Bhagavatapurana 10.64: atha catuḥṣaṣṭitamo'dhyāyaḥ

10.64.1

/0 śrī-bādarāyaṇir uvāca
ekadopavanaṃ rājan jagmur yadu-kumārakāḥ /
vihartuṃ sāmba-pradyumna cāru-bhānu-gadādayaḥ //

Śrī Bādarāyaṇi said: / Once, O king, the Yadu princes—Sāmba, Pradyumna, Cāru, Bhānu, Gada, and others— / went to a garden to play.

[1. Sri Suka said:—On a certain occasion, O king, Yadava princes, Samba, Pradyumna, Charu, Bhanu, Gada and others, went out for sport to a garden far away from the town (to an adjacent forest).

10.64.2

krīḍitvā su-ciraṃ tatra vicinvantaḥ pipāsitāḥ /
jalaṃ nirudake kūpe dadṛśuḥ sattvam adbhutam //

Having played there for a long time, becoming thirsty and searching / for water in a waterless well, they saw an extraordinary creature.

2. Having sported there for a long time they grew thirsty and going in search of water and looking into a well without water, they noticed a strange animal in it.

10.64.3

kṛkalāsaṃ giri-nibhaṃ vīkṣya vismita-mānasāḥ /
tasya coddharaṇe yatnaṃ cakrus te kṛpayānvitāḥ //

Seeing a chameleon resembling a mountain, their minds filled with wonder; / moved by pity, they made an effort to rescue it.

3. Moved with pity at the sight of the lizard, big like a hill, and with wondering minds they made efforts to lift it up.

10.64.4

carma-jais tāntavaiḥ pāśair baddhvā patitam arbhakāḥ /
nāśaknuran samuddhartuṃ kṛṣṇāyācakhyur utsukāḥ //

Having bound the fallen creature with leather and fiber cords, the boys / were unable to lift it out, and eagerly reported it to Kṛṣṇa.

4. The boys tied it with leather straps and ropes of fibres, and tried but could not lift up the fallen creature; and full of curiosity and anxiety they informed Krishna of the fact.

10.64.5

tatrāgatyāravindākṣo bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ /
vīkṣyojjahāra vāmena taṃ kareṇa sa līlayā //

Arriving there, the lotus-eyed Lord, the creator of the universe, / looked at it and easily lifted it out with his left hand as if in divine play.

5. The Almighty creator and protector of the world, Krishna of lotus-like eyes, went to the spot, saw the animal and easily with his left hand, lifted it up.

10.64.6

sa uttamaḥ-śloka-karābhimṛṣṭo vihāya sadyaḥ kṛkalāsa-rūpam /
santapta-cāmīkara-cāru-varṇaḥ svargy adbhutālaṅkaraṇāmbara-srak //

Touched by the hand of He of highest renown, it immediately abandoned the form of a chameleon / and became a heavenly being of the charming color of molten gold, adorned with wonderful ornaments, garments, and garlands.

6. Touched by the hand of the most glorious Lord the animal at once cast off that lizard body and stood a celestial adorned with jewels, clothes and wreaths of flowers and by his complexion charming like molten gold.

10.64.7

papraccha vidvān api tan-nidānaṃ janeṣu vikhyāpayituṃ mukundaḥ /
kas tvaṃ mahā-bhāga vareṇya-rūpo devottamaṃ tvāṃ gaṇayāmi nūnam //

Although knowing everything, Mukunda asked the cause of that transformation in order to make it known among the people: / 'Who are you, O fortunate one, of such excellent form? I consider you surely to be a foremost deity.'

7. Though aware of it, Mukunda asked him the cause of it (his fall) in order to make it known to the people, "Who art thou, O blessed one, possessed of this excellent personality? I think thou art certainly a great celestial.

10.64.8

daśām imāṃ vā katamena karmaṇā samprāpito 'sy atad-arhaḥ su-bhadra /
ātmānam ākhyāhi vivitsatāṃ no yan manyase naḥ kṣamam atra vaktum //

“Or by what deed have you, being undeserving of it, been brought to this condition, O auspicious one? / Tell us about yourself, who desire to know, whatever you deem fitting to speak here.”

8. "By what karma wast thou reduced to this plight, though thou didst not merit it, O good one: explain thyself to us who are curious to know it, if thou thinkest us fit to be told.

10.64.9

/0 śrī-śuka uvāca
iti sma rājā sampṛṣṭaḥ kṛṣṇenānanta-mūrtinā /
mādhavaṃ praṇipatyāha kirīṭenārka-varcasā //

Śrī Śuka said: / Thus questioned by Kṛṣṇa of boundless forms, / the king bowed down before Mādhava with his crown blazing like the sun and said:

9. Sri Suka said:—Thus asked by Krishna of infinite forms, the king bowed with his crown brilliant like the sun and said 10. Nriga said:— O Lord, I am a king known as Nriga, son of Ikshuvaku, if my name had reached Thy ears, when liberal donors were talked about.

10.64.10

/0 nṛga uvāca
nṛgo nāma narendro 'ham ikṣvāku-tanayaḥ prabho /
dāniṣv ākhyāyamāneṣu yadi te karṇam aspṛśam //

Nṛga said: / “I am a king named Nṛga, the son of Ikṣvāku, O Lord; / perhaps my name has touched your ear when donors were being recounted.

10.64.11

kiṃ nu te 'viditaṃ nātha sarva-bhūtātma-sākṣiṇaḥ /
kālenāvyāhata-dṛśo vakṣye 'thāpi tavājñayā //

What indeed could be unknown to you, O Lord, the witness of the self of all beings, / whose vision is unimpeded by time? Yet I shall speak by your command.

11. O Lord, what is there unknown to Thee that art the witness of every mind: Thy vision is uninterrupted by Time: still under Thy command I shall relate.

10.64.12

yāvatyaḥ sikatā bhūmer yāvatyo divi tārakāḥ /
yāvatyo varṣa-dhārāś ca tāvatīr adadaṃ sma gāḥ //

As many grains of sand as there are upon the earth, as many stars in the sky, / and as many drops in a shower of rain, so many cows I gave away.

12. I gave to brahmins cows as many as there are particles of sand on the earth and as many as there are stars in the heavens and as many as there are drops of rain.

10.64.13

payasvinīs taruṇīḥ śīla-rūpa- guṇopapannāḥ kapilā hema-sṛṅgīḥ /
nyāyārjitā rūpya-khurāḥ sa-vatsā dukūla-mālābharaṇā dadāv aham //

Giving milk, young, endowed with good temper, beauty, and virtues, tawny, with horns gilded in gold, / acquired through righteousness, with silver hooves, accompanied by their calves, adorned with silk and garlands—such cows I gave,

13. I gave milch cows, young, of good nature, form and breed, red cows with golden crowns for their horns, well-gotten, hoofs shod with silver, together with their calves, all decorated with silks and garlands.

10.64.14

sv-alaṅkṛtebhyo guṇa-śīlavadbhyaḥ sīdat-kuṭumbebhya ṛta-vratebhyaḥ /
tapaḥ-śruta-brahma-vadānya-sadbhyaḥ prādāṃ yuvabhyo dvija-puṅgavebhyaḥ //

to young, foremost Brahmins who were well adorned, endowed with virtue and good character, with suffering families, strictly observing their vows, / devoted to austerities, learning, the Veda, and charity, and upright.

14. I gave them to the best brahmins adorned and honoured, possessed of good qualities and character, of a family suffering from poverty, of tapas, learning, Vedic knowledge and generosity and also youthful.

10.64.15

go-bhū-hiraṇyāyatanāśva-hastinaḥ kanyāḥ sa-dāsīs tila-rūpya-śayyāḥ /
vāsāṃsi ratnāni paricchadān rathān iṣṭaṃ ca yajñaiś caritaṃ ca pūrtam //

Cows, land, gold, dwellings, horses, elephants, / maidens with female servants, sesame, silver, beds, / garments, jewels, furnishings, chariots, and sacrifices were offered by me, and charitable works performed.

15. I also gave cows, lands, gold, houses, horses, elephants, girls with servants-maid, sesamum seeds, silver, beds, cloths, jewels, blankets and chariots. I performed sacrifices, constructed wells and tanks.

10.64.16

kasyacid dvija-mukhyasya bhraṣṭā gaur mama go-dhane /
sampṛktāviduṣā sā ca mayā dattā dvijātaye //

A cow belonging to a certain eminent Brahmin strayed into my herd of cows; / mingled among them unknowingly, it was given by me to another Brahmin.

16. A cow of a great brahmin that had strayed, mingled with my cattle and I, ignorant of it, bestowed her on some other brahmin.

10.64.17

tāṃ nīyamānāṃ tat-svāmī dṛṣṭrovāca mameti tam /
mameti parigrāhy āha nṛgo me dattavān iti //

Seeing it being led away, its owner said to him, ‘It is mine!’ / The recipient replied, ‘It is mine! Nṛga gave it to me.’

17. When she was being led out, the (first) owner of the cow saw her and said, “This is mine”; the brahmin, who (subsequently) received her from me, said, “King Nriga gave her to me.”

10.64.18

viprau vivadamānau mām ūcatuḥ svārtha-sādhakau /
bhavān dātāpaharteti tac chrutvā me 'bhavad bhramaḥ //

The two Brahmins, arguing and seeking their own interest, said to me: / ‘You are a donor who takes away [what belongs to another]!’ Hearing that, my mind was bewildered.

18. The disputant brahmins bent upon establishing their respective claims came up and said, “Thou gavest her to me and thou takest her away from me”; I was perplexed to hear it.

10.64.19

anunītāv ubhau viprau dharma-kṛcchra-gatena vai /
gavāṃ lakṣaṃ prakṛṣṭānāṃ dāsyāmy eṣā pradīyatām //

Being fallen into a moral crisis, both Brahmins were enticed by me: / ‘I shall give one hundred thousand choice cows; let this one be returned!

19. Placed in a critical situation regarding the question of the righteous course, I tried to conciliate both the brahmins and said to (the latter), “I will give thee one lakh of excellent cows: please give this over to the owner.

10.64.20

bhavantāv anugṛhṇītāṃ kiṅkarasyāvijānataḥ /
samuddharataṃ māṃ kṛcchrāt patantaṃ niraye 'śucau //

May both of you show grace to your servant who did not know; / deliver me from difficulty, as I am falling into an unclean hell!’

20. “May you be pleased to excuse me, your ignorant servant, pray lift me up from this difficulty by which I am falling into a horrible hell.” 21. The (first) owner said he would not receive and went away: the other also departed saying I do not like even ten thousand cows other than this!

10.64.21

nāhaṃ pratīcche vai rājann ity uktvā svāmy apākramat /
nānyad gavām apy ayutam icchāmīty aparo yayau //

‘I will not accept it, O King!’ saying this, the owner departed; / ‘I desire no other, not even ten thousand cows!’ the other one left.

10.64.22

etasminn antare yāmair dūtair nīto yama-kṣayam /
yamena pṛṣṭas tatrāhaṃ deva-deva jagat-pate //

In the meantime, taken to the abode of Yama by the messengers of Yama, / I was questioned there by Yama, O God of gods, O Lord of the universe:

22. & 23. O God of gods, O Lord of the Universe, I had been meanwhile taken by Yama's messengers to his court and he asked me, "Wouldst thou first suffer the punishment or enjoy the fruit of thy good deeds. I see no limit to thy charitable gifts and thy merit of righteousness and the brilliant region thou hast earned thereby.

10.64.23

pūrvaṃ tvam aśubhaṃ bhuṅkṣa utāho nṛpate śubham /
nāntaṃ dānasya dharmasya paśye lokasya bhāsvataḥ //

‘Will you first experience your bad karma, O King, or your good karma? / I see no end to your religious giving, nor of your radiant world.’

10.64.24

pūrvaṃ devāśubhaṃ bhuñja iti prāha pateti saḥ /
tāvad adrākṣam ātmānaṃ kṛkalāsaṃ patan prabho //

‘Let me first experience the bad, O deity,’ I said; he replied, ‘Fall!’ / Right then, as I fell, O Lord, I saw myself turned into a lizard.

24. I said, "First I shall suffer the evil consequence". 'Fall', said he; and falling at once I found myself a lizard: O Lord."

10.64.25

brahmaṇyasya vadānyasya tava dāsasya keśava /
smṛtir nādyāpi vidhvastā bhavat-sandarśanārthinaḥ //

To a servant of yours who was devoted to Brahmins and generous, O Keśava, / wishing to see you, remembrance has not been destroyed even to this day.

25. O Kesava, as Thy servant, liberal and devoted to brahmins, and ever praying for a direct revelation of Thyself, I am not deprived of my memory.

10.64.25.p1

sa tvaṃ kathaṃ mama vibho 'kṣi-pathaḥ parātmā $ yogeśvaraḥ śruti-dṛśāmala-hṛd-vibhāvyaḥ &

How have you come into the path of my eyes, O all-pervading Lord, the Supreme Self, / Master of Yoga, who are to be meditated upon in the pure heart through the vision of the Vedas,

26. I do not know how, O Lord, Thou camest to be in the range of my vision, since Thou art Paramatman contemplated and realised in the pure heart through the eye of Sruti; how Thy revealest Thyself to me whose reason is blinded by infinite miseries: for Thou art visible to him whom Thou wouldst release from Samsara.

10.64.26

sākṣād adhokṣaja uru-vyasanāndha-buddheḥ % syān me 'nudṛśya iha yasya bhavāpavargaḥ //

perceptible directly, O Adhokṣaja, to me whose intellect was blinded by grievous misfortune, / you seeing whom brings the cessation of rebirth here?

10.64.27

deva-deva jagan-nātha govinda puruṣottama /
nārāyaṇa hṛṣīkeśa puṇya-ślokācyutāvyaya //

O God of gods, Lord of the universe, Govinda, Supreme Person, / Nārāyaṇa, Hṛṣīkeśa, He whose praise is purifying, Acyuta, imperishable one!

27. & 28. O God of gods, O Lord of the Universe, O Govinda, O Purushothama, O Narayana, O Hrishikesa, O most glorious Achyuta, O undecaying One, O Krishna! Pray let me return to the celestial estate; whereever I may be, may my mind abide on Thy feet.

10.64.28

anujānīhi māṃ kṛṣṇa yāntaṃ deva-gatiṃ prabho /
yatra kvāpi sataś ceto bhūyān me tvat-padāspadam //

Grant me leave, O Kṛṣṇa, as I go to the realm of the gods, O Lord; / wherever I may exist, let my mind rest upon your feet.

10.64.29

namas te sarva-bhāvāya brahmaṇe 'nanta-śaktaye /
kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya yogānāṃ pataye namaḥ //

Homage to you, the source of all being, Brahman, of boundless power; / to Kṛṣṇa, to Vāsudeva, homage to the master of yogas!”

29. Salutatiou to Thee, the Creator of all, Perfect one of infinite powers, to Krishna, Vasudeva, the Lord of all Yogas, I bow to Thee.

10.64.30

ity uktvā taṃ parikramya pādau spṛṣṭvā sva-maulinā /
anujñāto vimānāgryam āruhat paśyatāṃ nṛṇām //

Having spoken thus, circumambulating him and touching his feet with his crown, / permitted [to leave], he mounted an exquisite celestial chariot while men watched.

30. Having spoken thus, he went round, touched the Lord's feet with his crown: and with His permission he mounted the aerial car; and men witnessed it.

10.64.31

kṛṣṇaḥ parijanaṃ prāha bhagavān devakī-sutaḥ /
brahmaṇya-devo dharmātmā rājanyān anuśikṣayan //

The Lord Kṛṣṇa, son of Devakī, / God devoted to Brahmins and the soul of dharma, spoke to his attendants, instructing the royalty:

31. To those around Him in order to teach those born of Kshtriya races. The glorious Devaki's son, Krishna, spoke thus. 32. 'Brahmins' property, ever so little it may be, when misappropriated, is not digestible even for Agni though he is so powerful: certainly then it is impossible for kings who are but conceited as being rulers.

10.64.32

durjaraṃ bata brahma-svaṃ bhuktam agner manāg api /
tejīyaso 'pi kim uta rājñāṃ īśvara-māninām //

“Alas! Property belonging to a Brahmin is difficult to digest even for fire if enjoyed even in the slightest, / though fire is exceedingly powerful; how much more so for kings who consider themselves masters!

10.64.33

nāhaṃ hālāhalaṃ manye viṣaṃ yasya pratikriyā /
brahma-svaṃ hi viṣaṃ proktaṃ nāsya pratividhir bhuvi //

I do not consider the hālāhala to be poison, for which there is a counter-remedy; / a Brahmin's property is declared to be poison—there is no counter-remedy for it on earth.

33. 'I do not think that the poison called Halahala is poison because it has an antidote: on the other hand a brahmin's property is the real poison, since there is no remedy for it in the world.

10.64.34

hinasti viṣam attāraṃ vahnir adbhiḥ praśāmyati /
kulaṃ sa-mūlaṃ dahati brahma-svāraṇi-pāvakaḥ //

Poison destroys only the one who consumes it, fire is extinguished with water; / the fire from the kindling wood of a Brahmin's property burns an entire family to its roots.

34. Poison kills him who swallows it, fire is put out with water; but the fire of Arani of Brahmin's property burns a race with all its roots.

10.64.35

brahma-svaṃ duranujñātaṃ bhuktaṃ hanti tri-pūruṣam /
prasahya tu balād bhuktaṃ daśa pūrvān daśāparān //

A Brahmin's property enjoyed without proper permission destroys three generations; / but enjoyed by force and violence, it destroys ten ancestors and ten descendants.

35. Brahmins' property made use of without permission affects people for three generations: and what is taken and enjoyed by force will affect them for ten generations before and after.

10.64.36

rājāno rāja-lakṣmyāndhā nātma-pātaṃ vicakṣate /
nirayaṃ ye 'bhimanyante brahma-svaṃ sādhu bāliśāḥ //

Kings blinded by royal fortune do not see their own downfall, / fools who long for hell, deeming a Brahmin's property good to seize.

36 to 38. 'Kings blinded by their royal fortune are incapable of seeing their own fall (from it)- Those are foolish men who covet brahmins' property as good, which is really hell. Kings, their descendants and relations who, unchecked, deprive liberal-minded brahmins of large family of their means of living and their property, are cooked in the regions of hell called Kumbhipaka for as many years as there are particles of earth moistened with their tears.

10.64.37

gṛhṇanti yāvataḥ pāṃśūn krandatām aśru-bindavaḥ /
viprāṇāṃ hṛta-vṛttīnām vadānyānāṃ kuṭumbinām //

As many particles of dust as are soaked by the teardrops of weeping Brahmins / whose livelihood has been seized, generous men with families,

10.64.38

rājāno rāja-kulyāś ca tāvato 'bdān niraṅkuśāḥ /
kumbhī-pākeṣu pacyante brahma-dāyāpahāriṇaḥ //

for so many years do unbridled kings and those born of royal families / cook in Kumbhīpāka hells, having stolen the inheritance of a Brahmin.

10.64.39

sva-dattāṃ para-dattāṃ vā brahma-vṛttiṃ harec ca yaḥ /
ṣaṣṭi-varṣa-sahasrāṇi viṣṭhāyāṃ jāyate kṛmiḥ //

Whether given by oneself or given by another, whoever steals the livelihood of a Brahmin / is reborn as a worm in feces for sixty thousand years.

39. 'He who appropriates to himself the means of living of a brahmin, whether given by himself or by another, lives as a worm in offal for sixty thousand years.

10.64.40

na me brahma-dhanaṃ bhūyād yad gṛdhvālpāyuṣo narāḥ /
parājitāś cyutā rājyād bhavanty udvejino 'hayaḥ //

May a Brahmin's wealth not be mine, coveting which men become short-lived, / are defeated, fall from royalty, and become tormenting serpents.

40. May I not touch a brahmin's property! By coveting it people cut short their life: kings suffer defeat, lose their kingdom and become formidable serpents.

10.64.41

vipraṃ kṛtāgasam api naiva druhyata māmakāḥ /
ghnantaṃ bahu śapantaṃ vā namas-kuruta nityaśaḥ //

Do not harm a Brahmin, my people, even if he has committed an offense; / even if he strikes you or curses you profusely, constantly bow down to him.

41. & 42. "O my kinsmen, do no wrong at all even to the brahmin that does an offence, kill or reproach he may: always worship him; just as I every hour, with perfect control over My mind, bow to him, so do you. And whosoever may violate this, shall be the recipient of My punishment.

10.64.42

yathāhaṃ praṇame viprān anukālaṃ samāhitaḥ /
tathā namata yūyaṃ ca yo 'nyathā me sa daṇḍa-bhāk //

Just as I bow to Brahmins at all times with composure, / so should you also bow; whoever acts otherwise shall incur my punishment.

10.64.43

brāhmaṇārtho hy apahṛto hartāraṃ pātayaty adhaḥ /
ajānantam api hy enaṃ nṛgaṃ brāhmaṇa-gaur iva //

For a Brahmin's property when stolen casts the stealer down, / even if he did so unknowingly, just like the Brahmin's cow did to King Nṛga.”

43. 'A brahmin's property, if appropriated, makes the sinful man fall down just as the brahmin's cow made this Nriga fall, though he was ignorant of it.

10.64.44

evaṃ viśrāvya bhagavān mukundo dvārakaukasaḥ /
pāvanaḥ sarva-lokānāṃ viveśa nija-mandiram //

Having thus instructed the dwellers of Dvārakā, the Lord Mukunda, / the purifier of all worlds, entered His own palace.

44. Mukunda, the glorious Lord and the Purifier of all the worlds (creatures) thus taught (a moral to) the residents of Dwaraka and retired to His palace.