Simhasanadvatrimshika f2.p1

f2.p1

asti samastavastuvistīrṇā guṇaparābhūtapurandaranivāso 'jjayinī nāma nagarī. tatra samastasāmantasīmantinīsīmantasindūrāruṇacaraṇakamalayugalo bhartṛharir nāma rājā 'sīt, sakalakalāpravīṇaḥ samastaśāstrābhijñaś ca. tasyā 'nujo vikramo nāma svavikramāpahṛtavairivikramo 'bhūt. tasya bhartṛharer bhāryā rūpalāvaṇyādiguṇavinirjitasurāṅganā 'naṅgasenā nāmā 'bhūt. tasmin nagare brāhmaṇaḥ kaścit sakalaśāstrābhijño viśeṣato mantraśāstravit, paraṃ daridraḥ, mantrānuṣṭhānena bhuvaneśvarīm atoṣayat. tuṣṭā sā brāhmaṇam avādīt: bho brāhmaṇa, varaṃ vṛṇīṣva. brāhmaṇeno 'ktam: devi, yadi me prasannā 'si, tarhi māṃ jarāmaraṇavarjitaṃ kuru. tato devyā divyam ekaṃ phalaṃ dattvā bhaṇitaś ca: bhoḥ putra, etat phalaṃ bhakṣaya, jarāmaraṇavarjito bhaviṣyasi. tato brāhmaṇas tat phalaṃ gṛhītvā svabhavanaṃ pratyāgatya snātvā devatārcanāṃ vidhāya yāvat phalaṃ bhakṣayati, tāvat tasya manasy evaṃ buddhir abhūt: kim iti, ahaṃ tāvad daridraḥ; amaro bhūtvā kasyo 'pakāraṃ kariṣyāmi? paraṃ bahukālajīvinā 'pi bhikṣāṭanam eva kāryam. ataḥ paropakāriṇaḥ puruṣasya svalpakālajīvitam api śreyase bhavati. anyac ca: yas tu vijñānavibhavādiguṇair yuktaḥ kṣaṇamātram api jivati, tasyai 'va jīvitaṃ saphalaṃ bhavati. tathā co 'ktam:

There is a city named Ujjayinī, extensive with all kinds of riches, surpassing by its virtues the dwelling-place of Purandara. There lived a king named Bhartṛhari, whose pair of lotus feet was reddened by the vermilion of the hair-partings of all the wives of his feudatories, skilled in all arts and versed in all learned treatises. He had a younger brother named Vikrama, who stripped the valour of his enemies by his own valour. That Bhartṛhari had a wife named Anaṅgasenā, who surpassed celestial maidens in beauty, charm, and other virtues. In that city a certain brahmin, versed in all learned treatises and especially knowing the science of mantras, yet extremely poor, pleased Bhuvaneśvarī by the practice of mantras. Pleased, she said to the brahmin: ‘Brahmin, choose a boon!’ The brahmin said: ‘O goddess, if you are pleased with me, make me free from old age and death.’ Then the goddess gave him a divine fruit and said: ‘Son, eat this fruit; you will become free from old age and death.’ Then the brahmin took that fruit, returned to his house, bathed, performed worship of the deity, and as he was about to eat the fruit, such a thought arose in his mind: ‘Why this? I am exceedingly poor; having become immortal, whom will I benefit? And even living for a long time, begging alone must be done. Therefore, even a short life of a benevolent man is for the better. Moreover, he who lives even for a moment endowed with qualities such as wisdom and power—his life alone is fruitful. And so it is said: