Harivamsha 103

English (machine translation) 103

Language: English

103.1

Arjuna said: / Then, having passed beyond networks of mountains, rivers, and lakes, / I saw the ocean, the abode of sea monsters.

103.2

Then the ocean in visible form presented guest-water to Janārdana; / standing before him with joined palms, he said: 'What shall I do?'

103.3

Accepting that worship, however, Janārdana said to him: / 'I desire a chariot road to be granted, O lord of rivers and streams.'

103.4

Then the ocean, with joined palms, said to the one whose emblem is Garuḍa: / 'Be gracious, O Lord! Do not [do] so; another too will pass in this way.

103.5

By you yourself I was formerly established as fathomless, O Janārdana; / if made fordable by you, I shall become passable to travel.

103.6

Other kings too, deluded by pride, will pass across in this way. / Having considered this, O Govinda, do what is fitting.'

103.7

Vāsudeva said: / 'For the sake of the brahmin and for my sake, O Ocean, carry out my word. / Except for me, no other man will violate you.'

103.8

Then the ocean spoke once more to Janārdana, / frightened by the fear of a curse: 'So be it, indeed!

103.9

I shall dry up this path for you, by which you shall go, dear friend, / with your chariot, with your charioteer, and with your banner, O Keśava.'

103.10

Vāsudeva said: / 'A boon was granted to you by me formerly; you should not suffer drying up here, / lest mortals should discover your various heaps of jewels.

103.11

Congeal your water, O good one; then I, mounted on my chariot, will proceed. / For no man will know the measure of your jewels.'

103.12

When the ocean said, 'So be it,' we set forth indeed across the water / that had been congealed as though on dry ground, radiant with the hue of gems.

103.13

Then, crossing the ocean, we also crossed beyond the Northern Kurus / in a moment, as well as the Gandhamādana [mountain].

103.14

Then seven mountains presented themselves before Keśava: / Jayanta, Vaijayanta, Nīla, Rajataparvata,

103.15

Mahāmeru together with Kailāsa, and the one named Indrakūṭa, / bearing various and wondrous colors and forms.

103.16

And having approached Govinda, they said then: 'What shall we do?' / And Madhusūdana received them in accordance with proper custom.

103.17

Hṛṣīkeśa spoke to them as they stood bent down in salutation: / 'Let a passage, a path for the chariot, be granted today to me as I go.'

103.18

Hearing the words of Kṛṣṇa and assenting to them, the mountains / willingly gave a path to him as he went, O bull of the Bharatas.

103.19

And they disappeared right there; that was a greater wonder to me. / And unhindered the chariot moved, like the sun through masses of clouds.

103.19x1128-1

Across the seven continents with their oceans, and the seven mountains each,

103.19x1128-2

having thus crossed beyond the Lokāloka [range], he entered a very great darkness.

103.20

Then at one point the horses bore the chariot with difficulty, / for the darkness, turned to mud, could be felt by touch, O sinless one.

103.21

Then that darkness became like a mountain; / the horses could not proceed, and then I was overcome with confusion. / Reaching that, O king, the horses then stood motionless.

103.22

Then Govinda, cleaving that darkness with his discus, / revealed the sky, an excellent chariot path.

103.23

Emerging from that darkness when the sky was revealed then, / my consciousness returned that I would survive, and my fear departed.

103.24

Then I saw a blazing radiance, O best of speakers, / which pervaded all the worlds and stood having the form of Puruṣa.

103.25

Hṛṣīkeśa then entered into that blazing treasure of radiance, / while I and that best of brahmins remained on the chariot itself.

103.26

After a moment, the lord Kṛṣṇa then came out, / taking the four boys, the sons of the brahmin.

103.27

Janārdana then gave all the sons to the brahmin— / the three who were stolen earlier and the newly-born child.

103.28

The brahmin was overjoyed, O dear one, seeing his sons again, O lord; / and I was filled with supreme joy and was amazed, O king.

103.29

Then all of us, together with those sons of the brahmin, / returned just as we had come, O bull of the Bharatas.

103.30

Then we reached Dvārakā in a moment, O best of kings, / before half the day had passed, and then I was amazed once more.

103.31

Having fed that twice-born together with his sons, Kṛṣṇa of great renown, / and having gratified him with wealth, sent him off to his home.

Linked texts (1)

Harivaṃśa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit