रुरुरुवाच मम प्राणसमाभार्या दष्टासीद्भुजगेन ह। तत्र मे समयो घोर आत्मनोरग वै कृतः॥
Ruru said : My wife, who was as dear to me as my life, was bitten by a snake; on which I took, O snake, a fearful vow;
भुजंगं वै सदा हन्यां यं यं पश्येयमित्युत। ततोऽहं त्वां जिघांसामि जीवितेनाद्य मोक्ष्यसे॥
Namely that I would kill every snake that I might meet with. Therefore I shall strike you and you shall be deprived of your life.
डुण्डुभ उवाच अन्ये ते भुजगा ब्रह्मन् ये दशन्तीह मानवान्। डुण्डुभानहिगन्धेन न त्वं हिंसितुमर्हसि॥
The Dundubha said: O Brahmana, there are other snakes which bite man. The Dundubhas are only snakes in name. Therefore, you should not kill the Dundubhas.
एकानर्थान्पृथगर्थानेकदुःखान्पृथक्सुखान्। डुण्डुभान्धर्मविद्भूत्वा न त्वं हिंसितुमर्हसि॥
Subject to the same calamity but not sharing the same good fortune, being same in woe, but different in joy, you should not kill the Dundubhas, being a knower of right and wrong.
सौतिरुवाच इति श्रुत्वा वचस्तस्य भुजगस्य रुरुस्तदा। नावधीद्भयसंविग्नमृर्षि मत्वाऽथ डुण्डुभम्॥
Sauti said: Hearing those words of the snake and seeing that the snake was really of the Dundubha kind and that it was terribly frightened. Ruru did not kill it, thinking that it is a Rishi.
उवाच चैनं भगवान् रुरुः संशमयन्निव। कामं मां भुजग ब्रूहि कोऽसीमां विक्रियां गतः॥
Then Ruru, the possessor of six attributes, cheering up the snake, said to it, “Who are you, tell me, O snake, that have been thus metamorphosed?”
डुण्डुभ उवाच अहं पुरा रुरो नाम्ना ऋषिरासं सहस्रपात्। सोऽहं शापेन विप्रस्य भुजगत्वमुपागतः। :॥
The Dundubha said: O Ruru, I was formerly a Rishi, named Shahasrapat. It is by the curse of a Brahmana that I have become a snake.
रुरुरुवाच किमर्थं शप्तवान्क्रुद्धो द्विजस्त्वां भुजगोत्तम। कियन्तं चैव कालं ते वपुरेतद्भविष्यति॥
Ruru said : O best of snakes, why were you cursed by an angry Brahmana? And how long will your this body continue?