संत साहित्य · Guru Charitra · Chapters

Chapter 50 — The Muslim King Comes to See Shri Guru

Literal. Closing of the Bidar arc that started in Chapter 9. The washerman of Kuravpur, having died and been reborn as a Muslim king of Bidar, is now ruling. He is impartial to all religions; he says God is one; only the names are different. He develops a tumor on his thigh; physicians fail. He visits Papvinashi tirth; meets a sannyasi who tells him about Shri Guru at Ganagapur. He goes; the people of Ganagapur are afraid of the Muslim king's procession but the king walks behind Shri Guru's palanquin barefoot, holds his sandals. They go to Bidar (88 miles in a day); Shri Guru returns to Papvinashi. The king prostrates again, asks for liberation, has his palace bow to Shri Guru. The tumor has vanished by the time he returns. Hindus and Muslims of the kingdom both accept Shri Guru.

Symbolic. The arc of identity preservation across rebirth, completed. The washerman's brief desire for kingship in Ch. 9 is honored, the rebirth occurs, the reunion happens fifteen years later (the original number, plus the elapsed narrative time), and the relationship is recognized and resumed by both parties.

Structural. 88 miles in a day (Shri Guru and the king travel from Bidar to Papvinashi). 5 great elements named ("the earth is the mother of all"). Cross-religious dialogue explicit.

Verse by verse

श्रीगणेशाय नमः । सिद्ध म्हणे नामधारका । पुढें अपूर्व झालें ऐका । पूर्वीं रंजक-कथानका । तूंतें आपण निरोपिलें ॥१॥

śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ | siddha mhaṇe nāmadhārakā | puḍhem apūrva jhālem aikā | pūrvīm ramjaka-kathānakā | tūmtem āpaṇa niropilem ||1||

Salutations to Shri Ganesha. Siddha says to Namdharak: listen now to what happened next, a wondrous tale — earlier I told you an entertaining story.

The narrator opens with the customary invocation to Gaṇeśa (remover of obstacles) before continuing the guru's tale — beginning any teaching with reverence clears the way for what follows.

Begin any important undertaking with a moment of reverence before diving in.

तयानें मागितला वर । राज्यपद धुरंधर । प्रसन्न झाले तयासी गुरुवर । दिधला वर परियेसा ॥२॥

tayānem māgitalā vara | rājyapada dhuramdhara | prasanna jhāle tayāsī guruvara | didhalā vara pariyesā ||2||

He asked for a boon — the burden of kingship — and the great guru, pleased with him, granted that boon; listen.

This recaps an earlier episode: a devotee asked for and received the boon of a kingdom from Śrī Guru — grace answers sincere petitions, even worldly ones.

Ask plainly for what you need, with sincerity, rather than hiding your true request.

उपजला तो म्लेंच्छ जातींत । वैदुरीनगरीं राज्य करीत । पुत्रपौत्रीं नांदत । महानंदें परियेसा ॥३॥

upajalā to mlemccha jātīmta | vaidurīnagarīm rājya karīta | putrapautrīm nāmdata | mahānamdem pariyesā ||3||

He was born into the mleccha (foreign/non-Hindu) community, ruled as king in Vaiduri-nagari, and lived happily with sons and grandsons.

The recipient of the guru's boon was born into a different faith community — grace is shown to cross the lines that human society draws around itself.

Do not assume divine grace or a teacher's blessing is reserved only for people like yourself.

ऐसा राजा तो यवन । होता आपण संतोषोन । अश्व गज अपार धन । पायभारा मिति नाहीं ॥४॥

aisā rājā to yavana | hotā āpaṇa samtoṣona | aśva gaja apāra dhana | pāyabhārā miti nāhīm ||4||

That yavana (Muslim) king lived contentedly, possessing horses, elephants, and boundless wealth beyond measure.

His outer prosperity — horses, elephants, riches — is described first, setting up the deeper story of what such wealth cannot cure.

Enjoy prosperity without mistaking it for lasting security.

आपण तरी यातिहीन । पुण्यवासना अंतःकरण । दानधर्म करी जाण । समस्त यातीं एकभावें ॥५॥

āpaṇa tarī yātihīna | puṇyavāsanā amtaḥkaraṇa | dānadharma karī jāṇa | samasta yātīm ekabhāvem ||5||

Though he himself was outside the caste system, his heart held the aspiration for merit; he performed charity and dharma toward all communities equally.

The king's inner virtue — generosity practiced without regard to jāti (caste/community) — mattered more than his birth; puṇya (merit) is a matter of the heart's intention, not lineage.

Practice generosity toward everyone equally, regardless of their background.

विशेष भक्ति विप्रांवरी । ती असे पूर्वसंस्कारीं । असती देवालयें भूमीवरी । उपद्रव नेदी तयांसी ॥६॥

viśeṣa bhakti viprāmvarī | tī ase pūrvasamskārīm | asatī devālayem bhūmīvarī | upadrava nedī tayāmsī ||6||

He held special devotion toward brahmins, a trait from past-life impressions, and he caused no harm to the temples standing on his land.

His reverence for brahmins and protection of temples is traced to pūrva-saṃskāra (impressions carried from earlier births) — good tendencies in this life are often seeds planted long before.

Honor whatever good instincts arise in you without needing to explain their origin.

तया घरचे पुरोहित । तया रायातें शिकवीत । आपण होऊन म्लेंच्छ जात । देवद्विज निंदावें ॥७॥

tayā gharace purohita | tayā rāyātem śikavīta | āpaṇa hoūna mlemccha jāta | devadvija nimdāvem ||7||

His household priests instructed the king that, being of the mleccha faith himself, he ought to disparage the gods and brahmins.

Here the antagonists enter: the king's own priests press him toward sectarian contempt — the temptation to scorn another's sacred things often comes dressed as loyalty to one's own.

Be wary of advice that asks you to belittle another's faith in the name of loyalty to your own.

तयांतें तुम्ही सेवितां देख । तेणें होय अपार पातक । यातिधर्म करणें सुख । अनंत पुण्य असे जाणा ॥८॥

tayāmtem tumhī sevitām dekha | teṇem hoya apāra pātaka | yātidharma karaṇem sukha | anamta puṇya ase jāṇā ||8||

'By serving them you incur immense sin,' they said; 'to keep to the duty of your own community brings happiness and boundless merit.'

The priests frame exclusivity as the safer, more meritorious path — a common but narrow argument that piety requires shunning others.

Question counsel that equates virtue with excluding people rather than serving them well.

मंदमति द्विजजाती । देखा पाषाणपूजा करिती । समस्तांतें देव म्हणती । काष्‍ठवृक्षपाषाणांसी ॥९॥

mamdamati dvijajātī | dekhā pāṣāṇapūjā karitī | samastāmtem deva mhaṇatī | kāṣ‍ṭhavṛkṣapāṣāṇāmsī ||9||

'These dull-witted brahmins worship stones,' they said, 'calling wood, trees, and stones all gods.'

The priests mock image-worship as ignorance — a critique of mūrti-pūjā (icon worship) that the king will soon answer with a defense of it.

Hear out a criticism of another's practice fully before deciding whether it is fair.

धेनूसी म्हणती देवता होय । पृथ्वी सोम अग्नि सूर्य । तीर्थयात्रा नदीतोय । समस्तां देव म्हणताती ॥१०॥

dhenūsī mhaṇatī devatā hoya | pṛthvī soma agni sūrya | tīrthayātrā nadītoya | samastām deva mhaṇatātī ||10||

'They call the cow a deity, and earth, moon, fire, and sun; they call pilgrimage sites and river water all divine,' they said.

The priests list the many things Hindus revere as sacred — earth, cow, elements, rivers — presenting it as proof of confusion rather than of a unified vision of the divine.

Look for the underlying unity in a tradition's many symbols before dismissing them as scattered.

ऐसे विप्र मंदमती । निराकारा साकार म्हणती । तयांतें म्लेंच्छ जे भजती । ते पावती अधःपात ॥११॥

aise vipra mamdamatī | nirākārā sākāra mhaṇatī | tayāmtem mlemccha je bhajatī | te pāvatī adhaḥpāta ||11||

'These dull brahmins call the formless One a form; any mleccha who reveres them falls into ruin,' they warned.

The priests escalate: honoring image-worshippers, they claim, drags even a non-Hindu down — fear of contamination is used to seal off compassion.

Refuse to let fear of 'wrong association' stop you from honoring genuine goodness wherever you find it.

ऐसे यवनपुरोहित । रायापुढें सांगती हित । ऐकोनि राजा उत्तर देत । कोपें करोनि परियेसा ॥१२॥

aise yavanapurohita | rāyāpuḍhem sāmgatī hita | aikoni rājā uttara deta | kopem karoni pariyesā ||12||

Thus the Muslim priests advised the king for what they thought was his benefit; hearing them, the king answered back, angrily; listen.

The king's anger at his own priests' bigotry signals his independent conscience — real wisdom sometimes means disagreeing with one's own camp.

Be willing to push back, even against your own community, when its counsel turns to contempt.

राजा म्हणे पुरोहितांसी । निरोपिलें तुम्हीं आम्हांसी । अणुरेणुतृणकाष्‍ठेंसी । सर्वेश्वर पूर्ण असे ॥१३॥

rājā mhaṇe purohitāmsī | niropilem tumhīm āmhāmsī | aṇureṇutṛṇakāṣ‍ṭhemsī | sarveśvara pūrṇa ase ||13||

The king said to the priests: 'What you have told me — I say instead that the Lord of All is fully present in every atom, mote, blade of grass, and piece of wood.'

The king begins his rebuttal with a classic non-dual claim — sarveśvara (the Lord of all) pervades even the smallest particle, so nothing can be dismissed as godless.

Look for the sacred even in the smallest, most ordinary things around you.

समस्त सृष्‍टि ईश्वराची । स्थावर जंगम रचिली साची । सर्वत्र देव असे साची । तर्कभेद असंख्य ॥१४॥

samasta sṛṣ‍ṭi īśvarācī | sthāvara jamgama racilī sācī | sarvatra deva ase sācī | tarkabheda asamkhya ||14||

'The whole creation is God's — He has truly fashioned the moving and the unmoving; God is truly everywhere, though logical arguments about it are countless.'

The king affirms that the mobile and immobile creation alike are divine handiwork — debates about God's nature are many, but the underlying presence is one.

Don't let endless argument about God distract you from the everyday presence of the sacred.

समस्त जातींची उत्पत्ति । जाणावी तुम्ही पंचभूतीं । पृथ्वी आप तेज वायु निगुती । आकाशापासाव परियेसा ॥१५॥

samasta jātīmcī utpatti | jāṇāvī tumhī pamcabhūtīm | pṛthvī āpa teja vāyu nigutī | ākāśāpāsāva pariyesā ||15||

'Know that the origin of every community lies in the five elements — earth, water, fire, air, and truly, ether,' he said.

All beings, whatever their caste or creed, are built from the same pañca-bhūta (five elements) — a physical fact used here as proof of underlying spiritual equality.

Remember our shared material origin the next time you're tempted to treat someone as fundamentally 'other'.

समस्तांची वृद्धि एक । जाणती मृत्तिका कुलाल लोक । नानापरीचीं करिती अनेक । भांडीं भेद परोपरी ॥१६॥

samastāmcī vṛddhi eka | jāṇatī mṛttikā kulāla loka | nānāparīcīm karitī aneka | bhāmḍīm bheda paroparī ||16||

'Their growth is all one; the potters know the clay, and from it make many different kinds of vessels of various sorts.'

The king reaches for a household image: one clay, many pots — form differs, substance is one, the first of several such parables he offers.

When people's outward forms differ, look past the shape to the shared substance beneath.

नानापरीच्या धेनु असती । क्षीर असे एकचि रीतीं । सुवर्ण जाण तेचि रीतीं । परोपरीचे अलंकार ॥१७॥

nānāparīcyā dhenu asatī | kṣīra ase ekaci rītīm | suvarṇa jāṇa teci rītīm | paroparīce alamkāra ||17||

'There are cows of many kinds, yet the milk is of one nature; likewise gold is one, though ornaments made from it are of many kinds.'

Two more parables — milk and gold — repeat the same point: diversity of form does not divide the underlying unity.

Judge people by the quality of what they offer, not by the variety of their outward form.

तैसा देह भिन्न जाण । परमात्मा एकचि पूर्ण । जैसा नभीं मृगलांछन । नाना घटीं दिसतसे ॥१८॥

taisā deha bhinna jāṇa | paramātmā ekaci pūrṇa | jaisā nabhīm mṛgalāmchana | nānā ghaṭīm disatase ||18||

'So too, bodies are different, but the Paramātmā (Supreme Self) is one and complete — like the moon in the sky appearing reflected in many water-pots.'

The famous 'moon-in-many-pots' image: one moon, countless reflections — the one Self appears as many bodies without ever being divided.

See the same one light reflected in every person you meet today, however different their vessel.

दीप असे एक घरीं । वाती लाविल्या सहस्त्र जरी । समस्त होती दीपावरी । भिन्न भाव कोठें असे ॥१९॥

dīpa ase eka gharīm | vātī lāvilyā sahastra jarī | samasta hotī dīpāvarī | bhinna bhāva koṭhem ase ||19||

'There is one lamp in a house, though a thousand wicks may be lit from it — all rest upon that one flame; where then is any real difference?'

Another unity-image, the single lamp lighting a thousand wicks — countless individual flames, one source; distinction is only apparent.

Trace disagreements back to their common source before assuming there is a real difference.

एकचि सूत्र आणोनि । नानापरीचे ओविती मणि । सूत्र एकचि जाणोनि । न पाविजे भाव भिन्न ॥२०॥

ekaci sūtra āṇoni | nānāparīce ovitī maṇi | sūtra ekaci jāṇoni | na pāvije bhāva bhinna ||20||

'Taking one single thread, beads of many kinds are strung upon it; knowing the thread to be one, no real difference should be perceived between the beads.'

The thread-and-beads image: many beads (individuals), one thread (the divine) running through all — difference is on the surface, unity runs beneath.

Hold on to what connects people, the shared 'thread', even when their individual 'beads' look very different.

तैशा जाति नानापरी । असताती वसुंधरीं । समस्तांसी एकचि हरी । भिन्न भाव करुं नये ॥२१॥

taiśā jāti nānāparī | asatātī vasumdharīm | samastāmsī ekaci harī | bhinna bhāva karum naye ||21||

'So too, communities of many kinds exist upon the earth; the same one Hari (God) belongs to all — one should not make a distinction.'

The king concludes his string of parables: since one God underlies every community, treating any group as lesser is a mistake.

Refuse to treat any group of people as less worthy of the divine than another.

आणिक तुम्ही म्हणाल ऐसें । पूजिती पाषाण देव कैसे । सर्वां ठायीं पूर्ण भासे । विश्वात्मा आहेचि ॥२२॥

āṇika tumhī mhaṇāla aisem | pūjitī pāṣāṇa deva kaise | sarvām ṭhāyīm pūrṇa bhāse | viśvātmā āheci ||22||

'And you may further object: how can they worship a stone as God? I answer: the Universal Self indeed appears fully present in every place.'

The king anticipates the priests' objection about idol worship and answers it with the same non-dual principle: if God is truly everywhere, a stone is no exception.

Answer an objection by returning to the principle you already hold, rather than making a special exception.

प्रतिमापूजा स्वल्पबुद्धि । म्हणोनि सांगती प्रसिद्धीं । आत्माराम पूजिती विधीं । त्यांचे मतीं ऐसें असे ॥२३॥

pratimāpūjā svalpabuddhi | mhaṇoni sāmgatī prasiddhīm | ātmārāma pūjitī vidhīm | tyāmce matīm aisem ase ||23||

'Image worship is said, openly, to be for the less discerning mind; in their view they worship the indwelling Self through such rites — that is their understanding.'

The king even grants the priests' point partway: image-worship may be a concession to a simpler mind, but its aim — worship of the inner Self — is still valid.

Grant what is reasonable in an opposing view even while defending your own.

स्थिर नव्हे अंतःकरण । म्हणोनि करिती प्रतिमा खूण । नाम ठेवोनि नारायण । तया नामें पूजिताती ॥२४॥

sthira navhe amtaḥkaraṇa | mhaṇoni karitī pratimā khūṇa | nāma ṭhevoni nārāyaṇa | tayā nāmem pūjitātī ||24||

'Because the mind is not steady, they make an image as a focal sign, giving it the name Narayana, and worship it under that name.'

Images function as an anchor for an unsteady mind — a practical aid, not an ignorant mistake, letting devotion take a concrete shape.

Use a concrete symbol or ritual to steady your mind when abstract focus feels too hard.

तयातें तुम्ही निंदा करितां । तरी सर्वां ठायीं पूर्ण कां म्हणतां । प्रतिष्‍ठाव्या आपुले मता । द्वेष आम्हीं न करावा ॥२५॥

tayātem tumhī nimdā karitām | tarī sarvām ṭhāyīm pūrṇa kām mhaṇatām | pratiṣ‍ṭhāvyā āpule matā | dveṣa āmhīm na karāvā ||25||

'If you disparage that practice, then why do you also claim God is fully present everywhere? To establish one's own view, one should not resort to hatred.'

The king catches the priests in a contradiction and lands his real point: defending your own belief never requires hating another's.

Notice when defending your own view has slid into hating someone else's, and stop there.

या कारणें ज्ञानवंतीं । करुं नये निंदास्तुति । असती नानापरी जाती । आपुले रहाटीं रहाटती ॥२६॥

yā kāraṇem jñānavamtīm | karum naye nimdāstuti | asatī nānāparī jātī | āpule rahāṭīm rahāṭatī ||26||

'For this reason the wise should not engage in disparagement or flattery; there are communities of many kinds, each living by its own customs.'

The king's closing principle: the wise abstain from both blame and praise of others' ways, letting each community follow its own path.

Let others follow their own customs without either mocking or flattering them.

ऐशापरी पुरोहितांसी । सांगे राजा विस्तारेंसी । करी पुण्य बहुवसीं । विश्वास देवद्विजांवरी ॥२७॥

aiśāparī purohitāmsī | sāmge rājā vistāremsī | karī puṇya bahuvasīm | viśvāsa devadvijāmvarī ||27||

In this way the king explained at length to his priests, continuing to perform much merit-making, keeping his faith in gods and brahmins.

The king's discourse closes the debate — his convictions translate into continued charitable acts and faith, not just clever argument.

Let your convictions show up in continued good action, not only in winning an argument.

राजा देखा येणेंपरी । होता तया वैदुरीनगरीं । पुढें त्याचे मांडीवरी । स्फोटक एक उद्भवला ॥२८॥

rājā dekhā yeṇemparī | hotā tayā vaidurīnagarīm | puḍhem tyāce māmḍīvarī | sphoṭaka eka udbhavalā ||28||

The king lived thus in Vaiduri-nagari; then a boil/tumor arose on his thigh.

The story turns: the tolerant, devout king is struck by illness — a sphoṭaka (eruption) that no worldly power can prevent.

Expect that even a good and faithful life includes suffering; virtue is not a shield against hardship.

नानापरीचे वैद्य येती । तया स्फोटकासी लेप करिती । शमन न होय कवणे रीतीं । महादुःखें कष्‍टतसे ॥२९॥

nānāparīce vaidya yetī | tayā sphoṭakāsī lepa karitī | śamana na hoya kavaṇe rītīm | mahāduḥkhem kaṣ‍ṭatase ||29||

Physicians of many kinds came and applied poultices to the boil, but it would not subside by any means; he suffered great pain.

Medicine fails where it usually succeeds, setting up the story's real cure: not treatment, but the sight of a realized soul.

When ordinary remedies fail, be open to seeking healing through faith and grace as well as medicine.

ऐसें असतां वर्तमानीं । श्रीगुरु असतां गाणगाभुवनीं । विचार करिती आपुले मनीं । राजा येईल म्हणोनिया ॥३०॥

aisem asatām vartamānīm | śrīguru asatām gāṇagābhuvanīm | vicāra karitī āpule manīm | rājā yeīla mhaṇoniyā ||30||

Meanwhile, as Shri Guru was residing in Ganagapura, he considered in his own mind that the king would be coming.

The narrative cuts to Shri Guru, whose foreknowledge anticipates the king's arrival — the guru's story and the king's story are converging.

Prepare quietly for what you sense is coming rather than waiting to be caught by surprise.

येथें येतां म्लेंच्छ लोक । होईल द्विजां उपबाधक । प्रगट झालों आतां ऐक । आम्हीं येथें असूं नये ॥३१॥

yethem yetām mlemccha loka | hoīla dvijām upabādhaka | pragaṭa jhālom ātām aika | āmhīm yethem asūm naye ||31||

'If mleccha people come here, it will trouble the brahmins; now that I have become known, listen — we should not remain here.'

Shri Guru weighs the practical risk that a Muslim king's visit could bring disturbance for the local brahmin community — even a saint attends to worldly consequences.

Consider the practical impact your visibility might have on the people around you.

प्रगट जहाली महिमाख्याति । पहावया येती म्लेंच्छ जाति । आतां रहावें आम्हीं गुप्तीं । लौकिकार्थ परियेसा ॥३२॥

pragaṭa jahālī mahimākhyāti | pahāvayā yetī mlemccha jāti | ātām rahāvem āmhīm guptīm | laukikārtha pariyesā ||32||

'My fame has become public; people of the mleccha community are coming to see me — now, for worldly reasons, we should remain hidden.'

Fame draws crowds indiscriminately; the guru chooses discretion over public spectacle for practical, worldly reasons.

Choose quiet discretion over public spectacle when visibility no longer serves your purpose.

आला ईश्वरनाम संवत्सरु । सिंहेसी आला असे गुरु । गौतमी तीर्थ थोरु । यात्राप्रसंगें जावें आतां ॥३३॥

ālā īśvaranāma samvatsaru | simhesī ālā ase guru | gautamī tīrtha thoru | yātrāprasamgem jāvem ātām ||33||

The year named Ishvara has arrived; Guru (Jupiter) has entered Leo; the great Gautami (Godavari) pilgrimage is here — now is the time to go on pilgrimage.

This marks the arrival of the great Siṃhastha pilgrimage season at the Godavari (Gautami) river, held once every twelve years — Shri Guru uses this sacred, natural occasion as his reason to depart.

Use a natural, meaningful occasion as the right moment to make a needed transition.

म्हणती समस्त शिष्यांसी । करा आयती वेगेंसी । येतो राजा बोलावावयासी । जावें त्वरित गंगेला ॥३४॥

mhaṇatī samasta śiṣyāmsī | karā āyatī vegemsī | yeto rājā bolāvāvayāsī | jāvem tvarita gamgelā ||34||

He said to all the disciples: 'Make preparations quickly; the king is coming to summon us — we must go swiftly to the Ganga (Godavari).'

The guru instructs quick, orderly preparation rather than panic — practical readiness paired with calm resolve.

Meet an approaching disruption with prompt, calm preparation rather than panic.

ऐसें ऐकोनि शिष्यजन । विचार करिती आपआपण । जरी येईल राजा यवन । केवी होय म्हणताती ॥३५॥

aisem aikoni śiṣyajana | vicāra karitī āpaāpaṇa | jarī yeīla rājā yavana | kevī hoya mhaṇatātī ||35||

Hearing this, the disciples deliberated among themselves, saying: 'If the yavana king comes, what will happen?'

The disciples' anxious murmuring shows ordinary human fear even in the presence of a realized guru — faith is still being tested in them.

Allow yourself to feel uncertainty even while trusting a wiser guide's plan.

ऐसा मनीं विचार करिती । काय होईल पहा म्हणती । असे नरसिंहसरस्वती । तोचि रक्षील आपणांतें ॥३६॥

aisā manīm vicāra karitī | kāya hoīla pahā mhaṇatī | ase narasimhasarasvatī | toci rakṣīla āpaṇāmtem ||36||

Thinking this over in their minds, they said, 'Let us see what happens — Narasimha Sarasvati himself will protect us.'

The disciples resolve their worry by returning to trust in the guru's protection — anxiety settles into surrender.

Let a worry resolve into trust in the guidance you already have, rather than spiraling further.

येणेंपरी श्रीगुरुमूर्ति । असतां गाणगापुरीं ख्याति । राजा यवना झाली मति । पूर्वसंस्कारीं परियेसा ॥३७॥

yeṇemparī śrīgurumūrti | asatām gāṇagāpurīm khyāti | rājā yavanā jhālī mati | pūrvasamskārīm pariyesā ||37||

Thus, while the embodiment of Shri Guru dwelt with growing fame at Ganagapura, the mind of the yavana king turned toward him, owing to past-life impressions.

The king's turning toward Shri Guru is again attributed to pūrva-saṃskāra — a readiness planted long before this life makes the meeting possible now.

Trust that your own readiness for a teacher or truth may have been building for a long time before this moment.

स्फोटकाचे दुःखें राजा । अपार कष्‍टला सहजा । नानापरी औषधें वोजा । करितां न होय तया बरवें ॥३८॥

sphoṭakāce duḥkhem rājā | apāra kaṣ‍ṭalā sahajā | nānāparī auṣadhem vojā | karitām na hoya tayā baravem ||38||

The king suffered immensely from the pain of the boil; though many kinds of medicines were properly applied, he did not get well.

The narrative re-emphasizes the failure of ordinary treatment — suffering that persists despite every worldly effort often turns a person toward the spiritual.

Let a stubborn hardship prompt you to look beyond the usual solutions, not just try harder at them.

मग मनीं विचार करी । स्फोटकें व्यापिलें अपरंपारी । वैद्याचेनि नोहे दूरी । काय करावें म्हणतसे ॥३९॥

maga manīm vicāra karī | sphoṭakem vyāpilem aparampārī | vaidyāceni nohe dūrī | kāya karāvem mhaṇatase ||39||

Then he thought to himself: 'The boil has spread immensely; it will not go away by any physician; what should I do?'

The king reaches the honest admission that human skill has reached its limit — a necessary humbling before grace can enter.

Admit honestly when a problem has outrun your own resources, instead of pretending otherwise.

बोलावूनि विप्रांसी । पुसे काय उपाय यासी । विप्र म्हणती रायासी । सांगतों ऐका एकचित्तें ॥४०॥

bolāvūni viprāmsī | puse kāya upāya yāsī | vipra mhaṇatī rāyāsī | sāmgatom aikā ekacittem ||40||

Calling the brahmins, he asked what remedy there was for this; the brahmins said to the king, 'We will tell you — listen with one-pointed attention.'

Having exhausted medicine, the king turns to the brahmins for spiritual counsel — a shift from body to soul as the place to seek a cure.

When ordinary help runs out, seek counsel from those wise in matters beyond the physical.

पूर्वजन्मीं पापें करिती । व्याधिरुपें होऊन पीडिती । दानधर्में तीर्थी दैवतीं । व्याधि जाय परियेसा ॥४१॥

pūrvajanmīm pāpem karitī | vyādhirupem hoūna pīḍitī | dānadharmem tīrthī daivatīm | vyādhi jāya pariyesā ||41||

'Sins committed in a past birth become disease and torment a person; through charity, dharma, pilgrimage, and worship of the divine, the disease departs — know this.'

The brahmins offer the classic teaching that illness can be the ripening of past karma, and that charitable and devotional acts can dissolve it.

Respond to unexplained suffering with generosity and devotion, not only with medical treatment.

अथवा भल्या सत्पुरुषासी- । भजा आपण भावेंसी । तयाचे दृष्‍टिसुधारसीं । बरवें होईल परियेसा ॥४२॥

athavā bhalyā satpuruṣāsī- | bhajā āpaṇa bhāvemsī | tayāce dṛṣ‍ṭisudhārasīm | baravem hoīla pariyesā ||42||

'Or else, worship a good and saintly person with true feeling; through the nectar of his gracious glance you will be made well.'

They add the more direct remedy: the gaze of a satpuruṣa (true saint) itself carries healing power — devotion to a living realized soul.

Seek out and honor a person of genuine wisdom or virtue when you need healing beyond what you can manage alone.

सत्पुरुषाचे कृपादृष्‍टीं । पापें जाती जन्म साठी । मग रोग कैचा पोटीं । स्फोटकादि त्वरित जाय ॥४३॥

satpuruṣāce kṛpādṛṣ‍ṭīm | pāpem jātī janma sāṭhī | maga roga kaicā poṭīm | sphoṭakādi tvarita jāya ||43||

'Under a saint's compassionate glance, sins of sixty lifetimes depart; then how could disease remain in the body? Boils and the like leave swiftly.'

The brahmins press the point: a saint's grace outweighs lifetimes of accumulated sin, so bodily disease is a small thing by comparison.

Weigh how much a moment of true grace or wisdom can outdo years of accumulated trouble.

ऐकोनिया विप्रवचन । राजा करीतसे नमन । मातें तुम्ही न म्हणा यवन । दास आपण विप्रांचा ॥४४॥

aikoniyā vipravacana | rājā karītase namana | mātem tumhī na mhaṇā yavana | dāsa āpaṇa viprāmcā ||44||

Hearing the brahmins' words, the king bowed and said, 'Do not call me a yavana — I am the servant of brahmins.'

The king's humility dissolves the label others place on him — he defines himself by his devotion, not by imposed religious identity.

Let your devotion, not the labels others give you, define who you are.

पूर्वजन्मी आपण । केली सेवा गुरुचरण । पापास्तव झालों जाण । यवनाचे कुळीं देखा ॥४५॥

pūrvajanmī āpaṇa | kelī sevā gurucaraṇa | pāpāstava jhālom jāṇa | yavanāce kuḷīm dekhā ||45||

'In a past birth I served at a guru's feet; because of sin I was born, know, into the yavana lineage.'

The king interprets his own birth into a different faith community as the fruit of some past sin, even as he claims an underlying devotion — a striking humility about one's own condition.

Hold your circumstances lightly, without either pride or despair, as one chapter in a longer story.

एखादा पूर्ववृत्तान्त । मातें निरोपावा त्वरित । महानुभावदर्शन होत । कवणाचा रोग गेला असे ॥४६॥

ekhādā pūrvavṛttānta | mātem niropāvā tvarita | mahānubhāvadarśana hota | kavaṇācā roga gelā ase ||46||

'Tell me quickly some past account — whose disease departed through the sight of a great soul?'

The king asks for a precedent story — proof, through example, that darśana (the sight/presence) of a realized being can cure illness. This request sets up the long tale that follows.

Ask for concrete examples of faith working, not just abstract promises, when you need encouragement.

रायाचें वचन ऐकोनि । विचार करिती विप्र मनीं । सांगूं नये या स्थानीं । एकान्तस्थळ पाहिजे ॥४७॥

rāyācem vacana aikoni | vicāra karitī vipra manīm | sāmgūm naye yā sthānīm | ekāntasthaḷa pāhije ||47||

Hearing the king's words, the brahmins deliberated in their minds: 'This is not the place to tell it; a secluded spot is needed.'

The brahmins judge that a sacred story deserves a fitting, quiet setting — some teachings call for solitude, not a crowded court.

Choose an appropriate, unhurried setting before sharing something meaningful.

तुम्ही राव म्लेंच्छजाती । समस्त तुम्हां निंदा करिती । आम्ही असों द्विजजाती । केवी करावें म्हणताती ॥४८॥

tumhī rāva mlemcchajātī | samasta tumhām nimdā karitī | āmhī asom dvijajātī | kevī karāvem mhaṇatātī ||48||

'You, O king, are of the mleccha community, and everyone reproaches you for it; we are of the brahmin community — how should we act?' they wondered.

The brahmins voice their own hesitation about social consequences — even sincere teachers can be held back by fear of what others will say.

Notice when fear of others' opinions is holding you back from doing something genuinely good.

विप्रवचन ऐकोन । विनवीतसे तो यवन । चाड नाहीं जातीवीण । आपणास तुम्हीं उद्धरावें ॥४९॥

vipravacana aikona | vinavītase to yavana | cāḍa nāhīm jātīvīṇa | āpaṇāsa tumhīm uddharāvem ||49||

Hearing the brahmins' words, the yavana king entreated them: 'I have no concern for caste distinctions — only that you uplift me.'

The king cuts through the brahmins' social hesitation with a plain plea for spiritual help — genuine need overrides concern for status.

When you truly need help, ask plainly for it, setting aside pride or social concerns.

ऐसें रायाचें अंतःकरण । अनुतप्त झालें असे जाण । मग निरोपिती ब्राह्मण । तया रायातें परियेसा ॥५०॥

aisem rāyācem amtaḥkaraṇa | anutapta jhālem ase jāṇa | maga niropitī brāhmaṇa | tayā rāyātem pariyesā ||50||

Seeing the king's heart so humbled and repentant, the brahmins then spoke to the king; listen.

The king's sincere humility (anutapta, contrite) moves the brahmins to relent and share the teaching — genuine remorse opens closed doors.

Let genuine humility, not persistence alone, be what opens others' hearts to help you.

विप्र म्हणती रायासी । स्थान बरवें पापविनाशी । जावें तुम्हीं सहजेंसी । विनोदार्थ परियेसा ॥५१॥

vipra mhaṇatī rāyāsī | sthāna baravem pāpavināśī | jāvem tumhīm sahajemsī | vinodārtha pariyesā ||51||

The brahmins said to the king: 'There is a fine place named Papavinasha (Sin-destroyer); go there naturally, as if for recreation.'

They send him to a tīrtha named literally 'sin-destroying' — even the place's name signals what is about to happen to him.

Seek out places set apart for reflection when you need your burdens lightened.

तेथें असे स्थळ बरवें । एकान्तस्थान पहावें । स्नान करावें मनोभावें । एकचित्तें परियेसा ॥५२॥

tethem ase sthaḷa baravem | ekāntasthāna pahāvem | snāna karāvem manobhāvem | ekacittem pariyesā ||52||

'There is a fine spot there; find a secluded place, bathe with a devoted heart, with one-pointed attention.'

The instruction pairs an outer act (ritual bathing) with an inner one (single-minded devotion) — the outer form is only effective when matched by inward focus.

Match any outward ritual you perform with genuine inward focus, not mechanical repetition.

ऐकोनिया विप्रवचन । संतोषला राजा आपण । निघाला त्वरित तेथोन । आला पापविनाश तीर्थासी ॥५३॥

aikoniyā vipravacana | samtoṣalā rājā āpaṇa | nighālā tvarita tethona | ālā pāpavināśa tīrthāsī ||53||

Hearing the brahmins' words, the king was pleased; he set out at once from there and arrived at the Papavinasha tirtha.

The king's prompt, glad obedience to the brahmins' counsel shows readiness — grace tends to meet those who act quickly on good advice.

Act promptly on good counsel instead of letting it sit unused.

समस्तांतें राहवूनि । एकला गेला तया स्थानीं । स्नान करितां तये क्षणीं । आला एक यति तेथें ॥५४॥

samastāmtem rāhavūni | ekalā gelā tayā sthānīm | snāna karitām taye kṣaṇīm | ālā eka yati tethem ||54||

Leaving everyone behind, he went alone to that place; and just as he was bathing, an ascetic arrived there.

The king goes alone — solitude is the condition under which the meeting with the ascetic becomes possible; grace often meets us in aloneness, not in a crowd.

Set aside time alone, away from your usual company, when seeking spiritual insight.

राजा देखोनि यतीसी । नमन करी भावेंसी । दावीतसे स्फोटकासी । म्हणे उपशमन केवी होय ॥५५॥

rājā dekhoni yatīsī | namana karī bhāvemsī | dāvītase sphoṭakāsī | mhaṇe upaśamana kevī hoya ||55||

Seeing the ascetic, the king bowed with devotion and showed him the boil, asking how it might be relieved.

The king's first instinct is reverence, even before asking for help — respect comes before request.

Offer respect to someone before asking anything of them.

ऐकोनि तयाचें वचन । सांगता झाला विस्तारोन । महानुभावाच्या दर्शनें । तूंतें बरवें होय जाणा ॥५६॥

aikoni tayācem vacana | sāmgatā jhālā vistārona | mahānubhāvācyā darśanem | tūmtem baravem hoya jāṇā ||56||

Hearing his words, the ascetic began to explain at length: 'Through the sight of a great soul, you will be made well, know this.'

The ascetic confirms the very promise the king had been told earlier — darśana of a realized being carries healing power — and prepares to prove it with a story.

Trust confirmation of good counsel when it comes from an independent source.

पूर्वीं याचें आख्यान । सांगेन ऐक विस्तारोन । एकचित्तें करोनि मन । ऐक म्हणती तये वेळीं ॥५७॥

pūrvīm yācem ākhyāna | sāmgena aika vistārona | ekacittem karoni mana | aika mhaṇatī taye veḷīm ||57||

'I will tell you an ancient account of this at length; make your mind one-pointed and listen,' he said at that time.

The ascetic asks for the listener's full, undivided attention before beginning a teaching story — a reminder that receiving wisdom is itself an active discipline.

Give your full, undivided attention when someone is about to share something important.

अवंती म्हणिजे थोर नगरी । तेथें होता एक दुराचारी । जन्मोनिया विप्र उदरीं । अन्य रहाटीं रहातसे ॥५८॥

avamtī mhaṇije thora nagarī | tethem hotā eka durācārī | janmoniyā vipra udarīm | anya rahāṭīm rahātase ||58||

There is a great city called Avanti; there lived a man of bad conduct, born in a brahmin family but living by other ways.

The story begins: a brahmin by birth but not by conduct — a reminder that birth into a sacred lineage does not by itself guarantee a sacred life.

Judge yourself and others by conduct, not by the status of one's birth or credentials.

आपण असे मदोन्मत्त । समस्त स्त्रियांसवें रमत । स्नानसंध्या त्यजूनि निश्चित । अन्यमार्गें वागतसे ॥५९॥

āpaṇa ase madonmatta | samasta striyāmsavem ramata | snānasamdhyā tyajūni niścita | anyamārgem vāgatase ||59||

He was intoxicated with pride, indulged with women of all kinds, abandoned his daily bathing and prayers entirely, and lived by other ways.

His decline is total: pride, lust, and the abandonment of daily saṃdhyā (twilight prayer) — the outward discipline of religion dropped along with inner virtue.

Notice when abandoning small daily disciplines is really the first sign of a larger drift.

ऐसें दुराचारीपणें । रहाटतसे तो ब्राह्मण । पिंगला म्हणिजे वेश्या जाण । तयेसवें वर्ततसे ॥६०॥

aisem durācārīpaṇem | rahāṭatase to brāhmaṇa | pimgalā mhaṇije veśyā jāṇa | tayesavem vartatase ||60||

Thus that brahmin lived in bad conduct; he kept company with a courtesan named Pingala.

Pingala, the courtesan who will unexpectedly become a vessel of grace in this story, is introduced by name.

Withhold judgment about who is capable of grace; appearances rarely tell the whole story.

न करी कर्म संध्यास्नान । रात्रंदिवस वेश्यागमन । तिचे घरीं भक्षी अन्न । येणेंपरी दोष केले ॥६१॥

na karī karma samdhyāsnāna | rātramdivasa veśyāgamana | tice gharīm bhakṣī anna | yeṇemparī doṣa kele ||61||

He performed no rites, no twilight prayers or bathing; day and night he frequented the courtesan, ate food in her house — in this way he committed many faults.

His degradation is summarized once more — total abandonment of ritual discipline for a life of pleasure — before the turning point arrives.

Recognize a pattern of neglect for what it is before it becomes your whole way of living.

ऐसें असतां वर्तमानीं । ब्राह्मण होता वेश्यासदनीं । तेथें आला एक मुनि । वृषभनामा महायोगी ॥६२॥

aisem asatām vartamānīm | brāhmaṇa hotā veśyāsadanīm | tethem ālā eka muni | vṛṣabhanāmā mahāyogī ||62||

While this was going on, and the brahmin was in the courtesan's house, a sage arrived there — a great yogi named Vrishabha.

Grace arrives unannounced, in the most unlikely setting — a great yogi walks into a courtesan's house, not a temple.

Stay open to encountering something sacred in the least expected place.

तया देखोनि दोघें जण । करिती साष्‍टांग नमन । भक्तिभावें करोन । घेवोनि आलीं मंदिरांत ॥६३॥

tayā dekhoni doghem jaṇa | karitī sāṣ‍ṭāmga namana | bhaktibhāvem karona | ghevoni ālīm mamdirāmta ||63||

Seeing him, the two of them prostrated fully before him and, with devoted hearts, brought him into the house.

Despite their compromised lives, both the brahmin and Pingala respond to the sage with immediate, full reverence — the capacity for devotion had not left them.

Respond wholeheartedly to a moment of genuine reverence, whatever your own past has been.

बैसवोनिया पीठावरी । पूजा करिती षोडशोपचारीं । अर्घ्यपाद्य देवोनि पुढारी । गंधाक्षता लाविती ॥६४॥

baisavoniyā pīṭhāvarī | pūjā karitī ṣoḍaśopacārīm | arghyapādya devoni puḍhārī | gamdhākṣatā lāvitī ||64||

Seating him on a low stool, they worshipped him with the sixteen ritual offerings, first giving water for his feet and hands, then applying sandal-paste and rice.

They perform the full ṣoḍaśopacāra (sixteen-step worship) usually reserved for temple deities — treating the living sage as worthy of complete ritual honor.

Give someone worthy of respect your fullest, most careful hospitality, not a token gesture.

नाना परिम ळ पुष्प जाती । तया योगियासी समर्पिती । परिमळ द्रव्यें अनेक रीतीं । समर्पिलीं तया योगेश्वरा ॥६५॥

nānā parima ḷa puṣpa jātī | tayā yogiyāsī samarpitī | parimaḷa dravyem aneka rītīm | samarpilīm tayā yogeśvarā ||65||

They offered flowers of many fragrant kinds to the yogi, and presented many kinds of fragrant substances to that lord of yogis.

Their worship continues in lavish detail — every fragrance and flower offered — showing the completeness of their devotion despite their past.

Bring your best, not your leftovers, when honoring someone deserving of respect.

चरणतीर्थ घेऊन । पान करिती दोघेंजण । त्यांतें करविती भोजन । नानापरी पक्वान्नेंसी ॥६६॥

caraṇatīrtha gheūna | pāna karitī doghemjaṇa | tyāmtem karavitī bhojana | nānāparī pakvānnemsī ||66||

The two of them drank the water that had washed his feet, and served him a meal of many kinds of delicacies.

Drinking caraṇa-tīrtha (water from washing a holy person's feet) is a classic act of reverence — they treat him as a living deity in every particular.

Treat acts of service to a respected teacher as sacred, not merely social, obligations.

करवूनिया भोजन । केलें हस्तप्रक्षालन । बरवा पलंग आणोन । देती तया योगियासी ॥६७॥

karavūniyā bhojana | kelem hastaprakṣālana | baravā palamga āṇona | detī tayā yogiyāsī ||67||

After serving the meal, they washed his hands, and brought a fine bed and gave it to the yogi.

Their hospitality attends to every physical comfort — nothing is left undone in caring for their guest.

Attend to the small, practical comforts of a guest, not just the grand gestures.

तया मंचकीं निजवोन । तांबूल देती आणोन । करिती पादसंवाहन । भक्तिभावें दोघेंही ॥६८॥

tayā mamcakīm nijavona | tāmbūla detī āṇona | karitī pādasamvāhana | bhaktibhāvem doghemhī ||68||

Having laid him to rest on the bed, they brought betel-leaf for him, and both of them massaged his feet with devoted hearts.

Foot-massage, the most humble and intimate of services, is offered with devotion — true reverence expresses itself in small physical acts of care.

Offer humble, hands-on service to someone you honor, not just words of praise.

निद्रिस्त झाला योगेश्वर । दोघें करिती नमस्कार । उभें राहोनि चारी प्रहर । सेवा केली भावेंसी ॥६९॥

nidrista jhālā yogeśvara | doghem karitī namaskāra | ubhem rāhoni cārī prahara | sevā kelī bhāvemsī ||69||

The lord of yogis fell asleep; the two of them bowed to him, and standing through all four watches of the night, served him with devotion.

They keep vigil all night standing in service while their guest sleeps — a night of selfless attendance becomes, as the story will show, enough merit to change two destinies.

Give sustained, quiet attention to someone in need, even through an entire night if that is what's called for.

उदय झाला दिनकरासी । संतोषला तो तापसी । निरोप घेऊनि संतोषीं । गेला आपुल्या स्थानाप्रती ॥७०॥

udaya jhālā dinakarāsī | samtoṣalā to tāpasī | niropa gheūni samtoṣīm | gelā āpulyā sthānāpratī ||70||

When the sun rose, the ascetic was well pleased; taking leave joyfully, he departed to his own abode.

The sage's single night's visit ends as quietly as it began — its enormous consequences are entirely hidden at the time from those who served him.

Do not measure the value of a good deed only by its immediate visible reward.

ऐसें विप्रें वेश्याघरीं । क्रमितां क्वचित्‌ दिवसांवरी । तारुण्य जाउनी शरीरीं । वार्धक्य पातलें तयासी ॥७१॥

aisem viprem veśyāgharīm | kramitām kvacit‌ divasāmvarī | tāruṇya jāunī śarīrīm | vārdhakya pātalem tayāsī ||71||

So the brahmin continued for some days at the courtesan's house; his youth passed from his body and old age came upon him.

Time simply moves on after the encounter — neither of them changes their outer life, yet the merit of that one night's service remains stored, waiting to ripen.

Trust that a genuine good deed can bear fruit later, even if your life afterward looks unchanged.

पुढें तया विप्रासी । मरण आलें परियेसीं । पिंगला नाम वेश्येसी । दोघें पंचत्व पावलीं ॥७२॥

puḍhem tayā viprāsī | maraṇa ālem pariyesīm | pimgalā nāma veśyesī | doghem pamcatva pāvalīm ||72||

In time death came to that brahmin, and to the courtesan named Pingala; both attained dissolution into the five elements, that is, they died.

Both die as they lived, in the same house — death is the great leveler, and the story is about to show what determined their next lives.

Remember that death comes to every life alike; let that shape how you live now.

पूर्वकर्मानुबंधेंसी । जन्म झाला राजवंशीं । दशार्णवाधिपतिकुशीं । वज्रबाहूचे उदरांत ॥७३॥

pūrvakarmānubamdhemsī | janma jhālā rājavamśīm | daśārṇavādhipatikuśīm | vajrabāhūce udarāmta ||73||

Owing to the bond of past karma, a birth occurred in a royal lineage — in the family of Vajrabahu, the ruler of Dasharna.

One night of true devotion outweighs a lifetime of misconduct: it secures rebirth into royalty — a striking claim about the power of even brief, sincere service.

Take heart that one sincere act of devotion can outweigh years of past failing.

तया वज्रबाहूपत्‍नी । नाम तिचें वसुमती । जन्मा आला तिचे पोटीं । तो विप्र परियेसा ॥७४॥

tayā vajrabāhūpat‍nī | nāma ticem vasumatī | janmā ālā tice poṭīm | to vipra pariyesā ||74||

To Vajrabahu's wife, named Vasumati, the brahmin was born in her womb; know this.

The story specifies the exact vessel of the brahmin's rebirth — even the details of parentage are shown as consequences of past karma.

Accept the specific circumstances of your life as the ground you've been given to work with.

तया वज्रबाहूसी । ज्येष्‍ठ राणीच्या गर्भेसी । उद्‌भवला विप्र परियेसीं । राजा समारंभ करीतसे ॥७५॥

tayā vajrabāhūsī | jyeṣ‍ṭha rāṇīcyā garbhesī | ud‌bhavalā vipra pariyesīm | rājā samārambha karītase ||75||

In Vajrabahu's eldest queen's womb the brahmin's soul arose; the king held great celebration at the birth.

A joyous royal birth opens what will become a story of suffering — the story reminds us that fortune's beginning does not predict its middle.

Hold celebration at a good beginning lightly, knowing life's course can still turn.

देखोनि तिचे सवतीसी । क्रोध आला बहु मानसीं । गर्भ झाला सपत्‍नीसी । म्हणोनि द्वेष मनीं धरी ॥७६॥

dekhoni tice savatīsī | krodha ālā bahu mānasīm | garbha jhālā sapat‍nīsī | mhaṇoni dveṣa manīm dharī ||76||

Seeing her co-wife pregnant, great anger arose in her mind; because her rival had conceived, she harbored hatred in her heart.

Jealousy between co-wives becomes the engine of the coming tragedy — envy at another's good fortune, left unchecked, turns malicious.

Catch envy at someone else's good fortune early, before it hardens into a wish to harm them.

सर्पगरळ आणोनि । दिल्हें सवतीस नाना यत्‍नीं । गरळें भेदिलें अतिगहनीं । तया राजज्येष्‍ठ स्‍त्रियेसी ॥७७॥

sarpagaraḷa āṇoni | dilhem savatīsa nānā yat‍nīm | garaḷem bhedilem atigahanīm | tayā rājajyeṣ‍ṭha s‍triyesī ||77||

She procured snake venom and, by various schemes, gave it to her co-wife; the poison pierced deep into that senior queen's body.

The jealous co-wife resorts to poison — envy has become active malice, striking at the innocent pregnant queen.

Refuse to let jealousy push you toward actively harming someone else.

दैवयोगें न ये मरण । सर्व शरीरीं झाले व्रण । चिंता करी अतिगहन । महाकष्‍ट भोगीतसे ॥७८॥

daivayogem na ye maraṇa | sarva śarīrīm jhāle vraṇa | cimtā karī atigahana | mahākaṣ‍ṭa bhogītase ||78||

By fate's decree death did not come, but her whole body broke out in wounds; she was consumed with deep worry and suffered greatly.

Providence spares her life but not her suffering — the poison becomes a chronic, disfiguring affliction rather than a quick death.

Accept that survival does not always mean an end to hardship; endurance is sometimes the harder path.

ऐशापरी राजयुवती । कष्‍टें झाली प्रसूति । उपजतां बाळका मातेप्रती । सर्वांग स्फोट वाहत ॥७९॥

aiśāparī rājayuvatī | kaṣ‍ṭem jhālī prasūti | upajatām bāḷakā mātepratī | sarvāmga sphoṭa vāhata ||79||

Thus, in this state, the young queen gave birth with great difficulty; when the child was born to the mother, its whole body too bore eruptions.

The innocent child inherits the mother's affliction at birth — the poison's harm passes to the next generation, deepening the tragedy.

Recognize how harm done to one person can ripple outward to touch even the innocent.

विषें व्यापिलें सर्वांगासी । म्हणोनि आक्रंदती दिवानिशीं । दुःख करी राजा क्लेशीं । म्हणे काय करुं आतां ॥८०॥

viṣem vyāpilem sarvāmgāsī | mhaṇoni ākramdatī divāniśīm | duḥkha karī rājā kleśīm | mhaṇe kāya karum ātām ||80||

Poison had spread over their whole bodies, so they wailed day and night; the king grieved in anguish, saying, 'What shall I do now?'

The king's helpless grief marks the family's collective descent into suffering — even royal power cannot undo what has been done.

Sit honestly with helplessness rather than pretending you have control you don't.

देशोदेशींच्या वैद्यांसी । बोलाविती चिकित्सेसी । वेंचिती द्रव्य अपारेंसी । कांहीं केलिया बरवें नोहे ॥८१॥

deśodeśīmcyā vaidyāmsī | bolāvitī cikitsesī | vemcitī dravya apāremsī | kāmhīm keliyā baravem nohe ||81||

They summoned physicians from every land for treatment and spent boundless wealth, but nothing done made things better.

As with the yavana king's own boil earlier, exhaustive medical effort fails completely — the story again points beyond medicine toward a different remedy.

Know when to stop pouring resources into an approach that clearly isn't working, and look elsewhere.

तया माता बाळकासी । व्रण झाले बहुवसीं । निद्रा नाहीं रात्रीसी । सर्वांगीं कृमि पडले असती ॥८२॥

tayā mātā bāḷakāsī | vraṇa jhāle bahuvasīm | nidrā nāhīm rātrīsī | sarvāmgīm kṛmi paḍale asatī ||82||

The mother and child developed many wounds; they had no sleep at night, and worms had formed all over their bodies.

The suffering is described in its most graphic, unsparing detail — the text does not soften how far this family has fallen.

Do not look away from real suffering, your own or another's, in the name of comfort.

त्यांतें देखोनि रायासी । दुःख झालें बहुवसीं । निद्रा नाहीं दिवानिशीं । त्याचे कष्‍ट देखोनिया ॥८३॥

tyāmtem dekhoni rāyāsī | duḥkha jhālem bahuvasīm | nidrā nāhīm divāniśīm | tyāce kaṣ‍ṭa dekhoniyā ||83||

Seeing them, the king grieved greatly; he had no sleep, day or night, from witnessing their suffering.

The king's own sleeplessness mirrors his family's — his suffering is real even though it is a bystander's suffering, watching loved ones in pain.

Recognize that watching someone you love suffer is its own genuine hardship, worthy of compassion.

व्यथें करोनि मातासुत । अन्न उदक न वचे क्वचित । शरीरीं सर्व क्लेश होत । क्षीण झालें येणेंपरी ॥८४॥

vyathem karoni mātāsuta | anna udaka na vace kvacita | śarīrīm sarva kleśa hota | kṣīṇa jhālem yeṇemparī ||84||

In their affliction, the mother and son could barely take food or water; their bodies were wracked with every kind of pain, and they grew weak.

Physical decline compounds the visible affliction — the mother and child are wasting away, setting up the desperate measures to come.

Attend to basic needs like food and rest first when caring for someone in deep distress.

राजा येऊनि एके दिवसीं । पाहे आपुले स्त्री-सुतासी । देखोनिया महाक्लेशी । दुःख करीतसे परियेसा ॥८५॥

rājā yeūni eke divasīm | pāhe āpule strī-sutāsī | dekhoniyā mahākleśī | duḥkha karītase pariyesā ||85||

One day the king came and looked upon his wife and son; seeing their great suffering, he grieved.

The narrative pauses to show one more direct, ordinary visit — the king still comes to see them, still feels for them, even as his resolve is about to break.

Keep showing up to witness a loved one's suffering, even when you feel powerless to fix it.

म्हणें आतां काय करुं । केवी करणें प्रतिकारु । नाना औषधें उपचारु । करितां स्वस्थ नव्हेचि ॥८६॥

mhaṇem ātām kāya karum | kevī karaṇem pratikāru | nānā auṣadhem upacāru | karitām svastha navheci ||86||

He said, 'What shall I do now, how can this be remedied? Many kinds of medicines and treatments have been tried, yet they do not recover.'

The king's repeated helpless question underscores that he has genuinely tried everything within his power before what follows.

Be honest with yourself about having truly exhausted your options before making a drastic decision.

स्त्री-पुत्रांची ऐशी गति । जिवंत शवें झाली असती । यांच्या रोगासी होय शांति । केवी पाहूं म्हणतसे ॥८७॥

strī-putrāmcī aiśī gati | jivamta śavem jhālī asatī | yāmcyā rogāsī hoya śāmti | kevī pāhūm mhaṇatase ||87||

'My wife and son have come to such a state that they are like living corpses; how am I to see their disease find peace?' he said.

The king's despairing image — 'living corpses' — reveals how completely hope has drained from him; his coming decision grows from despair, not cruelty alone.

Recognize despair for what it is when it starts shaping your decisions, and seek outside counsel before acting on it.

आतां यातें पहावयासी । कंटाळा येतो आम्हांसी । बरवें नव्हे सत्य यांसी । काय करणें म्हणतसे ॥८८॥

ātām yātem pahāvayāsī | kamṭāḷā yeto āmhāmsī | baravem navhe satya yāmsī | kāya karaṇem mhaṇatase ||88||

'Now I have grown weary of looking upon them; truly, nothing good is left for them; what should be done?' he said.

The king's weariness shows compassion fatigue setting in — even a loving heart can grow exhausted by prolonged, hopeless suffering.

Notice your own compassion fatigue honestly, and seek support rather than letting exhaustion make your decisions for you.

यांतें देखतां आम्हांसी । श्रम होती देहासी । नेवोनिया अरण्यासी । त्यांतें त्यजूं म्हणतसे ॥८९॥

yāmtem dekhatām āmhāmsī | śrama hotī dehāsī | nevoniyā araṇyāsī | tyāmtem tyajūm mhaṇatase ||89||

'Seeing them wearies my own body; let us take them to the forest and abandon them there,' he said.

The king's despair curdles into a cruel decision — the text shows how exhaustion and helplessness, unchecked, can lead even a loving father to abandon his own family.

Pause before acting on a decision made purely out of exhaustion; give yourself time before doing something irreversible.

जे जे असती पापीजन । त्यांतें जीवन अथवा मरण । भोगिल्यावांचोनि न सुटे जाण । आपुलें आपण भोगिजे ॥९०॥

je je asatī pāpījana | tyāmtem jīvana athavā maraṇa | bhogilyāvāmconi na suṭe jāṇa | āpulem āpaṇa bhogije ||90||

Whoever has committed wrong, whether life or death comes to them, cannot escape without first undergoing it — each must experience their own deeds.

The narrator interjects the story's guiding principle: karma must be experienced through to its end by the one who created it — no shortcut around it exists.

Accept responsibility for working through the consequences of your own past actions rather than seeking an escape.

विचार करोनि मानसीं । बोलाविलें कोळियासी । सांगतसे विस्तारेंसी । ऐका श्रोते एकचित्तें ॥९१॥

vicāra karoni mānasīm | bolāvilem koḷiyāsī | sāmgatase vistāremsī | aikā śrote ekacittem ||91||

Having deliberated in his mind, he summoned a charioteer, and explained the matter to him at length; listen, hearers, with one-pointed attention.

The king moves from thought to action, delegating the painful task rather than facing it himself — a small but telling detail of his moral cowardice.

Notice when you're delegating a hard task to avoid facing its full weight yourself.

राजा म्हणे सूतासी । माझे बोल परियेसीं । नेऊनि आपुले स्त्री -पुत्रांसी । अरण्यांत ठेवावें ॥९२॥

rājā mhaṇe sūtāsī | mājhe bola pariyesīm | neūni āpule strī -putrāmsī | araṇyāmta ṭhevāvem ||92||

The king said to the charioteer, 'Hear my words: take my wife and son and leave them in the forest.'

The order is given plainly and without softening — the story does not disguise the harshness of what the king is doing.

Own the plain truth of a hard decision instead of dressing it up in gentler words.

मनुष्यांचा संचार । जेथें नसेल निर्धार । तेथें ठेवीं वेगवक्र । म्हणे राजा सूतासी ॥९३॥

manuṣyāmcā samcāra | jethem nasela nirdhāra | tethem ṭhevīm vegavakra | mhaṇe rājā sūtāsī ||93||

'Where there is certainly no passage of people, leave them there swiftly and at once,' the king told the charioteer.

The instruction to abandon them somewhere utterly uninhabited seals their isolation — no rescue is meant to be possible.

Consider how isolating a decision truly is before carrying it out.

येणेंपरी सूतासी । राजा सांगे विस्तारेंसी । रथा दिधला संजोगेंसी । घेऊनि गेला झडकरी ॥९४॥

yeṇemparī sūtāsī | rājā sāmge vistāremsī | rathā didhalā samjogemsī | gheūni gelā jhaḍakarī ||94||

Thus the king instructed the charioteer at length; he provided a chariot with everything needed, and he took them away swiftly.

Events move quickly once the decision is made — the abruptness itself is part of the cruelty, leaving no time for farewell.

Give people time and dignity in a hard transition rather than rushing them out.

तिचे दासदासी सकळ । दुःख करिती महाप्रबळ । माता पिता बंधु सकळ । समस्त प्रलाप करिताती ॥९५॥

tice dāsadāsī sakaḷa | duḥkha karitī mahāprabaḷa | mātā pitā bamdhu sakaḷa | samasta pralāpa karitātī ||95||

All her maidservants grieved intensely; her mother, father, and brothers, all of them wailed.

The queen's whole household and family openly mourn what is being done — their grief stands as an implicit judgment of the king's act.

Let others' grief at a wrong being done register with you as a moral signal, not just noise to endure.

दुःख करिती नर नारी । हा हा पापी दुराचारी । स्त्री-सुतांसी कैसेपरी । केवी यांतें मारवितो ॥९६॥

duḥkha karitī nara nārī | hā hā pāpī durācārī | strī-sutāmsī kaiseparī | kevī yāmtem māravito ||96||

Men and women grieved, crying, 'Alas, what a sinful, wicked man — how could he have his wife and son put to death like this!'

The onlookers name the act for what it is — sin and wickedness — showing that the story does not endorse the king's cruelty even as it narrates it.

Trust your own moral instinct when a community's outcry names a wrong for what it is.

रथावरी बैसवोनि । घेवोनि गेला महारानीं । जेथें नसती मनुष्य कोणी । तेथें ठेविलीं परियेसा ॥९७॥

rathāvarī baisavoni | ghevoni gelā mahārānīm | jethem nasatī manuṣya koṇī | tethem ṭhevilīm pariyesā ||97||

Seating the great queen upon the chariot, the charioteer took her away, and left her where no human being was present; listen.

The queen, once honored, is now utterly abandoned in the wild — her total isolation is now complete.

Reach out to check on someone who has gone conspicuously silent or isolated; abandonment can happen quietly.

सूत आला परतोनि । सांगे रायासी विस्तारोनि । महाअरण्य दुर्गम वनीं । तेथें ठेविली म्हणतसे ॥९८॥

sūta ālā paratoni | sāmge rāyāsī vistāroni | mahāaraṇya durgama vanīm | tethem ṭhevilī mhaṇatase ||98||

The charioteer returned and reported to the king at length, saying, 'I have left her in a great, impenetrable forest.'

The charioteer's matter-of-fact report of the deed's completion is chilling in its plainness — cruelty carried out becomes just another task done.

Guard against carrying out a painful task so routinely that you stop feeling its weight.

ऐकोनि राजा संतोषला । दुसरे स्त्रियेसी वृत्तान्त सांगितला । दोघांसी आनंद जाहला । वनीं राहिलीं मातासुत ॥९९॥

aikoni rājā samtoṣalā | dusare striyesī vṛttānta sāmgitalā | doghāmsī ānamda jāhalā | vanīm rāhilīm mātāsuta ||99||

Hearing this, the king was pleased, and told the news to his other wife; both of them rejoiced, while mother and son remained in the forest.

The king's relief and the co-wife's joy stand in stark, deliberate contrast to the mother and child's abandonment — the story lets this moral contrast speak for itself.

Be wary of relief that comes at the cost of someone else's suffering; examine what that relief is really built on.

मातापुत्र दोघेंजण । पीडताती दुःखेंकरुन । कष्‍टती अन्नउदकावीण । महाघोर वनांत ॥१००॥

mātāputra doghemjaṇa | pīḍatātī duḥkhemkaruna | kaṣ‍ṭatī annaudakāvīṇa | mahāghora vanāmta ||100||

The mother and son, the two of them, suffered greatly, afflicted with grief, without food or water, in the terrible forest.

The scene of their suffering in the wilderness begins in earnest — the lowest point of the story's tragedy.

Stay present with someone through the lowest point of their suffering rather than looking away.

राजपत्‍नी सुकुमार । तिये शरीरीं व्रण थोर । चालूं न शके पृथ्वीवर । महाकंटक भूमीवरी ॥१॥

rājapat‍nī sukumāra | tiye śarīrīm vraṇa thora | cālūm na śake pṛthvīvara | mahākamṭaka bhūmīvarī ||1||

The queen, delicate of body, had great wounds all over; she could not walk on the ground, thick with thorns.

Her physical delicacy makes the forest ordeal even crueler — a queen unused to hardship now must walk barefoot over thorns.

Show extra gentleness toward someone facing hardship they were never prepared for.

कडिये घेवोनि बाळकासी । जाय ती मंदगमनेंसी । आठवी आपुले कर्मांसी । म्हणे आतां काय करुं ॥२॥

kaḍiye ghevoni bāḷakāsī | jāya tī mamdagamanemsī | āṭhavī āpule karmāmsī | mhaṇe ātām kāya karum ||2||

Carrying the child on her hip, she went slowly, recalling her own past deeds, saying, 'What shall I do now?'

Even in agony, she carries her child and reflects on her own past karma — she takes responsibility inwardly even while suffering an injustice inflicted by others.

Keep caring for those who depend on you even while you are in your own deepest pain.

तया वनीं मृगजाति । व्याघ्र सिंहादिक असती । सर्प थोर अपरिमिती । हिंडताती वनांत ॥३॥

tayā vanīm mṛgajāti | vyāghra simhādika asatī | sarpa thora aparimitī | himḍatātī vanāmta ||3||

In that forest there were creatures of many kinds — tigers, lions, and the like, and huge, countless serpents roaming about.

The wilderness is populated with real danger, not just hardship — every step risks death from predators.

Acknowledge the real dangers someone in crisis is facing, not just their emotional distress.

मातें जरी व्याघ्र मारी । पापापासून होईन दुरी । पुरे आतां जन्म संसारीं । वांचोनि काय व्यर्थ जिणें ॥४॥

mātem jarī vyāghra mārī | pāpāpāsūna hoīna durī | pure ātām janma samsārīm | vāmconi kāya vyartha jiṇem ||4||

'If a tiger kills me, I will be freed from my sin; enough now of this worldly life — what use is a futile life of surviving?' she thought.

She reaches the edge of despair, welcoming death as release — the story shows suffering pushed to its very limit before any relief appears.

Take seriously the depth of despair in someone who speaks of welcoming death, and seek immediate help for them.

म्हणोनि जाय पुढें रडत । क्षणोक्षणीं असे पडत । पुत्रासहित चिंता करीत । जात असे वनमाजी ॥५॥

mhaṇoni jāya puḍhem raḍata | kṣaṇokṣaṇīm ase paḍata | putrāsahita cimtā karīta | jāta ase vanamājī ||5||

So she went on ahead, weeping, falling at every moment, worrying along with her son, going on through the forest.

Her physical stumbling mirrors her emotional collapse — every fall in the forest echoes her fall in fortune.

Allow yourself to stumble and still keep moving forward through hardship, one step at a time.

उदकाविणें तृषाक्रांत । देह व्रणें असे पीडित । व्याघ्रसर्पादि देखत । भयें चकित होतसे ॥६॥

udakāviṇem tṛṣākrāmta | deha vraṇem ase pīḍita | vyāghrasarpādi dekhata | bhayem cakita hotase ||6||

Overcome by thirst for want of water, her body afflicted with wounds, seeing tigers and serpents, she was struck with fear.

Thirst, wounds, and fear compound into one continuous ordeal — the text piles detail on detail to convey the totality of her suffering.

Address the most basic needs — water, safety — first when helping someone in acute crisis.

देखे वेताळ ब्रह्मराक्षस । वनगज भालुका बहुवस । केश मोकळे पायांस । कांटे धोंडे लागताती ॥७॥

dekhe vetāḷa brahmarākṣasa | vanagaja bhālukā bahuvasa | keśa mokaḷe pāyāmsa | kāmṭe dhomḍe lāgatātī ||7||

She saw spirits and demons, forest elephants and bears in plenty; her hair hung loose, and thorns and stones tore at her feet.

The forest becomes almost mythic in its terror — natural and supernatural dangers together — dramatizing how utterly alone and exposed she has become.

Recognize that fear can multiply itself when someone is alone and exhausted; company reduces terror.

ऐसे महाअरण्यांत। राजश्री असे हिंडत । पुढें जातां देखिलें वनांत । गुरें चरती वाणियांचीं ॥८॥

aise mahāaraṇyāmta| rājaśrī ase himḍata | puḍhem jātām dekhilem vanāmta | gurem caratī vāṇiyāmcīm ||8||

Thus the royal lady wandered in the great forest; going further, she saw in the forest cattle grazing, belonging to merchants.

The first sign of human civilization — grazing cattle — appears, marking the turn from wilderness ordeal toward possible rescue.

Keep watching for the first small sign of help when you are in the depths of a difficult passage.

तयांपासीं जावोनि । पुसतसे करुणावचनीं । गोरक्षकांतें विनवोनि । मागे उदक कुमारासी ॥९॥

tayāmpāsīm jāvoni | pusatase karuṇāvacanīm | gorakṣakāmtem vinavoni | māge udaka kumārāsī ||9||

Going to them, she asked in a pitiful voice, entreating the cowherds, begging water for the child.

Her first request in her extremity is not for herself but for her son's thirst — maternal care persists even at the depths of her own suffering.

Put the needs of a dependent first even when you yourself are in dire need.

गोरक्षक म्हणती तियेसी । जावें तुवां मंदिरासी । तेथें उदक बहुवसी । अन्न तूंतें मिळेल ॥११०॥

gorakṣaka mhaṇatī tiyesī | jāvem tuvām mamdirāsī | tethem udaka bahuvasī | anna tūmtem miḷela ||110||

The cowherds said to her, 'Go to the town; there you will find abundant water, and you will get food.'

Ordinary strangers offer the first kindness of the tale's second half — directions toward help, freely given.

Offer simple, practical directions to help when a stranger asks for aid.

म्हणोनि मार्ग दाखविती । हळूहळू जाय म्हणती । राजपत्‍नी मार्ग क्रमिती । गेली तया ग्रामांत ॥११॥

mhaṇoni mārga dākhavitī | haḷūhaḷū jāya mhaṇatī | rājapat‍nī mārga kramitī | gelī tayā grāmāmta ||11||

So they showed her the path, telling her to go slowly; the queen made her way along the path and reached that village.

She finally reaches a village — her first arrival at human society since the abandonment, a hard-won small victory.

Celebrate even a small, hard-won step forward when recovering from a great loss.

तया ग्रामीं नरनारी । दिसताती अपरंपारी । ऐकोन आली मनोहरी । पुसे तयां स्त्रियांसी ॥१२॥

tayā grāmīm naranārī | disatātī aparampārī | aikona ālī manoharī | puse tayām striyāmsī ||12||

In that village men and women were seen in great numbers; hearing this, the beautiful lady came and asked the women there.

Even amid her ruin, she is described as beautiful — a hint that her royal nature has not been erased by suffering.

Remember that a person's true worth remains intact even when circumstances have stripped everything else away.

म्हणे कवण येथें राजा । संतोषी दिसे समस्त प्रजा । ऐकोनि सांगती वैश्यराजा । महाधनिक पुण्यात्मा ॥१३॥

mhaṇe kavaṇa yethem rājā | samtoṣī dise samasta prajā | aikoni sāmgatī vaiśyarājā | mahādhanika puṇyātmā ||13||

She asked, 'Who is the king here? All the people appear content.' Hearing this, they told her: a merchant-king, a very wealthy and pious soul.

The village's visible contentment under this merchant-ruler's care foreshadows the compassion she is about to receive.

Take the general character of a community — its evident kindness or harshness — as a real signal of what to expect there.

त्याचें नांव पद्माकर । पुण्यवंत असे थोर । तूंतें रक्षील साचार । म्हणोनि सांगती तियेसी ॥१४॥

tyācem nāmva padmākara | puṇyavamta ase thora | tūmtem rakṣīla sācāra | mhaṇoni sāmgatī tiyesī ||14||

'His name is Padmakar, a man of great merit; he will surely protect you,' they told her.

Padmakar is introduced by name as the story's next agent of grace — ordinary human compassion is about to intervene in her fate.

Be the kind of person others can confidently say 'he or she will help you' about.

इतुकिया अवसरीं । तया वैश्याचे घरीं । दासी होत्या मनोहरी । त्याही आल्या तियेजवळी ॥१५॥

itukiyā avasarīm | tayā vaiśyāce gharīm | dāsī hotyā manoharī | tyāhī ālyā tiyejavaḷī ||15||

At that very moment, the comely maidservants from the merchant's house also came near her.

Help arrives promptly, almost as soon as it is needed — the story emphasizes how quickly compassion can appear once one reaches out.

Act quickly when you notice someone in need nearby, rather than waiting to be formally asked.

येवोनि पुसती वृत्तान्त । घेवोनि गेल्या मंदिरांत । आपल्या स्वामीसी सांगत । आद्यंतेंसीं विस्तारें ॥१६॥

yevoni pusatī vṛttānta | ghevoni gelyā mamdirāmta | āpalyā svāmīsī sāmgata | ādyamtemsīm vistārem ||16||

Coming to her, they asked her story, took her into the mansion, and told their master everything from beginning to end.

The maidservants act as intermediaries, carrying her story faithfully to their master — small acts of listening and relaying become links in a chain of rescue.

Pass along someone's need accurately and fully to those who can actually help.

तीस देखोनिया वैश्यनाथ । कृपा करी अत्यंत । नेऊनिया मंदिरांत । दिल्हें एक गृह तिसी ॥१७॥

tīsa dekhoniyā vaiśyanātha | kṛpā karī atyamta | neūniyā mamdirāmta | dilhem eka gṛha tisī ||17||

Seeing her, the merchant-lord showed the greatest compassion; taking her into the mansion, he gave her a house.

Padmakar's compassion is immediate and concrete — shelter given without hesitation, embodying the satpuruṣa ideal in ordinary form.

Offer concrete, practical shelter or resources to someone in distress, not just sympathy.

पुसोनिया वृत्तान्त । वाणी होय कृपावंत । दिल्हें अन्नवस्त्र बहुत । नित्य तिसी रक्षीतसे ॥१८॥

pusoniyā vṛttānta | vāṇī hoya kṛpāvamta | dilhem annavastra bahuta | nitya tisī rakṣītase ||18||

Having asked her story, the merchant became compassionate, gave her abundant food and clothing, and protected her daily.

His care becomes sustained rather than a single gesture — ongoing daily provision, the mark of true compassion over performative charity.

Follow up your first act of kindness with sustained, ongoing care rather than a single gesture.

ऐशी तया वैश्याघरीं । होती रायाची अंतुरी । वर्धतसे पीडा भारी । व्रण न वचे परियेसा ॥१९॥

aiśī tayā vaiśyāgharīm | hotī rāyācī amturī | vardhatase pīḍā bhārī | vraṇa na vace pariyesā ||19||

Thus the king's wife stayed at the merchant's house; her affliction grew heavy, and her wounds would not heal; listen.

Despite the merchant's kindness, her physical condition continues to worsen — human compassion alone cannot yet reverse the karma still working itself out.

Understand that kindness can ease a person's burden without instantly solving every problem.

येणेंपरी राजसती । तया वैश्याचे घरीं होती । वाढले व्रण तयांसी बहुती । प्राणांतक होतसे ॥१२०॥

yeṇemparī rājasatī | tayā vaiśyāce gharīm hotī | vāḍhale vraṇa tayāmsī bahutī | prāṇāmtaka hotase ||120||

In this way the virtuous queen stayed at the merchant's house; her wounds grew more numerous, becoming life-threatening.

Her condition reaches crisis point, setting up the tragedy of the child's death that follows immediately.

Recognize when a chronic problem has become urgent, and respond with correspondingly greater seriousness.

वर्ततां ऐसें एके दिवसीं । मरण आलें कुमारकासी । प्रलाप करी बहुवसी । राजपत्‍नी तये वेळीं ॥२१॥

vartatām aisem eke divasīm | maraṇa ālem kumārakāsī | pralāpa karī bahuvasī | rājapat‍nī taye veḷīm ||21||

As this continued, one day death came to the little boy; the queen wailed greatly at that time.

The child dies — the story's cruelest turn, the loss the mother most feared throughout her ordeal.

Be present, without trying to fix the unfixable, when someone faces the death of a child.

मूर्च्छा येऊनि तये क्षणीं । राजपत्‍नी पडे धरणीं । आपुलें कर्म आठवोनि । महाशोक करीतसे ॥२२॥

mūrcchā yeūni taye kṣaṇīm | rājapat‍nī paḍe dharaṇīm | āpulem karma āṭhavoni | mahāśoka karītase ||22||

At that moment the queen swooned and fell to the ground; recalling her own past deeds, she grieved greatly.

Even in the depths of grief, she interprets it through the lens of her own karma — pain and self-reflection remain intertwined for her throughout the story.

Allow grief to be felt fully, without rushing yourself past it toward premature explanation or meaning.

त्या वाणियाच्या स्त्रिया देखा । संबोखिताति ती बाळिका । कवणेंपरी तिचे दुःखा । शमन नोहे परियेसा ॥२३॥

tyā vāṇiyācyā striyā dekhā | sambokhitāti tī bāḷikā | kavaṇemparī tice duḥkhā | śamana nohe pariyesā ||23||

The merchant's womenfolk consoled that young woman, but by no means could her sorrow be soothed; listen.

Others try to comfort her, but grief of this magnitude cannot yet be reasoned or consoled away — some sorrow must simply run its course.

Accept that your comforting presence may not immediately ease someone's grief, and stay anyway.

नानापरी दुःख करी । आठवीतसे पूर्वापारी । म्हणे ताता माझ्या सौरी । कोठें गेलासी बाळका ॥२४॥

nānāparī duḥkha karī | āṭhavītase pūrvāpārī | mhaṇe tātā mājhyā saurī | koṭhem gelāsī bāḷakā ||24||

She grieved in many ways, recalling the past, saying, 'O my dear one, my beloved, where have you gone, my child?'

Her lament turns personal and tender, addressing the dead child directly — grief finds voice in intimate, simple words.

Let grief speak in its own simple, direct words rather than forcing composure.

राजकुमारा पूर्णचंद्रा । माझ्या आनंदसमुद्रा । मातें धरिसी मौनमुद्रा । तूंतें काय बरवें असे ॥२५॥

rājakumārā pūrṇacamdrā | mājhyā ānamdasamudrā | mātem dharisī maunamudrā | tūmtem kāya baravem ase ||25||

'O prince, O full moon, O ocean of my joy — you hold silence toward me now; is that becoming of you?'

She addresses her child with the lyrical epithets of a mother's love — 'full moon,' 'ocean of joy' — even as she pleads with his silence.

Honor the memory of someone lost by remembering the specific joy they once brought you.

मातापिता बंधुजन । सोडोनि आल्यें सकळ जाण । तुझा भरंवसा होता पूर्ण । मातें रक्षिसी म्हणोनिया ॥२६॥

mātāpitā bamdhujana | soḍoni ālyem sakaḷa jāṇa | tujhā bharamvasā hotā pūrṇa | mātem rakṣisī mhaṇoniyā ||26||

'I left my mother, father, and brothers, all of them, knowing that I had complete trust that you would protect me.'

She reveals that the child had become her sole remaining source of hope and security after her abandonment — his death removes her last anchor.

Recognize when someone's grief is compounded by the loss of their last remaining support, and respond with extra care.

मातें अनाथ करोनि । तूं जातोसि सोडोनि । मज रक्षिता नसे कोणी । प्राण त्यजीन म्हणतसे ॥२७॥

mātem anātha karoni | tūm jātosi soḍoni | maja rakṣitā nase koṇī | prāṇa tyajīna mhaṇatase ||27||

'You have made me destitute and left me; there is no one left to protect me — I shall give up my life,' she said.

Her grief reaches the point of wishing for her own death — the depth of despair matches the earlier moment when she wished a tiger would kill her.

Take seriously and respond urgently to expressions of a wish to die, even in the midst of grief.

येणेंपरी राजनारी । दीर्घस्वरें रुदन करी । देखोनिया नरनारी । दुःख करिती परियेसा ॥२८॥

yeṇemparī rājanārī | dīrghasvarem rudana karī | dekhoniyā naranārī | duḥkha karitī pariyesā ||28||

Thus the royal woman wept aloud in a long, mournful cry; seeing this, men and women nearby grieved; listen.

Her grief becomes communal — bystanders share in her sorrow, a picture of a community's compassion in the face of raw loss.

Let your genuine grief be witnessed by others rather than hiding it entirely alone.

समस्तही दुःखाहुनी । पुत्रशोक केवळ वाहि । मातापितरांतें दाहोनि । भस्म करी परियेंसा ॥२९॥

samastahī duḥkhāhunī | putraśoka kevaḷa vāhi | mātāpitarāmtem dāhoni | bhasma karī pariyemsā ||29||

Of all sorrows, grief for a child alone burns the hardest; it consumes parents utterly, reducing them to ashes; listen.

The narrator states outright the story's central emotional truth: no grief compares to the loss of a child — a moment of direct commentary before the resolution begins.

Recognize the loss of a child as among the deepest griefs a person can carry, and treat it with corresponding gentleness.

येणेंपरी दुःख करितां । ऋषभ योगी आला त्वरिता । पूर्वजन्मींच्या उपकारार्था । पातला तेथें महाज्ञानी ॥१३०॥

yeṇemparī duḥkha karitām | ṛṣabha yogī ālā tvaritā | pūrvajanmīmcyā upakārārthā | pātalā tethem mahājñānī ||130||

As she grieved in this way, the yogi Rishabha arrived swiftly; for the sake of the favor received in a past life, the great sage came to that place.

The very same yogi from the opening of the story returns, now to repay in kind the devotion once shown to him — grace circles back to complete what it began.

Trust that goodness shown to others, even long ago, tends to return when it's most needed.

योगियातें देखोनि । वंदिता झाला तो वाणी । अर्घ्यपाद्य देवोनि । उत्तम स्थानीं बैसविला ॥३१॥

yogiyātem dekhoni | vamditā jhālā to vāṇī | arghyapādya devoni | uttama sthānīm baisavilā ||31||

Seeing the yogi, the merchant bowed to him, offered him water for feet and hands, and seated him in the best place.

Padmakar's instinctive reverence for the sage mirrors the earlier scene of the brahmin and Pingala's welcome — hospitality toward holiness recurs as a pattern throughout the tale.

Make room for reverence and hospitality as a habitual response to encountering wisdom, not a rare exception.

योगी तया अवसरीं । पुसे कवण दीर्घस्वरीं । शोक करितसे अपारीं । कवण असे म्हणतसे ॥३२॥

yogī tayā avasarīm | puse kavaṇa dīrghasvarīm | śoka karitase apārīm | kavaṇa ase mhaṇatase ||32||

At that moment the yogi asked, 'Who is it wailing in that long, loud voice, grieving so immensely? Who is it?' he asked.

The sage's first act is simply to ask, to notice the suffering nearby — attentiveness to another's pain precedes any teaching he will give.

Notice and ask about someone's visible distress before offering any advice.

सविस्तर वैश्यनाथ । सांगता जाहला वृत्तान्त । योगीश्वर कृपावंत । आला तिये जवळीक ॥३३॥

savistara vaiśyanātha | sāmgatā jāhalā vṛttānta | yogīśvara kṛpāvamta | ālā tiye javaḷīka ||33||

The merchant-lord narrated the whole account in detail; the compassionate lord of yogis then came near to her.

The sage approaches the grieving mother directly once he understands her story — compassion moves him from inquiry to presence.

Move from understanding someone's situation to actually being present with them in it.

म्हणे योगी तियेसी । मूढपणें दुःख करिसी । कवण जन्मला भूमीसी । कवण मेला सांग मज ॥३४॥

mhaṇe yogī tiyesī | mūḍhapaṇem duḥkha karisī | kavaṇa janmalā bhūmīsī | kavaṇa melā sāmga maja ||34||

The yogi said to her, 'You grieve out of ignorance; tell me, who was ever really born on this earth, and who has ever really died?'

The sage begins his consolation with a direct, almost startling philosophical challenge — questioning the very reality of birth and death that grounds her grief.

Meet someone's grief eventually with deeper perspective, but only after truly witnessing their pain first.

देह म्हणिजे विनाशी जाण । जैसा गंगेंत दिसे फेण । व्यक्ताव्यक्त सवेंचि होय जाण । जलबुद्‌बुदापरी देखा ॥३५॥

deha mhaṇije vināśī jāṇa | jaisā gamgemta dise pheṇa | vyaktāvyakta savemci hoya jāṇa | jalabud‌budāparī dekhā ||35||

'Know that the body is by nature perishable, like foam appearing on the Ganges; it becomes manifest and unmanifest at once, like a bubble on water.'

The yogi offers the classic teaching of the body's impermanence — the deha (body) is compared to river-foam and a water-bubble, appearing and vanishing in an instant.

Hold your attachment to bodily life a little more lightly, remembering how quickly it can pass, like foam on a river.

पृथ्वी तेज वायु आप । आकाश मिळोनि सर्वव्याप । पंच गोठली शरीररुप । दिसत असे परियेसा ॥३६॥

pṛthvī teja vāyu āpa | ākāśa miḷoni sarvavyāpa | pamca goṭhalī śarīrarupa | disata ase pariyesā ||36||

'Earth, fire, air, water, and ether, combining and pervading all, congeal together as the form of the body; that is how it appears; listen.'

The yogi continues the teaching of the pañca-bhūta (five elements): the body is simply these five temporarily gathered into a visible shape, not a permanent, separate reality.

Remember that everyone's body, including your own, is a temporary gathering of elements, not a fixed possession.

पंच भूतें पांचांठायीं । निघोन जातां शून्य पाहीं । दुःख करितां अवकाश नाहीं । वृथा कां तूं दुःख करिसी ॥३७॥

pamca bhūtem pāmcāmṭhāyīm | nighona jātām śūnya pāhīm | duḥkha karitām avakāśa nāhīm | vṛthā kām tūm duḥkha karisī ||37||

The five elements return each to its own source and the body becomes empty; there is no time for grieving, so why do you grieve in vain?

Death is described as the five elements — earth, water, fire, air, and space — simply dispersing back to their source; śūnya (emptiness) names the body once the borrowed elements withdraw, so mourning it is not the wise response.

When you feel the urge to over-grieve a loss, pause and remember that all borrowed things eventually return to their source.

गुणापासाव उत्पत्ति । निज कर्में होय निरुती । काळ नाचवी दृष्‍टिविकृतीं । वासना तयापरी जाणा ॥३८॥

guṇāpāsāva utpatti | nija karmem hoya nirutī | kāḷa nācavī dṛṣ‍ṭivikṛtīm | vāsanā tayāparī jāṇā ||38||

From the guṇas comes creation, made real by one's own past deeds; time makes the mind's perceptions dance, and desire follows accordingly.

The teaching links birth to the three guṇas (qualities of nature — sattva, rajas, tamas) and to accumulated karma (past action), showing that what we crave and become is shaped by forces set in motion long before this life.

Notice which quality — clarity, restlessness, or dullness — is driving your current desire before you act on it.

मायेपासोनि माया उपजे । होय गुणें सत्त्वरजें । तमोगुणें तेथें सहजें । देहलक्षण येणेंपरी ॥३९॥

māyepāsoni māyā upaje | hoya guṇem sattvarajem | tamoguṇem tethem sahajem | dehalakṣaṇa yeṇemparī ||39||

From māyā, māyā itself arises; it becomes sattva and rajas by guṇa, and tamoguṇa naturally follows there — such is the nature of embodiment.

Māyā (the world-creating illusion) generates itself endlessly through the three guṇas, and the physical body is simply this process taking shape — nothing more solid than a temporary combination of qualities.

Treat the body's moods as passing weather made of shifting qualities, not as your permanent identity.

या तीन गुणांपासाव । उपजताती मनुष्यभाव । सत्त्वगुणें असती देव । रजोगुण मनुष्याचा ॥१४०॥

yā tīna guṇāmpāsāva | upajatātī manuṣyabhāva | sattvaguṇem asatī deva | rajoguṇa manuṣyācā ||140||

From these three guṇas human natures arise: by sattva-guṇa beings become god-like, rajoguṇa is of ordinary humans.

The verse maps guṇa to destiny: sattva (purity/clarity) inclines a being toward the divine, while rajas (passion/activity) marks the common human condition — character is guṇa-driven, not fixed.

Cultivate calm, clear-minded habits today rather than restless, driven ones.

तामस तोचि राक्षस । जैसा गुण असे त्यास । तैसा जन्मे पिंडाभास । कधीं स्थिर नव्हेचि ॥४१॥

tāmasa toci rākṣasa | jaisā guṇa ase tyāsa | taisā janme pimḍābhāsa | kadhīm sthira navheci ||41||

The tamasic person is verily demonic; as is one's guṇa, so one is born accordingly — the bodily form is never stable.

Tamas (dullness/inertia) is said to produce a demonic nature, underscoring that our inner quality, not outer appearance, determines what kind of being we truly are — and that no bodily form lasts.

Choose today to counter sluggishness and negativity with one small act of alertness or kindness.

या संसारवर्तमानीं । उपजती नर कर्मानुगुणीं । जैसें अर्जित असे पूर्वपुण्यीं । सुखदुःखें घडती देखा ॥४२॥

yā samsāravartamānīm | upajatī nara karmānuguṇīm | jaisem arjita ase pūrvapuṇyīm | sukhaduḥkhem ghaḍatī dekhā ||42||

In the course of this worldly life, people are born according to the guṇa of their deeds; as is stored from past merit, so pleasure and pain come about.

The doctrine of karma is restated plainly — present joys and sorrows are the fruit of merit and demerit sown earlier, not random chance.

Meet today's fortune, good or bad, as the ripening of past effort rather than blaming others for it.

कल्पकोटिवर्षांवरी । जिवंत असती सुर जरी । तेही न राहती स्थिरी । मनुष्यांचा काय पाड ॥४३॥

kalpakoṭivarṣāmvarī | jivamta asatī sura jarī | tehī na rāhatī sthirī | manuṣyāmcā kāya pāḍa ||43||

Even if the gods live for a myriad of cosmic ages, they too do not remain permanent — what claim then do humans have to permanence?

Even the long-lived devas (gods) are subject to dissolution at the end of a kalpa (cosmic age); the argument moves from the greatest examples down to humans, to dissolve fear of death.

Let go of the illusion that anyone or anything around you is meant to last forever, and love it more freely because of that.

या कारणें ज्ञानीजनें । उपजतां संतोष न करणें । मेलिया दुःख न करणें । स्थिर नव्हे देह जाणा ॥४४॥

yā kāraṇem jñānījanem | upajatām samtoṣa na karaṇem | meliyā duḥkha na karaṇem | sthira navhe deha jāṇā ||44||

For this reason the wise do not rejoice at birth nor grieve at death, knowing the body is never permanent.

The verse states the practical conclusion of the teaching on impermanence: equanimity toward both birth and death is the mark of the jñānī (one who knows).

Practice meeting both good news and bad news today with the same steady, even temper.

गर्भ संभवें जिये काळीं । विनाश म्हणोनि जाणती सकळी । कोणी मरती यौवनकाळीं । क्वचिद्वार्धक्यपाणीं जाणा ॥४५॥

garbha sambhavem jiye kāḷīm | vināśa mhaṇoni jāṇatī sakaḷī | koṇī maratī yauvanakāḷīm | kvacidvārdhakyapāṇīm jāṇā ||45||

All know that at the very moment of conception, destruction is already assured; some die in youth, some occasionally in old age.

Death is present from conception itself, the text says — mortality is not an accident that befalls us later but the built-in condition of having a body at all.

Do not postpone what matters to 'someday' — treat today as the only day you are guaranteed.

जैसें कर्म पूर्वार्जित । तेणेंपरी असे घडत । मायामोहें म्हणत । सुत नरदेही हे ॥४६॥

jaisem karma pūrvārjita | teṇemparī ase ghaḍata | māyāmohem mhaṇata | suta naradehī he ||46||

As is one's karma acquired before, so it unfolds; under delusion's spell people call this 'my son' or 'this human body.'

Kinship terms like 'son' or 'body' are shown to be labels of moha (attachment/delusion) laid over what is really the working-out of prior karma.

When love for family runs strong, remember it is a gift held loosely, not a possession owned.

जैसें लिखित ललाटेसी । ब्रह्मदेवें लिहिलें परियेसीं । कालकर्म उल्लंघावयासी । शक्ति न होय कवणा जाणा ॥४७॥

jaisem likhita lalāṭesī | brahmadevem lihilem pariyesīm | kālakarma ullamghāvayāsī | śakti na hoya kavaṇā jāṇā ||47||

As is written on the forehead, inscribed there by Brahmadeva himself, no one has the power to transgress the workings of time and karma.

The image of fate 'written on the forehead' by Brahmadeva (the creator) expresses that the broad shape of one's destiny is beyond anyone's power to overturn by force.

Stop wrestling with what you cannot control, and put your energy into how you respond instead.

ऐसें अनित्य देहासी । कां वो माते दुःख करिसी । तुझी पूर्वपरंपरा कैसी । सांगा आम्हां म्हणतसे ॥४८॥

aisem anitya dehāsī | kām vo māte duḥkha karisī | tujhī pūrvaparamparā kaisī | sāmgā āmhām mhaṇatase ||48||

Why then, O mother, do you grieve for this impermanent body? Tell us also — what has been your own lineage through past lives?

The sage turns the queen's attention from the one grief she names to the much larger, forgotten chain of her own prior births, to loosen her fixed sense of 'my son.'

When grief feels overwhelming, widen your view rather than staying fixed on the single loss.

तूं जन्मांतरीं जाणा । कवणा होतीस अंगना । किंवा झालीस जननी कोणा । भगिनी कोणाची सांग पां ॥४९॥

tūm janmāmtarīm jāṇā | kavaṇā hotīsa amganā | kimvā jhālīsa jananī koṇā | bhaginī koṇācī sāmga pām ||49||

In a former birth, know this — whose wife were you? Or whose mother were you, or whose sister? Tell us.

By asking her to recall unknown past relationships, the sage shows that every bond we now call permanent was itself once a different, now-forgotten bond — proof that attachment to any single relation is misplaced.

Hold your current roles and relationships with gratitude, not with a grip that assumes they were always meant to be yours.

ऐसें जाणोनि मानसी । वायां कां हो दुःख करिसी । जरी बरवें तूं इच्छिसी । शरण जाईं शंकरा ॥१५०

aisem jāṇoni mānasī | vāyām kām ho duḥkha karisī | jarī baravem tūm icchisī | śaraṇa jāīm śamkarā ||150

Understanding this in your mind, why do you grieve in vain? If you wish for true well-being, go and take refuge in Śaṅkara.

The teaching concludes with a call to surrender to Śaṅkara (Śiva) — philosophy alone does not end sorrow; devotion and refuge in the divine do.

When reasoning alone cannot lift your sorrow, turn it into a prayer instead.

ऐसें ऐकोनि राजयुवती । करी ऋषभयोगिया विनंति । आपणासी झाली ऐसी गति । राज्यभ्रष्‍ट होऊनि आल्यें ॥५१॥

aisem aikoni rājayuvatī | karī ṛṣabhayogiyā vinamti | āpaṇāsī jhālī aisī gati | rājyabhraṣ‍ṭa hoūni ālyem ||51||

Hearing this, the young queen entreats Ṛṣabha Yogī, saying: 'This has been my fate — I have come here, having lost my kingdom.'

The grieving woman is revealed to be a deposed queen; her sorrow is compounded — she has lost both throne and son, which is why the sage's teaching alone cannot console her.

When someone's grief seems disproportionate, ask what other losses might be layered beneath it before you judge.

मातापिता बंधुजन । सोडोनि आलें मी रान । पुत्र होता माझा प्राण । भरंवसा मज तयाचा ॥५२॥

mātāpitā bamdhujana | soḍoni ālem mī rāna | putra hotā mājhā prāṇa | bharamvasā maja tayācā ||52||

'I left my parents and kinsfolk and came to the forest; my son was my very life-breath, my whole hope rested in him.'

Her testimony shows how completely a single relationship had become the vessel of her prāṇa (life-force) and hope — precisely the kind of total attachment the sage had just been warning against.

Notice if you have placed your whole sense of hope in one person, and gently widen your sources of meaning.

तया जहाली ऐशी गति । आपण वांचोनि काय प्रीति । मरण व्हावें मज निश्चिती । म्हणोनि चरणीं लागली ॥५३॥

tayā jahālī aiśī gati | āpaṇa vāmconi kāya prīti | maraṇa vhāvem maja niścitī | mhaṇoni caraṇīm lāgalī ||53||

'Such was his fate; what use is my own living now? I am resolved that death should come to me' — saying this, she clung to his feet.

Her desperate resolve to die, expressed by clasping the sage's feet, is itself an act of surrender — even despair, brought honestly to a true teacher, becomes an opening for grace.

Bring your deepest despair honestly to someone or something you trust, rather than carrying it alone.

ऐसें निर्वाण देखोनि । कृपा उपजली योगियामनी । पूर्व उपकार स्मरोनि । प्रसन्न झाला तये वेळीं ॥५४॥

aisem nirvāṇa dekhoni | kṛpā upajalī yogiyāmanī | pūrva upakāra smaroni | prasanna jhālā taye veḷīm ||54||

Seeing such utter desperation, compassion arose in the yogi's mind; remembering an old debt of kindness, he became gracious at that moment.

Kṛpā (compassion/grace) is shown responding not to merit alone but to sincere anguish, and is rooted also in a remembered mutual bond — grace has memory as well as mercy.

Let another person's raw desperation move you to help, even when you have every reason to walk past.

भस्म काढोनि तये वेळीं । लाविलें प्रेताचे कपाळीं । घालितां त्याचे मुखकमळीं । प्राण आला परियेसा ॥५५॥

bhasma kāḍhoni taye veḷīm | lāvilem pretāce kapāḷīm | ghālitām tyāce mukhakamaḷīm | prāṇa ālā pariyesā ||55||

Taking out sacred ash at that moment, he applied it to the corpse's forehead; placing it upon its lotus-mouth, breath returned, listen.

Bhasma (sacred ash), a symbol of what the body ultimately becomes, becomes here the very means of restoring life — a sign that the power behind ash and breath are one and the same.

Trust that the very things which humble you can also become the means of your renewal.

बाळ बैसला उठोनि । सर्वांग झालें सुवर्णवर्णी । मातेचे व्रणही तेच क्षणीं । जाते झाले तात्काळ ॥५६॥

bāḷa baisalā uṭhoni | sarvāmga jhālem suvarṇavarṇī | mātece vraṇahī teca kṣaṇīm | jāte jhāle tātkāḷa ||56||

The boy sat up rising; his whole body turned golden-hued; the mother's wounds, too, vanished in that same instant.

The instantaneous, matched healing of both mother and son signals a single act of grace touching two lives bound by love at once.

When healing comes to you, let it also heal the relationships that carried your suffering.

राजपत्‍नी पुत्रासहित । करी योगियासी दंडवत । ऋषभयोगी कृपावंत । आणीक भस्म प्रोक्षीतसे ॥५७॥

rājapat‍nī putrāsahita | karī yogiyāsī damḍavata | ṛṣabhayogī kṛpāvamta | āṇīka bhasma prokṣītase ||57||

The queen, together with her son, prostrated to the yogi; the compassionate Ṛṣabha Yogī sprinkled further sacred ash.

A second application of grace deepens the first — divine compassion, once opened, tends to keep giving beyond the immediate need.

When a blessing arrives, receive it fully rather than settling for the minimum you asked for.

तात्काळ तया दोघांसी । शरीर होय सुवर्णसंकाशी । शोभायमान दिसे कैसी । दिव्य काया उभयतांची ॥५८॥

tātkāḷa tayā doghāmsī | śarīra hoya suvarṇasamkāśī | śobhāyamāna dise kaisī | divya kāyā ubhayatāmcī ||58||

Instantly both of their bodies became golden in hue, shining resplendently — a divine form for each of them.

The golden, radiant body is a recurring image in this literature for a life transformed by contact with a true teacher — outward splendor mirroring an inward change.

Let a genuine change of heart show up visibly in how you carry yourself today.

प्रसन्न झाला योगेश्वर । तये वेळीं दिधला वर । तुम्हां न होय जराजर्जर । तारुण्यरुप चिरंजीवी ॥५९॥

prasanna jhālā yogeśvara | taye veḷīm didhalā vara | tumhām na hoya jarājarjara | tāruṇyarupa ciramjīvī ||59||

The lord of yogis, well pleased, granted them a boon at that moment: 'You shall not suffer the decay of old age; you shall remain forever youthful and undying.'

The extraordinary boon of unaging youth marks this as myth rather than mere biography, underscoring the scale of grace available through true devotion — even physical time can bend before it.

Invest daily in whatever in you does not age — your character and your faith — rather than only your appearance.

तुझा सुत भद्रायुषी । कीर्ति वरील बहुवशी । राज्य करील परियेसीं । पित्याहूनि अधिक जाणा ॥१६०॥

tujhā suta bhadrāyuṣī | kīrti varīla bahuvaśī | rājya karīla pariyesīm | pityāhūni adhika jāṇā ||160||

'Your son, blessed with long life, shall win wide renown; he shall rule the kingdom, know this, even greater than his father.'

The blessing extends beyond the immediate healing into the family's future, showing that grace received in one moment can ripple forward across generations.

When you receive help, let it become something you pass forward to those who come after you.

ऐसा वर देऊनि । योगी गेला तेथोनि । ऐक राजा एकमनीं । सत्पुरुषाचें महिमान ॥६१॥

aisā vara deūni | yogī gelā tethoni | aika rājā ekamanīm | satpuruṣācem mahimāna ||61||

Having granted such a boon, the yogi departed from there. Listen, O king, with a focused mind, to the glory of the true saint.

The narrator (a sage recounting this old tale) now turns to address the present listener directly — the story of the queen was itself offered as proof of a satpuruṣa's (true saint's) power.

Let a story of someone else's grace strengthen, rather than merely entertain, your own faith.

सत्पुरुषाची सेवा करितां । तुझा स्फोटक जाईल त्वरिता । तुवां न करावी कांहीं चिंता । दृढ धरीं भाव एक ॥६२॥

satpuruṣācī sevā karitām | tujhā sphoṭaka jāīla tvaritā | tuvām na karāvī kāmhīm cimtā | dṛḍha dharīm bhāva eka ||62||

'By serving a true saint your affliction will quickly leave; you need not worry about anything — hold to one firm, steady faith.'

The moral is applied directly to the ailing listener: devoted service (sevā) to a genuine teacher, not medicine or worry, is named as the real cure.

Replace anxious worrying about a problem with one steady act of devoted service today.

ऐसें यतीचें वचन ऐकोनि । राजा नमन करी तये क्षणीं । विनवीतसे कर जोडोनि । कोठें असे सत्पुरुष ॥६३॥

aisem yatīcem vacana aikoni | rājā namana karī taye kṣaṇīm | vinavītase kara joḍoni | koṭhem ase satpuruṣa ||63||

Hearing the ascetic's words, the king bows at that very moment, and entreats with folded hands: 'Where is this true saint?'

The king's immediate, practical question — where can I find him? — shows that the teaching has moved him from hearing to seeking.

When a teaching moves you, let it turn into a concrete next step, not just a passing feeling.

मातें निरोपावें आतां । जाईन आपण तेथें तत्त्वतां । मजला त्यांचें दर्शन होतां । होईल बरवें म्हणतसे ॥६४॥

mātem niropāvem ātām | jāīna āpaṇa tethem tattvatām | majalā tyāmcem darśana hotām | hoīla baravem mhaṇatase ||64||

'Tell me now truly; I shall go there myself. When I have had darśana of him, it will surely go well for me,' he says.

Darśana (the act of seeing and being seen by the holy) is trusted here to bring benefit on its own, even before any words are exchanged — presence itself is understood as healing.

Make time to simply be present with someone or something sacred to you, without needing anything more to happen.

ऐकोनि राजाचें वचन । सांगतसे मुनि आपण । भीमातीरीं गाणागाभुवन । असे तेथें परमपुरुष ॥६५॥

aikoni rājācem vacana | sāmgatase muni āpaṇa | bhīmātīrīm gāṇāgābhuvana | ase tethem paramapuruṣa ||65||

Hearing the king's words, the sage himself tells him: 'On the bank of the Bhīmā river, at Gāṇagābhuvana, the supreme being resides there.'

Paramapuruṣa (the supreme being) here names Śrī Guru living in ordinary human form at Gāṇagāpur — the sacred is located in a specific, reachable place, not only in abstraction.

Seek out the concrete places and people through whom grace has become real for you.

तयापासीं तुवां जावें । दर्शनमात्रें होईल बरवें । ऐकोनि राजा एकभावें । निघता झाला तये वेळीं ॥६६॥

tayāpāsīm tuvām jāvem | darśanamātrem hoīla baravem | aikoni rājā ekabhāvem | nighatā jhālā taye veḷīm ||66||

'Go to him; his darśana alone will bring you well-being.' Hearing this, the king set out at once, single-mindedly.

The promise that mere sight of the guru suffices to help shows how much weight this tradition places on wholehearted approach, over elaborate ritual.

When you decide to seek help, go wholeheartedly rather than half-committed.

एकभावें राजा आपण । घ्यावया श्रीगुरुदर्शन । प्रयाणावरी करी प्रयाण । आला गाणगापुरासी ॥६७॥

ekabhāvem rājā āpaṇa | ghyāvayā śrīgurudarśana | prayāṇāvarī karī prayāṇa | ālā gāṇagāpurāsī ||67||

Single-mindedly the king, in order to obtain darśana of Śrī Guru, journeyed on and on, and arrived at Gāṇagāpur.

The physical journey mirrors the inward one — sustained, undistracted travel toward a goal is itself part of what makes the eventual meeting meaningful.

Keep moving steadily toward a worthy goal even when the journey to it is long.

ग्रामीं पुसे सकळिकांसी । कोण येथें एक तापसी । रुप धरिलें संन्यासी । कोठें आहे म्हणतसे ॥६८॥

grāmīm puse sakaḷikāmsī | koṇa yethem eka tāpasī | rupa dharilem samnyāsī | koṭhem āhe mhaṇatase ||68||

In the village he asks everyone: 'Is there some ascetic here, one who has taken the form of a renunciant? Where might he be?'

The seeker's plain, humble inquiry among ordinary villagers shows that even a king must ask directions like anyone else when seeking the holy.

Do not let pride stop you from asking others for directions on your own search for meaning.

भयभीत झाले सकळिक । म्हणती आतां नव्हे निक । श्रीगुरुसी पुसतों ऐक । काय करील न कळे म्हणती ॥६९॥

bhayabhīta jhāle sakaḷika | mhaṇatī ātām navhe nika | śrīgurusī pusatom aika | kāya karīla na kaḷe mhaṇatī ||69||

The villagers grew frightened, saying: 'This bodes no good — he's asking about Śrī Guru; who knows what he intends,' they said.

The villagers' fear reflects the real tension of the era, a foreign ruler asking about their revered teacher — reminding readers that devotion sometimes had to be protected quietly.

When someone with power approaches something precious to you, respond with wisdom rather than panic.

कोणी न बोलती तयासी । राजा कोपला बहुवसी । म्हणे आलों भेटीसी । दावा आपणा म्हणतसे ॥१७०॥

koṇī na bolatī tayāsī | rājā kopalā bahuvasī | mhaṇe ālom bheṭīsī | dāvā āpaṇā mhaṇatase ||170||

No one would answer him; the king grew very angry, saying: 'I have come to meet him — show him to me,' he said.

The king's flash of anger, born from urgency rather than malice, shows how strongly his inner change was already driving him — he was no longer acting like a conquering ruler.

When you're stonewalled while pursuing something important, stay firm in purpose rather than giving up.

मग म्हणती समस्त लोक । श्रीगुरु अनुष्‍ठानस्थान असे निक । अमरजासंगमीं माध्यान्हिक । करोनि येती ग्रामातें ॥७१॥

maga mhaṇatī samasta loka | śrīguru anuṣ‍ṭhānasthāna ase nika | amarajāsamgamīm mādhyānhika | karoni yetī grāmātem ||71||

Then all the people said: 'Śrī Guru's place of practice is over there; at the Amarajā confluence he performs midday rites, then comes to the village.'

The villagers eventually relent and give the practical answer, showing that honest persistence, not force, is what actually opens the way.

Keep asking sincerely, and eventually the people around you will point you toward what you need.

ऐसें ऐकोनि म्लेंच्छ देखा । समस्तां वर्जूनि आपण एका । बैसोनिया आंदोलिकां । गेला तया स्थानासी ॥७२॥

aisem aikoni mlemccha dekhā | samastām varjūni āpaṇa ekā | baisoniyā āmdolikām | gelā tayā sthānāsī ||72||

Hearing this, the Muslim king, leaving his whole retinue behind, went alone, seated in a palanquin, to that place.

Going alone, without the trappings of royal escort, the king approaches as a plain seeker rather than a sovereign — a small but significant act of humility.

When approaching something sacred, set aside the trappings of your status and go simply.

दुरोनि देखतां श्रीगुरुसी । चरणीं चाले म्लेंच्छ परियेसीं । जवळी गेला पहावयासी । नमन करुनि उभा राहे ॥७३॥

duroni dekhatām śrīgurusī | caraṇīm cāle mlemccha pariyesīm | javaḷī gelā pahāvayāsī | namana karuni ubhā rāhe ||73||

Seeing Śrī Guru from a distance, the Muslim walked the rest of the way on foot; going near to see him, he bowed and stood.

Dismounting to approach on foot is a classic gesture of reverence in this tradition — the closer one gets to the holy, the more one lowers oneself.

The nearer you get to something you deeply respect, the more humbly you should approach it.

श्रीगुरु म्हणती तयासी । कां रे रजका कोठें अससी । बहुत दिवशीं भेटलासी । आमचा दास होवोनिया ॥७४॥

śrīguru mhaṇatī tayāsī | kām re rajakā koṭhem asasī | bahuta divaśīm bheṭalāsī | āmacā dāsa hovoniyā ||74||

Śrī Guru says to him: 'Why, washerman, where have you been? After many days you meet me, having become our devoted servant.'

Śrī Guru addresses him as rajaka (washerman), revealing that the king was, in a former birth, a humble laundryman-devotee — greatness in this life is shown to be the fruit of humble service in a past one.

Do humble, faithful service now, trusting that its worth outlasts this one lifetime's status.

ऐसें वचन ऐकोनि । म्लेंच्छ झाला महाज्ञानी । पूर्वजन्म स्मरला मनीं । करी साष्‍टांग दंडवत ॥७५॥

aisem vacana aikoni | mlemccha jhālā mahājñānī | pūrvajanma smaralā manīm | karī sāṣ‍ṭāmga damḍavata ||75||

Hearing these words, the Muslim became greatly enlightened; he recalled his past birth in his mind and made full prostration.

The instant recovery of memory of a past life at the guru's word shows how a true teacher can awaken buried truth in a disciple with a single sentence.

Stay open to a single true word suddenly making sense of something you had long forgotten about yourself.

पादुकांवरी लोळे आपण । सद्‌गदित अंतःकरण । अंगीं रोमांच उठोन । आनंदबाष्पें रुदन करी ॥७६॥

pādukāmvarī loḷe āpaṇa | sad‌gadita amtaḥkaraṇa | amgīm romāmca uṭhona | ānamdabāṣpem rudana karī ||76||

He rolled upon the sandals, his heart choked with emotion; the hair of his body stood on end, and he wept tears of joy.

The classic signs of bhāva (devotional emotion) — bodily thrill, tears, prostration — mark this as a genuine spiritual awakening, not mere formality.

Do not be embarrassed by tears when something finally touches you at the deepest level.

पूर्वजन्मीं आठवोन देखा । रुदन करी अति दुःखा । कर जोडून विनवी ऐका । नाना परी स्तोत्र करी ॥७७॥

pūrvajanmīm āṭhavona dekhā | rudana karī ati duḥkhā | kara joḍūna vinavī aikā | nānā parī stotra karī ||77||

Remembering his former birth, he wept in great sorrow; with folded hands he entreated, offering all manner of praise.

His grief here is not for loss but for the years spent forgetting his own teacher — a sorrow of separation now finally being resolved.

Let regret over lost time turn into renewed devotion, not despair.

राजा म्हणे श्रीगुरुसी । कां उपेक्षिले आम्हांसी । झालों आपण परदेशी । चरणावेगळें केलें मज ॥७८॥

rājā mhaṇe śrīgurusī | kām upekṣile āmhāmsī | jhālom āpaṇa paradeśī | caraṇāvegaḷem kelem maja ||78||

The king says to Śrī Guru: 'Why did you overlook me? I became an exile, cut off from your feet.'

He frames his years as a Muslim ruler as a kind of exile from the guru's presence, showing how completely he now reinterprets his whole worldly life through this reunion.

Reframe a difficult chapter of your life as separation from what matters most, and let that motivate your return to it.

अंधकारसागरांत । कां घातलें मज येथ । मी होऊनि मदोन्मत्त । विसरलों चरण तुझे ॥७९॥

amdhakārasāgarāmta | kām ghātalem maja yetha | mī hoūni madonmatta | visaralom caraṇa tujhe ||79||

'Why did you cast me into an ocean of darkness here? Grown intoxicated with pride, I forgot your feet.'

He names his own pride (intoxicated arrogance) as the real cause of forgetting, even while addressing the question to the guru — true humility owns the fault rather than only blaming circumstance.

When you have drifted from what matters, own your own pride as the cause before looking elsewhere.

संसारसागरमायाजाळीं । बुडालों आपण दुर्मति केवळीं । सेवा न करीं चरणकमळीं । दिवांध झालों आपण ॥१८०॥

samsārasāgaramāyājāḷīm | buḍālom āpaṇa durmati kevaḷīm | sevā na karīm caraṇakamaḷīm | divāmdha jhālom āpaṇa ||180||

'I sank in the net of illusion of the ocean of worldly life, utterly foolish-minded; not serving your lotus feet, I became blind though in daylight.'

'Blind in daylight' vividly names a spiritual blindness that has nothing to do with the eyes — the light of truth was present, but attachment kept him from seeing it.

Ask yourself what truth has been in plain sight that busyness or pride has kept you from seeing.

होतासि तूं जवळी निधान । न ओळखें आपण मतिहीन । तमांधकारीं वेष्‍टोन । तुझे चरण विसरलों ॥८१॥

hotāsi tūm javaḷī nidhāna | na oḷakhem āpaṇa matihīna | tamāmdhakārīm veṣ‍ṭona | tujhe caraṇa visaralom ||81||

'You were near me all along, the very treasure itself; foolish, I did not recognize you, wrapped as I was in the darkness of ignorance, and forgot your feet.'

The image of a treasure sitting close by, unrecognized, is a common teaching device meaning that grace or truth is often nearer than we think, hidden only by our own ignorance.

Look again at what is already close to you before searching far away for what you need.

तूं भक्तजनां नुपेक्षिसी । निर्धार होता माझे मानसीं । अज्ञानसागरीं आम्हांसी । कां घातलें स्वामिया ॥८२॥

tūm bhaktajanām nupekṣisī | nirdhāra hotā mājhe mānasīm | ajñānasāgarīm āmhāmsī | kām ghātalem svāmiyā ||82||

'You never forsake your devotees — this was ever my firm conviction. Why then, O Lord, did you cast us into an ocean of ignorance?'

He voices the classic devotee's paradox — trusting the guru's faithfulness even while questioning his own suffering, a tension the tradition holds rather than resolves neatly.

It is possible to trust someone completely and still honestly voice your confusion to them.

उद्धरावें आतां मज । आलों आपण हेंचि काज । सेवोनि तुझे चरणरज । असेन आतां राज्य पुरे ॥८३॥

uddharāvem ātām maja | ālom āpaṇa hemci kāja | sevoni tujhe caraṇaraja | asena ātām rājya pure ||83||

'Deliver me now; I have come for this very purpose. Having served the dust of your feet, let kingship now be enough — I need no more.'

He explicitly renounces further attachment to rule, marking the moment his identity shifts from king to devotee.

When you have enough, say so plainly, and let your energy turn toward service instead of accumulation.

ऐसें नानापरी देखा । स्तुति करी राजा ऐका । श्रीगुरु म्हणती भक्त निका । तुझी वासना पुरेल ॥८४॥

aisem nānāparī dekhā | stuti karī rājā aikā | śrīguru mhaṇatī bhakta nikā | tujhī vāsanā purela ||84||

Thus in many ways the king praises him; Śrī Guru says: 'Good devotee, your wish shall be fulfilled.'

Śrī Guru's brief, warm reply after the king's long outpouring shows how a true teacher responds to sincerity with simple assurance rather than elaborate speech.

Respond to someone's heartfelt outpouring with a few sincere, reassuring words rather than a long lecture.

राजा म्हणे श्रीगुरुसी । झाला स्फोटक आपणासी । व्यथा होतसे प्रयासी । कृपादृष्‍टीं पहावें ॥८५॥

rājā mhaṇe śrīgurusī | jhālā sphoṭaka āpaṇāsī | vyathā hotase prayāsī | kṛpādṛṣ‍ṭīm pahāvem ||85||

The king says to Śrī Guru: 'I have an eruption on my body; it pains me greatly — look upon me with a merciful eye.'

Only now does the king mention his physical ailment, after his spiritual confession — the healing of the heart is placed before the healing of the body.

Attend to your inner state honestly before asking for outer relief.

ऐसें वचन ऐकोन । श्रीगुरु करिती हास्यवदन । स्फोटक नाहीं म्हणोन । पुसताती यवनासी ॥८६॥

aisem vacana aikona | śrīguru karitī hāsyavadana | sphoṭaka nāhīm mhaṇona | pusatātī yavanāsī ||86||

Hearing these words, Śrī Guru smiles, and asks the Muslim king, saying there is no eruption at all on him.

The guru's smile before the miracle signals that the healing is already accomplished — his grace works instantly, ahead of the disciple's awareness of it.

Trust that relief may already be closer than you realize, even while you are still worrying about the problem.

राजा पाहे स्फोटकासी । न दिसे स्फोटक अंगासी । विस्मय करीतसे मानसीं । पुनरपि चरणीं माथा ठेवी ॥८७॥

rājā pāhe sphoṭakāsī | na dise sphoṭaka amgāsī | vismaya karītase mānasīm | punarapi caraṇīm māthā ṭhevī ||87||

The king looks for the eruption; no eruption is seen on his body. Astonished in mind, he again places his head at his feet.

The disappearance of the ailment without visible remedy underscores that the deepest healing in this story is spiritual, and the bodily cure follows as its sign.

When you notice unexpected relief in your life, pause to give thanks rather than moving straight on.

राजा म्हणे स्वामियासी । तुझें प्रसन्नत्व आम्हांसी । राज्य पावलों संतोषीं । अष्‍टैश्चर्य माझें अवलोकावें ॥८९॥

rājā mhaṇe svāmiyāsī | tujhem prasannatva āmhāmsī | rājya pāvalom samtoṣīm | aṣ‍ṭaiścarya mājhem avalokāvem ||89||

The king says to the Lord: 'By your grace I have obtained my kingdom joyfully; behold my eightfold prosperity.'

He credits the guru's grace for his entire worldly fortune, showing gratitude that reaches back over his whole reign, not just this moment's cure.

Trace your present success back to its true sources, and thank them, not just your own effort.

भक्तवत्सल ब्रीद तुझें । वासना अर्थ पुरवीं माझे । इंद्रियसंसार उतरीं ओझें । लीन होईन तुझे चरणीं ॥१९०॥

bhaktavatsala brīda tujhem | vāsanā artha puravīm mājhe | imdriyasamsāra utarīm ojhem | līna hoīna tujhe caraṇīm ||190||

'Your vow is tenderness toward devotees — fulfill this wish of mine: lighten the burden of sense-bound worldly life; let me be absorbed in your feet.'

Tenderness toward devotees is invoked as the guru's defining trait, and the king's final wish moves past material gifts to the desire for full surrender.

Let your deepest request today be for freedom from what burdens your inner life, not just outer favors.

श्रीगुरु म्हणती तयासी । आम्ही तापसी संन्यासी । येऊं नये तुझे नगरासी । महापातकें होती तेथें ॥९१॥

śrīguru mhaṇatī tayāsī | āmhī tāpasī samnyāsī | yeūm naye tujhe nagarāsī | mahāpātakem hotī tethem ||91||

Śrī Guru says to him: 'We are ascetics, renunciants; we should not come to your city — great sins occur there.'

The guru's initial refusal to visit the city shows discernment: grace is freely given but conduct and place still matter to a true teacher.

Be willing to name the conditions under which you can rightly help, rather than agreeing to everything asked of you.

नगरीं नित्य धेनुहत्या । यवनजाति तुम्ही सत्या । जीवहिंसा मद्यपी कृत्या । वर्जावें आतां निर्धारें ॥९२॥

nagarīm nitya dhenuhatyā | yavanajāti tumhī satyā | jīvahimsā madyapī kṛtyā | varjāvem ātām nirdhārem ||92||

'In your city there is habitual cow-slaughter; you are indeed of the Muslim community; killing of living beings and drinking of liquor are practiced — these must now certainly be given up.'

Before agreeing to visit, the guru sets clear ethical conditions — reverence for life and sobriety — showing that grace invites real reform of conduct, not mere devotion in words.

Let genuine devotion show itself first in concretely changed habits, not only in feeling.

सर्व अंगिकार करोनि । राजा लागे दोन्ही चरणीं । म्हणे मी दास पुरातनीं । पूर्वापारीं दृष्‍टि देणें ॥९३॥

sarva amgikāra karoni | rājā lāge donhī caraṇīm | mhaṇe mī dāsa purātanīm | pūrvāpārīm dṛṣ‍ṭi deṇem ||93||

Accepting all these conditions, the king clasps both his feet, saying: 'I am your servant from ancient times; look upon me as of old.'

His unhesitating acceptance of every condition confirms the sincerity of his devotion — real surrender does not negotiate away the hard parts.

When guidance asks something difficult of you, accept it fully rather than only the easy parts.

पूर्वी माझें जन्म रजक । स्वामीवचनें राज्य विशेख । पावोनि देखिलें नाना सुख । उणें एक म्लेंच्छजाति ॥९४॥

pūrvī mājhem janma rajaka | svāmīvacanem rājya viśekha | pāvoni dekhilem nānā sukha | uṇem eka mlemcchajāti ||94||

'Formerly my birth was as a washerman; by the Lord's word I obtained a special kingdom and saw many joys — the one lack is being of the Muslim community.'

He weighs his worldly attainments against the one thing power cannot buy — full belonging within the tradition he now loves — an honest reckoning of what remains unresolved even amid great blessing.

Be honest about what remains unfulfilled in your life even amid real blessings, rather than pretending all is complete.

दर्शन होतां तुझे चरण । संतुष्‍ट झालें अंतःकरण । पुत्रपौत्र दृष्‍टीं पाहोन । मग मी राहीन तुझे सेवे ॥९५॥

darśana hotām tujhe caraṇa | samtuṣ‍ṭa jhālem amtaḥkaraṇa | putrapautra dṛṣ‍ṭīm pāhona | maga mī rāhīna tujhe seve ||95||

'Having had darśana of your feet, my heart is content; when I have seen my sons and grandsons settled, then I will remain in your service.'

He sets a practical timeline — fulfilling his remaining worldly duty to his lineage before devoting himself fully — showing that renunciation, in this tradition, need not mean abandoning present responsibilities abruptly.

Finish your present responsibilities honorably before stepping fully into a new commitment.

ऐसें नानापरी देखा । राजा विनवी विशेखा । पाया पडे क्षणक्षणिका । अतिकाकुळती येतसे ॥९६॥

aisem nānāparī dekhā | rājā vinavī viśekhā | pāyā paḍe kṣaṇakṣaṇikā | atikākuḷatī yetase ||96||

Thus in many ways the king entreats earnestly; he falls at his feet again and again, coming into deep, urgent supplication.

The repeated falling at the guru's feet, moment by moment, conveys sustained, not momentary, devotion — persistence itself as a form of prayer.

Let your prayers or requests be sustained rather than a single quick gesture, when something truly matters to you.

श्रीगुरु मनीं विचार करिती । पुढें होणार ऐसी गति । कलियुगीं असे दुर्जन जाति । गौप्य असतां पुढें बरवें ॥९७॥

śrīguru manīm vicāra karitī | puḍhem hoṇāra aisī gati | kaliyugīm ase durjana jāti | gaupya asatām puḍhem baravem ||97||

Śrī Guru considers in his mind: 'This is how things will unfold ahead; in Kaliyuga there exist wicked people — it is better to remain hidden.'

Śrī Guru's private foresight introduces the theme that will govern the rest of the chapter: the coming era (Kaliyuga) requires discretion, even from one with such power.

Exercise discretion about how visible to be with your gifts, matching your openness to the trustworthiness of those around you.

सहज जावें सिंहस्थासी । महातीर्थ गौतमीसी । जावें हें भरंवसी । आतां आम्हीं गुप्त व्हावें ॥९८॥

sahaja jāvem simhasthāsī | mahātīrtha gautamīsī | jāvem hem bharamvasī | ātām āmhīm gupta vhāvem ||98||

'It is fitting to go to the Siṃhastha festival, to the great pilgrimage place of the Gautamī river; let us go there for certain — now we should become hidden.'

The plan to travel under cover of a pilgrimage shows the guru choosing a public, plausible reason to quietly withdraw from public attention.

When you need to step back from public attention, choose a graceful, honest reason rather than disappearing abruptly.

ऐसें मनीं विचारुनि । श्रीगुरु निघाले संगमाहूनि । राजा आपुले सुखासनीं । बैसवी प्रीती करोनिया ॥९९॥

aisem manīm vicāruni | śrīguru nighāle samgamāhūni | rājā āpule sukhāsanīm | baisavī prītī karoniyā ||99||

Having decided thus in his mind, Śrī Guru set out from the river confluence; the king, with affection, seated him in his own palanquin.

The king's eagerness to personally seat the guru in his own conveyance shows the completeness of the reversal — a monarch now serving as a devotee's attendant.

Offer your own best resources, not just spare ones, when honoring someone you deeply respect.

पादुका घेतल्या आपुले करीं । सांगातें येतसे पादचारीं । श्रीगुरु म्हणती आरोहण करीं । लोक निंदा तुज करिती ॥२००॥

pādukā ghetalyā āpule karīm | sāmgātem yetase pādacārīm | śrīguru mhaṇatī ārohaṇa karīm | loka nimdā tuja karitī ||200||

He himself took the sandals in his own hands and walked alongside on foot; Śrī Guru says: 'Mount up — people will criticize you.'

The guru's concern for how the king will be perceived by others shows practical wisdom balancing devotion with worldly prudence.

Care about how your devotion to something good might be perceived, and adjust its expression wisely, without abandoning the devotion itself.

राष्‍ट्राधिपति तुज म्हणती । जन्म तुझा म्लेंच्छजाती । ब्राह्मणसेवें तुज हांसती । जाति दूषण करितील ॥१॥

rāṣ‍ṭrādhipati tuja mhaṇatī | janma tujhā mlemcchajātī | brāhmaṇasevem tuja hāmsatī | jāti dūṣaṇa karitīla ||1||

'They call you sovereign of the realm, yet your birth is of the Muslim community; they will mock you for serving a brahmin, and they will find fault with your caste.'

The guru voices the social criticism the king will likely face, naming the real cost of his devotion honestly rather than hiding it.

Before committing to a costly act of devotion, be honest with yourself about the criticism it may bring.

राजा म्हणे स्वामी ऐका । कैचा राजा मी रजका । तुझे दृष्‍टीं असे निका । लोह सुवर्ण होतसे ॥२॥

rājā mhaṇe svāmī aikā | kaicā rājā mī rajakā | tujhe dṛṣ‍ṭīm ase nikā | loha suvarṇa hotase ||2||

The king says: 'Listen, Lord — what king am I? I am but a washerman; in your sight, iron itself becomes gold.'

He dismisses his royal title as illusion compared to the transforming power of the guru's grace, using the classic image of iron turning to gold for spiritual transformation.

Let your truest identity rest in what has transformed you inwardly, not in the titles others give you.

समस्तांसी राजा आपण सत्य । मी रजक तुझा भक्त । पूर्ण झाले मनोरथ । तुझें झालें दर्शन मज ॥३॥

samastāmsī rājā āpaṇa satya | mī rajaka tujhā bhakta | pūrṇa jhāle manoratha | tujhem jhālem darśana maja ||3||

'To everyone I am a king, but I myself am truly your devoted washerman; my heart's longing is complete — I have had your darśana.'

He distinguishes the public self from the inward, truer self recognized only in relation to the guru — a distinction between social role and spiritual identity.

Know the difference between the role you play for others and who you truly are inside, and value the latter more.

इतुकिया अवसरीं । समस्त दळ मिळालें भारी । मदोन्मत्त अतिकुंजरी । वारु नाना वर्णाचे ॥४॥

itukiyā avasarīm | samasta daḷa miḷālem bhārī | madonmatta atikumjarī | vāru nānā varṇāce ||4||

At this moment the whole army gathered in great numbers — powerful, rutting elephants, and horses of many colors.

The sudden shift back to worldly pageantry marks the narrative moving from the intimate confession scene to the public procession that follows.

Recognize when a private, sincere moment is ending and a more public phase of life is beginning, and meet each appropriately.

उभा राहोनि राजा देखा । समस्त दाखवी सैन्यका । संतोष मनीं अति हरिखा । आपुलें ऐश्वर्य दाखवितसे ॥५॥

ubhā rāhoni rājā dekhā | samasta dākhavī sainyakā | samtoṣa manīm ati harikhā | āpulem aiśvarya dākhavitase ||5||

Standing there, the king shows him the whole army; with great joy in his heart, he displays his own royal splendor.

The king's eagerness to show off his power to the very teacher who just humbled him reveals how naturally worldly pride and genuine devotion can still coexist in one heart.

Notice when old habits of pride resurface even after a genuine change of heart, and hold them lightly.

श्रीगुरु निरोपिती यवनासी । आरोहण करीं वारुवेसी । दूर जाणें असे नगरासी । निरोप आमुचा नको मोडूं ॥६॥

śrīguru niropitī yavanāsī | ārohaṇa karīm vāruvesī | dūra jāṇem ase nagarāsī | niropa āmucā nako moḍūm ||6||

Śrī Guru tells the Muslim king: 'Mount your horse; the city is a long way off — do not break our agreed word.'

The guru reminds him of the practical plan already agreed upon, showing that devotion is upheld through keeping one's word, not only through feeling.

Follow through on plans you've committed to, even after an emotionally intense moment has passed.

श्रीगुरुवचन ऐकोन । समस्त शिष्यांतें आरोहण । देता झाला तो यवन । आपण वाजीं आरुढला ॥७॥

śrīguruvacana aikona | samasta śiṣyāmtem ārohaṇa | detā jhālā to yavana | āpaṇa vājīm āruḍhalā ||7||

Hearing Śrī Guru's word, the Muslim king had all the disciples mounted, and he himself rode a horse.

His care to see the disciples provided for before himself shows the practical shape his devotion now takes — generous hospitality toward the guru's whole circle, not just the guru alone.

Show hospitality to the whole community around someone you respect, not only to that person directly.

आनंद बहु यवनाचे मनीं । हर्षनिर्भर न माये गगनीं । श्रीगुरुभेटी झाली म्हणोनि । अति उल्हास करीतसे ॥८॥

ānamda bahu yavanāce manīm | harṣanirbhara na māye gaganīm | śrīgurubheṭī jhālī mhaṇoni | ati ulhāsa karītase ||8||

Great joy filled the Muslim king's mind, his exultation beyond containing even by the sky; having met Śrī Guru, he rejoiced greatly.

The hyperbolic image of joy too vast for the sky conveys the depth of fulfillment true spiritual meeting can bring, beyond ordinary happiness.

Let yourself feel and express joy fully when something you've long sought finally happens.

श्रीगुरुमूर्ति बोलाविती यवनासी । म्हणती झालों अतिसंतोषी । तूं भक्त केवळ गुणराशी । संतुष्‍ट झालों आपण आजी ॥९॥

śrīgurumūrti bolāvitī yavanāsī | mhaṇatī jhālom atisamtoṣī | tūm bhakta kevaḷa guṇarāśī | samtuṣ‍ṭa jhālom āpaṇa ājī ||9||

The form of Śrī Guru calls to the Muslim king, saying: 'I have become very pleased; you are truly a treasury of virtues, a devotee; I am well satisfied today.'

The guru's explicit praise affirms that sincere repentance and devotion have fully restored his standing, regardless of his past.

Offer sincere praise to someone who has genuinely turned their life around, rather than continuing to define them by their past.

आम्ही संन्यासी तापसी । नित्य करावें अनुष्‍ठानासी । तुम्हांसमागमें मार्गासी । न घडे वेळीं संध्यादिक ॥२१०॥

āmhī samnyāsī tāpasī | nitya karāvem anuṣ‍ṭhānāsī | tumhāmsamāgamem mārgāsī | na ghaḍe veḷīm samdhyādika ||210||

'We are ascetics, renunciants; we must perform our daily disciplines. Traveling in your company on the road, the times for evening rites and such cannot be kept.'

The guru names a practical obstacle — his own religious schedule of daily disciplines and twilight rites — showing that even honored guests must respect a teacher's own practice.

Respect the personal disciplines of those you admire, even when it means adjusting your own plans around them.

यासी उपाय सांगेन । अंगिकार करावा जाण । पुढें जाऊं आम्ही त्वरेनें । स्थिर यावें तुम्हीं मागें ॥११॥

yāsī upāya sāmgena | amgikāra karāvā jāṇa | puḍhem jāūm āmhī tvarenem | sthira yāvem tumhīm māgem ||11||

'I will tell you a solution — accept it: we shall go on ahead swiftly; you come steadily behind.'

The guru proposes a practical compromise rather than simply refusing, modeling flexible problem-solving grounded in mutual respect.

When your needs and someone else's schedule conflict, look for a practical compromise rather than an outright refusal.

पापविनाशी तीर्थासी । भेटी होईल तुम्हांसी । ऐसें म्हणोनि रायासी । अदृश्य झाले गुरुमूर्ति ॥१२॥

pāpavināśī tīrthāsī | bheṭī hoīla tumhāmsī | aisem mhaṇoni rāyāsī | adṛśya jhāle gurumūrti ||12||

'We shall meet you at the Pāpavināśī sacred ford.' Saying this to the king, the guru's form became invisible.

Pāpavināśī means 'destroyer of sin' — the chosen meeting place itself carries meaning, foreshadowing further purification to come; the guru's sudden vanishing displays his supernatural power plainly.

Trust an agreed meeting point even when the person you're trusting suddenly seems to disappear from view.

समस्त शिष्यांसहित । श्रीगुरु गुप्त झाले त्वरित । मनोवेगें मार्ग क्रमित । गेले वैदूरपुरासी ॥१३॥

samasta śiṣyāmsahita | śrīguru gupta jhāle tvarita | manovegem mārga kramita | gele vaidūrapurāsī ||13||

With all his disciples, Śrī Guru became hidden at once; traveling the path at the speed of thought, they went to Vaidurpur.

Travel 'at the speed of thought' is a classic marker in this literature of a siddha's (accomplished being's) supernatural mobility, unconstrained by ordinary distance.

Do not assume something is far off in time just because it feels distant — grace can arrive faster than expected.

पापविनाशी तीर्थासी । श्रीगुरु पातले त्वरितेंसी । राहिले तेथें अनुष्‍ठानासी । समस्त येती भेटावया ॥१४॥

pāpavināśī tīrthāsī | śrīguru pātale tvaritemsī | rāhile tethem anuṣ‍ṭhānāsī | samasta yetī bheṭāvayā ||14||

Śrī Guru arrived swiftly at the Pāpavināśī tīrtha, and remained there for his religious disciplines; everyone came to meet him.

The guru resumes his regular spiritual practice immediately upon arrival, showing that fame and travel never interrupt his underlying discipline.

Keep your own core daily practice steady, even amid busy or eventful periods of life.

साखरे सायंदेवाचा सुत । भेटीस आला नागनाथ । नानापरी पूजा करीत । समाराधना आरंभिली ॥१५॥

sākhare sāyamdevācā suta | bheṭīsa ālā nāganātha | nānāparī pūjā karīta | samārādhanā ārambhilī ||15||

Sāyandeva's son from the Sākhare family, Nāganātha, came to meet him, performed worship in various ways, and began a feast.

A new devotee, Nāganātha, is introduced by lineage, connecting this episode to the wider circle of the guru's devoted families across the text.

Welcome a respected guest with the fullness of hospitality you are able to offer.

श्रीगुरु नेऊनि आपुले घरा । पूजा केली षोडशोपचारा । आरती करोनि एक सहस्त्रा । समाराधना करी बहुत ॥१६॥

śrīguru neūni āpule gharā | pūjā kelī ṣoḍaśopacārā | āratī karoni eka sahastrā | samārādhanā karī bahuta ||16||

Bringing Śrī Guru to his own home, he performed worship with the sixteen traditional offerings, performed a thousand ārtīs, and held a great feast.

The sixteen-fold worship is the classic full ritual of honoring a deity or guru — Nāganātha spares nothing in his devotion.

When you have the means, give your best effort to honoring what you hold sacred, not a partial one.

इतुकें होतां झाली निशी । श्रीगुरु म्हणती नागनाथासी । सांगोनि आलों म्लेंच्छासी । पापविनाशीं भेटूं म्हणोनि ॥१७॥

itukem hotām jhālī niśī | śrīguru mhaṇatī nāganāthāsī | sāmgoni ālom mlemcchāsī | pāpavināśīm bheṭūm mhaṇoni ||17||

As this was happening, night fell; Śrī Guru says to Nāganātha: 'I told the Muslim king I would meet him at Pāpavināśī.'

Even amid a warm celebration, the guru remains mindful of a promise made to someone else, showing that a teacher's word holds regardless of present comfort.

Do not let present comfort make you forget a commitment made to someone waiting elsewhere.

जाऊं आतां तया स्थानासी । राहतां यवन येईल परियेसीं । उपद्रव होईल ब्राह्मणांसी । विप्रघरा म्लेंच्छ येती ॥१८॥

jāūm ātām tayā sthānāsī | rāhatām yavana yeīla pariyesīm | upadrava hoīla brāhmaṇāmsī | vipragharā mlemccha yetī ||18||

'Let us go now to that place; if we remain, the Muslim king will come, and trouble will befall the brahmins, for the Muslim would come to a brahmin's house.'

The guru's concern to protect the brahmin host from possible trouble shows a teacher's care extending to practical consequences for his devotees, not just spiritual matters.

Think ahead about how your choices might create difficulty for those who have hosted or helped you.

ऐसें सांगोनि आपण । गेले पापविनाशीं जाण । शुभासनीं बैसोन । अनुष्‍ठान करीत होते ॥१९॥

aisem sāmgoni āpaṇa | gele pāpavināśīm jāṇa | śubhāsanīm baisona | anuṣ‍ṭhāna karīta hote ||19||

Saying this, he himself went to Pāpavināśī, and, seated on an auspicious seat, continued his religious disciplines.

He resolves the tension quietly, by simply relocating himself, rather than causing any confrontation — conflict avoided through calm withdrawal.

When your presence risks causing trouble for others, quietly remove yourself rather than forcing a confrontation.

इतुकिया अवसरीं । राजा इकडे काय करी । गुरुनाथ न दिसती दळभारीं । मनीं चिंता बहु वर्तली ॥२२०॥

itukiyā avasarīm | rājā ikaḍe kāya karī | gurunātha na disatī daḷabhārīm | manīm cimtā bahu vartalī ||220||

Meanwhile, what does the king do? Not seeing the Guru-lord among his gathered army, great anxiety arose in his mind.

The king's sudden anxiety at the guru's absence shows how deeply his sense of security now depended on the guru's visible presence — a vulnerability of devotion.

When someone important to you steps back for a time, resist assuming the worst before you have the facts.

म्हणे कटकटा काय झालें । गुरुनाथें मज उपेक्षिलें । काय सेवे अंतर पडलें । तेणें गेले निघोनिया ॥२१॥

mhaṇe kaṭakaṭā kāya jhālem | gurunāthem maja upekṣilem | kāya seve amtara paḍalem | teṇem gele nighoniyā ||21||

He says: 'Alas, what has happened! The Guru-lord has overlooked me — has some fault occurred in my service, that he has departed?'

His immediate self-blame reveals a devotee's humility — assuming his own shortcoming rather than the guru's indifference.

When someone you respect seems to withdraw, examine your own conduct honestly before assuming ill will.

मागुती मनीं विचारी । पुढें जातों म्हणोनि येरी । पापविनाशी तीर्थातीरीं । भेटी देतों म्हणितलें ॥२२॥

māgutī manīm vicārī | puḍhem jātom mhaṇoni yerī | pāpavināśī tīrthātīrīm | bheṭī detom mhaṇitalem ||22||

Again he considered in his mind: 'I shall go on ahead,' remembering he had said they would meet at the Pāpavināśī tīrtha's bank.

His memory of the agreed meeting place steadies his anxiety into purposeful action — recollection replacing panic.

When anxious, recall the concrete plan already agreed upon rather than spiraling into worry.

न कळे महिमान श्रीगुरुचें । कोण जाणें मनोगत त्यांचें । दैव बरवें होतें आमुचें । म्हणोनि चरणांचें दर्शन झालें ॥२३॥

na kaḷe mahimāna śrīgurucem | koṇa jāṇem manogata tyāmcem | daiva baravem hotem āmucem | mhaṇoni caraṇāmcem darśana jhālem ||23||

'The greatness of Śrī Guru cannot be known; who can know his inner intent? Our fortune was good, that darśana of his feet came to us at all.'

The king settles into humility before mystery — trusting the guru's unfathomable ways rather than needing to understand them fully.

Accept that you will not always understand why someone acts as they do, and trust their good intent anyway.

राजस्फोटक होता मज । आलों होतों याचि काज । कृपानिधि श्रीगुरुराज । भेटी झाली पुण्य माझें ॥२४॥

rājasphoṭaka hotā maja | ālom hotom yāci kāja | kṛpānidhi śrīgururāja | bheṭī jhālī puṇya mājhem ||24||

'I had a royal eruption on my body; this alone was the reason I came. The ocean of grace, King Śrī Guru — meeting him is my true merit.'

He reinterprets his original, purely physical motive as having actually served a far greater spiritual purpose — his own healing narrative deepens in hindsight.

Look back at what first brought you to something good, and notice how the real gift turned out to be larger than what you originally sought.

पुढें गेले निश्चित । म्हणोनि मनीं विचार करित । दिव्य अश्वावरी आरुढोनि त्वरित । निघाला राजा परियेसा ॥२५॥

puḍhem gele niścita | mhaṇoni manīm vicāra karita | divya aśvāvarī āruḍhoni tvarita | nighālā rājā pariyesā ||25||

'He has surely gone on ahead,' he thought, and mounting a swift, splendid horse, the king set out at once.

His decisive action, moving from anxious thought straight to purposeful travel, models turning worry quickly into constructive effort.

Turn your worry into forward motion as quickly as you can, rather than dwelling in it.

चतुश्चत्वारिंशत्‌ क्रोश देखा । राजा पातला दिवसें एका । पापविनाशी तीर्थीं देखा । अवलोकितसे श्रीगुरुसी ॥२६॥

catuścatvārimśat‌ krośa dekhā | rājā pātalā divasem ekā | pāpavināśī tīrthīm dekhā | avalokitase śrīgurusī ||26||

He covered forty-four krośa (a unit of distance) in a single day; at the Pāpavināśī tīrtha he beheld Śrī Guru.

The remarkable distance covered in one day underscores the intensity of his devotion driving him onward — urgency born of love.

Let love or devotion give you unusual energy and speed when pursuing what truly matters.

विस्मय करी अति मानसीं । येऊनि लागला चरणांसीं । विनवीतसे भक्तींसी । गृहाप्रति यावें म्हणतसे ॥२७॥

vismaya karī ati mānasīm | yeūni lāgalā caraṇāmsīm | vinavītase bhaktīmsī | gṛhāprati yāvem mhaṇatase ||27||

Greatly astonished in mind, he came and clasped his feet, entreating with devotion: 'Please come to my house.'

His renewed entreaty to visit his home shows the reunion has only deepened, not satisfied, his longing for the guru's continued presence.

When reunited with someone dear after anxious searching, express your gladness through concrete invitation, not just relief.

नगर सर्व श्रृगांरिलें । प्रवाळ-मोतियां तोरण केलें । गुडिया मखर उभारविलें । समारंभ थोर नगरांत ॥२८॥

nagara sarva śrṛgāmrilem | pravāḷa-motiyām toraṇa kelem | guḍiyā makhara ubhāravilem | samārambha thora nagarāmta ||28||

The whole city was decorated; festoons of coral and pearls were made; canopies and arches were erected — a great celebration filled the city.

The lavish public decoration marks the guru's visit as a communal, not merely private, event — the whole city is drawn into the king's devotion.

Let your gratitude spill over into shared celebration with your wider community, not just private thanks.

बैसवोनिया पालखींत । आपण चरणचालीं येत । नवरत्‍न असे ओवाळित । नगर लोक आरत्या आणिती ॥२९॥

baisavoniyā pālakhīmta | āpaṇa caraṇacālīm yeta | navarat‍na ase ovāḷita | nagara loka āratyā āṇitī ||29||

Seating him in a palanquin, he himself walked alongside on foot; nine-gem ornaments were waved in offering, and the city's people brought forth ārtīs.

The king again walks while the guru rides — a repeated visual statement throughout this chapter of who is truly served and who serves.

Let your actions, not just your words, consistently show whom you honor.

ऐशा समारंभें राजा देखा । घेऊनि गेला गुरुनायका । विस्मय झाला सकळ लोकां । महदाश्चर्य म्हणताती ॥२३०॥

aiśā samārambhem rājā dekhā | gheūni gelā gurunāyakā | vismaya jhālā sakaḷa lokām | mahadāścarya mhaṇatātī ||230||

With such celebration the king brought the Guru-lord along; all the people were astonished, calling it a great wonder.

The people's collective astonishment marks this as an unprecedented event in living memory — a ruler publicly serving a holy man of another faith.

Do not be afraid to act in a way that surprises your community, if it reflects a genuine change of heart.

लोक म्हणती म्लेंच्छजाती । पहा हो विप्रपूजा करिती । राजा अनाचारी म्हणती । जातिधर्म सांडिला आजी ॥३१॥

loka mhaṇatī mlemcchajātī | pahā ho viprapūjā karitī | rājā anācārī mhaṇatī | jātidharma sāmḍilā ājī ||31||

The people say: 'Look, a Muslim king is worshipping a brahmin!' They call him a transgressor, saying he has abandoned his own caste-duty.

The narrative honestly records social criticism from the king's own community, showing the real cost he bore for his devotion rather than glossing over it.

Expect and accept criticism from your own circle when your convictions lead you somewhere unconventional.

ज्याचें पाहूं नये मुख । त्याची सेवा करी देख । राजा नष्‍ट म्हणोनि सकळिक । म्लेंच्छजाती बोलती ॥३२॥

jyācem pāhūm naye mukha | tyācī sevā karī dekha | rājā naṣ‍ṭa mhaṇoni sakaḷika | mlemcchajātī bolatī ||32||

'One whose very face should not be looked upon — he now serves him!' Calling the king ruined, all his own people speak so.

The harshness of this specific insult shows how deep the era's religious and caste divisions ran, making the king's devotion all the more remarkable an act of courage.

Stand by a conviction even when harsh words from your own community try to shame you out of it.

विप्रकुळ समस्त देख । संतोष करिती अतिकौतुक । राजा झाला विप्रसेवक । आतां बरवें राज्यासी ॥३३॥

viprakuḷa samasta dekha | samtoṣa karitī atikautuka | rājā jhālā viprasevaka | ātām baravem rājyāsī ||33||

The whole brahmin community, however, rejoices greatly, with much wonder: 'The king has become a servant of brahmins; now it will go well for the kingdom.'

The contrasting reaction of the brahmin community shows the same act read entirely differently by different groups — praise and blame often come from the very same event.

Do not measure the worth of your actions solely by whether every group approves of them.

ऐसा राव असतां । महाराष्‍ट्रधर्मीं वर्ततां । आपुला द्वेष तत्त्वतां । न करील जाण पां ॥३४॥

aisā rāva asatām | mahārāṣ‍ṭradharmīm vartatām | āpulā dveṣa tattvatām | na karīla jāṇa pām ||34||

Such a king, conducting himself within the great Dharma, will truly never hold enmity toward it, know this.

The narrator steps back to generalize a moral principle — right conduct naturally produces goodwill rather than hostility, regardless of one's origin.

Trust that consistent right conduct will earn genuine goodwill over time, even across differences.

ऐसा राजा असतां बरवें । ज्ञानवंत असे स्वभावें । ब्रह्मद्वेषी नव्हे पहावें । पुण्यश्लोक म्हणती ऐसा ॥३५॥

aisā rājā asatām baravem | jñānavamta ase svabhāvem | brahmadveṣī navhe pahāvem | puṇyaśloka mhaṇatī aisā ||35||

Such a good king, wise by his very nature, is not one who hates brahmins — see this; they call him a man of pure repute.

'Man of pure repute' is a formal title in this tradition for someone whose goodness has become proverbial — the king's transformation is now permanently honored.

Live so that your good name outlasts and overrides whatever prejudice people might expect from your background.

नगरलोक पहावया येती । नमस्कारिती अतिप्रीतीं । राजे चरणचालीं येती । लोक म्हणती आश्चर्य ॥३६॥

nagaraloka pahāvayā yetī | namaskāritī atiprītīm | rāje caraṇacālīm yetī | loka mhaṇatī āścarya ||36||

The city's people come to see; they bow with great affection; seeing the king walking on foot, the people exclaim in wonder.

The recurring image of the walking king continues to astonish onlookers, cementing it as the visible symbol of the whole episode's meaning.

Let a single consistent humble act become the visible symbol others remember of your character.

एक म्हणती हा होय देव । म्हणोनि भजतो म्लेंच्छराव । या कलियुगीं अभिनव । देखिलें म्हणताती सकळिक ॥३७॥

eka mhaṇatī hā hoya deva | mhaṇoni bhajato mlemccharāva | yā kaliyugīm abhinava | dekhilem mhaṇatātī sakaḷika ||37||

Some say: 'He must be a god, that the Muslim king worships him so!' They say they have witnessed something unprecedented in this Kaliyuga.

The bystanders half-jokingly wonder if the guru is divine, precisely because such devotion crossing usual boundaries seemed otherwise impossible in this troubled age.

Recognize the extraordinary in ordinary acts of devotion and reconciliation happening around you.

सवें वाजंत्र्यांचे गजर । बंदीजन वाखाणिती अपार । राजा हर्षें निर्भर । घेऊनि जातो गुरुसी ॥३८॥

savem vājamtryāmce gajara | bamdījana vākhāṇitī apāra | rājā harṣem nirbhara | gheūni jāto gurusī ||38||

Along with the resounding of musical instruments, bards praised him endlessly; the king, overflowing with joy, brought the guru along.

The formal praise-singers marking the occasion show it being treated with full royal ceremony despite its unconventional nature.

Give full ceremony and honor to moments of genuine spiritual significance in your life.

नानापरीचीं दिव्य वस्त्रें । वांटीतसे राजा पवित्रें । द्रव्य ओवाळुनि टाकी पात्रें । भिक्षुक तुष्‍टले बहुत देखा ॥३९॥

nānāparīcīm divya vastrem | vāmṭītase rājā pavitrem | dravya ovāḷuni ṭākī pātrem | bhikṣuka tuṣ‍ṭale bahuta dekhā ||39||

The king distributed many kinds of fine, sacred garments; he waved wealth over him and cast it into vessels; the almsmen were greatly pleased.

Generosity toward the poor and needy accompanies his devotion, showing that true gratitude naturally overflows into charity.

Let genuine gratitude move you to be generous toward those in need around you.

ऐशा समारंभें देखा । घेऊनि गेला राजा ऐका । महाद्वारीं पातलें सुखा । पायघडया अंथरती ॥२४०॥

aiśā samārambhem dekhā | gheūni gelā rājā aikā | mahādvārīm pātalem sukhā | pāyaghaḍayā amtharatī ||240||

With such celebration, the king brought him along; on happily reaching the great gate, carpets were spread.

The steady accumulation of honors as the procession nears the palace builds toward the climactic act of enthronement that follows.

Let preparation and care increase as you approach the most important moment of an undertaking.

नानापरीचीं दिव्यांबरें । मार्गीं अंथरती अपारें । वाजती भेरी वाजंत्रें । राजगृहा पातले ॥४१॥

nānāparīcīm divyāmbarem | mārgīm amtharatī apārem | vājatī bherī vājamtrem | rājagṛhā pātale ||41||

Many kinds of fine cloths were spread endlessly along the path; drums and instruments played, and they arrived at the royal palace.

The sensory richness of the procession — cloth, sound, movement — conveys the totality of the kingdom's welcome to the guru.

Engage all your senses and resources when welcoming something truly worth celebrating.

मरासिंहासनस्थानीं । श्रृंगार केला अतिगहनीं । जगद्‌गुरुतें नेऊनि । सिंहासनीं बैसविलें ॥४२॥

marāsimhāsanasthānīm | śrṛmgāra kelā atigahanīm | jagad‌gurutem neūni | simhāsanīm baisavilem ||42||

At the place of the great royal throne, elaborate decoration was made; bringing the world-guru there, he was seated upon the throne.

Seating the world-teacher on the royal throne itself is the story's most striking reversal — worldly power physically yielding its own seat to spiritual authority.

Be willing to give up your own seat of comfort or status to honor what deserves greater respect.

राजमंदिरींच्या नारी । आरत्या घेऊनिया करीं । ओवाळिती हर्षनिर्भरीं । अनन्यभावें करोनियां ॥४३॥

rājamamdirīmcyā nārī | āratyā gheūniyā karīm | ovāḷitī harṣanirbharīm | ananyabhāvem karoniyām ||43||

The women of the royal palace, taking ārtīs in their hands, waved them with overflowing joy, with single-minded devotion.

The involvement of the royal household's women extends the devotion beyond the king alone into the whole family's shared reverence.

Invite your whole household to share in moments of gratitude and celebration, not just yourself.

समस्त लोक बाहेर ठेवोन । श्रीगुरु होते एकले आपण । सवें शिष्य चवघेजण । जवळी होते परियेसा ॥४४॥

samasta loka bāhera ṭhevona | śrīguru hote ekale āpaṇa | savem śiṣya cavaghejaṇa | javaḷī hote pariyesā ||44||

Keeping all the other people outside, Śrī Guru remained alone; with him were only four disciples close by, listen.

After the public grandeur, the narrative shifts to an intimate, private scene — true spiritual instruction often happens away from the crowd, not within it.

Seek out quiet, private moments for what matters most, even amid a season of public celebration.

अंतःपुरींचे कुलस्त्रियांसी । पुत्रपौत्रीं सहोदरासी । भेटविलें राजें परियेसीं । साष्‍टांगीं नमन करिती ते ॥४५॥

amtaḥpurīmce kulastriyāmsī | putrapautrīm sahodarāsī | bheṭavilem rājem pariyesīm | sāṣ‍ṭāmgīm namana karitī te ||45||

The king had the women of the inner chambers, his sons, grandsons, and brothers brought to meet him; they made full prostration.

Presenting the entire family for blessing shows the king wants his whole household, not himself alone, to receive the guru's grace.

Share access to something spiritually valuable with your whole family, not just yourself.

राजा विनवी स्वामियासी । पुण्यें देखिलें चरणांसी । न्याहाळावें कृपादृष्‍टीसी । म्हणोनि चरणीं लागला ॥४६॥

rājā vinavī svāmiyāsī | puṇyem dekhilem caraṇāmsī | nyāhāḷāvem kṛpādṛṣ‍ṭīsī | mhaṇoni caraṇīm lāgalā ||46||

The king entreats the Lord: 'By merit I have beheld your feet; look upon us with a merciful eye,' saying this he clasped his feet.

He again credits accumulated merit for the encounter, framing the whole event as something earned through unseen good, not mere chance.

Recognize good fortune in your life as connected to past good conduct, and let that recognition deepen your gratitude.

संतोषले श्रीगुरुमूर्ति । तयांसी आशीर्वाद देती । राजयातें बोलाविती । पुसताती गृहवार्ता ॥४७॥

samtoṣale śrīgurumūrti | tayāmsī āśīrvāda detī | rājayātem bolāvitī | pusatātī gṛhavārtā ||47||

Śrī Guru, well pleased, gave them blessings; he called the king and asked about the affairs of his household.

The guru's simple, personal question about ordinary family matters shows that true holiness attends to everyday life, not only lofty spiritual matters.

Show genuine interest in the everyday, ordinary concerns of people you care about, not only grand topics.

श्रीगुरु म्हणती तयासी । संतुष्‍ट झालास कीं मानसीं । अजूनि व्हावें कांहीं भावेंसी । विस्तारोनि सांग म्हणती ॥४८॥

śrīguru mhaṇatī tayāsī | samtuṣ‍ṭa jhālāsa kīm mānasīm | ajūni vhāvem kāmhīm bhāvemsī | vistāroni sāmga mhaṇatī ||48||

Śrī Guru says to him: 'Are you now content in your mind? Is there yet anything more you wish for, in full sincerity — tell me.'

The open-ended offer shows the guru's generosity has no fixed limit — he invites the king to name any remaining desire honestly.

When you are able to help someone, ask sincerely whether there is more you can do, rather than assuming you're finished.

राजा विनवी स्वामियांसी । अंतर पडतें चरणासी । राज्य केलें बहुवसीं । आतां द्यावी चरणसेवा ॥४९॥

rājā vinavī svāmiyāmsī | amtara paḍatem caraṇāsī | rājya kelem bahuvasīm | ātām dyāvī caraṇasevā ||49||

The king entreats the Lord: 'Separation from your feet is painful to me; I have ruled long enough — now grant me the service of your feet.'

His request to leave kingship for direct service marks the full arc of his transformation from ruler to renunciant devotee.

When you have had enough of achievement, be honest about wanting to serve rather than lead.

ऐसें ऐकोनि श्रीगुरु म्हणती । आमुची भेटी श्रीपार्वतीं । तुझे पुत्र राज्य करिती । तुवां यावें भेटीसी ॥२५०॥

aisem aikoni śrīguru mhaṇatī | āmucī bheṭī śrīpārvatīm | tujhe putra rājya karitī | tuvām yāvem bheṭīsī ||250||

Hearing this, Śrī Guru says: 'Our next meeting will be at Śrīparvata; let your sons rule the kingdom, and you come to meet me there.'

The guru redirects his wish for immediate renunciation into a staged plan — first ensure the kingdom's continuity through his sons, then come — practical wisdom shaping devotion.

When someone wants to give everything up at once, help them find a responsible, staged path instead.

ऐसा निरोप देऊनि । श्रीगुरु निघाले तेथोनि । राजा विनवी चरण धरोनि । ज्ञान मजला असावें ॥५१॥

aisā niropa deūni | śrīguru nighāle tethoni | rājā vinavī caraṇa dharoni | jñāna majalā asāvem ||51||

Giving this instruction, Śrī Guru departed from there; the king, entreating and holding his feet, said: 'May knowledge be granted to me.'

His final request shifts from worldly renunciation to jñāna (spiritual knowledge) itself — the deepest thing a devotee can ask a teacher for.

When given one wish by a wise teacher or mentor, ask for understanding rather than for things.

कृपासिंधु गुरुनाथ । ज्ञान होईल ऐसें म्हणत । आपण निघाले त्वरित । गेले गौतमी- तीरासी ॥५२॥

kṛpāsimdhu gurunātha | jñāna hoīla aisem mhaṇata | āpaṇa nighāle tvarita | gele gautamī- tīrāsī ||52||

The ocean of grace, the Guru-lord, saying 'you shall attain knowledge,' himself departed swiftly, going to the bank of the Gautamī river.

The guru's promise of future knowledge, given even as he departs, shows that a teacher's gifts can be assured in advance of their fulfillment.

Trust a sincere promise even when its fulfillment is not immediate.

स्नान करोनि गौतमीसी । आले गाणगापुरासी । आनंद झाला समस्तांसी । श्रीगुरुचरणदर्शनें ॥५३॥

snāna karoni gautamīsī | āle gāṇagāpurāsī | ānamda jhālā samastāmsī | śrīgurucaraṇadarśanem ||53||

Having bathed in the Gautamī, he came to Gāṇagāpur; everyone there rejoiced at the darśana of Śrī Guru's feet.

His return to Gāṇagāpur, his settled abode, after the long episode with the king, restores the narrative to its home base.

After an eventful journey, return gladly to your steady home practice and community.

संतुष्‍ट झाले समस्त लोक । पहावया येती कौतुक । वंदिताती सकळिक । आरती करिती मनोभावें ॥५४॥

samtuṣ‍ṭa jhāle samasta loka | pahāvayā yetī kautuka | vamditātī sakaḷika | āratī karitī manobhāvem ||54||

All the people were delighted, came to see with wonder; everyone paid homage, performing ārtī with heartfelt devotion.

The community's welcome mirrors, on a smaller scale, the grand royal welcome just described — genuine devotion looks similar whether offered by kings or villagers.

Offer the same heartfelt welcome to someone dear whether your means are grand or modest.

समस्त शिष्यांतें बोलाविती । श्रीगुरु त्यांसी निरोपिती । प्रगट झाली बहु ख्याति । आतां रहावें गुप्तरुपें ॥५५॥

samasta śiṣyāmtem bolāvitī | śrīguru tyāmsī niropitī | pragaṭa jhālī bahu khyāti | ātām rahāvem guptarupem ||55||

He called all the disciples and instructed them: 'Great fame has now spread widely; now we should remain in hidden form.'

Having become famous through the king's public devotion, the guru now deliberately chooses to withdraw from that same fame — wisdom about the danger of renown.

Be willing to step back from attention once it grows large, rather than seeking more of it.

यात्रारुपें श्रीपर्वतासी । निघावें आतां परियेसीं । प्रगट बोले हेचि स्वभावेंसी । गुप्तरुपें राहूं तेथें ॥५६॥

yātrārupem śrīparvatāsī | nighāvem ātām pariyesīm | pragaṭa bole heci svabhāvemsī | guptarupem rāhūm tethem ||56||

'In the guise of a pilgrimage we should now set out for Śrīparvata, listen; publicly it will be said thus, though we ourselves shall remain hidden there.'

The plan to use a publicly announced pilgrimage as cover for quiet withdrawal shows the guru managing his public image deliberately, for his devotees' spiritual good rather than his own comfort.

When stepping back from public attention, give people an honest, simple reason rather than vanishing without explanation.

स्थान आपुलें गाणगापुरीं । येथूनि न वचे निर्धारीं । लौकिकमतें अवधारीं । बोल करितों श्रीशैलयात्रा ॥५७॥

sthāna āpulem gāṇagāpurīm | yethūni na vace nirdhārīm | laukikamatem avadhārīm | bola karitom śrīśailayātrā ||57||

'Our own true abode is at Gāṇagāpur; from here I shall surely not depart. Understand — for worldly appearance's sake, I speak of a pilgrimage to Śrīśaila.'

The verse reveals directly that Gāṇagāpur remains the guru's true and lasting seat, a claim foundational to the site's later status as a major pilgrimage center.

Know clearly where your own true center is, even while you must sometimes present a different face to the world.

प्रगट करोनिया यात्रेसी । वास निरंतर गाणगाभुवनासी । भक्तजन तारावयासी । राहूं येथें निर्धार ॥५८॥

pragaṭa karoniyā yātresī | vāsa niramtara gāṇagābhuvanāsī | bhaktajana tārāvayāsī | rāhūm yethem nirdhāra ||58||

'Announcing the pilgrimage publicly, our permanent residence remains at Gāṇagābhuvana; to deliver devotees, we shall surely remain here.'

The verb 'to deliver' names the guru's ongoing purpose in staying — his hiddenness is not withdrawal from devotees but continued service to them.

Let your reason for stepping back from visibility still be service to others, not mere self-protection.

कठिण दिवस युगधर्म । म्लेंच्छराजा क्रूरकर्म । प्रगटरुपें असतां धर्म । समस्त म्लेंच्छ येती ॥५९॥

kaṭhiṇa divasa yugadharma | mlemccharājā krūrakarma | pragaṭarupem asatām dharma | samasta mlemccha yetī ||59||

Hard are the days, the dharma of this age; the Muslim king's rule brings cruel deeds; were the guru to remain openly present, all Muslims would come.

The verse names the political reality of the age directly — a harsh ruling order — as the practical reason for the guru's concealment, without condemning any people broadly.

Adapt how openly you practice your faith to the real conditions around you, without losing the faith itself.

राजा आला म्हणोनि । समस्त यवन ऐकोनि । सकळ येती मनकामनी । म्हणोनि गुप्त असावें ॥२६०॥

rājā ālā mhaṇoni | samasta yavana aikoni | sakaḷa yetī manakāmanī | mhaṇoni gupta asāvem ||260||

'The king has come,' hearing this, all the Muslims would gather, each seeking their own worldly desire — therefore it is best to remain hidden.

The concern is that widespread fame would attract crowds seeking only worldly favors rather than genuine spiritual seeking — concealment protects the purity of the teaching.

Guard what is spiritually precious to you from being reduced to a mere source of favors for others.

ऐसें म्हणोनि शिष्यांतें । सांगितलें श्रीगुरुनाथें । सिद्ध सांगे नामधारकातें । चरित्र ऐसें श्रीगुरुचें ॥६१॥

aisem mhaṇoni śiṣyāmtem | sāmgitalem śrīgurunāthem | siddha sāmge nāmadhārakātem | caritra aisem śrīgurucem ||61||

Saying this to the disciples, the Guru-lord instructed them thus. Siddha tells Nāmadhārak: such is the story of Śrī Guru.

The narrator (Siddha) closes this episode and resumes his framing role as the one telling the whole Gurucaritra to his listener, Nāmadhārak.

When you finish sharing a meaningful story, pause and let its lesson settle before moving on.

पुढें येतील दुर्दिन । कारण राज्य यवन । समस्त येती करावया भजन । म्हणोनि गुप्त राहिले ॥६२॥

puḍhem yetīla durdina | kāraṇa rājya yavana | samasta yetī karāvayā bhajana | mhaṇoni gupta rāhile ||62||

'Difficult days are coming, because the realm will be ruled by Muslims; everyone would come merely to seek favor' — therefore he remained hidden.

The narrator restates the guru's foresight about future political hardship as the reason behind his continued concealment, reinforcing the theme of protective wisdom.

Plan wisely for difficult times ahead rather than assuming present ease will continue unchanged.

लौकिकार्थ दाखवावयासी । निघाले आपण श्रीशैल्यासी । कथा असे विशेषी । सिद्ध म्हणे नामधारका ॥६३॥

laukikārtha dākhavāvayāsī | nighāle āpaṇa śrīśailyāsī | kathā ase viśeṣī | siddha mhaṇe nāmadhārakā ||63||

To display the outward purpose, he himself set out for Śrīśailya; there is a further special story here, Siddha tells Nāmadhārak.

The narrator signals a transition to the next episode while reminding us that the previous concealment plan is now being enacted.

Let your outward actions align with your inward intentions even during a season of quiet transition.

गंगाधराचा सुत । सरस्वती असे विनवीत । प्रत्यक्ष असे श्रीगुरुनाथ । देखिलें असे गाणगापुरीं ॥६४॥

gamgādharācā suta | sarasvatī ase vinavīta | pratyakṣa ase śrīgurunātha | dekhilem ase gāṇagāpurīm ||64||

Gaṅgādhara's son, Sarasvatī, entreats: Śrī Guru is truly present, as I myself have witnessed at Gāṇagāpur.

The author of the Gurucaritra briefly steps forward in his own voice to personally testify to the guru's real, ongoing presence — grounding the legend in living experience.

Let your own genuine experience, not only inherited belief, be the foundation of your faith.

सद्भावें भजती भक्तजन । त्यांची कामना होईल पूर्ण । संदेह न धरीं अनुमान । त्वरित सिद्धि असे जाणा ॥६५॥

sadbhāvem bhajatī bhaktajana | tyāmcī kāmanā hoīla pūrṇa | samdeha na dharīm anumāna | tvarita siddhi ase jāṇā ||65||

Devotees who worship with sincere faith — their desires will be fulfilled; hold no doubt or suspicion, for swift accomplishment is assured, know this.

Sincere, wholehearted faith is named as the one requirement for the guru's continuing grace to work, with doubt named as its only real obstacle.

Approach your own sincere prayers without lingering doubt undermining them.

न लागतां कष्‍ट सायास । कामना पुरती गाणगापुरास । भक्तिभावें विशेष । कल्पवृक्ष तेथें असे ॥६६॥

na lāgatām kaṣ‍ṭa sāyāsa | kāmanā puratī gāṇagāpurāsa | bhaktibhāvem viśeṣa | kalpavṛkṣa tethem ase ||66||

Without needing toil or exertion, desires are fulfilled at Gāṇagāpur; through special devotion, a wish-fulfilling tree exists there.

The wish-fulfilling tree is a classic mythic image for a place of effortless, abundant blessing — Gāṇagāpur is described as one such site.

Trust that some blessings come through devotion and grace rather than only through effort and striving.

जें जें कल्पिलें फळ । त्वरित पावती सकळ । धनधान्यादि विपुळ । पुत्रपौत्रादि शीघ्र होती ॥६७॥

jem jem kalpilem phaḷa | tvarita pāvatī sakaḷa | dhanadhānyādi vipuḷa | putrapautrādi śīghra hotī ||67||

Whatever fruit is wished for, all obtain it swiftly — wealth and grain in abundance, sons and grandsons come quickly.

The list of worldly blessings named here reflects the ordinary hopes of the audience of this era — prosperity and family continuity — assured through devoted practice.

Hold your ordinary hopes for family and provision alongside, not apart from, your spiritual life.

सिद्ध म्हणे नामधारकासी । हें गुरुचरित्र दिनीं निशीं । मनोभावें वाचनेंसी । सकळ कामना पुरतील ॥६८॥

siddha mhaṇe nāmadhārakāsī | hem gurucaritra dinīm niśīm | manobhāvem vācanemsī | sakaḷa kāmanā puratīla ||68||

Siddha says to Nāmadhārak: this Gurucaritra, read day and night with heartfelt devotion — all desires shall be fulfilled.

The text names itself directly, promising benefit to those who read or recite the Gurucaritra with sincere devotion — a common closing device in devotional literature.

Return regularly to a text or practice that has proven meaningful to you, rather than treating it as a one-time reading.

इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रामृत । सिद्ध नामधारका सांगत । यवनाचा उद्धार येथ । तुम्हांकारणें सांगितला ॥२६९॥

iti śrīgurucaritrāmṛta | siddha nāmadhārakā sāmgata | yavanācā uddhāra yetha | tumhāmkāraṇem sāmgitalā ||269||

Thus the nectar of Śrī Gurucaritra — Siddha tells Nāmadhārak: the deliverance of the Muslim king has here been told for your sake.

The narrator explicitly names the purpose of the whole chapter — the redemption of the foreign king — as instruction offered for the listener's own benefit, not mere history.

Look for the personal lesson meant for you within any story of another's redemption.

इति श्रीगुरुचरित्रपरमकथाकल्पतरौ श्रीनृसिंहसरस्वत्युपाख्याने सिद्धनामधारकसंवादे सार्वभौमस्फोटकशमने ऐश्वर्यावलोकने वैदुरीप्रवेशो नाम पंचाशत्तमोऽध्यायः ॥५०॥

iti śrīgurucaritraparamakathākalpatarau śrīnṛsimhasarasvatyupākhyāne siddhanāmadhārakasamvāde sārvabhaumasphoṭakaśamane aiśvaryāvalokane vaidurīpraveśo nāma pamcāśattamo'dhyāyaḥ ||50||

Thus, in the supreme wish-fulfilling tale-tree of Śrī Gurucaritra, in the dialogue of Siddha and Nāmadhārak, in the legend of Śrī Nṛsiṁha Sarasvatī — on the curing of the sovereign's skin ailment, on the display of his wealth, and on his entering Vaidurī — thus ends the fiftieth chapter.

This formal closing colophon names the chapter's three episodes precisely: the healing of the king's illness, the showing of his royal wealth, and his return to his own city, closing the chapter with traditional exactness.

Take stock, in a few precise words, of what a meaningful chapter of your own life actually accomplished.

श्रीगुरुदत्तात्रेयार्पितमस्तु ॥

śrīgurudattātreyārpitamastu ||

May this be offered to Śrī Guru Dattātreya.

This brief dedicatory line, common at the close of Gurucaritra chapters, offers the entire preceding narration back to Dattātreya, the guru's divine source, as an act of worship rather than mere authorship.

Dedicate the fruit of your own effort back to its true source rather than claiming it only for yourself.

(ओवीसंख्या २६९)

(ovīsamkhyā 269)

(Verse count: 269)

This editorial note records the traditional verse-count of the chapter, a scribal convention preserved to verify the completeness and accuracy of copied manuscripts.

Value the quiet, careful work of preserving something faithfully, even when it seems like mere bookkeeping.