Bhagavatapurana 10.37

10.37.1

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
keśī tu kaṃsa-prahitaḥ khurair mahīṃ $ mahā-hayo nirjarayan mano-javaḥ &
keśī tu kaṃsa-prahitaḥ khurair mahīṃ $ mahā-hayo nirjarayan mano-javaḥ &
saṭāvadhūtābhra-vimāna-saṅkulaṃ % kurvan nabho heṣita-bhīṣitākhilaḥ //

Śrī Śuka said: / But Keśī, dispatched by Kaṃsa, a great steed swift as thought, / tearing up the earth with his hooves, / scattering clouds and heavenly chariots with his tossing mane, terrified all with his neighing.

1. Sri Suka said:—Quick as thought, Kesin, an asura sent by Kamsa, came in the form of a huge horse, shattering the earth, with his hoofs and with his wavy manes dispersing the clouds and the celestial cars crowded in the sky, terrifying everything with his neighings,

10.37.2

* //
taṃ trāsayantaṃ bhagavān sva-gokulaṃ $ tad-dheṣitair vāla-vighūrṇitāmbudam &
taṃ trāsayantaṃ bhagavān sva-gokulaṃ $ tad-dheṣitair vāla-vighūrṇitāmbudam &
ātmānam ājau mṛgayantam agra-ṇīr % upāhvayat sa vyanadan mṛgendra-vat //

As he terrified his Gokula, whirling the clouds with his neighs and tail, / seeking Him out for battle, the foremost of all, the Lord, / challenged him; and he roared like a lion.

2. When He saw him terrorising His own Gokula with his neighings and tossing the clouds with his tail, and seeking Himself for a combat with him, Sri Krishna, the foremost (among warriors), called him and loudly roared like the lion.

10.37.3

* //
sa taṃ niśāmyābhimukho makhena khaṃ $ pibann ivābhyadravad aty-amarṣaṇaḥ &
sa taṃ niśāmyābhimukho makhena khaṃ $ pibann ivābhyadravad aty-amarṣaṇaḥ &
jaghāna padbhyām aravinda-locanaṃ % durāsadaś caṇḍa-javo duratyayaḥ //

Seeing Him, furious, as if drinking the sky with his open mouth, he rushed headlong, / and, fierce in speed, difficult to approach and hard to overcome, / struck the lotus-eyed Lord with his hind legs.

3. On seeing Krishna before him the asura fled towards Him and, looking as if he would in his rage drink the heavens with his wide open mouth, rushed at Krishna and struck Him with his feet:

he was unapproachable, of violent speed and irresistible.

10.37.4

* //
tad vañcayitvā tam adhokṣajo ruṣā pragṛhya dorbhyāṃ parividhya pādayoḥ /
sāvajñam utsṛjya dhanuḥ-śatāntare yathoragaṃ tārkṣya-suto vyavasthitaḥ //

Dodging that blow, Adhokṣaja angrily seized him by the legs with both hands, / whirled him around, cast him disdainfully a hundred bow-lengths away, and stood firm like Garuḍa tossing a serpent.

4. Krishna warded off his attack and, with His two hands seizing him in rage by the forelegs, whirled him round and, throwing him disdainfully to a distance of hundred bows, stood still (awaited) as the son of Tarkshya does with an excellent serpent.

10.37.4.p1

saḥ labdha-saṃjñaḥ punar utthito ruṣā $ vyādāya keśī tarasāpatad dharim &

Having regained consciousness, rising up again in rage, Keśī opened his mouth wide and charged swiftly at Hari.

5. Recovering consciousness, Kesin rose up: and furiously wroth, he ran at Hari with his mouth wide open; and smilingly Krishna put His left arm into his mouth like unto a serpent entering a hole.

10.37.5

so 'py asya vaktre bhujam uttaraṃ smayan % praveśayām āsa yathoragaṃ bile //

He, smiling, thrust His left arm into his mouth, as if a serpent into a hole.

10.37.5.p2

dantā nipetur bhagavad-bhuja-spṛśas $ te keśinas tapta-maya-spṛśo yathā &

Touching the Lord’s arm, Keśī’s teeth fell out / as if touching heated iron,

6. On contact with the Lord's arm Kesin's teeth dropped down like those when in contact with a heated iron rod, and the Lord's arm in the interior of his body grew in volume like the disease of Jalodara if neglected.

10.37.5.p3

dantā nipetur bhagavad-bhuja-spṛśas $ te keśinas tapta-maya-spṛśo yathā &

touching the Lord’s arm, Keśī’s teeth fell out / as if touching heated iron;

10.37.6

bāhuś ca tad-deha-gato mahātmano % yathāmayaḥ saṃvavṛdhe upekṣitaḥ //

and the great-souled Lord’s arm inside his body / expanded like a neglected disease.

10.37.7

samedhamānena sa kṛṣṇa-bāhunā niruddha-vāyuś caraṇāṃś ca vikṣipan /
prasvinna-gātraḥ parivṛtta-locanaḥ papāta laṇḍaṃ visṛjan kṣitau vyasuḥ //

With his breath choked by the swelling arm of Kṛṣṇa, kicking his legs, / his body drenched in sweat, his eyes rolling back, he voided dung and fell lifeless to the ground.

7. His breath was choked by the swelling arm of Krishna, he threw up his legs in the air and profusely sweated: his eyes rolled in confusion: passing excretions he fell down lifeless.

10.37.8

tad-dehataḥ karkaṭikā-phalopamād vyasor apākṛṣya bhujaṃ mahā-bhujaḥ /
avismito 'yatna-hatārikaḥ suraiḥ prasūna-varṣair varṣadbhir īḍitaḥ //

Pulling His arm out of that lifeless body which had split like a ripe cucumber, the mighty-armed Lord / felt no wonder at slaying his enemy effortlessly, and was praised by the gods showering rainfalls of flowers.

8. Out of his dead body that resembled a ripe cucumber, the mighty-armed Krishna drew out his hand and was not touched with any feeling of pride, though He had killed His enemy without any effort; and the Lord was praised and sung and showered over with flowers by the wondering celestials.

10.37.9

devarṣir upasaṅgamya bhāgavata-pravaro nṛpa /
kṛṣṇam akliṣṭa-karmāṇaṃ rahasy etad abhāṣata //

Approaching Him, O King, the divine seer, foremost of Bhāgavatas, / spoke this in secret to Kṛṣṇa, whose deeds are performed without toil:

9. The divine sage Narada, foremost among the Lord's devotees, paid his respects to Krishna of faultless deeds, O king, and secretly spoke to Him thus:—

10.37.10

kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇāprameyātman yogeśa jagad-īśvara /
vāsudevākhilāvāsa sātvatāṃ pravara prabho //

"O Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa of immeasurable self, Master of yoga, Lord of the universe, / Vāsudeva, abode of all, foremost of the Sātvatas, O Master!

10. O Krishna, Krishna, of immeasurable and incomprehensible nature! O Lord of Yoga! O Almighty ruler of the Universe, O Vasudeva, O abode of all, O best of the Satvatas, O powerful Lord.

10.37.11

tvam ātmā sarva-bhūtānām eko jyotir ivaidhasām /
gūḍho guhā-śayaḥ sākṣī mahā-puruṣa īśvaraḥ //

You are the one Self of all beings, like fire within firewood; / hidden, abiding in the cave of the heart, the witness, the Supreme Person, the Lord.

11. Thou art (as Antaryamin) the one that is present in all beings like the principle of fire abiding in all firewoods. Thou art unrevealed in every heart and witnessest everything: Thou art the Omnipotent and Omnipresent Person and the One Supreme Ruler.

10.37.12

ātmanātmāśrayaḥ pūrvaṃ māyayā sasṛje guṇān /
tair idaṃ satya-saṅkalpaḥ sṛjasy atsy avasīśvaraḥ //

Resting on Yourself alone, by Yourself You first projected the gunas through Your creative power; / through them, You of infallible will create, consume, and protect this world, O Sovereign.

12. Dependent on nobody else Thou didst in the beginning Thyself create the Gunas through Thy power (Maya), and Thou, the Lord of unerring thoughts, createst, protectest and destroyest this Universe with those gunas.

10.37.13

sa tvaṃ bhūdhara-bhūtānāṃ daitya-pramatha-rakṣasām /
avatīrṇo vināśāya sādhunāṃ rakṣaṇāya ca //

That very You have descended to destroy the Daityas, Pramathas, and Rākṣasas / who burden the earth, and to protect the virtuous.

13. Thou hast appeared in the world for putting down the Daityas, Pramathas and Rakshasas that are born as kings (D. that art the burden) and for protecting the defences of Righteousness.

10.37.14

diṣṭyā te nihato daityo līlayāyaṃ hayākṛtiḥ /
yasya heṣita-santrastās tyajanty animiṣā divam //

By good fortune this Daitya in the form of a horse has been killed by You in play— / he by whose neighing the gods, terrified, fled heaven.

14. Fortunately by Thee has been sportfully killed this Daitya guised as a horse, frightened by whose neighing even the gods desert Swarga.

10.37.15

cāṇūraṃ muṣṭikaṃ caiva mallān anyāṃś ca hastinam /
kaṃsaṃ ca nihataṃ drakṣye paraśvo 'hani te vibho //

The day after tomorrow, O mighty Lord, I shall see Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika, / the other wrestlers, the elephant, and Kaṃsa slain by You.

15. O Lord, day after to-morrow, in the day, I hope to see Thee slaying Chanura, Mushtika and other wrestlers as well as the elephant and Kamsa.

10.37.16

tasyānu śaṅkha-yavana- murāṇāṃ narakasya ca /
pārijātāpaharaṇam indrasya ca parājayam //

After that, [I shall see] the killing of Śaṅkha, the Yavana, Mura, and Naraka, / the carrying off of the Pārijāta tree, and the defeat of Indra;

16. Next I shall see the destruction of Panchajana, Kalayavana, Mura and Naraka, as also the bringing down of Parijata and the discomfiture of Indra.

10.37.17

udvāhaṃ vīra-kanyānāṃ vīrya-śulkādi-lakṣaṇam /
nṛgasya mokṣaṇaṃ śāpād dvārakāyāṃ jagat-pate //

the marriage to heroic maidens won by displays of prowess and other signs, / the release of Nṛga from his curse in Dvārakā, O Lord of the world;

17. Thereafter, O Lord of the Universe, Thy wedding the daughters of warriors, for which prowess is the only fee: the release of Nriga from sin in Dwaraka;

10.37.18

syamantakasya ca maṇer ādānaṃ saha bhāryayā /
mṛta-putra-pradānaṃ ca brāhmaṇasya sva-dhāmataḥ //

the taking of the Syamantaka jewel together with a bride, / and the returning of the brāhmaṇa's dead son from Your own abode;

18. The recovery of the jewel Syamantaka with a wife (Jambavati): restoration to a brahmin of his dead son from Thy own Vaikuntha (from the abode of Death).

10.37.19

pauṇḍrakasya vadhaṃ paścāt kāśi-puryāś ca dīpanam /
dantavakrasya nidhanaṃ caidyasya ca mahā-kratau //

then the slaying of Pauṇḍraka, the burning of the city of Kāśī, / the destruction of Dantavakra, and of Śiśupāla at the great sacrifice.

19. The destruction of Paundraka and then the burning of the city of Kasi: the fall of Dantavaktra and Sisupala in the great sacrifice (Rajasuya of Yudhishtira).

10.37.20

yāni cānyāni vīryāṇi dvārakām āvasan bhavān /
kartā drakṣyāmy ahaṃ tāni geyāni kavibhir bhuvi //

And whatever other heroic deeds You will perform while dwelling in Dvārakā, / to be sung by poets on earth, I shall behold them all.

20. I shall be pleased to see many other heroic acts that Thou will while residing in Dwaraka be achieving, and that will be rehearsed by poets and wise men on earth.

10.37.21

atha te kāla-rūpasya kṣapayiṣṇor amuṣya vai /
akṣauhiṇīnāṃ nidhanaṃ drakṣyāmy arjuna-sāratheḥ //

Then, as You assume the form of Time intent on destroying it, / acting as Arjuna's charioteer, I will see the destruction of this host of armies.

21. Thereafter I shall see the destruction of the many Akshauhinis through (as Arjuna’s charioteer) Thee who art Time intent upon reducing the burden of the earth.

10.37.21.p1

viśuddha-vijñāna-ghanaṃ sva-saṃsthayā $ samāpta-sarvārtham amogha-vāñchitam &

Him who is a mass of pure consciousness, established in His own nature, / who has realized all purposes, whose desire is never unfulfilled,

22. We resort for protection to the glorious Lord who is perfect and absolutely pure *jnana* (consciousness) and possessed, by virtue of His own blissful nature, of everything: whose wishes never prove futile: and on whom the stream of gunas produced out of Maya never operate.

10.37.22

sva-tejasā nitya-nivṛtta-māyā- % guṇa-pravāhaṃ bhagavantam īmahi //

who by His own radiance has eternally turned away the stream of the modes of creative power—to that Lord we approach with reverence."

10.37.23

tvām īśvaraṃ svāśrayam ātma-māyayā vinirmitāśeṣa-viśeṣa-kalpanam /
krīḍārtham adyātta-manuṣya-vigrahaṃ nato 'smi dhuryaṃ yadu-vṛṣṇi-sātvatām //

I bow down to you, the Lord, your own support, who by your own creative power have constructed all manifold distinctions, / who have now assumed a human form for play, the foremost leader of the Yadus, Vṛṣṇis, and Sātvatas.

23. I lie prostrate before Thee, who art the Supreme Ruler, who hast created through that Maya all these phenomena of differences which depend on Thyself, who hast now sportfully assumed a human form as the foremost of the Yadus, Vrishnis and Satvatas.

10.37.24

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
evaṃ yadu-patiṃ kṛṣṇaṃ bhāgavata-pravaro muniḥ /
praṇipatyābhyanujñāto yayau tad-darśanotsavaḥ //

Śrī Śuka said: / Having thus bowed down to Kṛṣṇa, the lord of the Yadus, the sage, foremost among the devotees of the Lord, took his leave and departed, joyful with the festival of seeing him.

24. Sri Suka said:—Rejoiced at having seen Him the sage, foremost among the Lord's devotees, bowed to Krishna, the Lord of the Yadus, and, after having thus spoken to Him, with His permission departed.

10.37.25

bhagavān api govindo hatvā keśinam āhave /
paśūn apālayat pālaiḥ prītair vraja-sukhāvahaḥ //

The Lord Govinda too, having slain Keśin in battle, / protected the cattle together with the delighted cowherds, bringing joy to Vraja.

25. And the glorious Govinda, after slaying Kesin in an affray, tended the cows along with the highly delighted Gopalas and enhanced the happiness of Vraja.

10.37.26

ekadā te paśūn pālāś cārayanto 'dri-sānuṣu /
cakrur nilāyana-krīḍāś cora-pālāpadeśataḥ //

Once, as those cowherds were grazing the cattle on the slopes of the mountain, / they played the game of hide-and-seek under the guise of thieves and keepers.

26. Once while grazing their cattle on mountain heights the Gopalas engaged themselves in a game called Nilayana Kreeda (in which some played the part of thieves and others that of police men).

10.37.27

tatrāsan katicic corāḥ pālāś ca katicin nṛpa /
meṣāyitāś ca tatraike vijahrur akuto-bhayāḥ //

There some were thieves, O king, and some were keepers, / and some there acted as sheep; thus, free from fear, they played.

27. In the play some Gopas acted the thief, while others the watchmen, O King: and some others the goats: thus they were fearlessly engaged in the play.

10.37.28

maya-putro mahā-māyo vyomo gopāla-veṣa-dhṛk /
meṣāyitān apovāha prāyaś corāyito bahūn //

Vyoma, the son of Maya, a master of great illusion, assuming the guise of a cowherd, / acted as a thief and carried away many of those who were playing sheep.

28. There Vyoma, an asura of immense magical powers and son of Maya, disguised as Gopa stood for a thief in the play and very frequently playing the part of a thief he carried away very many Gopas that acted the part of goats.

10.37.29

giri-daryāṃ vinikṣipya nītaṃ nītaṃ mahāsuraḥ /
śilayā pidadhe dvāraṃ catuḥ-pañcāvaśeṣitāḥ //

Throwing each one he carried off into a mountain cave, the great asura / blocked the entrance with a boulder, until only four or five were left.

29. The great asura secured every one he carried away in a mountain cave and closed its entrance with a rock and only four or five remained of the Gopas.

10.37.30

tasya tat karma vijñāya kṛṣṇaḥ śaraṇa-daḥ satām /
gopān nayantaṃ jagrāha vṛkaṃ harir ivaujasā //

Knowing his deed, Kṛṣṇa, the giver of refuge to the virtuous devotees, / seized him by his might as he was leading away the cowherds, just as a lion seizes a wolf.

30. Krishna, the protector of the righteous, perceived that work of the asura and seized him forcibly, while he was carrying away the Gopas, just as a lion seizes a wolf.

10.37.31

sa nijaṃ rūpam āsthāya girīndra-sadṛśaṃ balī /
icchan vimoktum ātmānaṃ nāśaknod grahaṇāturaḥ //

Assuming his own form, huge as a prince of mountains, the powerful demon / wished to free himself, but seized fast, was unable to do so.

31. Much pained by the grip, the powerful Asura resumed his natural form big like a mountain and tried to extricate himself, but could not.

10.37.32

taṃ nigṛhyācyuto dorbhyāṃ pātayitvā mahī-tale /
paśyatāṃ divi devānāṃ paśu-māram amārayat //

Grabbing him with both arms and throwing him down on the surface of the earth, / Acyuta slaughtered him like a sacrificial beast while the gods watched from the sky.

32. With both His arms Achyuta seized him and dashed him to the ground, so that like a sacrificial beast instantly he fell breathless and dead, as the gods stood witnessing it in the heavens.

10.37.33

guhā-pidhānaṃ nirbhidya gopān niḥsārya kṛcchrataḥ /
stūyamānaḥ surair gopaiḥ praviveśa sva-gokulam //

Breaking open the cave’s barrier and leading the cowherds out from their plight, / he entered his own Gokula, praised by the gods and cowherds.

33. He broke down the rock that blocked the entrance of the cave, rescued the Gopas from the peril and returned to Gokula.