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Bhagavatapurana 11.30

English (machine translation) 11.30

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11.30.1

The auspicious king said:
Then, when that exalted devotee Uddhava had departed for the forest,
what did the Lord, the author of all beings, do in Dvāravatī?

11.30.2

When his own clan was afflicted by the curse of the brāhmaṇas,
how did that bull among the Yādavas abandon that body so dear to all eyes?

11.30.2.p1

From which women could not pull back their eyes once attached; which, having entered the ears of the virtuous devotees, does not depart once attached to their self;

11.30.3

the splendor of which inspires poets' words with loving attachment, not to speak of pride; and beholding which mounted on Arjuna's chariot in battle, [warriors] attained likeness with him?

11.30.3.p1

[…]

11.30.4

The auspicious sage said:
Seeing great portents arise in heaven, on earth, and in the intermediate space,
Kṛṣṇa spoke these words to the Yadus seated in the Sudharmā assembly hall:

11.30.5

The Lord said:
These terrible great portents in Dvāravatī are the banners of Yama;
not even for a moment should we stay here, O chiefs of the Yadus.

11.30.6

Let the women, children, and old men go from here to Śaṅkhoddhāra;
we shall go to Prabhāsa, where the Sarasvatī flows westward.

11.30.7

Bathing there, purified, fasting and composed in mind,
we shall worship the deities with ablutions, ointments, and offerings,

11.30.8

and having performed rites for auspiciousness, [we shall worship] the most fortunate brāhmaṇas
with cows, land, gold, garments, elephants, horses, chariots, and houses.

11.30.9

For this rite averts misfortune and is the supreme source of blessing;
worship of gods, twice-born, and cows is the highest prosperity among beings.

11.30.10

Having heard this, all the elders of the Yadus, [saying] “So be it” to the enemy of Madhu,
crossed over in boats and proceeded to Prabhāsa on chariots.

11.30.11

There, the Yādavas performed with supreme devotion what was commanded by the Lord,
the deity of the Yadus, accompanied by every auspicious rite.

11.30.12

Then there they drank the great intoxicating drink, the maireyaka wine,
their minds confounded by fate—the liquor by which intellect is ruined.

11.30.13

Among those warriors arrogant at heart, wildly intoxicated by the heavy drinking
and bewildered by Kṛṣṇa's creative power, an immense clash broke out.

11.30.14

Provoked to anger, those aggressors fought on the shore
with bows, swords, lances, maces, javelins, and spears.

11.30.15

Meeting one another with chariots and elephants bearing flying banners, on donkeys, camels, cows, buffalos, and on foot,
those wildly maddened [warriors] struck with arrows, as tuskers in the forest [strike] with their tusks.

11.30.15.p1

Pradyumna and Sāmba, full of deep-seated rivalry in battle, Akrūra and the Bhoja, Aniruddha and Sātyaki,

11.30.16

Subhadra and Saṅgrāmajit, exceedingly fierce, and Gada, Sumitra, and Suratha clashed together.

11.30.16.p1

[…]

11.30.17

And others such as Niśaṭha and Ulmuka, Sahasrajit, Śatajit, and Bhānu as their leaders,
encountering one another, driven by blindness of intoxication and utterly deluded by Mukunda, slew each other.

11.30.17.p1

The Dāśārhas, Vṛṣṇis, Andhakas, Bhojas, and Sātvatas, the Madhus, Arbudas, Māthuras, and Śūrasenas,

11.30.18

the Visarjanas, Kukuras, and Kuntis, completely casting aside friendship, slew one another.

11.30.18.p1

[…]

11.30.18.p2

Sons fought with fathers and brothers, with nephews, grandsons, paternal uncles, and maternal uncles;

11.30.18.p3

Sons fought with fathers and brothers, with nephews, grandsons, paternal uncles, and maternal uncles;

11.30.19

friends with friends, companions with companions, and kinsmen, completely deluded, killed kinsmen.

11.30.19.p1

[…]

11.30.20

When arrows were exhausted, bows broken,
and weapons spent, they seized the erakā grass in their fists.

11.30.21

Held in the fist, they became like thunderbolt clubs;
with these they struck their enemies, and when checked by Kṛṣṇa, they [struck] him too.

11.30.22

Deeming Balabhadra also an enemy, deluded,
they became aggressors and resolved to kill him, O king.

11.30.23

Then those two also, enraged, raised [their hands], O delight of the Kurus,
and moving through the battle with clubs of grass-fists, they slew them.

11.30.24

Afflicted by the curse of the brāhmaṇas and their minds veiled by Kṛṣṇa's creative power,
their rivalry and anger brought them to destruction, like a fire born of bamboo [consumes] a forest.

11.30.25

When all his clans were thus destroyed, Keśava,
left alone, considered that the burden of the earth had been removed.

11.30.26

Rāma, resorting to supreme yoga on the seashore,
abandoned the human realm, uniting the self within the self.

11.30.27

Seeing the departure of Rāma, the Lord, the son of Devakī,
approached a pippala tree and sat down silently on the lap of the earth,

11.30.28

bearing a four-armed form radiant with his own splendor,
dispelling darkness from the quarters like a smokeless fire,

11.30.29

marked with the Śrīvatsa, dark like a raincloud, with the brilliance of molten gold,
wrapped in a pair of silk garments, supremely auspicious,

11.30.30

his lotus face graced with a lovely smile, adorned with dark blue locks,
his eyes charming like white lotuses, his sea-monster earrings gleaming,

11.30.31

splendid with a waist-cord, sacred thread, crown, bracelets, and armlets,
with necklaces, anklets, rings, and the Kaustubha jewel,

11.30.32

his limbs encircled by a garland of forest flowers, with his weapons personified [attending him],
sitting with his lotus-red left foot placed upon his right thigh.

11.30.33

A hunter named Jarā, having made an arrow with the remnant iron fragment of the club,
pierced that foot, which resembled the face of a deer, mistaking it for a deer.

11.30.34

Seeing that four-armed Person, he who had committed the offense,
terrified, fell with his head at the feet of the enemy of the Asuras.

11.30.35

“This was done in ignorance by a sinner, O Madhusūdana;
O He of highest renown, O sinless one, you ought to forgive this sinner,

11.30.36

whose remembrance, people say, destroys the darkness of ignorance of men—
against you, O Viṣṇu, O Lord, I have done wrong.

11.30.37

Therefore kill me quickly, O Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, a sinful deer-hunter,
so that I may never again commit such an offense against the virtuous devotee.

11.30.37.p1

Whose [creative power] wrought of his own yoga Viriñca and Rudra and his sons, the masters of speech, do not know—

11.30.38

with their vision veiled by your creative power, how can we of wretched path / praise you directly?

11.30.38.p1

[…]

11.30.39

The Lord said:
Fear not, Jarā; arise! This was indeed done by my desire. / Granted leave by me, go to heaven, the realm of the meritorious.

11.30.40

Thus commanded by the Lord Kṛṣṇa, who assumes a body by his own will, / he circumambulated him three times, bowed to him, and ascended to heaven in a celestial vehicle.

11.30.41

Searching for Kṛṣṇa's trail and finding it, / Dāruka caught the wind bearing the fragrance of Tulasī and went toward him.

11.30.41.p1

Seeing his master there, surrounded by weapons of sharp radiance / and seated at the base of the aśvattha tree,

11.30.42

his heart overflowing with affection, he leaped down from the chariot / and fell at his feet, his eyes filled with tears.

11.30.42.p1

[…]

11.30.43

Not seeing your lotus feet, O Lord, my sight is lost and has entered into darkness; / I know not the directions, nor do I find peace, just as at night when the moon has vanished.

11.30.44

While the charioteer was thus speaking, O king of kings, before his very eyes the chariot bearing the emblem of Garuḍa / flew up into the sky along with its horses and banner.

11.30.45

The divine weapons of Viṣṇu followed it. / To the charioteer, whose mind was utterly amazed by this, Janārdana said:

11.30.46

Go to Dvāravatī, charioteer! Tell our kinsmen of the mutual destruction of our family, / the departure of Saṅkarṣaṇa, and my condition.

11.30.47

You and our kinsmen must not remain in Dvārakā; / once abandoned by me, the ocean will submerge the city of the Yadus.

11.30.48

Each taking their own family and our parents, / protected by Arjuna, you shall all go to Indraprastha.

11.30.49

You, however, having established yourself in my dharma, devoted to knowledge, detached, / recognizing this [world] as fashioned by my creative power, attain tranquility.

11.30.50

Thus addressed, circumambulating him and bowing again and again, / placing his feet upon his head, he went heavy-hearted to the city.

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