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सः मेरुकूटात् आत्मानं मुमोच भगवान् ऋषिःsaḥ merukūṭāt ātmānaṃ mumoca bhagavān ṛṣiḥthe blessed sage cast himself down from the peak of Meru,
शिरः तस्य शिलायां च तूलराशौ इव अपतत्śiraḥ tasya śilāyāṃ ca tūlarāśau iva apatatand his head fell upon the rock, as upon a heap of cotton;
न ममार च पातेन सः यदा तेन पाण्डवna mamāra ca pātena saḥ yadā tena pāṇḍavawhen he did not die from that fall, O Pandava,
तदा अग्निम् इद्ध्वा भगवान् संविवेश महावनेtadā agnim iddhvā bhagavān saṃviveśa mahāvanethen, having kindled a fire, the blessed one entered it in the great forest;
तं तदा सुसमिद्धः अपि न ददाह हुताशनःtaṃ tadā susamiddhaḥ api na dadāha hutāśanaḥbut even well kindled, the fire did not burn him;
दीप्यमानः अपि अमित्रघ्न शीतः अग्निः अभवत् ततःdīpyamānaḥ api amitraghna śītaḥ agniḥ abhavat tataḥand, though blazing, O slayer of foes, the fire became cold to him;
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मेरुकूटाद्merukūṭādoriginal form "merukūṭād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शिरस्śirasoriginal form "śiras", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तूलराशाव्tūlarāśāvoriginal form "tūlarāśāv", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इवापतत्ivāpatatoriginal form "ivāpatat", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सsaoriginal form "sa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तदाग्निम्tadāgnimoriginal form "tadāgnim", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सुसमिद्धोsusamiddhooriginal form "susamiddho", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽपि'pioriginal form "'pi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दीप्यमानोdīpyamānooriginal form "dīpyamāno", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽप्य्'pyoriginal form "'py", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शीतोśītooriginal form "śīto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽग्निर्'gniroriginal form "'gnir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here even the elements refuse to take the saint's life. It is telling that neither rock nor fire destroys Vasishtha: the rock is as cotton, the fire is cold; death does not come until the appointed hour has arrived. Here is shown, first, the futility of suicide: flight from life does not free one from grief, and the hour of death is not within a man's power; and second, that the life of the saint is protected from on high. So the scripture shows that one may not willfully lay down one's life, but must bear sorrow rather than flee it through death; and Vasishtha's failure teaches that what is foreordained cannot be escaped.