Puranjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life

Verse 1 (bhagavata.4.28.1)

नारद उवाच सैनिका भयनाम्नो ये बर्हिष्मन् दिष्टकारिणः । प्रज्वारकालकन्याभ्यां विचेरुरवनीमिमाम् ॥ 28.1 ॥

nārada uvāca sainikā bhaya-nāmno ye barhiṣman diṣṭa-kāriṇaḥ prajvāra-kāla-kanyābhyāṁ vicerur avanīm imām

Narada said: O Barhishman, those soldiers of the one named Bhaya — obedient to the decree of fate — together with Prajvara and Kalakanya, went ranging over this whole earth.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.4.28.2)

त एकदा तु रभसा पुरञ्जनपुरीं नृप । रुरुधुर्भौमभोगाढ्यां जरत्पन्नगपालिताम् ॥ 28.2 ॥

ta ekadā tu rabhasā purañjana-purīṁ nṛpa rurudhur bhauma-bhogāḍhyāṁ jarat-pannaga-pālitām

O King, one day they laid violent siege to the city of Puranjana — rich in earthly pleasures, guarded now by its aging serpent.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.4.28.3)

कालकन्यापि बुभुजे पुरञ्जनपुरं बलात् । ययाभिभूतः पुरुषः सद्यो निःसारतामियात् ॥ 28.3 ॥

kāla-kanyāpi bubhuje purañjana-puraṁ balāt yayābhibhūtaḥ puruṣaḥ sadyo niḥsāratām iyāt

Kalakanya too forcibly took hold of Puranjana's city; any man overpowered by her at once becomes utterly without vigor.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.4.28.4)

तयोपभुज्यमानां वै यवनाः सर्वतोदिशम् । द्वार्भिः प्रविश्य सुभृशं प्रार्दयन् सकलां पुरीम् ॥ 28.4 ॥

tayopabhujyamānāṁ vai yavanāḥ sarvato-diśam dvārbhiḥ praviśya subhṛśaṁ prārdayan sakalāṁ purīm

While she was seizing the city on every side, the Yavana soldiers entered through its gates and grievously tormented the entire city.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.4.28.5)

तस्यां प्रपीड्यमानायामभिमानी पुरञ्जनः । अवापोरुविधांस्तापान् कुटुम्बी ममताकुलः ॥ 28.5 ॥

tasyāṁ prapīḍyamānāyām abhimānī purañjanaḥ avāporu-vidhāṁs tāpān kuṭumbī mamatākulaḥ

As the city was thus besieged, Puranjana — proud, devoted to his family, and overwhelmed by possessiveness — fell into manifold torments.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.4.28.6)

कन्योपगूढो नष्टश्रीः कृपणो विषयात्मकः । नष्टप्रज्ञो हृतैश्वर्यो गन्धर्वयवनैर्बलात् ॥ 28.6 ॥

kanyopagūḍho naṣṭa-śrīḥ kṛpaṇo viṣayātmakaḥ naṣṭa-prajño hṛtaiśvaryo gandharva-yavanair balāt

Embraced by that maiden, he lost all his splendor; wretched, given over to sense objects, and stripped of understanding, he was forcibly robbed of all his wealth by the Gandharvas and Yavanas.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.4.28.7)

विशीर्णां स्वपुरीं वीक्ष्य प्रतिकूलाननादृतान् । पुत्रान् पौत्रानुगामात्याञ्जायां च गतसौहृदाम् ॥ 28.7 ॥

viśīrṇāṁ sva-purīṁ vīkṣya pratikūlān anādṛtān putrān pautrānugāmātyāñ jāyāṁ ca gata-sauhṛdām

Seeing his own city falling into ruin, his sons, grandsons, followers and ministers all grown hostile and disdainful toward him, and his wife's affection now vanished —

Verse 8 (bhagavata.4.28.8)

आत्मानं कन्यया ग्रस्तं पञ्चालानरिदूषितान् । दुरन्तचिन्तामापन्नो न लेभे तत्प्रतिक्रियाम् ॥ 28.8 ॥

ātmānaṁ kanyayā grastaṁ pañcālān ari-dūṣitān duranta-cintām āpanno na lebhe tat-pratikriyām

seeing himself seized by that maiden, and the people of Panchala corrupted by his foes, he fell into endless anxiety, and found no remedy for it at all.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.4.28.9)

कामानभिलषन्दीनो यातयामांश्च कन्यया । विगतात्मगतिस्नेहः पुत्रदारांश्च लालयन् ॥ 28.9 ॥

kāmān abhilaṣan dīno yāta-yāmāṁś ca kanyayā vigatātma-gati-snehaḥ putra-dārāṁś ca lālayan

Wretched, still craving pleasures that the maiden had already made stale, unaware of his own self and destination, he went on doting upon his sons and his wife.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.4.28.10)

गन्धर्वयवनाक्रान्तां कालकन्योपमर्दिताम् । हातुं प्रचक्रमे राजा तां पुरीमनिकामतः ॥ 28.10 ॥

gandharva-yavanākrāntāṁ kāla-kanyopamarditām hātuṁ pracakrame rājā tāṁ purīm anikāmataḥ

Overrun by the Gandharvas and Yavanas, and crushed by Kalakanya, that city the King now began to abandon — though it was against his own wish.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.4.28.11)

भयनाम्नोऽग्रजो भ्राता प्रज्वारः प्रत्युपस्थितः । ददाह तां पुरीं कृत्स्नां भ्रातुः प्रियचिकीर्षया ॥ 28.11 ॥

bhaya-nāmno ’grajo bhrātā prajvāraḥ pratyupasthitaḥ dadāha tāṁ purīṁ kṛtsnāṁ bhrātuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā

Then Prajvara, elder brother of the one named Bhaya, arrived there, and wishing to please his brother, set the entire city on fire.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.4.28.12)

तस्यां सन्दह्यमानायां सपौरः सपरिच्छदः । कौटुम्बिकः कुटुम्बिन्या उपातप्यत सान्वयः ॥ 28.12 ॥

tasyāṁ sandahyamānāyāṁ sapauraḥ saparicchadaḥ kauṭumbikaḥ kuṭumbinyā upātapyata sānvayaḥ

As the city burned, that householder king — together with his citizens, his possessions, his family, and all his kin — was consumed by anguish.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.4.28.13)

यवनोपरुद्धायतनो ग्रस्तायां कालकन्यया । पुर्यां प्रज्वारसंसृष्टः पुरपालोऽन्वतप्यत ॥ 28.13 ॥

yavanoparuddhāyatano grastāyāṁ kāla-kanyayā puryāṁ prajvāra-saṁsṛṣṭaḥ pura-pālo ’nvatapyata

His own dwelling now sealed off by the Yavanas, and the city seized by Kalakanya and overrun by Prajvara's fire, the guardian of the city grieved most bitterly.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.4.28.14)

न शेके सोऽवितुं तत्र पुरुकृच्छ्रोरुवेपथुः । गन्तुमैच्छत्ततो वृक्षकोटरादिव सानलात् ॥ 28.14 ॥

na śeke so ’vituṁ tatra puru-kṛcchroru-vepathuḥ gantum aicchat tato vṛkṣa- koṭarād iva sānalāt

Trembling violently, in the utmost distress, he was no longer able to guard it, and like a serpent in the hollow of a tree on fire, he longed only to get away from there.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.4.28.15)

शिथिलावयवो यर्हि गन्धर्वैर्हृतपौरुषः । यवनैररिभी राजन्नुपरुद्धो रुरोद ह ॥ 28.15 ॥

śithilāvayavo yarhi gandharvair hṛta-pauruṣaḥ yavanair aribhī rājann uparuddho ruroda ha

O King, when his limbs grew slack, his strength taken from him by the Gandharvas, and he found himself hemmed in on every side by the hostile Yavanas, he wept aloud.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.4.28.16)

दुहितृः पुत्रपौत्रांश्च जामिजामातृपार्षदान् । स्वत्वावशिष्टं यत्किञ्चिद् गृहकोशपरिच्छदम् ॥ 28.16 ॥

duhitṝḥ putra-pautrāṁś ca jāmi-jāmātṛ-pārṣadān svatvāvaśiṣṭaṁ yat kiñcid gṛha-kośa-paricchadam

[Meanwhile King Puranjana thought of] his daughters, sons and grandsons, his sisters, sons-in-law and companions, and whatever little remained of his house, treasury and belongings.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.4.28.17)

अहं ममेति स्वीकृत्य गृहेषु कुमतिर्गृही । दध्यौ प्रमदया दीनो विप्रयोग उपस्थिते ॥ 28.17 ॥

ahaṁ mameti svīkṛtya gṛheṣu kumatir gṛhī dadhyau pramadayā dīno viprayoga upasthite

That confused householder, having claimed all these as "I" and "mine," now, with separation from his beloved close at hand, sank into wretched brooding.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.4.28.18)

लोकान्तरं गतवति मय्यनाथा कुटुम्बिनी । वर्तिष्यते कथं त्वेषा बालकाननुशोचती ॥ 28.18 ॥

lokāntaraṁ gatavati mayy anāthā kuṭumbinī vartiṣyate kathaṁ tv eṣā bālakān anuśocatī

[He thought:] "Once I have departed to another world, how will my now-helpless wife, mourning over these children, be able to carry on?"

Verse 19 (bhagavata.4.28.19)

न मय्यनाशिते भुङ्क्ते नास्नाते स्नाति मत्परा । मयि रुष्टे सुसन्त्रस्ता भर्त्सिते यतवाग्भयात् ॥ 28.19 ॥

na mayy anāśite bhuṅkte nāsnāte snāti mat-parā mayi ruṣṭe susantrastā bhartsite yata-vāg bhayāt

"So devoted to me was she that she would not eat until I had eaten, nor bathe until I had bathed; and when I grew angry and rebuked her, she, thoroughly frightened, would hold her tongue out of fear."

Verse 20 (bhagavata.4.28.20)

प्रबोधयति माविज्ञं व्युषिते शोककर्शिता । वर्त्मैतद् गृहमेधीयं वीरसूरपि नेष्यति ॥ 28.20 ॥

prabodhayati māvijñaṁ vyuṣite śoka-karśitā vartmaitad gṛha-medhīyaṁ vīra-sūr api neṣyati

"When I was ignorant, she would set me right, and when I was away she would waste away with grief. Even though she is the mother of heroic sons, she will not know how to bear this burden of household life."

Verse 21 (bhagavata.4.28.21)

कथं नु दारका दीना दारकीर्वापरायणाः । वर्तिष्यन्ते मयि गते भिन्ननाव इवोदधौ ॥ 28.21 ॥

kathaṁ nu dārakā dīnā dārakīr vāparāyaṇāḥ vartiṣyante mayi gate bhinna-nāva ivodadhau

"Once I am gone, how will my poor sons and daughters, wholly dependent on me as they are, fare — like passengers on a ship broken apart in the middle of the ocean?"

Verse 22 (bhagavata.4.28.22)

एवं कृपणया बुद्ध्या शोचन्तमतदर्हणम् । ग्रहीतुं कृतधीरेनं भयनामाभ्यपद्यत ॥ 28.22 ॥

evaṁ kṛpaṇayā buddhyā śocantam atad-arhaṇam grahītuṁ kṛta-dhīr enaṁ bhaya-nāmābhyapadyata

While he, with such a miserly understanding, grieved over things not worthy of grief, the one named Bhaya, now resolved to seize him, drew near.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.4.28.23)

पशुवद्यवनैरेष नीयमानः स्वकं क्षयम् । अन्वद्रवन्ननुपथाः शोचन्तो भृशमातुराः ॥ 28.23 ॥

paśuvad yavanair eṣa nīyamānaḥ svakaṁ kṣayam anvadravann anupathāḥ śocanto bhṛśam āturāḥ

As the Yavanas led him away, like an animal, toward his own destruction, his followers, grieving and sorely distressed, ran along after him.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.4.28.24)

पुरीं विहायोपगत उपरुद्धो भुजङ्गमः । यदा तमेवानु पुरी विशीर्णा प्रकृतिं गता ॥ 28.24 ॥

purīṁ vihāyopagata uparuddho bhujaṅgamaḥ yadā tam evānu purī viśīrṇā prakṛtiṁ gatā

And when the serpent, himself now taken captive, left the city and went along after his master, the city too, following behind them, crumbled and dissolved back into its elements.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.4.28.25)

विकृष्यमाणः प्रसभं यवनेन बलीयसा । नाविन्दत्तमसाविष्टः सखायं सुहृदं पुरः ॥ 28.25 ॥

vikṛṣyamāṇaḥ prasabhaṁ yavanena balīyasā nāvindat tamasāviṣṭaḥ sakhāyaṁ suhṛdaṁ puraḥ

Dragged forcibly along by that powerful Yavana, wrapped in darkness, he could not recall, though present right before him, his own true friend and well-wisher.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.4.28.26)

तं यज्ञपशवोऽनेन संज्ञप्ता येऽदयालुना । कुठारैश्चिच्छिदुः क्रुद्धाः स्मरन्तोऽमीवमस्य तत् ॥ 28.26 ॥

taṁ yajña-paśavo ’nena saṁjñaptā ye ’dayālunā kuṭhāraiś cicchiduḥ kruddhāḥ smaranto ’mīvam asya tat

Those very sacrificial animals whom that merciless man had once slaughtered now, remembering the harm done to them, fell upon him in fury, cutting into him as if with axes.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.4.28.27)

अनन्तपारे तमसि मग्नो नष्टस्मृतिः समाः । शाश्वतीरनुभूयार्तिं प्रमदासङ्गदूषितः ॥ 28.27 ॥

ananta-pāre tamasi magno naṣṭa-smṛtiḥ samāḥ śāśvatīr anubhūyārtiṁ pramadā-saṅga-dūṣitaḥ

Corrupted by his attachment to that woman, he sank into a darkness without end, his memory lost, enduring unbroken anguish through years without number.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.4.28.28)

तामेव मनसा गृह्णन् बभूव प्रमदोत्तमा । अनन्तरं विदर्भस्य राजसिंहस्य वेश्मनि ॥ 28.28 ॥

tām eva manasā gṛhṇan babhūva pramadottamā anantaraṁ vidarbhasya rāja-siṁhasya veśmani

Holding that same woman in his mind to the last, he was born next as a most beautiful woman, in the household of Vidarbha, that lion among kings.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.4.28.29)

उपयेमे वीर्यपणां वैदर्भीं मलयध्वजः । युधि निर्जित्य राजन्यान् पाण्ड्यः परपुरञ्जयः ॥ 28.29 ॥

upayeme vīrya-paṇāṁ vaidarbhīṁ malayadhvajaḥ yudhi nirjitya rājanyān pāṇḍyaḥ para-purañjayaḥ

Malayadhvaja, the Pandya king, conqueror of enemy cities, defeated the assembled princes in battle and thereby won the daughter of Vidarbha, offered as the prize of valor.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.4.28.30)

तस्यां स जनयां चक्र आत्मजामसितेक्षणाम् । यवीयसः सप्त सुतान् सप्त द्रविडभूभृतः ॥ 28.30 ॥

tasyāṁ sa janayāṁ cakra ātmajām asitekṣaṇām yavīyasaḥ sapta sutān sapta draviḍa-bhūbhṛtaḥ

Upon her he fathered one dark-eyed daughter and seven younger sons, who became the seven rulers of the Dravida land.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.4.28.31)

एकैकस्याभवत्तेषां राजन्नर्बुदमर्बुदम् । भोक्ष्यते यद्वंशधरैर्मही मन्वन्तरं परम् ॥ 28.31 ॥

ekaikasyābhavat teṣāṁ rājann arbudam arbudam bhokṣyate yad-vaṁśa-dharair mahī manvantaraṁ param

O King, each one of them in turn produced a hundred million descendants, by whose line this earth would be ruled for an entire further Manvantara.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.4.28.32)

अगस्त्यः प्राग्दुहितरमुपयेमे धृतव्रताम् । यस्यां दृढच्युतो जात इध्मवाहात्मजो मुनिः ॥ 28.32 ॥

agastyaḥ prāg duhitaram upayeme dhṛta-vratām yasyāṁ dṛḍhacyuto jāta idhmavāhātmajo muniḥ

The great sage Agastya married that eldest daughter, firm in her vows; from her was born Dridhachyuta, and from him his own son, the sage Idhmavaha.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.4.28.33)

विभज्य तनयेभ्यः क्ष्मां राजर्षिर्मलयध्वजः । आरिराधयिषुः कृष्णं स जगाम कुलाचलम् ॥ 28.33 ॥

vibhajya tanayebhyaḥ kṣmāṁ rājarṣir malayadhvajaḥ ārirādhayiṣuḥ kṛṣṇaṁ sa jagāma kulācalam

Having divided his kingdom among his sons, the royal sage Malayadhvaja, wishing now to worship Krishna, set out for the Kulachala mountain.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.4.28.34)

हित्वा गृहान् सुतान् भोगान् वैदर्भी मदिरेक्षणा । अन्वधावत पाण्ड्येशं ज्योत्स्नेव रजनीकरम् ॥ 28.34 ॥

hitvā gṛhān sutān bhogān vaidarbhī madirekṣaṇā anvadhāvata pāṇḍyeśaṁ jyotsneva rajanī-karam

Leaving home, sons and every pleasure behind, the enchanting-eyed daughter of Vidarbha followed after the Pandya lord, as moonlight follows the moon.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.4.28.35)

तत्र चन्द्रवसा नाम ताम्रपर्णी वटोदका । तत्पुण्यसलिलैर्नित्यमुभयत्रात्मनो मृजन् ॥ 28.35 ॥

tatra candravasā nāma tāmraparṇī vaṭodakā tat-puṇya-salilair nityam ubhayatrātmano mṛjan

There flowed the rivers named Chandravasa, Tamraparni and Vatodaka; with their sacred waters he purified himself daily, both within and without.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.4.28.36)

कन्दाष्टिभिर्मूलफलैः पुष्पपर्णैस्तृणोदकैः । वर्तमानः शनैर्गात्रकर्शनं तप आस्थितः ॥ 28.36 ॥

kandāṣṭibhir mūla-phalaiḥ puṣpa-parṇais tṛṇodakaiḥ vartamānaḥ śanair gātra- karśanaṁ tapa āsthitaḥ

Subsisting on bulbs and stones, roots and fruits, flowers, leaves, grass and water, he took up, little by little, an austerity that wasted his body away.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.4.28.37)

शीतोष्णवातवर्षाणि क्षुत्पिपासे प्रियाप्रिये । सुखदुःखे इति द्वन्द्वान्यजयत्समदर्शनः ॥ 28.37 ॥

śītoṣṇa-vāta-varṣāṇi kṣut-pipāse priyāpriye sukha-duḥkhe iti dvandvāny ajayat sama-darśanaḥ

Seeing all things with an equal eye, he mastered every pair of opposites — cold and heat, wind and rain, hunger and thirst, the pleasant and the unpleasant, joy and sorrow.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.4.28.38)

तपसा विद्यया पक्वकषायो नियमैर्यमैः । युयुजे ब्रह्मण्यात्मानं विजिताक्षानिलाशयः ॥ 28.38 ॥

tapasā vidyayā pakva- kaṣāyo niyamair yamaiḥ yuyuje brahmaṇy ātmānaṁ vijitākṣānilāśayaḥ

Through austerity and knowledge his inner impurities were burned away and purged; through the yamas and niyamas he conquered his senses, his breath and his mind, and fixed his self upon Brahman.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.4.28.39)

आस्ते स्थाणुरिवैकत्र दिव्यं वर्षशतं स्थिरः । वासुदेवे भगवति नान्यद्वेदोद्वहन् रतिम् ॥ 28.39 ॥

āste sthāṇur ivaikatra divyaṁ varṣa-śataṁ sthiraḥ vāsudeve bhagavati nānyad vedodvahan ratim

Unmoving as a post, he remained fixed in that one place for a hundred celestial years, bearing his devotion to Bhagavan Vasudeva and knowing nothing beyond it.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.4.28.40)

स व्यापकतयात्मानं व्यतिरिक्ततयात्मनि । विद्वान् स्वप्न इवामर्शसाक्षिणं विरराम ह ॥ 28.40 ॥

sa vyāpakatayātmānaṁ vyatiriktatayātmani vidvān svapna ivāmarśa- sākṣiṇaṁ virarāma ha

That wise one, recognizing within himself the all-pervading Self as distinct from the individual self — the witness of thought, as though in a dream — finally ceased from all further striving.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.4.28.41)

साक्षाद्भगवतोक्तेन गुरुणा हरिणा नृप । विशुद्धज्ञानदीपेन स्फुरता विश्वतोमुखम् ॥ 28.41 ॥

sākṣād bhagavatoktena guruṇā hariṇā nṛpa viśuddha-jñāna-dīpena sphuratā viśvato-mukham

O King, instructed directly by Hari himself as his own guru, illumined by the lamp of pure knowledge shining out on every side —

Verse 42 (bhagavata.4.28.42)

परे ब्रह्मणि चात्मानं परं ब्रह्म तथात्मनि । वीक्षमाणो विहायेक्षामस्मादुपरराम ह ॥ 28.42 ॥

pare brahmaṇi cātmānaṁ paraṁ brahma tathātmani vīkṣamāṇo vihāyekṣām asmād upararāma ha

he saw his own self in the Supreme Brahman, and the Supreme Brahman in his own self; and having seen thus, he let go even of that act of seeing, and came finally to rest.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.4.28.43)

पतिं परमधर्मज्ञं वैदर्भी मलयध्वजम् । प्रेम्णा पर्यचरद्धित्वा भोगान् सा पतिदेवता ॥ 28.43 ॥

patiṁ parama-dharma-jñaṁ vaidarbhī malayadhvajam premṇā paryacarad dhitvā bhogān sā pati-devatā

Meanwhile the daughter of Vidarbha, holding her husband Malayadhvaja — supreme in his knowledge of dharma — as her very deity, gave up every pleasure and served him with love.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.4.28.44)

चीरवासा व्रतक्षामा वेणीभूतशिरोरुहा । बभावुप पतिं शान्ता शिखा शान्तमिवानलम् ॥ 28.44 ॥

cīra-vāsā vrata-kṣāmā veṇī-bhūta-śiroruhā babhāv upa patiṁ śāntā śikhā śāntam ivānalam

Clad in bark, wasted thin by her vows, her hair bound in a single braid, she remained tranquil at her husband's side — like a flame beside a fire grown still.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.4.28.45)

अजानती प्रियतमं यदोपरतमङ्गना । सुस्थिरासनमासाद्य यथापूर्वमुपाचरत् ॥ 28.45 ॥

ajānatī priyatamaṁ yadoparatam aṅganā susthirāsanam āsādya yathā-pūrvam upācarat

Unaware that her beloved had already passed away, seated as he was, unmoving, in his fixed posture, that woman went on serving him just as she always had before.

Verse 46 (bhagavata.4.28.46)

यदा नोपलभेताङ्घ्रावूष्माणं पत्युरर्चती । आसीत्संविग्नहृदया यूथभ्रष्टा मृगी यथा ॥ 28.46 ॥

yadā nopalabhetāṅghrāv ūṣmāṇaṁ patyur arcatī āsīt saṁvigna-hṛdayā yūtha-bhraṣṭā mṛgī yathā

While she was attending him, when she could no longer feel warmth in her husband's feet, her heart grew troubled, like a doe separated from her herd.

Verse 47 (bhagavata.4.28.47)

आत्मानं शोचती दीनमबन्धुं विक्लवाश्रुभिः । स्तनावासिच्य विपिने सुस्वरं प्ररुरोद सा ॥ 28.47 ॥

ātmānaṁ śocatī dīnam abandhuṁ viklavāśrubhiḥ stanāv āsicya vipine susvaraṁ praruroda sā

Grieving for herself, now wretched and without any protector, she drenched her breasts with helpless tears and wept aloud in that lonely forest.

Verse 48 (bhagavata.4.28.48)

उत्तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ राजर्षे इमामुदधिमेखलाम् । दस्युभ्यः क्षत्रबन्धुभ्यो बिभ्यतीं पातुमर्हसि ॥ 28.48 ॥

uttiṣṭhottiṣṭha rājarṣe imām udadhi-mekhalām dasyubhyaḥ kṣatra-bandhubhyo bibhyatīṁ pātum arhasi

[She cried out:] Arise, arise, O royal sage! This earth, girdled by the sea, is afraid of plunderers and unworthy kshatriyas — it is for you to rise and protect her!

Verse 49 (bhagavata.4.28.49)

एवं विलपन्ती बाला विपिनेऽनुगता पतिम् । पतिता पादयोर्भर्तू रुदत्यश्रूण्यवर्तयत् ॥ 28.49 ॥

evaṁ vilapantī bālā vipine ’nugatā patim patitā pādayor bhartū rudaty aśrūṇy avartayat

Lamenting thus, that young woman who had followed her husband into the forest fell at his feet and, weeping, let her tears flow freely.

Verse 50 (bhagavata.4.28.50)

चितिं दारुमयीं चित्वा तस्यां पत्युः कलेवरम् । आदीप्य चानुमरणे विलपन्ती मनो दधे ॥ 28.50 ॥

citiṁ dārumayīṁ citvā tasyāṁ patyuḥ kalevaram ādīpya cānumaraṇe vilapantī mano dadhe

Then, having built a wooden pyre and laid her husband's body upon it and set it ablaze, she, still lamenting, resolved in her heart to die there with him.

Verse 51 (bhagavata.4.28.51)

तत्र पूर्वतरः कश्चित्सखा ब्राह्मण आत्मवान् । सान्त्वयन् वल्गुना साम्ना तामाह रुदतीं प्रभो ॥ 28.51 ॥

tatra pūrvataraḥ kaścit sakhā brāhmaṇa ātmavān sāntvayan valgunā sāmnā tām āha rudatīṁ prabho

O King, at that very moment an old brahmana friend, a man of true self-knowledge, appeared there, and, comforting her with sweet, gentle words, spoke to her as she wept.

Verse 52 (bhagavata.4.28.52)

ब्राह्मण उवाच का त्वं कस्यासि को वायं शयानो यस्य शोचसि । जानासि किं सखायं मां येनाग्रे विचचर्थ ह ॥ 28.52 ॥

brāhmaṇa uvāca kā tvaṁ kasyāsi ko vāyaṁ śayāno yasya śocasi jānāsi kiṁ sakhāyaṁ māṁ yenāgre vicacartha ha

The brahmana said: Who are you, whose are you, and who is this one lying here whom you mourn? Do you not know me as the friend in whose company you once used to wander?

Verse 53 (bhagavata.4.28.53)

अपि स्मरसि चात्मानमविज्ञातसखं सखे । हित्वा मां पदमन्विच्छन् भौमभोगरतो गतः ॥ 28.53 ॥

api smarasi cātmānam avijñāta-sakhaṁ sakhe hitvā māṁ padam anvicchan bhauma-bhoga-rato gataḥ

O friend, do you recall yourself at all — and this friend of yours whom you never truly recognized? You left me behind and went off in search of a place of your own, given over to earthly pleasure.

Verse 54 (bhagavata.4.28.54)

हंसावहं च त्वं चार्य सखायौ मानसायनौ । अभूतामन्तरा वौकः सहस्रपरिवत्सरान् ॥ 28.54 ॥

haṁsāv ahaṁ ca tvaṁ cārya sakhāyau mānasāyanau abhūtām antarā vaukaḥ sahasra-parivatsarān

O noble one, you and I are two swans, companions dwelling together in the lake of the heart; for thousands upon thousands of years we have been without a home of our own.

Verse 55 (bhagavata.4.28.55)

स त्वं विहाय मां बन्धो गतो ग्राम्यमतिर्महीम् । विचरन् पदमद्राक्षीः कयाचिन्निर्मितं स्त्रिया ॥ 28.55 ॥

sa tvaṁ vihāya māṁ bandho gato grāmya-matir mahīm vicaran padam adrākṣīḥ kayācin nirmitaṁ striyā

O friend, you left me and, your mind now turned toward worldly things, went out onto this earth; and wandering there, you came upon a dwelling built by a certain woman.

Verse 56 (bhagavata.4.28.56)

पञ्चारामं नवद्वारमेकपालं त्रिकोष्ठकम् । षट्कुलं पञ्चविपणं पञ्चप्रकृति स्त्रीधवम् ॥ 28.56 ॥

pañcārāmaṁ nava-dvāram eka-pālaṁ tri-koṣṭhakam ṣaṭ-kulaṁ pañca-vipaṇaṁ pañca-prakṛti strī-dhavam

That city has five gardens, nine gates, a single guardian, three storerooms, six families, five markets, five elemental natures, and a woman as its ruling mistress.

Verse 57 (bhagavata.4.28.57)

पञ्चेन्द्रियार्था आरामा द्वारः प्राणा नव प्रभो । तेजोऽबन्नानि कोष्ठानि कुलमिन्द्रियसङ्ग्रहः ॥ 28.57 ॥

pañcendriyārthā ārāmā dvāraḥ prāṇā nava prabho tejo-’b-annāni koṣṭhāni kulam indriya-saṅgrahaḥ

O lord, the five gardens are the five objects of the senses; the nine gates are the pathways of the vital airs; the storerooms are fire, water and food; the families are the whole assemblage of the senses.

Verse 58 (bhagavata.4.28.58)

विपणस्तु क्रियाशक्तिर्भूतप्रकृतिरव्यया । शक्त्यधीशः पुमांस्त्वत्र प्रविष्टो नावबुध्यते ॥ 28.58 ॥

vipaṇas tu kriyā-śaktir bhūta-prakṛtir avyayā śakty-adhīśaḥ pumāṁs tv atra praviṣṭo nāvabudhyate

The marketplaces are the power of action and the imperishable elemental nature; but the person, the true lord of that power, having entered here, fails to know his own self.

Verse 59 (bhagavata.4.28.59)

तस्मिंस्त्वं रामया स्पृष्टो रममाणोऽश्रुतस्मृतिः । तत्सङ्गादीदृशीं प्राप्तो दशां पापीयसीं प्रभो ॥ 28.59 ॥

tasmiṁs tvaṁ rāmayā spṛṣṭo ramamāṇo ’śruta-smṛtiḥ tat-saṅgād īdṛśīṁ prāpto daśāṁ pāpīyasīṁ prabho

O friend, touched there by that woman and taking your pleasure with her, you forgot everything you had once known; and it is through that very association that you have come to this most wretched state.

Verse 60 (bhagavata.4.28.60)

न त्वं विदर्भदुहिता नायं वीरः सुहृत्तव । न पतिस्त्वं पुरञ्जन्या रुद्धो नवमुखे यया ॥ 28.60 ॥

na tvaṁ vidarbha-duhitā nāyaṁ vīraḥ suhṛt tava na patis tvaṁ purañjanyā ruddho nava-mukhe yayā

In truth you are not the daughter of Vidarbha, nor is this hero here your friend; nor were you ever truly the husband of Puranjani, by whom you were held captive within that nine-gated city.

Verse 61 (bhagavata.4.28.61)

माया ह्येषा मया सृष्टा यत्पुमांसं स्त्रियं सतीम् । मन्यसे नोभयं यद्वै हंसौ पश्यावयोर्गतिम् ॥ 28.61 ॥

māyā hy eṣā mayā sṛṣṭā yat pumāṁsaṁ striyaṁ satīm manyase nobhayaṁ yad vai haṁsau paśyāvayor gatim

This is nothing but the illusion I Myself have fashioned, by which you have come to think yourself now a man, now a virtuous woman — being truly neither. Look instead, O swan, at what we two really are.

Verse 62 (bhagavata.4.28.62)

अहं भवान्न चान्यस्त्वं त्वमेवाहं विचक्ष्व भोः । न नौ पश्यन्ति कवयश्छिद्रं जातु मनागपि ॥ 28.62 ॥

ahaṁ bhavān na cānyas tvaṁ tvam evāhaṁ vicakṣva bhoḥ na nau paśyanti kavayaś chidraṁ jātu manāg api

I am you, and you are none other than I — you are, in truth, Myself; consider this well, my friend. The wise never perceive even the slightest difference between us.

Verse 63 (bhagavata.4.28.63)

यथा पुरुष आत्मानमेकमादर्शचक्षुषोः । द्विधाभूतमवेक्षेत तथैवान्तरमावयोः ॥ 28.63 ॥

yathā puruṣa ātmānam ekam ādarśa-cakṣuṣoḥ dvidhābhūtam avekṣeta tathaivāntaram āvayoḥ

Just as a man, though he is one, sees himself appear as two between a mirror and his own eyes, so does a seeming difference appear between the two of us.

Verse 64 (bhagavata.4.28.64)

एवं स मानसो हंसो हंसेन प्रतिबोधितः । स्वस्थस्तद्वयभिचारेण नष्टामाप पुनः स्मृतिम् ॥ 28.64 ॥

evaṁ sa mānaso haṁso haṁsena pratibodhitaḥ sva-sthas tad-vyabhicāreṇa naṣṭām āpa punaḥ smṛtim

Thus that swan of the heart, awakened by the other swan, became established in his own true self, and, freed from that deviation, regained his lost memory once more.

Verse 65 (bhagavata.4.28.65)

बर्हिष्मन्नेतदध्यात्मं पारोक्ष्येण प्रदर्शितम् । यत्परोक्षप्रियो देवो भगवान् विश्वभावनः ॥ 28.65 ॥

barhiṣmann etad adhyātmaṁ pārokṣyeṇa pradarśitam yat parokṣa-priyo devo bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ

O Barhishman, this teaching of the self has been shown to you in this indirect way, for Bhagavan, the maker of this universe, delights in being known through indirection.