SánscritoIASTSignificado
यद् वाचा अभिधत्से तत् दुःखेन मृषाyad vācā abhidhatse tat duḥkhena mṛṣāwhat you say in your words, Ruru, is spoken falsely out of grief
न मर्त्यस्य गत-आयुषः आयुः अस्तिna martyasya gata-āyuṣaḥ āyuḥ astifor a mortal whose lifespan has run out, there is no more life
गत-आयुः एषा गन्धर्व-अप्सरसोः सुताgata-āyuḥ eṣā gandharva-apsarasoḥ sutāthe lifespan of this daughter of a gandharva and an apsara has run out
शोके मनः मा कृथाःśoke manaḥ mā kṛthāḥdo not give your heart to grief
उपायः अत्र विहितः देवैः महात्मभिःupāyaḥ atra vihitaḥ devaiḥ mahātmabhiḥbut there is a means for this, established of old by the great gods
तं यदि कर्तुं इच्छसि प्राप्स्यसि इमां प्रमद्वराम्taṃ yadi kartuṃ icchasi prāpsyasi imāṃ pramadvarāmif you agree to carry it out, you will regain this Pramadvara
कः उपायः कृतः देवैः ब्रूहि तत्त्वेनkaḥ upāyaḥ kṛtaḥ devaiḥ brūhi tattvenawhat means have the gods established? tell me truly
त्रातुम् अर्हसि माम्trātum arhasi māmyou must save me
आयुषः अर्धं प्रयच्छस्व कन्यायैāyuṣaḥ ardhaṃ prayacchasva kanyāyaigive half of your own lifespan to the maiden
एवम् उत्थास्यति तव भार्या प्रमद्वराevam utthāsyati tava bhāryā pramadvarāthus your wife Pramadvara will rise
आयुषः अर्धं प्रयच्छामि कन्यायैāyuṣaḥ ardhaṃ prayacchāmi kanyāyaiI give half of my lifespan to the maiden
उत्तिष्ठतु मम प्रियाuttiṣṭhatu mama priyāmay my beloved rise
देवदूतdevadūtabase form "devadūta", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
हhabase form "ha", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
रुरोrurobase form "ruro", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
तन्tanbase form "tan", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
तुtubase form "tu", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
धर्मात्मन्न्dharmātmannbase form "dharmātmann", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
आयुर्āyurbase form "āyur", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
गतायुषःgatāyuṣaḥbase form "gatāyuṣaḥ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
गतायुर्gatāyurbase form "gatāyur", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
कृपणाkṛpaṇābase form "kṛpaṇā", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
गन्धर्वाप्सरसोःgandharvāpsarasoḥbase form "gandharvāpsarasoḥ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
तस्माच्tasmācbase form "tasmāc", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
छोकेchokebase form "choke", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
मनस्manasbase form "manas", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
तातtātabase form "tāta", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
कृथास्kṛthāsbase form "kṛthās", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
त्वंtvaṃbase form "tvaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
कथंkathaṃbase form "kathaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
चनcanabase form "cana", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
उपायश्upāyaśbase form "upāyaś", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
चात्रcātrabase form "cātra", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
पूर्वंpūrvaṃbase form "pūrvaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
देवैर्devairbase form "devair", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
यदीच्छसिyadīcchasibase form "yadīcchasi", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
त्वंtvaṃbase form "tvaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
प्राप्स्यसीमांprāpsyasīmāṃbase form "prāpsyasīmāṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
रुरुर्rururbase form "rurur", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
कkabase form "ka", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
कृतोkṛtobase form "kṛto", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
देवैर्devairbase form "devair", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
खेचरkhecarabase form "khecara", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
करिष्येkariṣyebase form "kariṣye", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
तंtaṃbase form "taṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
तथाtathābase form "tathā", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
श्रुत्वाśrutvābase form "śrutvā", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
अर्हतिarhatibase form "arhati", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
मांmāṃbase form "māṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
भवान्bhavānbase form "bhavān", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
देवदूतdevadūtabase form "devadūta", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
आयुषोāyuṣobase form "āyuṣo", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
ऽर्धं'rdhaṃbase form "'rdhaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
भृगुनन्दनbhṛgunandanabase form "bhṛgunandana", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
रुरोrurobase form "ruro", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
रुरुर्rururbase form "rurur", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
आयुषोāyuṣobase form "āyuṣo", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
ऽर्धं'rdhaṃbase form "'rdhaṃ", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
खेचरोत्तमkhecarottamabase form "khecarottama", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
शृङ्गाररूपाभरणाśṛṅgārarūpābharaṇābase form "śṛṅgārarūpābharaṇā", added for full coverage of the word-by-word segment
Here love free of calculation shows itself: without hesitation Ruru gives up half of his own life to bring his beloved back. This is the summit of self-sacrifice -- to give not gold, not years of leisure, but life itself, half of it. The divine messenger first teaches him the sober truth: death cannot be undone, a lifespan once spent has no return -- a lesson in the inexorability of time (kala). But then he reveals the "means of the gods": the offering of one's own vital force. Scripture thus teaches that what is great is gained only at great cost, and that true love is measured by readiness for sacrifice. This is a foreshadowing of something higher: the soul attains eternal life and union [with the beloved] only through complete self-surrender (atma-nivedana) -- giving oneself entirely. Ruru gives half his life to his wife; the devotee gives his whole life to the Lord -- and gains life eternal. Ruru's readiness, instant and unconditional, reveals a purity of love in which there is no room for bargaining or doubt.