shreemad bhagavatam-10-4

8/22/2019 Shreemad Bhagavatam-10-4

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Shreemad Bhagavatam

Canto 10

Chapters 61 to 65

Chapter Sixty-One Lord Balarama Slays Rukmi1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: Each of Lord Krishna wives gave birth to ten sons, who were not lessthan their father, having all His personal opulence.2. Because each of these princesses saw that Lord Acyuta never left her palace, each thoughtherself the Lords favorite. These women did not understand the full truth about Him.3. The Supreme Lords wives were fully enchanted by His lovely, lotuslike face, His long arms andlarge eyes, His loving glances imbued with laughter, and His charming talks with them. But withall their charms these ladies could not conquer the mind of the all-powerful Lord.4. The arched eyebrows of these sixteen thousand queens enchantingly expressed those ladiessecret intentions through coyly smiling sidelong glances. Thus their eyebrows boldly sent forthconjugal messages. Yet even with these arrows of Cupid, and with other means as well, theycould not agitate Lord Krishnas senses.

5. Thus these women obtained as their husband the master of the goddess of fortune, althougheven great demigods like Brahma do not know how to approach Him. With ever-increasingpleasure, they felt loving attraction for Him, exchanged smiling glances with Him, eagerlyanticipated associating with Him in ever-fresh intimacy and enjoyed in many other ways.6. Although the Supreme Lords queens each had hundreds of maidservants, they chose topersonally serve the Lord by approaching Him humbly, offering Him a seat, worshiping Him withexcellent paraphernalia, bathing and massaging His feet, giving Him pan to chew, fanning Him,anointing Him with fragrant sandalwood paste, adorning Him with flower garlands, dressing Hishair, arranging His bed, bathing Him and presenting Him with various gifts.7. Among Lord Krishnas wives, each of whom had ten sons, I previously mentioned eightprincipal queens. I shall now recite for you the names of those eight queens sons, headed byPradyumna.8-9. The first son of Queen Rukmini was Pradyumna, and also born of her were Carudesna,

Sudesna and the powerful Carudeha, along with Sucaru, Carugupta, Bhadracaru, Carucandra,Vicaru and Caru, the tenth. None of these sons of Lord Hari was less than his father.10-12. The ten sons of Satyabhama were Bhanu, Subhanu, Svarbhanu, Prabhanu, Bhanuman,Candrabhanu, Brhadbhanu, Atibhanu (the eighth), Sribhanu and Pratibhanu. Samba, Sumitra,Purujit, Satajit, Sahasrajit, Vijaya, Citraketu, Vasuman, Dravida and Kratu were the sons ofJambavati. These ten, headed by Samba, were their fathers favorites.13. The sons of Nagnajiti were Vira, Candra, Asvasena, Citragu, Vegavan, Vrsa, Ama, Sanku,Vasu and the opulent Kunti.14. Sruta, Kavi, Vrsa, Vira, Subahu, Bhadra, Santi, Darsa and Purnamasa were sons of Kalindi.Her youngest son was Somaka.15. Madras sons were Praghosa, Gatravan, Simha, Bala, Prabala, Urdhaga, Mahasakti, Saha,Oja and Aparajita.16. Mitravindas sons were Vrka, Harsa, Anila, Grdhra, Vardhana, Unnada, Mahamsa, Pavana,Vahni and Ksudhi.17. Sangramajit, Brhatsena, Sura, Praharana, Arijit, Jaya and Subhadra were the sons of Bhadra,together with Vama, Ayur and Satyaka.18. Diptiman, Tamratapta and others were the sons of Lord Krishna and Rohini. Lord Krishnasson Pradyumna fathered the greatly powerful Aniruddha in the womb of Rukmavati, the daughterof Rukmi. O King, this took place while they were living in the city of Bhojakata.19. My dear King, the sons and grandsons of Lord Krishnas children numbered in the tens ofmillions. Sixteen thousand mothers gave rise to this dynasty.20. King Pariksit said: How could Rukmi give his daughter to his enemys son? After all, Rukmihad been defeated by Lord Krishna in battle and was waiting for an opportunity to kill Him. Please


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explain this to me, O learned onehow these two inimical parties became united throughmarriage.21. Mystic yogis can perfectly see that which has not yet happened, as well as things in the pastor present, beyond the senses, remote or blocked by physical obstacles.22. Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: At her svayamvara ceremony, Rukmavati herself chosePradyumna, who was the re-embodiment of Cupid. Then, although He fought alone on a singlechariot, Pradyumna defeated the assembled kings in battle and took her away.23. The answer to King Pariksits question is given here. Ultimately Rukmi approved hisdaughters marriage to Pradyumna in order to please his sister, Rukmini.24. O King, Bali, the son of Krtavarma, married Rukminis young daughter, large-eyed Carumati.25. Rukmi gave his granddaughter Rocana to his daughters son, Aniruddha, despite Rukmisrelentless feud with Lord Hari. Although Rukmi considered this marriage irreligious, he wanted toplease his sister, bound as he was by the ropes of affection.26. On the joyous occasion of that marriage, O King, Queen Rukmini, Lord Balarama, LordKrishna and several of the Lords sons, headed by Samba and Pradyumna, went to the city ofBhojakata.27-28. After the wedding, a group of arrogant kings headed by the King of Kalinga told Rukmi,You should defeat Balarama at dice. Hes not expert at dice, O King, but still Hes quite addictedto it. Thus advised, Rukmi challenged Balarama and began a gambling match with Him.29. In that match Lord Balarama first accepted a wager of one hundred coins, then one thousand,

then ten thousand. Rukmi won this first round, and the King of Kalinga laughed loudly at LordBalarama, showing all his teeth. Lord Balarama could not tolerate this.30. Next Rukmi accepted a bet of one hundred thousand coins, which Lord Balarama won. ButRukmi tried to cheat, declaring Im the winner!31. Shaking with anger like the ocean on the full-moon day, handsome Lord Balarama, Hisnaturally reddish eyes even redder in His fury, accepted a wager of one hundred million goldcoins.32. Lord Balarama fairly won this wager also, but Rukmi again resorted to cheating and declared,I have won! Let these witnesses here say what they saw.33. Just then a voice from the sky declared, Balarama has fairly won this wager. Rukmi is surelylying.34. Urged on by the wicked kings, Rukmi ignored the divine voice. In fact destiny itself was urgingRukmi on, and thus he ridiculed Lord Balarama as follows.

35. [Rukmi said:] You cowherds who wander about the forests know nothing about dice. Playingwith dice and sporting with arrows are only for kings, not for the likes of You.36. Thus insulted by Rukmi and ridiculed by the kings, Lord Balarama was provoked to anger. Inthe midst of the auspicious wedding assembly, He raised His club and struck Rukmi dead.37. The King of Kalinga, who had laughed at Lord Balarama and shown his teeth, tried to runaway, but the furious Lord quickly seized him on his tenth step and knocked out all his teeth.38. Tormented by Lord Balaramas club, the other kings fled in fear, their arms, thighs and headsbroken and their bodies drenched in blood.39. When His brother-in-law Rukmi was slain, Lord Ka neither applauded nor protested, OKing, for He feared jeopardizing His affectionate ties with either Rukmini or Balarama.40. Then the descendants of Dasarha, headed by Lord Balarama, seated Aniruddha and Hisbride on a fine chariot and set off from Bhojakata for Dvaraka. Having taken shelter of LordMadhusudana, they had fulfilled all their purposes.

Chapter Sixty-Two The Meeting of Usa and Aniruddha1. King Pariksit said: The best of the Yadus married Banasuras daughter, Usa, and as a result agreat, fearsome battle occurred between Lord Hari and Lord Sankara. Please explain everythingabout this incident, O most powerful of mystics.2. Sukadeva Gosvami said: Bana was the oldest of the hundred sons fathered by the great saintBali Maharaja, who gave the whole earth in charity to Lord Hari when He appeared asVamanadeva. Banasura, born from Balis semen, became a great devotee of Lord Siva. Hisbehavior was always respectable, and he was generous, intelligent, truthful and firm in his vows.The beautiful city of Sonitapura was under his dominion. Because Lord Siva had favored him, thevery demigods waited on Banasura like menial servants. Once, when Siva was dancing his


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tandava-nrtya, Bana especially satisfied the lord by playing a musical accompaniment with hisone thousand arms.3. The lord and master of all created beings, the compassionate refuge of his devotees,gladdened Banasura by offering him the benediction of his choice. Bana chose to have him, LordSiva, as the guardian of his city.4. Banasura was intoxicated with his strength. One day, when Lord Siva was standing besidehim, Banasura touched the lords lotus feet with his helmet, which shone like the sun, and spoketo him as follows.5. [Banasura said:] O Lord Mahadeva, I bow down to you, the spiritual master and controller ofthe worlds. You are like the heavenly tree that fulfills the desires of those whose desires areunfulfilled.6. These one thousand arms you bestowed upon me have become merely a heavy burden.Besides you, I find no one in the three worlds worthy to fight.7. Eager to fight with the elephants who rule the directions, O primeval lord, I went forth,pulverizing mountains with my arms, which were itching for battle. But even those great elephantsfled in fear.8. Hearing this, Lord Siva became angry and replied, Your flag will be broken, fool, when youhave done battle with one who is my equal. That fight will vanquish your conceit.9. Thus advised, unintelligent Banasura was delighted. The fool then went home, O King, to waitfor that which Lord Girisa had predicted: the destruction of his prowess.

10. In a dream Banas daughter, the maiden Usa, had an amorous encounter with the son ofPradyumna, though she had never before seen or heard of her lover.11. Losing sight of Him in her dream, Usa suddenly sat up in the midst of her girlfriends, cryingout Where are You, my lover? She was greatly disturbed and embarrassed.12. Banasura had a minister named Kumbhanda, whose daughter was Citralekha. A companionof Usas, she was filled with curiosity, and thus she inquired from her friend.13. [Citralekha said:] Who are you searching for, O fine-browed one? What is this hankeringyoure feeling? Until now, O princess, I havent seen any man take your hand in marriage.14. [Usa said:] In my dream I saw a certain man who had a darkblue complexion, lotus eyes,yellow garments and mighty arms. He was the kind who touches womens hearts.15. It is that lover I search for. After making me drink the honey of His lips, He has goneelsewhere, and thus He has thrown me, hankering fervently for Him, into the ocean of distress.16. Citralekha said: I will remove your distress. If He is to be found anywhere in the three worlds, I

will bring this future husband of yours who has stolen your heart. Please show me who He is.17. Saying this, Citralekha proceeded to draw accurate pictures of various demigods,Gandharvas, Siddhas, Caranas, Pannagas, Daityas, Vidyadharas, Yaksas and humans.18-19. O King, among the humans, Citralekha drew pictures of the Vrsnis, including Surasena,

Anakadundubhi, Balarama and Krishna. When Usa saw the picture of Pradyumna she becamebashful, and when she saw Aniruddhas picture she bent her head down in embarrassment.Smiling, she exclaimed, Hes the one! Its Him!20. Citralekha, endowed with mystic powers, recognized Him as Krishnas grandson [Aniruddha].My dear King, she then traveled by the mystic skyway to Dvaraka, the city under Lord Krishnasprotection.21. There she found Pradyumnas son Aniruddha sleeping upon a fine bed. With her yogic powershe took Him away to Sonitapura, where she presented her girlfriend Usa with her beloved.22. When Usa beheld Him, the most beautiful of men, her face lit up with joy. She took the son of

Pradyumna to her private quarters, which men were forbidden even to see, and there enjoyedwith Him.23-24. Usa worshiped Aniruddha with faithful service, offering Him priceless garments, along withgarlands, fragrances, incense, lamps, sitting places and so on. She also offered Him beverages,all types of food, and sweet words. As He thus remained hidden in the young ladies quarters,

Aniruddha did not notice the passing of the days, for His senses were captivated by Usa, whoseaffection for Him ever increased.25-26. The female guards eventually noticed unmistakable symptoms of romantic involvement inUsa, who, having broken her maiden vow, was being enjoyed by the Yadu hero and showingsigns of conjugal happiness. The guards went to Banasura and told him, O King, we have


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detected in your daughter the kind of improper behavior that spoils the reputation of a young girlsfamily.27. We have been carefully watching over her, never leaving our posts, O master, so we cannotunderstand how this maiden, whom no man can even see, has been corrupted within the palace.28. Very agitated to hear of his daughters corruption, Banasura rushed at once to the maidensquarters. There he saw the pride of the Yadus, Aniruddha.29-30. Banasura saw before him Cupids own son, possessed of unrivaled beauty, with dark-bluecomplexion, yellow garments, lotus eyes and formidable arms. His face was adorned witheffulgent earrings and hair, and also with smiling glances. As He sat opposite His most auspiciouslover, playing with her at dice, there hung between His arms a garland of spring jasmines that hadbeen smeared with kunkuma powder from her breasts when He had embraced her. Banasurawas astonished to see all this.31. Seeing Banasura enter with many armed guards, Aniruddha raised His iron club and stoodresolute, ready to strike anyone who attacked Him. He resembled death personified holding hisrod of punishment.32. As the guards converged on Him from all sides, trying to capture Him, Aniruddha struck them

just as the leader of a pack of boars strikes back at dogs. Hit by His blows, the guards fled thepalace, running for their lives with shattered heads, thighs and arms.33. But even as Aniruddha was striking down the army of Bana, that powerful son of Bali angrilycaught Him with the mystic naga-pasa ropes. When Usa heard of Aniruddhas capture, she was

overwhelmed with grief and depression; her eyes filled with tears, and she wept.Chapter Sixty-Three Lord Krishna Fights with Banasura1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: O descendant of Bharata, the relatives of Aniruddha, not seeing Himreturn, continued to lament as the four rainy months passed.2. After hearing from Narada the news of Aniruddhas deeds and His capture, the Vrsnis, whoworshiped Lord Krishna as their personal Deity, went to Sonitapura.3-4. With Lord Balarama and Lord Krishna in the lead, the chiefs of the Satvata clanPradyumna, Satyaki, Gada, Samba, Sarana, Nanda, Upananda, Bhadra and othersconvergedwith an army of twelve divisions and laid siege to Banasuras capital, completely surrounding thecity on all sides.5. Banasura became filled with anger upon seeing them destroy his citys suburban gardens,ramparts, watchtowers and gateways, and thus he went out to confront them with an army ofequal size.

6. Lord Rudra, accompanied by his son Kartikeya and the Pramathas, came riding on Nandi, hisbull carrier, to fight Balarama and Krishna on Banas behalf.7. A most astonishing, tumultuous and hair-raising battle then commenced, with Lord Krishnamatched against Lord Sankara, and Pradyumna against Kartikeya.8. Lord Balarama fought with Kumbhanda and Kupakarna, Samba with Banas son, and Satyakiwith Bana.9. Brahma and the other ruling demigods, along with Siddhas, Caranas and great sages, as wellas Gandharvas, Apsaras and Yaksas, all came in their celestial airplanes to watch.10-11. With sharp-pointed arrows discharged from His bow Sarnga, Lord Krishna drove away thevarious followers of Lord SivaBhutas, Pramathas, Guhyakas, Dakinis, Yatudhanas, Vetalas,Vinayakas, Pretas, Matas, Pisacas, Kusmandas and Brahma-raksasas.12. Lord Siva, wielder of the trident, shot various weapons at Lord Krishna, wielder of Sarnga. ButLord Krishna was not in the least perplexed: He neutralized all these weapons with appropriate

counterweapons.13. Lord Krishna counteracted a brahmastra with another brahmastra, a wind weapon with amountain weapon, a fire weapon with a rain weapon, and Lord Sivas personal pasupatastraweapon with His own personal weapon, the narayanastra.14. After bewildering Lord Siva by making him yawn with a yawning weapon, Lord Krishnaproceeded to strike down Banasuras army with His sword, club and arrows.15. Lord Kartikeya was distressed by the flood of Pradyumnas arrows raining down from allsides, and thus he fled the battlefield on his peacock as blood poured from his limbs.16. Kumbhanda and Kupakarna, tormented by Lord Balaramas club, fell down dead. When thesoldiers of these two demons saw that their leaders had been killed, they scattered in all


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directions.17. Banasura was furious to see his entire military force being torn apart. Leaving his fight withSatyaki, he charged across the battlefield on his chariot and attacked Lord Krishna.18. Excited to a frenzy by the fighting, Bana simultaneously pulled taut all the strings of his fivehundred bows and fixed two arrows on each string.19. Lord Sri Hari split every one of Banasuras bows simultaneously, and also struck down hischariot driver, chariot and horses. The Lord then sounded His conchshell.20. Just then Banasuras mother, Krishna, desiring to save her sons life, appeared before LordKrishna naked and with her hair undone.21. Lord Gadagraja turned His face away to avoid seeing the naked woman, and Banasuradeprived of his chariot, his bow shatteredtook the opportunity to flee into his city.22. After Lord Sivas followers had been driven away, the Siva-jvara, who had three heads andthree feet, pressed forward to attack Lord Krishna. As the Siva-jvara approached, he seemed toburn everything in the ten directions.23. Seeing this personified weapon approach, Lord Narayana then released His own personifiedfever weapon, the Visnu-jvara. The Siva-jvara and Visnu-jvara thus battled each other.24. The Siva-jvara, overwhelmed by the strength of the Visnu-jvara, cried out in pain. But findingno refuge, the frightened Siva-jvara approached Lord Krishna, the master of the senses, hopingto attain His shelter. Thus with joined palms he began to praise the Lord.25. The Siva-jvara said: I bow down to You of unlimited potencies, the Supreme Lord, the

Supersoul of all beings. You possess pure and complete consciousness and are the cause ofcosmic creation, maintenance and dissolution. Perfectly peaceful, You are the Absolute Truth towhom the Vedas indirectly refer.26. Time; fate; karma; the jiva and his propensities; the subtle material elements; the materialbody; the life air; false ego; the various senses; and the totality of these as reflected in the livingbeings subtle bodyall this constitutes your material illusory energy, maya, an endless cycle likethat of seed and plant. I take shelter of You, the negation of this maya.27. With various intentions, You perform pastimes to maintain the demigods, the saintly personsand the codes of religion for this world. By these pastimes You also kill those who stray from theright path and live by violence. Indeed, your present incarnation is meant to relieve the earthsburden.28. I am tortured by the fierce power of Your terrible fever weapon, which is cold yet burning. Allembodied souls must suffer as long as they remain bound to material ambitions and thus averse

to serving Your feet.29. The Supreme Lord said: O three-headed one, I am pleased with you. May your fear of Myfever weapon be dispelled, and may whoever remembers our conversation here have no reasonto fear you.30. Thus addressed, the Mahesvara-jvara bowed down to the infallible Lord and went away. ButBanasura then appeared, riding forth on his chariot to fight Lord Krishna.31. Carrying numerous weapons in his thousand hands, O King, the terribly infuriated demon shotmany arrows at Lord Krishna, the carrier of the disc weapon.32. As Bana continued hurling weapons at Him, the Supreme Lord began using His razor-sharpcakra to cut off Banasuras arms as if they were tree branches.33. Lord Siva felt compassion for his devotee Banasura, whose arms were being cut off, and thushe approached Lord Cakrayudha [Krishna] and spoke to Him as follows.34. Sri Rudra said: You alone are the Absolute Truth, the supreme light, the mystery hidden within

the verbal manifestation of the Absolute. Those whose hearts are spotless can see You, for Youare uncontaminated, like the sky.35-36. The sky is Your navel, fire Your face, water Your semen, and heaven Your head. Thecardinal directions are Your sense of hearing, herbal plants the hairs on Your body, and water-bearing clouds the hair on Your head. The earth is Your foot, the moon Your mind, and the sunYour vision, while I am Your ego. The ocean is Your abdomen, Indra Your arm, Lord Brahma Yourintelligence, the progenitor of mankind Your genitals, and religion Your heart. You are indeed theoriginal purusa, creator of the worlds.

37. Your current descent into the material realm, O Lord of unrestricted power, is meant for


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upholding the principles of justice and benefiting the entire universe. We demigods, eachdepending on Your grace and authority, develop the seven planetary systems.38. You are the original person, one without a second, transcendental and self-manifesting.Uncaused, you are the cause of all, and You are the ultimate controller. You are nonethelessperceived in terms of the transformations of matter effected by Your illusory energytransformations You sanction so that the various material qualities can fully manifest.39. O almighty one, just as the sun, though hidden by a cloud, illuminates the cloud and all othervisible forms as well, so You, although hidden by the material qualities, remain self-luminous andthus reveal all those qualities, along with the living entities who possess them.40. Their intelligence bewildered by Your maya, fully attached to children, wife, home and so on,persons immersed in the ocean of material misery sometimes rise to the surface and sometimessink down.41. One who has attained this human form of life as a gift from God, yet who fails to control hissenses and honor Your feet, is surely to be pitied, for he is only cheating himself.42. That mortal who rejects Youhis true Self, dearmost friend, and Lordfor the sake of senseobjects, whose nature is just the opposite, refuses nectar and instead consumes poison.43. I, Lord Brahma, the other demigods and the pure-minded sages have all surrenderedwholeheartedly unto You, our dearmost Self and Lord.44. Let us worship You, the Supreme Lord, to be freed from material life. You are the maintainerof the universe and the cause of its creation and demise. Equipoised and perfectly at peace, You

are the true friend, Self and worshipable Lord. You are one without a second, the shelter of all theworlds and all souls.45. This Banasura is my dear and faithful follower, and I have awarded him freedom from fear.Therefore, my Lord, please grant him Your mercy, just as You showed mercy to Prahlada, the lordof the demons.46. The Supreme Lord said: My dear lord, for your pleasure We must certainly do what you haverequested of Us. I fully agree with your conclusion.47. I will not kill this demonic son of Vairocani, for I gave Prahlada Maharaja the benediction that Iwould not kill any of his descendants.48. It was to subdue Banasuras false pride that I severed his arms. And I slew his mighty armybecause it had become a burden upon the earth.49. This demon, who still has four arms, will be immune to old age and death, and he will serveas one of your principal attendants. Thus he will have nothing to fear on any account.

50. Thus attaining freedom from fear, Banasura offered obeisances to Lord Krishna by touchinghis head to the ground. Bana then seated Aniruddha and His bride on their chariot and broughtthem before the Lord.51. At the front of the party Lord Krishna then placed Aniruddha and His bride, both beautifullyadorned with fine clothes and ornaments, and surrounded them with a full military division. ThusLord Krishna took His leave of Lord Siva and departed.52. The Lord then entered His capital. The city was lavishly decorated with flags and victoryarches, and its avenues and crossways were all sprinkled with water. As conchshells, anakas anddundubhi drums resounded, the Lords relatives, the brahmanas and the general populace allcame forward to greet Him respectfully.53. Whoever rises early in the morning and remembers Lord Krishnas victory in His battle withLord Siva will never experience defeat.Chapter Sixty-Four The Deliverance of King Nrga

1. Sri Badarayani said: O King, one day Samba, Pradyumna, Caru, Bhanu, Gada and otheryoung boys of the Yadu dynasty went to a small forest to play.2. After playing for a long time, they became thirsty. As they searched for water, they lookedinside a dry well and saw a peculiar creature.3. The boys were astonished to behold this creature, a lizard who looked like a hill. They felt sorryfor it and tried to lift it out of the well.4. They caught on to the trapped lizard with leather thongs and then with woven ropes, but stillthey could not lift it out. So they went to Lord Krishna and excitedly told Him about the creature.5. The lotus-eyed Supreme Lord, maintainer of the universe, went to the well and saw the lizard.Then with His left hand He easily lifted it out.


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6. Touched by the hand of the glorious Supreme Lord, the being at once gave up its lizard formand assumed that of a resident of heaven. His complexion was beautifully colored like moltengold, and he was adorned with wonderful ornaments, clothes and garlands.7. Lord Krishna understood the situation, but to inform people in general He inquired as follows:Who are you, O greatly fortunate one? Seeing your excellent form, I think you must surely be anexalted demigod.8. By what past activity were you brought to this condition? It seems you did not deserve such afate, O good soul. We are eager to know about you, so please inform us about yourselfif, thatis, you think this the proper time and place to tell us.9. Sukadeva Gosvami said: Thus questioned by Krishna, whose forms are unlimited, the King, hishelmet as dazzling as the sun, bowed down to Lord Madhava and replied as follows.10. King Nrga said: I am a king known as Nrga, the son of Iksvaku. Perhaps, Lord, You haveheard of me when lists of charitable men were recited.11. What could possibly be unknown to You, O master? With vision undisturbed by time, Youwitness the minds of all living beings. Nevertheless, on Your order I will speak.12. I gave in charity as many cows as there are grains of sand on the earth, stars in the heavens,or drops in a rain shower.13. Young, brown, milk-laden cows, who were well behaved, beautiful and endowed with goodqualities, who were all acquired honestly, and who had gilded horns, silver-plated hooves anddecorations of fine ornamental cloths and garlandssuch were the cows, along with their calves,

that I gave in charity.14-15. I first honored the brahmanas who were recipients of my charity by decorating them withfine ornaments. Those most exalted brahmanas, whose families were in need, were young andpossessed of excellent character and qualities. They were dedicated to truth, famous for theirausterity, vastly learned in the Vedic scriptures and saintly in their behavior. I gave them cows,land, gold and houses, along with horses, elephants and marriageable girls with maidservants, aswell as sesame, silver, fine beds, clothing, jewels, furniture and chariots. In addition, I performedVedic sacrifices and executed various pious welfare activities.16. Once a cow belonging to a certain first-class brahmana wandered away and entered my herd.Unaware of this, I gave that cow in charity to a different brahmana.17. When the cows first owner saw her being led away, he said, She is mine! The secondbrahmana, who had accepted her as a gift, replied, No, shes mine! Nrga gave her to me.18. As the two brahmanas argued, each trying to fulfill his own purpose, they came to me. One of

them said, You gave me this cow, and the other said, But you stole her from me. Hearing this, Iwas bewildered.19-20. Finding myself in a terrible dilemma concerning my duty in the situation, I humblyentreated both the brahmanas: I will give one hundred thousand of the best cows in exchangefor this one. Please give her back to me. Your good selves should be merciful to me, yourservant. I did not know what I was doing. Please save me from this difficult situation, or Ill surelyfall into a filthy hell.21. The present owner of the cow said, I dont want anything in exchange for this cow, O King,and went away. The other brahmana declared, I dont want even ten thousand more cows [thanyou are offering], and he too went away.22. O Lord of lords, O master of the universe, the agents of Yamaraja, taking advantage of theopportunity thus created, later carried me to his abode. There Yamaraja himself questioned me.23. [Yamaraja said:] My dear King, do you wish to experience the results of your sins first, or

those of your piety? Indeed, I see no end to the dutiful charity you have performed, or to yourconsequent enjoyment in the radiant heavenly planets.24. I replied, First, my lord, let me suffer my sinful reactions, and Yamaraja said, Then fall! Atonce I fell, and while falling I saw myself becoming a lizard, O master.25. O Kesava, as Your servant I was devoted to the brahmanas and generous to them, and Ialways hankered for Your audience. Therefore even till now I have never forgotten [my past life].26. O almighty one, how is it that my eyes see You here before me? You are the Supreme Soul,whom the greatest masters of mystic yoga can meditate upon within their pure hearts only byemploying the spiritual eye of the Vedas. Then how, O transcendental Lord, are You directlyvisible to me, since my intelligence has been blinded by the severe tribulations of material life?


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Only one who has finished his material entanglement in this world should be able to see You.27-28. O Devadeva, Jagannatha, Govinda, Purusottama, Narayana, Hrsikesa, Punyasloka,

Acyuta, Avyaya! O Krishna, please permit me to depart for the world of the demigods. Wherever Ilive, O master, may my mind always take shelter of Your feet.29. I offer my repeated obeisances unto You, Krishna, the son of Vasudeva. You are the source ofall beings, the Supreme Absolute Truth, the possessor of unlimited potencies, the master of allspiritual disciplines.30. Having spoken thus, Maharaja Nrga circumambulated Lord Krishna and touched his crown tothe Lords feet. Granted permission to depart, King Nrga then boarded a wonderful celestialairplane as all the people present looked on.31. The Supreme Personality of GodheadLord Krishna, the son of Devakiwho is especiallydevoted to the brahmanas and who embodies the essence of religion, then spoke to His personalassociates and thus instructed the royal class in general.32. [Lord Krishna said:] How indigestible is the property of a brahmana, even when enjoyed justslightly and by one more potent than fire! What then to speak of kings who try to enjoy it,presuming themselves lords.33. I do not consider halahala to be real poison, because it has an antidote. But a brahmanasproperty, when stolen, can truly be called poison, for it has no antidote in this world.34. Poison kills only the person who ingests it, and an ordinary fire may be extinguished withwater. But the fire generated from the kindling wood of a brahmanas property burns the thiefs

entire family down to the root.35. If a person enjoys a brhmaas property without receiving due permission, that propertydestroys three generations of his family. But if he takes it by force or gets the government or otheroutsiders to help him usurp it, then ten generations of his ancestors and ten generations of hisdescendants are all destroyed.36. Members of the royal order, blinded by royal opulence, fail to foresee their own downfall.Childishly hankering to enjoy a brahmanas property, they are actually hankering to go to hell.37-38. For as many years as there are particles of dust touched by the tears of generousbrahmanas who have dependent families and whose property is stolen, uncontrolled kings whousurp a brahmanas property are cooked, along with their royal families, in the hell known asKumbhipaka.39. Whether it be his own gift or someone elses, a person who steals a brahmanas property willtake birth as a worm in feces for sixty thousand years.

40. I do not desire brahmanas wealth. Those who lust after it become short-lived and aredefeated. They lose their kingdoms and become snakes, who trouble others.41. My dear followers, never treat a learned brahmana harshly, even if he has sinned. Even if heattacks you physically or repeatedly curses you, always continue to offer him obeisances.42. Just us I always carefully bow down to brahmanas, so all of you should likewise bow down tothem. I will punish anyone who acts otherwise.43. When a brahmanas property is stolen, even unknowingly, it certainly causes the person whotakes it to fall down, just as the brahmanas cow did to Nrga.44. Having thus instructed the residents of Dvaraka, Lord Mukunda, purifier of all the worlds,entered His palace.Chapter Sixty-Five Lord Balarama Visits Vrndavana1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: O best of the Kurus, once Lord Balarama, eager to visit His well-wishing friends, mounted His chariot and traveled to Nanda Gokula.

2. Having long suffered the anxiety of separation, the cowherd men and their wives embracedLord Balarama. The Lord then offered respects to His parents, and they joyfully greeted Him withprayers.3. [Nanda and Yasoda prayed,] O descendant of Dasarha, O Lord of the universe, may You andYour younger brother Krishna ever protect us. Saying this, they raised Sri Balarama onto theirlaps, embraced Him and moistened Him with tears from their eyes.4-6. Lord Balarama then paid proper respects to the elder cowherd men, and the younger onesall greeted Him respectfully. He met them all with smiles, handshakes and so on, dealingpersonally with each one according to age, degree of friendship, and family relationship. Then,after resting, the Lord accepted a comfortable seat, and they all gathered around Him. With


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voices faltering out of love for Him, those cowherds, who had dedicated everything to lotus-eyedKrishna, asked about the health of their dear ones [in Dvaraka], and Balarama in turn askedabout the cowherds welfare.7. [The cowherds said:] O Rama, are all our relatives doing well? And Rama, do all of you, withyour wives and children, still remember us?8. It is our great fortune that sinful Kamsa has been killed and our dear relatives freed. And it isalso our good fortune that our relatives have killed and defeated their enemies and foundcomplete security in a great fortress.9. [Sukadeva Gosvami continued:] Honored to have the personal audience of Lord Balarama, theyoung gopis, smiled and asked Him, Is Krishna, the darling of the city women, living happily?10. Does He remember His family members, especially His father and mother? Do you think Hewill ever come back even once to see His mother? And does mighty-armed Krishna rememberthe service we always did for Him?11-12. For Krishnas sake, O descendant of Dasarha, we abandoned our mothers, fathers,brothers, husbands, children and sisters, even though these family relations are difficult to giveup. But now, O Lord, that same Krishna has suddenly abandoned us and gone away, breaking offall affectionate ties with us. And yet how could any woman fail to trust His promises?13. How can intelligent city women possibly trust the words of one whose heart is so unsteadyand who is so ungrateful? They must believe Him because He speaks so wonderfully, and alsobecause His beautiful smiling glances arouse their lust.

14. Why bother talking about Him, dear gopi? Please talk of something else. If He passes Histime without us, then we shall similarly pass ours [without Him].15. While speaking these words, the young cowherd women remembered Lord Sauris laughter,His pleasing conversations with them, His attractive glances, His style of walking and His lovingembraces. Thus they began to cry.16. The Supreme Lord Balarama, the attractor of all, being expert at various kinds of conciliation,consoled the gopis by relaying to them the confidential messages Lord Krishna had sent withHim. These messages deeply touched the gopis hearts.17. Lord Balarama, the Personality of Godhead, resided there for the two months of Madhu andMadhava, and during the nights He gave His cowherd girlfriends conjugal pleasure.18. In the company of numerous women, Lord Balarama enjoyed in a garden by the YamunaRiver. This garden was bathed in the rays of the full moon and caressed by breezes bearing thefragrance of night-blooming lotuses.

19. Sent by the demigod Varuna, the divine Varuni liquor flowed from a tree hollow and made theentire forest even more fragrant with its sweet aroma.20. The wind carried to Balarama the fragrance of that flood of sweet liquor, and when Hesmelled it He went [to the tree]. There He and His female companions drank.21. As the Gandharvas sang His glories, Lord Balarama enjoyed within the brilliant circle of youngwomen. He appeared just like Indras elephant, the lordly Airavata, enjoying in the company ofshe-elephants.22. At that time kettledrums resounded in the sky, the Gandharvas joyfully rained down flowers,and the great sages praised Lord Balaramas heroic deeds.23. As His deeds were sung, Lord Halayudha wandered as if inebriated among the variousforests with His girlfriends. His eyes rolled from the effects of the liquor.24-25. Intoxicated with joy, Lord Balarama sported flower garlands, including the famousVaijayanti. He wore a single earring, and beads of perspiration decorated His smiling lotus face

like snowflakes. The Lord then summoned the Yamuna River so that He could play in her waters,but she disregarded His command, thinking He was drunk. This angered Balarama, and Hebegan dragging the river with the tip of His plow.26. [Lord Balarama said:] O sinful one disrespecting Me, you do not come when I call you butrather move only by your own whim. Therefore with the tip of My plow I shall bring you here in ahundred streams!27. [Sukadeva Gosvami continued:] Thus scolded by the Lord, O King, the frightened river-goddess Yamuna came and fell at the feet of Sri Balarama, the beloved descendant of Yadu.Trembling, she spoke to Him the following words.28. [Goddess Yamuna said:] Rama, Rama, O mighty-armed one! I know nothing of Your prowess.


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With a single portion of Yourself You hold up the earth, O Lord of the universe.29. My Lord, please release me. O soul of the universe, I didnt understand Your position as theSupreme Godhead, but now I have surrendered unto You, and You are always kind to Yourdevotees.30. [Sukadeva Gosvami continued:] Thereupon Lord Balarama released the Yamuna and, like theking of the elephants with his entourage of she-elephants, entered the rivers water with Hisfemale companions.31. The Lord played in the water to His full satisfaction, and when He came out Goddess Kantipresented Him with blue garments, precious ornaments and a brilliant necklace.32. Lord Balarama dressed Himself in the blue garments and put on the gold necklace. Anointedwith fragrances and beautifully adorned, He appeared as resplendent as Indras royal elephant.33. Even today, O King, one can see how the Yamuna flows through the many channels createdwhen it was dragged by the unlimitedly powerful Lord Balarama. Thus she demonstrates Hisprowess.34. Thus for Lord Balarama all the nights passed like a single night as He enjoyed in Vraja, Hismind enchanted by the exquisite charm and beauty of Vrajas young ladies.

Canto 10

Chapters 66 to 70

Chapter Sixty-Six Paundraka, the False Vasudeva1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, while Lord Balarama was away visiting Nandas village ofVraja, the ruler of Karusa, foolishly thinking I am the Supreme Lord, Vasudeva, sent amessenger to Lord Krishna.2. Paundraka was emboldened by the flattery of childish men, who told him, You are Vasudeva,the Supreme Lord and master of the universe, who have now descended to the earth. Thus heimagined himself to be the infallible Personality of Godhead.3. Thus slow-witted King Paundraka sent a messenger to the inscrutable Lord Krishna atDvaraka. Paundraka was acting just like an unintelligent child whom other children are pretending

is a king.4. Arriving in Dvaraka, the messenger found lotus-eyed Krishna in His royal assembly andrelayed the Kings message to that almighty Lord.5. [On Paundrakas behalf, the messenger said:] I am the one and only Lord Vasudeva, and thereis no other. It is I who have descended to this world to show mercy to the living beings. Thereforegive up Your false name.6. O Satvata, give up my personal symbols, which out of foolishness You now carry, and come tome for shelter. If You do not, then You must give me battle.7. Sukadeva Gosvami said: King Ugrasena and the other members of the assembly laughedloudly when they heard this vain boasting of unintelligent Paundraka.8. The Personality of Godhead, aher enjoying the jokes of the assembly, told the messenger [torelay a message to his master:] You fool, I will indeed let loose the weapons you boast of in thisway.

9. When you lie dead, O fool, your face covered by vultures, herons and vata birds, you willbecome the shelter of dogs.10. When the Lord had thus spoken, the messenger conveyed His insulting reply to his master inits entirety. Lord Krishna then mounted His chariot and went to the vicinity of Kasi.11. Upon observing Lord Krishnas preparations for battle, the mighty warrior Paundraka quicklywent out of the city with two full military divisions.12-14. Paundrakas friend, the King of Kasi, followed behind, O King, leading the rear guard withthree aksauhini divisions. Lord Krishna saw that Paundraka was carrying the Lords own insignia,such as the conchshell, disc, sword and club, and also an imitation Srnga bow and Srivatsa mark.He wore a mock Kaustubha gem, was decorated with a garland of forest flowers and was


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dressed in upper and lower garments of fine yellow silk. His banner bore the image of Garuda,and he wore a valuable crown and gleaming, shark-shaped earrings.15. Lord Hari laughed heartily when He saw how the King had dressed up in exact imitation of Hisown appearance, just like an actor on a stage.16. The enemies of Lord Hari attacked Him with tridents, clubs, bludgeons, pikes, rstis, barbeddarts, lances, swords, axes and arrows.17. But Lord Krishna fiercely struck back at the army of Paundraka and Kasiraja, which consistedof elephants, chariots, cavalry and infantry. The Lord tormented His enemies with His club, sword,Sudarsana disc and arrows, just as the fire of annihilation torments the various kinds of creaturesat the end of a cosmic age.18. The battlefield, strewn with the dismembered chariots, horses, elephants, humans, mules andcamels that had been cut to pieces by the Lords disc weapon, shone like the gruesomeplayground of Lord Bhutapati, giving pleasure to the wise.19. Lord Krishna then addressed Paundraka: My dear Paundraka, the very weapons you spokeof through your messenger, I now release unto you.20. O fool, now I shall make you renounce My name, which you have falsely assumed. And I willcertainly take shelter of you if I do not wish to fight you.21. Having thus derided Paundraka, Lord Krishna destroyed his chariot with His sharp arrows.The Lord then cut off his head with the Sudarsana disc, just as Lord Indra lops off a mountainpeak with his thunderbolt weapon.

22. With His arrows, Lord Krishna similarly severed Kasirajas head from his body, sending itflying into Kasi city like a lotus flower thrown by the wind.23. Having thus killed envious Paundraka and his ally, Lord Krishna returned to Dvaraka. As Heentered the city, the Siddhas of heaven chanted His immortal, nectarean glories.24. By constantly meditating upon the Supreme Lord, Paundraka shattered all his material bonds.Indeed, by imitating Lord Krishnas appearance, O King, he ultimately became Krishna conscious.25. Seeing a head decorated with earrings lying at the gate of the royal palace, the peoplepresent were puzzled. Some of them asked, What is this? and others said, It is a head, butwhose is it?26. My dear King, when they recognized it as the head of their Kingthe lord of Kasihisqueens, sons and other relatives, along with all the citizens of the city, began to cry pitifully: Alas,we are killed! O my lord, my lord!27-28. After the Kings son Sudaksina had performed the obligatory funeral rituals for his father,

he resolved within his mind: Only by killing my fathers murderer can I avenge his death. Thusthe charitable Sudaksina, together with his priests, began worshiping Lord Mahesvara with greatattention.29. Satisfied by the worship, the powerful Lord Siva appeared in the sacred precinct of Avimuktaand offered Sudaksina his choice of benedictions. The prince chose as his benediction a meansto slay his fathers killer.30-31. Lord Siva told him, Accompanied by brahmanas, serve the Daksinagni firethe originalpriestfollowing the injunctions of the abhicara ritual. Then the Daksinagni fire, together withmany Pramathas, will fulfill your desire if you direct it against someone inimical to thebrahmanas. So instructed, Sudaksina strictly observed the ritualistic vows and invoked theabhicara against Lord Krishna.32-33. Thereupon the fire rose up out of the altar pit, assuming the form of an extremelyfearsome, naked person. The fiery creatures beard and tuft of hair were like molten copper, and

his eyes emitted blazing hot cinders. His face looked most frightful with its fangs and terriblearched and furrowed brows. As he licked the corners of his mouth with his tongue, the demonshook his flaming trident.34. On legs as tall as palm trees, the monster raced toward Dvaraka in the company of ghostlyspirits, shaking the ground and burning the world in all directions.35. Seeing the approach of the fiery demon created by the abhicara ritual, the residents ofDvaraka were all struck with fear, like animals terrified by a forest fire.36. Distraught with fear, the people cried out to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who wasthen playing at dice in the royal court: Save us! Save us, O Lord of the three worlds, from this fireburning up the city!


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37. When Lord Krishna heard the peoples agitation and saw that even His own men weredisturbed, that most worthy giver of shelter simply laughed and told them, Do not fear; I shallprotect you.38. The almighty Lord, the internal and external witness of all, understood that the monster hadbeen produced by Lord Siva from the sacrificial fire. To defeat the demon, Krishna dispatched Hisdisc weapon, who was waiting at His side.39. That Sudarsana, the disc weapon of Lord Mukunda, blazed forth like millions of suns. Hiseffulgence blazed like the fire of universal annihilation, and with his heat he pained the sky, all thedirections, heaven and earth, and also the fiery demon.40. Frustrated by the power of Lord Krishnas weapon, O King, the fiery creature produced byblack magic turned his face away and retreated. Created for violence, the demon then returned toVaranasi, where he surrounded the city and then burned Sudaksina and his priests to death, eventhough Sudaksina was his creator.41. Lord Visnus disc also entered Varanasi, in pursuit of the fiery demon, and proceeded to burnthe city to the ground, including all its assembly halls and residential palaces with raised porches,its numerous marketplaces, gateways, watchtowers, warehouses and treasuries, and all thebuildings housing elephants, horses, chariots and grains.42. After burning down the entire city of Varanasi, Lord Visnus Sudarsana cakra returned to theside of Sri Krishna, whose actions are effortless.43. Any mortal who recounts this heroic pastime of Lord Uttamahslokas, or who simply hears it

attentively, will become freed from all sins.Chapter Sixty-Seven Lord Balarama Slays Dvivida Gorilla1. The glorious King Pariksit said: I wish to hear further about Sri Balarama, the unlimited andimmeasurable Supreme Lord, whose activities are all astounding. What else did He do?2. Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: There was an ape named Dvivida who was a friend ofNarakasuras. This powerful Dvivida, the brother of Mainda, had been instructed by King Sugriva.3. To avenge the death of his friend [Naraka], the ape Dvivida ravaged the land, setting fires thatburned cities, villages, mines and cowherd dwellings.4. Once Dvivida tore up a number of mountains and used them to devastate all the neighboringkingdoms, especially the province of Anarta, wherein dwelt his friends killer, Lord Hari.5. Another time he entered the ocean and, with the strength of ten thousand elephants, churnedup its water with his arms and thus submerged the coastal regions.6. The wicked ape tore down the trees in the hermitages of exalted sages and contaminated their

sacrificial fires with his feces and urine.7. Just as a wasp imprisons smaller insects, he arrogantly threw both men and women into cavesin a mountain valley and sealed the caves shut with boulders.8. Once, while Dvivida was thus engaged in harassing the neighboring kingdoms and pollutingwomen of respectable families, he heard very sweet singing coming from Raivataka Mountain. Sohe went there.9-10. There he saw Sri Balarama, the Lord of the Yadus, adorned with a garland of lotuses andappearing most attractive in every limb. He was singing amidst a crowd of young women, andsince He had drunk varuni liquor, His eyes rolled as if He were intoxicated. His body shonebrilliantly as He behaved like an elephant in rut.11. The mischievous ape climbed a tree branch and then revealed his presence by shaking thetrees and making the sound kilakila.12. When Lord Baladevas consorts saw the apes impudence, they began to laugh. They were,

after all, young girls who were fond of joking and prone to silliness.13. Even as Lord Balarama looked on, Dvivida insulted the girls by making odd gestures with hiseyebrows, coming right in front of them, and showing them his anus.14-15. Angered, Lord Balarama, the best of fighters, hurled a rock at him, but the cunning apedodged the rock and grabbed the Lords pot of liquor. Further infuriating Lord Balarama bylaughing and by ridiculing Him, wicked Dvivida then broke the pot and offended the Lord evenmore by pulling at the girls clothing. Thus the powerful ape, puffed up with false pride, continuedto insult Sri Balarama.16. Lord Balarama saw the apes rude behavior and thought of the disruptions he had created inthe surrounding kingdoms. Thus the Lord angrily took up His club and His plow weapon, having


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decided to put His enemy to death.17. Mighty Dvivida also came forward to do battle. Uprooting a sala tree with one hand, he rushedtoward Balarama and struck Him on the head with the tree trunk.18. But Lord Sankarsana remained as motionless as a mountain and simply grabbed the log as itfell upon His head. He then struck Dvivida with His club, named Sunanda.19-21. Struck on the skull by the Lords club, Dvivida became brilliantly decorated by the outpourof blood, like a mountain beautified by red oxide. Ignoring the wound, Dvivida uprooted anothertree, stripped it of leaves by brute force and struck the Lord again. Now enraged, Lord Balaramashattered the tree into hundreds of pieces, upon which Dvivida grabbed yet another tree andfuriously hit the Lord again. This tree, too, the Lord smashed into hundreds of pieces.22. Thus fighting the Lord, who again and again demolished the trees He was attacked with,Dvivida kept on uprooting trees from all sides until the forest was left treeless.23. The angry ape then released a rain of stones upon Lord Balarama, but the wielder of the clubeasily pulverized them all.24. Dvivida, the most powerful of apes, now clenched his fists at the end of his palm-tree-sizedarms, came before Lord Balarama and beat his fists against the Lords body.25. The furious Lord of the Yadavas then threw aside His club and plow and with His bare handshammered a blow upon Dvividas collarbone. The ape collapsed, vomiting blood.26. When he fell, O tiger among the Kurus, Raivataka Mountain shook, along with its cliffs andtrees, like a wind-tossed boat at sea.

27. In the heavens the demigods, perfect mystics and great sages cried out, Victory to You!Obeisances to You! Excellent! Well done! and showered flowers upon the Lord.28. Having thus killed Dvivida, who had disturbed the whole world, the Supreme Lord returned toHis capital as the people along the way chanted His glories.Chaptrer Sixty-Eight The Marriage of Samba1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, Jambavatis son Samba, ever victorious in battle, kidnappedDuryodhanas daughter Laksmana from her svayamvara ceremony.2. The angry Kurus said: This ill-behaved boy has offended us, forcibly kidnapping our unmarrieddaughter against her will.3. Arrest this ill-behaved Samba! What will the Vrsnis do? By our grace they are ruling land thatwe have granted them.4. If the Vrsnis come here when they learn that their son has been captured, we will break theirpride. Thus theyll become subdued, like bodily senses brought under strict control.

5. After saying this and having their plan sanctioned by the senior member of the Kuru dynasty,Karna, Sala, Bhuri, Yajnaketu and Suyodhana set out to attack Samba.6. Seeing Duryodhana and his companions rushing toward him, Samba, the great chariot-fighter,took up his splendid bow and stood alone like a lion.7. Determined to capture him, the angry bowmen led by Karna shouted at Samba, Stand andfight! Stand and fight! They came straight for him and showered him with arrows.8. O best of the Kurus, as Krishnas son Samba was being unjustly harassed by the Kurus, thatdarling of the Yadu dynasty did not tolerate their attack, any more than a lion would tolerate anattack by puny animals.9-10. Twanging his wonderful bow, heroic Samba struck with arrows the six warriors headed byKarna. He pierced the six chariots with as many arrows, each team of four horses with fourarrows, and each chariot driver with a single arrow, and he similarly struck the great bowmen whocommanded the chariots. The enemy warriors congratulated Samba for this display of prowess.

11. But they forced him down from his chariot, and thereupon four of them struck his four horses,one of them struck down his chariot driver, and another broke his bow.12. Having deprived Samba of his chariot during the fight, the Kuru warriors tied him up with greatdifficulty and then returned victorious to their city, taking the young boy and their princess.13. O King, when the Yadavas heard news of this from Sri Narada, they became angry. Urged onby King Ugrasena, they prepared for war against the Kurus.14-15. Lord Balarama, however, cooled the tempers of the Vrsni heroes, who had already put ontheir armor. He who purifies the age of quarrel did not want a quarrel between the Kurus andVrsnis. Thus, accompanied by brahmanas and family elders, He went to Hastinapura on Hischariot, which was as effulgent as the sun. As He went, He appeared like the moon surrounded


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by the ruling planets.16. Upon arriving at Hastinapura, Lord Balarama remained in a garden outside the city and sentUddhava ahead to probe King Dhrtarastras intentions.17. After he had offered proper respects to the son of Ambika [Dhrtarastra] and to Bhisma, Drona,Bahlika and Duryodhana, Uddhava informed them that Lord Balarama had arrived.18. Overjoyed to hear that Balarma, their dearmost friend, had come, they first honoredUddhava and then went forth to meet the Lord, carrying auspicious offerings in their hands.19. They approached Lord Balarama and worshiped Him with gifts of cows and arghya, as wasfitting. Those among the Kurus who understood His true power bowed down to Him, touchingtheir heads to the ground.20. After both parties had heard that their relatives were doing well and both had inquired intoeach others welfare and health, Lord Balarama forthrightly spoke to the Kurus as follows.21. [Lord Balarama said:] King Ugrasena is our master and the ruler of kings. With undividedattention you should hear what he has ordered you to do, and then you should do it at once.22. [King Ugrasena has said:] Even though by irreligious means several of you defeated a singleopponent who follows the religious codes, still I am tolerating this for the sake of unity amongfamily members.23. Upon hearing these words of Lord Baladevas, which were full of potency, courage andstrength and were appropriate to His transcendental power, the Kauravas became furious andspoke as follows.

24. [The Kuru nobles said:] Oh, how amazing this is! The force of time is indeed insurmountable:a lowly shoe now wants to climb on the head that bears the royal crown.25. It is because these Vrsnis are bound to us by marital ties that we have granted them equality,allowing them to share our beds, seats and meals. Indeed, it is we who have given them theirroyal thrones.26. Only because we looked the other way could they enjoy the pair of yak-tail fans and theconchshell, white umbrella, throne, and royal bed.27. No longer should the Yadus be allowed to use these royal symbols, which now cause troublefor those who gave them, like milk fed to poisonous snakes. Having prospered by our grace,these Yadavas have now lost all shame and are daring to command us!28. How would even Indra dare usurp anything that Bhisma, Drona, Arjuna or the other Kurushave not given him? It would be like a lamb claiming the lions kill.29. Sri Badarayani said: O best of the Bharatas, after the arrogant Kurus, thoroughly puffed up by

the opulence of their high birth and relations, had spoken these harsh words to Lord Balarama,they turned and went back to their city.30. Seeing the bad character of the Kurus and hearing their nasty words, the infallible LordBalarama became filled with rage. His countenance frightful to behold, He laughed repeatedlyand spoke as follows.31. [Lord Balarama said:] Clearly the many passions of these scoundrels have made them soproud that they do not want peace. Then let them be pacified by physical punishment, as animalsare with a stick.32-33. Ah, only gradually was I able to calm the furious Yadus and Lord Krishna, who was alsoenraged. Desiring peace for these Kauravas, I came here. But they are so dull-headed, fond ofquarrel and mischievous by nature that they have repeatedly disrespected Me. Out of conceitthey dared to address Me with harsh words!34. King Ugrasena, the lord of the Bhojas, Vrsnis and Andhakas, is not fit to command, when

Indra and other planetary rulers obey his orders?35. That same Krishna who occupies the Sudharma assembly hall and for His enjoyment tookthe parijata tree from the immortal demigodsthat very Krishna is indeed not fit to sit on a royalthrone?36. The goddess of fortune herself, ruler of the entire universe, worships His feet. And the masterof the goddess of fortune does not deserve the paraphernalia of a mortal king?37. The dust of Krishnas lotus feet, which is the source of holiness for all places of pilgrimage, isworshiped by all the great demigods. The principal deities of all planets are engaged in Hisservice, and they consider themselves most fortunate to take the dust of the lotus feet of Krishnaon their crowns. Great demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva, and even the goddess of


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fortune and I, are simply parts of His spiritual identity, and we also carefully carry that dust on ourheads. And still Krishna is not fit to use the royal insignia or even sit on the royal throne?38. We Vrsnis enjoy only whatever small parcel of land the Kurus allow us? And we are indeedshoes, whereas the Kurus are the head?39. Just see how these puffed-up Kurus are intoxicated with their so-called power, like ordinarydrunken men! What actual ruler, with the power to command, would tolerate their foolish, nastywords?40. Today I shall rid the earth of the Kauravas! declared the furious Balarama. Thus He took Hisplow weapon and rose up as if to set the three worlds ablaze.41. The Lord angrily dug up Hastinapura with the tip of His plow and began to drag it, intending tocast the entire city into the Ganges.42-43. Seeing that their city was tumbling about like a raft at sea as it was being dragged away,and that it was about to fall into the Ganges, the Kauravas became terrified. To save their livesthey approached the Lord for shelter, taking their families with them. Placing Samba andLaksmana in front, they joined their palms in supplication.44. [The Kauravas said:] O Rama, Rama, foundation of everything! We know nothing of Yourpower. Please excuse our offense, for we are ignorant and misguided.45. You alone cause the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the cosmos, and of You thereis no prior cause. Indeed, O Lord, authorities say that the worlds are mere playthings for You asYou perform Your pastimes.

46. O unlimited one of a thousand heads, as Your pastime You carry this earthly globe upon oneof Your heads. At the time of annihilation You withdraw the entire universe within Your body and,remaining all alone, lie down to rest.47. Your anger is meant for instructing everyone; it is not a manifestation of hatred or envy. OSupreme Lord, You sustain the pure mode of goodness, and You become angry only to maintainand protect this world.48. We bow down to You, O Soul of all beings, O wielder of all potencies, O tireless maker of theuniverse! Offering You obeisances, we take shelter of You.49. Sukadeva Gosvami said: Thus propitiated by the Kurus, whose city was trembling and whowere surrendering to Him in great distress, Lord Balarama became very calm and kindly disposedtoward them. Do not be afraid, He said, and took away their fear.50-51. Duryodhana, being very affectionate to his daughter, gave as her dowry 1,200 sixty-year-old elephants, 120,000 horses, 6,000 golden chariots shining like the sun, and 1,000

maidservants with jeweled lockets on their necks.52. The Supreme Lord, chief of the Yadavas, accepted all these gifts and then departed with Hisson and daughter-in-law as His well-wishers bid Him farewell.53. Then Lord Halayudha entered His city [Dvaraka] and met His relatives, whose hearts were allbound to him in loving attachment. In the assembly hall He reported to the Yadu leaderseverything about His dealings with the Kurus.54. Even today the city of Hastinapura is visibly elevated on its southern side along the Ganges,thus showing the signs of Lord Balaramas prowess.Chapter Sixty-Nine Narada Muni Visits Lord Krishnas Palaces in Dvaraka1-6. Sukadeva Gosvami said: Hearing that Lord Krishna had killed Narakasura and had alonemarried many brides, Narada Muni desired to see the Lord in this situation. He thought, It is quiteamazing that in a single body Lord Krishna simultaneously married sixteen thousand women,each in a separate palace. Thus the sage of the demigods eagerly went to Dvaraka. The city was

filled with the sounds of birds and bees flying about the parks and pleasure gardens, while itslakes, crowded with blooming indivara, ambhoja, kahlara, kumuda and utpala lotuses, resoundedwith the calls of swans and cranes. Dvaraka boasted nine hundred thousand royal palaces, allconstructed with crystal and silver and splendorously decorated with huge emeralds. Inside thesepalaces, the furnishings were bedecked with gold and jewels. Traffic moved along a well laid-outsystem of boulevards, roads, intersections and marketplaces, and many assembly houses andtemples of demigods graced the charming city. The roads, courtyards, commercial streets andresidential patios were all sprinkled with water and shaded from the suns heat by banners wavingfrom flagpoles.7-8. In the city of Dvaraka was a beautiful private quarter worshiped by the planetary rulers. This


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district, where the demigod Visvakarma had shown all his divine skill, was the residential area ofLord Hari, and thus it was gorgeously decorated by the sixteen thousand palaces of LordKrishnas queens. Narada Muni entered one of these immense palaces.9-12. Supporting the palace were coral pillars decoratively inlaid with vaidurya gems. Sapphiresbedecked the walls, and the floors glowed with perpetual brilliance. In that palace Tvasta hadarranged canopies with hanging strands of pearls; there were also seats and beds fashioned ofivory and precious jewels. In attendance were many well-dressed maidservants bearing locketson their necks, and also armor-clad guards with turbans, fine uniforms and jeweled earrings. Theglow of numerous jewel-studded lamps dispelled all darkness in the palace. My dear King, on theornate ridges of the roof danced loudly crying peacocks, who saw the fragrant aguru incenseescaping through the holes of the latticed windows and mistook it for a cloud.13. In that palace the learned brahmana saw the Lord of the Satvatas, Sri Krishna, together withHis wife, who fanned Him with a gold-handled yak-tail fan. She personally served Him in this way,even though she was constantly attended by a thousand maidservants equal to her in personalcharacter, beauty, youth and fine dress.14. The Supreme Lord is the greatest upholder of religious principles. Thus when He noticedNarada, He rose at once from Goddess Sris bed, bowed His crowned head at Naradas feet and,

joining His palms, had the sage sit in His own seat.15. The Lord bathed Naradas feet and then put the water on His own head. Although LordKrishna is the supreme spiritual authority of the universe and the master of His devotees, it was

proper for Him to behave in this way, for His name is Brahmanya-deva, the Lord who favors thebrahmanas. Thus Sri Krishna honored the sage Narada by bathing his feet, even though thewater that bathes the Lords own feet becomes the Ganges, the ultimate holy shrine.16. After fully worshiping the great sage of the demigods according to Vedic injunctions, LordKrishna, who is Himself the original sageNarayana, the friend of Naraconversed with Narada,and the Lords measured speech was as sweet as nectar. Finally the Lord asked Narada, Whatmay We do for you, Our lord and master?17. Sri Narada said: O almighty Lord, it is no surprise that You, the ruler of all worlds, showfriendship for all people and yet subdue the envious. As we well know, You descend by Yoursweet will in order to bestow the highest good on this universe by maintaining and protecting it.Thus Your glories are widely sung.18. Now I have seen Your feet, which grant liberation to Your devotees, which even Lord Brahmaand other great personalities of unfathomable intelligence can only meditate upon within their

hearts, and which those who have fallen into the well of material existence resort to fordeliverance. Please favor me so that I may constantly think of You as I travel about. Please grantMe the power to remember You.19. Narada then entered the palace of another of Lord Krishnas wives, my dear King. He waseager to witness the spiritual potency possessed by the master of all masters of mystic power.20-22. There he saw the Lord playing at dice with His beloved consort and His friend Uddhava.Lord Krishna worshiped Narada by standing up, offering him a seat, and so on, and then, as if Hedid not know, asked him, When did you arrive? What can needy persons like Us do for thosewho are full in themselves? In any case, My dear brahmana, please make My life auspicious.Thus addressed, Narada was astonished. He simply stood up silently and went to another palace.23. This time Naradaji saw that Lord Krishna was engaged as an affectionate father petting Hissmall children. From there he entered another palace and saw Lord Krishna preparing to lake Hisbath.

24. In one place the Lord was offering oblations into the sacrificial fires; in another, worshipingthrough the five maha-yajnas; in another, feeding brahmanas; and in yet another, eating theremnants of food left by brahmanas.25. Somewhere Lord Krishna was observing the rituals for worship at sunset by refraining fromspeech and quietly chanting the Gayatri mantra, and elsewhere He was moving about with swordand shield in the areas set aside for sword practice.26. In one place Lord Gadagraja was riding on horses, elephants and chariots, and in anotherplace He was resting on His bed while bards recited His glories.27. Somewhere He was consulting with royal ministers like Uddhava, and somewhere else Hewas enjoying in the water, surrounded by many society girls and other young women.


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28. Somewhere He was giving well-decorated cows to exalted brahmanas, and elsewhere hewas listening to the auspicious narration of epic histories and Puranas.29. Somewhere Lord Krishna was found enjoying the company of a particular wife by exchanging

joking words with her. Somewhere else He was found engaged, along with His wife, in religiousritualistic functions. Somewhere Krishna was found engaged in matters of economicdevelopment, and somewhere else He was found enjoying family life according to the regulativeprinciples of the sastras.30. Somewhere He was sitting alone, meditating on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who istranscendental to material nature, and somewhere He was rendering menial service to His elders,offering them desirable things and reverential worship.31. In one place He was planning battles in consultation with some of His advisers, and inanother place He was making peace. Somewhere Lord Kesava and Lord Balarama were togetherpondering the welfare of the pious.32. Narada saw Lord Krishna engaged in getting His sons and daughters married to suitablebrides and bridegrooms at the appropriate time, and the marriage ceremonies were beingperformed with great pomp.33. Narada observed how Sri Krishna, the master of all yoga masters, arranged to send away Hisdaughters and sons-in-law, and also to receive them home again, at the time of great holidaycelebrations. All the citizens were astonished to see these celebrations.34. Somewhere He was worshiping all the demigods with elaborate sacrifices, and elsewhere He

was fulfilling His religious obligations by doing public welfare work, such as the construction ofwells, public parks and monasteries.35. In another place He was on a hunting expedition. Mounted on His Sindhi horse andaccompanied by the most heroic of the Yadus, He was killing animals meant for offering insacrifice.36. Somewhere Krishna, the Lord of mystic power, was moving about in disguise among thehomes of ministers and other citizens in order to understand what each of them was thinking.37. Having thus seen this display of the Lords Yogamaya, Narada mildly laughed and thenaddressed Lord Hrsikesa, who was adopting the behavior of a human being.38. [Narada said:] Now we understand Your mystic potencies, which are difficult to comprehend,even for great mystics, O Supreme Soul, master of all mystic power. Only by serving Your feethave I been able to perceive Your powers.39. O Lord, please give me Your leave. I will wander about the worlds, which are flooded with

Your fame, loudly singing about Your pastimes, which purify the universe.40. The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O brahmana, I am the speaker of religion, itsperformer and sanctioner. I observe religious principles to teach them to the world, My child, sodo not be disturbed.41. Sukadeva Gosvami said: Thus in every palace Narada saw the Lord in His same personalform, executing the transcendental principles of religion that purify those engaged in householdaffairs.42. Having repeatedly seen the vast mystic display of Lord Krishna, whose power is unlimited, thesage was amazed and filled with wonder.43. Lord Krishna greatly honored Narada, faithfully presenting him with gifts related to economicprosperity, sense gratification and religious duties. Thus fully satisfied, the sage departed,constantly remembering the Lord.44. In this way Lord Narayana imitated the ways of ordinary humans, manifesting His divine

potencies for the benefit of all beings. Thus He enjoyed, dear King, in the company of His sixteenthousand exalted consorts, who served the Lord with their shy, affectionate glances and laughter.45. Lord Hari is the ultimate cause of universal creation, maintenance and destruction. My dearKing, anyone who chants about, hears about or simply appreciates the extraordinary activities Heperformed in this world, which are impossible to imitate, will surely develop devotion for theSupreme Lord, the bestower of liberation.Chapter Seventy Lord Krishnas Daily Activities1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: As dawn approached, the wives of Lord Madhava, each embracedaround the neck by her husband, cursed the crowing roosters. The ladies were disturbed thatnow they would be separated from Him.


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2. The bees buzzing, caused by the fragrant breeze from the parijata garden, roused the birdsfrom sleep. And when the birds began to sing loudly, they woke Lord Krishna like court poetsreciting His glories.3. Lying in her beloveds arms, Queen Vaidarbhi did not like this most auspicious hour, for itmeant she would lose His embrace.4-5. Lord Madhava would rise during the brahma-muhurta period and touch water. With a clearmind He would then meditate upon Himself, the single, self-luminous, unequaled and infallibleSupreme Truth, known as Brahman, who by His very nature ever dispels all contamination, andwho through His personal energies, which cause the creation and destruction of this universe,manifests His own pure and blissful existence.6. That most saintly of personalities would then bathe in sanctified water, dress Himself in lowerand upper garments and perform the entire sequence of prescribed rituals, beginning withworship at dawn. After offering oblations into the sacred fire, Lord Krishna would silently chant theGayatri mantra.7-9. Each day the Lord worshiped the rising sun and propitiated the demigods, sages andforefathers, who are all His expansions. The self-possessed Lord would then carefully worshipHis elders and the brahmanas. To those well-attired brahmanas He would offer herds of tame andpeaceful cows with gold-plated horns and pearl necklaces. These cows were also dressed in finecloth, and the fronts of their hooves were plated with silver. Providers of abundant milk, they hadeach given birth only once and were accompanied by their calves. Daily the Lord gave many

groups of 13,084 cows to the learned brahmanas, together with linen, deerskins and sesameseeds.10. Lord Krishna would offer obeisances to the cows, brhmaas and demigods, His elders andspiritual masters, and all living beingsall of whom are expansions of His supreme personality.Then He would touch auspicious things.11. He would decorate His body, the very ornament of human society, with His own specialclothes and jewelry and with divine flower garlands and ointments.12. He would then look at ghee, a mirror, the cows and bulls, the brahmanas and the demigodsand see to it that the members of all the social classes living in the palace and throughout the citywere satisfied with gifts. After this He would greet His ministers, gratifying them by fulfilling alltheir desires.13. After first distributing flower garlands, pan and sandalwood paste to the brahmanas, He wouldgive these gifts to His friends, ministers and wives, and finally He would partake of them Himself.

14. By then the Lords driver would have brought His supremely wonderful chariot, yoked withSugriva and His other horses. His charioteer would bow down to the Lord and then stand beforeHim.15. Holding on to His charioteers hands, Lord Krishna would mount the chariot, together withSatyaki and Uddhava, just like the sun rising over the easternmost mountain.16. The palace women would look upon Lord Krishna with shy, loving glances, and thus He wouldget free from them only with difficulty. He would then set off, His smiling face captivating theirminds.17. The Lord, attended by all the Vrsnis, would enter the Sudharm assembly hall, which protectsthose who enter it from the six waves of material life, dear King.18. As the almighty Supreme Lord would seat Himself upon His exalted throne there in theassembly hall, He shone with His unique effulgence, illuminating all the quarters of space.Surrounded by the Yadus, lions among men, that best of the Yadus appeared like the moon

amidst many stars.19. And there, O King, jesters would entertain the Lord by displaying various comic moods, expertentertainers would perform for Him, and female dancers would dance energetically.20. These performers would dance and sing to the sounds of mrdangas, vinas, murajas, flutes,cymbals and conchshells, while professional poets, chroniclers and panegyrists would recite theLords glories.21. Some brahmanas sitting in that assembly hall would fluently chant Vedic mantras, whileothers recounted stories of past kings of pious renown.22. Once a certain person arrived in the assembly, O King, who had never been seen therebefore. The doorkeepers announced him to the Lord and then escorted him inside.


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23. That person bowed down to Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and with joinedpalms he described to the Lord how a number of kings were suffering because Jarasandha hadimprisoned them.24. Twenty thousand kings who had refused to submit absolutely to Jarasandha during his worldconquest had been forcibly imprisoned by him in the fortress named Girivraja.25. The kings said [as related through their messenger]: O Krishna, Krishna, O immeasurableSoul, destroyer of fear for those surrendered to You ! Despite our separatist attitude, we havecome to You for shelter out of fear of material existence.26. People in this world are always engaged in sinful activities and are thus bewildered abouttheir real duty, which is to worship You according to Your commandments. This activity would trulybring them good fortune. Let us offer our obeisances unto the all-powerful Lord, who appears astime and suddenly cuts down ones stubborn hope for a long life in this world.27. You are the predominating Lord of the universe and have descended into this world with Yourpersonal power to protect the saintly and suppress the wicked. We cannot understand, O Lord,how anyone can transgress Your law and still continue to enjoy the fruits of his work.28. O Lord, with this corpselike body, always full of fear, we bear the burden of the relativehappiness of kings, which is just like a dream. Thus we have rejected the real happiness of thesoul, which comes by rendering selfless service to You. Being so very wretched, we simply sufferin this life under the spell of Your illusory energy.29. Therefore, since Your feet relieve the sorrow of those who surrender to them, please release

us prisoners from the shackles of karma, manifest as the King of Magadha. Wielding alone theprowess of ten thousand maddened elephants, he has locked us up in his house just as a lioncaptures sheep.30. O wielder of the disc! Your strength is unlimited, and thus seventeen times You crushedJarasandha in battle. But then, absorbed in human affairs, You allowed him to defeat You once.Now he is so filled with pride that he dares to torment us, Your subjects. O unconquerable one,please rectify this situation.31. The messenger continued: This is the message of the kings imprisoned by Jarasandha, whoall hanker for Your audience, having surrendered to Your feet. Please bestow good fortune onthese poor souls.32. Sukadeva Gosvami said: When the kings messenger had thus spoken, the sage of thedemigods, Narada, suddenly appeared. Bearing a mass of golden matted locks on his head, thesupremely effulgent sage entered like the brilliant sun.

33. Lord Krishna is the worshipable master of even planetary rulers like Lord Brahma and LordSiva, yet as soon as He saw that Narada Muni had arrived, He joyfully stood up along with Hisministers and secretaries to receive the great sage and offer His respectful obeisances by bowingHis head.34. After Narada had accepted the seat offered to him, Lord Krishna honored the sage accordingto scriptural injunctions and, gratifying him with His reverence, spoke the following truthful andpleasing words.35. [Lord Krishna said:] It is certain that today the three worlds have attained freedom from allfear, for that is the influence of such a great personality as you, who travel at will throughout allthe worlds.36. There is nothing unknown to you within Gods creation. Therefore please tell Us what thePandavas intend to do.37. Sri Narada said: I have seen many times the insurmountable power of Your Maya, O almighty

one, by which You bewilder even the creator of the universe, Brahma. O all-encompassing Lord, itdoes not surprise me that You disguise Yourself by Your own energies while moving among thecreated beings, as a fire covers its own light with smoke.38. Who can properly understand Your purpose? With Your material energy You expand and alsowithdraw this creation, which thus appears to have substantial existence. Obeisances to You,whose transcendental position is inconceivable.39. The living being caught in the cycle of birth and death does not know how he can be deliveredfrom the material body, which brings him so much trouble. But You, the Supreme Lord, descendto this world in various personal forms, and by performing Your pastimes You illumine the soulspath with the blazing torch of Your fame. Therefore I surrender unto You.


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40. Nonetheless, O Supreme Truth playing the part of a human being, I shall tell You what Yourdevotee Yudhisthira Maharaja, the son of Your fathers sister, intends to do.41. Desiring unrivaled sovereignty, King Yudhisthira intends to worship You with the greatest firesacrifice, the Rajasuya. Please bless his endeavor.42. O Lord, exalted demigods and glorious kings, eager to see You, will all come to that best ofsacrifices.43. O Lord, even outcastes are purified by hearing and chanting Your glories and meditating uponYou, the Absolute Truth. What then to speak of those who see and touch You?44. My dear Lord, You are the symbol of everything auspicious. Your transcendental name andfame is spread like a canopy all over the universe, including the higher, middle and lowerplanetary systems. The transcendental water that washes Your lotus feet is known in the higherplanetary systems as the Mandakini River, in the lower planetary systems as the Bhogavati and inthis earthly planetary system as the Ganges. This sacred, transcendental water flows throughoutthe entire universe, purifying wherever it goes.45. Sukadeva Gosvami said: When His supporters, the Yadavas, objected to this proposal out ofeagerness to defeat Jarasandha, Lord Kesava turned to His servant Uddhava and, smiling,addressed him with fine words.46. The Personality of Godhead said: You are indeed Our best eye and closest friend, for youknow perfectly the relative value of various kinds of counsel. Therefore please tell Us what shouldbe done in this situation. We trust your judgment and shall do as you say.

47. [Sukadeva Gosvami continued:] Thus requested by his master, who, though omniscient,acted as if perplexed, Uddhava took this order upon his head and replied as follows.

Canto 10

Chapters 70 to 75

Chapter Seventy-One The Lord Travels to Indraprastha1. Sukadeva Gosvami said: Having thus heard the statements of Devarsi Narada, andunderstanding the opinions of both the assembly and Lord Krishna, the great-minded Uddhava

began to speak.2. Sri Uddhava said: O Lord, as the sage advised, You should help Your cousin fulfill his plan forperforming the Rajasuya sacrifice, and You should also protect the kings who are begging forYour shelter.3. Only one who has conquered all opponents in every direction can perform the Rajasuyasacrifice, O almighty one. Thus, in my opinion, conquering Jarasandha will serve both purposes.4. By this decision there will be great gain for us, and You will save the kings. Thus, Govinda, Youwill be glorified.5. The invincible King Jarasandha is as strong as ten thousand elephants. Indeed, other powerfulwarriors cannot defeat him. Only Bhima is equal to him in strength.6. He will be defeated in a match of single chariots, not when he is with his hundred militarydivisions. Now, Jarasandha is so devoted to brahminical culture that he never refuses requestsfrom brahmanas.

7. Bhima should go to him disguised as a brahmana and beg charity. Thus he will obtain singlecombat with Jarasandha, and in Your presence Bhima will no doubt kill him.8. Even Lord Brahma and Lord Siva act only as Your instruments in cosmic creation andannihilation, which are ultimately done by You, the Supreme Lord, in Your invisible aspect of time.9. In their homes, the godly wives of the imprisoned kings sing of Your noble deedsabout howYou will kill their husbands enemy and deliver them. The gopis also sing Your glorieshow Youkilled the enemy of the elephant king, Gajendra; the enemy of Sita, daughter of Janaka; and theenemies of Your own parents as well. So also do the sages who have obtained Your shelterglorify You, as do we ourselves.10. O Krishna, the killing of Jarasandha, which is certainly a reaction of his past sins, will bring


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immense benefit. Indeed, it will make possible the sacrificial ceremony You desire.11. Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, Devarsi Narada, the Yadu elders and Lord Krishna allwelcomed Uddhavas proposal, which was entirely auspicious and infallible.12. The almighty Personality of Godhead, the son of Devaki, begged His superiors for permissionto leave. Then He ordered His servants, headed by Daruka and Jaitra, to prepare for departure.13. O slayer of enemies, after He had arranged for the departure of His wives, children andbaggage and taken leave of Lord Sankarsena and King Ugrasena, Lord Krishna mounted Hischariot, which had been brought by His driver. It flew a flag marked with the emblem of Garuda.14. As the vibrations resounding from mrdangas, bheris, kettledrums, conchshells and gomukhasfilled the sky in all directions, Lord Krishna set out on His journey. He was accompanied by thechief officers of His corps of chariots, elephants, infantry and cavalry and surrounded on all sidesby His fierce personal guard.15. Lord Acyutas faithful wives, along with their children, followed the Lord on golden palanquinscarried by powerful men. The queens were adorned with fine clothing, ornaments, fragrant oilsand flower garlands, and they were surrounded on all sides by soldiers carrying swords andshields in their hands.16. On all sides proceeded finely adorned womenattendants of the royal household, as well ascourtesans. They rode on palanquins and camels, bulls and buffalo, donkeys, mules, bullockcarts and elephants. Their conveyances were fully loaded with grass tents, blankets, clothes andother items for the trip.

17. The Lords army boasted royal umbrellas, camara fans and huge flagpoles with wavingbanners. During the day the suns rays reflected brightly from the soldiers fine weapons, jewelry,helmets and armor. Thus Lord Krishnas army, noisy with shouts and clatter, appeared like anocean stirring with agitated waves and timingila fish.18. Honored by Sri Krishna, the chief of the Yadus, Narada Muni bowed down to the Lord. All ofNaradas senses were satisfied by his meeting with Lord Krishna. Thus, having heard thedecision of the Lord and having been worshiped by Him, Narada placed Him firmly within hisheart and departed through the sky.19. With pleasing words the Lord addressed the messenger sent by the kings: My dearmessenger, I wish all good fortune to you. I shall arrange for the killing of King Magadha. Do notfear.20. Thus addressed, the messenger departed and accurately relayed the Lords message to thekings. Eager for freedom, they then waited expectantly for their meeting with Lord Krishna.

21. As He traveled through the provinces of Anarta, Sauvira, Marudesa and Vinasana, Lord Haricrossed rivers and passed mountains, cities, villages, cow pastures and quarries.22. After crossing

shreemad bhagavatam-10-4

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