Harivamsha 109

English (machine translation) 109

Language: English

109.1

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: / Then in Aniruddha's house, all the women wept, / not seeing their dear lord, like Kiṃnara women in throngs:

109.2

'Alas, what is this in the world, while Lord Kṛṣṇa is present, / that we weep, terrified and bewildered by fear, like unprotected women?

109.3

Taking shelter in the shadow of whose arms the gods, headed by Indra, / along with the Ādityas and the host of the Maruts, dwell in heaven,

108.4_2

to him, who dispels fear in the world, this great fear has arisen— / whose heroic grandson Aniruddha has been carried off by someone!

109.5

Alas, there is surely no fear in the world for that most wicked-minded one / who inflames the unbearable wrath of Vāsudeva!

One who rolls on the tip of the fangs of gaping-mouthed Death, / or of a furious lion killing the best of elephants, / thirsty to drink blood, baring his fangs and biting— / such an enemy, out of delusion, would advance against Vāsudeva in battle!

109.7

Having done such an unpleasant act to the bull of the Yadus, / how could even Śatakratu in person escape alive?

109.8

He who committed the transgression is not to be pitied; but we today, deprived, / separated from our lord, have been brought under the power of Death!'

109.9

Thus weeping and lamenting again and again, / the excellent women shed inauspicious tears from their eyes.

109.10

Their eyes, brimming with tears, shone / like lotuses inundated with water at the arrival of the rains.

109.11

Their fair, radiant eyelashes / shone as if their eyes were bathed in blood.

109.12

From those women standing on the roof of the palace, a great cry quickly arose, / like that of thousands of female ospreys crying in the sky.

109.13

Hearing that terrible sound and the unprecedented fear that had arrived, / the bulls among men suddenly rushed out into the air from their houses:

109.14

'Why is this very great uproar heard from Aniruddha's house? / Protected by Kṛṣṇa, whence has fear come to us?'

109.15

Thus they spoke to one another, faltering and choked with affection, / like provoked lions rushing forth from their caves.

109.16

Then Kṛṣṇa's war-drum was struck in the assembly hall; / at its sound, they all gathered and stood in the assembly.

109.17

'What is this?' the Yādavas asked one another; / and they all properly made known [what they knew] to one another.

109.18

Then, their eyes filled with tears and reddened with anger, / the Yādavas, impassioned for war, stood sighing.

109.19

When all had fallen silent, Vipṛthu spoke a word— / knowledgeable in policy, speaking what was beneficial, doing what was pleasing to the Yādavas— / to Kṛṣṇa, the best of warriors, who was sighing again and again.

109.20

"Why are you thus overcome by anxiety here, lord of men? / All the Yādavas rely on the strength and breath of your arms; / relying on you, Kṛṣṇa, they are sustained in every way.

109.21

Likewise Śakra, slayer of Bala, having placed victory and defeat in your hands, / sleeps happily and free of care; how is it that you are full of anxiety?

109.22

All your kinsmen have sunk into an insurmountable ocean of grief; / you alone, mighty-armed one, must lift them up as they drown.

109.23

Why do you say nothing at all, thus seized by anxiety? / It is not right for you to grieve in vain, O god, O Mādhava."

109.24

Thus addressed, Kṛṣṇa, sighing for a long time again, / who knew how to speak, delivered his words like Bṛhaspati himself:

109.25

"O Vipṛthu, I am overcome with anxiety, pondering this matter; / yet as I ponder, I find no course for this matter; / although you have spoken to me, I have offered no answer anywhere.

109.26

Today, in the midst of the assembly of Dāśārhas, I shall speak words full of meaning; / hear, all you Yādavas, why I am indeed filled with anxiety.

109.27

Now that the heroic Aniruddha has been carried off, all the kings of the earth / consider all of us, together with our kinsmen, to be powerless.

109.28

Formerly our king Āhuka was carried off by Sālva, / and was then brought back by us after fighting a most terrible battle.

9.29_2

And Pradyumna too, the son of Rukmiṇī, was carried off in his childhood by Śambara; / having slain him in battle, he returned.

109.30

But this is a very great calamity: where has the son of Pradyumna been taken? / I do not recall an outrage of such a kind, O best of men!

109.31

Who has brought down upon my head a foot smeared with ashes? / Who has forcefully blinded my eye that is difficult to impair? / Or what foolish mind would truly steal the jewel from my crown? / Or who, disregarding irresistible strength, has stood before me? / Who does not recall the bow of Śini's descendant, O lord? / I will take his life in battle, along with his followers!"

109.32

When this was spoken by Kṛṣṇa, Sātyaki said these words: / "Kṛṣṇa, let spies be dispatched in search of Aniruddha.

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Let them search this earth together with its mountains and forest regions.

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He may mostly be found right here, if he was carried off by someone.

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Once it is known, I will take the countermeasures that are appropriate thereafter."

109.33

Then Kṛṣṇa, smiling, spoke these words to Āhuka: / "O king, let internal and external spies be dispatched."

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Vaiśaṃpāyana said: / Hearing Keśava's words, Āhuka quickly spoke.

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He then commanded spies to search for Aniruddha:

109.34

Then the spies were commanded by the glorious king: / "Search within and without, on every side!

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Horses and chariots were dispatched by the great-souled king:

109.35

"Search Veṇumant, Latāveṣṭa, Mount Raivataka, / and Mount Ṛkṣavant swiftly on horses!

109.36

Every single garden there must be searched on all sides, / and you must go unhindered through the gardens everywhere.

109.37

Mounting thousands of horses and chariots in great numbers, / all of you search quickly for the joy of the Yadus!"

109.38

General Anādhṛṣṭi addressed these words / to Kṛṣṇa, unwearied in action, the imperishable Acyuta, as though terrified:

109.39

"Hear my words, Kṛṣṇa, if it pleases you, O lord; / for a long time the desire has arisen in me to speak to you.

109.40

Asiloman and Puloman, and Nisunda and Naraka were slain; / the Saubha and Sālva were destroyed, as were Mainda and Dvivida; / and the mighty Hayagrīva along with his followers was slain by you.

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Kaṃsa was killed, Kṛṣṇa, and Naraka was struck down;

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and many other troops there, by hundreds of thousands.

109.41

In such terrible conflict that took place for the sake of the gods, / you completely accomplished all these deeds in battle after battle, / O Govinda, and you have no enemy at your rear.

109.42

A deed with lasting consequences was done by you in battle, Kṛṣṇa, / when that difficult deed was performed at the taking of the Pārijāta.

109.43

There Śakra, mounted on the head of Airāvata, / was defeated by the strength of your arms, though he is himself skilled in battle.

109.44

Because of that, he must harbor enmity toward you, there is no doubt; / in this matter a great consequence must be wrought by him against you.

109.45

Therefore the abduction of Aniruddha was carried out by Maghavan himself; / for no one else would have the power to take revenge for enmity."

109.46

When these words had been spoken, the wise Kṛṣṇa, hissing like a serpent, / addressed these words to the mighty Anādhṛṣṭi:

109.47

"O commander, dear friend, not so, not so! The gods do not commit petty deeds; / they are neither ungrateful, nor impotent, nor haughty, nor childish.

109.48

My great effort in destroying the Dānavas is for the sake of the gods, / and for their pleasure I slay arrogant great asuras in battle.

109.49

I am devoted to them, my mind is fixed on them, I am loyal to them, delighted in pleasing them; / knowing me to be of such a nature, how could they commit an evil deed?

109.50

They are noble, truthful, and ever devoted to their devotees; / no evil is to be suspected in them; you speak like a fool.

109.50x1269-1

Perhaps Aniruddha has been carried off by an unchaste woman here;

109.50x1269-2

such an act is never found among the gods, together with Mahendra."

109.50x1269-3

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: / As Kṛṣṇa of wonderful deeds was thus pondering,

109.50x1270

"Such evil must not be spoken by one like you, O best of Yadus!"

109.51

Hearing Kṛṣṇa's words, Akrūra then spoke these words, / charming with smooth speech, skilled in meaningful discourse:

109.52

"Whatever is the concern of Lord Śakra is surely ours; / and whatever is our concern is also the concern of the lord of Śacī.

109.53

We are to be protected by the gods, and the gods by us; / and for the sake of the gods we have taken on human form.

109.53x1271

Viṣṇu, slayer of Madhu, is the heroic, eternal God of gods."

109.54

Prompted thus by Akrūra's words, the Supreme Person, / Kṛṣṇa, spoke again in an affectionate, deep voice:

109.55

"He was not carried off by the gods, nor by gandharvas, nor by yakṣas, nor by rākṣasas; / the son of Pradyumna was abducted by an unchaste woman."

109.56

Wicked women, the females of the Daityas and Dānavas, are skilled in sorcery; / he was carried off by them, without doubt; there is no danger from anywhere else."

109.57

When these words were spoken by the high-souled Kṛṣṇa, / then, having understood in truth what had occurred in the Yadus' territory, / a great roar of bards, panegyrists, and heralds arose, praising Kṛṣṇa; / and that sweet sound, delighting everyone, / was heard in the dwelling of Mādhava.

109.58

All those spies arrived from all sides at the hall's entrance, / and in a slow, choked voice they spoke these words:

109.59

"Gardens, crags, mountains, caves, rivers, and lakes / have each been searched hundreds of times, O king, yet he is nowhere to be seen."

109.59x1273-1

Then other spies approached Kṛṣṇa, O king, and said:

109.59x1273-2

"All regions are known to us, yet the son of Pradyumna is not seen.

109.59x1274

Even those of calm minds—how could they let us pass [time]?

109.60

Whatever other arrangement must be made, O delight of the Yadus, / command that to us quickly for searching out Aniruddha."

109.61

Then, their minds distressed and their eyes clouded with tears, / they spoke to one another: "What next is to be done?"

109.62

Some bit their lips, some had eyes troubled by tears, / and some heroic men pondered, fixing their brows in a frown.

109.62x1275

As they were thus brooding and discussing many matters,

109.62x1276

a great commotion arose: "Where has Aniruddha gone?"

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The Yādavas, filled with rage, looked at one another.

109.62x1277-2

Dejected, they somehow passed that night,

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saying again and again: "Aniruddha has been carried off!", O tamer of foes.

109.62x1277-4

And while they were speaking thus, the night broke into dawn.

109.63

Then, with the sounds of trumpets and the great blasts of conches, / the awakening of the mighty-armed Kṛṣṇa was performed in his palace.

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Kṛṣṇa too, the lord of the gods of gods, stood as if bewildered as to what must be done:

109.63x1278-2

"What should be done by me? Whence indeed has this danger come?

109.63x1278-3

Exerting myself in every way, I will strive for the task that lies ahead.

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I will go to the end of the directions, to the ocean, the abode of Varuṇa.

109.63x1278-5

Wherever that grandson of mine stays, there indeed I will go today.

109.63x1278-6

Which direction shall I go first? From whom could the whole matter be heard?

109.63x1278-7

If someone should know, then it would be well done."

109.64

Then, in the clear morning when the sun had appeared, / Nārada entered the assembly hall alone, smiling as it were,

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seeing all the Yādavas gathered together with Kṛṣṇa.

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Then he honoured Mādhava with cries of "Victory!"

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And Ugrasena and the others honoured that seer in return.

109.65

Then rising up, though troubled in mind, Kṛṣṇa, unconquerable in battle, / the lord gave the honey-mixture and a cow to Nārada.

109.66

Seated on a splendid seat covered with precious rugs, / sitting upright according to proper conduct, he spoke these meaningful words:

109.67

"Why are you all overcome with worry, veiled in darkness without attachment, / like impotent men bereft of sense because your energy is destroyed?

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A great wonder [occurred] on the past day, O Yādava heroes!"

109.68

When these words had been spoken by the high-souled Nārada, / Vāsudeva spoke this sentence: "O venerable one, hear this:

109.69

Aniruddha was carried off at night by someone, O brahmin of noble vows! / For his sake, all of us have our minds overwhelmed with worry.

109.69x1282-1

If this account has been heard or seen by you, O sage,

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tell it plainly, O venerable one; this would be dear to me, O sinless one."

109.70

When these words were spoken by the high-souled Keśava, / Nārada laughed and said: "Listen, O slayer of Madhu!

109.71

A very great battle has occurred, attended by great heroes, / between Aniruddha alone and Bāṇa in a mighty combat.

109.72

That Bāṇa of unequalled splendour has a daughter named Uṣā; / for her sake, the apsaras Citralekhā quickly carried him off.

109.73

A great, exceedingly terrible battle took place there between the two, / between the son of Pradyumna and Bāṇa, like that of Bali and Vāsava.

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And that very great, wonderful battle was witnessed by us.

109.74

Out of fear of that Aniruddha of great strength who never retreats in battles, / Bāṇa resorted to sorcery and bound him with serpents,

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after he had slain hordes of Dānavas by hundreds and by tens of millions.

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Such a battle of the son of Pradyumna was seen by me, O Viṣṇu.

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His slaying was commanded by Bāṇa, O you whose emblem is Garuḍa;

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his minister named Kumbhāṇḍa prevented him.

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Because he was unable [to defeat] prince Aniruddha in combat,

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Bāṇa resorted to sorcery and made a binding with serpents.

109.75

Arise quickly for fame and victory! / This is not the time to protect one's life, dear friend, for those who seek victory.

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With his life nearly departed, the hero stands clinging to courage."

109.76

When these words were spoken, the powerful, heroic Vāsudeva / gave orders for the provisions of the march.

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And then the recitation of auspicious day-blessings was heard, uttered by brahmins.

109.77

Then, being showered on all sides with sandalwood powder and parched grain, / that mighty-armed Janārdana set forth.

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The lord of the world wished to go to slay Bāṇa, the great asura.

109.78

Nārada said: / "You ought to call to mind the son of Vinatā, O Kṛṣṇa, / for that road cannot be traversed by any other, O mighty-armed one.

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And hear of that road which must be traversed, exceedingly hard to conquer:

109.79

It is eleven thousand yojanas from here, O Janārdana, / to Śoṇitapura, where the son of Pradyumna is now.

109.80

The son of Vinatā has the speed of thought, great prowess, and majesty; / summon him, O Govinda, for he will take you there; / in a single moment, he will bring Bāṇa into your sight."

109.81

Hearing his words, Hari meditated upon Garuḍa. / Coming to Kṛṣṇa's side, he stood there with joy—

109.82

having black hair, dark-blue, victorious, and dark in complexion, / with four tusks, four arms, knower of the four Vedas and their six limbs.

109.83

He bore the Śrīvatsa mark, was lotus-eyed, with upward-pointing body hair and soft skin, / having symmetrical fingers and nails, and red spaces between his fingers and nails.

109.84

With a smooth, deep voice, rounded and mighty arms, / arms reaching to his knees, a lion-like face, lion-like build, ever young, / he shines blazing like a thousand suns.

109.85

He, the lord, shines as the Inner Self of all beings, the creator of beings, the sovereign, / to whom the pleased Prajāpati gave eightfold supremacy.

109.86

He is the eternal [lord] of the Prajāpatis, the Sādhyas, and the thirty gods, / praised with all eulogies by heralds, bards, and panegyrists, / and by fortunate seers versed in the Vedas and Vedāṅgas.

109.87

Then, having ordered arrangements in Dvārakā, / and having placed them with Sātyaki, saying, “Let Dvārakā be guarded,” / the majestic Vāsudeva resolved to depart.

109.88

The god mounted Garuḍa, and behind him Halāyudha, / and behind Bala too Pradyumna, the tormentor of foes.

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Then were heard the words of the heralds, bards, and panegyrists:

109.89

“Conquer Bāṇa, O mighty-armed one, and those who are his followers in battle! / For no one can stand before you in great combat.

109.90

In your favor is enduring fortune, and victory is in your prowess; / you will conquer the enemy in battle, the king of Daityas with his army!”

109.91

Hearing the words of the hosts of Siddhas, Cāraṇas, and great seers on every side, / Keśava, standing in the mid-air, set out to battle.

Linked texts (1)

Harivaṃśa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit