bhikṣū bhagavantam āhansuḥ || kathaṃ bhagavaṃ māro pāpīmāṃ bhagavato duṣkaraṃ carantasya pṛṣṭhimena pṛṣṭhimaṃ samanubaddho avatārārthī avatāraṃ gaveṣī alabhamāno nirvidya pratyavakrānto || bhagavān āha || anyadāpi mama eṣo pṛṣṭhimena pṛṣṭhimaṃ samanubaddho avatārārthī avatāraṃ gaveṣī alabhanto avatāraṃ nirvidya pratyavakrānto || bhikṣū bhagavantam āhansuḥ || anyadāpi bhagavan* || bhagavān āha || anyadāpi bhikṣavo ||

bhūtapūrvaṃ bhikṣavaḥ atītam adhvānaṃ ṛṣabho gavāṃpatiḥ gogaṇasamanubaddho || tasya dāni vṛṣabhasya vṛṣaṇā laṃbā śithilā ca so vṛṣabho laṃbitehi vṛṣaṇehi gogaṇasya pṛṣṭhimena pṛṣṭhimaṃ aṇvati || tahiṃ ca araṇyāyatane giriko nāma śṛgālaḥ prativasati || tena so vṛṣabho dṛṣṭo gogaṇena sārdhaṃ aṇvanto lambehi vṛṣaṇehi || so tasya pṛṣṭhimena pṛṣṭhimaṃ bahūni varṣāṇi samanubaddho || tasya aparo śṛgālo vayasyo | tena so giriko dṛṣṭo tasya vṛṣabhasya pṛṣṭhimena pṛṣṭhimaṃ samanubaddho dṛṣṭvā ca punas taṃ girikaṃ gāthāye adhyabhāṣati ||

kati varṣāṇi girika anubaddho si gavāṃpatiṃ |
muhur muhuś ca trasasi bhītabhītaṃ ca paśyasi ||

ime sthūlā ca lambā ca sunibaddhā śithilā cime |
imā na pi patiṣyanti tato ’bhakṣo bhaviṣyasi ||

mayāpi samanubaddho daśa varṣāṇi paṃca ca |
śithilā va subaddhā ca nāsti sānaṃ patatāṃ bhayaṃ ||

bhagavān āha || syāt khalu punar bhikṣavo yuṣmākam evam asyād anyaḥ sa tena kālena tena samayena vṛṣabho abhūt* || so haṃ vṛṣabho ’bhūṣī || yaḥ giriko nāma śṛgālo ’yam eva māro abhūṣi || tadāpi avatārārthī avatāram alabhanto nirvidyāpakrāntaḥ ||

samāptaṃ vṛṣabhajātakaṃ ||