तस्य तद् वचनं श्रुत्वा गिरिराजस्य भो द्विजाः तदा तस्मै वरं चाहं दत्तवान् मनसेप्सितम्
Hearing these words of the king of mountains, O twice-born ones, I then granted him the boon he wished for in his mind.
कन्या भवित्री शैलेन्द्र तपसानेन सुव्रत यस्याः प्रभावात् सर्वत्र कीर्तिम् आप्स्यसि शोभनाम्
A daughter will be born to you, O lord of mountains, through your austerity, O virtuous one. By her power, you will attain renowned fame everywhere.
अर्चितः सर्वदेवानां तीर्थकोटिसमावृतः पावनश् चैव पुण्येन देवानाम् अपि सर्वतः
Honored by all the gods, surrounded by countless holy places, purified by merit, she will be revered by all the gods everywhere.
ज्येष्ठा च सा भवित्री ते अन्ये चात्र ततः शुभे
She will be your eldest, and others will follow after her, O auspicious one.
सो ऽपि कालेन शैलेन्द्रो मेनायाम् उदपादयत् अपर्णाम् एकपर्णां च तथा चैवैकपाटलाम्
In due course, the lord of mountains begot in Menā Aparnā, Ekaparṇā, and likewise Ekapāṭalā.
न्यग्रोधम् एकपर्णं तु पाटलं चैकपाटलाम् अशित्वा त्व् एकपर्णां तु अनिकेतस् तपो ऽचरत्
Nyagrodhā, Ekaparṇā, and Pāṭalā, as well as Ekapāṭalā, after consuming only Ekaparṇā, Aniketā practiced austerity.
शतं वर्षसहस्राणां दुश्चरं देवदानवैः आहारम् एकपर्णं तु एकपर्णा समाचरत्
For a hundred thousand years, which are difficult even for gods and demons, Ekaparṇā practiced austerity, subsisting on a single leaf as food.
पाटलेन तथैकेन विदधे चैकपाटला पूर्णे वर्षसहस्रे तु आहारं ताः प्रचक्रतुः
Ekapāṭalā likewise subsisted on a single pāṭala leaf, and when a thousand years were completed, they all took such food.
अपर्णा तु निराहारा तां माता प्रत्यभाषत निषेधयन्ती चो मेति मातृस्नेहेन दुःखिता
Aparṇā, however, remained without food. Her mother addressed her, forbidding her, saying 'Eat,' distressed by maternal affection.
सा तथोक्ता तया मात्रा देवी दुश्चरचारिणी तेनैव नाम्ना लोकेषु विख्याता सुरपूजिता
Thus spoken to by her mother, the goddess, performer of difficult austerities, became renowned in the worlds by that very name, worshipped by the gods.
एतत् तु त्रिकुमारीकं जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम् एतासां तपसां वृत्तं यावद् भूमिर् धरिष्यति
This is the account of the three maidens, whose austerities will endure as long as the earth supports all that is movable and immovable.
तपःशरीरास् ताः सर्वास् तिस्रो योगं समाश्रिताः सर्वाश् चैव महाभागास् तथा च स्थिरयौवनाः
All three, their bodies shaped by austerity, embraced yoga. All are greatly fortunate and possess unfading youth.
ता लोकमातरश् चैव ब्रह्मचारिण्य एव च अनुगृह्णन्ति लोकांश् च तपसा स्वेन सर्वदा
They are mothers of the worlds and perpetual celibates, always sustaining the worlds by their own austerity.
उमा तासां वरिष्ठा च ज्येष्ठा च वरवर्णिनी महायोगबलोपेता महादेवम् उपस्थिता
Among them, Umā is the most distinguished, the eldest, of excellent complexion, endowed with great yogic power, and she approached Mahādeva.
दत्तकश् चोशना तस्य पुत्रः स भृगुनन्दनः आसीत् तस्यैकपर्णा तु देवलं सुषुवे सुतम्
Dattaka, also called Uśanā, was his son, O descendant of Bhṛgu. Ekaparṇā bore Devala as her son.
या तु तासां कुमारीणां तृतीया ह्य् एकपाटला पुत्रं सा तम् अलर्कस्य जैगीषव्यम् उपस्थिता
Of those maidens, the third, Ekapāṭalā, bore a son who became the Jaigīṣavya of Alarka.
तस्याश् च शङ्खलिखितौ स्मृतौ पुत्राव् अयोनिजौ उमा तु या मया तुभ्यं कीर्तिता वरवर्णिनी
And to her were born two sons, Śaṅkha and Likhita, not from the womb; and the splendid Uma, whom I have praised to you, O beautiful one.
अथ तस्यास् तपोयोगात् त्रैलोक्यम् अखिलं तदा प्रधूपितम् इहालक्ष्य वचस् ताम् अहम् अब्रवम्
Then, by her practice of austerity, the entire three worlds were consumed; seeing this here, I spoke these words to her.
देवि किं तपसा लोकांस् तापयिष्यसि शोभने त्वया सृष्टम् इदं सर्वं मा कृत्वा तद् विनाशय
O goddess, why do you torment the worlds with your austerity, O radiant one? All this was created by you; do not destroy it by such means.
त्वं हि धारयसे लोकान् इमान् सर्वान् स्वतेजसा ब्रूहि किं ते जगन्मातः प्रार्थितं संप्रतीह नः
For you indeed sustain all these worlds with your own splendor; tell me, O Mother of the Universe, what is your desire now from us?
यदर्थं तपसो ह्य् अस्य चरणं मे पितामह त्वम् एव तद् विजानीषे ततः पृच्छसि किं पुनः
O Grandfather, you already know the purpose for which I undertake this austerity; so why do you ask me again?
ततस् ताम् अब्रवं चाहं यदर्थं तप्यसे शुभे स त्वां स्वयम् उपागम्य इहैव वरयिष्यति
Then I said to her, 'O auspicious one, for the purpose for which you perform austerity, he himself will come to you here and choose you.'
शर्व एव पतिः श्रेष्ठः सर्वलोकेश्वरेश्वरः वयं सदैव यस्येमे वश्या वै किंकराः शुभे
Śarva alone is the supreme lord, the lord of all lords in all the worlds; we are always under his command, O auspicious one, his servants indeed.
स देवदेवः परमेश्वरः स्वयं स्वयंभुर् आयास्यति देवि ते ऽन्तिकम् उदाररूपो विकृतादिरूपः समानरूपो ऽपि न यस्य कस्यचित्
That god of gods, the supreme lord, the self-born, will himself come to you, O goddess, of noble form, of manifold and unique appearance, like none other.
महेश्वरः पर्वतलोकवासी चराचरेशः प्रथमो ऽप्रमेयः विनेन्दुना हीन्द्रसमानवर्चसा विभीषणं रूपम् इवास्थितो यः
Maheśvara, the dweller of the mountain realm, lord of the moving and unmoving, the first, immeasurable, shining like the moon and Indra, assuming a fearsome form.
ततस् ताम् अब्रुवन् देवास् तदा गत्वा तु सुन्दरीम् देवि शीघ्रेण कालेन धूर्जटिर् नीललोहितः
Then the gods spoke to her, and having gone, said: 'O beautiful goddess, soon Dhūrjaṭi, blue and red in hue, will come.'
स भर्ता तव देवेशो भविता मा तपः कृथाः ततः प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य देवा विप्रा गिरेः सुताम्
'He, the lord of the gods, will become your husband; do not continue your austerity.' Then the gods and sages, having circumambulated the daughter of the mountain, departed.
जग्मुश् चादर्शनं तस्याः सा चापि विरराम ह सा देवी सूक्तम् इत्य् एवम् उक्त्वा स्वस्याश्रमे शुभे
They became invisible to her, and she too ceased her recitation of hymns, remaining in her own auspicious hermitage.
द्वारि जातम् अशोकं च समुपाश्रित्य चास्थिता अथागाच् चन्द्रतिलकस् त्रिदशार्तिहरो हरः
At the door, she stood near an aśoka tree; then came Hara, the remover of the gods' distress, adorned with a crescent moon.
विकृतं रूपम् आस्थाय ह्रस्वो बाहुक एव च विभग्ननासिको भूत्वा कुब्जः केशान्तपिङ्गलः
Assuming a deformed form, short and with small arms, his nose broken, hunchbacked, with tawny hair at the ends.