Rishyashringa Describes His Visitor

Verse 1 (3.113.1)

इहागतो जटिलो ब्रह्मचारी । न वै ह्रस्वो नातिदीर्घो मनस्वी । सुवर्णवर्णः कमलायताक्षः । सुतः सुराणामिव शोभमानः ॥

ihāgato jaṭilo brahmacārī | na vai hrasvo nātidīrgho manasvī | suvarṇavarṇaḥ kamalāyatākṣaḥ | sutaḥ surāṇāmiva śobhamānaḥ

A student of the Veda came here with matted hair, neither short nor too tall, high-spirited, golden in colour, with long lotus eyes, shining like a son of the gods.

Note on the text: Corrected सुराणामवि → सुराणामिव (misprint in Wikisource; व for इ, leaving no word; the critical edition reads surāṇām iva).

Verse 2 (3.113.2)

समृद्धरूपः सवितेव दीप्तः । सुश्लक्ष्णवाक्कृष्णतारश्चकोरात् । नीलाः प्रसन्नाश्च जटाः सुगन्धा । हिरण्यरज्जुग्रथिताः सुदीर्घाः ॥

samṛddharūpaḥ saviteva dīptaḥ | suślakṣṇavākkṛṣṇatāraścakorāt | nīlāḥ prasannāśca jaṭāḥ sugandhā | hiraṇyarajjugrathitāḥ sudīrghāḥ

Rich in beauty, blazing like the sun, soft of speech, the pupils of his eyes darker than a chakora's; his matted locks dark, glossy and fragrant, very long, and bound with golden cords.

Note on the text: Wikisource's सुश्लक्ष्णवाक्कृष्णतारश्चकोरात् (critical edition suśuklakṛṣṇākṣataraś cakoraiḥ) is kept as a recension variant.

Verse 3 (3.113.3)

आधारभूतः पुनरस्य कण्ठे । विभ्राजते विद्युदिवान्तरिक्षे । द्वौ चास्य पिण्डावधरेण कण्ठा- । दजातरोमौ सुमनोहरौ च ॥

ādhārabhūtaḥ punarasya kaṇṭhe | vibhrājate vidyudivāntarikṣe | dvau cāsya piṇḍāvadhareṇa kaṇṭhā- | dajātaromau sumanoharau ca

Something like an ornament set at his throat flashes like lightning in the sky; and below his throat are two round mounds, hairless and most lovely.

Note on the text: Corrected चास् → चास्य (misprint in Wikisource; the final akshara is dropped; the critical edition reads cāsya).

Verse 4 (3.113.4)

विलग्नमध्यश्च स नाभिदेशे । कटिश्च तस्यातिकृतप्रमाणा । तथाऽस्य चीरान्तरतः प्रभाति । हिरण्मयी मेखला मे यथेयम् ॥

vilagnamadhyaśca sa nābhideśe | kaṭiśca tasyātikṛtapramāṇā | tathā'sya cīrāntarataḥ prabhāti | hiraṇmayī mekhalā me yatheyam

His waist is slender at the navel and his hips are very full; and through his bark garment there gleams a golden girdle, like this girdle of mine.

Note on the text: Corrected तथाऽस् → तथाऽस्य (misprint in Wikisource; the final akshara is dropped; the critical edition reads tathāsya).

Verse 5 (3.113.5)

अन्यच्च तस्याद्भुतदर्शनीयं । विकूजितं पादयोः संप्रभाति । पाण्योश्च तद्वत्स्वनवन्निबद्धौ । कलापकावक्षमाला यथेयम् ॥

anyacca tasyādbhutadarśanīyaṃ | vikūjitaṃ pādayoḥ saṃprabhāti | pāṇyośca tadvatsvanavannibaddhau | kalāpakāvakṣamālā yatheyam

And another wondrous thing to see: on his feet something gleams that jingles; and on his wrists, likewise, two bands are tied that ring as they move, like this rosary of mine.

Verse 6 (3.113.6)

विचेष्टमानस्य च तस्य तानि । कूजन्ति हंसाः सरसीव मत्ताः । चीराणि तस्याद्भुतदर्शनानि । नेमानि तद्वन्मम रूपवन्ति ॥

viceṣṭamānasya ca tasya tāni | kūjanti haṃsāḥ sarasīva mattāḥ | cīrāṇi tasyādbhutadarśanāni | nemāni tadvanmama rūpavanti

When he moves about they chime like swans maddened with joy on a lake. His bark garments are wonderful to see; these of mine are not so beautiful.

Verse 7 (3.113.7)

वक्त्रं च तस्याद्भुतदर्शनीयं । प्रव्याहृतं ह्लादयतीव चेतः । पुंस्कोकिलस्येव च तस्य वाणी । तां शृण्वतो मे व्यथितोऽन्तरात्मा ॥

vaktraṃ ca tasyādbhutadarśanīyaṃ | pravyāhṛtaṃ hlādayatīva cetaḥ | puṃskokilasyeva ca tasya vāṇī | tāṃ śṛṇvato me vyathito'ntarātmā

His face is wonderful to see, and when he speaks he seems to gladden the heart. His voice is like a male cuckoo's; hearing it, my inmost self was shaken.

Note on the text: Corrected वक्रं → वक्त्रं ("crooked" for "face"; misprint in Wikisource; the critical edition reads vaktraṃ), दर्सनीयं → दर्शनीयं (स for श), पिंस्कोकिल → पुंस्कोकिल (ि for ु; the critical edition reads puṃskokila) and वाणि → वाणी (short for long vowel; the critical edition reads vāṇī).

Verse 8 (3.113.8)

यथा वनं माधवमासिमध्ये । समीरितं श्वसनेनेव भाति । तथा स भात्युत्तमपुण्यगन्धी । निषेव्यमाणः पवनेन तात ॥

yathā vanaṃ mādhavamāsimadhye | samīritaṃ śvasaneneva bhāti | tathā sa bhātyuttamapuṇyagandhī | niṣevyamāṇaḥ pavanena tāta

As a forest in the middle of the month of Madhava shines when it is stirred by the wind, so he shines, father, fragrant with the finest and purest scent, when the breeze plays about him.

Note on the text: Corrected समीरीतं → समीरितं (misprint in Wikisource; long for short vowel; the critical edition reads samīritaṃ). Wikisource's भाति (critical edition abhivāti, vāti) is kept as a recension variant.

Verse 9 (3.113.9)

सुसंयताश्चापि जटा विभक्ता । द्वैधीकृता भातिललाटदेशे । कर्णौ च चित्रैरिव चक्रवाकैः । समावृतौ तस्य सुरूपवद्भिः ॥

susaṃyatāścāpi jaṭā vibhaktā | dvaidhīkṛtā bhātilalāṭadeśe | karṇau ca citrairiva cakravākaiḥ | samāvṛtau tasya surūpavadbhiḥ

His matted hair, neatly bound, is parted and shines divided in two on his forehead; and his ears are hung with what look like bright and lovely chakravaka birds.

Note on the text: Corrected सुसंवताश् → सुसंयताश् (misprint in Wikisource; व for य, leaving no word; the critical edition reads susaṃyatāś).

Verse 10 (3.113.10)

तथा फलं वृत्तमथो विचित्रं । समाहतं पाणिना दक्षिणेन । तद्भूमिमासाद्य पुनःपुनश्च । समुत्पतत्यद्भुतरूपमुच्चैः ॥

tathā phalaṃ vṛttamatho vicitraṃ | samāhataṃ pāṇinā dakṣiṇena | tadbhūmimāsādya punaḥpunaśca | samutpatatyadbhutarūpamuccaiḥ

And then there is a round, many-coloured fruit: struck with his right hand, it reaches the ground and springs up high again and again, a wonder to see.

Verse 11 (3.113.11)

तच्चाभिहत्वा परिवर्ततेऽसौ । वातेरितो वृक्ष इवावघूर्णम् । तं प्रेक्षतः पुत्रमिवामराणां । प्रीतिः परा तात रतिश्च जाता ॥

taccābhihatvā parivartate'sau | vāterito vṛkṣa ivāvaghūrṇam | taṃ prekṣataḥ putramivāmarāṇāṃ | prītiḥ parā tāta ratiśca jātā

Striking it, he turns and whirls like a tree shaken by the wind. As I watched him, who was like a son of the immortals, great joy and delight sprang up in me, father.

Verse 12 (3.113.12)

स मे समाश्लिष्य पुनः शरीरं । जटासु गृह्याभ्यवनाम्य वक्त्रम् । वक्त्रेण वक्त्रं प्रणिधाय शब्दं । चकार तन्मेऽजनयत्प्रहर्षम् ॥

sa me samāśliṣya punaḥ śarīraṃ | jaṭāsu gṛhyābhyavanāmya vaktram | vaktreṇa vaktraṃ praṇidhāya śabdaṃ | cakāra tanme'janayatpraharṣam

He embraced my body again and again, took hold of my matted hair and bent my face down, and setting his mouth to my mouth he made a sound; that filled me with delight.

Note on the text: Corrected वक्रम्, वक्रेण, वक्रं → वक्त्रम्, वक्त्रेण, वक्त्रं ("crooked" for "face, mouth"; misprint in Wikisource; the critical edition reads vaktram, vaktreṇa vaktraṃ).

Verse 13 (3.113.13)

न चापि पाद्यं बहुमन्यतेऽसौ । फलानि चेमानि मया हृतानि । एवंव्रतोस्मीति च मामवोच- । त्फलानि चान्यानि नवान्यदान्मे ॥

na cāpi pādyaṃ bahumanyate'sau | phalāni cemāni mayā hṛtāni | evaṃvratosmīti ca māmavoca- | tphalāni cānyāni navānyadānme

He thought little of the water for the feet, or of these fruits I had brought. "This is my vow," he told me, and he gave me other fruits, new ones.

Verse 14 (3.113.14)

मयोपयुक्तानि फलानि यानि । नेमानि तुल्यानि रसेन तेषाम् । न चापि तेषां त्वगियं यथैषां । साराणि नैषामिव सन्ति तेषाम् ॥

mayopayuktāni phalāni yāni | nemāni tulyāni rasena teṣām | na cāpi teṣāṃ tvagiyaṃ yathaiṣāṃ | sārāṇi naiṣāmiva santi teṣām

The fruits I tasted then — these are not their equal in flavour; nor is the skin of those like the skin of these; these have no flesh like theirs.

Verse 15 (3.113.15)

तोयानि चैवातिरसानि मह्यं । प्रादात्स वै पातुमुदाररूपः । पीत्वैव यान्यभ्यधिकः प्रहर्षो । ममाभवद्भूश्चलितेव चासीत् ॥

toyāni caivātirasāni mahyaṃ | prādātsa vai pātumudārarūpaḥ | pītvaiva yānyabhyadhikaḥ praharṣo | mamābhavadbhūścaliteva cāsīt

And that noble-looking one gave me waters of the finest flavour to drink; as soon as I drank them a joy beyond measure came over me, and the earth seemed to sway.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रादात्म → प्रादात्स (misprint in Wikisource; म for स; the critical edition reads prādāt sa).

Verse 16 (3.113.16)

इमानि चित्राणि च गन्धवन्ति । माल्यानि तस्योद्ग्रथितानि पट्टैः । यानि प्रकीर्येह गतः स्वमेव । स आश्रमं तपसा द्योतमानः ॥

imāni citrāṇi ca gandhavanti | mālyāni tasyodgrathitāni paṭṭaiḥ | yāni prakīryeha gataḥ svameva | sa āśramaṃ tapasā dyotamānaḥ

These bright, fragrant garlands are his, strung with silken threads; he scattered them here and went back to his own hermitage, shining with austerity.

Verse 17 (3.113.17)

गतेन तेनास्मिकृतो विचेता । गात्रं च मे संपरिदह्यतीव । इच्छामि तस्यान्तिकमाशु गन्तुं । तं चेह नित्यं परिवर्तमानम् ॥

gatena tenāsmikṛto vicetā | gātraṃ ca me saṃparidahyatīva | icchāmi tasyāntikamāśu gantuṃ | taṃ ceha nityaṃ parivartamānam

His going has left me out of my senses, and my body seems to burn all over. I want to go to him quickly, and to have him always moving about here.

Verse 18 (3.113.18)

गच्छामि तस्यान्तिकमेव तात । का नाम सा ब्रह्मचर्या च तस्य । इच्छाम्यहं चरितुं तेन सार्धं । यथा तपः स चरत्यार्यधर्मा ॥

gacchāmi tasyāntikameva tāta | kā nāma sā brahmacaryā ca tasya | icchāmyahaṃ carituṃ tena sārdhaṃ | yathā tapaḥ sa caratyāryadharmā

I am going to him this very moment, father. What is this holy discipline of his called? I want to practise it together with him, just as he, noble in his ways, practises austerity.

Verse 19 (3.113.19)

चर्तुं तथेच्छा हृदये ममास्ति । दुनोति चित्तं यदि तं न पश्ये ॥

cartuṃ tathecchā hṛdaye mamāsti | dunoti cittaṃ yadi taṃ na paśye

Such is the longing in my heart to practise it; my heart aches if I do not see him.

Note on the text: A half-verse in Wikisource. Not in the critical edition (found in the vulgate recension); the critical edition records these two lines in its apparatus as 3.112.18d*0551.