किं वा अरे आचरितं तपस्तपस्विन्यानया यदियमवनि: सविनयकृष्णसारतनयतनुतरसुभगशिवतमाखरखुरपदपङ्क्तिभिर्द्रविणविधुरातुरस्य कृपणस्य मम द्रविणपदवीं सूचयन्त्यात्मानं च सर्वत: कृतकौतुकं द्विजानां स्वर्गापवर्गकामानां देवयजनं करोति ॥ २३ ॥
kim va are acaritam tapas tapasvinyanaya yad iyam avanih savinaya-krsna-sara-tanaya-tanutara-subhaga-sivatamakhara-khura-pada-panktibhir dravina-vidhuraturasya krpanasya mama dravina-padavim sucayanty atmanam ca sarvatah krta-kautukam dvijanam svargapavarga-kamanam deva-yajanam karoti.
- kim va
- what
- are
- oh
- acaritam
- practiced
- tapah
- penance
- tapasvinya
- by the most fortunate
- anaya
- this planet earth
- yat
- since
- iyam
- this
- avanih
- earth
- sa-vinaya
- very mild and well-behaved
- krsna-sara-tanaya
- of the calf of the black deer
- tanutara
- small
- subhaga
- beautiful
- siva-tama
- most auspicious
- akhara
- soft
- khura
- of the hooves
- pada-panktibhih
- by the series of the marks
- dravina-vidhura-aturasya
- who is very aggrieved because of loss of wealth
- krpanasya
- a most unhappy creature
- mama
- for me
- dravina-padavim
- the way to achieve that wealth
- sucayanti
- indicating
- atmanam
- her own personal body
- ca
- and
- sarvatah
- on all sides
- krta-kautukam
- ornamented
- dvijanam
- of the brahmanas
- svarga-apavarga-kamanam
- who are desirous of achieving heavenly planets or liberation
- deva-yajanam
- a place of sacrifice to the demigods
- karoti
- it makes
After speaking like a madman in this way, Maharaja Bharata got up and went outside. Seeing the footprints of the deer on the ground, he praised the footprints out of love, saying: O unfortunate Bharata, your austerities and penances are very insignificant compared to the penance and austerity undergone by this earth plane. Due to the earth’s severe penances, the footprints of this deer, which are small, beautiful, most auspicious and soft, are imprinted on the surface of this fortunate plane. This series of footprints show a person like me, who am bereaved due to loss of the deer, how the animal has passed through the forest and how I can regain my lost wealth. By these footprints, this land has become a proper place for brahmanas who desire heavenly planes or liberation to execute sacrifices to the demigods.