Bhagavatapurana 10.36
English (machine translation) 10.36
- Language
- English
10.36.1
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,
10.36.2
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.
10.36.3
By his harsh roaring, O dear one, / the fetuses of cows and women prematurely fell and were miscarried out of fear.
10.36.4
Clouds gathered upon his hump, mistaking it for a mountain; / seeing him with his sharp horns, the gopīs and cowherd boys were terrified.
10.36.5
The cattle fled in terror, O King, abandoning the cowherd settlement; / they all took refuge in Govinda, crying, “Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa!”
10.36.6
The Lord also, seeing that cowherd settlement fleeing in fear, / comforted them with the words “Do not fear!” and challenged the bull-demon:
10.36.7
“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?”
10.36.8
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.
10.36.9
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
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.
10.36.11
Seizing him by the horns, the Lord pushed him back / eighteen paces indeed, as an elephant repulses an opposing elephant.
10.36.12
Cast away by the Lord, he rose again quickly / and charged, his entire body sweating, breathing heavily, maddened with fury.
10.36.13
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.
10.36.14
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.
10.36.15
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.
10.36.16
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:
10.36.17
“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.”
10.36.18
Hearing that, the lord of the Bhojas, his senses agitated with fury, / seized a sharpened sword in his desire to kill Vasudeva.
10.36.19
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.
10.36.20
When the divine sage had departed, Kaṃsa addressed Keśin / and sent him off: “Let Rāma and Keśava be slain by you.”
10.36.21
Then, having summoned Muṣṭika, Cāṇūra, Śala, Tośalaka, and the rest, / as well as his ministers and elephant-keepers, the king of the Bhojas said:
10.36.22
“Listen, O brave Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika, to this: / it is reported that the two sons of Ānakadundubhi are living in Nanda's Vraja.
10.36.23
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.
10.36.24
Let various viewing platforms be erected around the wrestling arena; / let all the citizens and countryfolk witness this unrestricted contest.
10.36.25
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.”
10.36.26
"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.
10.36.27
Having thus given orders, skilled in statecraft, he summoned that bull of the Yadus, / took him by the hand, and then spoke to Akrūra:
10.36.28
"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.
10.36.29
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.
10.36.30
Go to Nanda’s settlement. The two sons of Ānakadundubhi / are staying there; bring them here on this chariot without delay.
10.36.31
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.
10.36.32
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.
10.36.33
When those two are slain, I shall kill their grieving kinsmen led by Vasudeva— / the Vṛṣṇis, the Bhojas, and the Daśārhas—
10.36.34
and my old father Ugrasena, who still covets the throne, / and his brother Devaka, and whoever else hates me.
10.36.35
Then, friend, this earth will have its thorns cleared away. / Jarāsandha is my father-in-law and mentor; Dvivida is my dear comrade;
10.36.36
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.
10.36.37
Knowing this, quickly bring here the boys Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, / to view the bow sacrifice and behold the splendor of the Yadu capital."
10.36.38
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.
10.36.39
A person builds high hopes even when thwarted by fate, / and is bound by joy and sorrow; nonetheless, I will carry out your command."
10.36.40
Śrī Śuka said: / Having thus instructed Akrūra and dismissed his ministers, Kaṃsa / entered his palace, and Akrūra likewise went to his own home.
Translations (1)
- The Srimad Bhagavatam — S. Subba Rau 1928, English
Linked texts (1)
- Bhāgavatapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit