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अधिरङ्गमवाप्तयोगनिद्रं
हरिमुद्वेजयतीति जातभीतिः ।
पतितं मुहुरिष्टकानिकायं
फणचक्रेण निवारयत्यहीन्द्रः ॥

‘In Śrīraṅga,
Śeṣa, king of snakes,
fearing lest Viṣṇu his master
be rudely awoken from meditative slumber,
shields him from the broken bricks that keep falling
with his thousandfold hoods. 1

घुणजग्धकवाटसम्पुटानि
स्फुटदूर्वाङ्कुरसन्धिमण्डपानि ।
श्लथगर्भगृहाणि वीक्ष्य दूये
भृशमन्यान्यपि देवताकुलानि ॥

‘Other temples too –
shutter-doors devoured by woodworm,
festival halls with dūrvā grass sprouting boldly from each crack,
sacredmost shrines crumbling –
drive me to tears when I see them. 2

सतताध्वरधूमसौरभैः प्राङ्
निगमोद्घोषणवद्भिरग्रहारैः ।
अधुनाजनि विस्रमांसगन्धै-
रधिकक्षीबतुलुष्कसिंहनादैः ॥

‘Earlier, agrahāras were filled
with the scented smoke of continuous sacrifice,
with the sound of Vedic chanting.
Now, they are swamped
with the stink of raw meat,
with the drunken roars of inebriate Turks. 3

मधुरोपवनं निरीक्ष्य दूये
बहुशः खण्डितनालिकेरषण्डम् ।
परितो नृकरोटिकोटिहार-
प्रचलच्छूलपरम्परापरीतम् ॥

‘In Madhurā’s gardens
great swathes of coconut groves have been cut down
and all about
serried spikes stand
swaying under the hundreds of long-dead human heads
strung together.
To see it is to weep. 4

परितस्तततन्तुवायतन्तु-
व्यतिषङ्गाज्जनितानि जालकानि ।
पुरगोपुरसालभञ्जिकानां
दधते चीनपटावगुण्ठनत्वम् ॥

‘Webs wound skilfully by web-weaving spiders,
silken strands stretching in all directions,
robe the carven ladies that crown the town’s gates
in delicate Chinese cloth. 5

न तथा कटुघूत्कृताद्व्यथा मे
हृदि जीर्णोपवनेषु घूकलोकात् ।
परिशीलितपारसीकवाग्भ्यो
यवनानां भवने यथा शुकेभ्यः ॥

‘It is not the harsh hoots
of owl broods
in gardens run wild,
so much as the parrots practising Persian
in the dwellings of the foreign princelings
that torments me. 6

स्तनचन्दनपाण्डु ताम्रपर्ण्या-
स्तरुणीनामभवत् पुरा यदम्भः ।
तदसृग्भिरुपैति शोणिमानं
निहतानामभितो गवां नृशंसैः ॥

‘The water of the Tāmraparṇī,
which used to run white-yellow
as it washed the sandal paste from young women’s breasts,
has been stained red
with the blood flowing from cows
cruelly slaughtered upon her banks. 7

सुवते न यथापुरं वसूनि
क्षितयो वर्षति पूर्ववन्न शक्रः ।
शमनोऽपि जनं नयत्यकाण्डे
विषयेऽस्मिन् यवनैर्हतावशिष्टम् ॥

‘The fields no longer favour us with rich crops.
Indra sends not showers as he used to.
In this land,
even Death drags people away before their time –
those not yet massacred by the foreigners. 8

श्रुतिरस्तमिता नयः प्रलीनो
विरता धर्मकथा च्युतं चरित्रम् ।
सुकृतं गतमाभिजात्यमस्तं
किमिवान्यत् कलिरेक एव धन्यः ॥

‘The Veda has sunk.
The rule of law has fled.
The very word dharma has disappeared.
Virtue has vanished.
Merit has away flit.
Nobility has faded.
What else is there to say?
Kali alone flourishes.’ 9

इति सा निखिलं निवेद्य राज्ञे
यवनानां जनगर्हितं चरित्रम् ।
अतिभीषणमात्मनः प्रभावात्
कमपि प्रादुरभावयत् कृपाणम् ।।

After thus listing to the King
the Yavanas’ catalogue of crimes
condemned by all,
she¹ produced
with her prodigious powers
a terrifying sword. 10

तमरातिनराधिनाथनारी-
नयनाम्भःकणपातहेतुभूतम् ।
प्रभुरुन्मिषितस्वरोषवह्ने-
रधिकोद्दामममंस्त धूमदण्डम् ॥

To the King,
it was a fearsome column of smoke curling up
from the fire of his flaring anger,
making tears drip from
the lashes of the ladies of lords
who raised against him swords. 11

प्रणयागतचोलपाण्ड्यलक्ष्मी-
श्रवणेन्दीवरमालिकायमानम् ।
विरचय्य पुरः कृपाणमेषा
पुनरप्याह पुरन्दराभमेनम् ॥

This sword was a string of blue lilies adorning the ears
of the tutelary goddesses of the Colas and Pāṇḍyas,
who had turned to Kampa in their love.
Placing it before the doughty king,
daring as Indra, destroyer of cities,
she spoke once again. 12

नरनाथ पुरा कृपाणमेनं
विरचय्याखिलदेवतायुधांशैः ।
उपदीकृतवान् पिनाकपाणे-
र्दनुजानां विजयाय विश्वकर्मा ॥

‘Long ago,
O King of Karṇāṭa,
Viśvakarmā fashioned this sword
with elements from each of the gods’ weapons,
and presented it to Śiva
to defeat the dānavas. 13

अमुमुग्रतपःकृतप्रसादः
प्रददौ पाण्ड्यनृपाय सोऽपि देवः ।
यमुपेत्य चिरेण तस्य वंश्याः
पृथिवीमप्रतिशासनामशासन् ॥

‘Śiva in turn presented it to the Pāṇḍya king,
pleased with the severity of his tapas.
Once in possession of the sword,
his descendants governed the land
with none to gainsay their governance
for many a year. 14

अथ कालवशेन पाण्ड्यवंश्यान्
गतवीर्यानवधार्य कुम्भजन्मा ।
मनुजेश्वर मण्डलाग्रमेनं
भवते प्रेषितवान् महाभुजाय ।।

‘Seeing the Pāṇḍyas’ power disappear over time,
Agastya has now sent this sword to you,
Your Most Mighty Majesty. 15

अमुनाशु विशस्य दक्षिणस्यां
मधुरायां पुरि कंसवन्नृशंसम् ।
यवनाधिपतिं बलोत्तरस्त्वं
विदधीथाः स्फुटमच्युतावतारम् ॥

‘With this sword straightaway eliminate
the Yavana potentate –
cruel as Kaṃsa –
in the Madhurā of the South,
accompanied by your valour,
as Kṛṣṇa was by Balarāma.
Let the world know you
as the incarnation of the god himself!’² 16