrajaladāviva || 20 ||

They rejoiced at their reunion, like the loving pair of swans at the end of the night of their separation; and as the joyous couple of peacocks, at the approach of the rainy clouds.

चिरकालदृढोत्कण्ठौ तुल्ययोग्यतया तया । स्थित्वा तत्र मुहूर्तं तावथोत्थाय महामती ॥ २१ ॥

cirakāladṛḍhotkaṇṭhau tulyayogyatayā tayā | sthitvā tatra muhūrtaṃ tāvathotthāya mahāmatī || 21 ||

The worthy sire and son, sat awhile on the spot, to halt after all their toils and troubles were at an end, and then they rose up to discharge the duties that were then at hand.

समङ्गाद्विजदेहं तं भस्मसात्तत्र चक्रतुः । को हि नाम जगज्जातमाचारं नानुतिष्ठति ॥ २२ ॥

samaṅgādvijadehaṃ taṃ bhasmasāttatra cakratuḥ | ko hi nāma jagajjātamācāraṃ nānutiṣṭhati || 22 ||

They then set fire to the body of the Samanga Brahman, and reduced it to ashes; for who is there among the earth-born mortals, that ought to set at naught aught of the customary usages of his country?

एवं तौ कानने तस्मिन्पावने भृगुभार्गवौ । संस्थितौ तापसौ दीप्तौ दिवीव शशिभास्करौ ॥ २३ ॥

evaṃ tau kānane tasminpāvane bhṛgubhārgavau | saṃsthitau tāpasau dīptau divīva śaśibhāskarau || 23 ||

Afterwards the two devotees Bhrigu and Bhargava, continued to dwell in that forest, like the two luminaries—the sun and moon, in the region of the sky.

चेरतुर्ज्ञातविज्ञेयौ जीवन्मुक्तौ जगद्गुरू । देशकालदशौघेषु सुसमौ सुस्थिरौ ततः ॥ २४ ॥

ceraturjñātavijñeyau jīvanmuktau jagadgurū | deśakāladaśaugheṣu susamau susthirau tataḥ || 24 ||

They both continued as the living liberated guides of men, by their knowledge of all that was to be known; and preserving the equanimity of their minds, and the steadiness of their dispositions, amidst all the vicissitudes of time and place.

अथासुरगुरुत्वं स शुक्रः कालेन लब्धवान् । भृगुरप्यात्मनो योग्ये पदेऽतिष्ठदनामये ॥ २५ ॥

athāsuragurutvaṃ sa śukraḥ kālena labdhavān | bhṛgurapyātmano yogye pade'tiṣṭhadanāmaye || 25 ||

In course of time Sukra obtained the preceptorship of the demons, and Bhrigu remained in his patriarchal rank and authority among the sons of men.

शुक्रोऽसौ प्रथममिति क्रमेण जातस्तस्मात्सत्परमपदादुदारकीर्तिः । स्वेनाशु स्मृतिपदविभ्रमेण पश्चादन्येषु प्रविलुलितो दशान्तरेषु ॥ २६ ॥

śukro'sau prathamamiti krameṇa jātastasmātsatparamapadādudārakīrtiḥ | svenāśu smṛtipadavibhrameṇa paścādanyeṣu pravilulito daśāntareṣu || 26 ||

Thus the son of Bhrigu, who was born as Sukra at first, was gradually led away from his holy state by his thought of the heavenly nymph, and subjected to various states of life to which he was prone.