Bhagavatapurana 10.19: athaikonaviṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

10.19.1

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
krīḍāsakteṣu gopeṣu tad-gāvo dūra-cāriṇīḥ /
svairaṃ carantyo viviśus tṛṇa-lobhena gahvaram //

Śrī Śuka said: / While the cowherds were engrossed in their games, their cows, wandering far off, / grazing at will, entered a dense thicket out of greed for grass.

1. Sri Suka said:—When Gopas were attentive only to play, their cows went on grazing at a distance and attracted by green pasture freely strayed into a dangerous part of the forest.

10.19.2

ajā gāvo mahiṣyaś ca nirviśantyo vanād vanam /
īṣīkāṭavīṃ nirviviśuḥ krandantyo dāva-tarṣitāḥ //

Goats, cows, and buffaloes, entering from forest to forest, / penetrated the reed-forest, crying out, afflicted with thirst in the heat.

2. The goats, cows and she-buffaloes passing from one forest to another got into a forest of Munja grass and they became thirsty encircled by wild fire and began to roar loudly (for help.)

10.19.3

te 'paśyantaḥ paśūn gopāḥ kṛṣṇa-rāmādayas tadā /
jātānutāpā na vidur vicinvanto gavāṃ gatim //

Not seeing the animals then, the cowherd boys headed by Kṛṣṇa and Rāma, / seized with remorse, searching for the cows' trail, did not know where they had gone.

3. Krishna, Rama and all the gopas missed their cattle, became anxious and, going in search of them, were at a loss to know where they went.

10.19.4

tṛṇais tat-khura-dac-chinnair goṣ-padair aṅkitair gavām /
mārgam anvagaman sarve naṣṭājīvyā vicetasaḥ //

By the blades of grass severed by their hooves and teeth, and by the marked footprints of the cows, / they all followed the path, having lost their livelihood and bewildered in mind.

4. Having lost their property and not knowing what to do, all of them tried to track their path by observing the grass blades cut by their hoofs and their teeth as well as their deep foot-prints.

10.19.5

muñjāṭavyāṃ bhraṣṭa-mārgaṃ krandamānaṃ sva-godhanam /
samprāpya tṛṣitāḥ śrāntās tatas te sannyavartayan //

Having found their cattle strayed from the path and bellowing in the reed-thicket, / thirsty and exhausted, they then turned them back.

5. They came by their wealth of cows that had strayed into the forest of Munja and been screaming in helplessness; but they themselves growing thirsty and weary began to retrace their steps.

10.19.6

tā āhūtā bhagavatā megha-gambhīrayā girā /
sva-nāmnāṃ ninadaṃ śrutvā pratineduḥ praharṣitāḥ //

Called by the Lord with a voice deep as a cloud, / hearing the sound of their own names, they bellowed in reply, overjoyed.

6. Called by the Lord in tones sublime like the roar of clouds and on hearing their own names uttered, they in their joy roared in reply to Him.

10.19.7

tataḥ samantād dava-dhūmaketur yadṛcchayābhūt kṣaya-kṛd vanaukasām /
samīritaḥ sārathinolbaṇolmukair vilelihānaḥ sthira-jaṅgamān mahān //

Then all around, a forest conflagration arose by chance, causing destruction to the forest-dwellers; / fanned by its charioteer [the wind], terrible with fiery meteors, it was fiercely licking up the stationary and moving beings.

7. Thereupon the wild fire that providentially raged all round spreading havoc among the inhabitants of the forest and forwarded by his helper (wind) began to grasp with his cruel tongues all the stationary as well as mobile creatures.

10.19.8

tam āpatantaṃ parito davāgniṃ gopāś ca gāvaḥ prasamīkṣya bhītāḥ /
ūcuś ca kṛṣṇaṃ sa-balaṃ prapannā yathā hariṃ mṛtyu-bhayārditā janāḥ //

Seeing that forest fire rushing upon them on all sides, the cowherds and cows were terrified; / and taking refuge, they spoke to Kṛṣṇa together with Bala, just as people afflicted by the fear of death [cry out] to Hari:

8. On seeing the forest fire advancing from all sides the Gopas and cows, full of fear, said to Krishna and Balarama seeking their protection, even as people in fear of death resort to Narayana.

10.19.9

kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa mahā-vīra he rāmāmogha vikrama /
dāvāgninā dahyamānān prapannāṃs trātum arhathaḥ //

"O Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, mighty hero! O Rāma of infallible valor! / You ought to protect us who are being burned by the forest fire and have taken refuge in you.

9. O Krishna, Krishna of unlimited power, O Rama of immeasurable prowess, pray, protect us burnt by wild fire; we are fallen at Thy feet.

10.19.10

nūnaṃ tvad-bāndhavāḥ kṛṣṇa na cārhanty avasāditum /
vayaṃ hi sarva-dharma-jña tvan-nāthās tvat-parāyaṇāḥ //

Surely your own kin, O Kṛṣṇa, ought not to perish; / for we, O knower of all dharma, have you as our protector and you as our supreme refuge."

10. Certainly Thy relations, O Krishna, are not fit to fall into a calamity; O Lord that knowest the truth of all righteousness, we are devoted to Thee alone and Thou alone art our Lord.

10.19.11

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
vaco niśamya kṛpaṇaṃ bandhūnāṃ bhagavān hariḥ /
nimīlayata mā bhaiṣṭa locanānīty abhāṣata //

Śrī Śuka said: / Hearing the pitiable words of his kin, the Lord Hari / spoke: "Do not be afraid; close your eyes."

11. Sri Suka said—Hearing the pitiful prayers of His relations, the glorious Hari bid them be fearless and asked them to shut their eyes.

10.19.12

tatheti mīlitākṣeṣu bhagavān agnim ulbaṇam /
pītvā mukhena tān kṛcchrād yogādhīśo vyamocayat //

Saying "So be it," when they had closed their eyes, the Lord, the master of yoga, / drinking the fierce fire with his mouth, delivered them from danger.

12. When they accordingly shut their eyes, the glorious Lord, the grand master of yoga swallowed up (through the mouth) the fierce fire and rescued them from peril. 13. Then they opened their eyes and wondered to find themselves (at once.) brought back to Bandeera and their cows rescued.

10.19.13

tataś ca te 'kṣīṇy unmīlya punar bhāṇḍīram āpitāḥ /
niśamya vismitā āsann ātmānaṃ gāś ca mocitāḥ //

And opening their eyes then, brought back to the Bhāṇḍīra tree, / they were amazed, perceiving themselves and the cows delivered.

10.19.14

kṛṣṇasya yoga-vīryaṃ tad yoga-māyānubhāvitam /
dāvāgner ātmanaḥ kṣemaṃ vīkṣya te menire 'maram //

Observing that power of Kṛṣṇa's yoga manifested by his divine power of yoga, / and their own safety from the forest fire, they regarded him as an immortal deity.

14. Then they understood that it was the virtue of Krishna's yoga, and the effect of His grand yoga power that they were safely rescued from the wild fire; and (then) they believed Him to be an immortal.

10.19.15

gāḥ sannivartya sāyāhne saha-rāmo janārdanaḥ /
veṇuṃ viraṇayan goṣṭham agād gopair abhiṣṭutaḥ //

Having turned back the cows, in the evening Janārdana with Rāma, / sounding his flute, went to the cowherd settlement, praised by the cowherds.

15. In the evening, along with Rama Krishna turned the cows homewards playing on His flute, and Gopas praising Him, returned to Vraja.

10.19.16

gopīnāṃ paramānanda āsīd govinda-darśane /
kṣaṇaṃ yuga-śatam iva yāsāṃ yena vinābhavat //

There was supreme bliss for the gopīs at the sight of Govinda, / without whom a single moment had seemed like a hundred cosmic ages.

16. Unlimited was the joy of Gopa women at the sight of Govinda; for to them a single moment of Krishna's absence was hundred ages.