Ruru Spares the Dundubha

Verse 1 (1.10.1)

मम प्राणसमा भार्या दष्टासीद्भुजगेन ह । तत्र मे समयो घोर आत्मनोरग वै कृतः ॥

mama prāṇasamā bhāryā daṣṭāsīdbhujagena ha | tatra me samayo ghora ātmanoraga vai kṛtaḥ

My wife, dear to me as life itself, was bitten by a snake. Then, serpent, I made a terrible vow for myself:

Verse 2 (1.10.2)

भुजंगं वै सदा हन्यां यं यं पश्येयमित्युत । ततोऽहं त्वां जिघांसामि जीवितेनाद्य मोक्ष्यसे ॥

bhujaṃgaṃ vai sadā hanyāṃ yaṃ yaṃ paśyeyamityuta | tato'haṃ tvāṃ jighāṃsāmi jīvitenādya mokṣyase

"I will always kill every snake I see." That is why I mean to kill you; today you will part with your life.

Verse 3 (1.10.3)

अन्ये ते भुजगा ब्रह्मन्ये दशन्तीह मानवान् । डुण्डुभानहिगन्धेन न त्वं हिंसितुमर्हसि ॥

anye te bhujagā brahmanye daśantīha mānavān | ḍuṇḍubhānahigandhena na tvaṃ hiṃsitumarhasi

The snakes that bite men here are different ones, brahmin. You should not kill dundubhas just because they smell like snakes.

Note on the text: Corrected दश्तीह → दशन्तीह (misprint in Wikisource; dropped न्, CE daśantīha).

Verse 4 (1.10.4)

एकानर्थान्पृथग्धर्मानेकदुःखान्पृथक्सुखान् । डुण्डुभान्धर्मविद्भूत्वा न त्वं हिंसितुमर्हसि ॥

ekānarthānpṛthagdharmānekaduḥkhānpṛthaksukhān | ḍuṇḍubhāndharmavidbhūtvā na tvaṃ hiṃsitumarhasi

Dundubhas share the snakes' misfortunes but not their nature; they share their sorrows but not their pleasures. You know what is right: you should not harm dundubhas.

Verse 5 (1.10.5)

इति श्रुत्वा वचस्तस्य डुण्डुभस्य रुरुस्तदा । नावधीद्भयसंविग्नमृषिं मत्त्वाऽथ डुण्डुभम् ॥

iti śrutvā vacastasya ḍuṇḍubhasya rurustadā | nāvadhīdbhayasaṃvignamṛṣiṃ mattvā'tha ḍuṇḍubham

Hearing these words of the dundubha, Ruru took the frightened dundubha to be a sage and did not kill it.

Verse 6 (1.10.6)

उवाच चैनं भगवान्रुरुः संशमयन्निव । केन त्वं भुजग ब्रूहि कोऽसीमां विक्रियां गतः ॥

uvāca cainaṃ bhagavānruruḥ saṃśamayanniva | kena tvaṃ bhujaga brūhi ko'sīmāṃ vikriyāṃ gataḥ

And the blessed Ruru, as if to calm it, said to it: "Tell me, serpent, who are you, and how have you come to this altered form?"

Verse 7 (1.10.7)

अहं पुरा रुरो नाम्ना ऋषिरासं सहस्रपात् । सोऽहं शापेन विप्रस्य भुजगत्वमुपागतः ॥

ahaṃ purā ruro nāmnā ṛṣirāsaṃ sahasrapāt | so'haṃ śāpena viprasya bhujagatvamupāgataḥ

Long ago, Ruru, I was a sage named Sahasrapat. Through a brahmin's curse I have become a snake.

Verse 8 (1.10.8)

किमर्थं शप्तवान्क्रुद्धो द्विजस्त्वां भुजगोत्तम । कियन्तं चैव कालं ते वपुरेतद्भविष्यति ॥

kimarthaṃ śaptavānkruddho dvijastvāṃ bhujagottama | kiyantaṃ caiva kālaṃ te vapuretadbhaviṣyati

Why did the brahmin curse you in his anger, best of snakes? And for how long will you have this body?

Note on the text: Corrected कुद्धो → क्रुद्धो (misprint in Wikisource; dropped र, CE kruddho) and भविष्यसि → भविष्यति (misprint in Wikisource; the verb must agree with वपुः, CE bhaviṣyati).