Bhagavatapurana 10.1: atha prathamo'dhyāyaḥ

10.1.1

/0 śrī-rājovāca
kathito vaṃśa-vistāro bhavatā soma-sūryayoḥ /
rājñāṃ cobhaya-vaṃśyānāṃ caritaṃ paramādbhutam //

And especially of the virtuous Yadu, O best of sages.
Relate to us now the mighty deeds of Viṣṇu, who descended there with his portion.

1. The King said:— Pleased thou hast been to narrate a (detailed) account of the Lunar and Solar dynasties in their full extent and the highly wonderful histories of the kings of both;

10.1.2

yadoś ca dharma-śīlasya nitarāṃ muni-sattama /
tatrāṃśenāvatīrṇasya viṣṇor vīryāṇi śaṃsa naḥ //

Incarnating in the lineage of Yadu, what deeds the Lord,
the creator of beings, the Self of the universe, performed—tell us those at length.

2. And especially of the dynasty of Yadu of pious character, O great among the Sages. Further may thou be pleased to tell us of the great deeds of Vishnu who in an Amsa of His appeared in human form in that (family),

10.1.3

avatīrya yador vaṃśe bhagavān bhūta-bhāvanaḥ /
kṛtavān yāni viśvātmā tāni no vada vistarāt //

Chanted by those free from desire, medicine for mundane existence,
delightful to the ear and the mind—
from the narration of the qualities of He of highest renown,
what person would turn away, save a beast-killer?

3. Pray describe in detail whatever deeds the glorious Lord, having made an Avatara in Yadu's house, the Atman of all and the Maker (Protector) of all beings, wrought.

10.1.4

nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt /
ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt //

Having made the impenetrable ocean of the Kaurava army—whose timiṅgila fish
were Bhiṣma and other chariot-chiefs who had conquered the immortals in battle—
into a puddle the size of a calf's hoof, my grandfathers crossed over, with him as their raft.

4. Whoever, being a man other than a butcher (or one that would kill the pure Jiva untouched by sorrows) would feel reluctant to listen again and again to the recital of the excellent attributes of the most glorious Lord (Hari),— constantly sung by the Muktas (those absolutely free from desires), the (one) remedy for Samsara (for those who seek after release) and the most entertaining to the ear and the mind (even of those that are addicted to worldly objects).

10.1.5

pitāmahā me samare 'marañjayair devavratādyātirathais timiṅgilaiḥ /
duratyayaṃ kaurava-sainya-sāgaraṃ kṛtvātaran vatsa-padaṃ sma yat-plavāḥ //

This body of mine, scorched by the weapon of the son of Droṇa,
the seed of the lineage of the Kurus and Pāṇḍavas,
he protected, entering my mother's womb wielding the discus, when she had taken refuge in him.

5. — Of Him (Sri Krishna) who was my grandfather's raft to sail in and who turned, as small as the foot-print of a calf, the sea

of Kaurava forces, made impassable with the whales of the great warriors, namely Bhishma and others who vanquish the immortals in battle, and crossed it.

10.1.6

drauṇy-astra-vipluṣṭam idaṃ mad-aṅgaṃ santāna-bījaṃ kuru-pāṇḍavānām /
jugopa kukṣiṃ gata ātta-cakro mātuś ca me yaḥ śaraṇaṃ gatāyāḥ //

The heroic deeds of him who, within and without all embodied beings
in the forms of the Person and Time,
bestows death and immortality, who became a human through creative power—tell of them, O wise one!

6. — Of Him (Sri Krishna) who, present in the womb of my mother that sought His shelter, and, armed with his Chakra, protected this, my body, the one seed of the Kuru and Pandava races, and which was burnt by the missile of Drona's son.

10.1.7

vīryāṇi tasyākhila-deha-bhājām antar bahiḥ pūruṣa-kāla-rūpaiḥ /
prayacchato mṛtyum utāmṛtaṃ ca māyā-manuṣyasya vadasva vidvan //

Rāma Saṅkarṣaṇa was spoken of by you as the son of Rohiṇī;
how did he have a connection with Devakī's womb without another body?

7. O Sage, be pleased to discourse (for my benefit) on the glorious powers and deeds of that Krishna who has at His own will assumed a human form and who, in the forms of Purusha and Kala, pervades, in and out, all embodied beings, and leads them to death as well as Moksha.

10.1.8

rohiṇyās tanayaḥ prokto rāmaḥ saṅkarṣaṇas tvayā /
devakyā garbha-sambandhaḥ kuto dehāntaraṃ vinā //

Why did the Lord Mukunda go from his father's house to Vraja?
Where did the master of the Sātvatas live with his kinsmen?

8. Balarama, an Avatar of Sankarshana, was by thee mentioned as son to Rohini: how without a change of the body was he connected with the womb of Devaki?

10.1.9

kasmān mukundo bhagavān pitur gehād vrajaṃ gataḥ /
kva vāsaṃ jñātibhiḥ sārdhaṃ kṛtavān sātvatāṃ patiḥ //

What did Keśava do while living in Vraja and in Madhupurī?
And why did he kill Kaṃsa, his maternal uncle, an act clearly improper for him?

9. Leaving His father's house why did the glorious Mukunda go to Vraja? Where did He, the Lord of Satvatas (the gods, or, a section of the Yadavas), reside with His kith and kin?.

10.1.10

vraje vasan kim akaron madhupuryāṃ ca keśavaḥ /
bhrātaraṃ cāvadhīt kaṃsaṃ mātur addhātad-arhaṇam //

Assuming a human body, for how many years did he dwell
in the city of the Yadus together with the Vṛṣṇis? How many wives did the master have?

10. What did He do while dwelling in Vraja as well as in the city of Mathura and why did He kill Kamsa, His mother's brother, (uncle) undeserving of it?

10.1.11

dehaṃ mānuṣam āśritya kati varṣāṇi vṛṣṇibhiḥ /
yadu-puryāṃ sahāvātsīt patnyaḥ katy abhavan prabhoḥ //

This and all other deeds of Kṛṣṇa, O sage,
you ought to tell me in full, for you are omniscient, and I am full of faith.

11. In the human form for how many years did He dwell with His kinsmen, Vrishnis, in the city of Yadus? And how many were the consorts of the Omnipotent (Krishna)?

10.1.12

etad anyac ca sarvaṃ me mune kṛṣṇa-viceṣṭitam /
vaktum arhasi sarvajña śraddadhānāya vistṛtam //

This hunger, difficult though it is to endure, does not afflict me,
even though I have renounced water,
as I drink the nectar of tales of Hari flowing from the lotus of your mouth.

12. Of this and everything else of Krishna's work, O Sage perfect in wisdom, be pleased to tell me in detail as I am very eager to hear and know of it.

10.1.13

naiṣātiduḥsahā kṣun māṃ tyaktodam api bādhate /
pibantaṃ tvan-mukhāmbhoja- cyutaṃ hari-kathāmṛtam //

This hunger, though very hard to endure, does not torment me, even though I have forsaken water, / as I drink the nectar of Hari's narratives falling from the lotus of your mouth.

13. Me this unbearable hunger does not afflict, though I keep (fasting) without even water, (as I am) drinking the nectar (honey) of Sri Hari's stories that flows from the moon (lotus) of thy face.

10.1.14

/0 sūta uvāca
evaṃ niśamya bhṛgu-nandana sādhu-vādaṃ $ vaiyāsakiḥ sa bhagavān atha viṣṇu-rātam &
evaṃ niśamya bhṛgu-nandana sādhu-vādaṃ $ vaiyāsakiḥ sa bhagavān atha viṣṇu-rātam &
pratyarcya kṛṣṇa-caritaṃ kali-kalmaṣa-ghnaṃ % vyāhartum ārabhata bhāgavata-pradhānaḥ //

Sūta said: / Having thus heard this fine speech, O son of Bhṛgu, the divine son of Vyāsa, foremost of the Bhāgavatas, / then praised Viṣṇurāta and began to narrate the deeds of Kṛṣṇa, which destroy the corruptions of Kali.

14. Suta said:— Having listened, O Saunaka, to the laudable inquiry, the worshipful son of Vyasa, foremost among the votaries of Hari, complimented Parikshit (on his disposition) and immediately began to discourse on the life and doings of Sri Krishna, which re-

move the sin of Kali.

10.1.15

* //
/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
samyag vyavasitā buddhis tava rājarṣi-sattama /
vāsudeva-kathāyāṃ te yaj jātā naiṣṭhikī ratiḥ //

Śrī Śuka said: / Your intellect is rightly resolved, O best of royal sages, / since unswerving loving attachment has arisen in you toward the narrative of Vāsudeva.

15. Sri Suka said:— O great and saintly king, thy mind has been well directed, since thou hast the firmest devotion to the stories of Vasudeva (accounts that prove the supreme nature of Sri Narayana).

10.1.16

vāsudeva-kathā-praśnaḥ puruṣāṃs trīn punāti hi /
vaktāraṃ pracchakaṃ śrotṝṃs tat-pāda-salilaṃ yathā //

Indeed, an inquiry into the narrative of Vāsudeva purifies three persons: / the speaker, the inquirer, and the listeners—just like the water from His feet.

16. For, the enquiry about the Lord Vasudeva's stories purifies three (different) persons, like the water that washes (flows from) His feet (Ganga or Salagrama), namely, Him that describes them, him that enquires about them and those too that listen to them.

10.1.17

bhūmir dṛpta-nṛpa-vyāja- daityānīka-śatāyutaiḥ /
ākrāntā bhūri-bhāreṇa brahmāṇaṃ śaraṇaṃ yayau //

Overburdened by hundreds and myriads of armies of Daityas disguised as haughty kings, / the Earth went to Brahmā for refuge.

17. Overrun by millions and millions of Daityas in the form of pampered and arrogant kings and groaning under the unbearable weight, the Earth sought refuge with Brahma.

10.1.18

gaur bhūtvāśru-mukhī khinnā krandantī karuṇaṃ vibhoḥ /
upasthitāntike tasmai vyasanaṃ samavocata //

Assuming the form of a cow, her face covered in tears, grieving and weeping piteously, / she stood before the lord and recounted her distress to him.

18. Assuming the form of a cow with her face flooded with tears and piteously and in great distress crying aloud, she approached him and told him of her grievances.

10.1.19

brahmā tad-upadhāryātha saha devais tayā saha /
jagāma sa-tri-nayanas tīraṃ kṣīra-payo-nidheḥ //

Brahmā, having considered that, then went with her and with the gods, / along with the three-eyed Rudra, to the shore of the ocean of milk.

19. Brahma realised it (her complaint). Then followed by her and the gods he set out with the god Siva to the shore of the Sea of milk.

10.1.20

tatra gatvā jagannāthaṃ deva-devaṃ vṛṣākapim /
puruṣaṃ puruṣa-sūktena upatasthe samāhitaḥ //

Going there, with concentrated mind he worshipped the Puruṣa, the Lord of the Universe, / God of gods, Vṛṣākapi, with the Puruṣasūkta.

20. On arrival there, Brahma with a serene mind prayed in terms of the Purushasukta to the Perfect Person, Vishnu, the God of gods and the Lord of the Universe who is absolutely blissful and blesses the righteous.

10.1.21

giraṃ samādhau gagane samīritāṃ niśamya vedhās tridaśān uvāca ha /
gāṃ pauruṣīṃ me śṛṇutāmarāḥ punar vidhīyatām āśu tathaiva mā ciram //

Having heard in meditative absorption a voice uttered in the sky, the Creator spoke to the gods: / 'Hear from me the word of the Supreme Person, O immortals, and quickly act upon it at once, without delay!

21. While contemplating the Lord, a voice that spoke in the sky Brahma heard and gladly said to the gods (thus): "O immortals, do you hear (know) from me the words of the Perfect Person and speedily act as directed by Him. Let there be no delay.

10.1.22

puraiva puṃsāvadhṛto dharā-jvaro bhavadbhir aṃśair yaduṣūpajanyatām /
sa yāvad urvyā bharam īśvareśvaraḥ sva-kāla-śaktyā kṣapayaṃś cared bhuvi //

The distress of the Earth was known by the Supreme Person even before; you must take birth with portions [of yourselves] among the Yadus, / while that Lord of lords wanders on earth, destroying its burden by his own power of time.

22. "Even before this (our representation), the Lord knew the affliction (fever) of the Earth. Be you born in your Amsas among the Yadus (and stay there), till the Supreme Ruler of rulers walks Himself on the Earth for reducing her burden through His own power (in the form) of Time.

10.1.23

vasudeva-gṛhe sākṣād bhagavān puruṣaḥ paraḥ /
janiṣyate tat-priyārthaṃ sambhavantu sura-striyaḥ //

In the house of Vasudeva, the Lord Himself, the Supreme Person, / will take birth; for His pleasure, let the wives of the gods be born.

23. "In Vasudeva's house the most glorious and Perfect Person, Hari, will in person manifest Himself (as one born on Earth). For the purpose of delighting Him let celestial women take birth on earth.

10.1.24

vāsudeva-kalānantaḥ sahasra-vadanaḥ svarāṭ /
agrato bhavitā devo hareḥ priya-cikīrṣayā //

Ananta, a portion of Vāsudeva, the thousand-faced, self-luminous god, / will appear beforehand, wishing to do what is pleasing to Hari.

24. "To do what pleases the Lord Hari, the brilliant god Ananta of thousand faces and endowed with an Amsa of Vasudeva, will first be born on the earth.

10.1.25

viṣṇor māyā bhagavatī yayā sammohitaṃ jagat /
ādiṣṭā prabhuṇāṃśena kāryārthe sambhaviṣyati //

The Lord's divine creative power, by which the universe is completely deluded, / commanded by the Master, will take birth with a portion [of herself] to accomplish his purpose.'

25. "Vishnu's consort, the most powerful Durga, by whom the Universe is deluded, will, under His orders, take her birth (make her appearance) by an Amsa with the purpose of carrying out His will".

10.1.26

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
ity ādiśyāmara-gaṇān prajāpati-patir vibhuḥ /
āśvāsya ca mahīṃ gīrbhiḥ sva-dhāma paramaṃ yayau //

Śrī Śuka said: / Having thus instructed the hosts of immortals and comforted the Earth with words, / the all-powerful Lord of the Prajāpatis went to his own supreme abode.

26. Sri Suka said:— Having thus directed the numerous gods the lordly Brahma, the head of Prajapatis, consoled the Earth with his words and returned to his exalted region.

10.1.27

śūraseno yadupatir mathurām āvasan purīm /
māthurāñ chūrasenāṃś ca viṣayān bubhuje purā //

In ancient times, Śūrasena, the lord of the Yadus, lived in the city of Mathurā / and ruled the territories of Mathurā and Śūrasena.

27. In former times, Surasena, the great Chief of the Yadus, resided in the city of Mathura, and governed the territories of the Mathuras and the Surasenas.

10.1.28

rājadhānī tataḥ sābhūt sarva-yādava-bhūbhujām /
mathurā bhagavān yatra nityaṃ sannihito hariḥ //

From then on, that Mathurā became the capital of all the Yādava kings, / where the Lord Hari is ever present.

28. Thenceforward the city of Mathura became the capital for all the kings of the Yadava dynasty and in that city the glorious Lord Hari is always exhibiting His presence (in a special measure).

10.1.29

tasyāṃ tu karhicic chaurir vasudevaḥ kṛtodvahaḥ /
devakyā sūryayā sārdhaṃ prayāṇe ratham āruhat //

In that city, once upon a time, Śauri Vasudeva, having celebrated his marriage, / mounted the chariot to depart together with his bride Devakī.

29. On a certain occasion, on the celebration of his marriage with Devaki, Vasudeva, Soora's son, started in a chariot with his newly wedded bride on a procession (through the city).

10.1.30

ugrasena-sutaḥ kaṃsaḥ svasuḥ priya-cikīrṣayā /
raśmīn hayānāṃ jagrāha raukmai ratha-śatair vṛtaḥ //

Ugrasena’s son, Kaṃsa, wishing to please his sister, / took the reins of the horses, surrounded by hundreds of golden chariots.

30. For the pleasure of his sister, Kamsa, son of Ugrasena, took the reins of the steeds in his hands and he was surrounded by hundreds of golden cars.

10.1.31

catuḥ-śataṃ pāribarhaṃ gajānāṃ hema-mālinām /
aśvānām ayutaṃ sārdhaṃ rathānāṃ ca tri-ṣaṭ-śatam //

Four hundred elephants adorned with golden garlands, / fifteen thousand horses, and three times six hundred chariots—

31. A dowry of four hundred elephants decked in gold, ten thousand horses and eighteen hundred chariots;

10.1.32

dāsīnāṃ sukumārīṇāṃ dve śate samalaṅkṛte /
duhitre devakaḥ prādād yāne duhitṛ-vatsalaḥ //

and two hundred tender, well-adorned maidservants: / Devaka, affectionate toward his daughter, gave this dowry to his daughter upon her departure.

32. And of two hundred young women adorned with gold ornaments as her maid-servants, Devaka, in his great affection for his daughter, (Devaki), gave her, when she went to her husband's house.

10.1.33

śaṅkha-tūrya-mṛdaṅgāś ca nedur dundubhayaḥ samam /
prayāṇa-prakrame tāta vara-vadhvoḥ sumaṅgalam //

Conches, trumpets, mṛdaṅga drums, and kettle-drums sounded in unison, / O dear one, most auspiciously at the beginning of the departure of the bride and groom.

33. Just at the commencement of the procession of the bride and the bridegroom, the conch, the trumpet, the drum and the dundubhi were all simultaneously sounded in the most auspicious manner.

10.1.34

pathi pragrahiṇaṃ kaṃsam ābhāṣyāhāśarīra-vāk /
asyās tvām aṣṭamo garbho hantā yāṃ vahase 'budha //

On the way, a bodiless voice addressed Kaṃsa, who held the reins: / 'Fool, the eighth child of her whom you are carrying shall kill you!'

34. On the way a voice from the welkin addressed Kamsa that held the reins of the horses and said, "O foolish one, the eighth child of the womb of her (thy sister) whom thou now conductest will be thy slayer."

10.1.35

ity uktaḥ sa khalaḥ pāpo bhojānāṃ kula-pāṃsanaḥ /
bhaginīṃ hantum ārabdhaṃ khaḍga-pāṇiḥ kace 'grahīt //

Addressed thus, that wicked, sinful disgrace to the Bhoja clan / seized his sister by her hair, sword in hand, setting out to kill her.

35. When thus told, that wicked and sinful Kamsa, the disgrace of the family of the Bhojas, seized with sword in hand, his sister by her braid to kill her.

10.1.36

taṃ jugupsita-karmāṇaṃ nṛśaṃsaṃ nirapatrapam /
vasudevo mahā-bhāga uvāca parisāntvayan //

To him of abominable deeds, cruel and shameless, / the highly fortunate Vasudeva spoke, trying to pacify him.

36. In conciliating and consoling words Vasudeva of great merit pleaded to Kamsa who was cruelly inclined, deviod of compunction and intent upon the detestable action.

10.1.37

/0 śrī-vasudeva uvāca
ślāghanīya-guṇaḥ śūrair bhavān bhoja-yaśaskaraḥ /
sa kathaṃ bhaginīṃ hanyāt striyam udvāha-parvaṇi //

Śrī Vasudeva said: / You are one whose qualities are praised by heroes, a bringer of fame to the Bhojas; / how could such a man kill his own sister, a woman, on the festive occasion of her wedding?

37. Vasudeva said:— Thou art possessed of qualities worthy of being praised by heroes (warriors), and art the glory of the Bhoja family: how would such a one (thou) kill (thy) a sister, a woman, on the festive occasion of her marriage?

10.1.38

mṛtyur janmavatāṃ vīra dehena saha jāyate /
adya vābda-śatānte vā mṛtyur vai prāṇināṃ dhruvaḥ //

Death is born alongside the body of living beings, O hero; / today or at the end of a hundred years, death is certain for living beings.

38. O warrior, for creatures that are born, death is born along with the body, now or at the end of a century: death is indeed inevitable to them all.

10.1.39

dehe pañcatvam āpanne dehī karmānugo 'vaśaḥ /
dehāntaram anuprāpya prāktanaṃ tyajate vapuḥ //

When the body undergoes dissolution into the five elements, the embodied soul, helplessly following its karma, / obtains another body and abandons its former form.

39. The body dissolved, the Jiva in the body gets under the force of Karma which is beyond his control, and obtaining (mentally) another, leaves the old one (that is about to fall off).

10.1.40

vrajaṃs tiṣṭhan padaikena yathaivaikena gacchati /
yathā tṛṇa-jalaukaivaṃ dehī karma-gatiṃ gataḥ //

Just as a person walking stands with one foot while advancing with the other, / or just like a caterpillar on a blade of grass, so the embodied soul undergoes the course of karma.

40. Just as a man walks with one foot fixed while the other is advanced and just as the leech, taking hold of a piece of straw, moves on, so also does an embodied Jiva thrown into the current of Karma.

10.1.41

svapne yathā paśyati deham īdṛśaṃ manorathenābhiniviṣṭa-cetanaḥ /
dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyāṃ manasānucintayan prapadyate tat kim api hy apasmṛtiḥ //

Just as one sees such a body in a dream when consciousness is preoccupied with desire, / reflecting with the mind upon what was seen and heard, and through loss of memory assumes whatever [form that may be]—

41. Just as in a dream a person perceives a body similar to this by virtue of his intellectual faculty that is strongly coloured with the fancies in relation to what is seen and what is heard in the waking hours, so also a person, constantly thinking of something that is heard, attains to it, forgetful of his previous state (or body).

10.1.42

yato yato dhāvati daiva-coditaṃ mano vikārātmakam āpa pañcasu /
guṇeṣu māyā-rociteṣu dehy asau prapadyamānaḥ saha tena jāyate //

whithersoever the mind, driven by fate and consisting of modifications, rushes among the five objects of sense / made pleasing by creative power, that embodied soul, pursuing it, takes birth together with that mind.

42. To whatever modification of the five Bhutas created by his own maya, his mind, impelled by his fructifying Karma, bends its course at the hour of his death, the Jiva in the body, identifying himself with it, is again born with that body (which is intensely thought of at the last moment).

10.1.42.p1

jyotir yathaivodaka-pārthiveṣv adaḥ $ samīra-vegānugataṃ vibhāvyate &

Just as that light is perceived in water or on earthy substances / as conforming to the motion of the wind,

43. Just as that luminary (the sun or the moon) reflected in water or other liquid forms of earth, is seen as if differently changed by the force of the wind, so also the Jiva, placed in the midst of bodies produced by his Maya and seized by (filled with) his passion for them, becomes deluded.

10.1.43

evaṃ sva-māyā-raciteṣv asau pumān % guṇeṣu rāgānugato vimuhyati //

so this person, following attachment to the material qualities fashioned by his own creative power, is bewildered.

10.1.44

tasmān na kasyacid droham ācaret sa tathā-vidhaḥ /
ātmanaḥ kṣemam anvicchan drogdhur vai parato bhayam //

Therefore, being of such a nature and seeking his own well-being, one should not bear malice toward anyone; / for indeed, fear arises in the next world for one who bears malice.

44. Therefore ought a person so conditioned not to do wrong to any one if he seek after his own welfare: for there is fear surely for the evil-doer from without (in the other world).

10.1.45

eṣā tavānujā bālā kṛpaṇā putrikopamā /
hantuṃ nārhasi kalyāṇīm imāṃ tvaṃ dīna-vatsalaḥ //

This young sister of yours is helpless, like a daughter to you; / you, who are compassionate to the wretched, ought not to kill this auspicious lady.

45. This is thy helpless younger sister (fit to be treated) as thy own daughter (or as a life-less wooden doll): being kind to the distressed, thou oughtest not to make short work of her that is going through an auspicious ceremonial. Thou art kind to the helpless and the distressed.

10.1.46

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
evaṃ sa sāmabhir bhedair bodhyamāno 'pi dāruṇaḥ /
na nyavartata kauravya puruṣādān anuvrataḥ //

Śrī Śuka said: / Though advised in this way by peaceful and analytical arguments, that cruel man, / devoted to man-eating demons, did not turn back, O descendant of Kuru.

46. Sri Suka said:— Though thus counselled in soft words, and with reasons for fear, the cruel Kamsa, who was addicted to the path of cannibals (Daityas), did not, O son of the Kuru race, change (his mind).

10.1.47

nirbandhaṃ tasya taṃ jñātvā vicintyānakadundubhiḥ /
prāptaṃ kālaṃ prativyoḍhum idaṃ tatrānvapadyata //

Knowing his obstinacy, Ānakadundubhi reflected, / and in order to avert the imminent death, hit upon this plan:

47. Vasudeva perceived his strong determination and to counteract the hour, he thought of this opportune expedient in the matter.

10.1.48

mṛtyur buddhimatāpohyo yāvad buddhi-balodayam /
yady asau na nivarteta nāparādho 'sti dehinaḥ //

'Death should be warded off by an intelligent person as long as intelligence and strength arise; / if it does not turn back, there is no fault in the embodied being.

48. Every thoughtful person should to the utmost strength of his wisdom endeavour to escape Death. So long as dawns the power of his wisdom, so long should death be avioded by a wise person. If however it could not be averted, it is no fault of (his) (there is nothing to blame on his part).

10.1.49

pradāya mṛtyave putrān mocaye kṛpaṇām imām /
sutā me yadi jāyeran mṛtyur vā na mriyeta cet //

By giving over the sons to this death, I shall release this helpless woman; / that is, if sons are born to me, or if death itself should not die first.

49. Making an offer of the sons (that may be born of her) to death, *i. e.*, to be killed by Kamsa, I shall rescue this helpless young lady. If sons should be born, there might be no death at all, if in the meanwhile he should die (in course of time).

10.1.50

viparyayo vā kiṃ na syād gatir dhātur duratyayā /
upasthito nivarteta nivṛttaḥ punar āpatet //

Or why might the reverse not happen? The course of Providence is hard to overcome. / Impending danger may turn away, and that which had turned away may strike again.

50. Or might not the contrary take place (*i. e.*, might he not suffer death at the hands of my sons)? For, the course of Providence is inviolable: and what has approached may turn away and what has been averted may occur again (reappear).

10.1.51

agner yathā dāru-viyoga-yogayor adṛṣṭato 'nyan na nimittam asti /
evaṃ hi jantor api durvibhāvyaḥ śarīra-saṃyoga-viyoga-hetuḥ //

Just as there is no cause other than unseen destiny for fire's union with and separation from wood, / so too the cause of a creature's union with and separation from a body is inconceivable.'

51. Just as in the case of the fire in a forest there is no cause other than the (force of) unseen (Providence) for its coming into contact with the trees or for its being distanced therefrom, so also in the case of a Jiva the cause of his being joined to a body or separated therefrom is indeed beyond our thought.

10.1.52

evaṃ vimṛśya taṃ pāpaṃ yāvad-ātmani-darśanam /
pūjayām āsa vai śaurir bahu-māna-puraḥsaram //

Having thus deliberated, Śauri honored that wicked man with great respect, / to the full extent of his discernment.

52. Having thus well considered to the best of his intellectual powers, Vasudeva, with great esteem, honoured that wicked person. 53. Putting on a cheerful countenance he (Vasudeva) with a heart full of pain, spoke smilingly to the relentless ruffian thus:

10.1.53

prasanna-vadanāmbhojo nṛśaṃsaṃ nirapatrapam /
manasā dūyamānena vihasann idam abravīt //

With a pleasant lotus-face, though his mind was burning with grief, / he smiled and addressed that cruel, shameless man:

10.1.54

/0 śrī-vasudeva uvāca
na hy asyās te bhayaṃ saumya yad vai sāhāśarīra-vāk /
putrān samarpayiṣye 'syā yatas te bhayam utthitam //

Śrī Vasudeva said:
You have no fear from her, gentle sir, about what the bodiless voice proclaimed. / I shall hand over her sons to you, since it is from them that your fear has arisen.

54. Vasudeva said:—O gentle Kamsa, doubtless nothing thou hast to fear from her, as the voice in the air conveyed: I shall (as soon as they are born) put into thy hands her sons thou art afraid of.

10.1.55

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
svasur vadhān nivavṛte kaṃsas tad-vākya-sāra-vit /
vasudevo 'pi taṃ prītaḥ praśasya prāviśad gṛham //

Śrī Śuka said:
Kaṃsa, understanding the weight of his word, desisted from killing his sister. / Vasudeva too, pleased, praised him and entered his home.

55. Sri Suka said:— Perceiving the significance of his words Kamsa desisted from killing his own sister and pleased at it Vasudeva too extolled him and entered his own dwelling.

10.1.56

atha kāla upāvṛtte devakī sarva-devatā /
putrān prasuṣuve cāṣṭau kanyāṃ caivānuvatsaram //

Then, as time rolled by, Devakī, embodiment of all deities, / gave birth year after year to eight sons and a daughter.

56. Then when the time came, Devaki, who was devoted to the Almighty Lord and imbued with the presence of all the gods, brought forth year by year eight sons and a daughter.

10.1.57

kīrtimantaṃ prathamajaṃ kaṃsāyānakadundubhiḥ /
arpayām āsa kṛcchreṇa so 'nṛtād ativihvalaḥ //

Ānakadundubhi offered his firstborn, Kīrtimat, / to Kaṃsa with great distress, trembling exceedingly at [the thought of] untruth.

57. Vasudeva gave over with difficulty to Kamsa his first born son called Kirtimat, as he felt greatly perplexed to act untruthfully.

10.1.58

kiṃ duḥsahaṃ nu sādhūnāṃ viduṣāṃ kim apekṣitam /
kim akāryaṃ kadaryāṇāṃ dustyajaṃ kiṃ dhṛtātmanām //

What indeed is unbearable to the virtuous? What can the wise expect? / What is forbidden to the vile? What is difficult to surrender for those whose minds are restrained?

58. What is there which the righteous could not endure? Is there anything which the wise long for? Is there anything that the wicked (those of base spirit) would not do and what sacrifices could not be made by those who (have a resolute mind) cherish Hari in their heart? (They will rise equal to the occasion).

10.1.59

dṛṣṭvā samatvaṃ tac chaureḥ satye caiva vyavasthitim /
kaṃsas tuṣṭa-manā rājan prahasann idam abravīt //

Seeing that equanimity of Śauri and his steadfastness in truth, / Kaṃsa was pleased in mind, O king, and smiling said this:

59. At seeing Vasudeva's equanimity and firmness of truthfulness Kamsa was rejoiced, O king, and laughingly said thus:

10.1.60

pratiyātu kumāro 'yaṃ na hy asmād asti me bhayam /
aṣṭamād yuvayor garbhān mṛtyur me vihitaḥ kila //

"Let this boy go back; indeed, I have no fear of him. / It is from the eighth pregnancy of you two that my death has been decreed."

60. Let this child go, there is no fear of him to me (I have no fear of him): indeed my death is predicted at the hands of your eighth child.

10.1.61

tatheti sutam ādāya yayāv ānakadundubhiḥ /
nābhyanandata tad-vākyam asato 'vijitātmanaḥ //

Saying "So be it," Ānakadundubhi took his son and departed, / but he placed no trust in the word of that wicked man whose mind was uncontrolled.

61. In compliance therewith, Vasudeva returned with his son: still he did not feel joy at the words of the wicked man who had no control over his mind.

10.1.62

nandādyā ye vraje gopā yāś cāmīṣāṃ ca yoṣitaḥ /
vṛṣṇayo vasudevādyā devaky-ādyā yadu-striyaḥ //

Nanda and the other cowherds who were in Vraja, and their womenfolk; / the Vṛṣṇis led by Vasudeva, and the Yadu women led by Devakī;

62. Nanda and other Gopas who dwell at Vraja and their women; Vasudeva and other Vrishnis; Devaki and other women of Yadu's family;

10.1.63

sarve vai devatā-prāyā ubhayor api bhārata /
jñātayo bandhu-suhṛdo ye ca kaṃsam anuvratāḥ //

all of them were mostly divine beings on both sides, O Bhārata, / as were their kinsmen, relatives, friends, and those who followed Kaṃsa.

63. All these of both the families are indeed mostly the gods, O Bharata, as also the cousins, relations and friends: those who are the followers of Kamsa,

10.1.64

etat kaṃsāya bhagavāñ chaśaṃsābhyetya nāradaḥ /
bhūmer bhārāyamāṇānāṃ daityānāṃ ca vadhodyamam //

The venerable Nārada, having approached, disclosed this to Kaṃsa, / as well as the endeavor to slay the demons who were a burden to the earth.

64. Apprised Kamsa of all these, as of well as of the endeavours made for the destruction of the daityas who formed the burden of the earth.

10.1.65

ṛṣer vinirgame kaṃso yadūn matvā surān iti /
devakyā garbha-sambhūtaṃ viṣṇuṃ ca sva-vadhaṃ prati //

Upon the sage’s departure, Kaṃsa considered the Yadus to be gods, / and Viṣṇu, who would be born from Devakī's womb, destined to slay him.

65. On the departure of the sage, Kamsa believed that the Yadavas were the gods and that the son to be born of Devaki was Vishnu intent upon his own destruction.

10.1.66

devakīṃ vasudevaṃ ca nigṛhya nigaḍair gṛhe /
jātaṃ jātam ahan putraṃ tayor ajana-śaṅkayā //

Confining Devakī and Vasudeva with chains in their home, / he killed each son born of them, fearing that it might be the Unborn.

66. So Devaki and Vasudeva he kept fettered in the house and he killed every son born of them, suspecting him to be Vishnu.

10.1.67

mātaraṃ pitaraṃ bhrātṝn sarvāṃś ca suhṛdas tathā /
ghnanti hy asutṛpo lubdhā rājānaḥ prāyaśo bhuvi //

Greedy kings on earth who live only to gratify their senses / usually kill their mother, father, brothers, and all friends.

67. Full of greed and thirsting after the life of others, kings mostly kill their own mother, father, brothers and all friends.

10.1.68

ātmānam iha sañjātaṃ jānan prāg viṣṇunā hatam /
mahāsuraṃ kālanemiṃ yadubhiḥ sa vyarudhyata //

Knowing that he had been born here as the great demon Kālanemi, slain previously by Viṣṇu, / he became hostile to the Yadus.

68. And knowing himself to be the great Asura Kalanemi, once killed by Vishnu and born here again, he cherished enmity to the Yadavas.

10.1.69

ugrasenaṃ ca pitaraṃ yadu-bhojāndhakādhipam /
svayaṃ nigṛhya bubhuje śūrasenān mahā-balaḥ //

Having himself imprisoned his father Ugrasena, king of the Yadus, Bhojas, and Andhakas, / the mighty one ruled the Śūrasenas.

69. Possessed of great strength he placed under restraint his own father Ugrasena, the Lord of Bhojas, Yadus and Andhakas and himself took up the reins of government over the country of Surasenas.