Agastya's Tale of the Corpse-Eating Being

Shloka 1 (uttara.77.1)

पुरा त्रेतायुगे राम बभूव बहुविस्तरम् । समन्ताद्योजनशतं विमृगं पक्षिवर्जितम् ।। ७.७७.१ ।।

purā tretāyuge rāma babhūva bahuvistaram | samantādyojanaśataṃ vimṛgaṃ pakṣivarjitam || 7.77.1 ||

"Long ago, in the Treta age, Rama, there was a forest of vast extent, a hundred yojanas on every side, empty of deer and birds."

Shloka 2 (uttara.77.2)

तस्मिन्निर्मानुषे ऽरण्ये कुर्वाणस्तप उत्तमम् । अहमाक्रमितुं सौम्य तदरण्यमुपागमम् ।। ७.७७.२ ।।

tasminnirmānuṣe 'raṇye kurvāṇastapa uttamam | ahamākramituṃ saumya tadaraṇyamupāgamam || 7.77.2 ||

"In that manless forest, performing supreme austerity, gentle one, I came to that forest to traverse it."

Shloka 3 (uttara.77.3)

तस्य रूपमरण्यस्य निर्देष्टुं न शशाक ह । फलमूलैः सुखास्वादैर्बहुरूपैश्च पादपैः ।। ७.७७.३ ।।

tasya rūpamaraṇyasya nirdeṣṭuṃ na śaśāka ha | phalamūlaiḥ sukhāsvādairbahurūpaiśca pādapaiḥ || 7.77.3 ||

"The form of that forest could scarcely be described — it was full of sweet-tasting fruits and roots, and trees of many kinds."

Shloka 4 (uttara.77.4)

तस्यारण्यस्य मध्ये तु सरो योजनमायतम् । हंसकारण्डवाकीर्णं चक्रवाकोपशोभितम् ।। ७.७७.४ ।।

tasyāraṇyasya madhye tu saro yojanamāyatam | haṃsakāraṇḍavākīrṇaṃ cakravākopaśobhitam || 7.77.4 ||

"In the middle of that forest was a lake, a yojana in extent, thronged with swans and karandava-ducks, adorned with chakravaka birds."

Shloka 5 (uttara.77.5)

पद्मोत्पलसमाकीर्णं समतिक्रान्तशैवलम् । तदाश्चर्यमिवात्यर्थं सुखास्वादमनुत्तमम् ।। ७.७७.५ ।।

padmotpalasamākīrṇaṃ samatikrāntaśaivalam | tadāścaryamivātyarthaṃ sukhāsvādamanuttamam || 7.77.5 ||

"Filled with lotuses and blue-lotuses, quite free of moss, it was exceedingly wondrous, its waters of unsurpassed delightful taste."

Shloka 6 (uttara.77.6)

अरजस्कं तथा ऽक्षोभ्यं श्रीमत्पक्षिगणायुतम् । समीपे तस्य सरसो महदद्भुतमाश्रमम् ।। ७.७७.६ ।।

arajaskaṃ tathā 'kṣobhyaṃ śrīmatpakṣigaṇāyutam | samīpe tasya saraso mahadadbhutamāśramam || 7.77.6 ||

"It was free of dust, undisturbed, filled with glorious flocks of birds; and near that lake stood a great and wondrous hermitage."

Shloka 7 (uttara.77.7)

पुराणं पुण्यमत्यर्थं तपस्विजनवर्जितम् । तत्राहमवसं रात्रिं नैदाघीं पुरुषर्षभ ।। ७.७७.७ ।।

purāṇaṃ puṇyamatyarthaṃ tapasvijanavarjitam | tatrāhamavasaṃ rātriṃ naidāghīṃ puruṣarṣabha || 7.77.7 ||

"It was ancient, exceedingly sacred, yet now empty of ascetics. There, bull among men, I spent one summer night."

Shloka 8 (uttara.77.8)

प्रभाते काल्यमुत्थाय सरस्तदुपचक्रमे । अथापश्यं शवं तत्र सुपुष्टमजरं क्वचित् ।। ७.७७.८ ।।

prabhāte kālyamutthāya sarastadupacakrame | athāpaśyaṃ śavaṃ tatra supuṣṭamajaraṃ kvacit || 7.77.8 ||

"At dawn, rising early, I went toward that lake; and there, in a certain spot, I saw a corpse — well-nourished, undecayed."

Shloka 9 (uttara.77.9)

पङ्किभेदेन पुष्टाङ्गं समाश्रितसरोवरम् । तिष्ठन्तं परया लक्ष्म्या तस्मिंस्तोयाशये नृप ।। ७.७७.९ ।।

paṅkibhedena puṣṭāṅgaṃ samāśritasarovaram | tiṣṭhantaṃ parayā lakṣmyā tasmiṃstoyāśaye nṛpa || 7.77.9 ||

"That corpse, its limbs grown plump, lay close by the lake, resting there in that pool of water, O king, with a strange splendor of its own."

Shloka 10 (uttara.77.10)

तमर्थं चिन्तयानो ऽहं मुहूर्तं तत्र राघव । उषितो ऽस्मि सरस्तीरे किन्न्विदं स्यादिति प्रभो ।। ७.७७.१० ।।

tamarthaṃ cintayāno 'haṃ muhūrtaṃ tatra rāghava | uṣito 'smi sarastīre kinnvidaṃ syāditi prabho || 7.77.10 ||

"Pondering this matter for a moment, Raghava, I remained there on the lake's shore, wondering, lord, what this might be."

Shloka 11 (uttara.77.11)

अथापश्यं मुहूर्तेन दिव्यमद्भुतदर्शनम् । विमानं परमोदारं हंसयुक्तं मनोजवम् ।। ७.७७.११ ।।

athāpaśyaṃ muhūrtena divyamadbhutadarśanam | vimānaṃ paramodāraṃ haṃsayuktaṃ manojavam || 7.77.11 ||

"Then, after a moment, I saw a divine, wondrous-looking, most magnificent chariot, yoked with swans, swift as thought."

Shloka 12 (uttara.77.12)

अत्यर्थं स्वर्गिणं त विमाने रघुनन्दन । उपास्ते ऽप्सरसां वीर सहस्रं दिव्यभूषणम् ।। ७.७७.१२ ।।

atyarthaṃ svargiṇaṃ ta vimāne raghunandana | upāste 'psarasāṃ vīra sahasraṃ divyabhūṣaṇam || 7.77.12 ||

"There in that chariot, Raghunandana, sat a radiant dweller of heaven; and, O hero, a thousand divinely adorned apsarases attended upon him."

Shloka 13 (uttara.77.13)

गायन्ति दिव्यगेयानि वादयन्ति तथा ऽपराः । क्ष्वेलयन्ति तथा चान्या नृत्यन्ति च तथा ऽपराः ।। ७.७७.१३ ।।

gāyanti divyageyāni vādayanti tathā 'parāḥ | kṣvelayanti tathā cānyā nṛtyanti ca tathā 'parāḥ || 7.77.13 ||

"Some sang divine songs, others played instruments, others still made merry sport, and others again danced."

Shloka 14 (uttara.77.14)

अपराश्चन्द्ररश्म्याभैर्हेमदण्डैश्च चामरैः । दोधूयुर्वदनं तस्य पुण्डरीकनिभेक्षणम् ।। ७.७७.१४ ।।

aparāścandraraśmyābhairhemadaṇḍaiśca cāmaraiḥ | dodhūyurvadanaṃ tasya puṇḍarīkanibhekṣaṇam || 7.77.14 ||

"Others fanned his lotus-eyed face with chowries whose golden handles gleamed like moonbeams."

Shloka 15 (uttara.77.15)

ततः सिंहासनं त्यक्त्वा मेरुकूटमिवांशुमान् । पश्यतो मे तदा राम विमानादवरुह्य च । तं शवं भक्षयामास स स्वर्गी रघुनन्दन ।। ७.७७.१५ ।।

tataḥ siṃhāsanaṃ tyaktvā merukūṭamivāṃśumān | paśyato me tadā rāma vimānādavaruhya ca | taṃ śavaṃ bhakṣayāmāsa sa svargī raghunandana || 7.77.15 ||

"Then, leaving his throne — like the sun descending from Meru's peak — before my very eyes, Rama, that heavenly being descended from the chariot and, Raghunandana, devoured that corpse."

Shloka 16 (uttara.77.16)

तथा भुक्त्वा यथाकामं मांसं बहु सुपीवरम् । अवतीर्य सरः स्वर्गी संस्प्रष्टुमुपचक्रमे ।। ७.७७.१६ ।।

tathā bhuktvā yathākāmaṃ māṃsaṃ bahu supīvaram | avatīrya saraḥ svargī saṃspraṣṭumupacakrame || 7.77.16 ||

"Having thus eaten his fill of that abundant, rich flesh, the heavenly being went down to the lake and began to touch its waters in purification."

Shloka 17 (uttara.77.17)

उपस्पृश्य यथान्यायं स स्वर्गी रघुपुङ्गव । आरोढुमुपचक्राम विमानवरमुत्तमम् ।। ७.७७.१७ ।।

upaspṛśya yathānyāyaṃ sa svargī raghupuṅgava | āroḍhumupacakrāma vimānavaramuttamam || 7.77.17 ||

"Having duly touched the water, that heavenly being, bull of the Raghus, began to mount again his excellent chariot."

Shloka 18 (uttara.77.18)

तमहं देवसङ्काशमारोहन्तमुदीक्ष्य वै । अथाहमब्रुवं वाक्यं स्वर्गिणं पुरुषर्षभ ।। ७.७७.१८ ।।

tamahaṃ devasaṅkāśamārohantamudīkṣya vai | athāhamabruvaṃ vākyaṃ svargiṇaṃ puruṣarṣabha || 7.77.18 ||

"Seeing him, god-like, about to mount, bull among men, I then spoke this word to that heavenly being:"

Shloka 19 (uttara.77.19)

को भवान्देवसङ्काश आहारश्च विगर्हितः । त्वयेदं भुज्यते सौम्य किमर्थं वक्तुमर्हसि ।। ७.७७.१९ ।।

ko bhavāndevasaṅkāśa āhāraśca vigarhitaḥ | tvayedaṃ bhujyate saumya kimarthaṃ vaktumarhasi || 7.77.19 ||

"'Who are you, god-like one, and why is this reprehensible food eaten by you, gentle one? You should tell me the reason.'"

Shloka 20 (uttara.77.20)

कस्य स्यादीदृशो भाव आहारो देवसम्मतः । आश्चर्यं वर्तते सौम्य श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः ।। ७.७७.२० ।।

kasya syādīdṛśo bhāva āhāro devasammataḥ | āścaryaṃ vartate saumya śrotumicchāmi tattvataḥ || 7.77.20 ||

"'For whom could such a state exist — one favored by the gods, yet eating thus? This is a wonder, gentle one; I wish to hear the truth of it.'"

Shloka 21 (uttara.77.21)

नाहमौपयिकं मन्ये तव भक्ष्यमिदं शवम् ।। ७.७७.२१ ।।

nāhamaupayikaṃ manye tava bhakṣyamidaṃ śavam || 7.77.21 ||

"'I do not think this corpse a fitting food for you.'"

Shloka 22 (uttara.77.22)

इत्येवमुक्तः स नरेन्द्र नाकी कौतूहलात्सूनृतया गिरा च । श्रुत्वा च वाक्यं मम सर्वमेतत्सर्वं तथा चाकथयन्ममेति ।। ७.७७.२२ ।।

ityevamuktaḥ sa narendra nākī kautūhalātsūnṛtayā girā ca | śrutvā ca vākyaṃ mama sarvametatsarvaṃ tathā cākathayanmameti || 7.77.22 ||

"Thus addressed, lord of men, that dweller of heaven, hearing all these words of mine spoken out of curiosity and with gentle speech, told me everything just as it was — just as I now tell it to you."