9. Chapter 9

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । इति चिन्तयतस्तस्य शुक्रस्य पितुरग्रतः । जगामातितरां कालो बहुसंवत्सरात्मकः ॥ १ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | iti cintayatastasya śukrasya pituragrataḥ | jagāmātitarāṃ kālo bahusaṃvatsarātmakaḥ || 1 ||

Vasishtha related:—As Sukra was indulging his reveries in this manner, he passed insensibly under the flight of a series of years, which glided upon him in the presence of his father.

अथ कालेन महता पवनातपजर्जरः । कायस्तस्य पपातोर्व्यां छिन्नमूल इव द्रुमः ॥ २ ॥

atha kālena mahatā pavanātapajarjaraḥ | kāyastasya papātorvyāṃ chinnamūla iva drumaḥ || 2 ||

At last his arboraceous body withered away with age, under the inclement sun and winds and rain; and it fell down on the ground as a tree torn from its roots.

मनस्तु चञ्चलाभोगं तासु तासु दशासु च । बभ्रामातिविचित्रासु वनराजिष्विवैणकः ॥ ३ ॥

manastu cañcalābhogaṃ tāsu tāsu daśāsu ca | babhrāmātivicitrāsu vanarājiṣvivaiṇakaḥ || 3 ||

In all his former births, his mind thirsted after fresh pleasures and enjoyments; as a stag hunts after fresh verdure from forest to forest.

भ्रान्तमुद्भ्रान्तमभितश्चक्रार्पितमिवाकुलम् । मनस्तस्य विशश्राम समङ्गासरितस्तटे ॥ ४ ॥

bhrāntamudbhrāntamabhitaścakrārpitamivākulam | manastasya viśaśrāma samaṅgāsaritastaṭe || 4 ||

He underwent repeated births and deaths, in his wanderings in the world in search of its enjoyments; and seemed as some thing whirled about in a turning mill or wheel; till at last he found his rest in the cooling beach of the rivulet.

अनन्तवृत्तान्तघनां पेलवां सुदृढामपि । तां संसृतिदशां शुक्रो विदेहोऽनुभवन्स्थितः ॥ ५ ॥

anantavṛttāntaghanāṃ pelavāṃ sudṛḍhāmapi | tāṃ saṃsṛtidaśāṃ śukro videho'nubhavansthitaḥ || 5 ||

Now the disembodied spirit of Sukra, remained to reflect on his past transmigrations, in all the real and ideal forms of his imagination.

मन्दराचलसानुस्था सा तनुस्तस्य धीमतः । तापप्रसरसंशुष्का चर्मशेषा बभूव ह ॥ ६ ॥

mandarācalasānusthā sā tanustasya dhīmataḥ | tāpaprasarasaṃśuṣkā carmaśeṣā babhūva ha || 6 ||

It thought of its former body on the Mandara mountain, and how it was reduced to a skeleton of mere bones and skin by the heat of the sun and his austerities.

शरीररन्ध्रप्रवहद्वातसीत्काररूपया । चेष्टा दुःखक्षयानन्दात्काकल्येव प्रगायति ॥ ७ ॥

śarīrarandhrapravahadvātasītkārarūpayā | ceṣṭā duḥkhakṣayānandātkākalyeva pragāyati || 7 ||

It remembered how the wind instrument of its lungs, breathed out the joyous music of its exemption from the pain of action.

मनोवराकमवटे लुठितं भवभूमिषु । हसतीवेति शुभ्राभ्रसितया दन्तमालया ॥ ८ ॥

manovarākamavaṭe luṭhitaṃ bhavabhūmiṣu | hasatīveti śubhrābhrasitayā dantamālayā || 8 ||

Seeing how the mind is plunged in the pit of worldly cares, the body seems to laugh at it, by showing the white teeth of the mouth in derision.

दर्शयन्ती जगच्छून्यं वपुरक्ष्णोरकृत्रिमम् । मुखारण्यजरत्कूपरूपया गर्तशोभया ॥ ९ ॥

darśayantī jagacchūnyaṃ vapurakṣṇorakṛtrimam | mukhāraṇyajaratkūparūpayā gartaśobhayā || 9 ||

The cavity of the mouth, the sockets of the eyes, the nostrils and ear-holes in the open face, are all expressive of the hollowness of human and heavenly bodies.

तापोपतप्ता संसिक्ता वर्षाजलभरेण सा । प्रागनुस्मरणोल्लासमिव वाष्पं विमुञ्चति ॥ १० ॥

tāpopataptā saṃsiktā varṣājalabhareṇa sā | prāganusmaraṇollāsamiva vāṣpaṃ vimuñcati || 10 ||

The body sheds the tears of its eyes in sorrow for its past pains and austerities, as the sky rains after its excessive heat to cool the earth.

चन्द्रानिलविलासेन लुलिता वनभूमिषु । धारानिकरपातेन विनुन्ना जलदागमे ॥ ११ ॥

candrānilavilāsena lulitā vanabhūmiṣu | dhārānikarapātena vinunnā jaladāgame || 11 ||

The body was refreshed by the breeze and moon-beams, as the woodlands are renovated by cooling showers in the rainy season.

प्रावृण्निर्झररूपेण प्लुता गिरिनदीतटे । पांशुना पवनोत्थेन दुष्कृतेनेव रूषिता ॥ १२ ॥

prāvṛṇnirjhararūpeṇa plutā girinadītaṭe | pāṃśunā pavanotthena duṣkṛteneva rūṣitā || 12 ||

It remembered how its body was washed on the banks of mountain rills, by the water-falls from above, and how it was daubed by the flying dust and the dirt of sin.

शुष्ककाष्ठवदालोला वातेषु कृतखाकृतिः । तारमारुतसीत्कारे वने तप इवास्थिता ॥ १३ ॥

śuṣkakāṣṭhavadālolā vāteṣu kṛtakhākṛtiḥ | tāramārutasītkāre vane tapa ivāsthitā || 13 ||

It was as naked as a withered tree, and rustling to the air with the breeze; yet it withstood the keen blasts of winter as unshaken devotion in person.

वक्रा शुष्कान्त्रतन्त्री च भूतभाङ्कारकारिणी । अरण्यलक्ष्भीर्बाल्येव शून्या चर्ममयोदरी ॥ १४ ॥

vakrā śuṣkāntratantrī ca bhūtabhāṅkārakāriṇī | araṇyalakṣbhīrbālyeva śūnyā carmamayodarī || 14 ||

The faded face, the withered lungs and arteries, and the skinny belly, resembled those of the goddess of famine, that cried aloud in the forest, in the howlings of the wild beasts.

रागद्वेषविहीनत्वात्तस्य पुण्याश्रमस्य तु । महातपस्त्वाच्च भृगोर्न भुक्ता मृगपक्षिभिः ॥ १५ ॥

rāgadveṣavihīnatvāttasya puṇyāśramasya tu | mahātapastvācca bhṛgorna bhuktā mṛgapakṣibhiḥ || 15 ||

Yet the holy person of the hermit was unhurt by envious animals, owing to its freedom from passions and feelings, and its fervent devotion; and was not devoured by rapacious beasts and birds.

यमनियमकृशीकृताङ्गयष्टिश्चरति तपः स्म भृगूद्वहस्य चेतः । तनुरथ पवनापनीतरक्ता चिरमलुठन्महतीषु सा शिलासु ॥ १६ ॥

yamaniyamakṛśīkṛtāṅgayaṣṭiścarati tapaḥ sma bhṛgūdvahasya cetaḥ | tanuratha pavanāpanītaraktā ciramaluṭhanmahatīṣu sā śilāsu || 16 ||

The body of Bhrigu's son was thus weakened by his abstinence and self-denial, and his mind was employed in holy devotion, as his body lay prostrate on the bed of stones.