संत साहित्य · Guru Charitra · Chapters

Chapter 35 — Kach-Devayani; Chandrangad-Simantini

Literal. The young wife asks Shri Guru for a mantra. Shri Guru says: a wife should serve her husband devotedly; she needs no other mantra. He then narrates the Kach-Devayani story (Kach learns the Sanjivani mantra from Shukracharya in service of the gods, by Devayani's intercession; Kach refuses to marry Devayani; Devayani curses him to lose the mantra's power for himself, though it works for others). Then the Chandrangad-Simantini story: Simantini's husband Chandrangad drowns; she observes the Monday vrat devotedly; he is taken by Takshak (king of Nagas) to the underwater Naga city, given nectar; he returns alive after three years.

Symbolic. Two embedded narratives illustrating the persistence of vow across catastrophe. The Kach-Devayani story has additional structural interest: the Sanjivani mantra that brings the dead back to life can be transmitted only when six ears (three persons) hear it; if the protocol is broken, the mantra loses power for the recipient.

Structural. Six ears (= three persons) is the named maximum for Sanjivani transmission. Three years before Chandrangad returns.

Verse by verse

श्रीगणेशाय नमः ।

śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ |

Salutations to Śrī Gaṇeśa.

The chapter opens, as always, with an invocation to Gaṇeśa (remover of obstacles) — the storyteller asks blessing before beginning.

Begin any undertaking, however small, with a moment of humble invocation.

नामधारक सिद्धासी । विनवीतसे परियेसी । रुद्राध्याय विस्तारेसी । दंपतीसी सांगितला ॥१॥

nāmadhāraka siddhāsī | vinavītase pariyesī | rudrādhyāya vistāresī | dampatīsī sāmgitalā ||1||

Nāmadharak entreats Siddha, listen respectfully: the Rudrādhyāya was explained at length to the couple.

The disciple recalls that Siddha had just taught the devoted couple the Rudrādhyāya (a chapter of Vedic hymns to Śiva) — the narrative thread is being picked back up.

When resuming a teaching, first restate what has already been given, so nothing is lost.

पुढे काय वर्तले । विस्तारोनि सांगा वहिले । मन माझे वेधले । गुरुचरित्र ऐकावया ॥२॥

puḍhe kāya vartale | vistāroni sāmgā vahile | mana mājhe vedhale | gurucaritra aikāvayā ||2||

What happened next? Tell it in detail quickly — my mind is drawn to hear the Gurucaritra.

Nāmadharak's eagerness to keep listening shows that genuine hunger for a teacher's word is itself a mark of the sincere seeker.

Let curiosity about wisdom pull you forward rather than waiting to be pushed.

सिद्ध म्हणे ऐक ताता । अपूर्व असे पुढे कथा । तेचि जाण पतिव्रता । श्रीगुरूते विनवीत ॥३॥

siddha mhaṇe aika tātā | apūrva ase puḍhe kathā | teci jāṇa pativratā | śrīgurūte vinavīta ||3||

Siddha says, listen, child, an extraordinary story follows: that same chaste woman entreats Śrī Guru.

Siddha signals a new episode is beginning — a pativratā (devoted wife) is about to question the guru, setting up the coming teaching on marital devotion.

Approach each new teaching with fresh attention, as though it were the first.

कर जोडोनि गुरूसी । विनवीतसे भक्तीसी । आम्हा गति पुढे कैसी । कवणेपरी असावे ॥४॥

kara joḍoni gurūsī | vinavītase bhaktīsī | āmhā gati puḍhe kaisī | kavaṇeparī asāve ||4||

Joining her hands to the guru, she entreats him with devotion: what will be our future course — how should we live?

The wife's question is about right living going forward — bhakti (devotion) expressed as a plea for practical guidance, not abstract philosophy.

When facing uncertainty about the future, ask a trusted guide for grounded, practical direction.

या कारणे आपणासी । एखादा मंत्र उपदेशी । जेणे होय स्थिर जीवासी । चरणस्मरण सनातन ॥५॥

yā kāraṇe āpaṇāsī | ekhādā mamtra upadeśī | jeṇe hoya sthira jīvāsī | caraṇasmaraṇa sanātana ||5||

For this reason, initiate us into some mantra, by which the soul may become steady in eternal remembrance of your feet.

She asks for a mantra (sacred formula) that would anchor constant remembrance of the guru — a request for a stabilizing spiritual practice.

Adopt one simple daily practice that keeps your mind anchored to what matters most.

श्रीगुरु म्हणती तियेसी । स्त्रियांसी मंत्र उपदेशी । पतिभक्तीविणे त्यांसी । उपदेशासी देऊ नये ॥६॥

śrīguru mhaṇatī tiyesī | striyāmsī mamtra upadeśī | patibhaktīviṇe tyāmsī | upadeśāsī deū naye ||6||

Śrī Guru says to her: mantras should not be given to women without devotion to their husband; without that, initiation should not be given.

Śrī Guru states the text's condition for women's initiation — fidelity to patibhakti (devotion to husband) is set as the prerequisite, reflecting the social norms of the era's teaching.

Make sure your foundational commitments are solid before adding new disciplines on top of them.

देता उपदेश स्त्रियांसी । विघ्न असे मंत्रासी । पूवी शुक्राचार्यासी । झाले असे परियेसा ॥७॥

detā upadeśa striyāmsī | vighna ase mamtrāsī | pūvī śukrācāryāsī | jhāle ase pariyesā ||7||

Giving mantra initiation to women brings obstruction to the mantra — this happened before to Śukrācārya, listen.

Śrī Guru cites a precedent story — the mishap that once befell the sage Śukrācārya (guru of the demons) — to justify his caution about mantra transmission.

Learn caution by studying the mistakes of those who came before you.

ऐसे ऐकता गुरुवचन । विनवीतसे कर जोडून । स्त्रिया केवी मंत्रहीन । शुक्राचार्या कैसे झाले ॥८॥

aise aikatā guruvacana | vinavītase kara joḍūna | striyā kevī mamtrahīna | śukrācāryā kaise jhāle ||8||

Hearing the guru's words thus, she entreats with joined hands: how are women mantra-less, and how did this happen to Śukrācārya?

The wife presses further, asking Śrī Guru to explain the old story fully — her questioning shows respectful but genuine inquiry rather than blind acceptance.

It is right to ask 'why' of a teacher, so long as the asking is done with respect.

विस्तारोनि आम्हासी । सांगा स्वामी कृपेसी । म्हणोनि लागली चरणासी । करुणावचनेकरोनिया ॥९॥

vistāroni āmhāsī | sāmgā svāmī kṛpesī | mhaṇoni lāgalī caraṇāsī | karuṇāvacanekaroniyā ||9||

Tell it to us in detail, master, out of your grace — so saying she clung to his feet with words of entreaty.

Her posture — clinging to the feet while asking — shows that true inquiry is paired with humility, not demand.

Ask hard questions humbly rather than as a challenge.

श्रीगुरु सांगती तियेसी । पूर्वकथा आहे ऐसी । युद्ध देवदैत्यांसी । सदैव होय अवधारा ॥१०॥

śrīguru sāmgatī tiyesī | pūrvakathā āhe aisī | yuddha devadaityāmsī | sadaiva hoya avadhārā ||10||

Śrī Guru tells her: there is an old story like this — there was always war between gods and demons, understand.

Śrī Guru begins the backstory of the eternal deva-daitya (gods vs. demons) conflict, the setting for the coming Kaca–Devayānī episode.

Understand present teachings by first learning the larger story they sit within.

दैत्यसैन्य पडे रणी । शुक्र जपे संजीवनी । सकळ सैन्य उठवूनि । पुनरपि युद्धा पाठवीत ॥११॥

daityasainya paḍe raṇī | śukra jape samjīvanī | sakaḷa sainya uṭhavūni | punarapi yuddhā pāṭhavīta ||11||

The demon army fell in battle; Śukra chanted the revival mantra, and raising the whole army again sent them back to war.

Śukrācārya's knowledge of the saṃjīvanī mantra (life-restoring formula) kept reviving fallen demons — the gods' repeated victories were being undone by his power.

Recognize when an opponent's hidden resource is the true reason a struggle keeps repeating.

इंद्र वज्रे असुर मारी । शुक्र अमृत जप करी । सवेचि येती निशाचरी । देवसैन्य मारावया ॥१२॥

imdra vajre asura mārī | śukra amṛta japa karī | saveci yetī niśācarī | devasainya mārāvayā ||12||

Indra kills demons with his thunderbolt; Śukra chants the nectar-mantra, and at once the night-walkers come again to kill the gods' army.

The cycle repeats — Indra's victories are erased each time by Śukra's revival power, showing why the gods needed a countermeasure.

When the same problem keeps returning, look for its root cause rather than repeating the same fix.

ऐसे होता एके दिवसी । इंद्र गेला कैलासासी । सांगे स्थिति शिवासी । शुक्राचार्याची मंत्रकरणी ॥१३॥

aise hotā eke divasī | imdra gelā kailāsāsī | sāmge sthiti śivāsī | śukrācāryācī mamtrakaraṇī ||13||

One day it happened that Indra went to Kailāsa and told Śiva the state of affairs — Śukrācārya's power of mantra.

Indra takes the problem to Śiva (the great god), seeking a higher solution to the demons' unending revival.

When you are stuck, take the problem to someone with greater wisdom or authority than yourself.

कोपोनिया ईश्वर । नंदीस सांगे उत्तर । तुवा जावोनि वेगवक्त्र । शुक्राचार्या धरोनि आणी ॥१४॥

koponiyā īśvara | namdīsa sāmge uttara | tuvā jāvoni vegavaktra | śukrācāryā dharoni āṇī ||14||

Angered, Śiva speaks to Nandī: go quickly and seize Śukrācārya and bring him.

Śiva reacts decisively, ordering his attendant Nandī to capture Śukra and end his interference.

When decisive action is called for, act promptly rather than deliberating endlessly.

स्वामीचे वचन ऐकोनि । नंदी गेला ठाकोनि । होता शुक्र तपध्यानी । मुखी धरिला नंदीने ॥१५॥

svāmīce vacana aikoni | namdī gelā ṭhākoni | hotā śukra tapadhyānī | mukhī dharilā namdīne ||15||

Hearing the lord's word, Nandī went and stood there; Śukra was absorbed in meditation, and Nandī seized him in his mouth.

Nandī catches Śukra unaware, mid-tapas (austerity), showing that even the powerful can be caught off guard.

Stay alert even during your quietest, most absorbed moments.

नंदी नेत शिवापासी । आकांत वर्तला दैत्यांसी । ईश्वरे प्राशिले शुक्रासी । अगस्ती सिंधूचियापरी ॥१६॥

namdī neta śivāpāsī | ākāmta vartalā daityāmsī | īśvare prāśile śukrāsī | agastī simdhūciyāparī ||16||

Nandī carried him to Śiva; havoc befell the demons; Śiva swallowed Śukra, as Agastya once did the ocean.

Śiva swallows Śukra whole, alluding to the famous story of sage Agastya drinking the ocean — a mythic image of total containment.

When a threat must be neutralized, address it completely rather than partially.

ऐसा कित्येक दिवसांवरी । होता शुक्र शिवाचे उदरी । निघूनि गेला मूत्रद्वारी । विसर पडला शिवासी ॥१७॥

aisā kityeka divasāmvarī | hotā śukra śivāce udarī | nighūni gelā mūtradvārī | visara paḍalā śivāsī ||17||

For some days Śukra remained in Śiva's belly, then went out through the urinary passage — Śiva forgot about him.

Śukra eventually emerges from Śiva unharmed, and in time Śiva's attention moves elsewhere — the crisis passes, if strangely.

Trust that even seemingly total setbacks can resolve in unexpected ways over time.

पूर्वी होते शुक्र नाव । ईश्वर-उदरी झाला उद्‍भव । नाव पावला भार्गव । पुनः संजीवनी जपे तो ॥१८॥

pūrvī hote śukra nāva | īśvara-udarī jhālā ud‍bhava | nāva pāvalā bhārgava | punaḥ samjīvanī jape to ||18||

Formerly his name was Śukra; born again from Śiva's belly, he attained the name Bhārgava, and again chants the revival mantra.

Śukra takes a new epithet, Bhārgava (descendant of sage Bhṛgu), and resumes his old practice undeterred.

After surviving a hard trial, return to your purpose rather than abandoning it.

इंद्र मनी विचारी । पुरोहितासी पाचारी । कैसा शुक्र जिवंत करी । पुनः दैत्यजनांसी ॥१९॥

imdra manī vicārī | purohitāsī pācārī | kaisā śukra jivamta karī | punaḥ daityajanāmsī ||19||

Indra thinks in his mind and summons his priest: how can Śukra keep bringing the demon people back to life?

Frustrated that force alone failed, Indra turns to his own priest Bṛhaspati to devise a subtler strategy.

When brute force fails, seek out cleverer counsel instead.

त्यासी विघ्न करावे एक । तू पुरोहित विवेकयुक्त । बुद्धि विचारी अनेक । बृहस्पति गुरुराया ॥२०॥

tyāsī vighna karāve eka | tū purohita vivekayukta | buddhi vicārī aneka | bṛhaspati gururāyā ||20||

Some obstacle must be created for him; you are a wise priest — think of many strategies, O Bṛhaspati, lord of gurus.

Indra explicitly asks his own guru for a plan, acknowledging that wit, not weapons, is needed here.

Match the nature of the solution to the nature of the problem — cunning for cunning, strength for strength.

पाहे पा दैत्यांचे दैव कैसे । शुक्रासारिखा गुरु विशेषे । देतो जीवासी भरवसे । दैत्य येती युद्धासी ॥२१॥

pāhe pā daityāmce daiva kaise | śukrāsārikhā guru viśeṣe | deto jīvāsī bharavase | daitya yetī yuddhāsī ||21||

See how fortunate the demons are — with a guru like Śukra especially, he gives their souls such confidence that the demons come to battle.

Indra observes that Śukra's very presence emboldens the demon army — morale itself is part of his power.

Recognize that a leader's confidence can be as decisive as their skill.

तैसा तू नव्हेस आम्हांसी । आम्हाते का उपेक्षिसी । देवगुरु तू म्हणविसी । बुद्धि करी शीघ्र आता ॥२२॥

taisā tū navhesa āmhāmsī | āmhāte kā upekṣisī | devaguru tū mhaṇavisī | buddhi karī śīghra ātā ||22||

You are not lesser to us than that; why do you neglect us? You call yourself the gods' guru — act with wisdom now, quickly.

Indra appeals to Bṛhaspati's pride and duty as guru of the gods, prodding him to match Śukra's cleverness.

Appeal to someone's sense of duty when you need their best effort.

तू पूज्य सकळ देवांसी । जरी आम्हा कृपा करिसी । शुक्राचार्य काय विशेषी । तुजसमान नव्हे जाणा ॥२३॥

tū pūjya sakaḷa devāmsī | jarī āmhā kṛpā karisī | śukrācārya kāya viśeṣī | tujasamāna navhe jāṇā ||23||

You are worshipped by all the gods; if you show us grace, Śukrācārya is nothing special compared to you, know this.

Indra flatters Bṛhaspati to spur him into action, a small but telling detail about how even gods use persuasion.

A sincere word of encouragement can move someone to act where demands alone would not.

ऐसे नानापरी देख । इंद्र अमरनायक । पूजा करी उपचारिक । बृहस्पति संतोषला ॥२४॥

aise nānāparī dekha | imdra amaranāyaka | pūjā karī upacārika | bṛhaspati samtoṣalā ||24||

Seeing this in various ways, Indra, lord of the immortals, performed worship with due honors, and Bṛhaspati was pleased.

Indra formally honors his guru before asking for help — respect precedes request.

Show honor to those whose help you seek, before and not only after they help you.

गुरु म्हणे इंद्रासी । यासी ऐक तू उपायासी । षट्‍कर्णी करावे मंत्रासी । सामर्थ्य राहील शुक्राचे ॥२५॥

guru mhaṇe imdrāsī | yāsī aika tū upāyāsī | ṣaṭ‍karṇī karāve mamtrāsī | sāmarthya rāhīla śukrāce ||25||

The guru says to Indra: listen to this remedy — the mantra must be made known to six ears, then Śukra's power will remain neutralized.

Bṛhaspati proposes exposing the secret mantra — breaking its ṣaṭkarṇī (six-ear) secrecy rule would strip it of potency.

Find the specific condition that sustains an advantage, and address that condition directly.

एखादा पाठवावा शुक्रापासी । विद्यार्थी करून त्वरेसी । मंत्र शिकेल भरवसी । विद्यार्थिरूपेकरूनिया ॥२६॥

ekhādā pāṭhavāvā śukrāpāsī | vidyārthī karūna tvaresī | mamtra śikela bharavasī | vidyārthirūpekarūniyā ||26||

Someone should be sent to Śukra quickly, made into a disciple; he will surely learn the mantra in the guise of a student.

The plan takes shape: send a spy disguised as a devoted student to learn the secret mantra from within.

Sometimes the only way to learn a hidden truth is to become a genuine, humble student of it.

आपुला पुत्र कच असे । त्याते पाठवू विद्याभ्यासे । मंत्र शिकेल आहे कैसी । संजीवनी अवधारा ॥२७॥

āpulā putra kaca ase | tyāte pāṭhavū vidyābhyāse | mamtra śikela āhe kaisī | samjīvanī avadhārā ||27||

I have a son, Kaca; let us send him to study — he will learn the mantra, understand, the revival formula.

Bṛhaspati offers his own son Kaca for the mission, showing the stakes are high enough to risk his own family.

Be willing to commit your own resources, not just others', to a cause you believe in.

कचाते आणूनि बुद्धियुक्ति । सांगतसे बृहस्पति । तुवा जावे शुक्राप्रती । विद्यार्थिरूप धरोनि ॥२८॥

kacāte āṇūni buddhiyukti | sāmgatase bṛhaspati | tuvā jāve śukrāpratī | vidyārthirūpa dharoni ||28||

Calling Kaca with wise counsel, Bṛhaspati tells him: you must go to Śukra taking the form of a student.

The father instructs the son directly, sending him on a mission requiring patience and discipline.

When sending someone on a difficult task, brief them clearly and personally.

आमुची निंदा तेथे करी । मनोभावे सेवा करी । संजीवनी कवणेपरी । मंत्र शिके पुत्रराया ॥२९॥

āmucī nimdā tethe karī | manobhāve sevā karī | samjīvanī kavaṇeparī | mamtra śike putrarāyā ||29||

There, speak ill of us if needed; serve him wholeheartedly — by any means learn the revival mantra, my son.

Bṛhaspati even permits Kaca to disparage the gods if useful, showing the mission's priority over personal pride — while true sevā (service) is still the real means of winning trust.

Let sincere service, not clever words, be your real strategy for earning trust.

इंद्रादिक देवतांचा । निरोप घेऊनि पितयाचा । शुक्राप्रति गेला कचा । विद्यार्थिरूप धरोनि ॥३०॥

imdrādika devatāmcā | niropa gheūni pitayācā | śukrāprati gelā kacā | vidyārthirūpa dharoni ||30||

Taking leave of his father, on behalf of Indra and the other gods, Kaca went to Śukra in the guise of a student.

Kaca departs on his mission, its purpose disguised but his conduct about to be genuinely devoted.

Begin any difficult undertaking with a clear sense of purpose and the blessing of those who sent you.

नमन केले साष्टांगी । उभा राहिला करुणांगी । शुक्र पुसतसे वेगी । कवण कोठूनि आलासी ॥३१॥

namana kele sāṣṭāmgī | ubhā rāhilā karuṇāmgī | śukra pusatase vegī | kavaṇa koṭhūni ālāsī ||31||

He made a full prostration, stood there with a humble bearing; Śukra quickly asked, who are you and from where have you come?

Kaca's opening gesture is total humility — sāṣṭāṅga namaskāra (prostration touching eight limbs) — before he even speaks.

Let your body and manner show respect before your words do.

बोले आपण द्विजकुमार । तुझी कीर्ति ऐकिली थोर । विद्याभ्यासीन मनोहर । म्हणोन आलो सेवेसी ॥३२॥

bole āpaṇa dvijakumāra | tujhī kīrti aikilī thora | vidyābhyāsīna manohara | mhaṇona ālo sevesī ||32||

He says: I am a brahmin's son; I have heard your great fame; I wish to study with delight — so I have come to serve.

Kaca states his cover story plainly — reputation for learning draws the sincere student, even one on a hidden mission.

Seek out teachers with genuine, well-earned reputations.

सेवक होईन तुमचे चरणी । आलो इच्छेसी धरूनि । तू भक्तवत्सलशिरोमणि । अनाथांचा प्रतिपालक ॥३३॥

sevaka hoīna tumace caraṇī | ālo icchesī dharūni | tū bhaktavatsalaśiromaṇi | anāthāmcā pratipālaka ||33||

I will become your servant at your feet; I have come with this wish; you are foremost among those who love devotees, protector of the helpless.

Kaca appeals to Śukra's known compassion — the bhaktavatsala (one who loves devotees) quality that makes a guru approachable.

Approach a teacher trusting their compassion, not just their power.

बोलोनि ऐसे कचवचन । विनवीतसे कर जोडून । शुक्रकन्या जवळी येऊन । पितयालागी विनवित ॥३४॥

boloni aise kacavacana | vinavītase kara joḍūna | śukrakanyā javaḷī yeūna | pitayālāgī vinavita ||34||

Having spoken these words, Kaca entreats with joined hands; Śukra's daughter comes near and entreats her father.

Devayānī, Śukra's daughter, enters the scene, about to advocate for the young stranger — her attraction will drive much of the coming plot.

Notice how a single first impression can set events in motion for good or ill.

पितयासी म्हणे देवयानी । विप्र भला दिसे नयनी । याते तुम्ही शिष्य करूनि । विद्याभ्यास सांगावा ॥३५॥

pitayāsī mhaṇe devayānī | vipra bhalā dise nayanī | yāte tumhī śiṣya karūni | vidyābhyāsa sāmgāvā ||35||

Devayānī says to her father: this brahmin looks fine to my eyes; make him your disciple and teach him.

Devayānī's immediate approval — partly admiration — persuades Śukra to accept Kaca as a student.

Be aware that personal attraction can color a judgment that should rest on other merits.

कच सुंदर सुलक्षण । जैसा दिसे की मदन । देवयानी करी चिंतन । ऐसा पति व्हावा म्हणे ॥३६॥

kaca sumdara sulakṣaṇa | jaisā dise kī madana | devayānī karī cimtana | aisā pati vhāvā mhaṇe ||36||

Kaca is handsome and well-formed, appearing like the god of love; Devayānī muses, thinking, may such a one become my husband.

The narrator makes explicit Devayānī's private wish — planting the seed of the romantic complication to come.

Recognize a private wish early, so it does not later distort your judgment unnoticed.

ऐसी वासना धरुनी । पितयाते विनवुनी । शिष्य केला कच सगुणी । शुक्राचार्य विद्या सांगे ॥३७॥

aisī vāsanā dharunī | pitayāte vinavunī | śiṣya kelā kaca saguṇī | śukrācārya vidyā sāmge ||37||

Holding this desire, entreating her father, virtuous Kaca was made a disciple; Śukrācārya taught him the learning.

Kaca is formally accepted as student — the mission's first stage succeeds through Devayānī's influence.

Accept help gracefully when it moves you toward a worthy goal, even if its motive is mixed.

ऐसा विद्याभ्यास करीत । दैत्यकुळी म्हणती निश्चित । देवगणी आले सत्य । कपटवेषे करूनि ॥३८॥

aisā vidyābhyāsa karīta | daityakuḷī mhaṇatī niścita | devagaṇī āle satya | kapaṭaveṣe karūni ||38||

As he studied thus, the demon clan said with certainty: truly the gods have come in a deceitful disguise.

The demons grow suspicious of Kaca's true identity, sensing the gods' ploy despite the disguise.

Do not assume a disguise, however good, will go unnoticed forever.

शिकूनिया विद्येसी । जाऊनि शिकवील देवांसी । कुडे होईल आम्हांसी । तेणे मनी चिंतावले ॥३९॥

śikūniyā vidyesī | jāūni śikavīla devāmsī | kuḍe hoīla āmhāmsī | teṇe manī cimtāvale ||39||

Having learned the knowledge, he will go and teach it to the gods; it will be bad for us — thinking this, they worried in their minds.

The demons foresee the very outcome Bṛhaspati intended, and resolve to stop it before it happens.

When you see a threat coming, act before the harm is done, not after.

काळ क्रमिता एके दिवसी । कच पाठविला समिधांसी । दैत्य जाती साह्येसी । तया कचाचे अवधारा ॥४०॥

kāḷa kramitā eke divasī | kaca pāṭhavilā samidhāmsī | daitya jātī sāhyesī | tayā kacāce avadhārā ||40||

As time passed, one day Kaca was sent to gather sacrificial wood; the demons went along as companions, understand this about Kaca.

The demons find their opportunity while Kaca is out alone gathering samidhā (sacrificial firewood) for the household rites.

Stay watchful even during ordinary daily errands, where danger can hide unnoticed.

रानी जाउनी समागमेसी । दैत्य मारिले कचासी । समिधा घेवोनि घरासी । दैत्य आपण येते झाले ॥४१॥

rānī jāunī samāgamesī | daitya mārile kacāsī | samidhā ghevoni gharāsī | daitya āpaṇa yete jhāle ||41||

Going together into the forest, the demons killed Kaca; taking the firewood home, the demons themselves came back.

The demons murder Kaca and calmly return home as if nothing happened, an act of betrayal beneath a friendly guise.

Do not mistake outward friendliness for a guarantee of true goodwill.

शुक्राचार्यांची कन्या । पितयासी परम मान्या । पितयासी विनवी धन्या । कच कैसा नाही आला ॥४२॥

śukrācāryāmcī kanyā | pitayāsī parama mānyā | pitayāsī vinavī dhanyā | kaca kaisā nāhī ālā ||42||

Śukrācārya's daughter, most dear to her father, entreats her esteemed father: why has Kaca not come?

Devayānī's concern for the missing Kaca is the first sign that something has gone wrong.

Trust your worry when someone you care for is unexpectedly late or absent.

कच आलियावाचूनी । भोजन न करी देवयानी । ऐसे ऐकता निर्वाणी । शुक्राचार्य चिंतावला ॥४३॥

kaca āliyāvācūnī | bhojana na karī devayānī | aise aikatā nirvāṇī | śukrācārya cimtāvalā ||43||

Without Kaca's arrival, Devayānī will not eat; hearing this insistence, Śukrācārya became troubled.

Devayānī's refusal to eat shows the depth of her attachment, and moves her father to act.

Let a loved one's genuine distress move you to act, even when the cause is unclear.

ज्ञानी पाहे मानसी । मृत्यु झाला असे तयासी । मंत्र जपूनि संजीवनीसी । त्वरित घरी आणिला ॥४४॥

jñānī pāhe mānasī | mṛtyu jhālā ase tayāsī | mamtra japūni samjīvanīsī | tvarita gharī āṇilā ||44||

The wise one perceives in his mind that death has come to him; chanting the revival mantra, he quickly brought him home.

Using his jñāna (spiritual insight) and the saṃjīvanī mantra, Śukra revives Kaca and restores him to his daughter.

Use whatever special skill or insight you have to resolve another's suffering promptly.

आणिक होता बहुत दिवस । दैत्य करिती अतिद्वेष । गेला होता वनवास । पुनरपि तयासी वधियेले ॥४५॥

āṇika hotā bahuta divasa | daitya karitī atidveṣa | gelā hotā vanavāsa | punarapi tayāsī vadhiyele ||45||

Some more days passed; the demons held deep hatred; he had gone into the forest, and again they killed him.

The demons' hostility persists, and they murder Kaca a second time, showing the depth of their resolve.

Do not assume one setback will discourage a determined adversary; stay vigilant.

मागुती वाचेल म्हणोनि । चूर्ण करिती छेदोनि । दाही दिशा टाकुनी । आले घरा पुनरपि ॥४६॥

māgutī vācela mhaṇoni | cūrṇa karitī chedoni | dāhī diśā ṭākunī | āle gharā punarapi ||46||

Fearing he would live again, they cut him into powder, scattering it in the ten directions, and came home again.

This time the demons try to make revival impossible by scattering his remains — an escalation of their scheme.

Expect a determined opponent to escalate rather than give up after one failed attempt.

दिवस गेला अस्तमानी । पुसतसे देवयानी । कच न दिसे म्हणोनि । पितयाते विनवीत ॥४७॥

divasa gelā astamānī | pusatase devayānī | kaca na dise mhaṇoni | pitayāte vinavīta ||47||

The day drew toward evening; Devayānī asked — Kaca is not to be seen — entreating her father.

Once again Devayānī's watchfulness for Kaca's absence sets the rescue in motion.

Keep noticing when someone is missing; your attentiveness may be what saves them.

कच माझा प्राणसखा । ना आणिशी जरी खाईन विखा । दावी मज तयाचे मुखा । म्हणोनि प्रलाप करीतसे ॥४८॥

kaca mājhā prāṇasakhā | nā āṇiśī jarī khāīna vikhā | dāvī maja tayāce mukhā | mhaṇoni pralāpa karītase ||48||

Kaca is my dear friend; if you do not bring him I will drink poison — show me his face, thus she lamented.

Devayānī's extreme grief and threat show how far her attachment has grown — a warning of the trouble it will later cause.

Notice when your own attachment has grown so strong that its loss feels unbearable, and examine it honestly.

कन्येवरी ममत्व बहुत । तेणे शुक्र ज्ञाने पहात । छिन्नभिन्न केले म्हणत । मंत्र जपला संजीवनी ॥४९॥

kanyevarī mamatva bahuta | teṇe śukra jñāne pahāta | chinnabhinna kele mhaṇata | mamtra japalā samjīvanī ||49||

Great was his love for his daughter; by his knowledge Śukra perceived he had been cut to pieces, and chanted the revival mantra.

Śukra's paternal love drives him to search out and revive Kaca again, this time from scattered remains.

Let love for your family motivate persistence, even when the task seems impossible.

धन्य मंत्राचे सामर्थ्य । कच आला घरा त्वरित । देवयानी संतोषत । पितयाने आलिंगिली ॥५०॥

dhanya mamtrāce sāmarthya | kaca ālā gharā tvarita | devayānī samtoṣata | pitayāne ālimgilī ||50||

Blessed is the mantra's power — Kaca came home at once; Devayānī rejoiced, and her father embraced him.

The narrator marvels at the mantra's power, and the household's joy at Kaca's second restoration is complete.

Give credit to the source of a blessing rather than taking a good outcome for granted.

दैत्य मनी विचार करिती । काय केल्या न मरे म्हणती । गुरुकन्येसी याची प्रीति । म्हणुनि गुरु वाचवितो ॥५१॥

daitya manī vicāra karitī | kāya kelyā na mare mhaṇatī | gurukanyesī yācī prīti | mhaṇuni guru vācavito ||51||

The demons think in their minds: whatever we do he does not die; the guru's daughter loves him, so the guru revives him.

The demons correctly diagnose that Devayānī's affection is the real reason Kaca keeps returning — they now target the mechanism itself.

Understand the true cause behind a repeated pattern before trying to change it.

आता उपाय करू यासी । उदईक येईल एकादशी । मारूनि मिळवू पानेसी । गुरुमुखी पाजावे ॥५२॥

ātā upāya karū yāsī | udaīka yeīla ekādaśī | mārūni miḷavū pānesī | gurumukhī pājāve ||52||

Now let us find a remedy for this: tomorrow will be Ekādaśī; let us kill him, mix him with wine, and make the guru drink it.

The demons devise their most drastic plot yet — timing it to Ekādaśī (a sacred fasting day) for cruel irony — to make revival impossible.

Recognize when an adversary is willing to defile even sacred things to achieve their end, and be prepared.

ऐशी निगुती करोनि । आली एकादशी दिनी । कचाते बाहेर नेवोनि । मारते जहाले दैत्य शिष्य ॥५३॥

aiśī nigutī karoni | ālī ekādaśī dinī | kacāte bāhera nevoni | mārate jahāle daitya śiṣya ||53||

Having planned thus, Ekādaśī day came; taking Kaca outside, the demon disciples killed him.

The demons carry out their scheme with careful timing, once again while Kaca is away from the household's protection.

Be most careful when a plan seems to have been laid with unusual patience.

प्राशन करविती गुरूसी । मिळवूनिया मद्यरसी । स्निग्ध मिळवूनिया बहुवसी । शुक्रगुरूसी देत झाले ॥५४॥

prāśana karavitī gurūsī | miḷavūniyā madyarasī | snigdha miḷavūniyā bahuvasī | śukragurūsī deta jhāle ||54||

They made the guru drink it, mixing it into wine, blending it thoroughly with fat; they gave it to guru Śukra.

The demons literally hide Kaca's remains inside wine given to Śukra to drink, an act meant to make the crime undiscoverable.

Be alert to how deception can be hidden inside something offered as a gift or comfort.

मागुती पुसे देवयानी । पितयाते विनवुनी । कचासी आणी म्हणोनि । रुदन करी आक्रोशे ॥५५॥

māgutī puse devayānī | pitayāte vinavunī | kacāsī āṇī mhaṇoni | rudana karī ākrośe ||55||

Again Devayānī asked, entreating her father: bring Kaca — she wept and cried out loud.

Devayānī's grief this time is more desperate, foreshadowing the crisis about to be revealed.

Do not suppress grief; let it move you and others toward finding the truth.

शुक्र पहातसे ज्ञानी न दिसे कच त्रिभुवनी । खेद करीतसे मनी । कन्यालोभेकरोनिया ॥५६॥

śukra pahātase jñānī na dise kaca tribhuvanī | kheda karītase manī | kanyālobhekaroniyā ||56||

Śukra looks with his wisdom — Kaca is not seen in the three worlds; he grieves in his mind out of love for his daughter.

For the first time Śukra cannot locate Kaca anywhere, hinting the danger is closer than he imagines.

When your usual means of finding an answer fail, suspect the problem is closer to home than you think.

विचार करिता सर्वा ठायी । दिसू लागला आपुले देही । संदेह पडला शक्रासी पाही । कैसे करावे म्हणोनि ॥५७॥

vicāra karitā sarvā ṭhāyī | disū lāgalā āpule dehī | samdeha paḍalā śakrāsī pāhī | kaise karāve mhaṇoni ||57||

Searching everywhere, he began to see him within his own body; Śukra fell into doubt, wondering what to do.

Śukra realizes with horror that Kaca's remains are inside his own body — the demons' plan is revealed to him.

Face an uncomfortable truth directly, even when it implicates something close to you.

कन्येसी म्हणे शुक्र देखा । कच न ये आता ऐका । माझे उदरी असे निका । कैसा काढू तयासी ॥५८॥

kanyesī mhaṇe śukra dekhā | kaca na ye ātā aikā | mājhe udarī ase nikā | kaisā kāḍhū tayāsī ||58||

He says to his daughter: see, Kaca will not come now, listen; he is within my belly — how shall I bring him out?

Śukra confides the terrible dilemma to Devayānī — reviving Kaca would mean his own death.

Share a difficult truth honestly with those it affects, rather than hiding it.

यासी काढिता आपणासी । मृत्यु होईल परियेसी । काय अभिलाष असे त्यासी । म्हणोनि कन्येसी पुसतसे ॥५९॥

yāsī kāḍhitā āpaṇāsī | mṛtyu hoīla pariyesī | kāya abhilāṣa ase tyāsī | mhaṇoni kanyesī pusatase ||59||

If I bring him out, I myself shall die, understand; what does he wish, he asks his daughter.

Śukra weighs his own life against Kaca's, and turns to his daughter to help decide.

When facing an impossible choice, involve those who share the stakes in deciding.

पितया विनवी देवयानी । अभिलाष होता माझे मनी । भार्या त्याची होउनी । दोघे राहू तुजपासी ॥६०॥

pitayā vinavī devayānī | abhilāṣa hotā mājhe manī | bhāryā tyācī hounī | doghe rāhū tujapāsī ||60||

Devayānī entreats her father: my heart's wish is that, becoming his wife, we two may live with you.

Devayānī reveals her deepest wish plainly — to marry Kaca and remain in her father's house.

Be honest about what you truly want when someone you trust asks you directly.

हाचि व्हावा माझा पति । ऐसे संकल्पिले चित्ती । न उठे जरी पुढती । तरी प्राण त्यागीन ॥६१॥

hāci vhāvā mājhā pati | aise samkalpile cittī | na uṭhe jarī puḍhatī | tarī prāṇa tyāgīna ||61||

Let him become my husband — this I have resolved in my heart; if he does not rise again, then I will give up my life.

Her resolve hardens into an ultimatum, showing how completely her happiness now depends on Kaca.

Recognize when your happiness has become too dependent on a single outcome, and seek balance.

संदेह पडला शुक्रासी । बोधिता झाला कन्येसी । त्यास उठविता आपणासी । मृत्यू होईल अवधारी ॥६२॥

samdeha paḍalā śukrāsī | bodhitā jhālā kanyesī | tyāsa uṭhavitā āpaṇāsī | mṛtyū hoīla avadhārī ||62||

Śukra fell into doubt, and spoke to instruct his daughter: if I raise him, my own death will come, understand.

Śukra tries to reason with his daughter about the mortal cost to himself of reviving Kaca.

Explain the true cost of a request clearly before agreeing to it.

कन्या म्हणे पितयासी । सकळा तू वाचविसी । आपुला प्राण जाईल म्हणसी । हे आश्चर्य वाटतसे ॥६३॥

kanyā mhaṇe pitayāsī | sakaḷā tū vācavisī | āpulā prāṇa jāīla mhaṇasī | he āścarya vāṭatase ||63||

The daughter says to her father: you save everyone; that you say your own life will be lost is a wonder to me.

Devayānī expresses disbelief that her father, who saves all others, cannot save himself — an ironic reversal.

Remember that even those who help everyone else sometimes cannot save themselves without help.

शुक्र म्हणे देवयानी । मंत्र असे संजीवनी । मजवाचोनि नेणे कोणी । माते कोण उठवील ॥६४॥

śukra mhaṇe devayānī | mamtra ase samjīvanī | majavāconi neṇe koṇī | māte koṇa uṭhavīla ||64||

Śukra says, Devayānī: there is the revival mantra; no one but me knows it — who then will revive me?

Śukra explains the trap he is in — his own unique knowledge means no one else can save him if he dies.

Consider passing on essential knowledge to trusted others, so no single point of failure remains.

मंत्र सांगो नये कवणा । षट्‍कर्णी होता जाईल गुणा । कचाकरिता माझा प्राण । जाईल देखा अवधारी ॥६५॥

mamtra sāmgo naye kavaṇā | ṣaṭ‍karṇī hotā jāīla guṇā | kacākaritā mājhā prāṇa | jāīla dekhā avadhārī ||65||

The mantra should not be told to anyone; if heard by six ears its power is lost; because of Kaca my life will be lost, understand this.

Śukra names the very rule Bṛhaspati exploited — secrecy of the ṣaṭkarṇī condition — as the reason he is now trapped.

Guard what must remain confidential, but recognize the cost when secrecy itself becomes a trap.

न ऐके कन्या देवयानी । पित्याचे चरण धरोनि । विनवीतसे कर जोडोनि । मंत्र आपणाते शिकवावा ॥६६॥

na aike kanyā devayānī | pityāce caraṇa dharoni | vinavītase kara joḍoni | mamtra āpaṇāte śikavāvā ||66||

Devayānī does not listen; holding her father's feet, she entreats with joined hands that the mantra be taught to her.

Devayānī persists past her father's objections, clinging to his feet in supplication for the forbidden knowledge.

Persistent, respectful pleading can sometimes move even a firm refusal — but consider the cost first.

कचासी तू सजीव करी । तुज येईल मृत्यू जरी । मी मंत्र जपोनि निर्धारी । सजीव करीन तुजलागी ॥६७॥

kacāsī tū sajīva karī | tuja yeīla mṛtyū jarī | mī mamtra japoni nirdhārī | sajīva karīna tujalāgī ||67||

You revive Kaca; if death comes to you, I will chant the mantra with resolve and bring you back to life.

Devayānī proposes the solution herself — she will learn the mantra so she can revive her father after he revives Kaca.

When facing a shared risk, offer a plan that protects everyone, not just yourself.

शुक्र म्हणे कन्येसी । मंत्र सांगू नये स्त्रियांसी । दोष असता परियेसी । वेदशास्त्रसंमत असे ॥६८॥

śukra mhaṇe kanyesī | mamtra sāmgū naye striyāmsī | doṣa asatā pariyesī | vedaśāstrasammata ase ||68||

Śukra says to his daughter: the mantra should not be told to women; there is fault in it, listen — this is sanctioned by the Vedas and scriptures.

Śukra restates the scriptural rule against teaching mantras to women, the very rule Śrī Guru cited earlier in this chapter.

Respect the boundaries set by tradition even when pressed hard to cross them.

स्त्रियांसी मंत्र पतिभक्ति । जपू नये मंत्रयुक्ति । सांगता दोष आम्हा घडती । मंत्रसामर्थ्य जाईल ॥६९॥

striyāmsī mamtra patibhakti | japū naye mamtrayukti | sāmgatā doṣa āmhā ghaḍatī | mamtrasāmarthya jāīla ||69||

For women, devotion to husband is the mantra; the mantra-technique should not be chanted; telling it brings us fault, and the mantra's power will be lost.

Śukra explains the stated rationale — a woman's proper spiritual practice is patibhakti, and teaching her the formal mantra would corrupt both.

Recognize that each person's right practice may differ, and honor the form suited to your own path.

पितयासी म्हणे देवयानी । सुखे असा मंत्र जपोनि । प्राण जातो म्हणोन । मूर्च्छागत पडली ते ॥७०॥

pitayāsī mhaṇe devayānī | sukhe asā mamtra japoni | prāṇa jāto mhaṇona | mūrcchāgata paḍalī te ||70||

Devayānī says to her father: stay at ease and chant the mantra; saying my life is going, she fell into a swoon.

Devayānī collapses in distress, her extreme reaction finally overriding her father's careful reasoning.

Recognize when someone's distress has reached a breaking point that demands immediate compassion.

शुक्राची कन्येवरी प्रीति । उठवूनि तिसी आलिंगिती । मंत्र तिसी सांगती । संजिवनी अवधारा ॥७१॥

śukrācī kanyevarī prīti | uṭhavūni tisī ālimgitī | mamtra tisī sāmgatī | samjivanī avadhārā ||71||

Śukra's love for his daughter was great; raising her, he embraced her, and told her the mantra, the revival formula, understand.

Overcome by paternal love, Śukra finally relents and teaches Devayānī the forbidden mantra to save her.

Let compassion sometimes override even well-founded caution, when someone's suffering is real.

आपुल्या पोटी कच होता । तोही होय ऐकता । मंत्र जहाला षट्‍कर्णता । मग जपला कचानिमित्त ॥७२॥

āpulyā poṭī kaca hotā | tohī hoya aikatā | mamtra jahālā ṣaṭ‍karṇatā | maga japalā kacānimitta ||72||

Kaca was in his belly; hearing this, he too heard it; the mantra became heard by six ears, then he chanted it for Kaca's sake.

Because Kaca inside Śukra's body also hears the mantra, the ṣaṭkarṇī condition is unwittingly triggered — the very outcome Śukra feared.

Be aware that a secret shared even for good reason can spread beyond your control.

शुक्राचे पोटातुनी । कच निघाला फोडुनी । मंत्र जपे ती देवयानी । पितयाते उठविले ॥७३॥

śukrāce poṭātunī | kaca nighālā phoḍunī | mamtra jape tī devayānī | pitayāte uṭhavile ||73||

From Śukra's belly, Kaca emerged, breaking forth; Devayānī chants the mantra and revives her father.

The revival unfolds as planned — Kaca is born forth alive, and Devayānī uses her newly learned mantra to bring her father back too.

A carefully thought-out plan, even a desperate one, can succeed when carried out with resolve.

तीन वेळा मंत्र जपता । कचे पाठ केला तत्त्वता । संतोष करी मनी बहुता । कार्य साधले म्हणोनि ॥७४॥

tīna veḷā mamtra japatā | kace pāṭha kelā tattvatā | samtoṣa karī manī bahutā | kārya sādhale mhaṇoni ||74||

Chanting the mantra three times, Kaca truly memorized it by heart; he rejoiced greatly in his mind that his purpose was accomplished.

Kaca, having overheard the mantra repeated three times, has now secretly memorized it — his original mission is quietly fulfilled.

Stay focused on your true purpose even amid dramatic events happening around you.

शुक्राचार्याते नमुनी । कच विनवी कर जोडुनी । माते दैत्य मारिती म्हणोनि । निरोप द्यावा मजलागी ॥७५॥

śukrācāryāte namunī | kaca vinavī kara joḍunī | māte daitya māritī mhaṇoni | niropa dyāvā majalāgī ||75||

Bowing to Śukrācārya, Kaca entreats with joined hands: the demons keep killing me, so please give me leave to depart.

Having achieved what he came for, Kaca now asks permission to leave, citing the demons' repeated attacks as reason.

Once your purpose is achieved, take your leave respectfully rather than overstaying.

स्वामीचेनि विद्या शिकलो । तुझे कृपेने पूर्ण जहालो । देवकार्यार्थ संतोषलो । म्हणूनि चरणी लागला ॥७६॥

svāmīceni vidyā śikalo | tujhe kṛpene pūrṇa jahālo | devakāryārtha samtoṣalo | mhaṇūni caraṇī lāgalā ||76||

I have learned the knowledge, master; by your grace I am complete; I rejoice for the sake of the gods' cause — so saying he clung to his feet.

Kaca honestly credits Śukra's grace for his learning even as he reveals, implicitly, that his mission served the gods.

Give honest credit to a teacher even when your ultimate purpose differs from theirs.

शुक्राचार्ये हर्षोनि । निरोप दिधला त्यालागोनी । पदर धरी देवयानी । पति व्हावे म्हणोनिया ॥७७॥

śukrācārye harṣoni | niropa didhalā tyālāgonī | padara dharī devayānī | pati vhāve mhaṇoniyā ||77||

Śukrācārya, rejoicing, gave him leave to depart; Devayānī held his garment's hem, asking him to become her husband.

As Kaca prepares to leave, Devayānī makes her romantic claim on him explicit and public.

Speak your intentions plainly when the moment for silence has passed.

तूते मारिले तीन वेळी । मी वाचविले त्या काळी । विद्या शिकलासी पित्याजवळी । अवश्य वरावे मजलागी ॥७८॥

tūte mārile tīna veḷī | mī vācavile tyā kāḷī | vidyā śikalāsī pityājavaḷī | avaśya varāve majalāgī ||78||

You were killed three times; I saved you each time; you learned this knowledge beside my father — you must certainly marry me.

Devayānī presses her claim, listing her role in saving Kaca as grounds for marriage.

State your case honestly, but be prepared that even a strong claim may not be granted.

कच म्हणे ऐक बाळे । गुरुकन्या भगिनी बोले । तुवा आमुते वाचविले । माता होसी निर्धारी ॥७९॥

kaca mhaṇe aika bāḷe | gurukanyā bhaginī bole | tuvā āmute vācavile | mātā hosī nirdhārī ||79||

Kaca says: listen, dear one — the guru's daughter is spoken of as a sister; you saved me, so you are surely like a mother to me.

Kaca reframes their relationship in filial terms — as guru's daughter, Devayānī is like a sister or mother, not a potential wife.

Honor the proper boundaries of a relationship even when it disappoints someone you care for.

वरिता दोष आपणासी । दूषण ठेवितील सर्व ऋषि । भगिनी तू आमुची होसी । कैसी वरू म्हणे तो ॥८०॥

varitā doṣa āpaṇāsī | dūṣaṇa ṭhevitīla sarva ṛṣi | bhaginī tū āmucī hosī | kaisī varū mhaṇe to ||80||

If I marry you it is a fault to me; all the sages would blame me; you are my sister — how could I marry you, he says.

Kaca firmly refuses on grounds of propriety and the disapproval of the wise, holding his ethical line despite the cost.

Hold to what is right even when refusing disappoints someone who helped you.

देवयानी कोपोनि । शाप दिधला ते क्षणी । वृथा विद्या होईल मानी । समस्त विसरे तात्काळी ॥८१॥

devayānī koponi | śāpa didhalā te kṣaṇī | vṛthā vidyā hoīla mānī | samasta visare tātkāḷī ||81||

Devayānī, angered, gave a curse at that moment: your learning will become useless, you will forget it all at once.

Devayānī's hurt turns to anger, and she curses Kaca's hard-won mantra to be useless — showing how grief can turn destructive.

Guard against letting rejection or hurt turn into words you cannot take back.

माझे अंतःकरणीची आशा । वृथा केली निराशा । विद्या न ये तुज लवलेशा । म्हणूनि शाप दिधला ॥८२॥

mājhe amtaḥkaraṇīcī āśā | vṛthā kelī nirāśā | vidyā na ye tuja lavaleśā | mhaṇūni śāpa didhalā ||82||

You made vain the hope of my heart, giving me despair; the learning will not come to you at all — for this I have given the curse.

Devayānī explains her curse as retaliation for her own thwarted hope, the emotional logic of wounded love.

Recognize that unmet hopes, left unchecked, can drive us to harm even those we admire.

कच म्हणे तियेसी । वाया शापिले आम्हांसी । पुरुष वरील तुजसी । ब्रह्मकुळाव्यतिरिक्त ॥८३॥

kaca mhaṇe tiyesī | vāyā śāpile āmhāmsī | puruṣa varīla tujasī | brahmakuḷāvyatirikta ||83||

Kaca says to her: you have cursed us in vain; you shall marry a man outside the brahmin lineage.

Kaca answers with a counter-curse of his own, foretelling Devayānī will not marry within her own caste.

Recognize that harsh words often provoke harsh words in return; better to pause before speaking in anger.

तुझा पिता ब्रह्मज्ञानी । जाणे अमृतसंजीवनी । तुज शिकविले म्हणोनि । पुढे मंत्र न चाले ॥८४॥

tujhā pitā brahmajñānī | jāṇe amṛtasamjīvanī | tuja śikavile mhaṇoni | puḍhe mamtra na cāle ||84||

Your father is a knower of Brahman, who knows the nectar-revival mantra; because he taught it to you, hereafter the mantra will not work.

Kaca clarifies the curse's mechanism — because Devayānī learned the mantra through her father's teaching alone (not proper transmission), it will fail for her when needed.

Understand that knowledge gained through improper means may not serve you when you most need it.

ऐसा शाप देउनी । कच गेला निघुनी । संतोष झाला इंद्रभुवनी । दैत्यजीवन नव्हेची ॥८५॥

aisā śāpa deunī | kaca gelā nighunī | samtoṣa jhālā imdrabhuvanī | daityajīvana navhecī ||85||

Having given this curse, Kaca departed; there was rejoicing in Indra's realm — it was no benefit to the demons after all.

Kaca's mission succeeds despite the personal cost — the gods rejoice while the demons' advantage is finally undone.

Sometimes achieving a larger good requires bearing a personal loss along the way.

शुक्राचा संजीवनी मंत्र । कामा न ये झाला अपात्र । स्त्रियांसी न सांगावा मंत्र । म्हणोनि श्रीगुरु निरूपिती ॥८६॥

śukrācā samjīvanī mamtra | kāmā na ye jhālā apātra | striyāmsī na sāmgāvā mamtra | mhaṇoni śrīguru nirūpitī ||86||

Śukra's revival mantra became useless, unfit for its purpose; the mantra should not be told to women — so Śrī Guru explains.

Śrī Guru draws the moral explicitly from the whole Kaca-Devayānī tale, closing the loop back to the original question about mantra initiation.

Draw a clear, practical lesson from a story once it is finished, rather than leaving it unresolved.

स्त्रियांलागी पतिसेवा । याची कारणे मंत्र न द्यावा । व्रतोपवास करावा । गुरु-पुरुष-निरोपाने ॥८७॥

striyāmlāgī patisevā | yācī kāraṇe mamtra na dyāvā | vratopavāsa karāvā | guru-puruṣa-niropāne ||87||

For women, service to the husband is the path; for this reason mantra should not be given; vows and fasts should be observed, with the guidance of guru and husband.

Śrī Guru offers the constructive alternative — vratas (vows) and upavāsa (fasting) under proper guidance, rather than formal mantra initiation, as women's rightful spiritual path in this teaching.

When one path is closed to you, seek out the alternative practice suited to your own situation.

सावित्री विनवी श्रीगुरूसी । व्रत आचरले बहुवसी । तुझे वाक्य आम्हांसी । व्रत एखादे निरोपावे ॥८८॥

sāvitrī vinavī śrīgurūsī | vrata ācarale bahuvasī | tujhe vākya āmhāmsī | vrata ekhāde niropāve ||88||

Sāvitrī entreats Śrī Guru: I have observed many vows; by your word, please teach us some vow.

The wife, here named Sāvitrī, now asks for the specific vow Śrī Guru just alluded to — moving the teaching toward practical instruction.

Ask directly for practical guidance once you understand the principle behind it.

तुजवरी माझा विश्वास । तुजवाचोनि नेणू आणिकास । व्रत तूचि आम्हांस । व्रत तुझी चरणसेवा ॥८९॥

tujavarī mājhā viśvāsa | tujavāconi neṇū āṇikāsa | vrata tūci āmhāmsa | vrata tujhī caraṇasevā ||89||

My faith is in you; besides you I know no other; you alone are our vow; service at your feet is our vow.

Sāvitrī declares that devotion to the guru himself is her true vow — placing trust above ritual technicality.

Let sincere devotion to your guiding principle be the true center of your practice, more than any single ritual.

भक्ति राहे तुझे चरणी । ऐसा निरोप द्यावा मुनि । म्हणुनी लागली चरणी । कृपा करी म्हणोनिया ॥९०॥

bhakti rāhe tujhe caraṇī | aisā niropa dyāvā muni | mhaṇunī lāgalī caraṇī | kṛpā karī mhaṇoniyā ||90||

May devotion remain at your feet — give us this instruction, sage; so saying she clung to his feet, asking for his grace.

Her final request is simple — that her devotion to the guru remain steadfast, again clinging to his feet as the posture of true asking.

Ask, above all, for the grace to remain faithful to what you already know is good.

श्रीगुरु म्हणती तियेसी । सांगेन तुज व्रत ऐसी । स्थिर होय अहेवपणासी । राज्य पावे तुझा पति ॥९१॥

śrīguru mhaṇatī tiyesī | sāmgena tuja vrata aisī | sthira hoya ahevapaṇāsī | rājya pāve tujhā pati ||91||

Śrī Guru says to her: I will tell you this vow — by it your married state will become secure, and your husband will attain a kingdom.

Śrī Guru promises that the coming vow secures saubhāgya (marital good fortune) and even worldly prosperity for the husband.

Trust that a genuine spiritual practice can bring both inner steadiness and outer benefit.

दंपत्य विनवी श्रीगुरूसी । तुझे वाक्य कारण आम्हासी । जैसा तू निरोप देसी । तेणे रीती रहाटू ॥९२॥

dampatya vinavī śrīgurūsī | tujhe vākya kāraṇa āmhāsī | jaisā tū niropa desī | teṇe rītī rahāṭū ||92||

The couple entreats Śrī Guru: your word is the cause for us; however you instruct us, in that way we will conduct ourselves.

Both husband and wife together pledge full obedience to whatever Śrī Guru prescribes, showing complete surrender to the teaching.

Commit fully to following sound guidance once you have sincerely sought it.

जो गुरुवाक्य न करी । तो पडे रौरवघोरी । तुझे वाक्य आम्हा शिरी । म्हणूनि चरणी लागली ॥९३॥

jo guruvākya na karī | to paḍe rauravaghorī | tujhe vākya āmhā śirī | mhaṇūni caraṇī lāgalī ||93||

One who does not follow the guru's word falls into terrible hell; your word is upon our heads — so saying she clung to his feet.

The couple states the traditional teaching on the gravity of disregarding a guru's instruction, underscoring their resolve to obey.

Take guidance you have sought seriously enough to actually follow it.

भक्तवत्सल श्रीगुरुनाथ । सांगता जहाला अतिप्रीत । विस्तारोनि समर्थ । व्रत तिसी सांगतसे ॥९४॥

bhaktavatsala śrīgurunātha | sāmgatā jahālā atiprīta | vistāroni samartha | vrata tisī sāmgatase ||94||

The compassionate Śrī Gurunātha, greatly pleased at their asking, being capable, explains the vow to her at length.

Śrī Guru, moved by their sincerity, begins the detailed teaching of the vow — bhaktavatsala (loving toward devotees) in action.

Respond generously and fully when someone asks for guidance with real sincerity.

सिद्ध म्हणे नामधारका । श्रीगुरु म्हणती कौतुका । ऐकताती दंपती निका । अतिप्रीतिकरोनिया ॥९५॥

siddha mhaṇe nāmadhārakā | śrīguru mhaṇatī kautukā | aikatātī dampatī nikā | atiprītikaroniyā ||95||

Siddha says to Nāmadharak: Śrī Guru speaks with delight; the couple listens well, with great affection.

The narrative frame briefly returns to Siddha and Nāmadharak, reminding the listener this is a story within a story.

Listen to teachings with the same warm attention as the devoted couple in the story.

श्रीगुरु म्हणती तयांसी । सांगेन व्रत इतिहासी । ऋषि पुसती सूतासी । व्रत बरवे निरोपावे ॥९६॥

śrīguru mhaṇatī tayāmsī | sāmgena vrata itihāsī | ṛṣi pusatī sūtāsī | vrata barave niropāve ||96||

Śrī Guru says to them: I will tell the history of the vow; sages ask Sūta: please explain the vow well.

A further frame opens — the sages ask the storyteller Sūta for the vow's origin story, nesting the narrative once more.

Be willing to trace a practice back to its origin story to understand it fully.

सूत म्हणे ऋषीश्वरा । व्रत सांगेन मनोहरा । स्त्रिया अथवा पुरुषा बरा । व्रत असे अवधारा ॥९७॥

sūta mhaṇe ṛṣīśvarā | vrata sāmgena manoharā | striyā athavā puruṣā barā | vrata ase avadhārā ||97||

Sūta says, O great sages: I will tell the lovely vow; for women or for men alike, this vow exists, understand.

Sūta clarifies the vow is open to all — not restricted to women alone — broadening its universal value.

Look for spiritual practices that are genuinely open to everyone, not restricted by circumstance.

नित्यानंद असे शांत । निर्विकल्प विख्यात । ऐसा ईश्वर अर्चिता त्वरित । सकळाभीष्टे पाविजे ॥९८॥

nityānamda ase śāmta | nirvikalpa vikhyāta | aisā īśvara arcitā tvarita | sakaḷābhīṣṭe pāvije ||98||

Eternal bliss, peaceful, renowned as free of duality — worshipping such a God quickly, all desires are attained.

Sūta begins with the nature of the deity to be worshipped — nirvikalpa (free of dualistic thought) and eternally blissful — as the object of the vow.

Direct your worship or focus toward what is truly peaceful and unshakeable within.

संसारसागरात । विषयातुर आचरत । तेही पूजिता पूर्ण भक्त । त्यासी ईश्वर प्रसन्न होय ॥९९॥

samsārasāgarāta | viṣayātura ācarata | tehī pūjitā pūrṇa bhakta | tyāsī īśvara prasanna hoya ||99||

In the ocean of worldly life, engaged in sense-objects — even they, worshipping fully as devotees, God becomes pleased with them.

Even those absorbed in worldly life (saṃsāra) can attain divine favor through wholehearted devotion — grace is not reserved for renunciants alone.

Do not think spiritual practice is closed to you just because your life is full of worldly duties.

विरक्त अथवा संसाररत । विषयातुर आसक्त । जे पूजिती पूर्ण भक्त । त्यासी ईश्वर प्रसन्न होय ॥१००॥

virakta athavā samsārarata | viṣayātura āsakta | je pūjitī pūrṇa bhakta | tyāsī īśvara prasanna hoya ||100||

Whether detached or engaged in worldly life, attached to sense-objects — those who worship as full devotees, God becomes pleased with them.

The teaching repeats and reinforces the same point — sincerity of devotion matters more than one's external state of renunciation or engagement.

Judge your spiritual progress by the sincerity of your devotion, not by your outward circumstances.

तेणे पाविजे पैलपार । ऐसे बोलती वेदशास्त्र । स्वर्गापवर्गा अधिकार । त्यासी होय परियेसा ॥१॥

teṇe pāvije pailapāra | aise bolatī vedaśāstra | svargāpavargā adhikāra | tyāsī hoya pariyesā ||1||

By that one attains the far shore; so say the Vedas and scriptures; that person gains the right to heaven and liberation, understand.

The scriptures promise that sincere worship carries one across — granting both svarga (heaven) and apavarga (liberation).

Aim your efforts at goals that serve both present well-being and lasting peace.

विशेष व्रत असे ऐक । सोमवार व्रतनायक । ईश्वरार्चन करा विवेक । सकळाभीष्टे पाविजे ॥२॥

viśeṣa vrata ase aika | somavāra vratanāyaka | īśvarārcana karā viveka | sakaḷābhīṣṭe pāvije ||2||

Listen to this special vow: Monday is the foremost day for vows; worship God with discernment, and all desires are attained.

Sūta now names the specific practice — the Somavāra vrata (Monday vow), sacred to Śiva, as the vehicle for the promised blessings.

Choose one specific, regular day or practice to anchor your devotion, rather than leaving it vague.

नक्त भोजन उपवासी । जितेंद्रिय करा विशेषी । वैदिक तांत्रिक पूजेसी । विधिपूर्वक सकळिक ॥३॥

nakta bhojana upavāsī | jitemdriya karā viśeṣī | vaidika tāmtrika pūjesī | vidhipūrvaka sakaḷika ||3||

Eat only at night while fasting, practicing self-control especially; perform Vedic or tantric worship, according to due procedure, all of it.

The vow's discipline is spelled out — a single evening meal, sense-restraint, and worship performed with proper ritual care.

Bring real discipline — not just good intentions — to any practice you commit to.

गृहस्थ अथवा ब्रह्मचारी । सुवासिनी कन्याकुमारी । भर्तृविण विधवा नारी । व्रत करावे अवधारा ॥४॥

gṛhastha athavā brahmacārī | suvāsinī kanyākumārī | bhartṛviṇa vidhavā nārī | vrata karāve avadhārā ||4||

Householder or celibate student, married woman or unmarried maiden, widow without a husband — all should perform this vow, understand.

The vow's openness is stressed once more — every stage and condition of life, married or not, may observe it.

Offer or seek out spiritual practices that welcome people at every stage of life.

याचे पूर्वील आख्यान । सांगेन ऐका अतिगहन । ऐकता करी पावन । सकळासही परियेसा ॥५॥

yāce pūrvīla ākhyāna | sāmgena aikā atigahana | aikatā karī pāvana | sakaḷāsahī pariyesā ||5||

I will tell the ancient story behind this; listen, it is very profound; hearing it purifies, understand this, everyone.

Sūta promises the story's origin will itself be purifying to hear — beginning the tale of King Chitravarma and Simantini.

Approach a sacred story expecting it to teach and purify, not merely entertain.

स्कंदपुराणींची कथा । सर्व साद्यंत ऐका । पूर्वयुगी आर्यावर्तका । राजा एक अवधारा ॥६॥

skamdapurāṇīmcī kathā | sarva sādyamta aikā | pūrvayugī āryāvartakā | rājā eka avadhārā ||6||

This story is from the Skanda Purāṇa; hear it all from beginning to end; in a former age in Āryāvarta there was a king, understand.

The tale is credited to the Skanda Purāṇa, set in ancient Āryāvarta (the land of the Āryas), grounding it in scriptural authority.

Value stories that carry the weight of a long, trusted tradition behind them.

चित्रवर्मा नाम त्यासी । धर्मात्मा राजा परियेसी । धर्ममार्ग आचरे हर्षी । अधर्माते शिक्षा करी ॥७॥

citravarmā nāma tyāsī | dharmātmā rājā pariyesī | dharmamārga ācare harṣī | adharmāte śikṣā karī ||7||

His name was Chitravarma, a righteous king, listen; he walked the path of dharma joyfully, and punished unrighteousness.

King Chitravarma is introduced as a model of dharma (righteousness), both practicing it himself and enforcing it as ruler.

Lead by living the values you wish to uphold, not only by enforcing rules on others.

अखिल पुण्ये त्याणे केली । सकल संपत्ति वाढविली । समस्त पृथ्वी जिंकिली । पराक्रमेकरूनिया ॥८॥

akhila puṇye tyāṇe kelī | sakala sampatti vāḍhavilī | samasta pṛthvī jimkilī | parākramekarūniyā ||8||

He performed every kind of merit, increased all his wealth, and conquered the whole earth through his valor.

Chitravarma's virtue and valor together bring him worldly success — merit and prowess reinforcing one another.

Pair ethical conduct with real effort and skill to achieve lasting success.

सहपत्‍नी धर्म करिती । पुत्रकाम्ये शिवाप्रती । ऐसा किती काळ क्रमिती । कन्या झाली तयाते ॥९॥

sahapat‍nī dharma karitī | putrakāmye śivāpratī | aisā kitī kāḷa kramitī | kanyā jhālī tayāte ||9||

With his wife he performed rites for the sake of a child to Śiva; after some such time passed, a daughter was born to him.

The royal couple's devout prayers to Śiva for offspring are answered with the birth of a daughter, the heroine of the coming story.

Bring devotion and patience to your deepest hopes, and accept whatever form the answer takes.

अतिसुंदर सुलक्षण । पार्वतीरूपासमान । तेज फाके सूर्यकिरण । अतिलावण्य न वर्णवे ॥११०॥

atisumdara sulakṣaṇa | pārvatīrūpāsamāna | teja phāke sūryakiraṇa | atilāvaṇya na varṇave ||110||

Extremely beautiful and well-formed, equal to Pārvatī's form, radiant like sunbeams, her great loveliness beyond description.

The infant princess's extraordinary beauty is compared to the goddess Pārvatī herself, marking her as an exceptional figure.

Recognize and honor exceptional qualities in a child without letting praise become mere vanity.

वर्तावया जातकासी । बोलाविले ज्योतिषी । द्विज मिळाले अपारेसी । वर्तविती जातक ॥११॥

vartāvayā jātakāsī | bolāvile jyotiṣī | dvija miḷāle apāresī | vartavitī jātaka ||11||

To cast her horoscope, astrologers were called; countless brahmins gathered, casting the birth-chart.

As was customary, the family gathers learned brahmins to read the newborn's fate through traditional birth calculations.

Seek wise, experienced counsel when facing decisions about a child's future.

म्हणती कन्या सुलक्षण । नामे सीमंतिनी जाण । उमेसारखे मांगल्यपण । किंवा दमयंतीस्वरूप होय ॥१२॥

mhaṇatī kanyā sulakṣaṇa | nāme sīmamtinī jāṇa | umesārakhe māmgalyapaṇa | kimvā damayamtīsvarūpa hoya ||12||

They say the daughter is well-formed, named Sīmantinī, understand — auspicious like Umā, or of Damayantī's form.

The princess is named Sīmantinī and likened to legendary paragons of virtue and beauty, Umā and Damayantī.

Give a child a name and example worth living up to.

भागीरथीऐसी रूपासी । लक्ष्मीसारिखी गुणराशी । ज्ञाने देवमतासरसी । जानकीसमान पतिव्रता ॥१३॥

bhāgīrathīaisī rūpāsī | lakṣmīsārikhī guṇarāśī | jñāne devamatāsarasī | jānakīsamāna pativratā ||13||

Her beauty like the Bhāgīrathī river, her virtues like Lakṣmī's abundance, in wisdom equal to the gods' opinion, chaste like Jānakī.

A cascade of comparisons — river, goddess, wisdom, and pativratā (chastity) — establishes Sīmantinī as ideal in every respect.

Aspire to combine beauty of character with wisdom and steadfastness, not any one alone.

सूर्यासारिखी होईल कांति । चंद्रासमान मनशांति । दहा सहस्त्र वरुषे ख्याति । पतीसह राज्य करील ॥१४॥

sūryāsārikhī hoīla kāmti | camdrāsamāna manaśāmti | dahā sahastra varuṣe khyāti | patīsaha rājya karīla ||14||

Her radiance will be like the sun, her peace of mind like the moon; for ten thousand years of fame she will rule the kingdom together with her husband.

The astrologers foretell a glorious, harmonious married life and lasting fame for the princess — the good news before the twist to come.

Hold on to hope and good news fully, even knowing life may yet bring hard turns.

जातक वर्तवले तिसी । राव पावला अतिहर्षी । अखिल दाने विप्रांसी । देता जाहला अवधारा ॥१५॥

jātaka vartavale tisī | rāva pāvalā atiharṣī | akhila dāne viprāmsī | detā jāhalā avadhārā ||15||

Her horoscope was cast; the king was overjoyed, and gave generous gifts to the brahmins.

The king celebrates his daughter's birth with a horoscope reading and lavish gifts to brahmins -- the joy of new life expressed through dana (giving).

Mark life's good news by giving generously to those who serve others.

असता राव सभेसी । द्विज एक परियेसी । भय न धरिता वाक्यासी । बोलतसे अवधारा ॥१६॥

asatā rāva sabhesī | dvija eka pariyesī | bhaya na dharitā vākyāsī | bolatase avadhārā ||16||

While the king sat in his court, a certain brahmin, listen, spoke his words fearlessly.

Truth-telling requires courage even before power -- the brahmin will not soften what he must say, whatever the king's mood.

Speak a hard truth to those in authority rather than flatter them into comfort.

ऐक राया माझे वचन । कन्यालक्षण मी सांगेन । चवदावे वर्षी विधवापण । होईल इयेसी जाण पा ॥१७॥

aika rāyā mājhe vacana | kanyālakṣaṇa mī sāmgena | cavadāve varṣī vidhavāpaṇa | hoīla iyesī jāṇa pā ||17||

Listen, O king, to my words; I will tell you the girl's fate: in her fourteenth year widowhood will come to her, know this.

The brahmin foretells the central wound of the story -- vidhavapana (widowhood) at fourteen -- setting the whole tale of vow, loss, and restoration in motion.

When you receive hard news about the future, let it become a reason to prepare and pray rather than to despair.

ऐसे वाक्य परिसोनि । राव पडिला मूर्छा येवोनि । चिंता वर्तलि बहु मनी । विप्रवाक्य परिसता ॥१८॥

aise vākya parisoni | rāva paḍilā mūrchā yevoni | cimtā vartali bahu manī | vipravākya parisatā ||18||

Hearing these words, the king fell down fainting; great anxiety arose in his mind on hearing the brahmin's words.

A parent's love collapses under the weight of a child's foretold suffering -- grief here is love in its rawest form.

Let a loved one's pain move you to compassion, not to giving up on hope.

ऐसे सांगोनि ब्राह्मण । गेला निघोनि तत्क्षण । सर्व दुःखाते पावून । तळमळीत तेधवा ॥१९॥

aise sāmgoni brāhmaṇa | gelā nighoni tatkṣaṇa | sarva duḥkhāte pāvūna | taḷamaḷīta tedhavā ||19||

Having said this, the brahmin departed at once; overcome with grief of every kind, the king writhed in anguish then.

The messenger of hard truth leaves; those who remain must carry the weight alone -- this is the burden of foreknowledge.

When you cannot undo bad news, sit with the discomfort instead of numbing it.

ऐसे बालपण क्रमिता । सप्त वर्षे जाती तत्त्वता । चिंतीत होती मातापिता । वर्‍हाड केवी करावे ॥१२०॥

aise bālapaṇa kramitā | sapta varṣe jātī tattvatā | cimtīta hotī mātāpitā | var‍hāḍa kevī karāve ||120||

So her childhood passed; seven years truly went by; her parents remained anxious about how to arrange her wedding.

Time moves the story forward while the parents' worry never rests -- the prophecy hangs over every ordinary milestone of growing up.

Do not let a single fear color every stage of a loved one's growth; let years bring their own answers.

चवदावे वर्षी विधवापण । म्हणोनि बोलिला ब्राह्मण । तेणे व्याकुळ अंतःकरण । राजा-राजपत्‍नीचे ॥२१॥

cavadāve varṣī vidhavāpaṇa | mhaṇoni bolilā brāhmaṇa | teṇe vyākuḷa amtaḥkaraṇa | rājā-rājapat‍nīce ||21||

'In the fourteenth year, widowhood' -- thus the brahmin had spoken; because of this the hearts of the king and queen were troubled.

The prophecy is restated, driving home how thoroughly it has taken over the royal couple's inner life.

Notice when a single worry has quietly captured your whole mind, and choose to loosen its grip.

कन्या खेळे राजांगणी । सवे सखयाते घेवोनि । बोलता ऐकिले विप्रवचनी । चौदावे वर्षी विधवत्व ॥२२॥

kanyā kheḷe rājāmgaṇī | save sakhayāte ghevoni | bolatā aikile vipravacanī | caudāve varṣī vidhavatva ||22||

The girl was playing in the palace courtyard with her friends when she overheard, in conversation, the brahmin's words: widowhood in the fourteenth year.

Innocent play is interrupted by the sudden knowledge of her own fate -- the princess now carries consciously what her parents have carried in secret.

Face uncomfortable truths about your own future directly rather than pretending you never heard them.

ऐसे ऐकोनि वचन । कन्या करीतसे चिंतन । वर्तता आली एक दिन । तया घरी ब्रह्मस्त्री देखा ॥२३॥

aise aikoni vacana | kanyā karītase cimtana | vartatā ālī eka dina | tayā gharī brahmastrī dekhā ||23||

Hearing these words, the girl fell into deep thought; as time passed, one day a brahmin woman came to that house.

Anxiety turns to reflection, and reflection opens the door to help arriving -- grace often meets a mind that has begun to seek.

When worry sets in, turn it into a search for guidance rather than letting it fester.

याज्ञवल्क्याचिया पत्‍नी । मैत्रेयी म्हणोनि । घरी आली देखोनि । चरण धरीत तेधवा ॥२४॥

yājñavalkyāciyā pat‍nī | maitreyī mhaṇoni | gharī ālī dekhoni | caraṇa dharīta tedhavā ||24||

Maitreyi, the wife of the sage Yajnavalkya, came to the house; seeing her, the girl at once clasped her feet.

A learned, spiritually accomplished woman arrives as a guide -- the girl's instinct is carana-sparsha (touching the feet), the traditional gesture of seeking a teacher's blessing.

When wisdom crosses your path, greet it with humility rather than casual acquaintance.

भावे साष्टांग नमूनि । करसंपुट जोडोनि । विनवी करुणावचनी । माते प्रतिपाळी म्हणतसे ॥२५॥

bhāve sāṣṭāmga namūni | karasampuṭa joḍoni | vinavī karuṇāvacanī | māte pratipāḷī mhaṇatase ||25||

With devotion she bowed full-length to the ground, joined her palms, and pleaded in sorrowful words: 'Mother, protect me,' she said.

Full prostration (sashtanga namaskara) and the cry 'protect me' show total surrender -- she brings her whole self, body and voice, to the plea.

Ask for help with your whole being, not half-heartedly, when you truly need it.

सौभाग्य स्थिर होय जेणे । उपाय सांगे मजकारणे । चंचळ असे अंतःकरणे । म्हणूनि चरणी लागली ॥२६॥

saubhāgya sthira hoya jeṇe | upāya sāmge majakāraṇe | camcaḷa ase amtaḥkaraṇe | mhaṇūni caraṇī lāgalī ||26||

'Tell me the remedy by which my marital fortune may become secure -- my heart is restless,' and so she clung to her feet.

Saubhagya (the blessing of an unwidowed married life) is what she seeks to steady -- her restlessness is honestly named, not hidden.

Name your deepest fear plainly to a trusted guide instead of dancing around it.

कन्या विनवी तियेसी । ऐसे व्रत सांग आम्हांसी । आम्हा जननी तूचि होसी । व्रत सांग म्हणतसे ॥२७॥

kanyā vinavī tiyesī | aise vrata sāmga āmhāmsī | āmhā jananī tūci hosī | vrata sāmga mhaṇatase ||27||

The girl entreated her: 'Teach us such a vow; you alone are a mother to us -- please teach us the observance.'

She claims Maitreyi as mother in all but blood -- true teachers often become family through the trust placed in them.

Let those who guide you spiritually earn the same trust you would give family.

ऐकोनि कन्येच्या वचना । बोले मैत्रेयी जाणा । शरण रिघावे उमारमणा । अहेवपण स्थिर होय ॥२८॥

aikoni kanyecyā vacanā | bole maitreyī jāṇā | śaraṇa righāve umāramaṇā | ahevapaṇa sthira hoya ||28||

Hearing the girl's words, Maitreyi spoke: 'Take refuge in Uma's beloved (Shiva); thus lasting wifehood (ahevapana) becomes secure.'

The remedy offered is not magic but surrender -- refuge (sharana) in the divine couple Shiva-Parvati as the ground of a stable married life.

When anxious about the future, anchor yourself in devotion rather than in control.

सोमवार परियेसी । व्रत आचरी नेमेसी । पूजा करावी शिवासी । उपवास करुनी अवधारा ॥२९॥

somavāra pariyesī | vrata ācarī nemesī | pūjā karāvī śivāsī | upavāsa karunī avadhārā ||29||

'Listen: observe the vow regularly on Monday; worship Shiva, keeping a fast,' she said.

A concrete practice is prescribed -- the weekly Somavara vrata -- turning abstract faith into disciplined, repeated action.

Turn your devotion into a regular weekly practice rather than an occasional impulse.

बरवे सुस्नात होवोनि । पीतांबर नेसोनि । मन स्थिर करोनि । पूजा करावी गौरीहरा ॥१३०॥

barave susnāta hovoni | pītāmbara nesoni | mana sthira karoni | pūjā karāvī gaurīharā ||130||

'Having bathed well, wearing yellow silk, steadying the mind, worship Gauri and Hara (Parvati and Shiva).'

Outer cleanliness, proper dress, and a settled mind together prepare the ground for worship -- body and mind are readied as one.

Prepare yourself properly, inside and out, before any act of devotion or important task.

अभिषेके पापक्षय । पीठ पूजिता साम्राज्य । गंधाक्षता पुष्पमाल्य । सौभाग्यसौख्य पाविजे ॥३१॥

abhiṣeke pāpakṣaya | pīṭha pūjitā sāmrājya | gamdhākṣatā puṣpamālya | saubhāgyasaukhya pāvije ||31||

By ritual bathing (abhisheka) sin is destroyed; worshipping the pedestal brings sovereignty; sandal paste, rice grains, and flower garlands bring the joy of good fortune.

Each ritual element is tied to a specific fruit -- the text teaches that worship is a language where every gesture carries meaning.

Give each small act of service or devotion its due care, trusting that details matter.

सौगंध होय धूपाने । कांति पाविजे दीपदाने । भोग नैवेद्यार्पणे । तांबूलदाने लक्ष्मी स्थिर ॥३२॥

saugamdha hoya dhūpāne | kāmti pāvije dīpadāne | bhoga naivedyārpaṇe | tāmbūladāne lakṣmī sthira ||32||

Fragrance comes from offering incense, radiance from offering the lamp, enjoyment from offering food, and Lakshmi (prosperity) becomes steady through the offering of betel.

The list continues, mapping simple offerings -- incense, lamp, food, betel -- to the blessings they are believed to invite.

Offer what is simple and within your means; sincerity, not grandeur, is what counts.

चतुर्विध पुरुषार्थ । नमस्कारिता त्वरित । अष्टैश्वर्यै नांदत । ईश्वरजप केलिया ॥३३॥

caturvidha puruṣārtha | namaskāritā tvarita | aṣṭaiśvaryai nāmdata | īśvarajapa keliyā ||33||

The four aims of life (dharma, artha, kama, moksha) are gained swiftly by bowing; the eight forms of prosperity flourish when the Lord's name is chanted.

A single bow and repeated chanting are said to unlock the full range of human striving -- devotion is presented as the shortest path to every legitimate goal.

Let a simple daily practice of remembrance anchor your pursuit of life's larger goals.

होमे सर्व कोश पूर्ण । समृद्धि होतसे जाण । करिता ब्राह्मणभोजन । सर्व देवता तृप्त होती ॥३४॥

home sarva kośa pūrṇa | samṛddhi hotase jāṇa | karitā brāhmaṇabhojana | sarva devatā tṛpta hotī ||34||

Through fire-offerings (homa) every treasury is filled and prosperity comes; by feeding brahmins, all the gods become satisfied.

Ritual fire and feeding the learned are treated as one continuous act of generosity that returns as abundance.

Feed and support those who serve knowledge and community as part of your own practice of generosity.

ऐसे सोमवार व्रत । कन्ये करी वो निश्चित । भव आलिया दुरित । परिहरती महाक्लेश ॥३५॥

aise somavāra vrata | kanye karī vo niścita | bhava āliyā durita | pariharatī mahākleśa ||35||

'Thus, O girl, keep the Monday vow with resolve; whatever misfortune comes in life, it removes even the greatest afflictions.'

Maitreyi closes her teaching by promising the vow's power against even mahaklesha (the gravest suffering) -- a promise the story will now test.

Commit fully to a practice, trusting it even before you see its results.

गौरीहरपूजा करिता । समस्त दुरिते जाती तत्त्वता । ऐकोनि सीमंतिनी तत्त्वता । अंगिकारिले व्रत देखा ॥३६॥

gaurīharapūjā karitā | samasta durite jātī tattvatā | aikoni sīmamtinī tattvatā | amgikārile vrata dekhā ||36||

By worshipping Gauri and Hara, all misfortunes truly depart; hearing this, Simantini indeed took up the vow.

The princess is now named -- Simantini -- and formally adopts the practice, moving from fear to disciplined faith.

Turn a lesson you have received into an action you actually begin.

सोमवारचे व्रत । आचरे सीमंतिनी त्वरित । पिता देखोनि निश्चित । विवाहायोग्य म्हणोनि ॥३७॥

somavārace vrata | ācare sīmamtinī tvarita | pitā dekhoni niścita | vivāhāyogya mhaṇoni ||37||

Simantini promptly practiced the Monday vow; her father, seeing this with certainty, judged her ready for marriage.

Steady devotion becomes, in her father's eyes, a sign of maturity -- spiritual discipline and readiness for life's next stage are seen together.

Let visible discipline in small things earn you trust for bigger responsibilities.

राजा विचारी मानसी । वर्‍हाड करावे कन्येसी । जैसे प्राक्तन असेल तिसी । तैसे घडो म्हणतसे ॥३८॥

rājā vicārī mānasī | var‍hāḍa karāve kanyesī | jaise prāktana asela tisī | taise ghaḍo mhaṇatase ||38||

The king thought in his mind: 'I should arrange my daughter's wedding; whatever is destined for her, let that come to pass.'

Even while acting, the king surrenders the outcome to praktana (destiny) -- human effort and acceptance of fate walk together.

Do your part fully, then release the outcome instead of trying to control it.

विचारोनि मंत्रियांसी । पाठविता झाला राष्ट्रांसी । दमयंतीनळवंशी । इंद्रसेनाचा कुमारक ॥३९॥

vicāroni mamtriyāmsī | pāṭhavitā jhālā rāṣṭrāmsī | damayamtīnaḷavamśī | imdrasenācā kumāraka ||39||

Consulting his ministers, he sent envoys to other lands, seeking a match from the lineage of Nala and Damayanti -- the son of Indrasena.

A groom is sought from a lineage already famous for devotion and constancy -- Nala and Damayanti's own story of tested loyalty foreshadows what is to come.

Seek counsel from trusted advisors before major life decisions.

चंद्रांगद वर बरवा । जैसा तेज चंद्रप्रभा । बोलाविले विवाहशोभा । कन्या दिधली संतोषे ॥१४०॥

camdrāmgada vara baravā | jaisā teja camdraprabhā | bolāvile vivāhaśobhā | kanyā didhalī samtoṣe ||140||

Chandrangad, a fine groom, radiant like moonlight, was invited for the splendor of the wedding; the girl was joyfully given in marriage.

Chandrangad's very name means 'moon-limbed' -- his radiance sets up the light that the coming darkness (his apparent death) will threaten.

Celebrate joyful unions fully, while remembering that no happiness is guaranteed against trial.

राजे भूमांडलिक देखा । समस्त आले वर्‍हाडिका । वर्‍हाड झाले अतिकौतुका । महोत्साह नानापरी ॥४१॥

rāje bhūmāmḍalika dekhā | samasta āle var‍hāḍikā | var‍hāḍa jhāle atikautukā | mahotsāha nānāparī ||41||

Behold, kings from all over the earth came as wedding guests; the marriage became a matter of great delight, celebrated in many ways.

The scale of celebration shows the importance of the match -- a whole community rejoices before the story's first trial.

Share your joys widely; community celebration strengthens the bonds that will later support you in hardship.

नाना द्रव्यालंकार । वर्‍हाडिका देई नृपवर । अखिल दाने देकार । विप्रालागी देता झाला ॥४२॥

nānā dravyālamkāra | var‍hāḍikā deī nṛpavara | akhila dāne dekāra | viprālāgī detā jhālā ||42||

The excellent king gave many kinds of wealth and ornaments to the wedding guests, and gave abundant gifts and donations to the brahmins.

Generosity accompanies celebration -- wealth is shared outward at the very moment of family joy.

Mark your happiest occasions by giving to others, not only by receiving.

पाठवणी केली सकळिका । जामात ठेविला कौतुका । कन्यास्नेह अनेका । म्हणोनि राहविले राजपुत्रा ॥४३॥

pāṭhavaṇī kelī sakaḷikā | jāmāta ṭhevilā kautukā | kanyāsneha anekā | mhaṇoni rāhavile rājaputrā ||43||

Everyone was sent off with farewell gifts; the son-in-law alone was kept back with affection; out of great love for his daughter, the prince was made to stay.

A father's tenderness keeps the newlyweds near, a small mercy that will make the coming grief sharper, since it happens under his own roof.

Cherish the time loved ones choose to stay close, knowing such closeness is a gift, not a guarantee.

राजपुत्र श्वशुरगृही । स्त्रिया प्रीति अतिस्नेही । काळ क्रमिता एके समयी । जलक्रीडेसी निघाला ॥४४॥

rājaputra śvaśuragṛhī | striyā prīti atisnehī | kāḷa kramitā eke samayī | jalakrīḍesī nighālā ||44||

The prince lived at his father-in-law's house in deep affection with his wife; as time passed, one day he went out for water sport.

Domestic happiness is described briefly before an ordinary outing turns fateful -- the story reminds us how thin the line is between ease and calamity.

Treat ordinary happy days as precious, since none of us knows which one holds a turning point.

कालिंदी म्हणिजे नदीसी । राजपुत्र परियेसी । सर्व दळ समागमेसी । गेला नदीसी विनोदे ॥४५॥

kālimdī mhaṇije nadīsī | rājaputra pariyesī | sarva daḷa samāgamesī | gelā nadīsī vinode ||45||

To the river called Kalindi (the Yamuna), listen, the prince went for sport, accompanied by his whole retinue.

The specific river is named -- the Yamuna, already famous in myth as Krishna's river -- grounding the fantastic events that follow in a real place.

Enjoy leisure and recreation, but stay mindful even in play.

राजपुत्र निघे नदीत । सवे निघाले लोक बहुत । विनोदे असे पोहत । अतिहर्षे जलक्रीडा ॥४६॥

rājaputra nighe nadīta | save nighāle loka bahuta | vinode ase pohata | atiharṣe jalakrīḍā ||46||

The prince went into the river; many people went in along with him; he swam playfully, in great joy at the water sport.

The scene of pure, carefree joy is drawn out just before disaster, so the reader feels the full weight of what is about to be lost.

Savor moments of simple joy fully; they need no other justification.

पोहता राजकुमार देखा । बुडाला मध्ये गंगोदका । आकांत झाला सकळिका । काढा काढा म्हणताती ॥४७॥

pohatā rājakumāra dekhā | buḍālā madhye gamgodakā | ākāmta jhālā sakaḷikā | kāḍhā kāḍhā mhaṇatātī ||47||

Behold, while swimming, the prince sank in the middle of the river's water; a great alarm arose among all, crying 'pull him out, pull him out!'

Calamity strikes without warning in the middle of play -- the crowd's helpless cry captures how suddenly control is lost.

In a crisis, act at once and call for help without hesitation, as the onlookers do here.

सवे सैन्य लोक सकळ । होते नावेकरी प्रबळ । उदकी पाहताती तये वेळ । न दिसे कोठे बुडाला ॥४८॥

save sainya loka sakaḷa | hote nāvekarī prabaḷa | udakī pāhatātī taye veḷa | na dise koṭhe buḍālā ||48||

The whole army was there, along with strong boatmen; they searched in the water at that time, but nowhere could they see where he had drowned.

Even strength and numbers cannot recover what has vanished -- human effort meets its limit here, opening space for what only providence can restore.

Accept when your best effort has reached its limit, and turn to faith rather than despair.

उभय तटी सैन्यातून । धावत गेले राजसदना । व्यवस्था सांगती संपूर्ण । जामात तुमचा बुडाला ॥४९॥

ubhaya taṭī sainyātūna | dhāvata gele rājasadanā | vyavasthā sāmgatī sampūrṇa | jāmāta tumacā buḍālā ||49||

From the army on both banks, men ran to the royal palace and reported everything fully: 'Your son-in-law has drowned.'

The unbearable news must still be delivered -- duty compels the messengers even when the message is grief itself.

When you must deliver hard news, do it fully and honestly rather than delaying it.

कालिंदी नदीच्या डोहात । संगतीने होते पोहत । अदृश्य झाला त्वरित । न दिसे कुमार बुडाला ॥१५०॥

kālimdī nadīcyā ḍohāta | samgatīne hote pohata | adṛśya jhālā tvarita | na dise kumāra buḍālā ||150||

In a deep pool of the Kalindi river, he had been swimming together with others; he vanished suddenly, and the prince, having drowned, was seen no more.

The narrator repeats the disappearance from another angle, underlining how total and inexplicable the loss appeared to everyone present.

When loss feels sudden and senseless, allow yourself to grieve rather than demand an explanation immediately.

ऐकोनि राजा पडे धरणी । मूर्च्छना येऊनि तत्क्षणी । कन्या ऐकताच श्रवणी । त्यजू पाहे प्राणाते ॥५१॥

aikoni rājā paḍe dharaṇī | mūrcchanā yeūni tatkṣaṇī | kanyā aikatāca śravaṇī | tyajū pāhe prāṇāte ||51||

Hearing it, the king fell to the ground, fainting at once; as soon as the girl heard it with her ears, she sought to give up her life.

Grief here is total and immediate on both sides -- father and daughter mirror each other's collapse before the crisis has even settled.

When grief overwhelms you, let those around you catch you rather than facing it entirely alone.

राजा कन्येसी संबोखित । आपण गेला धावत । राजस्त्रिया शोक करीत । कन्यादुःखे अतिबहु ॥५२॥

rājā kanyesī sambokhita | āpaṇa gelā dhāvata | rājastriyā śoka karīta | kanyāduḥkhe atibahu ||52||

The king consoled his daughter, then himself ran to the scene; the royal women wept, and the daughter's grief was very great.

Even in his own shock the king turns first to comfort his child before acting -- care for another momentarily outweighs his own collapse.

In shared crisis, comfort those more vulnerable than you before attending fully to your own pain.

सीमंतिनी करी शोका । म्हणे देवा त्रिपुरांतका । शरण रिघालिया देखा । मरण कैसे न आले मज ॥५३॥

sīmamtinī karī śokā | mhaṇe devā tripurāmtakā | śaraṇa righāliyā dekhā | maraṇa kaise na āle maja ||53||

Simantini grieved, saying: 'O God, destroyer of Tripura, behold -- having taken refuge in you, why has death not come to me instead?'

She questions Shiva directly, the god she took refuge in -- grief here dares to argue with the divine rather than merely submit.

It is honest, not sinful, to voice your anguish to God in the depths of loss.

मृत्यु चवदा वर्षी जाण । म्हणोनि धरिले तुमचे चरण । वृथा गेले व्रताचरण । सोमवार शिवाचे ॥५४॥

mṛtyu cavadā varṣī jāṇa | mhaṇoni dharile tumace caraṇa | vṛthā gele vratācaraṇa | somavāra śivāce ||54||

'Knowing death was destined in the fourteenth year, I clasped your feet -- my Monday vow to Shiva has gone in vain.'

The prophecy she once feared for herself has struck her husband instead -- she feels her devotion has failed even as it works itself out in an unexpected way.

When your prayers seem unanswered in the way you hoped, hold on rather than abandon faith prematurely.

तव देणे अढळ सकळा । मज उपेक्षिले जाश्वनीळा । अपकीर्ति तुज केवळा । शरणागता रक्षिसी ॥५५॥

tava deṇe aḍhaḷa sakaḷā | maja upekṣile jāśvanīḷā | apakīrti tuja kevaḷā | śaraṇāgatā rakṣisī ||55||

'Your gifts are said to be unfailing for all, yet you, O dark-throated one, have neglected me -- it brings only ill fame to you, who are said to protect those who take refuge.'

She holds Shiva to his own reputation as protector of the surrendered (sharanagata-rakshaka) -- even her accusation is an act of faith, expecting him to prove true.

Hold your convictions to account honestly, even when you are disappointed by how they seem to be playing out.

स्मरण करी श्रीगुरूसी । याज्ञवल्क्यपत्‍नीसी । सांगितले व्रत आम्हांसी । सौभाग्य स्थिर म्हणोनिया ॥५६॥

smaraṇa karī śrīgurūsī | yājñavalkyapat‍nīsī | sāmgitale vrata āmhāmsī | saubhāgya sthira mhaṇoniyā ||56||

She remembers Sri Guru, and Yajnavalkya's wife, who had taught them the vow, saying it would keep marital fortune secure.

In crisis she returns to the source of her teaching, Maitreyi's promise -- memory of a teacher's word becomes an anchor in despair.

Return to the teaching of trusted guides when a trial makes you doubt everything.

तिचिया वाक्ये करूनि । पूजिली शिवभवानी । वृथा झाली माझे मनी । शीघ्र विनवी शिवासी ॥५७॥

ticiyā vākye karūni | pūjilī śivabhavānī | vṛthā jhālī mājhe manī | śīghra vinavī śivāsī ||57||

'Following her words we worshipped Shiva and Bhavani; in my mind it seems to have been in vain' -- swiftly she pleads with Shiva.

Doubt and prayer coexist in the same breath -- she voices despair yet keeps praying, which is itself an act of faith.

Keep praying even through doubt; the act of turning toward God matters more than certainty.

ऐसे दुःखे प्रलापत । सीमंतिनी जाय रडत । गंगाप्रवेश करीन म्हणत । निघाली वेगे गंगेसी ॥५८॥

aise duḥkhe pralāpata | sīmamtinī jāya raḍata | gamgāpraveśa karīna mhaṇata | nighālī vege gamgesī ||58||

Lamenting thus in grief, Simantini went weeping, saying 'I will enter the Ganga,' and set off swiftly toward the river.

Grief tips toward self-destruction -- the story does not shy from showing how despair can drive even the devout to the brink.

If grief pushes you toward drastic action, seek someone to hold you back, as this story insists someone must.

पिता देखोनि नयनी । धरावया गेला धावोनी । कन्येते आलिंगोनी । दुःख करी अत्यंत ॥५९॥

pitā dekhoni nayanī | dharāvayā gelā dhāvonī | kanyete ālimgonī | duḥkha karī atyamta ||59||

Her father, seeing her with his own eyes, ran to hold her back; embracing his daughter, he grieved exceedingly.

The father's intervention arrives just in time -- love physically restrains despair before it becomes irreversible.

Physically show up for someone in crisis; presence itself can be the intervention that saves them.

सकळ मंत्री पुरोहित । सर्व सैन्य दुःख करीत । बोलाविले नावेकरी त्वरित । पहा म्हणती गंगेत ॥१६०॥

sakaḷa mamtrī purohita | sarva sainya duḥkha karīta | bolāvile nāvekarī tvarita | pahā mhaṇatī gamgeta ||160||

All the ministers and priests, the whole army, grieved; boatmen were quickly summoned and told to search in the Ganga.

The whole court mobilizes in shared mourning and practical search at once -- communal grief does not exclude communal action.

Let a community's grief translate into concrete help, not only shared sorrow.

गंगा सकळ शोधिती । न दिसे कुमार कवणे गती । शोक करीतसे सीमंती । राजा संबोखी तियेसी ॥६१॥

gamgā sakaḷa śodhitī | na dise kumāra kavaṇe gatī | śoka karītase sīmamtī | rājā sambokhī tiyesī ||61||

They searched the whole Ganga, but the prince was found by no means; Simantini grieved, and the king consoled her.

The futility of the search deepens the grief, yet consolation continues alongside it -- hope and mourning are held together.

Continue to comfort a grieving person even when there is no news to offer, since your presence itself comforts.

राजकुमाराचे सेवक । करू लागले बहु दुःख । सांगो गेले पुत्रशोक । इंद्रसेनाकारणे ॥६२॥

rājakumārāce sevaka | karū lāgale bahu duḥkha | sāmgo gele putraśoka | imdrasenākāraṇe ||62||

The prince's own servants began to grieve greatly, and went to tell his father Indrasena of the loss of his son.

The circle of grief widens outward -- even servants mourn, and the sorrowful news must now travel to a second household.

Recognize that a loss ripples out to touch many beyond the immediate family; extend your care accordingly.

ऐकोनिया इंद्रसेन । दुःख करी अतिगहन । भार्येसहित धावून । आला तया मृत्युस्थळा ॥६३॥

aikoniyā imdrasena | duḥkha karī atigahana | bhāryesahita dhāvūna | ālā tayā mṛtyusthaḷā ||63||

Hearing this, Indrasena grieved most profoundly; together with his wife he rushed to the place of the tragedy.

A second set of parents now arrives at the same site of loss -- the story doubles its portrait of parental grief.

Go in person to be near loved ones in their darkest hour, whatever the distance.

दोघे राव मिळोन । शोक करिती दारुण । हा हा कुमारा म्हणोन । ऊर शिर पिटताती ॥६४॥

doghe rāva miḷona | śoka karitī dāruṇa | hā hā kumārā mhaṇona | ūra śira piṭatātī ||64||

The two kings together grieved terribly, crying 'Alas, alas, O prince!' and beating their chests and heads.

Two fathers, once joined by a wedding, are now joined in identical mourning -- the story shows grief as the great equalizer of kings.

Let shared sorrow bring people together rather than isolate them in private pain.

हा हा पुत्रा ताता म्हणत । राजा गडबडा असे लोळत । मंत्री राजकुळ समस्त । नगरलोक दुःख करिती ॥६५॥

hā hā putrā tātā mhaṇata | rājā gaḍabaḍā ase loḷata | mamtrī rājakuḷa samasta | nagaraloka duḥkha karitī ||65||

Crying 'Alas, my son, my father,' the king rolled about on the ground in anguish; ministers, the whole royal family, and the townspeople all grieved.

Grief has become public, sweeping the entire city into mourning -- no rank is spared from this collective sorrow.

Allow yourself to grieve openly; shared, visible mourning is not weakness but honesty.

कोठे गेला राजसुत । म्हणोनि सीमंतिनी रडत । खिन्न झाले समस्त । मातापितर श्वशुरादि ॥६६॥

koṭhe gelā rājasuta | mhaṇoni sīmamtinī raḍata | khinna jhāle samasta | mātāpitara śvaśurādi ||66||

'Where has the prince gone?' Simantini wept, saying this; all were dejected -- parents and in-laws alike.

Her question has no answer, which is exactly the torment of ambiguous loss -- not knowing is its own particular grief.

Sit with unanswered questions in grief rather than forcing a false resolution.

कोणे स्थानी पति गेले । म्हणोनि सीमंतिनी लोळे । ललाट हस्ते पिटिले । पार नाही शोकासी ॥६७॥

koṇe sthānī pati gele | mhaṇoni sīmamtinī loḷe | lalāṭa haste piṭile | pāra nāhī śokāsī ||67||

'To what place has my husband gone?' saying this, Simantini rolled on the ground, striking her forehead with her hand; her grief knew no bound.

Physical gestures of mourning -- rolling on the ground, striking the forehead -- express what words cannot; the body grieves alongside the heart.

Let your body express grief too -- tears, stillness, even collapse are honest, not shameful.

सीमंतिनी म्हणे पितयासी । प्राण त्यजीन पतिसरसी । वाचूनिया संसारासी । वैधव्य कोण भोगील ॥६८॥

sīmamtinī mhaṇe pitayāsī | prāṇa tyajīna patisarasī | vācūniyā samsārāsī | vaidhavya koṇa bhogīla ||68||

Simantini told her father: 'I will give up my life along with my husband; without him, who will bear this widowed life in the world?'

She voices the ancient custom of following the husband in death, driven by dread of a widow's lot rather than by ritual alone.

Recognize despair for what it is even when it wears the language of duty or custom.

पुसे सकळ द्विजासी । करावे की सहगमनासि । विप्र सांगती रायासी । प्रेतावेगळे करू नये ॥६९॥

puse sakaḷa dvijāsī | karāve kī sahagamanāsi | vipra sāmgatī rāyāsī | pretāvegaḷe karū naye ||69||

She asked all the brahmins whether she should perform sahagamana; the brahmins told the king it should not be done apart from the body.

Custom itself provides a check on impulsive grief -- the requirement of a body to accompany buys time and prevents an irrevocable act.

Build in deliberate pauses before any irreversible decision made in grief.

प्रेत शोधावे नदीत । दहन करावे कन्येसहित । न दिसे बुडाला गंगेत । केवी सहगमन होईल ॥१७०॥

preta śodhāve nadīta | dahana karāve kanyesahita | na dise buḍālā gamgeta | kevī sahagamana hoīla ||170||

'The body must be searched for in the river, and cremation performed together with the girl; since he is nowhere seen, having drowned in the Ganga, how can sahagamana take place?'

The brahmins' practical logic -- no body, no rite -- becomes the thread of mercy that keeps Simantini alive.

Let practical requirements, even bureaucratic ones, sometimes serve as guardrails against rash grief.

आता इसी ऐसे करणे । प्रेत सापडे तववरी राखणे । ऐकोनिया द्विजवचने । राजा कन्ये विनवीतसे ॥७१॥

ātā isī aise karaṇe | preta sāpaḍe tavavarī rākhaṇe | aikoniyā dvijavacane | rājā kanye vinavītase ||71||

'Now this is what should be done for her: keep her safe until the body is found.' Hearing the brahmins' counsel, the king pleaded with his daughter.

A plan of waiting replaces a plan of ending -- the father translates the brahmins' counsel into an appeal to his daughter to endure.

When someone is in crisis, give them a concrete, bounded task of waiting rather than an open-ended demand to feel better.

ऐसे व्याकुळ दुःखे करिती । मंत्री पुरोहित म्हणती । जे असेल होणार गती । ब्रह्मादिका चुकेना ॥७२॥

aise vyākuḷa duḥkhe karitī | mamtrī purohita mhaṇatī | je asela hoṇāra gatī | brahmādikā cukenā ||72||

As they grieved thus in anguish, the ministers and priests said: 'Whatever fate is destined to occur, even Brahma and the other gods cannot avert it.'

A classical teaching on destiny (prarabdha) is offered as comfort -- not to numb grief, but to loosen its grip on blame.

Accept what truly lies beyond anyone's control, without letting that acceptance excuse inaction where you still can act.

होणार जहाली देवकरणी । काय कराल दुःख करोनी । ऐसे मंत्री संबोखुनी । रायाते चला म्हणती ॥७३॥

hoṇāra jahālī devakaraṇī | kāya karāla duḥkha karonī | aise mamtrī sambokhunī | rāyāte calā mhaṇatī ||73||

'What was destined has become the working of the gods; what will grieving accomplish?' Thus consoling him, the ministers told the king, 'let us go.'

Consolation moves toward action -- grief is honored but not allowed to become permanent paralysis; life, and duty, must go on.

After you have grieved fully, let others gently lead you back toward your responsibilities.

निघाले राजे उभयता । मंदिरा पावले दुःख करिता । इंद्रसेन अति दुःखिता । न विसरे कधी पुत्रशोक ॥७४॥

nighāle rāje ubhayatā | mamdirā pāvale duḥkha karitā | imdrasena ati duḥkhitā | na visare kadhī putraśoka ||74||

Both kings departed, and reached their palace still grieving; Indrasena, exceedingly sorrowful, never forgot his grief for his son.

The two households return home changed -- for Indrasena in particular, this becomes a grief that time alone cannot heal.

Accept that some griefs stay with you permanently, and let that be all right rather than a personal failure to 'move on.'

राज्य-व्यापार सोडूनि । दुःख करी पुत्रचिंतनी । गोत्रजी राज्य हिरूनी । कपटे घेतले तयाचेच ॥७५॥

rājya-vyāpāra soḍūni | duḥkha karī putracimtanī | gotrajī rājya hirūnī | kapaṭe ghetale tayāceca ||75||

Abandoning the affairs of state, he grieved, absorbed in thoughts of his son; his own kinsmen deceitfully seized his kingdom.

Grief leaves him vulnerable, and those closest by blood exploit that vulnerability -- the story adds worldly betrayal atop personal loss.

Guard your practical responsibilities even in deep grief, since others may take advantage of your absence.

सहभार्या रायासी । ठेविते झाले कारागृहासी । पुत्रशोके बहु त्यासी । राज्यभोग चाड नाही ॥७६॥

sahabhāryā rāyāsī | ṭhevite jhāle kārāgṛhāsī | putraśoke bahu tyāsī | rājyabhoga cāḍa nāhī ||76||

The king, together with his wife, was thrown into prison; so consumed was he by grief for his son that he had no desire left for the pleasures of rule.

His indifference to power, born of grief, is what allows the kinsmen to imprison him without resistance -- sorrow has hollowed out his will to fight.

Do not let grief so consume you that you become defenseless against those who would exploit your vulnerability.

चित्रवर्मा राव देखा । कन्या ठेविली ममत्विका । प्राण त्यजू पाहे निका । लोक निंदितील म्हणोनि ॥७७॥

citravarmā rāva dekhā | kanyā ṭhevilī mamatvikā | prāṇa tyajū pāhe nikā | loka nimditīla mhaṇoni ||77||

Behold, King Chitravarma kept his beloved daughter close; seeing that she still sought to give up her life, he feared people would blame him.

Social reputation and fatherly love intertwine -- his fear of blame is real, but so is his tenderness for her; both motives keep him watchful.

Protect a grieving loved one from self-harm even when your motives are mixed with concern for appearances.

राव म्हणे कन्येसी । पुत्र नाही आमुचे वंशी । कन्या एक तू आम्हांसी । पुत्रापरी रहाटावे ॥७८॥

rāva mhaṇe kanyesī | putra nāhī āmuce vamśī | kanyā eka tū āmhāmsī | putrāparī rahāṭāve ||78||

The king said to his daughter: 'We have no son in our line; you alone are our child -- you must live on and act as a son would.'

He reframes her role and purpose beyond widowhood -- she is asked to carry the family forward, giving her grief a reason to continue living.

Help a grieving person find a renewed sense of purpose rather than leaving them only with loss.

लोक निंदितील आम्हांसी । वैधव्य आले परियेसी । वर्ष एक क्रमिलियासी । पुढे आचार करी वो बाळे ॥७९॥

loka nimditīla āmhāmsī | vaidhavya āle pariyesī | varṣa eka kramiliyāsī | puḍhe ācāra karī vo bāḷe ||79||

'People will blame us; listen, widowhood has come upon you. Let one year pass; after that, my child, take up the widow's observance.'

The father delays the imposition of formal widow's rites for a year -- a small mercy of time within a harsh social custom.

Where custom is harsh, look for the humane delay or exception that mercy allows.

पित्याचे वचन ऐकोनी । करीतसे बहु चिंतनी । म्हणे देवा शूळपाणि । केवी माते गांजिले ॥१८०॥

pityāce vacana aikonī | karītase bahu cimtanī | mhaṇe devā śūḷapāṇi | kevī māte gāmjile ||180||

Hearing her father's words, she fell into deep thought, saying: 'O Lord Shulapani (Shiva), how you have afflicted me!'

Her lament returns once more to Shiva -- grief keeps circling back to the divine, refusing to settle into either full despair or full acceptance.

Allow your questions to God to remain open rather than forcing yourself toward premature peace.

ऐसे विचारुनी मानसी । व्रत आचरे तत्परेसी । सोमवार उपवासासी । ईश्वरपूजा करीतसे ॥८१॥

aise vicārunī mānasī | vrata ācare tatparesī | somavāra upavāsāsī | īśvarapūjā karītase ||81||

Reflecting thus in her mind, she diligently resumed the vow -- the Monday fast, and the worship of the Lord.

Despite her doubt, she returns to the very practice that seemed to have failed -- persistence in faith through disappointment is itself the teaching.

Keep your spiritual discipline even when its results are not yet visible to you.

इकडे तो राजकुमार । बुडाला होता गंगापूर । गेला जेथे पाताळनगर । वासुकी जेथे राज्य करी ॥८२॥

ikaḍe to rājakumāra | buḍālā hotā gamgāpūra | gelā jethe pātāḷanagara | vāsukī jethe rājya karī ||82||

Meanwhile, the prince who had drowned in the Ganga had gone to the netherworld city where Vasuki reigns.

The narrative now shifts to reveal what the grieving families do not know -- the prince is alive, carried to Patala, the serpent-world.

Trust that what seems lost may still be safe, even beyond what your eyes can currently confirm.

नागलोकीचिया नारी । आल्या होत्या नदीतीरी । राजकुमार आला पुरी । नदीतटाकी वहातसे ॥८३॥

nāgalokīciyā nārī | ālyā hotyā nadītīrī | rājakumāra ālā purī | nadītaṭākī vahātase ||83||

Women of the serpent-world had come to the riverbank; the prince, floating along the water's edge, arrived at their city.

Rescue arrives from an unexpected quarter -- the very river that seemed to have taken his life becomes the path to his deliverance.

Stay open to help arriving from an unexpected direction in your own hour of need.

देखोनिया नागकन्या । काढिती संतोषे करोनिया । अमृता शिंपिती आणुनिया । सावध केला तयाते ॥८४॥

dekhoniyā nāgakanyā | kāḍhitī samtoṣe karoniyā | amṛtā śimpitī āṇuniyā | sāvadha kelā tayāte ||84||

Seeing him, the serpent-maidens joyfully drew him out; sprinkling nectar (amrita) upon him, they revived him.

Nectar, the substance of immortality, restores him -- the story affirms that death is not the end where grace intervenes.

When reviving someone in crisis, act with the same tenderness and joy shown here, not mere obligation.

कन्या मिळूनि त्यासी । घेवोनि जाती तक्षकापासी । विचित्र नगर परियेसी । राजपुत्र पहात असे ॥८५॥

kanyā miḷūni tyāsī | ghevoni jātī takṣakāpāsī | vicitra nagara pariyesī | rājaputra pahāta ase ||85||

The maidens together took him to Takshaka; the prince gazed, listen, upon the wondrous city.

He is brought before Takshaka, king of serpents -- a formal audience is about to determine his fate in this new world.

Approach an unfamiliar authority or situation with the same wide-eyed attentiveness the prince shows here.

पाहे पाताळनगर-रचना । जैसी शोभा इंद्रभुवना । गोपुरे दिसती महारत्‍ना । विद्युल्लतेपरी ॥८६॥

pāhe pātāḷanagara-racanā | jaisī śobhā imdrabhuvanā | gopure disatī mahārat‍nā | vidyullateparī ||86||

He beheld the layout of the netherworld city, splendid as Indra's own realm; its towers, studded with great gems, shone like flashes of lightning.

The description of Patala's splendor rivaling heaven itself reflects an old belief that the serpent-world is no lesser realm, but wonder hidden below the earth.

Look for hidden beauty and worth in places others dismiss as lowly or unseen.

इंद्रनीळ वैडुर्यैसी । मानिके मुक्ताफळांसी । महारम्य पुरी जैसी । सूर्यकांति मिरवत ॥८७॥

imdranīḷa vaiḍuryaisī | mānike muktāphaḷāmsī | mahāramya purī jaisī | sūryakāmti miravata ||87||

With sapphires and beryls, rubies and pearls, the magnificent city gleamed with a radiance like the sun.

The catalog of jewels emphasizes the overwhelming, almost blinding richness of this hidden world.

Do not assume you have seen the full worth of a place or person from the surface alone.

चंद्रकांतिसरसी भूमि । महाद्वारे कपाट हेमी । अनेक रत्‍ने नाही उपमी । ऐशा मंदिरा प्रवेशला ॥८८॥

camdrakāmtisarasī bhūmi | mahādvāre kapāṭa hemī | aneka rat‍ne nāhī upamī | aiśā mamdirā praveśalā ||88||

The ground rivaled moonlight in beauty; the great gateways had doors of gold; with countless jewels beyond compare, into such a palace he entered.

He crosses the threshold into the very heart of the serpent-kingdom, a palace whose splendor exceeds description.

Enter new opportunities with humility, ready to be surprised by what you find.

पुढे देखिली सभा थोर । समस्त बैसले सर्पाकार । आश्चर्य करी राजकुमार । असंख्य सर्प दिसताती ॥८९॥

puḍhe dekhilī sabhā thora | samasta baisale sarpākāra | āścarya karī rājakumāra | asamkhya sarpa disatātī ||89||

Ahead he saw a great assembly, all seated in serpent form; the prince marveled, seeing countless serpents gathered.

The strangeness of the scene is acknowledged even within the story -- the prince's own wonder mirrors what the listener is meant to feel.

Let wonder, not fear, be your first response to what is genuinely strange and unfamiliar.

सभेमध्ये अतिशोभित । मध्ये बैसला पन्नगनाथ । जैशी सूर्यकांति फाकत । अति उन्नत बैसला ॥१९०॥

sabhemadhye atiśobhita | madhye baisalā pannaganātha | jaiśī sūryakāmti phākata | ati unnata baisalā ||190||

In the midst of the resplendent assembly sat the lord of serpents, seated in great exaltation, radiant as the spreading light of the sun.

Takshaka's throne-like radiance marks him as the highest authority in this realm -- the prince now stands before real power.

Recognize true authority by its bearing and stature, not merely by its title.

अनेक शत फणा दिसती । जैशी वीज लखलखती । पीतांबरे सज्योती । रत्‍नकुंडलमंडित ॥९१॥

aneka śata phaṇā disatī | jaiśī vīja lakhalakhatī | pītāmbare sajyotī | rat‍nakumḍalamamḍita ||91||

Hundreds of hoods were seen, flashing like lightning; he was clothed in radiant yellow silk, adorned with jeweled earrings.

The description continues to build Takshaka's majesty in vivid, almost cinematic imagery of light and ornament.

Give full attention and respect to greatness when you encounter it, rather than rushing past it.

अनेकरत्‍नखचित देखा । मुकुट मिरवती सहस्त्र एका । सहस्त्रफणी मिरवे तक्षका । ऐसा सभे बैसला असे ॥९२॥

anekarat‍nakhacita dekhā | mukuṭa miravatī sahastra ekā | sahastraphaṇī mirave takṣakā | aisā sabhe baisalā ase ||92||

Behold, a crown studded with countless gems shone upon his one head among a thousand hoods; thus Takshaka, thousand-hooded, sat in the assembly.

The image of a single crowned head amid a thousand hoods emphasizes both his singular kingship and his serpent nature at once.

Hold your position of leadership with the same combination of humility and dignity.

रूपयौवन नागकन्या । नानापरी भरणे लेवोनिया । अनेक सहस्त्र येवोनिया । सेवा करिती तक्षकाची ॥९३॥

rūpayauvana nāgakanyā | nānāparī bharaṇe levoniyā | aneka sahastra yevoniyā | sevā karitī takṣakācī ||93||

Beautiful young serpent-maidens, adorned in ornaments of every kind, came in their many thousands to serve Takshaka.

The court's grandeur is completed by its attendants -- an image of a fully realized kingdom, not merely a throne room.

Judge an institution by how well it cares for all who serve within it, not only by its head.

ऐशा सभास्थानी देख । राव बैसला तक्षक । देखोनिया राजकुमारक । नमन करी साष्टांगी ॥९४॥

aiśā sabhāsthānī dekha | rāva baisalā takṣaka | dekhoniyā rājakumāraka | namana karī sāṣṭāmgī ||94||

In such an assembly hall, behold, King Takshaka sat; seeing him, the young prince offered full prostration.

The prince, though a king's son himself, bows completely before Takshaka -- proper humility before a greater host, whatever one's own rank.

Show full respect to your host, whatever your own standing, when you are a guest in their domain.

तक्षक पुसे नागकन्यांसी । कैचा कुमार आणिलासी । सुलक्षण दिसतो कैसी । कोठे होता म्हणे तया ॥९५॥

takṣaka puse nāgakanyāmsī | kaicā kumāra āṇilāsī | sulakṣaṇa disato kaisī | koṭhe hotā mhaṇe tayā ||95||

Takshaka asked the serpent-maidens: 'Whose prince have you brought? He appears so well-formed -- where did you find him?' he asked them.

Takshaka's curiosity is kind rather than suspicious -- he notices the prince's evident good character even before hearing his story.

Notice and name good qualities in a stranger before assuming the worst about them.

नागकन्या म्हणती त्यासी । नेणो नाम याचे वंशी । वहात आला यमुनेसी । घेऊन आलो तुम्हांजवळी ॥९६॥

nāgakanyā mhaṇatī tyāsī | neṇo nāma yāce vamśī | vahāta ālā yamunesī | gheūna ālo tumhāmjavaḷī ||96||

The serpent-maidens told him: 'We do not know his name or lineage; he came floating in the Yamuna, and we brought him here to you.'

The maidens' honesty about what they don't know sets up Takshaka's direct question to the prince himself.

Admit plainly what you do not know rather than guessing or inventing an answer.

तक्षक पुसे राजकुमारासी । नाम कवण कवणे वंशी । काय कारणे आलासी । कवण देशी वास तुझा ॥९७॥

takṣaka puse rājakumārāsī | nāma kavaṇa kavaṇe vamśī | kāya kāraṇe ālāsī | kavaṇa deśī vāsa tujhā ||97||

Takshaka asked the prince: 'What is your name, of what lineage, for what reason have you come, and of what land is your home?'

A formal fourfold inquiry -- name, lineage, cause, and homeland -- is the proper way to receive a stranger of unknown standing.

When welcoming a stranger, ask enough to understand them properly rather than assuming.

सांगे राजकुमार देख । आम्ही भूमंडळनायका । नैषध राजपति ऐका । नळनामे पुण्यश्लोक ॥९८॥

sāmge rājakumāra dekha | āmhī bhūmamḍaḷanāyakā | naiṣadha rājapati aikā | naḷanāme puṇyaśloka ||98||

The prince answered, behold: 'I am of the lord of the earth, listen -- the king of Nishadha, the virtuous and renowned Nala.'

He identifies himself through his grandfather Nala, whose own fame for righteousness (punyashloka) lends credibility to his lineage.

When introducing yourself in unfamiliar company, let your family's good name speak honestly for you.

त्याचा पुत्र इंद्रसेन । जन्म आमुचा त्यापासून । चंद्रांगद नामे आपण । गेलो होतो श्वशुरागृहा ॥९९॥

tyācā putra imdrasena | janma āmucā tyāpāsūna | camdrāmgada nāme āpaṇa | gelo hoto śvaśurāgṛhā ||99||

'His son is Indrasena; from him I was born. My own name is Chandrangad; I had gone to my father-in-law's house.'

He completes his genealogy and gives his own name and immediate circumstance, being fully transparent with his host.

Give a complete and honest account of yourself when trust is being established.

जलक्रीडा करावयासी । गेलो होतो यमुनेसी । विधिवशे आम्हांसी । बुडालो नदी अवधारा ॥२००॥

jalakrīḍā karāvayāsī | gelo hoto yamunesī | vidhivaśe āmhāmsī | buḍālo nadī avadhārā ||200||

'I had gone to the Yamuna to play in the water; by the working of fate, listen, I drowned in the river.'

He attributes his misfortune to vidhi (destiny/fate), the same force invoked throughout the story -- accident and providence are held together.

Accept misfortune as part of life's uncertainty without turning it into bitterness.

वहात आलो नदीत । नागकन्या मज देखत । घेवोनि आल्या तुम्हांप्रत । पूर्वभाग्ये करूनि ॥१॥

vahāta ālo nadīta | nāgakanyā maja dekhata | ghevoni ālyā tumhāmprata | pūrvabhāgye karūni ||1||

'I came floating in the river; the serpent-maidens saw me and brought me here to you, through the merit of my past good fortune.'

He credits his rescue to purva-bhagya (accumulated merit from before) -- even a chance rescue is read here as the fruit of past good deeds.

When rescued from misfortune, receive it with gratitude rather than taking it for granted.

पूर्वार्जित पुण्यवंशी । भेटी झाली चरणांसी । धन्य माझे जीवित्वासी । कृतार्थ झालो म्हणतसे ॥२॥

pūrvārjita puṇyavamśī | bheṭī jhālī caraṇāmsī | dhanya mājhe jīvitvāsī | kṛtārtha jhālo mhaṇatase ||2||

'Through merit earned in a former life, I have come to your feet; blessed is my life, I have become fulfilled,' he says.

He honors the encounter itself as a blessing regardless of outcome -- gratitude precedes any request he is about to make.

Express gratitude for an encounter with someone worthy before you ask anything of them.

करुणावचन ऐकोनि । तक्षक बोले संतोषोनि । नको भिऊ म्हणोनि । धैर्य तया दिधले ॥३॥

karuṇāvacana aikoni | takṣaka bole samtoṣoni | nako bhiū mhaṇoni | dhairya tayā didhale ||3||

Hearing his humble words, Takshaka spoke with delight: 'Do not be afraid,' he said, and gave him courage.

Takshaka's first response to genuine humility is reassurance -- power meeting sincerity responds with kindness rather than dominance.

When someone approaches you with genuine humility, meet them with reassurance rather than suspicion.

शेष म्हणे रे बाळा । तू आहेसी मन निर्मळा । तुमचे घरी सर्वकाळा । दैवत कोण पूजितसा ॥४॥

śeṣa mhaṇe re bāḷā | tū āhesī mana nirmaḷā | tumace gharī sarvakāḷā | daivata koṇa pūjitasā ||4||

Shesha said: 'O child, your mind is pure. In your household, what deity do you worship at all times?'

The serpent-lord tests not lineage further but faith itself -- what god does this family truly hold to?

Let your character be judged by the constancy of your devotion, not just your words.

ऐसे ऐकोनि राजकुमार । हर्षे जहाला निर्भर । सांगतसे विस्तार । आपुला देव शंकर ॥५॥

aise aikoni rājakumāra | harṣe jahālā nirbhara | sāmgatase vistāra | āpulā deva śamkara ||5||

Hearing this, the prince became full of joy, and explained at length that his own god is Shankar (Shiva).

The question of faith delights rather than alarms him -- he is eager, not reluctant, to speak of his devotion.

Speak of your faith with joy and readiness when asked, rather than reluctance.

सकळ देवांचा देव । नाम ज्याचे सदाशिव । वामांगी उमा अपूर्व । त्यालागी पूजू निरंतर ॥६॥

sakaḷa devāmcā deva | nāma jyāce sadāśiva | vāmāmgī umā apūrva | tyālāgī pūjū niramtara ||6||

'The god of all gods, whose name is Sadashiva, with the wondrous Uma at his left side -- him we worship without end.'

He begins a theological hymn to Shiva as supreme, with Parvati (Uma) as inseparable consort -- devotion here doubles as doctrine.

Know the reasons behind your faith well enough to explain them to others.

ज्यापासोनि जनित ब्रह्मा । सृष्टि सृजितो अनुपमा । तो सदाशिव आम्हा । निज दैवत निर्धारे ॥७॥

jyāpāsoni janita brahmā | sṛṣṭi sṛjito anupamā | to sadāśiva āmhā | nija daivata nirdhāre ||7||

'From whom Brahma was born, who creates this incomparable universe -- that Sadashiva is, for certain, our own chosen deity.'

He places Shiva even above Brahma the creator, a common Shaiva theological claim asserting Shiva as the source of all creation.

Trace your values back to their deepest source so your convictions rest on firm ground.

तयाच्या सत्त्वगुणेसी । विष्णु उपजला परियेसी । प्रतिपाळक लोकांसी । तो सदाशिव आराधितो ॥८॥

tayācyā sattvaguṇesī | viṣṇu upajalā pariyesī | pratipāḷaka lokāmsī | to sadāśiva ārādhito ||8||

'From his quality of sattva, listen, Vishnu was born, the sustainer of all beings -- that Sadashiva we adore.'

The three gunas are mapped onto the trimurti -- Vishnu from sattva -- continuing the theology that unites all gods within Shiva.

See the harmony beneath different paths of devotion rather than only their differences.

ज्याच्या तामसगुणे जाण । एकादश रुद्रगण । उपजले असती याकारण । प्रलयकर्ता या नाव ॥९॥

jyācyā tāmasaguṇe jāṇa | ekādaśa rudragaṇa | upajale asatī yākāraṇa | pralayakartā yā nāva ||9||

'From his quality of tamas, know, the eleven Rudra-ganas were born; for this reason he is called the agent of dissolution.'

The destructive aspect (tamas) is honored as necessary too -- creation, sustenance, and dissolution are shown as one continuous cycle.

Accept endings as a necessary part of life's cycle, not as pure loss.

धाता विधाता आपण । उत्पत्तिस्थितिलयाकारण । तेजासी तेज असे जाण । तैसा ईश्वर पूजितसो ॥२१०॥

dhātā vidhātā āpaṇa | utpattisthitilayākāraṇa | tejāsī teja ase jāṇa | taisā īśvara pūjitaso ||210||

'He himself is Dhata and Vidhata, the cause of creation, preservation, and dissolution; he is the very light of light -- such is the Lord we worship.'

Shiva is praised as the source underlying all three cosmic functions and the light behind all lesser lights, a classic Upanishadic image.

Seek the source behind sources in your own search for meaning, not only the visible surface.

पृथ्वी आप तेजासी । जो पूर्ण वायु आकाशी । तैसा पूजितसो शिवासी । म्हणे राजकुमार देखा ॥११॥

pṛthvī āpa tejāsī | jo pūrṇa vāyu ākāśī | taisā pūjitaso śivāsī | mhaṇe rājakumāra dekhā ||11||

'He who fully pervades earth, water, fire, air, and space -- thus, behold, we worship Shiva,' says the prince.

The five elements (panchabhuta) are named as filled entirely by Shiva -- devotion here extends to see the divine in the whole material world.

Practice seeing the sacred in ordinary elements of the physical world around you.

सर्वां भूती असे संपूर्ण । चिन्मय आपण निरंजन । जो रूपे असे अचिंतन । तो ईश्वर पूजितसो ॥१२॥

sarvām bhūtī ase sampūrṇa | cinmaya āpaṇa niramjana | jo rūpe ase acimtana | to īśvara pūjitaso ||12||

'He is fully present in all beings, himself made of pure consciousness, untainted; he whose form is beyond thought -- that Ishvara we worship.'

The hymn shifts to the formless, all-pervading aspect of the divine, present equally in every being.

Look for the same essential worth in every person you meet, however different they appear.

ज्याची कथा वेद जहाले । तक्षक शेष ज्याची कुंडले । त्रिनेत्री असे चंद्र मोळे । तैसा शंकर पूजितसो ॥१३॥

jyācī kathā veda jahāle | takṣaka śeṣa jyācī kumḍale | trinetrī ase camdra moḷe | taisā śamkara pūjitaso ||13||

'He whose story the Vedas themselves became; Takshaka and Shesha are his earrings; three-eyed, with the moon in his matted hair -- thus we worship Shankar.'

The prince cleverly closes his hymn by naming Takshaka and Shesha themselves as Shiva's ornaments -- flattering and honoring his host within his very theology.

Find genuine, tactful ways to honor your host within the truth of what you already believe.

ऐसे ऐकोनि वचन । तक्षक संतोषला अतिगहन । राजकुमारा आलिंगोन । तुष्टलो तुष्टलो म्हणतसे ॥१४॥

aise aikoni vacana | takṣaka samtoṣalā atigahana | rājakumārā ālimgona | tuṣṭalo tuṣṭalo mhaṇatase ||14||

Hearing these words, Takshaka was exceedingly delighted; embracing the prince, he said, 'I am pleased, I am pleased!'

Genuine devotion, artfully spoken, wins over even a powerful stranger -- sincerity is shown to be persuasive in itself.

Let sincerity, not flattery, be what wins others' trust and goodwill.

तक्षक बोले तये वेळी । तुज देईन राज्य सकळी । तुवा रहावे पाताळी । आनंदे भाग्य भोगीत ॥१५॥

takṣaka bole taye veḷī | tuja deīna rājya sakaḷī | tuvā rahāve pātāḷī | ānamde bhāgya bhogīta ||15||

Takshaka then said: 'I will give you my entire kingdom; you should stay here in the netherworld, enjoying good fortune joyfully.'

Delight turns to extravagant generosity -- Takshaka offers everything he has, testing whether the prince's contentment can be bought.

Be wary of how easily comfort and riches can tempt you away from your true commitments.

माझ्या लोकी जे जे रत्‍न । ते ते देईन तुजकारण । पावोनिया समाधान । सुखे येथे रहावे ॥१६॥

mājhyā lokī je je rat‍na | te te deīna tujakāraṇa | pāvoniyā samādhāna | sukhe yethe rahāve ||16||

'Whatever jewels exist in my realm, I will give them all to you; having found contentment, live here happily.'

The offer intensifies -- total wealth for total contentment -- the temptation is drawn as complete as possible.

Recognize when an offer of ease is designed to make you forget what truly matters.

पाताळ लोकीची रचना । पहावी तुवा अनुपमा । कल्पवृक्ष मनोरमा । आहेत माझ्या नगरात ॥१७॥

pātāḷa lokīcī racanā | pahāvī tuvā anupamā | kalpavṛkṣa manoramā | āheta mājhyā nagarāta ||17||

'You should see the incomparable arrangement of the netherworld; wish-fulfilling trees, delightful to behold, are in my city.'

Even the trees here grant every wish -- a symbol for the illusion that any desire can be permanently satisfied by mere abundance.

Remember that no amount of external abundance alone can satisfy the heart's deeper longing.

अमृत न देखती स्वप्नी कोणी । ते भरले असे जैसे पाणी । तळी बावी पोखरणी । अमृताच्या माझ्या घरात ॥१८॥

amṛta na dekhatī svapnī koṇī | te bharale ase jaise pāṇī | taḷī bāvī pokharaṇī | amṛtācyā mājhyā gharāta ||18||

'Nectar, which none has beheld even in a dream, is here as plentiful as water -- pools, wells, and reservoirs of nectar fill my house.'

The image of nectar as common as water represents the ultimate fantasy of abundance and immortality, offered freely.

Question any promise that seems to offer limitless ease without cost.

नाही मरण तव येथे । रोगपीडादि समस्ते । नेणती कोणी स्वप्नावस्थे । ऐसे नगर माझे असे ॥१९॥

nāhī maraṇa tava yethe | rogapīḍādi samaste | neṇatī koṇī svapnāvasthe | aise nagara mājhe ase ||19||

'There is no death here for you, nor disease nor any affliction; none know these even in dream -- such is my city.'

The temptation reaches its peak: freedom from death itself. Yet the story is about to show that even this cannot outweigh love for family.

Weigh even the promise of comfort and safety against the pull of duty and love toward those who need you.

सुखे रहावे येथे स्वस्थ । तक्षक कुमारक सांगत । राजपुत्र असे विनवीत । करुणावचने ॥२२०॥

sukhe rahāve yethe svastha | takṣaka kumāraka sāmgata | rājaputra ase vinavīta | karuṇāvacane ||220||

'Live here happily and at peace,' Takshaka told the young prince; the prince, however, pleaded with him in sorrowful words.

For the first time the prince responds -- not with acceptance, but with a plea, setting up his refusal of paradise itself for the sake of home.

Voice your true priorities even to someone offering you everything you might want.

राजपुत्र विनवी तक्षकासी । मी एकलाची पितयाचे कुशी । भार्या चतुर्दश वर्षी । शिवपूजनी रत सदा ॥२१॥

rājaputra vinavī takṣakāsī | mī ekalācī pitayāce kuśī | bhāryā caturdaśa varṣī | śivapūjanī rata sadā ||21||

The prince entreated Takshaka: 'I am my father's only child; my wife, in her fourteenth year, is ever devoted to the worship of Shiva.'

He names precisely what pulls him back -- an only son's duty, and a young wife whose faith he must not let go to waste.

Let love and duty toward family outweigh even the most tempting offer of personal ease.

नूतन झाले माझे पाणिग्रहण । गुंतले तेथे अंतःकरण । पाहीन मातापिताचरण । तेणे सर्वस्व पावलो ॥२२॥

nūtana jhāle mājhe pāṇigrahaṇa | gumtale tethe amtaḥkaraṇa | pāhīna mātāpitācaraṇa | teṇe sarvasva pāvalo ||22||

'My marriage is newly made, my heart is bound there; let me see my parents' feet -- in that alone would I have everything.'

He defines his whole fortune (sarvasva) not as Takshaka's treasures but simply as seeing his parents again -- true wealth relocated to relationship.

Measure your true wealth by the relationships you long to return to, not by what you could acquire elsewhere.

आपण बुडालो नदीत । पिता माता दुःख करीत । पत्‍नी जीव त्यागील सत्य । हत्या पडे मस्तकी ॥२३॥

āpaṇa buḍālo nadīta | pitā mātā duḥkha karīta | pat‍nī jīva tyāgīla satya | hatyā paḍe mastakī ||23||

'I drowned in the river; my father and mother grieve; my wife will surely give up her life -- the guilt of that death would fall on my own head.'

He feels the weight of a guilt not yet committed but keenly anticipated -- his absence alone could cause another's death.

Consider the full ripple of consequences your absence or silence could cause for those who love you.

देखिले तव चरण आपण । तेणे झालो धन्य धन्य । रक्षिला आपण माझा प्राण । दर्शन करा मातापिता ॥२४॥

dekhile tava caraṇa āpaṇa | teṇe jhālo dhanya dhanya | rakṣilā āpaṇa mājhā prāṇa | darśana karā mātāpitā ||24||

'I have beheld your feet, and thereby become truly blessed; you yourself have saved my life -- now grant me the sight of my parents.'

Gratitude and request are joined together -- he honors Takshaka fully even while asking to leave, a model of graceful petition.

Thank a benefactor fully even as you ask them for the next thing you truly need.

तक्षक झाला संतोषित । नाना रत्‍ने त्यासी देत । अमृत पाजिले बहुत । आण्क दिधले स्त्रियेसी ॥२५॥

takṣaka jhālā samtoṣita | nānā rat‍ne tyāsī deta | amṛta pājile bahuta | āṇka didhale striyesī ||25||

Takshaka became pleased, and gave him many jewels; he made him drink much nectar, and gave ornaments also for his wife.

The prince's honest devotion to family, rather than displeasing Takshaka, wins his full generosity -- his refusal of paradise is rewarded, not punished.

Trust that honoring your true duties, even when declining a tempting offer, will be respected rather than resented.

कल्पवृक्षफळे देती । अपूर्व वस्तु आभरणे त्यासी । जे अपूर्व असे क्षिती । अमोल्य वस्तु देता जहाला ॥२६॥

kalpavṛkṣaphaḷe detī | apūrva vastu ābharaṇe tyāsī | je apūrva ase kṣitī | amolya vastu detā jahālā ||26||

He gave him fruits of the wish-fulfilling tree, wondrous objects and ornaments; things unmatched anywhere on earth, priceless things, he gave.

Takshaka sends him home laden with treasures beyond earthly value -- generosity that exceeds the very temptation the prince refused.

Give generously to those who choose duty and integrity over easy comfort.

इतुके देवोनि कुमारकासी । तक्षक बोले परियेसी । जे जे काळी आम्हा स्मरसी । तव कार्य सिद्धि पावेल ॥२७॥

ituke devoni kumārakāsī | takṣaka bole pariyesī | je je kāḷī āmhā smarasī | tava kārya siddhi pāvela ||27||

Having given all this to the prince, Takshaka said, listen: 'Whenever you remember me, your endeavor will be fulfilled.'

Takshaka offers an enduring bond -- a promise of aid whenever remembered, turning a chance rescue into lasting friendship.

Value the lasting relationships formed in crisis, and remember to honor them afterward.

आणिक संतोषोनि चित्ती । वस्त्रे वाहने मागुती । तुरंग दिधले मनोगती । सवे दे कुमार आपुला ॥२८॥

āṇika samtoṣoni cittī | vastre vāhane māgutī | turamga didhale manogatī | save de kumāra āpulā ||28||

Further delighted at heart, he again gave garments and vehicles, gave a horse swift as thought, and sent his own attendant along with him.

The generosity keeps compounding -- even a personal escort is provided, ensuring the prince's safe and honored return.

When helping someone in need, see the effort through to their safe arrival, not just the initial rescue.

चंद्रांगदकुमारासी । इतके दिधले आनंदेसी । निरोप दिधला परियेसी । वाहन तुरंग मनोहर ॥२९॥

camdrāmgadakumārāsī | itake didhale ānamdesī | niropa didhalā pariyesī | vāhana turamga manohara ||29||

To prince Chandrangad all this was given joyfully; and, listen, he was given leave to depart, with a delightful swift horse as his mount.

The episode in Patala closes with a joyful send-off -- what began as a drowning ends, unexpectedly, in a homeward journey laden with blessing.

Trust that seasons of apparent loss can conclude in unexpected restoration.

तक्षका नमूनि त्वरित । वारूवरी आरूढ राजसुत । मनोवेगे मार्ग क्रमित । नागकुमार सवे जाणा ॥२३०॥

takṣakā namūni tvarita | vārūvarī ārūḍha rājasuta | manovege mārga kramita | nāgakumāra save jāṇā ||230||

Bowing quickly to Takṣaka, the prince mounted his horse; traveling the path at the speed of thought, with the nāga prince accompanying him, understand.

Chandrāṅgada takes leave of Takṣaka (the serpent king) and sets out for home at once — the netherworld interlude closes and the human plot resumes.

When a period of shelter and learning ends, take leave gratefully and move forward without delay.

जिये स्थानी बुडाला होता । तेथे पावला क्षण न लागता । निघाला बाहेर वारूसहिता । नदीतटाकी उभा असे ॥३१॥

jiye sthānī buḍālā hotā | tethe pāvalā kṣaṇa na lāgatā | nighālā bāhera vārūsahitā | nadītaṭākī ubhā ase ||31||

At the very spot where he had drowned, he arrived without a moment's delay; he emerged outside with his horse and stood on the riverbank.

The prince surfaces exactly where he sank — the river that once took him now returns him, closing the circle of the earlier tragedy.

Trust that the very place of a loss can also become the place of restoration.

सोमवार त्या दिवशी । सीमंतिनी आली स्नानासी । सवे होत्या सखी सेवेसी । नदीतीरी उभी असे ॥३२॥

somavāra tyā divaśī | sīmamtinī ālī snānāsī | save hotyā sakhī sevesī | nadītīrī ubhī ase ||32||

That day was a Monday; Sīmantinī had come for her bath, her attendant friends with her in service, standing on the riverbank.

It is Somavāra (Monday), the day of her vow to Śiva — the timing is no accident, since her steady practice is about to bear fruit.

Keep your regular practice faithfully; you cannot know in advance which ordinary day will turn out to matter most.

सीमंतिनी म्हणे सखियासी । आश्चर्य वाटे मानसी । उदकातुनी निघाला परियेसी । सवे असे नागपुत्र ॥३३॥

sīmamtinī mhaṇe sakhiyāsī | āścarya vāṭe mānasī | udakātunī nighālā pariyesī | save ase nāgaputra ||33||

Sīmantinī says to her friends: wonder fills my mind — listen, a man has emerged from the water, and a nāga's son is with him.

Sīmantinī's first reaction is astonishment rather than recognition — the miraculous often arrives disguised as the merely strange.

Notice and name your own wonder out loud rather than dismissing an unusual event too quickly.

राक्षस होई की वेषधरू । रूप धरिले असे नरू । दिसतसे मनोहरू । तुरंगारूढ जाहला असे ॥३४॥

rākṣasa hoī kī veṣadharū | rūpa dharile ase narū | disatase manoharū | turamgārūḍha jāhalā ase ||34||

Is he a demon in disguise, or has he taken human form? He appears captivating, mounted upon a horse.

The onlookers' first instinct is caution — beauty and strangeness together prompt suspicion before trust.

Hold both wonder and caution together when something extraordinary appears; neither dismiss it nor believe it blindly.

कैसे पहा हो रूप यासी । जेवी सूर्य प्रकाशी । दिव्यमालांबरे कैसी । सुगंध असे परिमळा ॥३५॥

kaise pahā ho rūpa yāsī | jevī sūrya prakāśī | divyamālāmbare kaisī | sugamdha ase parimaḷā ||35||

See how his form appears — like the shining sun; how divine his garlands and garments; a fragrance spreads from him.

The narrator lingers on Chandrāṅgada's radiant, fragrant form — a mark, in this poetic idiom, of one touched by the divine or the netherworld's blessing.

Let the evident goodness in a person's bearing earn your attention before you judge them by rumor alone.

दश योजनेपर्यंत । सुवास येतसे अमित । पूर्वी देखिला असे रूपवंत । भासे त्यासी पाहिला ॥३६॥

daśa yojaneparyamta | suvāsa yetase amita | pūrvī dekhilā ase rūpavamta | bhāse tyāsī pāhilā ||36||

For ten yojanas the boundless fragrance spreads; it seems this handsome one has been seen somewhere before.

The crowd senses a strange familiarity in him — an unconscious recognition surfacing before the mind can name it.

Trust a strong intuition of familiarity enough to investigate it, even when you cannot yet explain it.

स्थिर स्थिर भयभीता । त्याचिया पहाती स्वरूपता । आपुला पतीसादृश्य म्हणता । रूप आठवी तये वेळी ॥३७॥

sthira sthira bhayabhītā | tyāciyā pahātī svarūpatā | āpulā patīsādṛśya mhaṇatā | rūpa āṭhavī taye veḷī ||37||

Steadying herself though afraid, she studies his form; thinking it resembles her own husband, she recalls his appearance at that moment.

Sīmantinī's fear and hope arise together — grief has taught her not to trust her own eyes too quickly.

When hope and fear rise together, give yourself permission to look closely before deciding either way.

राजपुत्र पाहे तियेसी । म्हणे स्वरूपे माझी स्त्री ऐसी । गळसरी न दिसे कंठासी । हार नसे मुक्ताफळ ॥३८॥

rājaputra pāhe tiyesī | mhaṇe svarūpe mājhī strī aisī | gaḷasarī na dise kamṭhāsī | hāra nase muktāphaḷa ||38||

The prince looks at her and thinks: in form she is like my wife — yet no necklace is seen at her throat, no garland of pearls.

Chandrāṅgada notices her missing ornaments — the visible signs of a widow's grief — before he lets himself believe she is his own wife.

Read the small, telling details of someone's circumstance before drawing a conclusion about them.

अवलोकितसे अंगखूण । न दिसे हळदी करी कंकण । चित्ती व्याकुळ रूपहीन । सदृश दिसे प्राणेश्वरी ॥३९॥

avalokitase amgakhūṇa | na dise haḷadī karī kamkaṇa | cittī vyākuḷa rūpahīna | sadṛśa dise prāṇeśvarī ||39||

He examines the marks on her body; no turmeric-colored bangle is seen on her hand; troubled in mind at her bereft appearance, she seems just like his beloved.

The bare wrist confirms her widowhood in the poem's visual shorthand, deepening the prince's private distress even as recognition grows.

Let compassion, not just curiosity, guide how you notice another person's visible suffering.

मनी विचरी मागुता । रूप तिचे आठविता । तुरंगावरूनि उतरता । नदीतीरी बैसला असे ॥२४०॥

manī vicarī māgutā | rūpa tice āṭhavitā | turamgāvarūni utaratā | nadītīrī baisalā ase ||240||

He ponders again in his mind, recalling her form; dismounting from the horse, he sat down on the riverbank.

Chandrāṅgada pauses his journey to sit with her rather than ride past — attentiveness requires slowing down.

Stop and give your full presence to someone in distress rather than passing by at speed.

बोलावोनि तियेसी । पुसतसे अति प्रेमेसी । तुझा जन्म कवणे वंशी । पुरुष तुझा कोण सांगे ॥४१॥

bolāvoni tiyesī | pusatase ati premesī | tujhā janma kavaṇe vamśī | puruṣa tujhā koṇa sāmge ||41||

Calling to her, he asks with great affection: into what lineage were you born, and who is your husband — tell me.

He begins gently, asking her story rather than announcing his own identity — patience before revelation.

Ask about another's story with warmth before speaking about yourself.

का कोमाइलीस बाळपणी । दिससी शोके म्लान लक्षणी । सांगावे मज विस्तारोनि । अति स्नेहे पुसतसे ॥४२॥

kā komāilīsa bāḷapaṇī | disasī śoke mlāna lakṣaṇī | sāmgāve maja vistāroni | ati snehe pusatase ||42||

Why have you withered so young? You appear pale with grief in your features — tell me in full, he asks with deep affection.

He names her visible sorrow directly, giving her permission to speak of it rather than hide it.

Name someone's visible pain gently, so they feel safe enough to speak of it.

ऐकोनि सीमंतिनी देखा । आपण न बोले लज्जे ऐका । सखियांसी म्हणे बालिका । वृत्तान्त सांगा समस्त ॥४३॥

aikoni sīmamtinī dekhā | āpaṇa na bole lajje aikā | sakhiyāmsī mhaṇe bālikā | vṛttānta sāmgā samasta ||43||

Hearing this, Sīmantinī herself does not speak, out of shyness; the young woman tells her friends: relate the whole account.

Modesty keeps her silent, so her companions carry the story for her — a small picture of how community speaks for those who cannot yet speak for themselves.

When someone is too overcome to speak, let a trusted friend help carry their story.

सखिया सांगती तयासी । हे सीमंतिनी नाम परियेसी । चंद्रांगदाची महिषी । चित्रवर्म्याची हे कन्या ॥४४॥

sakhiyā sāmgatī tayāsī | he sīmamtinī nāma pariyesī | camdrāmgadācī mahiṣī | citravarmyācī he kanyā ||44||

Her friends tell him: her name is Sīmantinī, listen — she is Chandrāṅgada's queen, daughter of Citravarma.

Her friends unknowingly tell Chandrāṅgada his own history back to him — the irony sharpens the reader's anticipation of the reunion.

Listen fully even when you think you already know the answer; new details may still surprise you.

इचा पति अतिसुंदर । चंद्रांगद नामे थोर । जळक्रीडा करिता फार । येथे बुडाला नदीत ॥४५॥

icā pati atisumdara | camdrāmgada nāme thora | jaḷakrīḍā karitā phāra | yethe buḍālā nadīta ||45||

Her husband is very handsome, greatly renowned, named Chandrāṅgada; while playing much in the water, he drowned here in the river.

The friends recount the very drowning the prince himself just survived — the audience feels the dramatic irony even before Sīmantinī does.

Recognize that others may be carrying the very story you yourself have already lived through.

तेणे शोक करिता इसी । वैधव्य आले परियेसी । दुःख करीत तीन वर्षी । लावण्य इचे हरपले ॥४६॥

teṇe śoka karitā isī | vaidhavya āle pariyesī | duḥkha karīta tīna varṣī | lāvaṇya ice harapale ||46||

Grieving over this, widowhood has come upon her; for three years mourning, her beauty has faded.

Three years of unresolved grief have visibly worn her down — sustained sorrow leaves its mark on the body, not only the heart.

Recognize that long grief takes a real toll on health and appearance, and treat it with patience, not impatience.

सोमवारव्रत करीत । उपवास पूजादि आचरत । आज स्नानानिमित्त । आली असे नदीसी ॥४७॥

somavāravrata karīta | upavāsa pūjādi ācarata | āja snānānimitta | ālī ase nadīsī ||47||

She observes the Monday vow, keeping fast and worship; today, for the sake of bathing, she has come to the river.

Her ordinary religious discipline — the Somavāra vrata (Monday vow) — is what brought her to this river on this exact day.

Keep your quiet daily disciplines even in grief; they may be quietly setting up your future good.

इच्या श्वशुराची स्थिति देखा । पुत्रशोके विकळ ऐका । राज्य घेतले दायादिका । कारागृही घातले ॥४८॥

icyā śvaśurācī sthiti dekhā | putraśoke vikaḷa aikā | rājya ghetale dāyādikā | kārāgṛhī ghātale ||48||

See the state of her father-in-law: undone by grief for his son, his kinsmen seized the kingdom and threw him into prison.

The tragedy has compounded — grief was followed by betrayal, as relatives exploited the family's weakness for political gain.

Be wary of those who use another's grief as an opportunity to seize what is not theirs.

या कारणे सीमंतिनी । नित्य पूजी शूलपाणि । सोमवार उपोषणी । म्हणोनि करिती परियेसा ॥४९॥

yā kāraṇe sīmamtinī | nitya pūjī śūlapāṇi | somavāra upoṣaṇī | mhaṇoni karitī pariyesā ||49||

For this reason Sīmantinī daily worships the trident-bearer (Śiva), fasting on Mondays — that is why she does so, understand.

Her devotion is explicitly framed as a response to disaster — worship as the discipline that holds a person together through calamity.

Turn to a steady spiritual practice, not despair, when misfortune piles upon misfortune.

इतके सख्या सांगती । मग बोले आपण सीमंती । किमर्थ पुसता आम्हांप्रती । आपण कोण कंदर्परूपी ॥२५०॥

itake sakhyā sāmgatī | maga bole āpaṇa sīmamtī | kimartha pusatā āmhāmpratī | āpaṇa koṇa kamdarparūpī ||250||

So much her friends tell him; then Sīmantinī herself speaks: why do you ask us this — who are you, one shaped like the god of love?

Sīmantinī finally speaks directly, her question laced with wonder at his beauty, likened to Kandarpa (the god of love).

Find your voice again after listening, even if the question you ask is simple.

गंधर्व किंवा तुम्ही देव । किन्नर अथवा सिद्ध गंधर्व । नररूप दिसता मानव । आमुते पुसता कवण कार्या ॥५१॥

gamdharva kimvā tumhī deva | kinnara athavā siddha gamdharva | nararūpa disatā mānava | āmute pusatā kavaṇa kāryā ||51||

Are you a gandharva or a god, a kinnara or a siddha-gandharva? Though you appear human in form, why do you question us — for what purpose?

She runs through the categories of celestial being he might be, unable yet to imagine the truest and simplest answer: her own husband.

Do not let elaborate explanations crowd out the simplest, truest possibility.

स्नेह्भावे करोनी । पुसता तुम्ही अति गहनी । पूर्वी देखिले होते नयनी । न कळे खूण म्हणतसे ॥५२॥

snehbhāve karonī | pusatā tumhī ati gahanī | pūrvī dekhile hote nayanī | na kaḷe khūṇa mhaṇatase ||52||

You ask with such deep affection, as though intimately close — it seems my eyes have seen you before, though I cannot place the sign, she says.

Her body recognizes him before her mind will let her believe it — recognition often outruns reasoning.

Trust a strong feeling of recognition even before you can fully explain its source.

आप्तभाव माझ्या मनी । स्वजन तसे दिसता नयनी । नाम सांगा म्हणोनि । आठवी रूप पतीचे ॥५३॥

āptabhāva mājhyā manī | svajana tase disatā nayanī | nāma sāmgā mhaṇoni | āṭhavī rūpa patīce ||53||

A feeling of kinship rises in my mind, as though you appear before my eyes like my own kin — tell me your name, she says, recalling her husband's form.

The pull of kinship grows stronger, and she directly asks the one question that would resolve everything: his name.

Ask directly for the information you truly need, rather than circling around it.

आठवोनि पतीचे रूप । करू लागली अति प्रलाप । धरणी पडली रुदितबाष्प । महादुःख करीतसे ॥५४॥

āṭhavoni patīce rūpa | karū lāgalī ati pralāpa | dharaṇī paḍalī ruditabāṣpa | mahāduḥkha karītase ||54||

Recalling her husband's form, she begins to lament greatly; she falls to the ground weeping, overcome with great grief.

The resemblance breaks through her composure entirely — grief she has carried for years surfaces all at once.

Allow grief to surface fully when it rises, rather than suppressing it out of composure.

तियेचे दुःख देखोनि नयनी । कुमार विलोकी तटस्थपणी । मुहूर्त एक सावरोनि । आपण दुःख करीतसे ॥५५॥

tiyece duḥkha dekhoni nayanī | kumāra vilokī taṭasthapaṇī | muhūrta eka sāvaroni | āpaṇa duḥkha karītase ||55||

Seeing her grief with his own eyes, the prince watches, stunned; composing himself for a moment, he too grieves.

Chandrāṅgada, still testing whether to reveal himself, is moved to share her sorrow even while withholding the truth.

Let another's grief move you genuinely, even while you are still deciding how best to help.

दुःख करोनिया देखा । प्रक्षाळिले आपुल्या मुखा । उगी राहे म्हणे ऐका । आमुचे नाम सिद्ध म्हणे ॥५६॥

duḥkha karoniyā dekhā | prakṣāḷile āpulyā mukhā | ugī rāhe mhaṇe aikā | āmuce nāma siddha mhaṇe ||56||

Having grieved thus, he wipes his own face; be still, he tells her — listen, call me Siddha, he says.

The prince composes himself and, not yet ready to reveal his identity, offers her only a placeholder name — a small, kind concealment meant to test and comfort, not deceive for harm.

Sometimes withhold a full disclosure briefly if doing so lets you comfort someone more gently, so long as your intent is caring.

सीमंतिनी करिता शोक अपार । जवळी आला राजकुमार । हाती धरली सत्वर । संबोखीतसे प्रेमभावे ॥५७॥

sīmamtinī karitā śoka apāra | javaḷī ālā rājakumāra | hātī dharalī satvara | sambokhītase premabhāve ||57||

As Sīmantinī grieved without end, the prince came near; he quickly took her hand, comforting her with loving tenderness.

He moves from watching to acting, physically comforting her — presence completed by touch and word.

Move from merely witnessing someone's pain to actively comforting them.

एकांती सांगे तियेसी । म्हणे तुझ्या भ्रतारासी । देखिले आम्ही दृष्टीसी । सुखी आता असावे ॥५८॥

ekāmtī sāmge tiyesī | mhaṇe tujhyā bhratārāsī | dekhile āmhī dṛṣṭīsī | sukhī ātā asāve ||58||

In private he tells her: I have seen your husband with my own eyes — be at peace now.

He gives her the first piece of true good news, still without revealing that he himself is that husband.

Offer reassurance as soon as you honestly can, even before you can share the whole truth.

तव व्रतपुण्ये करोनी । पति शीघ्र पहासी नयनी । चिंता करून नको म्हणोनी । तृतीय दिनी भेटेल ॥५९॥

tava vratapuṇye karonī | pati śīghra pahāsī nayanī | cimtā karūna nako mhaṇonī | tṛtīya dinī bheṭela ||59||

By the merit of your vow, you will soon see your husband with your own eyes; do not worry, he says — he will meet you on the third day.

He credits her own vrata (vow) as the cause of the coming reunion, tying the miracle back to her steady devotion.

Give credit for a good outcome to the discipline that quietly made it possible.

तव पति माझा सखा । प्राण तोचि ऐका । संदेह न करी वो बालिका । आण शिवचरणाची ॥२६०॥

tava pati mājhā sakhā | prāṇa toci aikā | samdeha na karī vo bālikā | āṇa śivacaraṇācī ||260||

Your husband is my dear friend, my very life itself, listen; do not doubt, young woman — I swear this by Śiva's feet.

He swears an oath on Śiva's feet to steady her doubt, using the strongest guarantee their shared faith allows.

Back a serious reassurance with something you both hold sacred, so your word carries real weight.

ऐसे एकांती सांगून । प्रगट न करी म्हणून । दुःख आठवले ऐकून । सीमंतिनी बाळिकेसी ॥६१॥

aise ekāmtī sāmgūna | pragaṭa na karī mhaṇūna | duḥkha āṭhavale aikūna | sīmamtinī bāḷikesī ||61||

Having told her this in private, without revealing himself, hearing this her grief was recalled again for young Sīmantinī.

Even reassurance cannot fully dissolve grief that has settled deep — comfort and sorrow can coexist in the same moment.

Do not expect one kind word to erase grief instantly; give it time to settle alongside relief.

सुटल्या धारा लोचनी । प्रेमे रडे स्फुंदोनी । विचार करी सीमंतिनी । हाचि होय मम पति ॥६२॥

suṭalyā dhārā locanī | preme raḍe sphumdonī | vicāra karī sīmamtinī | hāci hoya mama pati ||62||

Streams of tears flowed from her eyes; she wept with sobs of love; Sīmantinī thinks — this must be my very husband.

Her heart reaches its own conclusion before he has confirmed it — love recognizes what caution still hesitates to say.

Let your heart's honest recognition guide you, even while you continue to verify it carefully.

पतीसारिखे मुखकमळ । नयन सुंदर अति कोमळ । ध्वनि बोलता ज्याची मंजुळ । अति गंभीर बोलतसे ॥६३॥

patīsārikhe mukhakamaḷa | nayana sumdara ati komaḷa | dhvani bolatā jyācī mamjuḷa | ati gambhīra bolatase ||63||

His lotus face is just like her husband's; his eyes beautiful and gentle; his voice, sweet when he speaks, is deeply grave.

She catalogs the specific physical signs that confirm her intuition — recognition built from many small true details.

Build trust in an important judgment from many small consistent details, not a single impression.

मृदु वाणी पतीसरसी । तैसाची बोले तो हर्षी । धरिता माझिया करासी । अति मृदु लागले ॥६४॥

mṛdu vāṇī patīsarasī | taisācī bole to harṣī | dharitā mājhiyā karāsī | ati mṛdu lāgale ||64||

His gentle speech is just like her husband's; he speaks with that same joy; when he held my hand, it felt exceedingly soft, just the same.

Even the sensation of touch confirms her growing certainty — the body remembers what words cannot yet prove.

Pay attention to the felt, bodily sense of familiarity, not only to spoken evidence.

माझे पतीचे लक्षण । मी जाणे सर्व खूण । हाचि होय माझा प्राण । समस्त चिन्हे असती ॥६५॥

mājhe patīce lakṣaṇa | mī jāṇe sarva khūṇa | hāci hoya mājhā prāṇa | samasta cinhe asatī ||65||

I know all the marks and signs of my husband; this must be my very life itself — all the signs are present.

She reaches full conviction, having tested every sign available to her, even without a name yet confirmed.

Trust a conclusion you have carefully tested against every sign available to you.

यास देखोनि नयनी । धारा सुटल्या प्रेमे जीवनी । नवलपरी विचारूनी । मागुती अनुमान करीत ॥६६॥

yāsa dekhoni nayanī | dhārā suṭalyā preme jīvanī | navalaparī vicārūnī | māgutī anumāna karīta ||66||

Seeing him with her own eyes, streams of tears flowed from love in her heart; yet wondering strangely, she reconsiders once more, doubting.

Even at the point of near-certainty, doubt reasserts itself — hope this deep is hard to trust after such loss.

Allow yourself a final moment of doubt even after near-certainty; it does not undo the truth, only tests it.

दैवहीन असे आपण । कैसा पति येईल म्हणोन । बुडाला नदीत जाऊन । मागुती कैसी भ्रांति म्हणे ॥६७॥

daivahīna ase āpaṇa | kaisā pati yeīla mhaṇona | buḍālā nadīta jāūna | māgutī kaisī bhrāmti mhaṇe ||67||

I am unfortunate — how could my husband return, she thinks; he went and drowned in the river, so how could this be, is it delusion again, she says.

Her long-held sense of misfortune fights against the possibility of good news — grief can make joy feel unbelievable.

Notice when past disappointment makes you resist believing good news, and gently question that resistance.

मेला पति मागुती येता । ऐशी न ऐकिली कानी कथा । स्वप्न देखिले की भ्रांता । काय कळते माझे मना ॥६८॥

melā pati māgutī yetā | aiśī na aikilī kānī kathā | svapna dekhile kī bhrāmtā | kāya kaḷate mājhe manā ||68||

Never have I heard of a dead husband returning again — is this a dream I am seeing, or delusion? What is my mind understanding, she wonders.

She measures the miracle against the ordinary rules of the world and finds it unprecedented — the poem lets the reader feel her vertigo.

Give yourself room to be disoriented when something genuinely extraordinary happens to you.

धूर्त होय की वेषधारा । राक्षस यक्ष किंवा किन्नरी । कपटे प्रगटला नदीतीरी । म्हणोनि कल्पना करीतसे ॥६९॥

dhūrta hoya kī veṣadhārā | rākṣasa yakṣa kimvā kinnarī | kapaṭe pragaṭalā nadītīrī | mhaṇoni kalpanā karītase ||69||

Perhaps he is a cunning trickster in disguise — a demon, a yakṣa, or a kinnara — who has deceitfully appeared on the riverbank, so she imagines.

Her mind runs through worst-case explanations, a natural defense after years of loss and betrayal by her husband's own kin.

Allow yourself reasonable caution after being hurt before, without letting it harden into permanent suspicion.

किंवा पावला शिवव्रते । की धाडिला गिरिजानाथे । संकट जाणोनि आमुच्या येथे । मैत्रेयीकारणे धाडिला ॥२७०॥

kimvā pāvalā śivavrate | kī dhāḍilā girijānāthe | samkaṭa jāṇoni āmucyā yethe | maitreyīkāraṇe dhāḍilā ||270||

Or perhaps he has come by the merit of her vow to Śiva, sent by Pārvatī's lord, knowing our trouble, sent here out of compassion for us.

She finally lands on a hopeful, faith-based explanation — that Śiva himself has answered her devotion through this stranger.

When facing an unexplained blessing, consider that quiet devotion may be answered in unexpected forms.

ज्यास प्रसन्न शंकर । त्यास कैचा दुःखविकार । चिंतिले पाहिजे निर्धारे । ऐसे चिंती सीमंतिनी ॥७१॥

jyāsa prasanna śamkara | tyāsa kaicā duḥkhavikāra | cimtile pāhije nirdhāre | aise cimtī sīmamtinī ||71||

One with whom Śiva is pleased — how could sorrow's affliction touch them? This must be pondered with certainty, so Sīmantinī reflects.

She reasons her way to trust: a person so evidently blessed could not be a malicious deceiver.

Let evident goodness in someone's manner be reasonable grounds for extending trust.

ऐसे होता राजकुमार । आरूढला वारूवर । निरोप मागे प्रीतिकर । सीमंतिनी नारीसी ॥७२॥

aise hotā rājakumāra | ārūḍhalā vārūvara | niropa māge prītikara | sīmamtinī nārīsī ||72||

As this was happening, the prince mounted his horse; he lovingly asked leave of the woman Sīmantinī.

Chandrāṅgada departs without yet revealing everything, setting the stage for the promised reunion he mentioned.

Follow through on a promise you have made, even after the immediate moment has passed.

निघाला अश्व मनोवेगे । पातला नगरा अतिशीघ्रे । वासुकीपुत्र होता संगे । तया पाठवी नगरांत ॥७३॥

nighālā aśva manovege | pātalā nagarā atiśīghre | vāsukīputra hotā samge | tayā pāṭhavī nagarāmta ||73||

The horse set off at the speed of thought, reaching the city very swiftly; Vāsukī's son, who was with him, he sent into the city.

Chandrāṅgada dispatches the nāga prince ahead as his envoy — decisive action follows the emotional reunion by the river.

After a moment of feeling, move quickly into practical action to set things right.

त्वा जावोनि वैरियांसी । इष्टती सांगा वादीयासी । न ऐकता तव बोलासी । संहारीन बोलावे ॥७४॥

tvā jāvoni vairiyāmsī | iṣṭatī sāmgā vādīyāsī | na aikatā tava bolāsī | samhārīna bolāve ||74||

Go and tell my enemies, the opposing party, what is right for them; if they do not heed your words, tell them I will destroy them.

He sends a firm ultimatum to the usurpers who seized his father's throne, backed by the strength of his new alliance.

When correcting wrongdoing, first give the wrongdoer a clear chance to make amends before using force.

ऐसे वचन ऐकोनि । त्वरित पावला राजभुवनी । उभा राहोनि कठोर वचनी । बोलतसे नगराधिपतीसी ॥७५॥

aise vacana aikoni | tvarita pāvalā rājabhuvanī | ubhā rāhoni kaṭhora vacanī | bolatase nagarādhipatīsī ||75||

Hearing this command, he quickly arrived at the royal palace; standing there, he spoke harsh words to the ruler of the city.

The nāga envoy delivers Chandrāṅgada's message directly and without softening, matching the seriousness of the betrayal.

Deliver an urgent warning plainly and without hedging when real harm is at stake.

चला शीघ्र कुटुंबेसी । चंद्रांगदाचे भेटीसी । तक्षकाचे दर्शनासी । गेला होता पाताळी ॥७६॥

calā śīghra kuṭumbesī | camdrāmgadāce bheṭīsī | takṣakāce darśanāsī | gelā hotā pātāḷī ||76||

Come quickly with your family to meet Chandrāṅgada — he had gone to the netherworld for an audience with Takṣaka.

The envoy announces that the presumed-dead prince has returned, upending the usurpers' assumption that the throne was safely theirs.

Be ready to revise your plans the moment new facts overturn what you had assumed was settled.

कालिंदीये नदीत । बुडाला हे ऐकोनिया मात । तुम्ही केला स्वामीघात । राज्य घेतले इंद्रसेनाचे ॥७७॥

kālimdīye nadīta | buḍālā he aikoniyā māta | tumhī kelā svāmīghāta | rājya ghetale imdrasenāce ||77||

Hearing that he had drowned in the river Kālindī, you committed treachery against your lord and seized Indrasena's kingdom.

The envoy names their crime plainly — betrayal seized on a family's tragedy as opportunity.

Call wrongdoing by its true name rather than softening it with vague language.

आता सांगेन तुम्हांसी । चाड असे जरी प्राणासी । शरण जावे तयासी । इंद्रसेना स्थापोनी ॥७८॥

ātā sāmgena tumhāmsī | cāḍa ase jarī prāṇāsī | śaraṇa jāve tayāsī | imdrasenā sthāponī ||78||

Now I tell you: if you value your lives, go and surrender to him, reinstating Indrasena.

The envoy offers a way out — restitution rather than destruction — if they act quickly.

Offer wrongdoers a genuine path to make amends rather than seeking only punishment.

तक्षकासारखा मैत्र जोडला । दिधले नवनागसहस्त्रबळा । शीघ्र लागा चरणकमळा । चंद्रांगदाचे जाऊनी ॥७९॥

takṣakāsārakhā maitra joḍalā | didhale navanāgasahastrabaḷā | śīghra lāgā caraṇakamaḷā | camdrāmgadāce jāūnī ||79||

He has gained a friend like Takṣaka, who has given him the strength of nine thousand nāgas; go quickly and fall at Chandrāṅgada's lotus feet.

The scale of Chandrāṅgada's new power is spelled out, making clear that resistance would be futile.

State the real stakes clearly when urging someone to change course before it is too late.

न ऐकाल माझ्या वचना । तरी आताचि घेतो प्राणा । तक्षके पाठविले आपणा । पारिपत्याकारणे हो ॥२८०॥

na aikāla mājhyā vacanā | tarī ātāci gheto prāṇā | takṣake pāṭhavile āpaṇā | pāripatyākāraṇe ho ||280||

If you do not heed my words, I will take your lives right now — Takṣaka has sent me for the purpose of punishing you.

The threat is backed by real authority, not bluff — the envoy speaks with Takṣaka's sanction behind him.

Only make a serious warning when you genuinely have the standing and means to follow through.

ऐसे वचन ऐकोनी । शत्रु भयाभीत मनी । हीन बुद्धि केली जाणोनी । आता शरण रिघावे ॥८१॥

aise vacana aikonī | śatru bhayābhīta manī | hīna buddhi kelī jāṇonī | ātā śaraṇa righāve ||81||

Hearing these words, the enemies grew fearful in their minds; knowing they had acted with base intent, they resolved now to surrender.

Fear and a flicker of conscience together turn the usurpers toward surrender rather than further conflict.

Let a clear consequence, together with honest conscience, move you to correct a wrong quickly.

जरी करू बलात्कार । तक्षक करील संहार । लोकात होई निंदा फार । प्राण जाईल आपुला ॥८२॥

jarī karū balātkāra | takṣaka karīla samhāra | lokāta hoī nimdā phāra | prāṇa jāīla āpulā ||82||

If we resist by force, Takṣaka will destroy us; there will be great condemnation among the people, and we will lose our lives.

The usurpers weigh their options and see that both practical and moral costs favor surrender.

Weigh both practical consequences and public shame before choosing to persist in wrongdoing.

ऐसे विचारूनि मानसी । बाहेर आणिती इंद्रसेनासी । नाना वस्त्रे आभरणेसी । सिंहासनी बैसविला ॥८३॥

aise vicārūni mānasī | bāhera āṇitī imdrasenāsī | nānā vastre ābharaṇesī | simhāsanī baisavilā ||83||

Reflecting thus in their minds, they brought Indrasena out, adorned him with various garments and ornaments, and seated him on the throne.

The rightful king is restored with visible honor, undoing the earlier degradation of imprisonment.

When restoring someone wronged, restore their dignity visibly, not only their position.

सकळ विनविती त्यासी । अपराध घडला आम्हांसी । प्राण राखा वेगेसी । म्हणोनि चरणी लागले ॥८४॥

sakaḷa vinavitī tyāsī | aparādha ghaḍalā āmhāmsī | prāṇa rākhā vegesī | mhaṇoni caraṇī lāgale ||84||

All entreated him: we have committed an offense — spare our lives quickly — and so they fell at his feet.

The usurpers openly confess and beg forgiveness — genuine acknowledgment of wrongdoing, not mere compliance.

When you have wronged someone, admit it plainly rather than only complying quietly.

राया इंद्रसेनासी । तक्षकपुत्र सांगे त्यासी । तुमचा पुत्र आला परियेसी । वासुकी भेटी गेला होता ॥८५॥

rāyā imdrasenāsī | takṣakaputra sāmge tyāsī | tumacā putra ālā pariyesī | vāsukī bheṭī gelā hotā ||85||

To King Indrasena, Takṣaka's son announces: your son has returned, listen — he had gone to meet Vāsukī.

The good news of Chandrāṅgada's survival is finally delivered directly to his grieving father.

Deliver long-awaited good news to someone as soon as you honestly can.

ऐकोनि राव संतोषी त्यासी । आठवोनि अधिक दुःखासी । मूर्छा येवोनि धरणीसी । पत्‍नीसहित पडियेला ॥८५॥

aikoni rāva samtoṣī tyāsī | āṭhavoni adhika duḥkhāsī | mūrchā yevoni dharaṇīsī | pat‍nīsahita paḍiyelā ||85||

Hearing this, the king rejoiced, yet recalling his greater sorrow, he fainted and fell to the ground along with his wife.

Joy and the weight of accumulated grief overwhelm the parents at once, showing how sudden relief can be as intense as sorrow.

Be gentle with someone receiving sudden good news after long suffering; overwhelming relief needs care too.

नागकुमरे उठविले त्यासी । दुःख कासया करावे हर्षी । येईल पुत्र भेटीसी । त्वरे करोनि आतांची ॥८६॥

nāgakumare uṭhavile tyāsī | duḥkha kāsayā karāve harṣī | yeīla putra bheṭīsī | tvare karoni ātāmcī ||86||

The nāga prince raised him up: why grieve now — rejoice instead, for your son will come to meet you very soon.

The messenger steadies the overwhelmed parents, redirecting them from grief toward the joy that is actually at hand.

Help someone shift from old grief to present joy when the reason for grief has genuinely passed.

मग राव अतिहर्षी । बोलावित मंत्रियांसी । नगर श्रृंगारावयासी । निरोप दिधला तये वेळी ॥८७॥

maga rāva atiharṣī | bolāvita mamtriyāmsī | nagara śrṛmgārāvayāsī | niropa didhalā taye veḷī ||87||

Then the king, overjoyed, summoned his ministers, and at that moment gave orders to adorn the city.

Personal joy is immediately turned into shared, public celebration — the king wants the whole city to rejoice with him.

Share your good fortune with your wider community, not only privately.

ऐसा निरोप देऊन । भेटी निघाला आपण । सकळ दायाद स्वजन । राणीवसा आदिकरूनि ॥८९॥

aisā niropa deūna | bheṭī nighālā āpaṇa | sakaḷa dāyāda svajana | rāṇīvasā ādikarūni ||89||

Having given this order, he himself set out to meet his son, together with all his kinsmen and relatives, beginning with the women of the household.

The whole family, not the king alone, goes out together to receive the returning prince — reunion as a collective event.

Include the whole family, not just yourself, in welcoming back someone who was lost.

मंत्रीपुरोहितासहित । निघाले लोक समस्त । कौतुक पाहो म्हणत । मेला पुत्र कैसा आला ॥२९०॥

mamtrīpurohitāsahita | nighāle loka samasta | kautuka pāho mhaṇata | melā putra kaisā ālā ||290||

Along with ministers and priests, all the people set out, saying, let us see the wonder — how has a dead son returned?

The entire city turns out in astonishment, the private family miracle becoming a public marvel.

Let a community's shared wonder at good news strengthen its bonds.

आनंद झाला सकळिका । राव मानि महाहरिखा । पाहीन म्हणे पुत्रमुखा । अति आवडीने अवधारा ॥९१॥

ānamda jhālā sakaḷikā | rāva māni mahāharikhā | pāhīna mhaṇe putramukhā | ati āvaḍīne avadhārā ||91||

Joy filled everyone; the king felt immense delight, saying, I shall see my son's face, with the greatest longing, understand.

The narrator dwells on the sheer intensity of the king's longing, honoring how deeply a parent can love a child.

Do not be ashamed of longing openly to see someone you love.

सवे वाजंत्र्यांचे गजर । नगरलोका संतोष थोर । करिताती जयजयकार अति उल्हास करिताती ॥९२॥

save vājamtryāmce gajara | nagaralokā samtoṣa thora | karitātī jayajayakāra ati ulhāsa karitātī ||92||

Along with the resounding of musical instruments, the city's people felt great joy; they raised cries of victory, rejoicing greatly.

Music and public acclamation mark the moment as a genuine civic celebration, not just a private family matter.

Mark a genuine triumph with real celebration rather than letting it pass quietly.

ऐसे जाऊनि पुत्रासी । भेटी झाली रायासी । चंद्रांगद पितयासी । नमस्कारी साष्टांगे ॥९३॥

aise jāūni putrāsī | bheṭī jhālī rāyāsī | camdrāmgada pitayāsī | namaskārī sāṣṭāmge ||93||

Going thus, the king was reunited with his son; Chandrāṅgada prostrated fully before his father.

Despite his royal status and his adventures, Chandrāṅgada's first act is full sāṣṭāṅga prostration before his father — humility before celebration.

Honor your parents first, even amid your own triumphant return or success.

अति प्रेमे पुत्रासी । आलिंगी राव त्वरेसी । सद्गदित कंठेसी । नेत्री सुटल्या अश्रुधारा ॥९४॥

ati preme putrāsī | ālimgī rāva tvaresī | sadgadita kamṭhesī | netrī suṭalyā aśrudhārā ||94||

With great love the king quickly embraced his son; his voice choked with emotion, streams of tears flowed from his eyes.

The father's composure finally breaks into open emotion — the poem does not shy from showing a king weep.

Allow yourself to show unguarded emotion at a genuine reunion, regardless of your status.

पुत्रासी म्हणे इंद्रसेन । आलासी बाळा माझा प्राण । श्रमलो होतो तुजविण । म्हणोनि सांगे दुःख आपुले ॥९५॥

putrāsī mhaṇe imdrasena | ālāsī bāḷā mājhā prāṇa | śramalo hoto tujaviṇa | mhaṇoni sāmge duḥkha āpule ||95||

Indrasena says to his son: you have come, my child, my very life; I was worn out with grief without you — so he tells of his own sorrow.

The father openly names his own suffering rather than hiding it behind stoicism now that his son is safe.

Once danger has passed, it is safe and healthy to tell a loved one how much you suffered while worrying for them.

मातेते आलिंगोन । दुःख करी ती अतिगहन । विनवीत तिये संबोखोन । मजनिमित्त कष्टलिसी ॥९६॥

mātete ālimgona | duḥkha karī tī atigahana | vinavīta tiye sambokhona | majanimitta kaṣṭalisī ||96||

Embracing his mother, she wept most deeply; he consoled her, entreating: you have suffered so much for my sake.

Chandrāṅgada turns next to comfort his mother, acknowledging her suffering as clearly as his father's.

Acknowledge each family member's particular suffering individually, not only the household's grief in general.

पुत्र नव्हे मी तुमचा शत्रु । जाऊनि आपुले सुखार्थु । तुम्हा दुखविले की बहुतु । नेदीच सुख तुम्हाते ॥९७॥

putra navhe mī tumacā śatru | jāūni āpule sukhārthu | tumhā dukhavile kī bahutu | nedīca sukha tumhāte ||97||

I am not truly your son but your enemy, having gone off for my own pleasure; I have caused you great pain and given you no happiness at all.

Chandrāṅgada blames himself harshly for the suffering his absence caused, even though the drowning was an accident.

Take responsibility for the pain your absence caused loved ones, even when the cause was beyond your control.

आपण जावोनि पाताळी । राहिलो सुखे शेषाजवळी । तुम्ही कष्टलीत बहुतकाळी । मजनिमित्त अहोरात्र ॥९८॥

āpaṇa jāvoni pātāḷī | rāhilo sukhe śeṣājavaḷī | tumhī kaṣṭalīta bahutakāḷī | majanimitta ahorātra ||98||

I went to the netherworld and lived happily beside Śeṣa, while you suffered for so long, day and night, on my account.

He contrasts his own comfort in the netherworld with his parents' prolonged grief, sharpening his sense of debt to them.

Remember those who suffered on your behalf even during a time when things went well for you.

काष्ठासरी अंतःकरण । माझे असे की सत्य जाण । माताजीव जैसे मेण । पुत्रानिमित्त कष्ट बहुत ॥९९॥

kāṣṭhāsarī amtaḥkaraṇa | mājhe ase kī satya jāṇa | mātājīva jaise meṇa | putrānimitta kaṣṭa bahuta ||99||

My heart must be like wood, truly — know this; a mother's soul is like wax, suffering greatly for her son's sake.

The poem contrasts wood and wax — a son's heart imagined as hardened, a mother's as endlessly melting with love.

Let a mother's tenderness soften whatever hardness has grown in your own heart.

मातापितयांचे दुःख । जो नेणे तोचि शतमूर्ख । उत्तीर्ण व्हावया अशक्य । स्तनपान एक घडीचे ॥३००॥

mātāpitayāmce duḥkha | jo neṇe toci śatamūrkha | uttīrṇa vhāvayā aśakya | stanapāna eka ghaḍīce ||300||

Whoever does not know the sorrow of parents is a hundredfold fool; it is impossible to repay even a single moment's nursing at the mother's breast.

The narrator steps in with a direct teaching on filial debt — a debt the text says can never be fully repaid.

Treat your gratitude to your parents as a debt you can only ever partly repay, never fully settle.

मातेवीण देव देखा । पुत्रासि नाही विशेखा । कवण उत्तीर्ण नव्हे ऐका । माता केवळ मृडानी ॥१॥

mātevīṇa deva dekhā | putrāsi nāhī viśekhā | kavaṇa uttīrṇa navhe aikā | mātā kevaḷa mṛḍānī ||1||

See, apart from the mother there is no special deity for a son; who can ever fully repay her — the mother alone is like Mṛḍānī (Pārvatī) herself.

The mother is elevated to the status of a living deity in her own right, deserving the same reverence as Mṛḍānī (Pārvatī, Śiva's consort).

Treat honoring your mother as itself a form of worship, not a separate duty from your spiritual practice.

दुःख देत जननीसी । तो जाय यमपुरासी । पुत्र नव्हे त्याचे वंशी । सप्तजन्मी दरिद्री ॥२॥

duḥkha deta jananīsī | to jāya yamapurāsī | putra navhe tyāce vamśī | saptajanmī daridrī ||2||

Whoever causes his mother sorrow goes to Yama's abode; no true son remains in his lineage — he is impoverished for seven births.

A stern warning follows the praise — the text treats causing a mother grief as a grave spiritual failing with lasting consequence.

Weigh any action that would cause your mother sorrow as carrying real, lasting weight, not a small matter.

ऐसे मातेसि विनवूनी । भेटतसे तो भाऊबहिणी । इष्ट सोयरे अखिल जनी । प्रधानासमवेत नागरिका ॥३॥

aise mātesi vinavūnī | bheṭatase to bhāūbahiṇī | iṣṭa soyare akhila janī | pradhānāsamaveta nāgarikā ||3||

Having thus entreated his mother, he then meets his brothers and sisters, friends and relatives, along with the ministers and the citizens.

After the most intimate reunions, Chandrāṅgada widens his greeting outward to the whole community that shares in his return.

After tending to your closest relationships first, extend your attention outward to the wider community as well.

इतुकिया अवसरी । प्रवेश केला नगराभीतरी । समारंभ केला अति थोरी । पावले निजमंदिरा ॥४॥

itukiyā avasarī | praveśa kelā nagarābhītarī | samārambha kelā ati thorī | pāvale nijamamdirā ||4||

At that moment, he entered into the city; a very grand celebration was held, and they reached the royal palace.

The private family reunion becomes a full civic homecoming, formally completed at the palace.

Let a genuine cause for celebration be marked fully, not rushed past.

तक्षकाचे पुत्रासी । गौरविले सन्मानेसी । वस्त्रे भूषणे रत्‍नेसी । इंद्रसेने अतिप्रीती ॥५॥

takṣakāce putrāsī | gauravile sanmānesī | vastre bhūṣaṇe rat‍nesī | imdrasene atiprītī ||5||

Indrasena honored Takṣaka's son with great respect and affection, giving him garments, ornaments, and jewels.

The king personally honors the nāga envoy who brought both news and protection — gratitude expressed concretely, not just in words.

Express your gratitude to a helper with tangible honor, not words alone.

चंद्रांगद सांगे पितयासी । तक्षक उपकार विस्तारेसी । प्राण वाचविला आम्हासी । द्रव्य दिधले अपार ॥६॥

camdrāmgada sāmge pitayāsī | takṣaka upakāra vistāresī | prāṇa vācavilā āmhāsī | dravya didhale apāra ||6||

Chandrāṅgada tells his father in full of Takṣaka's kindness: he saved my life and gave me boundless wealth.

Chandrāṅgada makes sure his father understands the true source of his rescue, giving credit where it is due.

Publicly credit whoever truly helped you, especially before those who matter most to you.

सुंदर वस्त्रे आभरणे । दिधली होती तक्षकाने । पिता देखोनि संतोषाने । म्हणे धन्य तक्षक ॥७॥

sumdara vastre ābharaṇe | didhalī hotī takṣakāne | pitā dekhoni samtoṣāne | mhaṇe dhanya takṣaka ||7||

Beautiful garments and ornaments had been given by Takṣaka; seeing them, the father, delighted, said, blessed is Takṣaka.

Seeing the physical gifts confirms the story and moves the father to bless the benefactor in turn.

Let tangible evidence of someone's kindness deepen your own gratitude toward them.

निरोप दिधला नागपुत्रासी । बोळविले तयासी । भृत्य पाठविले वेगेसी । चित्रवर्म्याचे नगरात ॥८॥

niropa didhalā nāgaputrāsī | boḷavile tayāsī | bhṛtya pāṭhavile vegesī | citravarmyāce nagarāta ||8||

He gave the nāga prince leave and saw him off; he quickly sent servants to Citravarma's city.

Indrasena moves immediately to inform Sīmantinī's own family, the next relationship needing to be honored.

Promptly share good news with all who have a stake in it, not only your immediate household.

राव म्हणे तये वेळी । सून माझी दैवे आगळी । तिचे धर्मै वाचला बळी । पुत्र माझा अवधारा ॥९॥

rāva mhaṇe taye veḷī | sūna mājhī daive āgaḷī | tice dharmai vācalā baḷī | putra mājhā avadhārā ||9||

The king said at that moment: my daughter-in-law is exceptionally fortunate — by her righteousness my son's life was saved, understand.

Indrasena openly credits Sīmantinī's dharma (righteous conduct and vow) as the true cause of his son's rescue.

Give full credit to a family member's quiet faithfulness when it turns out to have made all the difference.

तिणे आराधिला शंकर । तेणे कंकण चुडे स्थिर । तेणे वाचला माझा कुमर । सौभाग्यवती सून माझी ॥३१०॥

tiṇe ārādhilā śamkara | teṇe kamkaṇa cuḍe sthira | teṇe vācalā mājhā kumara | saubhāgyavatī sūna mājhī ||310||

She worshipped Śaṅkara, and by that her marital bangles remained unbroken; by that my son was saved — my daughter-in-law is truly blessed with good fortune.

Her unbroken bangles — a sign in this idiom that she never truly became a widow — are read as proof that her devotion to Śiva preserved her husband's life.

See a loved one's quiet, sustained devotion as a real form of protection over the family, not mere ritual.

म्हणोनि पाठविले वेगेसी । लिहोनिया वर्तमानासी । चित्रवर्मरायासी । इंद्रसेन रायाने ॥११॥

mhaṇoni pāṭhavile vegesī | lihoniyā vartamānāsī | citravarmarāyāsī | imdrasena rāyāne ||11||

So King Indrasena quickly sent word, writing the news, to King Citravarma.

Formal written communication follows the emotional reunion — good news properly conveyed to the extended family.

Follow up an emotional reunion with clear, formal communication to everyone who needs to know.

हेर निघाले सत्वरी । चित्रवर्म्याचिये नगरी । व्यवस्था सांगितली कुसरी । चंद्रांगदशुभवार्ता ॥१२॥

hera nighāle satvarī | citravarmyāciye nagarī | vyavasthā sāmgitalī kusarī | camdrāmgadaśubhavārtā ||12||

Messengers set out swiftly to Citravarma's city, skillfully conveying the news of Chandrāṅgada's arrangements and good tidings.

The good news travels carefully and skillfully, ensuring Sīmantinī's parents receive it properly.

Take care in how you deliver important news, choosing your words with skill and sensitivity.

संतोषे राजा ऐकोनि देखा । करिता झाला महासुखा । दाने दिधली अपार ऐका । रत्‍ने भूषणे हेरांसी ॥१३॥

samtoṣe rājā aikoni dekhā | karitā jhālā mahāsukhā | dāne didhalī apāra aikā | rat‍ne bhūṣaṇe herāmsī ||13||

Hearing this, the king rejoiced greatly with immense happiness; he gave boundless gifts of jewels and ornaments to the messengers.

Citravarma's overflowing generosity to the messengers mirrors the overflowing joy of the news itself.

Reward the bearer of joyful news generously, as thanks for what they have brought you.

इंद्रसेन राजा सत्वर । पुनरपि करावया वर्‍हाड थोर । चंद्रांगद बडिवार । सेना घेवूनि निघाला ॥१४॥

imdrasena rājā satvara | punarapi karāvayā var‍hāḍa thora | camdrāmgada baḍivāra | senā ghevūni nighālā ||14||

King Indrasena quickly set out again to arrange a grand wedding procession, with splendid Chandrāṅgada, taking his army along.

A second wedding celebration is arranged — the marriage effectively renewed now that the couple's union is fully restored.

Mark the restoration of a relationship with a fresh, deliberate celebration, not just quiet relief.

महोत्साह झाला थोर । वर्‍हाड केले धुरंधर । चंद्रांगद प्रीतिकर । सीमंतिनीसी भेटला ॥१५॥

mahotsāha jhālā thora | var‍hāḍa kele dhuramdhara | camdrāmgada prītikara | sīmamtinīsī bheṭalā ||15||

A great festival took place; a magnificent wedding procession was held, and Chandrāṅgada lovingly reunited with Sīmantinī.

The formal wedding celebration completes what the riverside meeting only began — public recognition of their reunion as husband and wife.

Give a hard-won reunion its full, proper recognition, not just a private moment.

पाताळींची अमोल्य वस्तु । प्राणेश्वरीसी अर्पित । पाजिता झाला अमृत । महानंद प्रवर्तला ॥१६॥

pātāḷīmcī amolya vastu | prāṇeśvarīsī arpita | pājitā jhālā amṛta | mahānamda pravartalā ||16||

He offered his beloved the priceless treasures of the netherworld, and gave her nectar to drink; great joy prevailed.

Chandrāṅgada shares everything he gained in the netherworld with Sīmantinī — the fruit of his trial becomes a shared blessing.

Share the good you have gained through hardship generously with those who suffered alongside you.

कल्पवृक्षफळ देखा । देवोनि तोषविला नायका । अमोल्य वस्त्राभरणी देखा । दश योजने तेज फाके ॥१७॥

kalpavṛkṣaphaḷa dekhā | devoni toṣavilā nāyakā | amolya vastrābharaṇī dekhā | daśa yojane teja phāke ||17||

Giving her the fruit of the wish-fulfilling tree, he delighted his beloved; adorned with priceless garments and ornaments, her radiance shone for ten yojanas.

Sīmantinī now radiates the same ten-yojana brilliance once described of Chandrāṅgada himself — her devotion has made her equally glorious.

Recognize that faithful devotion can bring its own quiet radiance, visible to those around you.

ऐसा उत्साह विवाह केला । आपुले पुरीसी निघाला । सीमंतिनीचे वैभवाला । जोडा नसे त्रिभुवनी ॥१८॥

aisā utsāha vivāha kelā | āpule purīsī nighālā | sīmamtinīce vaibhavālā | joḍā nase tribhuvanī ||18||

With such rejoicing the wedding celebration was held; he set out for his own city — Sīmantinī's splendor had no equal in the three worlds.

The narrator's praise of Sīmantinī's unmatched glory closes this stage of the story on her merit, not merely his.

Let a story's happy ending be credited to the person whose steadfastness earned it.

मग जावोनि नगरासी । राज्यी स्थापिला पुत्रासी । दहा सहस्त्र पूर्ण वर्षी । राज्य केले चद्रांगदे ॥१९॥

maga jāvoni nagarāsī | rājyī sthāpilā putrāsī | dahā sahastra pūrṇa varṣī | rājya kele cadrāmgade ||19||

Then, going to the city, the son was established on the throne; for ten thousand full years, Chandrāṅgada ruled the kingdom.

The tale closes with a long, stable reign — the mythic scale of years signals a life fully restored and blessed.

Trust that a period of trial rightly endured can be followed by long, stable peace.

सीमंतिनी करी व्रतासी । उपवास सोमवारासी । पूजिले गौरीहरासी । म्हणोनि पावली इष्टार्थ ॥३२०॥

sīmamtinī karī vratāsī | upavāsa somavārāsī | pūjile gaurīharāsī | mhaṇoni pāvalī iṣṭārtha ||320||

Sīmantinī kept her vow, fasting on Mondays, worshipping Gaurī and Hara (Pārvatī and Śiva) — thus she attained her heart's desire.

The story's moral is stated plainly: her vrata (vow) to Gaurī-Hara is named as the direct cause of every blessing that followed.

Keep a chosen spiritual discipline consistently, trusting it to shape your deepest desires over time.

ऐसे विचित्र असे व्रत । म्हणोनि सांगे श्रीगुरुनाथ । ऐक सुवासिनी म्हणत । अति प्रीती निरूपिले ॥२१॥

aise vicitra ase vrata | mhaṇoni sāmge śrīgurunātha | aika suvāsinī mhaṇata | ati prītī nirūpile ||21||

Such is this wondrous vow, says Śrī Gurunātha; listen, married women, he says, expounding it with great affection.

Śrī Guru now steps out of the story to address married women directly, turning the tale into explicit teaching.

Draw the practical lesson out of a story once you have heard it, rather than leaving it as mere entertainment.

ऐसे करी वो आता व्रत । चुडे कंकणे अखंडित । कन्या पुत्र होती बहुत । आमुचे वाक्य अवधारी ॥२२॥

aise karī vo ātā vrata | cuḍe kamkaṇe akhamḍita | kanyā putra hotī bahuta | āmuce vākya avadhārī ||22||

So now observe this vow, that your marital bangles remain unbroken and you have many sons and daughters — heed my words.

Śrī Guru prescribes the same Monday vow to all married women present, promising marital longevity and children as its fruits.

Adopt a proven, time-tested practice for your own well-being rather than inventing an untested one.

दंपत्य विनवी श्रीगुरूसी । तुमची चरणसेवा आम्हांसी । पुरविती मनोरथासी । आम्हा व्रत कायसे ॥२३॥

dampatya vinavī śrīgurūsī | tumacī caraṇasevā āmhāmsī | puravitī manorathāsī | āmhā vrata kāyase ||23||

The couple entreat Śrī Guru: your service at our feet already fulfills our desires — what need have we of any vow?

The frame story's devoted couple protest that direct devotion to the guru should be enough, without needing a separate observance.

Do not assume your existing devotion excuses you from also taking up disciplined practice.

आमचा तू प्राणनायक । तुजवाचोनि नेणो आणिक । तव स्मरणमात्रे असे निक । म्हणोनि चरणी लागली ॥२४॥

āmacā tū prāṇanāyaka | tujavāconi neṇo āṇika | tava smaraṇamātre ase nika | mhaṇoni caraṇī lāgalī ||24||

You are the lord of our very life; apart from you we know nothing else; by remembering you alone all is well — so saying, she clung to his feet.

The wife expresses total reliance on the guru, clinging to his feet as the ultimate expression of surrender.

Let total trust in your teacher or guide be expressed through humble, concrete gestures, not words alone.

श्रीगुरु म्हणती तयासी । आमुचे निरोपे करा ऐसी । व्रत आचरा सोमवारासी । तेचि सेवा आम्हा पावे ॥२५॥

śrīguru mhaṇatī tayāsī | āmuce nirope karā aisī | vrata ācarā somavārāsī | teci sevā āmhā pāve ||25||

Śrī Guru tells her: by our instruction, do this — observe the Monday vow, for that itself reaches us as service.

The guru redirects her devotion into a concrete practice, teaching that structured discipline is itself a form of service to him.

Accept a teacher's concrete instruction as the real form your devotion should take, not just inward feeling.

निरोप घेऊनि श्रीगुरूचा । नेम धरिला सोमवाराचा । भेटीलागी तयाच्या । मातापिता पावली ॥२६॥

niropa gheūni śrīgurūcā | nema dharilā somavārācā | bheṭīlāgī tayācyā | mātāpitā pāvalī ||26||

Taking Śrī Guru's leave, she took up the observance of the Monday vow; she then went and met her own parents.

Having received the guru's instruction, she puts it into practice and returns to her family, carrying the teaching into ordinary life.

Carry a teaching you have received back into your everyday family life, not leave it behind with the teacher.

ऐकोनिया कन्यापुत्रवार्ता । संतोषली त्याची माता । द्रव्य वेचिले अपरिमिता । समाराधना ब्राह्मणांसी ॥२७॥

aikoniyā kanyāputravārtā | samtoṣalī tyācī mātā | dravya vecile aparimitā | samārādhanā brāhmaṇāmsī ||27||

Hearing the news of her children, her mother rejoiced; she spent boundless wealth on a feast for the brahmins.

The promised blessing of children arrives, and the family celebrates with generosity toward the wider community.

Celebrate a fulfilled blessing by sharing generously with your wider community, not keeping the joy private.

पूजा करिती श्रीगुरूसी । आनंद अति मानसी । समारंभ दिवानिशी । बहुत करिती भक्तीने ॥२८॥

pūjā karitī śrīgurūsī | ānamda ati mānasī | samārambha divāniśī | bahuta karitī bhaktīne ||28||

They worship Śrī Guru with immense joy in their hearts; day and night they hold celebration, performing much with devotion.

Gratitude flows back to its true source — sustained worship of the guru whose instruction brought the blessing.

Return gratitude to the source of your blessing, not only to the blessing itself.

ऐशापरी वंदोनी । श्रीगुरूचा निरोप घेउनी । गेली ग्रामा परतोनी । ख्याती झाली चहू राष्ट्री ॥२९॥

aiśāparī vamdonī | śrīgurūcā niropa gheunī | gelī grāmā paratonī | khyātī jhālī cahū rāṣṭrī ||29||

Having thus paid homage and taken Śrī Guru's leave, she returned to her village; her fame spread through all four directions.

Her faithfulness becomes known beyond her own household — a quiet vow observed becomes a widely shared example.

Let your quiet, faithful practice become an example others notice and are drawn to, without seeking fame for its own sake.

पुढे त्या दंपतीसी । पाच पुत्र शतायुषी । झाले आशीर्वादेसी । श्रीगुरूरायाच्या ॥३३०॥

puḍhe tyā dampatīsī | pāca putra śatāyuṣī | jhāle āśīrvādesī | śrīgurūrāyācyā ||330||

Thereafter, by the blessing of Śrī Guru, the couple was granted five sons, each living a hundred years.

The promised fruit of the vow is fulfilled in full — abundant, long-lived children as the guru foretold.

Trust that a faithfully kept discipline will eventually yield the blessing it was meant to bring.

प्रतिवर्षी दर्शनासी । दंपती येती भक्तीसी । ऐसे शिष्य परियेसी । श्रीगुरूचे माहात्म्य ॥३१॥

prativarṣī darśanāsī | dampatī yetī bhaktīsī | aise śiṣya pariyesī | śrīgurūce māhātmya ||31||

Every year the couple comes with devotion for his darśana — such is the glory of Śrī Guru's disciples, understand.

The relationship does not end with the blessing received; ongoing yearly darśana (sight of the guru) sustains the bond.

Keep returning to honor the source of your blessings, not only when you first receive them.

ऐसे श्रीगुरुचरित्र । सिद्ध सांगे पवित्र । नामधारक अतिप्रीती । ऐकतसे अवधारा ॥३२॥

aise śrīgurucaritra | siddha sāmge pavitra | nāmadhāraka atiprītī | aikatase avadhārā ||32||

Thus Siddha relates this sacred Gurucaritra; Nāmadharak listens with the greatest affection, understand.

The narrative frame closes on the teacher-disciple pair whose conversation has carried the whole chapter.

Listen to a teaching to its very end with the same attentiveness you brought at its start.

गंगाधराचा कुमर । सरस्वती विनवी गुरुकिंकर । स्वामी माझा पारंपार । श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वती ॥३३॥

gamgādharācā kumara | sarasvatī vinavī gurukimkara | svāmī mājhā pārampāra | śrīnṛsimhasarasvatī ||33||

Sarasvatī, the son of Gaṅgādhara, the guru's servant, entreats: my supreme master is Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī.

The text's own author steps forward in the colophon, naming himself as a humble servant of Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī.

Speak of your own teacher with humility, naming your place as a servant rather than an equal.

ऐसा वरदमूर्ति देखा । सकळ जन तुम्ही ऐका । प्रसन्न होईल तात्काळिका । न धरावा संदेह मानसी ॥३४॥

aisā varadamūrti dekhā | sakaḷa jana tumhī aikā | prasanna hoīla tātkāḷikā | na dharāvā samdeha mānasī ||34||

Such is this boon-granting form; all you people, listen — he will be pleased at once, do not hold doubt in your mind.

The author urges listeners to trust readily in the guru's grace rather than hesitate.

Approach a trustworthy source of grace or guidance without lingering doubt holding you back.

साखर स्वादु म्हणावयासी । उपमा द्यावी कायसी । मनगटीचे कंकणासी । आरसा कासया पाहिजे ॥३५॥

sākhara svādu mhaṇāvayāsī | upamā dyāvī kāyasī | managaṭīce kamkaṇāsī | ārasā kāsayā pāhije ||35||

To say sugar is sweet, what comparison is needed? For the bangle already on one's wrist, why would a mirror be needed?

Two homely proverbs make the same point: self-evident truths need no further proof — the guru's greatness is as plain as sugar's sweetness.

Do not overexplain what is already self-evidently true or good.

प्रत्यक्ष पाहता दृष्टान्तेसी । प्रमाण कासया परियेसी ।ख्याती असे भूमंडळासी । कीर्ति श्रीगुरुयतीची ॥३६॥

pratyakṣa pāhatā dṛṣṭāntesī | pramāṇa kāsayā pariyesī |khyātī ase bhūmamḍaḷāsī | kīrti śrīguruyatīcī ||36||

Seeing it directly with one's own example, what further proof is needed, listen? Śrī Guru-yati's fame is renowned across the whole earth.

Direct experience is offered as sufficient proof of the guru's greatness, beyond any need for argument.

Let your own direct experience be sufficient evidence when it plainly confirms something good.

ऐका हो जन समस्त । सांगतो मी उत्तम होत । सेवा करिता श्रीगुरुनाथ । त्वरित होय मनकामना ॥३७॥

aikā ho jana samasta | sāmgato mī uttama hota | sevā karitā śrīgurunātha | tvarita hoya manakāmanā ||37||

Listen, all you people — I tell you the best of accounts: by serving Śrī Gurunātha, one's heart's desires are swiftly fulfilled.

The author makes the chapter's closing promise explicit: sincere service to the guru brings prompt results.

Serve wholeheartedly what you value most, trusting that genuine effort brings its due reward.

अमृताची आरवटी । घातली असे गोमटी । पान करा हो तुम्ही घोटी । धणीवरी सकळिक ॥३८॥

amṛtācī āravaṭī | ghātalī ase gomaṭī | pāna karā ho tumhī ghoṭī | dhaṇīvarī sakaḷika ||38||

A fine trough of nectar has been set out; drink it, all of you, gulp by gulp, to your full contentment.

The chapter itself is offered as amṛta (nectar) — an image inviting the listener to take in the teaching fully and without haste.

Take in a good teaching slowly and fully, rather than rushing past it.

श्रीगुरुचरित्र कामधेनु । ऐकता होय पतित पावनु । नाम ज्याचे कामधेनु । तो चिंतिले पुरवित ॥३९॥

śrīgurucaritra kāmadhenu | aikatā hoya patita pāvanu | nāma jyāce kāmadhenu | to cimtile puravita ||39||

The Śrīgurucaritra is like the wish-fulfilling cow; hearing it purifies even the fallen; one whose name is Kāmadhenu fulfills whatever is desired.

The whole text is compared to Kāmadhenu (the wish-fulfilling cow) — capable of purifying and providing for anyone who turns to it sincerely.

Approach a trusted source of wisdom expecting it to meet real needs, not just abstract inspiration.

इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रामृत । सीमंतिनी आख्यान विख्यात । पंचत्रिशत्‍ अध्यायात । कथासार सांगितली ॥३४०॥

iti śrīgurucaritrāmṛta | sīmamtinī ākhyāna vikhyāta | pamcatriśat‍ adhyāyāta | kathāsāra sāmgitalī ||340||

Thus, in the nectar of the Śrīgurucaritra, the renowned tale of Sīmantinī has been told, its narrative essence given in the thirty-fifth chapter.

The chapter formally names itself and its heroine, closing the Sīmantinī episode as a complete, self-contained teaching story.

Bring a story you are telling to a clear, deliberate close, naming what it was truly about.

इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रामृते परमकथाकल्पतरौ श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वत्युपाख्याने सिद्धनामधारकसंवादे सीमंतिन्याख्यानं नाम पंचत्रिंशोऽध्यायः ।

iti śrīgurucaritrāmṛte paramakathākalpatarau śrīnṛsimhasarasvatyupākhyāne siddhanāmadhārakasamvāde sīmamtinyākhyānam nāma pamcatrimśo'dhyāyaḥ |

Thus ends the thirty-fifth chapter, called 'The Tale of Sīmantinī,' in the dialogue of Siddha and Nāmadharak, in the account of Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī, within the supreme wish-fulfilling tree of stories, the Śrīgurucaritrāmṛta.

This is the formal Sanskrit colophon that closes every chapter, fixing its place within the larger work and its lineage of tellers.

Close an important undertaking with a clear, formal acknowledgment of what has been completed.

श्रीगुरुदत्तात्रेयार्पणमस्तु ॥३५॥ श्रीगुरुदेव दत्त ॥

śrīgurudattātreyārpaṇamastu ||35|| śrīgurudeva datta ||

May this be offered to Śrī Guru Dattātreya. Chapter 35. Śrī Gurudeva Datta.

The chapter ends with a dedication of the whole telling back to Dattātreya, the source deity of the entire work.

Dedicate the fruit of your effort back to its true source rather than claiming it only for yourself.

(ओवीसंख्या ३४०)

(ovīsamkhyā 340)

(Verse count: 340)

A simple scribal tally closing the chapter, recording that it contains 340 numbered verses.

Keep careful, honest record of completed work, however small the detail.