Bhagavatapurana 10.36: atha ṣaṭtriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

10.36.1

/0 śrī bādarāyaṇir uvāca
atha tarhy āgato goṣṭham ariṣṭo vṛṣabhāsuraḥ /
mahīm mahā-kakut-kāyaḥ kampayan khura-vikṣatām //

Śrī Bādarāyaṇi said:
Then, at that time, there came to the cowherd settlement the bull-demon Ariṣṭa, / shaking the earth, bruised by his hooves, with his body possessing a gigantic hump,

1. Sri Suka said:— Sometime thereafter came to Vraja Arishta, an asura, in the form of a bull, with a huge hump and body, shaking the earth struck with his hoofs;

10.36.2

rambhamāṇaḥ kharataraṃ padā ca vilikhan mahīm /
udyamya pucchaṃ vaprāṇi viṣāṇāgreṇa coddharan /
kiñcit kiñcic chakṛn muñcan mūtrayan stabdha-locanaḥ //

bellowing very harshly, scratching the earth with his hoof, / raising his tail, tearing up mounds of earth with the tip of his horns, / discharging dung bit by bit, urinating, with his eyes fixed and staring.

2. He came terribly bellowing, violently breaking the earth with his feet, with erect tail and turning up the mounds of earth with the ends of his horns;

3. Discharging dung and urine in small quantities, he came staring at everything; at his violent and terrible roar, O beloved prince, cows and human beings were so filled with fear that they miscarried before time; and on his hump the clouds settled mistaking it for a hill.

10.36.3

yasya nirhrāditenāṅga niṣṭhureṇa gavāṃ nṛṇām /
patanty akālato garbhāḥ sravanti sma bhayena vai //

By his harsh roaring, O dear one, / the fetuses of cows and women prematurely fell and were miscarried out of fear.

10.36.4

nirviśanti ghanā yasya kakudy acala-śaṅkayā /
taṃ tīkṣṇa-śṛṅgam udvīkṣya gopyo gopāś ca tatrasuḥ //

Clouds gathered upon his hump, mistaking it for a mountain; / seeing him with his sharp horns, the gopīs and cowherd boys were terrified.

5. At seeing that diabolical bull of sharp horns, Gopas and Gopis trembled with fear, O king; the animals ran away in fear vacating Vraja.

10.36.5

paśavo dudruvur bhītā rājan santyajya go-kulam /
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇeti te sarve govindaṃ śaraṇaṃ yayuḥ //

The cattle fled in terror, O King, abandoning the cowherd settlement; / they all took refuge in Govinda, crying, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa!”

6. Crying out 'Krishna, Krishna,' they all sought Govinda for

protection and, noticing the Gokula taking to their heels through fear, the Lord also

10.36.6

bhagavān api tad vīkṣya go-kulaṃ bhaya-vidrutam /
mā bhaiṣṭeti girāśvāsya vṛṣāsuram upāhvayat //

The Lord also, seeing that cowherd settlement fleeing in fear, / comforted them with the words “Do not fear!” and challenged the bull-demon:

7. Comforted them with His words, "Fear not, be not afraid"; and called unto Himself the asura in the form of a bull and said, "O fool, O wretch of wretches, what purpose is gained in terrifying cowherds and brutes?

10.36.7

gopālaiḥ paśubhir manda trāsitaiḥ kim asattama /
mayi śāstari duṣṭānāṃ tvad-vidhānāṃ durātmanām //

“O fool, what is gained by terrifying cowherds and cattle, O worst of wicked beings, / while I am here to punish wicked and evil-minded ones such as you?”

8. "I am here to put down the strength and pride of the wicked and evil-minded like thee." So saying Krishna struck his arms and by the clapping of His hands, kindled the wrath of Arishta.

10.36.8

ity āsphotyācyuto 'riṣṭaṃ tala-śabdena kopayan /
sakhyur aṃse bhujābhogaṃ prasāryāvasthito hariḥ //

Thus slapping his arms, Acyuta enraged Ariṣṭa with the clapping sound of his palms; / resting the curve of his arm on a friend's shoulder, Hari stood there.

9. Hari stood, His long arm stretched out and resting it on the shoulder of a friend; the asura Arishta too, thus angered, struck the ground with his hoofs, turned about lifting up his tail which chased away the clouds in the sky and in great rage he dashed at Krishna.

10.36.9

so 'py evaṃ kopito 'riṣṭaḥ khureṇāvanim ullikhan /
udyat-puccha-bhraman-meghaḥ kruddhaḥ kṛṣṇam upādravat //

Ariṣṭa, thus provoked, tearing the earth with his hoof, / his tail raised and looking like a whirling cloud, charged at Kṛṣṇa in rage.

10.36.10

agra-nyasta-viṣāṇāgraḥ stabdhāsṛg-locano 'cyutam /
kaṭākṣipyādravat tūrṇam indra-mukto 'śanir yathā //

Aiming the tips of his horns forward, with blood-red, unblinking eyes, / glaring askance, he charged swiftly at Acyuta like a thunderbolt hurled by Indra.

10. Holding forward the ends of his horns, staring at Achyuta with bloody eyes and trying to frighten Him by his side-glances darted he impetuously at Krishna like the thunderbolt discharged by Indra.

10.36.11

gṛhītvā śṛṅgayos taṃ vā aṣṭādaśa padāni saḥ /
pratyapovāha bhagavān gajaḥ prati-gajaṃ yathā //

Seizing him by the horns, the Lord pushed him back / eighteen paces indeed, as an elephant repulses an opposing elephant.

11. Seizing him by the horns Sri Krishna pushed him back, like an elephant that drives back its opponent, to a distance of eighteen paces.

10.36.12

so 'paviddho bhagavatā punar utthāya satvaram /
āpatat svinna-sarvāṅgo niḥśvasan krodha-mūrcchitaḥ //

Cast away by the Lord, he rose again quickly / and charged, his entire body sweating, breathing heavily, maddened with fury.

12. Hurled down by the Lord to that distance he again rose to his feet in haste and, boiling with rage, breathing hard, and sweating all over, repeated his assault on Krishna.

10.36.13

tam āpatantaṃ sa nigṛhya śṛṅgayoḥ padā samākramya nipātya bhū-tale /
niṣpīḍayām āsa yathārdram ambaraṃ kṛtvā viṣāṇena jaghāna so 'patat //

Seizing him by the horns as he rushed forward, stepping on him with his foot and throwing him down to the surface of the earth, / he wrung him out as one would a wet cloth; then, having struck him with his own horn, the demon fell.

13. When he rushed forward Sri Krishna caught him by the horns, threw him down, set His foot on him and squeezed him like a wet cloth, (then) pulling out His horns, struck him and he fell down.

10.36.14

asṛg vaman mūtra-śakṛt samutsṛjan kṣipaṃś ca pādān anavasthitekṣaṇaḥ /
jagāma kṛcchraṃ nirṛter atha kṣayaṃ puṣpaiḥ kiranto harim īḍire surāḥ //

Vomiting blood, passing urine and dung, thrashing his legs, his eyes rolling wildly, / he went with difficulty to the abode of death; then the gods praised Hari, scattering flowers.

14. He vomitted blood, discharged urine and dung, threw up his legs, his eyes rolling under excruciating pain and took his leave to the abode of Yama; and the gods showered flowers and hymus in praise of Hari.

10.36.15

evaṃ kukudminaṃ hatvā stūyamānaḥ dvijātibhiḥ /
viveśa goṣṭhaṃ sa-balo gopīnāṃ nayanotsavaḥ //

Having thus slain the humped bull, being praised by the twice-born, / accompanied by Balarāma, he entered the cowherd settlement, a feast for the eyes of the gopīs.

15. Having thus vanquished the asura bull, glorified by His kith and kin and fellow Gopas (the gods) and accompanied by Bala, He entered Gokula as the joy of Gopis' eyes.

10.36.16

ariṣṭe nihate daitye kṛṣṇenādbhuta-karmaṇā /
kaṃsāyāthāha bhagavān nārado deva-darśanaḥ //

When the demon Ariṣṭa had been slain by Kṛṣṇa of wondrous deeds, / the divine Nārada, who has the vision of the gods, then spoke to Kaṃsa:

16. When the _daitya_ Arishta was slain by Krishna of wonderful deeds, the worshipful Narada endowed with divine light, informed Kamsa (of the fact), that Yasoda's child was a girl, Devaki's son Krishna and Rohini's Bala Rama.

10.36.17

yaśodāyāḥ sutāṃ kanyāṃ devakyāḥ kṛṣṇam eva ca /
rāmaṃ ca rohiṇī-putraṃ vasudevena bibhyatā /
nyastau sva-mitre nande vai yābhyāṃ te puruṣā hatāḥ //

“The girl child was Yaśodā's daughter, and Kṛṣṇa was Devakī's son; / and Rāma was Rohiṇī's son; by a fearful Vasudeva / they were entrusted to his friend Nanda; by those two your men have been slain.”

17. By Vasudeva, afraid of you, the two sons were indeed entrusted to his friend, Nanda; and it is by them that your men (agents) are killed.

10.36.18

niśamya tad bhoja-patiḥ kopāt pracalitendriyaḥ /
niśātam asim ādatta vasudeva-jighāṃsayā //

Hearing that, the lord of the Bhojas, his senses agitated with fury, / seized a sharpened sword in his desire to kill Vasudeva.

18. On hearing his words, Kamsa, king of Bhojas, had all his senses burning with wrath and snatched up a keen sword, intent on killing Vasudeva.

10.36.19

nivārito nāradena tat-sutau mṛtyum ātmanaḥ /
jñātvā loha-mayaiḥ pāśair babandha saha bhāryayā //

Prevented by Nārada, knowing that Vasudeva's two sons would be his death, / he bound him together with his wife in chains made of iron.

19. But, prevented by Narada and understanding that only his sons would be (the cause of) his death, Kamsa kept Vasudeva and his wife fettered with strong chains of iron.

10.36.20

pratiyāte tu devarṣau kaṃsa ābhāṣya keśinam /
preṣayām āsa hanyetāṃ bhavatā rāma-keśavau //

When the divine sage had departed, Kaṃsa addressed Keśin / and sent him off: “Let Rāma and Keśava be slain by you.”

20. And on the divine sage's parting Kamsa called in Kesin and sent him with the order, "you should kill Rama and Krishna".

10.36.21

tato muṣṭika-cāṇūra śala-tośalakādikān /
amātyān hastipāṃś caiva samāhūyāha bhoja-rāṭ //

Then, having summoned Muṣṭika, Cāṇūra, Śala, Tośalaka, and the rest, / as well as his ministers and elephant-keepers, the king of the Bhojas said:

21. Then the ruler of the Bhojas summoned his ministers Mushtika, Chanura, Sala, Tosalaka and others and also keepers of elephants and said to them:—

10.36.22

bho bho niśamyatām etad vīra-cāṇūra-muṣṭikau /
nanda-vraje kilāsāte sutāv ānakadundubheḥ //

“Listen, O brave Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika, to this: / it is reported that the two sons of Ānakadundubhi are living in Nanda's Vraja.

22. & 23. "O my warriors, Chanura and Mushtika! Listen to this; at Nanda's Vraja indeed now live the sons of Vasudeva, Rama and Krishna. That at their hands I should meet my death is decreed.

10.36.23

rāma-kṛṣṇau tato mahyaṃ mṛtyuḥ kila nidarśitaḥ /
bhavadbhyām iha samprāptau hanyetāṃ malla-līlayā //

Rāma and Kṛṣṇa have indeed been pointed out as my death; / when brought here by you, let them be killed in the sport of wrestling.

24. "You should both kill the two in a wrestling match, when brought here. Let galleries be constructed of various patterns suitable to the arena of wrestlers and let all people, both of the city and the country, witness (enjoy) the free fighting.

10.36.24

mañcāḥ kriyantāṃ vividhā malla-raṅga-pariśritāḥ /
paurā jānapadāḥ sarve paśyantu svaira-saṃyugam //

Let various viewing platforms be erected around the wrestling arena; / let all the citizens and countryfolk witness this unrestricted contest.

10.36.25

mahāmātra tvayā bhadra raṅga-dvāry upanīyatām /
dvipaḥ kuvalayāpīḍo jahi tena mamāhitau //

O mahout, my good man, let the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa / be brought by you to the gate of the arena; with him, destroy my two enemies.”

25. O keeper of the elephant, O good man, do thou station my elephant Kuvalayapeeda at the entrance of the arena, and have my two enemies killed by it.

10.36.26

ārabhyatāṃ dhanur-yāgaś caturdaśyāṃ yathā-vidhi /
viśasantu paśūn medhyān bhūta-rājāya mīḍhuṣe //

"Let the sacrifice of the bow begin on the fourteenth day according to rule, / and let them slaughter sacrificial animals for the bountiful Lord of spirits.

26. Let the sacrifice relating to the Bow commence in due form on the Chaturdasi day. Let priests offer as victims sacrificial animals to the most gracious deity ruling over the Bhutas (Siva).

10.36.27

ity ājñāpyārtha-tantra-jña āhūya yadu-puṅgavam /
gṛhītvā pāṇinā pāṇiṃ tato 'krūram uvāca ha //

Having thus given orders, skilled in statecraft, he summoned that bull of the Yadus, / took him by the hand, and then spoke to Akrūra:

27. Having thus given them his order, Kamsa, versed in the science of economy, sent for Akrura, the best of Yadus and, taking him by the hand, said to him.

10.36.28

bho bho dāna-pate mahyaṃ kriyatāṃ maitram ādṛtaḥ /
nānyas tvatto hitatamo vidyate bhoja-vṛṣṇiṣu //

"O master of gifts, please show me friendship with due respect; / there is no one among the Bhojas and Vṛṣṇis more well-disposed to me than you.

28. O Danapati! with true devotion to me please do me an act of friendship; there is no one who, other than thyself, is most mindful of my good, among all the Bhojas and Vrishnis.

10.36.29

atas tvām āśritaḥ saumya kārya-gaurava-sādhanam /
yathendro viṣṇum āśritya svārtham adhyagamad vibhuḥ //

Therefore I have turned to you, gentle one, who can accomplish this momentous task, / just as the mighty Indra relied on Viṣṇu to achieve his own purpose.

29. O gentle one, therefore, I depend upon thee as the means of accomplishing a great purpose just as Indra the powerful, with the help of Vishnu, accomplished his purpose.

10.36.30

gaccha nanda-vrajaṃ tatra sutāv ānakadundubheḥ /
āsāte tāv ihānena rathenānaya mā ciram //

Go to Nanda’s settlement. The two sons of Ānakadundubhi / are staying there; bring them here on this chariot without delay.

30. Please go to Nanda's Vraja; there are the two sons of Vasudeva; and soon bring them here in this chariot; let there be no delay.

10.36.31

nisṛṣṭaḥ kila me mṛtyur devair vaikuṇṭha-saṃśrayaiḥ /
tāv ānaya samaṃ gopair nandādyaiḥ sābhyupāyanaiḥ //

My death has indeed been ordained by the gods who take refuge in Vaikuṇṭha; / bring the two along with the cowherds, Nanda and the rest, bringing gifts.

31. By the gods, partisans of Vaikuntha, death is indeed ordained to me; therefore bring them also, Nanda and other gopas, with their tributes.

10.36.32

ghātayiṣya ihānītau kāla-kalpena hastinā /
yadi muktau tato mallair ghātaye vaidyutopamaiḥ //

Once brought here, I will have them killed by the elephant that resembles death itself; / if they escape it, then I will have them killed by wrestlers like lightning bolts.

32. I will have them killed here by my elephant equal unto Yama; and if they escape him, I will have them struck down by my wrestlers who are like unto thunder-bolts.

10.36.33

tayor nihatayos taptān vasudeva-purogamān /
tad-bandhūn nihaniṣyāmi vṛṣṇi-bhoja-daśārhakān //

When those two are slain, I shall kill their grieving kinsmen led by Vasudeva— / the Vṛṣṇis, the Bhojas, and the Daśārhas—

33. & 34. When they are both despatched I shall do away with Vasudeva and others grieved at their loss and their relations Vrishnis, Bhojas, Dasarhas, my father Ugrasena who, though old, aspires to the throne and his brother Devaka and all others, my enemies all.

10.36.34

ugrasenaṃ ca pitaraṃ sthaviraṃ rājya-kāmukaṃ /
tad-bhrātaraṃ devakaṃ ca ye cānye vidviṣo mama //

and my old father Ugrasena, who still covets the throne, / and his brother Devaka, and whoever else hates me.

10.36.35

tataś caiṣā mahī mitra bhavitrī naṣṭa-kaṇṭakā /
jarāsandho mama gurur dvivido dayitaḥ sakhā //

Then, friend, this earth will have its thorns cleared away. / Jarāsandha is my father-in-law and mentor; Dvivida is my dear comrade;

35. Then this earth will, my friend, be rid of all thorns; there is Jarasandha my preceptor; and Dvivida my beloved companion.

10.36.36

śambaro narako bāṇo mayy eva kṛta-sauhṛdāḥ /
tair ahaṃ sura-pakṣīyān hatvā bhokṣye mahīṃ nṛpān //

Śambara, Naraka, and Bāṇa have established firm friendship with me alone. / With them I will slaughter the kings who take the gods' side and enjoy the earth.

36. Sambara, Naraka and Bana, all, are sincerely devoted to me and with their help I shall destroy all the kings who are on the side of the immortals and enjoy the earth.

10.36.37

etaj jñātvānaya kṣipraṃ rāma-kṛṣṇāv ihārbhakau /
dhanur-makha-nirīkṣārthaṃ draṣṭuṃ yadu-pura-śriyam //

Knowing this, quickly bring here the boys Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, / to view the bow sacrifice and behold the splendor of the Yadu capital."

37. Understanding this, bring at once the boys Rama and

Krishna here, inducing them to behold the Bow-sacrifice and the splendour of Yadus' city.

10.36.38

/0 śrī-akrūra uvāca
rājan manīṣitaṃ sadhryak tava svāvadya-mārjanam /
siddhy-asiddhyoḥ samaṃ kuryād daivaṃ hi phala-sādhanam //

Śrī Akrūra said: / "O King, your intention to wipe away your own danger is sound; / yet one should remain equanimous in success and failure, for fate alone brings results.

38. Akrura said:—O king, thy deliberation is good since it is to avert the evil that may befall thee. Man should keep an equable temper in success or in failure. For Providence is the means of accomplisling the desired end.

10.36.39

manorathān karoty uccair jano daiva-hatān api /
yujyate harṣa-śokābhyāṃ tathāpy ājñāṃ karomi te //

A person builds high hopes even when thwarted by fate, / and is bound by joy and sorrow; nonetheless, I will carry out your command."

39. Man entertains grand wishes thwarted as they may happen to be by Providence, and reaps joy or sorrow; still I shall do thy command.

10.36.40

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
evam ādiśya cākrūraṃ mantriṇaś ca viṣṛjya saḥ /
praviveśa gṛhaṃ kaṃsas tathākrūraḥ svam ālayam //

Śrī Śuka said: / Having thus instructed Akrūra and dismissed his ministers, Kaṃsa / entered his palace, and Akrūra likewise went to his own home.

40. Sri Suka said:—Having thus instructed Akrura and sent off his councillors, Kamsa retired into the palace; and Akrura too went home.