Suratha Meets Samadhi

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Suratha Meets Samadhi

असम्यग्व्ययशीलैस्तैः कुर्वद्भिः सततं व्ययम्
सञ्चितः सोऽतिदुःखेन क्षयं कोशो गमिष्यति
एतच्चान्यच्च सततं चिन्तयामास पार्थिवः

They are all spendthrifts (असम्यग्व्ययशीलाः), don’t know how to spend money judiciously, they just keep on spending money (सततं व्ययम्). Don’t know what they will do to my treasury (कोश means treasury, the wealth of the kingdom) that I have created with great effort (सञ्चितः सोऽतिदुःखेन). All these kinds of thoughts came to King Suratha’s mind.

तत्र विप्राश्रमाभ्याशे वैश्यमेकं ददर्श सः
सपृष्टस्तेन कस्त्वं भोः हेतुश्चागमनेत्रकः

There, one day he saw a trader near the ashrama (आश्रमाभ्याशे). The king asked him, 'Who are you (कस्त्वं भोः)? Why have you come to this place? What is the (हेतु) reason for your coming here?'

सशोक इव कस्मात्त्वं दुर्मना इव लक्ष्यसे
इत्याकर्ण्य वचस्तस्य भूपतेः प्रणयोदितम्
प्रत्युवाच स तं वैश्यः प्रश्रयावनतो नृपम्

'You are looking sad and troubled (सशोकः and दुर्मना), what is wrong?' Hearing these kind words of the king (प्रणयोदितं वचः), the trader replied politely (प्रश्रयावनतः). The king asked him with kindness, and the trader replied politely.

वैश्य उवाच
समधिर्नाम वैश्योऽहं उत्पन्नो धनिनां कुले
पुत्रदारैर्निरस्तश्च धनलोभादसाधुभिः

'My name is Samadhi. I belong to a wealthy family (धनिनां कुले), but my wife and children have become greedy, they are असाधु and have धनलोभ (greed), and they have thrown me out (निरस्तः).

विहीनः स्वजनैर्दारैः पुत्रैरादाय मे धनम्
वनमभ्यागतो दुःखी निरस्तश्चाप्तबन्धुभिः

All my money has been taken away by my sons (पुत्रैरादाय मे धनम्). They have taken away all my money and thrown me out. Since I don’t have money anymore, everyone has left me—my friends, relatives—nobody wants to associate with me anymore (आप्तबन्धुभिश्च निरस्तः). Thus, I have come to this forest (वनमभ्यागतः).'

सोऽहं न वेद्मि पुत्राणां कुशलाकुशलात्मिकाम्
प्रवृत्तिं स्वजनानां च दाराणां चात्र संस्थितः
किन्नु तेषां गृहे क्षेममक्षेमं किन्नु साम्प्रतम्
कथं ते किन्नु सद्वृत्ताः दुर्वृत्ताः किन्नु मे सुताः

'But since I am here, I don’t know anything about them—their कुशल, अकुशल, क्षेम, अक्षेम—nothing. Are my sons behaving properly? Are they सद्वृत्ताः or दुर्वृत्ताः? I am worried.'

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi