The Fowler Enters the Forest Fire and Reaches Heaven

Verse 1 (12.148.1)

विमानस्थौ तु तौ राजंल्लुब्धको वै ददर्श ह । दृष्ट्वा तौ दंपती राजन्व्यचिन्तयत तां गतिम् ॥

vimānasthau tu tau rājaṃllubdhako vai dadarśa ha | dṛṣṭvā tau daṃpatī rājanvyacintayata tāṃ gatim

O king, the fowler saw the two of them seated in their celestial car, and on seeing that couple, O king, he pondered over the goal they had reached.

Note on the text: Corrected वमानस्थौ → विमानस्थौ and लुब्धकः ग्वे → लुब्धको वै (misprints in Wikisource; a dropped ि, and ग्वे for वै; CE 12.145.1 reads vimānasthau tu tau rājan lubdhako vai dadarśa ha). Line 2 reads व्यचिन्तयत तां गतिम् against CE acintayata sadgatim; kept as a variant.

Verse 2 (12.148.2)

कीदृशेनेह तपसा गच्छेयं परमां गतिम् । इति बुद्ध्या विनिश्चित्य गमनायोपचक्रमे ॥

kīdṛśeneha tapasā gaccheyaṃ paramāṃ gatim | iti buddhyā viniścitya gamanāyopacakrame

"By what austerity might I reach the highest goal?" Having settled this in his mind, he set out to depart.

Verse 3 (12.148.3)

महाप्रस्थानमाश्रित्य लुब्धकः पक्षिजीवकः । निश्चेष्टो मरुदाहारो निर्ममः स्वर्गकाङ्क्षया ॥

mahāprasthānamāśritya lubdhakaḥ pakṣijīvakaḥ | niśceṣṭo marudāhāro nirmamaḥ svargakāṅkṣayā

Taking up the great departure, the bird-catcher became motionless, living on air alone and free of all possessiveness, longing for heaven.

Note on the text: Corrected निश्चष्टो → निश्चेष्टो (misprint in Wikisource; dropped े; CE niśceṣṭo).

Verse 4 (12.148.4)

ततोऽपश्यत्सुविस्तीर्णं हृद्यं पद्माभिभूषितम् । नानापक्षिगणाकीर्णं सरः शीतजलं शिवम् ॥

tato'paśyatsuvistīrṇaṃ hṛdyaṃ padmābhibhūṣitam | nānāpakṣigaṇākīrṇaṃ saraḥ śītajalaṃ śivam

Then he saw a wide, charming lake, adorned with lotuses and thronged with flocks of birds of many kinds, its water cool and pleasant.

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment: lines = CE 12.145.4a, 4c (शिवम् and नानापक्षिगण° against śubham and nānādvijagaṇa°). The CE verse has a third line (4e), which Wikisource sets as the next verse.

Verse 5 (12.148.5)

पिपासार्तोऽपि तद्दृष्ट्वा तृप्तः स्यान्नात्र संशयः ॥

pipāsārto'pi taddṛṣṭvā tṛptaḥ syānnātra saṃśayaḥ

Even a man tormented by thirst, on seeing it, would be content; of that there is no doubt.

Note on the text: Single line, as on the page (labelled 12-148-5a); it is the CE's third line 12.145.4e (pipāsārto 'pi tad dṛṣṭvā tṛptaḥ syān nātra saṃśayaḥ). Corrected पिपांसार्तोऽपि → पिपासार्तोऽपि (misprint in Wikisource; stray anusvara) and तदृष्ट्वा → तद्दृष्ट्वा (misprint; the doubled द् dropped; CE tad dṛṣṭvā).

Verse 6 (12.148.6)

उपवासकृशोऽत्यर्थं स तु पार्थिव लुब्धकः । उपसृत्य तु तद्धृष्टः श्वापदाध्युपितं वनम् ॥

upavāsakṛśo'tyarthaṃ sa tu pārthiva lubdhakaḥ | upasṛtya tu taddhṛṣṭaḥ śvāpadādhyupitaṃ vanam

But that fowler, O king, was terribly wasted by fasting; delighted at the sight, he approached the forest, which was haunted by wild beasts.

Verse 7 (12.148.7)

महान्तं निश्चयं कृत्वा लुब्धकः प्रविवेश ह । प्रविशन्नेव स वनं निगृहीतः स कण्टकैः ॥

mahāntaṃ niścayaṃ kṛtvā lubdhakaḥ praviveśa ha | praviśanneva sa vanaṃ nigṛhītaḥ sa kaṇṭakaiḥ

Having made a great resolve, the fowler entered it, and no sooner had he entered the forest than the thorns seized him.

Verse 8 (12.148.8)

स कण्टकैर्विभिन्नाङ्गो लोहितार्द्रीकृतच्छविः । बभ्राम तस्मिन्विजने नानामृगसमाकुले ॥

sa kaṇṭakairvibhinnāṅgo lohitārdrīkṛtacchaviḥ | babhrāma tasminvijane nānāmṛgasamākule

His limbs torn by the thorns and his skin soaked with blood, he wandered in that lonely forest, crowded with beasts of every kind.

Note on the text: Corrected वभ्राम → बभ्राम (misprint in Wikisource; व for ब; CE babhrāma).

Verse 9 (12.148.9)

ततो द्रुमाणां महतां पवनेन वने तदा । उदतिष्ठत संघर्षान्सुमहान्हव्यवाहनः ॥

tato drumāṇāṃ mahatāṃ pavanena vane tadā | udatiṣṭhata saṃgharṣānsumahānhavyavāhanaḥ

Then, from the rubbing of the great trees in the wind, a huge fire arose in the forest.

Verse 10 (12.148.10)

तद्वनं वृक्षसंकीर्णं लताविटपसंकुलम् । ददाह पावकः क्रुद्धो युगान्ताग्निसमप्रभः ॥

tadvanaṃ vṛkṣasaṃkīrṇaṃ latāviṭapasaṃkulam | dadāha pāvakaḥ kruddho yugāntāgnisamaprabhaḥ

The fire, blazing like the fire at the end of an age, burned that forest thick with trees and tangled with creepers and branches in its fury.

Verse 11 (12.148.11)

स ज्वलैः पवनोद्भूतैर्विस्फुलिङ्गैः समन्ततः । ददाह तद्वनं घोरं मृगपक्षिसमाकुलम् ॥

sa jvalaiḥ pavanodbhūtairvisphuliṅgaiḥ samantataḥ | dadāha tadvanaṃ ghoraṃ mṛgapakṣisamākulam

With blazing sparks driven by the wind on every side, it burned that dreadful forest, filled with beasts and birds.

Verse 12 (12.148.12)

ततः स देहमोक्षार्थं संप्रहृष्टेन चेतसा । अभ्यधावत वर्धन्तं पावकं लुब्धकस्तदा ॥

tataḥ sa dehamokṣārthaṃ saṃprahṛṣṭena cetasā | abhyadhāvata vardhantaṃ pāvakaṃ lubdhakastadā

Then, with a joyful heart, wishing to be rid of his body, the fowler ran toward the fire as it spread.

Verse 13 (12.148.13)

ततस्तेनाग्निना दग्धो लुब्धको नष्टकल्मषः । जगाम परमां सिद्धिं ततो भरतसत्तम ॥

tatastenāgninā dagdho lubdhako naṣṭakalmaṣaḥ | jagāma paramāṃ siddhiṃ tato bharatasattama

Burned by that fire, the fowler, his sins washed away, attained the highest perfection, O best of the Bharatas.

Verse 14 (12.148.14)

ततः स्वर्गस्थमात्मानमपश्यद्विगतज्वरः । यक्षगन्धर्वसिद्धानां मध्ये भ्राजन्तमिन्द्रवत् ॥

tataḥ svargasthamātmānamapaśyadvigatajvaraḥ | yakṣagandharvasiddhānāṃ madhye bhrājantamindravat

Then, his fever of sorrow gone, he saw himself in heaven, shining like Indra amid the yakshas, gandharvas and siddhas.

Verse 15 (12.148.15)

एवं खलु कपोतश्च कपोती च पतिव्रता । लुब्धकेन सह स्वर्गं गताः पुण्येन कर्मणा ॥

evaṃ khalu kapotaśca kapotī ca pativratā | lubdhakena saha svargaṃ gatāḥ puṇyena karmaṇā

Thus the dove and his devoted she-dove went to heaven together with the fowler, through their meritorious deeds.

Verse 16 (12.148.16)

याऽन्या चैवंविधा नारी भर्तारमनुवर्तते । विराजते हि सा क्षिप्रं कपोतीव दिवि स्थिता ॥

yā'nyā caivaṃvidhā nārī bhartāramanuvartate | virājate hi sā kṣipraṃ kapotīva divi sthitā

Any other woman too who follows her husband in this way shines swiftly in heaven, like the she-dove.

Verse 17 (12.148.17)

एवमेतत्पुरावृत्तं लुब्धकस्य महात्मनः । कपोतस्य च धर्मिष्ठा गतिः पुण्येन कर्मणा ॥

evametatpurāvṛttaṃ lubdhakasya mahātmanaḥ | kapotasya ca dharmiṣṭhā gatiḥ puṇyena karmaṇā

Such is the ancient story of the great-souled fowler, and of the dove, whose righteous end came through meritorious deeds.

Verse 18 (12.148.18)

यश्चेदं शृणुयान्नित्यं यश्चेदं परिकीर्तयेत् । नाशुभं विद्यते तस्य मनसाऽपि प्रमादतः ॥

yaścedaṃ śṛṇuyānnityaṃ yaścedaṃ parikīrtayet | nāśubhaṃ vidyate tasya manasā'pi pramādataḥ

He who always hears this, or recounts it, meets no evil, even in thought or through carelessness.

Verse 19 (12.148.19)

युधिष्ठिर महानेष धर्मो धर्मभृतां वर । गोघ्नेष्वपि भवेदस्मिन्निष्कृतिः पापकर्मणः ॥

yudhiṣṭhira mahāneṣa dharmo dharmabhṛtāṃ vara | goghneṣvapi bhavedasminniṣkṛtiḥ pāpakarmaṇaḥ

O Yudhishthira, best of those who uphold dharma, great is this dharma: even for cow-killers there is atonement here for evil deeds.

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment: lines = CE 12.145.18a, 18c.

Verse 20 (12.148.20)

न निष्कृतिर्भवेत्तस्य यो हन्याच्छरणागतम् । इतिहासमिमं श्रुत्वा पुण्यं पापप्रणाशनम् । न दुर्गतिमवाप्नोति स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति ॥

na niṣkṛtirbhavettasya yo hanyāccharaṇāgatam | itihāsamimaṃ śrutvā puṇyaṃ pāpapraṇāśanam | na durgatimavāpnoti svargalokaṃ ca gacchati

But there is no atonement for the man who kills one who has come for refuge. Having heard this history, which is holy and destroys sin, a man does not fall to an evil end, and he goes to the world of heaven.

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment. Line 1 = CE 12.145.18e (niṣkṛtir na bhavet tasmin yo hanyāc charaṇāgatam; तस्य for tasmin); lines 2-3 are the CE star passage 12.145.18f*0377_01-02 (itihāsam imaṃ putra śrutvā pāpavināśanam / na durgatim avāpnoti svargalokaṃ ca gacchati), not in the CE's constituted text. Corrected दुर्गतिप्रवाप्नोति → दुर्गतिमवाप्नोति (misprint in Wikisource; प्र for म; the star passage reads durgatim avāpnoti). The CE's further star line 12.145.18f*0378_01 (ārtā gṛhāgatāḥ pūjyās tathaiva śaraṇāgatāḥ) is not on the page.