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Harivamsha 45

English (machine translation) 45

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English

Contents

45.1

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: / Having heard the words of Nārada, the slayer of Madhu, / the choicest, sovereign Lord, replied with auspicious words, smiling:

45.2

'What you say to me for the welfare of the three worlds, O Nārada, / hear the fitting reply to that well-directed speech.

45.3

I already know these Dānavas born as embodied beings on earth, / whatever body each Daitya assumes to foster his physical form.

45.4

I know that Kaṃsa has been born on earth as the son of Ugrasena; / I also know the Daitya Keśin in the form of a horse;

45.5

and the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa, the two wrestlers Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika, / and I also know Ariṣṭa, the Daitya in the form of a bull.

45.6

Khara is known to me, as well as the great Asura Pralamba, / and she too is known to me, O brahmin: Pūtanā, the daughter of Bali.'

45.7

And I know Kāliya, dwelling in the pool of the Yamunā, / a snake of unknown form out of fear of the son of Vinatā, O brahmin.

45.8

Jarāsaṃdha is known to me, standing at the head of earthly rulers, / and in the city of Prāgjyotiṣa I foresee Naraka well,

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having assumed human form in the mortal, earthly world;

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and Bāṇa in Śoṇitapura, whose splendor equals Guha's,

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arrogant with a thousand arms, exceedingly difficult for even the gods to conquer.

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And I know Śiśupāla, and likewise those two, Haṃsa and Ḍibhaka;

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I know Pauṇḍra and Sālva, and likewise that Kālayavana;

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and I know Ekalavya, and whatever others are evildoers.

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I will slay all of them; no doubt should be entertained on this.

45.9

And I know that the great burden of the Bhāratas is placed on me, / and I fully know everything of how those kings will fall.

45.10

I foresee their destruction on earth and honor in Śakra's world / for those embodied mortals who never turn back [from battle].

45.11

Having reached the earthly world and assumed human form, / I shall enter into the yoga of myself and of the other.

45.12

And I shall slay Kaṃsa and all those other great asuras, / each by that means by which he shall attain stillness.

45.13

Entering by yoga into those various states of mine, / the enemies of these lords of immortals must be slain in battle.

45.14

This descent of portions made for the world's sake by the exalted ones, / the gods, divine seers, and gandharvas, has my assent as well.

45.15

For I made this resolve long ago for Nārada, / yet Brahmā, the Grandfather, has not appointed a dwelling place for me.

45.16

In what region, born in what manner, or living in what guise / might I slay them in battle? Tell me that, Grandfather.

45.17

Brahmā said:
O Nārāyaṇa, hear from me this effective plan, O lord, / as to who shall be your father and mother on earth,

45.18

where on earth, born as the founder of a family, O mighty-armed one, / you shall sustain the entire great lineage of the Yādavas.

45.19

Hear from me how, having destroyed those asuras and made your own lineage great, / you will establish the moral order for men.

45.20

In former times, O Viṣṇu, at a great sacrifice Kaśyapa / carried off the sacrificial milk-giving cows of the great-souled Varuṇa.

45.21

And Aditi and Surabhi, both wives of Kaśyapa, / did not wish those cows to be returned to Varuṇa.

45.22

Then Varuṇa approached me, bowed with his head bent low, / and said: "O Blessed One, my cows have been taken by my elder brother.

45.23

Having accomplished his purpose, my elder brother does not grant those cows back; / he conformed to his two wives, Aditi and Surabhi.

45.24

For those imperishable divine cows of mine, O lord, yield all desires; / protected by their own splendor, they roam across all the oceans.

45.25

Who could violate those cows of mine except Kaśyapa, / cows that yield imperishable, supreme milk like the nectar of the gods?

45.26

Whether the master has gone astray, O brahman, or the elder brother or another, / all are to be restrained by you, for you are our supreme refuge.

45.27

If there were no punishment in the world, O teacher of the world, / for the powerful who do not recognize what should be done, the boundaries of the world would cease to be.

45.28

Be that as it may, the Blessed One is the authority regarding what must be done; / let my cows be returned, and then I will go to the ocean.

45.29

Cows are your divine self; you are those imperishable cows; / for the worlds that proceed from you, cows and brahmins are remembered as one.

45.30

First cows must be protected; protected, they protect the twice-born; / from the protection of cows and brahmins, the world is protected."

45.31

Having been addressed in this way by Varuṇa, the lord of waters, O Acyuta, / knowing the true nature of cows, I uttered a curse upon Kaśyapa:

45.32

"With that portion by which the cows were taken by the great-souled Kaśyapa, / he shall go to the earth with that portion and become a herdsman.

45.33

And she who is called Surabhi, and Aditi, the fire-stick of the gods, / both those wives of his shall indeed go together with him.

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Together with them Kaśyapa shall take delight on earth in the status of a cowherd."

45.34

Therefore a portion of this Kaśyapa, equal to Kaśyapa in splendor, / known as Vasudeva, abides among the cattle on earth.

45.35

Not far from Mathurā is the mountain named Govardhana; / there he is devoted to cattle, paying tribute to Kaṃsa.

45.36

And the two wives of wise Vasudeva / are Aditi and Surabhi, Devakī and Rohiṇī;

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Surabhi became the divine Rohiṇī, and Aditi became Devakī.

45.37

Descend there, O Madhusūdana, for the welfare of the worlds! / These denizens of heaven strengthen you with blessings of victory.

45.38

For causing yourself to descend by yourself to the earth's surface, / delight Devakī and Rohiṇī through their wombs.

45.39

There, first as a mere child bearing the marks of a cowherd, / grow up, O mighty-armed one, as formerly in your three strides.

45.40

Concealing yourself by yourself through your māyā in the form of yoga, / roam the earth, delighting thousands of cowherd maidens.

45.41

As you guard the cattle, O Viṣṇu, running about the forests, / the fortunate will behold your form draped with a garland of forest flowers,

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wearing yellow garments, with blue curled hair,

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your chest adorned with a garland of forest flowers, bustling with peacock-tail fans.

45.42

O Viṣṇu, lotus-petal-eyed one, when you enter the cowherd settlement, / when you are a child, O mighty-armed one, the world will attain childhood.

45.43

Devoted to you, O lotus-eyed one, obedient to your will, / cowherds among the cattle will be your constant companions; / and as you graze the cows in the forest, run about the cow-pens, / and plunge into the Yamunā, they will find delight in you.

45.44

The life of Vasudeva will be a blessed life, / who, addressed by you as "Father," will say, "My son!"

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Most fortunate indeed in the world is he whose son you have become;

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best of all performers of merit is he who may address you as "Son!"

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Those who bow down to you, O god, who bear the marks of a cowherd,

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are the best among performers of merit, to be revered by all creatures.

45.45

Besides, whose sonship could you enter other than Kaśyapa's? / And who could be able to bear you, O Viṣṇu, without Aditi?

45.46

Go, through the yoga born of yourself, to victory! / We too shall go to our own abode, O Madhusūdana."

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Having spoken thus to the god, the lord of gods, Brahmā, the Grandfather of the world,

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The Lord went to his dwelling, and the gods too returned whence they came.

45.47

Taking leave of the gods in the solitude of heaven's abode, / Viṣṇu went to his own realm, to the northern direction of the ocean of milk.

45.48

Right there is a cave of Meru named Pārvatī, very difficult of access, / ever worshipped at the new and full moons by his three strides.

45.49

Depositing his ancient body there, noble-minded Hari, / the Lord, joined himself to the house of Vasudeva.

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May there be fortune!

45.49.p2

Homage to the holy Horse-faced One!

45.49.p3

Now begins the second [section], the Viṣṇuparvan.

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