युधिष्ठिर उवाच स कथं काञ्चनष्ठीवी संजयस्य सुतोऽभवत्। पर्वतेन किमर्थं वा दत्तस्तेन ममार च॥
How did the son as Srinjaya become Suvarnashthivin? Why also did Parvata give Srinjaya that child? And why did he die?
यदा वर्षसहस्रायुस्तदा भवति मानवः। कथमप्राप्तकौमार: संजयस्य सुतो मृतः॥
When all those men lived for a thousand years, why did Srinjaya's son die in infancy?
उताहो नाममात्रं वै सुवर्णष्ठीविनोऽभवत्। कथं वा काञ्चनष्ठीवीत्येतदिच्छामि वेदितुम्॥
Or, was he in name only Suvarnashthivin? How also did he come to be so! I wish to know all this?
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच अत्र ते वर्णयिष्यामि यथावृत्तं जनेश्वर। नारदः पर्वतश्चैव द्वावृषी लोकसत्तमौ॥
Krishna said 'I will recount, О king, the incidents as they took place. There are two Rishis foremost in the world, named Narada and Parvata.
मातुलो भागिनेयश्च देवलोकादिहागतौ। विहर्तुकामौ सम्प्रीत्या मानुषेषु पुरा विभो॥ हवि:पवित्रभोज्येन देवभोज्येन चैव हि। नारदो मातुलश्चैव भागिनेयश्च पर्वतः॥
Narada is the maternal uncle and Parvata is his sister's son. With cheerful hearts, the uncle Narada and the nephew Parvata had in days of yore, O king, left the celestial region for a journey on Earth for eating clarified butter and rice.
तावुभौ तपसोपेताववनीतलचारिणौ। भुञ्जानौमानुषान् भोगान् यथावत् पर्यधावताम्॥
Both of them endued with great ascetic merit, they wandered over the Earth living on food taken by human beings.
प्रीतिमन्तौ मुदा युक्तौ समयं चैव चक्रतुः। यो भवेद्धदि संकल्पः शुभो वा यदि वाशुभः॥ अन्योन्यस्य स आख्येयो मृषा शापोऽन्यथा भवेत्।
Filled with joy and cherishing great affection for each other, they entered into an agreement that whatever wish, good or bad, would be entertained by one, should be disclosed to the other, but if one happens to act otherwise, he should be visited by the other's curse.
तौ तथेति प्रतिज्ञाय महर्षी लोकपूजितौ॥ संजयं श्वैत्यमभ्येत्य राजानमिदमूचतुः।
Coming at that understanding, those two great Rishis, worshipped of all the worlds, repaired to King Srinjaya the son of Shitya and said to him?
आवां भवति वत्स्यावः कञ्चित् कालं हिताय ते॥ यथावत् पृथिवीपाल आवयोः प्रगुणीभव।
We two, for your well-being shall live with you for a few days. O lord of Earth, do you satisfy all our wants duly! The king, saying,-So be it, began to treat them hospitably.
तथेति कृत्वा राजा तौ सत्कृत्योपचचार ह॥ ततः कदाचित्तौ राजा महात्मानौ तपोधनौ।
After some time one day, the king, filled with joy, introduced to those illustrious ascetics his most beautiful daughter, saying,-This my daughter will serve you both.
अब्रवीत् परमप्रीतः सुतेयं वरवर्णिनी॥ एकैव मम कन्यैषा युवां परिचरिष्यसि। दर्शनीयानवद्याङ्गी शीलवृत्तसमाहिता॥ सुकुमारी कुमारी च पद्मकिञ्जल्कसुप्रभा। परमं सौम्य मित्युक्तं ताभ्यां राजा शशास ताम्॥ कन्ये विप्रावुपचर देववत् पितृवच्च ह।
Resembling in effulgence the filaments of the lotus, she is beautiful and of faultless limbs, accomplished and of charming manners, and is called Sukumari by name.-The Rishis replied, saying, Very well. Thereupon the king directed his daughter, telling her,-O child, serve those two Brahmanas as you would the gods or your father.
सा तु कन्या तथेत्युक्त्वा पितरं धर्मचारिणी॥ यथानिदेशं राज्ञस्तौ सत्कृत्योपचचार ह।
The pious princess, saying,-So be it-began to serve them in obedience to her father's command.
तस्यास्तेनोपचारेण रूपेणाप्रतिमेन च।॥ नारदं हृच्छयस्तूर्णं सहसैवाभ्यपद्यत।
Her dutiful services and her peerless beauty very soon created love in Narada's heart.
ववृधे हि ततस्तस्य हृदि कामो महात्मनः॥ यथा शुक्लस्य पक्षस्य प्रवृत्तौ चन्द्रमाः शनैः।
That tender feeling began to grow in the heart of the great saint, like the moon gradually increasing in the light fortnight.
न च तं भागिनेयाय पर्वताय महात्मने॥ शशंस हृच्छयं तीव्र व्रीडमानः स धर्मवित्।
The virtuous Narada, however, out of shame, could not give out that burning love to his sister's son the high-souled Parvata.
तपसा चेगित्तैश्चैव पर्वतोऽथ बुबोध तम्॥ कामार्तं नारदं क्रुद्धः शशापैनं ततो भृशम्।
By his ascetic power, as also by signs, Parvata understood all. Excited with rage, the latter thereupon made up his mind to curse the love-stricken Narada.
कृत्वा समयमव्यग्रो भवान् वै सहितो मया॥ यो भवेद्धदि संकल्पः शुभो वा यदि वाशुभः। अन्योन्यस्य स आख्येय इति तद् वै मृषा कृतम्॥ भवता वचनं ब्रह्मस्तस्मादेष शपाम्यहम्।
And he said, ‘Having of your own accord made an agreement with me that, whatever wish, good or bad, would be entertained by either of us should be disclosed to the other you have violated it! These were your own words. O Brahman! It is for this that I shall curse you.
न हि कामं प्रवर्तन्तं भवानाचष्ट मे पुरा॥ सुकुमार्यां कुमार्यां ते तस्मादेष शपाम्यहम्।
You did not tell me before that your heart has been stricken with the beauty of the maiden Sukumari, I shall, therefore, curse you.
ब्रह्मचारी गुरुर्यस्मात् तपस्वी ब्राह्मणश्च सन्॥ अकार्षीः समयभ्रंशमावाभ्यां यः कृतो मिथः।
You are a Brahmacharin. You are my preceptor. You are an ascetic and a Brahmana. Yet you have broken the agreement you had made with me.
शप्स्ये तस्मात् सुसंक्रुद्धो भवन्तं तं निबोध मे॥ सुकुमारी च ते भार्या भविष्यति न संशयः।
Filled with anger I shall, for this, curse even you. Listen to me. This Sukumari shall, forsooth, become your wife.
वानरं चैव ते रूपं विवाहात् प्रभृति प्रभो॥ संद्रक्ष्यन्ति नराश्चान्ये स्वरूपेण विनाकृतम्।
From the time of your marriage, however, O powerful one, both she and all men shall see you a monkey, for your real features having disappeared, you will appear like a monkey to all.
स तद् वाक्यं तु विज्ञाय नारदः पर्वतं तथा॥ अशपत्तमपि क्रोधाद् भागिनेयं स मातुलः। तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण सत्येन च दमेन च।॥ युक्तोऽपि नित्यधर्मश्च न वै स्वर्गमवाप्स्यसि।
Hearing these words of his uncle Narada, excited with ire cursed his nephew Parvata in return, saying,—although you possess ascetic merit and Brahmacharya and truth and selfcontrol, and although you are ever devoted to virtue, yet you will not succeed in proceeding to heaven.
तौ तु शप्त्वा भृशं क्रुद्धौ परस्परममर्षणौ॥ पतिजग्मतुरन्योन्यं क्रुद्धाविव गजोत्तमौ।
Filled with anger and feelings of vengeance, they thus cursed each other like a pair of infuriate elephants.
पर्वतः पृथिवीं कृत्स्ना विचचार महामतिः॥ पूज्यमानो यथान्यायं तेजसा स्वेन भारत।
From that time the great Parvata began to wander over the Earth, respected as he deserved, O Bharata, for his own power.
अथ तामलभत् कन्यां नारदः सुंजयात्मजाम्॥ धर्मेण विप्रप्रवरः सुकुमारीमनिन्दिताम्। सा तु कन्या यथाशापं नारदं तं ददर्श ह॥
Narada then, that best of Brahmanas, duly married Srinjaya's daughter, the faultless Sukumari.
पाणिग्रहणमन्त्राणां नियोगादेव नारदम्। सुकुमारी च देवर्षि वानरप्रतिमाननम्॥ नैवावामन्यत तदा प्रीतिमत्येव चाभवत्।
The princess, however, saw Narada exactly as he had been. Indeed, just after the last of the wedding Mantras had been recited, Sukumari saw the celestial Rishi to have a face like that of a monkey. She, however, did not for that disregard her husband. On the other hand, she bestowed her love on him.
उपतस्थे च भर्तारं न चान्यं मनसाप्यगात्॥ देवं मुनि वा यक्षं वा पतित्वे पतिवत्सला।
Indeed, that chaste princess, devoted herself entirely to her husband and did not in her heart even desire any one else among the gods, Munis and Yakshas for a husband.
ततः कदाचिद् भगवान् पर्वतोऽनुचचार ह॥ वनं विरहितं किंचित् तत्रापश्यत् स नारदम्।
One day, as the illustrious Parvata, while wandering about entered a solitary forest, he saw Narada there.
ततोऽभिवाद्य प्रोवाच नारदं पर्वतस्तदा॥ भवान् प्रसादं कुरुतात् स्वर्गादेशाय मे प्रभो।
Bowing to him, Parvata said,-Favour me by permitting me, O powerful one, to go to heaven.
तमुवाचा ततो दृष्ट्वा पर्वतं नारदस्तथा॥ कृताञ्जलिमुपासीनं दीनं दीनतरः स्वयम्। त्वयाहं प्रथमं शप्तो वानरस्त्वं भविष्यसि॥ इत्युक्तेन मया पश्चाच्छप्तस्त्वमपि मत्सरात्। अधप्रभृति वै वासं स्वर्गे नावाप्स्यसीति ह॥ तव नैतद्धि विसदृशं पुत्रस्थाने हि मे भवान्। न्यवर्तयेतां तौ शापावन्योन्येन तदा मुनी॥
Seeing the cheerless Parvata kneeling before him with joined palms, Narada, himself more disspirited, said to him.-You had cursed me first, saying,-Be you a monkey!-After you had said so to me, I cursed you from anger, saying,-From this day you will not live in heaven. You should not have done so, since you are like a son to me.-The two saints then released each other from their mutual curses.
श्रीसमृद्धं तदा दृष्ट्वा नारदं देवरूपिणम्। सुकुमारी प्रदुद्राव परपत्यभिशङ्कया।॥
Seeing her husband possessed of celestial forin shining with beauty, Sukumari fled from him taking him, to be somebody other than her husband.
तां पर्वतस्ततो दृष्ट्वा प्रद्रवन्तीमनिन्दिताम्। अब्रवीत् तव भर्तेष नात्र कार्या विचारणा॥
Seeing the beautiful princess flying away from her husband, Parvata addressed her, saying,-He is your husband. Do not entertain any scruple.
ऋषिः परमधर्मात्मा नारदो भगवान् प्रभुः। तवैवाभेद्यहृदयो मा तेऽभूदत्र संशयः॥
He is the illustrious and powerful Rishi Narada, that foremost of virtuous persons. He is your husband entirely devoted to you. Do not cherish any doubt.
सानुनीता बहुविधं पर्वतेन महात्मना। शापदोषं च तं भर्तुः श्रुत्वा प्रकृतिमागता॥ पर्वतोऽथ ययौ स्वर्ग नारदोऽभ्यगमद् गृहान्।
Assured in various ways be the great Parvata and informed also of the curse on her husband the princess regained the calmness of men. Then Parvata proceeded to heaven and Narada to his home.'
वासुदेव उवाच प्रत्यक्षकर्ता सर्वस्य नारदो भगवानृषिः। एष वक्ष्यति ते पृष्टो यथावृत्तं नरोत्तम॥
The illustrious Rishi Narada, who himself did so, is here, O best of men, asked by you, he will tell you everything that took place."