English (machine translation)

Translation of Ardhakathanak (Ardhakathānak)

Language: English
Extent: 675 passages, 17,706 words
Text: complete digital text
Source: pramana-mt · Machine translation by Gemini 3.8 Flash (2026-10-06) of in.vernacular.hindi.ardhakathanak · Machine output without human authorship: no copyright is claimed (CC0 1.0). The original text keeps its own…

Text

1

dohā / Placing both folded hands upon my head, knowing myself to be a servant, / bringing bhakti into my heart and knowing them to be the Lord, I bow to Pārśva and Supārśva.

savaiyā of thirty-one syllables. Praise of the city of Banāras: / Two rivers, the Varuṇā and Asī, enter and flow into the Gaṅgā; / between them lies situated the renowned city of Banāras. / A settlement within the land of the Kasīvāras, it is therefore named Kāśī; / it is known as the birthplace of the venerable Supārśva and Pārśva. / There both Jinas revealed the path of liberation; / from that time onward the world has known it as Śivapurī. / In this manner the names of the city of Banāras were established; / whoever speaks otherwise speaks the words of false doctrine.

3

dohā / Bearing the signet ring that is the name of the Jinas' birthplace, / that very Banārasīdās tells his own story to himself.

4

caupāī / Of the Śrīmāla noble lineage in Jainism, a swan of a man named Banārasī, / considered this matter in his mind: "I shall tell my well-known tale.

5

Just as I heard with my ears and saw with my eyes, so I speak somewhat with the words of my mouth. / I speak of the discussion of faults and virtues in the past, up to the limit of the present.

6

As for what future state will come to pass, an omniscient one knows the tale of that. / Therefore, bringing to mind the things that happened, I describe them somewhat in general outline.

7

Speaking the speech of Madhyadeśa, opening my heart, I speak words of hidden meaning. / I relate the deeds and conditions of my past; listen, giving ear, my friends."

8

dohā / In this very fair field of Bharata, in the auspicious land of Madhyadeśa, / stands the city of Rohtak, and near it the village of Biholī.

9

In the village of Biholī dwelt Rajputs of royal lineage; / from the guru's mouth they became Jains, renouncing strange deeds.

10

They put on the rosary of mantras, obtained the Śrīmāla clan, / and established the Biholiyā gotra, protectors of Biholī.

11

A long genealogy came to be—how far could I tell it? / In the city of Rohtak appeared two brothers, Gāṅgā and Gosala.

12

In their family was born Bastā, whose fame shone brightly; / Bastapāla's son was Jeṭhamala, and Jeṭhū's was Jinadāsa.

13

To Jinadāsa was born an eminent son named Mūladāsa; / he studied Hindi and Persian, and was fortunate and capable.

14

Mūladāsa Biholiyā, in the guise of the merchant's profession, / became a provisioner to a Mughal and came to the land of Mālwā.

15

caupāī / The land of Mālwā is an abode of supreme happiness, and delightful is the city named Narwar; / there the Mughal, an excellent warrior of Shāh Humāyūn, obtained a jagir.

16

He was very gracious toward Mūladāsa, who supplied goods on credit; / know that when the Saṃvat was sixteen hundred, and eight years more were reckoned,

17

on Sunday, the fifth of the bright fortnight of Śrāvaṇa, a son took birth in Mūladāsa's house. / There was great joy, much money was spent, and they gave him the name Khaṛagsena.

18

Two years passed in happiness, and another son was born named Ghanamala; / when three more years had passed, Ghanamala met his death there.

19

dohā / The raincloud that was Ghanamala was blown away by the touch of the wind of death; / the mother and father, like trees, were scorched, catching the burning heat of sorrow for their son.

20

caupāī / Grief for the younger son was severe; Mūladāsa too met his death. / In Saṃvat [sixteen hundred and] thirteen, death came to both father and son.

21

The son Khaṛagsena and his mother, overwhelmed with sorrow, were left helpless. / The Mughal had gone to some village, and heard all this news at that place.

22

dohā / Hearing of Mūlā's death, the Mughal came in haste; / he sealed the house as khālisā and took away the property.

23

Mother and son were distressed and suffered great affliction; / enduring distress in whatever way they could, they came to the eastern country.

24

caupāī / In the eastern country is the settlement of Jaunpur, situated in a pleasant site on the bank of the Gomatī; / there the Gomatī flows in such fashion as the poet describes, just as he saw it.

25

dohā
First it flowed southwards, then turned eastwards in its current;
then northwards flowed the fathomless Govai River.

26

caupāī
The Govai River flowed in three directions; pleasant and broad was the land along its banks.
Of the Pathan clan was one named Jauṅāsāh; he came there and founded a settlement.

27

He had the khutbah read and raised the parasol over his head; seated on the throne, he issued his decree.
Then he named the throne Jaunpur; that settlement became firm and enduring.

28

All four varṇas dwell within it, and there dwell the thirty-six lower artisan classes:
innumerable Brahmans, Kṣatriyas, and Vaiśyas, and thirty-six kinds of Śūdra divisions.

29

savaiyā ikatīsā. Account of the thirty-six artisan classes.
Glassmaker, tailor, betel-seller, dyer, cowherd,
carpenter, stonecutter, oil-presser, washerman, cotton-carder,
confectioner, palanquin-bearer, gardener-vegetable-grower, distiller, potter, flower-gardener,
cloth-smoother, papermaker, farmer, silk-weaver,
painter, tinsel-maker, leaf-plate maker, lac-worker, brazier, mason,
silk-braider, thatcher, barber, grain-parcher,
goldsmith, ironsmith, polisher-swordsmith, firework-maker,
fisherman, leatherworker—these are the thirty-six artisan classes.

30

caupāī
The land of the city of Jaunpur is magnificent, with lofty shrines, halls, and mansions.
It is adorned with many seven-storied houses, and dense banners and awnings are pitched.

31

Near the city are fifty-two serais; around it lie fifty-two parganas.
Within the city are fifty-two bazaars and fifty-two spacious market squares.

32

In succession there were nine kings; I shall recount their names in full:
know the first king to be Jauṅāsāh, and proclaim the second as Babakkarsāh;

33

the third was Sultan Surahar, and know the fourth to be Dos Mahammad;
the fifth ruler was Sāh Nijām, and the sixth was named Sāh Birāhīm;

34

the seventh lord was Sāh Husain, the eighth Ghāzī Sajjit Sain,
and the ninth was Sultan Sāh Bakhyā, whose undivided authority prevailed.

35

These nine kings ruled in that place; therefore the throne is named Jaunpur.
To the east its sway extended as far as Patna; to the west its boundary was the station of Etawah.

36

To the south Vindhyācala was its border; to the north the limit was the river Ghaghara.
Over so much land was its realm renowned; this is a matter of three hundred years ago.

37

Our ancient forebears were elders of importance; I heard their words with my own ears.
I have related the tale just as I heard it, so that no fault of falsehood may attach to me.

38

dohā
All this description pertains to the past, when a prosperous era passed by.
Now hear, friend, the story of the time sixteen hundred and thirteen [Saṃvat] onwards.

39

In the city of Jaunpur lived Madanasiṅgh Śrīmāla,
a Jain of the Cināliyā gotra, who traded in diamonds and rubies.

40

Seeking the home of Madan the jeweler and inquiring among people,
Khaṛagsena, along with his mother, arrived there through the conjunction of karma.

41

Chajamal was Khaṛagsena's maternal grandfather; this [Madan] was his elder brother.
He offered him great respect and showed him great affection.

42

caupāī
Madan said, “Listen, my daughter: how did this condition befall you?”
The daughter related the former tale: “In this manner my sons and husband died;

43

and how the commander plundered all our possessions.” Holding back her grief, she recounted the whole story.
Madan wept and said to his daughter, “With one son, everything can still be accomplished.

44

Daughter, do not grieve in your heart: joy and sorrow are both shifting shadows.”
Embracing his daughter and grandson, he had clothes and ornaments brought and dressed them.

45

They lived in happiness, and hardship did not afflict them; one's maternal grandfather's house is like one's own home.
Three years passed in this manner, with affection, custom, joy, and peace growing day by day.

46

When the boy became eight years old, he went to school to study.
Studying at school, he became learned; he could test silver coins and gold.

47

He properly drew up accounts of domestic credit, and explained the balances clearly;
he wrote down receipts and disbursements properly, and sat in the market learning the money-changer's trade.

48

When another four years had passed, he made an effort to strive [for a career].
To the east was the region of Bengal, where the Pathan Sultan Sulemān ruled.

49

His brother-in-law was Lodī Khān, whom he kept like a son.
A Śrīmāla was his dīwān, known to the world by the name of Rāi Dhīnā.

50

He lived in Bengal, of the Sīṅghaṛ gotra; five hundred Śrīmālas served him.
He made them all potdārs; through the favor of fortune they earned wealth.

51

He trusted them and took no audits from them, and gave everyone a written receipt in clearance.
He had devotion for the posaha-paḍikkamaṇa, and made a vow to build a new temple.

52

dohā
Khaṛagsena the Biholiyā heard about the Rāi;
taking counsel with his mother, he set out at dawn.

53

His mother gave him some travel money; his grandfather knew nothing of it.
Mounting a horse, he rode and went into the presence of the honored Rāi.

54

Going there, he met the honored Rāi and related his entire story.
The Rāi consoled him greatly and kept his words in mind.

55

One day, at a certain time, reflecting and considering in his mind,
the Rāi gave four parganas to Khaṛagsena.

56

caupāī
He made him his own potdār, and appointed two kārkuns to accompany him.
He went to the parganas and performed the work: exercising authority, collecting the revenue.

57

Amassing the treasury, he sent it to where the Rāi and Lodī Khān were.
In this way six or seven months passed; [then] they set out on a pilgrimage to Sammed Śikhara.

58

dohā
The honored Rāi led the saṅgha, having obtained the Sultan’s order.
Going there, he performed worship, and then returned to his own place.

59

Having returned, the Rāi sat in his tent in the evening.
He performed sāmāyika according to rule, and took a rosary in his hand.

60

Observing the fourfold fast and maintaining silence, he recited the fivefold Namaskāra-mantra.
A severe pain arose in his belly, and a great clamor broke out.

61

He spoke not a word with his mouth, and met death immediately. / He went and took up another existence; the wall of his body collapsed.

62

Through the conjunction of merit, chariots and footmen gathered, rutting elephants and steeds in stables; / Considering them splendor, he bore the burden upon his head, and collecting worldly possessions expanded them. / Increasing his bondage, he fulfilled his lifespan; at the end he arose and departed alone. / Casting them off like the load of an exhausted porter, he went behind the partition of another wall to play.

63

In this manner the Rāi died suddenly. An uproar arose from village to village. / Hearing this news, Khaṛagsena abandoned his home and fled at once.

64

He took on the garb of a distressed and destitute beggar, and took an unpaved, unseen path. / Wandering past rivers, villages, forests, and hills, he came to the land of the city of Jaunpur.

65

He came to his own home at night and bowed his head at the feet of his elders. / Whatever concealed money he had with him, he placed into his mother's hands.

66

In this manner four years passed. When he became eighteen years old, / he then made a journey toward the western quarter, in the year Saṃvat sixteen hundred and twenty-six.

67

He came into the city of Agra to his paternal uncle Sundaradās. / He held affection for Khaṛagsena; he conducted moneychanging and sold gold.

68

Khaṛagsena too prepared a moneybag; joining together, both filled it with money. / Both engaged in business in partnership; skilled in arts, wealthy, and generous.

69

Both held mutual affection; all people called them father and son. / Four years passed in this manner. Then he went to the town of Meerut to marry.

70

Sūradās, an Oswāl of the Ḍhora clan, was called a Meerut-man. / Having married his daughter, Sena came to Argalapura. / Coming and sitting at his shop, he earned wealth and established his own property. / He did not get along with his aunt, so the couple set up a separate household. / In the meantime, within two or three years, Sundaradās along with his wife / passed away, leaving behind all wealth and abode; there was one daughter, but no son.

71

The maiden daughter who was left, Sena gave away in marriage. / He gave gifts and honors in many ways, and gave a night of gold.

72

Whatever property of Sundaradās the elders of the community had recorded in writing, / Sena gave all of that to his sister; he kept not a single speck.

73

In the time of the year Saṃvat [sixteen hundred and] thirty-three, he went to the town of Jaunpur, / with one horse, one chariot, many footmen, and much money.

74

Ten days having passed, in the city of Jaunpur he opened a shop. / Making a partner, he immediately sat down to business and set up the apparatus of trade.

75

Rāmadās was a wealthy merchant, an Agravāl by caste and a follower of Śiva. / He made him a partner, regarding him with favor, bringing together love, customary conduct, and trust.

76

Both skilled men conducted moneychanging; they traded in pearls, rubies, and small gems. / In happiness they passed their time well, up to the year sixteen hundred and thirty-five.

77

In Khaṛagsena's home a son was born. He spent wealth and held joy in his heart. / On the tenth day the child went to the other world; he mourned for his first son.

78

This is a matter of the year Saṃvat [sixteen hundred and] thirty-seven: they went to Rohtak for the pilgrimage to the Satī. / Robbers plundered them along the way; everything was lost, nothing remained.

79

Only their clothes and the couple's bodies were left; somehow or other they reached their home. / They had gone to ask for a son; this was the fruit the barren Satī gave.

80

Still they did not understand this false matter, and again accepted pilgrimage to her. / People see visibly that everything is hollow; even so foolish folk do not understand.

81

Returning home, he again sat at his shop. Madanasiṅgh's mind became detached from the world. / He renounced worldly illusion, and happiness and peace prevailed; three years passed in this manner.

82

In the year Saṃvat sixteen hundred and forty-one, Madanasiṅgh passed away. / Religious discourses spread everywhere; then two more years went by.

83

Then they remembered the matter of the Satī, and Khaṛagsena again made the pilgrimage. / In the year Saṃvat sixteen hundred and forty-three, in the delightful bright fortnight of the month of Māgha,

84

on the eleventh tithi, a Saturday, under the constellation Rohiṇī with the moon in Taurus, / in accordance with the third quarter of Rohiṇī, a son was born in Khaṛagsena's house.

85

They gave him the name Vikramājīt; women sang auspicious songs. / Gifts were given, and there was great rejoicing; a son had been born after eight years.

86

In this manner six or seven months passed; then they went on a pilgrimage to Pārśvanātha. / Taking all their family and kin along, they worshipped Pārśvanātha according to the prescribed rites.

87

Having performed the worship, they folded both hands and brought the child forward, placing him before the image. / Then the temple priest folded his hands and said: "The child grasps your feet.

88

"Make this child long-lived! You are the protector of those who seek refuge. / Bestow your compassion upon this boy; now he has become your servant."

89

Then that temple priest held his breath, engaging in false meditation and deceitful silence. / When about one ghaṛī had passed, shaking his head he said: "Listen, friend!

90

"A dream of sorts has come to me; I shall tell you all of that matter. / The yakṣa of Lord Pārśva, the Jina, came visibly before me.

91

"He spoke these words to me: 'There is no worry for this child. / Whatever is the town of Lord Pārśva's birth, give that name to the child.

92

"Then the child will be long-lived.' Having said this, that deity vanished." / When the temple priest spoke these words, Khaṛagsena believed them to be true in his heart.

93

Rejoicing, all the kinsfolk said: "Lord Pārśva and Supārśva— / the birthplace of both is Banāras, so this boy is Banārasīdās!"

94

Having given the boy a name in this manner, they returned to the town of Jaunpur. / The child lived in happiness and ease until the year Saṃvat sixteen hundred and forty-eight.

95

Through the conjunction of the fruition of past karma, dysentery struck the boy. / It arose, and much medicine was given, yet the child's affliction did not depart.

96

For one year the child suffered pain, [then] natural ease arose at once. / Then for one year he remained well; in [Saṃvat sixteen hundred] fifty smallpox broke out.

97

dohā / The affliction of smallpox subsided, and the child became free of disease. / In Khaṛagsena's house a daughter was born through the workings of karma.

98

caupāī / When the child became eight years old, he went to a school to study learning. / From a master teacher he learned knowledge; he read letters and wrote accounts.

99

For one year he pursued his studies; day by day his intellect grew more and more. / Having studied knowledge he became accomplished in Saṃvat sixteen hundred fifty-two.

100

dohā / Khaṛagsena dealt in jewels: diamonds, rubies, and gems. / Meanwhile the child Banārasī turned nine years of age.

101

In the town of Khairābād lived a man named Tāmbī Parbata. / His son was Kalyāṇmala, in whose house was a daughter.

102

His family priest arrived, taking a barber along with him. / He placed a letter from Kalyāṇa's son into [Khaṛag]sena's hands.

103

They betrothed the boy and placed the tilak mark on his forehead. / Writing down the auspicious wedding date after two years, they arranged the ceremony.

104

The engagement took place in [the year] fifty-two; in fifty-three a famine fell. / Grain could not be had even at high cost; the world fell into misery.

105

caupāī / The famine passed and many days went by; in Saṃvat sixteen hundred fifty-four, / In the month of Māgha, on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight, Banārasī went forth to marry.

106

Having celebrated the marriage, he returned to his home; another lovely daughter / Had been born in Khaṛagsena's house; on that very day the aged maternal grandmother died.

107

dohā / A grandmother's death, a daughter's birth, and a son's bride arriving home— / All three events occurred on a single day in the very same house.

108

Such is the ironic mockery of the world, revealing manifest suffering and grief! / The wise grew detached in their minds, while fools could not understand the mystery.

109

caupāī / In this manner two months passed. The bride's uncle arrived, / A Śrīmāla named Tārācand, who took his niece along with him.

110

He went to the town of Khairābād. Meanwhile in Jaunpur an event occurred: / Calamity arose during this time from the town governor, Nawab Qilīj.

111

dohā / He seized all the jewellers and locked them up inside a cell. / He demanded some grand item, which they did not possess.

112

One day he grew furious and issued an order early in the morning. / Having bound them securely, he stood all the jewellers like thieves.

113

Barbed whips struck them, reducing them to the state of corpses. / That time he released them, and each went to his own place.

114

Having assembled, they all took counsel: "Abandon house and flee! / Taking one's own possessions along, who would fall into the jaws of death?"

115

caupāī / Having said this, all dispersed; scattering apart, they fled in all four directions. / Taking his family, Khaṛagsena went west across the Gaṅgā.

116

There was a town named Sāhijādapur near the settlement of Kaṛā Mānikpur. / They arrived in the midst of Sāhijādapur; rain fell and deep mud formed.

117

The night was pitch-dark and rain poured heavily; the householders came to stay in an inn. / Khaṛagsena, along with all his family members, wept like destitute orphans.

118

dohā / A son, a wife, two daughters, and incomparable wealth— / With the fruition of enjoyment-obstructing [karma], everything became an embodiment of suffering.

119

caupāī / At this time, a resident of that town, Karamcand, a Māhur merchant, / Emptied his own house and took up dwelling in another house himself.

120

One watch of the night had passed as he called out Khaṛagsena's name. / Calling out and inquiring, he arrived where Khaṛagsena sat.

121

Greeting him with "Rāma-Rāma", he sat beside him and said: "You are the master, I am the servant. / Please come with me out of kindness; I am the attendant, you mount the horse.

122

There is a lodging suited [to your needs]; please come there and offer no resistance." / With affection Khaṛagsena, together with his family, went to his dwelling.

123

They sat at ease and rested; they saw that house to be truly wondrous: / Fresh pitchers and many earthen vessels placed, bedsheets, quilts, mattresses, and cots.

124

One storeroom was filled with grain, along with countless other edible provisions. / Having furnished the house with every necessity, he gave it with immense affection.

125

Khaṛagsena displayed great reluctance, but grasping his feet, [Karamcand] pleaded. / With deep insistence he gave everything, showing great humility and shedding all pride.

126

dohā / In the rainy season when clouds poured down, he gave away his own house; / Who can describe with their tongue the story of his greatness?

127

caupāī / Khaṛagsena lived there in comfort. Considering the condition, the poet-king says: / Nawab Qilīj inflicted that misery, while this happiness was found in Sāhijādapur.

128

From one perspective there is a great difference; from another perspective both joy and sorrow are equal. / He who experiences suffering attains joy; he who enjoys joy endures suffering.

129

dohā / In pleasure one thinks, "I am happy"; in pain one becomes full of sorrow. / In the view of a foolish person, pleasure and pain appear as two.

130

In prosperity and adversity, the wise person remains identical in manner, / Just as the sun, rising or setting, never abandons its reddish glow.

131

Karamcand the Māhur merchant and Khaṛagsena the Śrīmāla / Both men became friends and stayed together night and day.

132

In this way they spent ten months residing in Sāhijādapur; / Then they departed and went to the city of Prayāg, which lies near the Trivēṇī.

133

caupāī / Prayāg sits near the Trivēṇī, and its name is Ilāhābās. / There was Dāniyāl, an Indra on earth, the son of Emperor Akbar.

134

Khaṛagsena travelled there, leaving his home for the sake of employment. / The young boy Banārasī remained at home, taking up the trade of selling cowries.

135

He earned one copper coin or two, and harboured no greed toward anyone. / Gathering the profit, he would collect it and lay it before his grandmother.

136

dohā
His grandmother distributed sweet offerings daily, lādūs and nukatī,
for the first earnings of her son [grandson], on account of the satī and ancestor-spirit.

137

caupāī
His grandmother believed in the satī and ancestor-spirit; she believed that they had given this son.
When she slept, she saw dreams; on waking, she spoke the words of the ancestors.

138

Day and night she pondered on that; such is the nature of a foolish soul.
It cannot be told, for what could anyone say? As one's understanding is, such is one's state.

139

dohā
Another three months passed; thirteen months elapsed.
A letter came from [Khaṛag]sena: "Take up residence in Fatehpur."

140

They hired two litters and engaged four laborers;
with his family, Banārasī arrived in Fatehpur.

141

caupāī
They arrived there in Fatehpur, where the houses of the Oswāls were.
Bāsū Sāha was knowledgeable in spirituality; many of his descendants resided there.

142

Bāsū's son was Bhagautīdās; he gave them a dwelling.
In that house Banārasīdās took up residence along with his family.

143

dohā
Days passed in pleasant ease, while he pursued playful amusements.
A letter arrived from his father: "Set out for Ilāhābās."

144

Banārasī set out for Prayāga; his family remained in Fatehpur.
Father and son both met, rejoicing by the arrangement of fate.

145

caupāī
The generous jeweler Khaṛagsena carried on the trade in precious gems.
In the service of Prince Dāniyāl, he conducted transactions in cash and on credit.

146

In this manner four months passed; sometimes there was distress, sometimes joy and tranquility.
Then they returned to the village of Fatehpur, and the entire family was gathered in one place.

147

Two months passed in the meantime; it was heard that Qilīj had gone to Agra.
Khaṛagsena, together with his family, returned again to his own home.

148

From here and there all the jewelers emerged, as if from hidden underground chambers.
In Saṃvat sixteen hundred and fifty-six, everyone took up their own business.

149

For about a year safety prevailed; then the lord Prince Salīm arrived—
the elder prince revered by the world, the son of the Emperor Akbar.

150

For the purpose of hunting in Kolhūban, the Emperor's order went forth.
The governor here at the Jaunpur post was the younger Qilīj, Nūram Sulṭān.

151

To him came an order from Akbar: "The prince has gone to Kolhūban;
therefore do whatever you must so that Salīm does not enter Kolhūban."

152

In this manner Nūram Khān placed Akbar's firman upon his head.
Then in the city of Jaunpur, he became master of the fort and prepared for death.

153

Every road was blocked in every direction; no boat plied the Gomatī ghat.
He bolted the bridge gates and prepared the array for conflict.

154

He stationed many foot-soldiers and horsemen; watchmen were placed on all four sides.
He mounted cannons along the battlements of the fort; panic arose within the city.

155

He made many provisions for the fortress, carting fuel, cloth, and water,
countless coats of mail, saddles, matchlocks, ample gunpowder, and weapons of various kinds.

156

Opening the treasury, he spent money and stood ready himself for battle.
The common people all became distraught; they fled and departed in all four directions.

157

That great city became desolate: "Now an army of raiders has come! Now it has come!"
All the jewelers gathered in one place; not a man remained inside the city.

158

"What shall we do now? What counsel is there? It has become perilous for us and our families.
To remain brings no safety, nor is there security in fleeing; it is like a snake catching a muskrat."

159

Then they all went together to Nūram and submitted a petition.
Nūram said: "Listen, merchants! Stay here or leave, as you please.

160

My own death has arrived; what remedy can I tell you?"
Then they all returned to their own dwellings: "Flee! Whatever Rāma does will happen."

161

dohā
Each one fled on his own; not one stayed with another.
Some sought another's shelter; some were anywhere, helpless.

162

caupāī
Khaṛagsena came to that place, to the village where Dūlah Sāhu had gone,
near the village of Lachimanpurā, where Chaudharī Lachimanadās resided.

163

He took them in and sheltered them in the forest, giving them his word and extending a helping hand.
In this way six or seven days passed; news of Jaunpur's well-being was heard.

164

Prince Salīm came to the bank of the Gomatī; then he dispatched an amīr.
Lālā Beg was the name of the amīr; he came to that place as an envoy.

165

Speaking softly and sternly, he stood firm and took Nūram along with him.
Arriving, he cast him at the feet of the prince, having his guilt pardoned and securing him from fear.

166

When this news was heard in this manner, then peace filled the hearts of all.
The people returned each to their own homes; they became fearless, and the malady of terror vanished.

167

Khaṛagsena and Dūlah Sāha also took the road home.
Together with their families they arrived at their own dwellings and engaged each in his own work.

168

At this time the boy Banārasī reached fourteen years of age.
With the scholar Devadatta, he practiced some learning.

169

He studied the two hundred verses of the Nāmamālā and examined the Anekārtha,
astrology, poetics, a short treatise on erotics, and four hundred miscellaneous verses.

170

Having acquired learning, he delighted in learning. In the year sixteen hundred and fifty-seven,
abandoning family honor and shame before the world, Banārasī became a practitioner of passionate love.

171

He practiced love, fixing patience in his heart, filled with pain like a Sufi faqir.
He gazed with an unblinking stare and meditated upon her, stealing his father's wealth.

172

He stole rubies, gems, and pearls, and brought plentiful betel and sweets.
He sent offerings to his beloved, and called himself her humble servant.

173

In the meantime the four rainy months passed; the winter season arrived, and cold spread.
Abhayadharma, an upādhyāya of the Kharatara [Gaccha], arrived in person along with two disciples:

174

Bhānucandra, an exceptionally clever monk, and Rāmacandra, a boy in householder's dress.
The ascetics arrived in Jaunpur; all the Jain laymen of the community came and went.

175

Observing the family religion, the boy Banārasī / came to the upāśraya with his father.
He formed an affection for Bhānacanda; / by day he stayed at the upāśraya, and by night at home.

176

He learned knowledge from Bhānacanda, / and wrote out the composition of the Pañcasandhi.
He read praises according to the traditional method, / and who knows how many detached verses?

177

The texts of the sāmāyika and pratikramaṇa pathways, / the Chandakośa and the Śrutabodha,
and such other lore he memorised by mouth; / he read correctly and mastered the eight qualities.

178

Sometimes he would come and fix sacred words in his heart; / at other times he would go and play at romance.
He made a new book / of about a thousand dohās and caupāīs.

179

In it he wrote a composition on the nine rasas, / but gave special description to romance.
Thus Banārasī became a bad poet / and composed new books of falsehood.

180

dohā
Either study or romance—immersed in these two flavors,
he had no thought of food and drink, nor any occupation.

181

caupāī
Such a state remained for two years; / he did not heed the counsel of his mother and father.
Pursuing romance, he recited all his lessons; / it was the year Saṃvat 1659.

182

dohā
He had reached fifteen years, / and ten months above that,
when the poet Banārasīdās / set out to fetch his bride.

183

Mounting a litter with servants attending, / adorning himself with ornaments and clothes,
he arrived happily / in the town of Khairābād.

184

caupāī
When one month had passed, / in the winter season, in the month of Pauṣa, during the bright fortnight,
through the rising of past karma, / all of a sudden a disease of wind struck him.

185

dohā
Banārasīdās's body became / like leprosy over all his limbs.
Pain arose in every bone; / his head-hair, body-hair, and eyebrows were ruined.

186

Countless boils broke out / on hands, feet, and the four limbs.
No man, whether brother-in-law or father-in-law, / would take food with him.

187

Such an inauspicious condition arose / that no one would come near him;
only his mother-in-law and his wedded wife— / these two women attended to him.

188

Taking care of his water and food, / they would bring it and put it in his mouth.
They applied medicine to his body, / and, covering their noses, would get up and leave.

189

caupāī
At this juncture a certain barber man / fed him packets of medicine.
He fed him unsalted chickpeas / and took not a single paisa or coin.

190

Four months passed in this manner; / then the affliction subsided somewhat.
Two more months passed by; / then Banārasī became well.

191

dohā
Having bathed and washed, he stood up, / giving a gift to the barber;
joining his hands, he made a petition: / “You are like a friend to me.”

192

The barber was greatly pleased / and went to his own home.
For ten days in Khairābād / Banārasī rested further.

193

He returned, mounted on a litter, / into the town of Jaunpur;
his mother-in-law and father-in-law / did not send their daughter for the gaunā.

194

Arriving, he grasped his father's feet; / his mother beat her breast and wept, / seeing the condition of her son, / like a bird in moult.

195

Khaṛagsena felt humiliated / and uttered many harsh words.
Banārasī wept profusely / and remained stunned for a moment.

196

For ten or twenty days he lay miserable; / then he went to the upāśraya again.
Either study or romance— / he resumed his former ways.

197

caupāī
Four months passed in this way; / Khaṛagsena departed for Patna.
Then Banārasī returned to Khairābād, / his face downcast with shame and sorrow.

198

For a month he stayed indoors a second time / and did not go to the bazaar.
Then he set off taking his wife with him, / one fine litter and one horse.

199

They arrived again in the town of Jaunpur; / all the kinsfolk and family sat around them.
The elders gave advice; / the romantic youth listened like a dervish.

200

“Brahmins and bards study much; / a merchant’s son, however, sits in the shop.
Whoever studies much ends up begging for alms; / son, heed the counsel of your elders!”

First 200 of 675 passages. Read on

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