Ila and Budha, Son of the Moon

Shloka 1 (uttara.88.1)

तां कथामिलसम्बद्धां रामेण समुदीरिताम् । लक्ष्मणो भरतश्चैव श्रुत्वा परमविस्मितौ ।। ७.८८.१ ।।

tāṃ kathām ilasambaddhāṃ rāmeṇa samudīritām | lakṣmaṇo bharataś caiva śrutvā paramavismitau || 7.88.1 ||

Hearing that tale concerning Ila as told by Rama, both Lakshmana and Bharata were struck with great astonishment.

Shloka 2 (uttara.88.2)

तौ रामं प्राञ्जली भूत्वा तस्य राज्ञो महात्मनः । विस्तरं तस्य भावस्य तदा पप्रच्छतुः पुनः ।। ७.८८.२ ।।

tau rāmaṃ prāñjalī bhūtvā tasya rājño mahātmanaḥ | vistaraṃ tasya bhāvasya tadā papracchatuḥ punaḥ || 7.88.2 ||

Joining their palms to Rama, the two of them then asked once more for the full account of that great king's condition.

Shloka 3 (uttara.88.3)

कथं स राजा स्त्रीभूतो वर्तयामास दुर्गतिः । पुरुषः स यदा भूतः कां वृत्तिं वर्तयत्यसौ ।। ७.८८.३ ।।

kathaṃ sa rājā strībhūto vartayām āsa durgatiḥ | puruṣaḥ sa yadā bhūtaḥ kāṃ vṛttiṃ vartayaty asau || 7.88.3 ||

"How did that ill-fated king conduct himself when he had become a woman? And what manner of life did he lead when he had become a man again?"

Shloka 4 (uttara.88.4)

तयोस्तद्भाषितं श्रुत्वा कौतूहलसमन्वितम् । कथयामास काकुत्स्थस्तस्य राज्ञो यथागतम् ।। ७.८८.४ ।।

tayos tad bhāṣitaṃ śrutvā kautūhalasamanvitam | kathayām āsa kākutsthas tasya rājño yathāgatam || 7.88.4 ||

Hearing this curious question of theirs, Kakutstha related the account of that king exactly as it had happened.

Shloka 5 (uttara.88.5)

तमेव प्रथमं मासं स्त्रीभूता लोकसुन्दरी । ताभिः परिवृता स्त्रीभिर्ये च पूर्वपदानुगाः ।। ७.८८.५ ।।

tam eva prathamaṃ māsaṃ strībhūtā lokasundarī | tābhiḥ parivṛtā strībhir ye ca pūrvapadānugāḥ || 7.88.5 ||

In that very first month, having become a woman, the beauty of the world was surrounded by those women who had earlier been her own foot-following attendants.

Shloka 6 (uttara.88.6)

तत्काननं विगाह्वाशु विजह्रे लोकसुन्दरी । द्रुमगुल्मलताकीर्णं पद्भ्यां पद्मदलेक्षणा ।। ७.८८.६ ।।

tat kānanaṃ vigāhyāśu vijahre lokasundarī | drumagulmalatākīrṇaṃ padbhyāṃ padmadalekṣaṇā || 7.88.6 ||

Quickly entering that forest thick with trees, thickets, and creepers, the lotus-eyed beauty of the world roamed and sported there on foot.

Shloka 7 (uttara.88.7)

वाहनानि च सर्वाणि सा त्यक्त्वा वै समन्ततः । पर्वताभोगविवरे तस्मिन्रेमे इला तदा ।। ७.८८.७ ।।

vāhanāni ca sarvāṇi sā tyaktvā vai samantataḥ | parvatābhogavivare tasmin reme ilā tadā || 7.88.7 ||

Abandoning all her mounts entirely, Ila then sported there in that broad mountain hollow.

Shloka 8 (uttara.88.8)

अथ तस्मिन्वनोद्देशे पर्वतस्याविदूरतः । सरः सुरुचिरप्रख्यं नानापक्षिगणैर्युतम् ।। ७.८८.८ ।।

atha tasmin vanoddeśe parvatasyāvidūrataḥ | saraḥ suruciraprakhyaṃ nānāpakṣigaṇair yutam || 7.88.8 ||

Now, in that part of the forest, not far from the mountain, there was a most lovely lake, thronged with many kinds of birds.

Shloka 9 (uttara.88.9)

ददर्श सा त्विला तस्मिन्बुधं सोमसुतं तदा । ज्वलन्तं स्वेन वपुषा पूर्णसोममिवोदितम् ।। ७.८८.९ ।।

dadarśa sā tv ilā tasmin budhaṃ somasutaṃ tadā | jvalantaṃ svena vapuṣā pūrṇasomam ivoditam || 7.88.9 ||

There Ila saw Budha, son of Soma, blazing with his own radiance, like the full moon just risen.

Shloka 10 (uttara.88.10)

तपन्तं च तपस्तीव्रमम्भोमध्ये दुरासदम् । यशस्करं कामकरं कारुण्ये पर्यवस्थितम् ।। ७.८८.१० ।।

tapantaṃ ca tapas tīvram ambhomadhye durāsadam | yaśaskaraṃ kāmakaraṃ kāruṇye paryavasthitam || 7.88.10 ||

He was performing fierce austerity there in the midst of the water, hard to approach, bringer of fame and of desire's fulfillment, and abiding in compassion.

Shloka 11 (uttara.88.11)

सा तं जलाशयं सर्वं क्षोभयामास विस्मिता । सहगैः पूर्वपुरुषैः स्त्रीभूतै रघुनन्दन ।। ७.८८.११ ।।

sā taṃ jalāśayaṃ sarvaṃ kṣobhayām āsa vismitā | sahagaiḥ pūrvapuruṣaiḥ strībhūtai raghunandana || 7.88.11 ||

Astonished, she, together with her companions who had once been men and were now women, stirred up the whole of that lake, joy of the Raghus.

Shloka 12 (uttara.88.12)

बुधस्तु तां समीक्ष्यैव कामबाणवशं गतः । नोपलेभे तदा ऽ ऽत्मानं सञ्चचाल तदा ऽ ऽम्भसि ।। ७.८८.१२ ।।

budhas tu tāṃ samīkṣyaiva kāmabāṇavaśaṃ gataḥ | nopalebhe tadātmānaṃ sañcacāla tadāmbhasi || 7.88.12 ||

The moment Budha beheld her, he fell under the sway of the arrows of desire; he lost command of himself and trembled there in the water.

Shloka 13 (uttara.88.13)

इलां निरीक्षमाणस्तु त्रैलोक्याभ्यधिकां शुभाम् । चिन्तां समभ्यतिक्रामत् का न्वियं देवताधिका ।। ७.८८.१३ ।।

ilāṃ nirīkṣamāṇas tu trailokyābhyadhikāṃ śubhām | cintāṃ samabhyatikrāmat kā nv iyaṃ devatādhikā || 7.88.13 ||

Gazing upon the auspicious Ila, lovelier than the three worlds, this thought arose in him: "Who is she, surpassing even the goddesses?"

Shloka 14 (uttara.88.14)

न देवीषु न नागीषु नासुरीष्वप्सरःसु च । दृष्टपूर्वा मया काचिद्रूपेणानेन शोभिता ।। ७.८८.१४ ।।

na devīṣu na nāgīṣu nāsurīṣv apsaraḥsu ca | dṛṣṭapūrvā mayā kācid rūpeṇānena śobhitā || 7.88.14 ||

"Not among goddesses, not among Naga women, not among Asura women or Apsarases, have I ever before seen anyone adorned with such beauty."

Shloka 15 (uttara.88.15)

सदृशीयं मम भवेद्यदि नान्यपरिग्रहः । इति बुद्धिं समास्थाय जलात्कूलमुपागमत् ।। ७.८८.१५ ।।

sadṛśī yaṃ mama bhaved yadi nānyaparigrahaḥ | iti buddhiṃ samāsthāya jalāt kūlam upāgamat || 7.88.15 ||

"If she belongs to no one else, she would be fit to be mine" — resolving thus in his mind, he came up from the water to the bank.

Shloka 16 (uttara.88.16)

आश्रमं समुपागम्य ततस्ताः प्रमदोत्तमाः । शब्दापयत धर्मात्मा ताश्चैनं च ववन्दिरे ।। ७.८८.१६ ।।

āśramaṃ samupāgamya tatas tāḥ pramadottamāḥ | śabdāpayata dharmātmā tāś cainaṃ ca vavandire || 7.88.16 ||

Coming to the hermitage, the righteous one summoned those most excellent women, and they in turn paid him homage.

Shloka 17 (uttara.88.17)

स ताः पप्रच्छ धर्मात्मा कस्यैषा लोकसुन्दरी । किमर्थमागता चैव सर्वमाख्यात मा चिरम् ।। ७.८८.१७ ।।

sa tāḥ papraccha dharmātmā kasyaiṣā lokasundarī | kimartham āgatā caiva sarvam ākhyāta mā ciram || 7.88.17 ||

The righteous one asked them: "Whose is this beauty of the world, and for what purpose has she come here? Tell me everything, without delay."

Shloka 18 (uttara.88.18)

शुभं तु तस्य तद्वाक्यं मधुरं मधुराक्षरम् । श्रुत्वा स्त्रियश्च ताः सर्वा ऊचुर्मधुरया गिरा ।। ७.८८.१८ ।।

śubhaṃ tu tasya tad vākyaṃ madhuraṃ madhurākṣaram | śrutvā striyaś ca tāḥ sarvā ūcur madhurayā girā || 7.88.18 ||

Hearing his gracious speech, sweet and sweetly worded, all those women replied in a sweet voice.

Shloka 19 (uttara.88.19)

अस्माकमेषा सुश्रोणी प्रभुत्वे वर्तते सदा । अपतिः काननान्तेषु सहास्माभिश्चरत्यसौ ।। ७.८८.१९ ।।

asmākam eṣā suśroṇī prabhutve vartate sadā | apatiḥ kānanānteṣu sahāsmābhiś carati asau || 7.88.19 ||

"This fair one always holds authority over us. She is without a husband, and wanders these forest regions in our company."

Shloka 20 (uttara.88.20)

तद्वाक्यमव्यक्तपदं तासां स्त्रीणां निशम्य च । विद्यामावर्तनीं पुण्यामावर्तयत स द्विजः ।। ७.८८.२० ।।

tad vākyam avyaktapadaṃ tāsāṃ strīṇāṃ niśamya ca | vidyām āvartanīṃ puṇyām āvartayata sa dvijaḥ || 7.88.20 ||

Hearing this vague, evasive answer of the women, the twice-born one invoked the sacred spell of revelation, that turns hidden truth to light.

Shloka 21 (uttara.88.21)

सो ऽर्थं विदित्वा सकलं तस्य राज्ञो यथागतम् । सर्वा एव स्त्रियस्ताश्च बभाषे मुनिपुङ्गवः ।। ७.८८.२१ ।।

so 'rthaṃ viditvā sakalaṃ tasya rājño yathāgatam | sarvā eva striyas tāś ca babhāṣe munipuṅgavaḥ || 7.88.21 ||

That foremost of sages, having thereby learned the whole truth of what had befallen the king, then spoke to all those women.

Shloka 22 (uttara.88.22)

अत्र किम्पुरुषीर्भूत्वा शैलरोधसि वत्स्यथ । आवासस्तु गिरावस्मिञ्छीघ्रमेव विधीयताम् ।। ७.८८.२२ ।।

atra kimpuruṣīr bhūtvā śailarodhasi vatsyatha | āvāsas tu girāv asmiñ chīghram eva vidhīyatām || 7.88.22 ||

"Here, becoming Kimpurushis, you shall dwell on this mountain slope; make your home upon this mountain at once."

Shloka 23 (uttara.88.23)

मूलपत्रफलैः सर्वा वर्तयिष्यथ नित्यदा । स्त्रियः किम्पुरुषान्नाम भर्तऽन्समुपलप्स्यथ ।। ७.८८.२३ ।।

mūlapatraphalaiḥ sarvā vartayiṣyatha nityadā | striyaḥ kimpuruṣān nāma bhartṝn samupalapsyatha || 7.88.23 ||

"You shall all live always on roots, leaves, and fruits; and you women shall obtain husbands called Kimpurushas."

Shloka 24 (uttara.88.24)

ताः श्रुत्वा सोमपुत्रस्य वाचं किम्पुरुषीकृताः । उपासाञ्चक्रिरे शैलं वध्वस्ता बहुलास्तदा ।। ७.८८.२४ ।।

tāḥ śrutvā somaputrasya vācaṃ kimpuruṣīkṛtāḥ | upāsāñcakrire śailaṃ vadhvas tā bahulās tadā || 7.88.24 ||

Hearing the word of Soma's son, those many women, now made into Kimpurushis and destined to be brides, then settled to dwell upon that mountain.