Saubhāri and the Fish

त्वत्सेवोत्कः सौभारिर्नाम पूर्वं कालिन्द्यन्तर्द्वादशाब्दं तपस्यन् ।
मीनव्राते स्नेहवान्भोगलोले तार्क्ष्यं साक्षादैक्षताग्रे कदाचित्

tvatsevotkaḥ saubhārirnāma pūrvaṁ kālindyantardvādaśābdaṁ tapasyan mīnavrāte snehavānbhogalole tārkṣyaṁ sākṣādaikṣatāgre kadācit

“Eager for your service, the sage Saubhāri, formerly inside the Yamunā for twelve years, doing tapas, fond of the fish-flock, attached to enjoyment, saw Tārkṣya in person before him.”

त्वद्वाहं तं सक्षुधं तृक्षसूनुं मीनं कञ्चिज्जक्षतं लक्षयन् सः ।
तप्तश्चित्ते शप्तवानत्र चेत्त्वं जन्तून् भोक्ता जीवितं चापि मोक्ता

tvadvāhaṁ taṁ sakṣudhaṁ tṛkṣasūnuṁ mīnaṁ kañcijjakṣataṁ lakṣayan saḥ taptaścitte śaptavānatra cettvaṁ jantūn bhoktā jīvitaṁ cāpi moktā

“When that hungry son of Tṛkṣa was a fish, the sage observed him devouring. Burning at heart, he cursed: 'If you here eat creatures alive, you shall live alone, no kin near you.'”

तस्मिन्काले काइयः क्ष्वेळदर्पात्सर्पारातेः कल्पितं भागमश्नन् ।
तेन क्रोधात्त्वत्पदाम्भोजभाजा पक्षक्षिप्तस्तद्दुरापं पयोऽगात्

tasminkāle kāiyaḥ kṣveḻadarpātsarpārāteḥ kalpitaṁ bhāgamaśnan tena krodhāttvatpadāmbhojabhājā pakṣakṣiptastaddurāpaṁ payo'gāt

“By the sage's curse, Tārkṣya could not enter the river; the fish were spared. Yet later, on Indra's command and your inspiration, the sage's curse was reversed in another way.”

घोरे तस्मिन्सूरजानीरवासे तीरे वृक्षा विक्षताः क्ष्वेळवेगात् ।
पक्षिव्राताः पेतुरभ्रे पतन्तः कारुण्यार्द्रं त्वन्मनस्तेन जातम्

ghore tasminsūrajānīravāse tīre vṛkṣā vikṣatāḥ kṣveḻavegāt pakṣivrātāḥ peturabhre patantaḥ kāruṇyārdraṁ tvanmanastena jātam

“All this is told here as a small reflection-pool before the Kāliya episode begins; for the Yamunā was now poisoned, and another fierce serpent had come to dwell there.”

काले तस्मिन्नेकदा सीरपाणिं मुक्त्वा याते यामुनं काननान्तम् ।
त्वय्युद्दामग्रीष्मभीष्मोष्मतप्ता गोगोपाला व्यापिबन् क्ष्वेळतोयम्

kāle tasminnekadā sīrapāṇiṁ muktvā yāte yāmunaṁ kānanāntam tvayyuddāmagrīṣmabhīṣmoṣmataptā gogopālā vyāpiban kṣveḻatoyam

“Among many fish, the snake Kāliya, banished from the ocean by Garuḍa, had taken refuge in the Yamunā. The water at his pool was poison; no one could drink.”

नश्यज्जीवान् विच्युतान् क्ष्मातले तान् विश्वान् पश्यन्नच्युत त्वं दयार्द्रः ।
प्राप्योपान्तं जीवयामासिथ द्राक् पीयूषाम्भोवर्षिभिः श्रीकटाक्षैः

naśyajjīvān vicyutān kṣmātale tān viśvān paśyannacyuta tvaṁ dayārdraḥ prāpyopāntaṁ jīvayāmāsitha drāk pīyūṣāmbhovarṣibhiḥ śrīkaṭākṣaiḥ

“Even the herons that flew above fell, scorched. Trees on the banks withered; the very breath of the place was death. The cowherds saw the disaster and could only stand back.”

किं किं जातो हर्षवर्षातिरेकः सर्वाङ्गेष्वित्युत्थिता गोपसङ्घाः ।
दृष्ट्वाऽग्रे त्वां त्वत्कृतं तद्विदन्तस्त्वामालिङ्गन् दृष्टनानाप्रभावाः

kiṁ kiṁ jāto harṣavarṣātirekaḥ sarvāṅgeṣvityutthitā gopasaṅghāḥ dṛṣṭvā'gre tvāṁ tvatkṛtaṁ tadvidantastvāmāliṅgan dṛṣṭanānāprabhāvāḥ

“When you, lord, came to that pool with the cattle and boys, the cattle drank and fell. They lay senseless on the bank. Your friends ran to you in fear.”

गावश्चैवं लब्धजीवाः क्षणेन स्फीतानन्दास्त्वां च दृष्ट्वा पुरस्तात् ।
द्रागावव्रुः सर्वतो हर्षबाष्पं व्यामुञ्चन्त्यो मन्दमुद्यन्निनादाः

gāvaścaivaṁ labdhajīvāḥ kṣaṇena sphītānandāstvāṁ ca dṛṣṭvā purastāt drāgāvavruḥ sarvato harṣabāṣpaṁ vyāmuñcantyo mandamudyanninādāḥ

“By a glance, you revived them. Yet you knew the snake had to go. The Yamunā was your river; he had usurped your home. The lesson would be set in dance.”

रोमाञ्चोऽयं सर्वतो नः शरीरे भूयस्यन्तः काचिदानन्दमूर्छा ।
आश्चर्योऽयं क्ष्वेळवेगो मुकुन्देत्युक्तो गोपैर्नन्दितो वन्दितोऽभूः

romāñco'yaṁ sarvato naḥ śarīre bhūyasyantaḥ kācidānandamūrchā āścaryo'yaṁ kṣveḻavego mukundetyukto gopairnandito vandito'bhūḥ

“Climbing the kadamba on the bank, looking down into the deep dark pool, you tightened your garment. The play that was about to begin was the dance of dance, the dance the painters of every century would try to capture.”

एवं भक्तान्मुक्तजीवानपि त्वं मुग्धापाङ्कैरस्तरोगांस्तनोषि ।
तादृग्भूतस्फीतकारुण्यभूमा रोगात्पाया वायुगेहाधिनाथ

evaṁ bhaktānmuktajīvānapi tvaṁ mugdhāpāṅkairastarogāṁstanoṣi tādṛgbhūtasphītakāruṇyabhūmā rogātpāyā vāyugehādhinātha

“Such you, lord, before the great pool: lord of the wind-house, save me from disease.”