CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
The Killing of the Demon Naraka
This chapter tells how Lord Kṛṣṇa killed Narakāsura, the son of the earth-goddess, and married the thousands of maidens the demon had kidnapped. It also describes how the Lord stole the pārijāta tree from heaven and how He behaved like an ordinary householder in each of His palaces.
After Narakāsura stole Lord Varuṇa’s umbrella, mother Aditi’s earrings, and the playground of the demigods known as Maṇi-parvata, Indra went to Dvārakā and described the demon’s transgressions to Lord Kṛṣṇa. Together with Queen Satyabhāmā, the Lord mounted His carrier Garuḍa and traveled to the capital of Narakāsura’s kingdom. On a field outside the city He decapitated the demon Mura with His disc. Then He fought Mura’s seven sons and sent them all to the abode of death, after which Narakāsura himself entered the battlefield on the back of an elephant. Naraka threw his śakti lance at Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but the weapon proved ineffective, and the Lord cut the demon’s entire army to pieces. Finally, with His sharp-edged disc Kṛṣṇa cut off Narakāsura’s head.
The earth-goddess, Pṛthivī, then approached Lord Kṛṣṇa and gave Him the various items Narakāsura had stolen. She offered prayers to the Lord and presented Naraka’s frightened son at Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet. After pacifying the demon’s son, Kṛṣṇa entered Narakāsura’s palace, where He found sixteen thousand one hundred young women. As soon as they caught sight of the Lord, they all decided to accept Him as their husband. The Lord sent them to Dvārakā along with a great quantity of treasure and then went with Queen Satyabhāmā to the abode of Indra. There He returned Aditi’s earrings, and Indra and his wife, Śacīdevī, worshiped Him. On Satyabhāmā’s request, Lord Kṛṣṇa uprooted the heavenly pārijāta tree and put it on the back of Garuḍa. After defeating Indra and the other demigods who opposed His taking of the tree, Kṛṣṇa returned with Queen Satyabhāmā to Dvārakā, where He planted it in a garden adjacent to Satyabhāmā’s palace.
Indra had originally come to Lord Kṛṣṇa offering obeisances and begging Him to kill Narakāsura, but afterwards, when his business had been accomplished, he quarreled with the Lord. The demigods are prone to anger because they become intoxicated with pride in their opulences.
The infallible Supreme Lord manifested Himself in sixteen thousand one hundred separate forms and married each of the sixteen thousand one hundred brides in a different temple. He took up the required activities of household life just like an ordinary person, accepting various kinds of service from each of His many wives.
Devanagari
यथा हतो भगवता भौमो येने च ता: स्त्रिय: ।
निरुद्धा एतदाचक्ष्व विक्रमं शार्ङ्गधन्वन: ॥ १ ॥
Text
bhaumo yene ca tāḥ striyaḥ
niruddhā etad ācakṣva
vikramaṁ śārṅga-dhanvanaḥ
Synonyms
śrī-rājā uvāca — the King (Parīkṣit) said; yathā — how; hataḥ — killed; bhagavatā — by the Supreme Lord; bhaumaḥ — Narakāsura, the son of Bhūmi, goddess of the earth; yena — by whom; ca — and; tāḥ — these; striyaḥ — women; niruddhāḥ — captured; etat — this; ācakṣva — please tell; vikramam — adventure; śārṅga-dhanvanaḥ — of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the possessor of the bow Śārṅga.
Translation
[King Parīkṣit said:] How was Bhaumāsura, who kidnapped so many women, killed by the Supreme Lord? Please narrate this adventure of Lord Śārṅgadhanvā’s.
Devanagari
इन्द्रेण हृतछत्रेण हृतकुण्डलबन्धुना ।
हृतामराद्रिस्थानेन ज्ञापितो भौमचेष्टितम् ।
सभार्यो गरुडारूढ: प्राग्ज्योतिषपुरं ययौ ॥ २ ॥
गिरिदुर्गै: शस्त्रदुर्गैर्जलाग्न्यनिलदुर्गमम् ।
मुरपाशायुतैर्घोरैर्दृढै: सर्वत आवृतम् ॥ ३ ॥
Text
indreṇa hṛta-chatreṇa
hṛta-kuṇḍala-bandhunā
hṛtāmarādri-sthānena
jñāpito bhauma-ceṣṭitam
prāg-jyotiṣa-puraṁ yayau
giri-durgaiḥ śastra-durgair
jalāgny-anila-durgamam
mura-pāśāyutair ghorair
dṛḍhaiḥ sarvata āvṛtam
Synonyms
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; indreṇa — by Lord Indra; hṛta-chatreṇa — who had suffered the theft of (Varuṇa’s) umbrella; hṛta-kuṇḍala — the theft of the earrings; bandhunā — of his relative (his mother, Aditi); hṛta — and the theft; amara-adri — on the mountain of the demigods (Mandara); sthānena — of the special location (the recreational area at its peak, known as Maṇi-parvata); jñāpitaḥ — informed; bhauma-ceṣṭitam — of the activities of Bhauma; sa — together with; bhāryaḥ — His wife (Satyabhāmā); garuḍa-ārūḍhaḥ — riding on the giant bird Garuḍa; prāg-jyotiṣa-puram — to the city of Prāgjyotiṣa-pura, Bhauma’s capital (still existing today as Tejpur in Assam); yayau — He went; giri — consisting of mountains; durgaiḥ — by fortifications; śastra — consisting of weapons; durgaiḥ — by fortifications; jala — of water; agni — fire; anila — and wind; durgamam — made inaccessible by fortifications; mura-pāśa — by a dangerous wall of cables; ayutaiḥ — tens of thousands; ghoraiḥ — fearsome; dṛḍhaiḥ — and strong; sarvataḥ — on all sides; āvṛtam — surrounded.
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: After Bhauma had stolen the earrings belonging to Indra’s mother, along with Varuṇa’s umbrella and the demigods’ playground at the peak of Mandara mountain, Indra went to Lord Kṛṣṇa and informed Him of these misdeeds. The Lord, taking His wife Satyabhāmā with Him, then rode on Garuḍa to Prāgyotiṣa-pura, which was surrounded on all sides by fortifications consisting of hills, unmanned weapons, water, fire and wind, and by obstructions of mura-pāśa wire.
Purport
The ācāryas have explained in various plausible ways why Lord Kṛṣṇa took His wife Satyabhāmā with Him. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī begins by saying that the Lord wanted to give His adventurous wife a novel experience and thus took her to the scene of this extraordinary battle. Also, Lord Kṛṣṇa had once granted the blessing to Bhūmi, the earth-goddess, that He would not kill her demoniac son without her permission. Since Bhūmi is an expansion of Satyabhāmā, the latter could authorize Kṛṣṇa to do the needful with the unusually nasty Bhaumāsura.
Finally, Satyabhāmā had been miffed when Nārada Muni brought a celestial pārijāta flower to Queen Rukmiṇī. To pacify Satyabhāmā, Lord Kṛṣṇa had promised her, “I’ll give you a whole tree of these flowers,” and thus the Lord scheduled this procurement of a heavenly tree within His itinerary.
Even nowadays devoted husbands take their wives shopping, and thus Lord Kṛṣṇa took Satyabhāmā to the heavenly planets to get a heavenly tree, as well as to retrieve the goods Bhaumāsura had stolen and return them to their rightful owners.
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī notes that in the heat of battle Queen Satyabhāmā would naturally become anxious for Lord Kṛṣṇa’s safety and pray for the battle to end. Thus she would readily give permission to Kṛṣṇa to kill the son of her expansion, Bhūmi.
Devanagari
चक्रेणाग्निं जलं वायुं मुरपाशांस्तथासिना ॥ ४ ॥
Text
śastra-durgāṇi sāyakaiḥ
cakreṇāgniṁ jalaṁ vāyuṁ
mura-pāśāṁs tathāsinā
Synonyms
Translation
With His club the Lord broke through the rock fortifications; with His arrows, the weapon fortifications; with His disc, the fire, water and wind fortifications; and with His sword, the mura-pāśa cables.
Devanagari
प्राकारं गदया गुर्व्या निर्बिभेद गदाधर: ॥ ५ ॥
Text
hṛdayāni manasvinām
prākāraṁ gadayā gurvyā
nirbibheda gadādharaḥ
Synonyms
śaṅkha — of His conchshell; nādena — with the resounding; yantrāṇi — the mystic talismans; hṛdayāni — the hearts; manasvinām — of the brave warriors; prākāram — the ramparts; gadayā — with His club; gurvyā — heavy; nirbibheda — He broke; gadādharaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Translation
With the sound of His conchshell Lord Gadādhara then shattered the magic seals of the fortress, along with the hearts of its brave defenders, and with His heavy club He demolished the surrounding earthen ramparts.
Devanagari
मुर: शयान उत्तस्थौ दैत्य: पञ्चशिरा जलात् ॥ ६ ॥
Text
yugāntaśani-bhīṣaṇam
muraḥ śayāna uttasthau
daityaḥ pañca-śirā jalāt
Synonyms
pāñcajanya — of Pāñcajanya, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s conchshell; dhvanim — the vibration; śrutvā — hearing; yuga — of the universal era; anta — at the end; aśani — (like the sound) of lightning; bhīṣaṇam — terrifying; muraḥ — Mura; śayānaḥ — sleeping; uttasthau — stood up; daityaḥ — the demon; pañca-śirāḥ — five-headed; jalāt — from the water (of the moat surrounding the fortress).
Translation
The five-headed demon Mura, who slept at the bottom of the city’s moat, awoke and rose up out of the water when he heard the vibration of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Pāñcajanya conchshell, a sound as terrifying as the thunder at the end of the cosmic age.
Devanagari
युगान्तसूर्यानलरोचिरुल्बण: ।
ग्रसंस्त्रिलोकीमिव पञ्चभिर्मुखै-
रभ्यद्रवत्तार्क्ष्यसुतं यथोरग: ॥ ७ ॥
Text
yugānta-sūryānala-rocir ulbaṇaḥ
grasaṁs tri-lokīm iva pañcabhir mukhair
abhyadravat tārkṣya-sutaṁ yathoragaḥ
Synonyms
tri-śūlam — his trident; udyamya — raising; su — very; durnirīkṣaṇaḥ — difficult to look at; yuga-anta — at the end of a millennium; sūrya — of the sun; anala — (like) the fire; rociḥ — whose effulgence; ulbaṇaḥ — terrible; grasan — swallowing; tri-lokīm — the three worlds; iva — as if; pañcabhiḥ — with his five; mukhaiḥ — mouths; abhyadravat — he attacked; tārkṣya-sutam — Garuḍa, the son of Tārkṣya; yathā — as; uragaḥ — a snake.
Translation
Shining with the blinding, terrible effulgence of the sun’s fire at the end of a millennium, Mura seemed to be swallowing up the three worlds with his five mouths. He lifted up his trident and fell upon Garuḍa, the son of Tārkṣya, like an attacking snake.
Devanagari
निरस्य वक्त्रैर्व्यनदत्स पञ्चभि: ।
स रोदसी सर्वदिशोऽम्बरं महा-
नापूरयन्नण्डकटाहमावृणोत् ॥ ८ ॥
Text
nirasya vaktrair vyanadat sa pañcabhiḥ
sa rodasī sarva-diśo ’mbaraṁ mahān
āpūrayann aṇḍa-kaṭāham āvṛṇot
Synonyms
āvidhya — whirling about; śūlam — his trident; tarasā — with great force; garutmate — at Garuḍa; nirasya — throwing it; vaktraiḥ — with his mouths; vyanadat — roared; saḥ — he; pañcabhiḥ — five; saḥ — that; rodasī — the earth and sky; sarva — all; diśaḥ — the directions; ambaram — outer space; mahān — the great (roar); āpūrayan — filling; aṇda — of the egglike covering of the universe; kaṭāham — the pot; āvṛṇot — covered.
Translation
Mura whirled his trident and then hurled it fiercely at Garuḍa, roaring from all five mouths. The sound filled the earth and sky, all directions and the limits of outer space, until it reverberated against the very shell of the universe.
Devanagari
हरि: शराभ्यामभिनत्त्रिधोजसा ।
मुखेषु तं चापि शरैरताडयत्
तस्मै गदां सोऽपि रुषा व्यमुञ्चत ॥ ९ ॥
Text
hariḥ śarābhyām abhinat tridhojasā
mukheṣu taṁ cāpi śarair atāḍayat
tasmai gadāṁ so ’pi ruṣā vyamuñcata
Synonyms
tadā — then; āpatat — flying; vai — indeed; tri-śikham — the trident; garutmate — toward Garuḍa; hariḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa; śarābhyām — with two arrows; abhinat — broke; tridhā — into three pieces; ojasā — forcefully; mukheṣu — on his faces; tam — him, Mura; ca — and; api — also; śaraiḥ — with arrows; atāḍayat — He struck; tasmai — at Him, Lord Kṛṣṇa; gadām — his club; saḥ — he, Mura; api — and; ruṣā — in anger; vyamuñcata — released.
Translation
Then with two arrows Lord Hari struck the trident flying toward Garuḍa and broke it into three pieces. Next the Lord hit Mura’s faces with several arrows, and the demon angrily hurled his club at the Lord.
Devanagari
गदाग्रजो निर्बिभिदे सहस्रधा ।
उद्यम्य बाहूनभिधावतोऽजित:
शिरांसि चक्रेण जहार लीलया ॥ १० ॥
Text
gadāgrajo nirbibhide sahasradhā
udyamya bāhūn abhidhāvato ’jitaḥ
śirāṁsi cakreṇa jahāra līlayā
Synonyms
tām — that; āpatantīm — flying toward; gadayā — with His club; gadām — the club; mṛdhe — on the battleground; gada-agrajaḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa, the elder brother of Gada; nirbibhide — broke; sahasradhā — into thousands of pieces; udyamya — raising; bāhūn — his arms; abhidhāvataḥ — of the one running at him; ajitaḥ — unconquerable Lord Kṛṣṇa; śirāṁsi — the heads; cakreṇa — with His disc; jahāra — removed; līlayā — easily.
Translation
As Mura’s club sped toward Him on the battlefield, Lord Gadāgraja intercepted it with His own and broke it into thousands of pieces. Mura then raised his arms high and rushed at the unconquerable Lord, who easily sliced off his heads with His disc weapon.
Devanagari
निकृत्तशृङ्गोऽद्रिरिवेन्द्रतेजसा ।
तस्यात्मजा: सप्त पितुर्वधातुरा:
प्रतिक्रियामर्षजुष: समुद्यता: ॥ ११ ॥
Text
nikṛtta-śṛṅgo ’drir ivendra-tejasā
tasyātmajāḥ sapta pitur vadhāturāḥ
pratikriyāmarṣa-juṣaḥ samudyatāḥ
Synonyms
vyasuḥ — lifeless; papāta — he fell; ambhasi — into the water; kṛtta — severed; śīrṣaḥ — his heads; nikṛtta — cut off; śṛṅgaḥ — whose peak; adriḥ — a mountain; iva — as if; indra — of Lord Indra; tejasā — by the power (that is, by his thunderbolt); tasya — his, Mura’s; ātma-jāḥ — sons; sapta — seven; pituḥ — of their father; vadha — by the killing; āturāḥ — very distressed; pratikriyā — for retribution; amarṣa — fury; juṣaḥ — feeling; samudyatāḥ — aroused to action.
Translation
Lifeless, Mura’s decapitated body fell into the water like a mountain whose peak has been severed by the power of Lord Indra’s thunderbolt. The demon’s seven sons, enraged by their father’s death, prepared to retaliate.
Devanagari
र्वसुर्नभस्वानरुणश्च सप्तम: ।
पीठं पुरस्कृत्य चमूपतिं मृधे
भौमप्रयुक्ता निरगन् धृतायुधा: ॥ १२ ॥
Text
vasur nabhasvān aruṇaś ca saptamaḥ
pīṭhaṁ puraskṛtya camū-patiṁ mṛdhe
bhauma-prayuktā niragan dhṛtāyudhāḥ
Synonyms
tāmraḥ antarikṣaḥ śravaṇaḥ vibhāvasuḥ — Tāmra, Antarikṣa, Śravaṇa and Vibhāvasu; vasuḥ nabhasvān — Vasu and Nabhasvān; aruṇaḥ — Aruṇa; ca — and; saptamaḥ — the seventh; pīṭham — Pīṭha; puraḥ-kṛtya — putting at the head; camū-patim — their commander in chief; mṛdhe — on the battlefield; bhauma — by Bhaumāsura; prayuktāḥ — engaged; niragan — they came out (of the fortress); dhṛta — carrying; āyudhāḥ — weapons.
Translation
Ordered by Bhaumāsura, Mura’s seven sons — Tāmra, Antarikṣa, Śravaṇa, Vibhāvasu, Vasu, Nabhasvān and Aruṇa — followed their general, Pīṭha, onto the battlefield bearing their weapons.
Devanagari
शक्त्यृष्टिशूलान्यजिते रुषोल्बणा: ।
तच्छस्त्रकूटं भगवान् स्वमार्गणै-
रमोघवीर्यस्तिलशश्चकर्त ह ॥ १३ ॥
Text
śakty-ṛṣṭi-śūlāny ajite ruṣolbaṇāḥ
tac-chastra-kūṭaṁ bhagavān sva-mārgaṇair
amogha-vīryas tilaśaś cakarta ha
Synonyms
prāyuñjata — they used; āsādya — attacking; śarān — arrows; asīn — swords; gadāḥ — clubs; śakti — spears; ṛṣti — lances; śūlāni — and tridents; ajite — against Lord Kṛṣṇa, the unconquerable; ruṣā — angrily; ulbaṇāḥ — fierce; tat — their; śastra — of weapons; kūṭam — the mountain; bhagavān — the Supreme Lord; sva — with His own; mārgaṇaiḥ — arrows; amogha — never frustrated; vīryaḥ — whose prowess; tilaśaḥ — into particles the size of sesame seeds; cakarta ha — He cut.
Translation
These fierce warriors furiously attacked invincible Lord Kṛṣṇa with arrows, swords, clubs, spears, lances and tridents, but the Supreme Lord, with unfailing prowess, cut this mountain of weapons into tiny pieces with His arrows.
Devanagari
निकृत्तशीर्षोरुभुजाङ्घ्रिवर्मण: ।
स्वानीकपानच्युतचक्रसायकै-
स्तथा निरस्तान् नरको धरासुत: ।
निरीक्ष्य दुर्मर्षण आस्रवन्मदै-
र्गजै: पयोधिप्रभवैर्निराक्रमात् ॥ १४ ॥
Text
nikṛtta-śīrṣoru-bhujāṅghri-varmaṇaḥ
svānīka-pān acyuta-cakra-sāyakais
tathā nirastān narako dharā-sutaḥ
nirīkṣya durmarṣaṇa āsravan-madair
gajaiḥ payodhi-prabhavair nirākramāt
Synonyms
tān — them; pīṭha-mukhyān — headed by Pīṭha; anayat — He sent; yama — of Yamarāja, the lord of death; kṣayam — to the abode; nikṛtta — cut off; śīrṣa — their heads; ūru — thighs; bhuja — arms; aṅghri — legs; varmaṇaḥ — and armor; sva — his; anīka — of the army; pān — the leaders; acyuta — of Lord Kṛṣṇa; cakra — by the disc; sāyakaiḥ — and arrows; tathā — thus; nirastān — removed; narakaḥ — Bhauma; dharā — of the goddess of the earth; sutaḥ — the son; nirīkṣya — seeing; durmarṣaṇaḥ — unable to tolerate; āsravat — exuding; madaiḥ — a viscous secretion produced from the foreheads of excited elephants; gajaiḥ — with elephants; payaḥ-dhi — from the Ocean of Milk; prabhavaiḥ — born; nirākramāt — he came out.
Translation
The Lord severed the heads, thighs, arms, legs and armor of these opponents led by Pīṭha and sent them all to the abode of Yamarāja. Narakāsura, the son of the earth, could not contain his fury when he saw the fate of his military leaders. Thus he went out of the citadel with elephants born from the Milk Ocean who were exuding mada from their foreheads out of excitement.
Devanagari
सूर्योपरिष्टात् सतडिद् घनं यथा ।
कृष्णं स तस्मै व्यसृजच्छतघ्नीं
योधाश्च सर्वे युगपच्च विव्यधु: ॥ १५ ॥
Text
sūryopariṣṭāt sa-taḍid ghanaṁ yathā
kṛṣṇaṁ sa tasmai vyasṛjac chata-ghnīṁ
yodhāś ca sarve yugapac ca vivyadhuḥ
Synonyms
dṛṣṭvā — seeing; sa-bhāryam — with His wife; garuḍa-upari — upon Garuḍa; sthitam — sitting; sūrya — the sun; upariṣṭāt — higher than; sa-taḍit — with lightning; ghanam — a cloud; yathā — like; kṛṣṇam — Lord Kṛṣṇa; saḥ — he, Bhauma; tasmai — at Him; vyasṛjat — released; śata-ghnīm — Śataghnī (the name of his śakti spear); yodhāḥ — his soldiers; ca — and; sarve — all; yugapat — simultaneously; ca — and; vivyadhuḥ — attacked.
Translation
Lord Kṛṣṇa and His wife, mounted upon Garuḍa, looked like a cloud with lightning sitting above the sun. Seeing the Lord, Bhauma released his Śataghnī weapon at Him, whereupon all of Bhauma’s soldiers simultaneously attacked with their weapons.
Devanagari
विचित्रवाजैर्निशितै: शिलीमुखै: ।
निकृत्तबाहूरुशिरोध्रविग्रहं
चकार तर्ह्येव हताश्वकुञ्जरम् ॥ १६ ॥
Text
vicitra-vājair niśitaiḥ śilīmukhaiḥ
nikṛtta-bāhūru-śirodhra-vigrahaṁ
cakāra tarhy eva hatāśva-kuñjaram
Synonyms
tat — that; bhauma-sainyam — army of Bhaumāsura; bhagavān — the Supreme Lord; gadāgrajaḥ — Kṛṣṇa; vicitra — variegated; vājaiḥ — whose feathers; niśitaiḥ — sharp; śilīmukhaiḥ — with arrows; nikṛtta — cut off; bāhu — with arms; ūru — thighs; śiraḥ-dhra — and necks; vigraham — whose bodies; cakāra — made; tarhi eva — at that same moment; hata — killed; aśva — the horses; kuñjaram — and elephants.
Translation
At that moment Lord Gadāgraja shot His sharp arrows at Bhaumāsura’s army. These arrows, displaying variegated feathers, soon reduced that army to a mass of bodies with severed arms, thighs and necks. The Lord similarly killed the opposing horses and elephants.
Devanagari
हरिस्तान्यच्छिनत्तीक्ष्णै: शरैरेकैकशस्त्रिभि: ॥ १७ ॥
उह्यमान: सुपर्णेन पक्षाभ्यां निघ्नता गजान् ।
गुरुत्मता हन्यमानास्तुण्डपक्षनखेर्गजा: ॥ १८ ॥
पुरमेवाविशन्नार्ता नरको युध्ययुध्यत ॥ १९ ॥
Text
śastrāstrāṇi kurūdvaha
haris tāny acchinat tīkṣṇaiḥ
śarair ekaikaśas trībhiḥ
pakṣābhyāṁ nighnatā gajān
gurutmatā hanyamānās
tuṇḍa-pakṣa-nakher gajāḥ
puram evāviśann ārtā
narako yudhy ayudhyata
Synonyms
yāni — those which; yodhaiḥ — by the warriors; prayuktāni — used; śastra — cutting weapons; astrāṇi — and missile weapons; kuru-udvaha — O hero of the Kurus (King Parīkṣit); hariḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa; tāni — them; acchinat — cut to pieces; tīkṣṇaiḥ — sharp; śaraiḥ — with arrows; ekaśaḥ — each one; tribhiḥ — with three; uhyamānaḥ — being carried; su-parṇena — by him of the great wings (Garuḍa); pakṣābhyām — with both his wings; nighnatā — who was striking; gajān — the elephants; gurutmatā — by Garuḍa; hanyamānaḥ — being beaten; tuṇḍa — with his beak; pakṣa — wings; nakheḥ — and talons; gajāḥ — the elephants; puram — into the city; eva — indeed; āviśann — going back inside; ārtāḥ — distressed; narakaḥ — Naraka (Bhauma); yudhi — in the battle; ayudhyata — continued fighting.
Translation
Lord Hari then struck down all the missiles and weapons the enemy soldiers threw at Him, O hero of the Kurus, destroying each and every one with three sharp arrows. Meanwhile Garuḍa, as he carried the Lord, struck the enemy’s elephants with his wings. Beaten by Garuḍa’s wings, beak and talons, the elephants fled back into the city, leaving Narakāsura alone on the battlefield to oppose Kṛṣṇa.
Devanagari
तं भौम: प्राहरच्छक्त्या वज्र: प्रतिहतो यत: ।
नाकम्पत तया विद्धो मालाहत इव द्विप: ॥ २० ॥
Text
garuḍenārditaṁ svakaṁ
taṁ bhaumaḥ prāharac chaktyā
vajraḥ pratihato yataḥ
nākampata tayā viddho
mālāhata iva dvipaḥ
Synonyms
dṛṣṭvā — seeing; vidrāvitam — driven away; sainyam — the army; garuḍena — by Garuḍa; arditam — tormented; svakam — his; tam — him, Garuḍa; bhaumaḥ — Bhaumāsura; prāharat — struck; śaktyā — with his spear; vajraḥ — the thunderbolt (of Lord Indra); pratihataḥ — counteracted; yataḥ — by which; na akampata — he (Garuḍa) was not shaken; tayā — by it; viddhaḥ — struck; mālā — by a flower garland; āhataḥ — hit; iva — like; dvipaḥ — an elephant.
Translation
Seeing his army driven back and tormented by Garuḍa, Bhauma attacked him with his spear, which had once defeated Lord Indra’s thunderbolt. But though struck by that mighty weapon, Garuḍa was not shaken. Indeed, he was like an elephant hit with a flower garland.
Devanagari
तद्विसर्गात् पूर्वमेव नरकस्य शिरो हरि: ।
अपाहरद् गजस्थस्य चक्रेण क्षुरनेमिना ॥ २१ ॥
Text
ādade vitathodyamaḥ
tad-visargāt pūrvam eva
narakasya śiro hariḥ
apāharad gaja-sthasya
cakreṇa kṣura-neminā
Synonyms
śūlam — his trident; bhaumaḥ — Bhauma; acyutam — Lord Kṛṣṇa; hantum — to kill; ādade — took up; vitatha — frustrated; udyamaḥ — whose endeavors; tat — its; visargāt — release; pūrvam — before; eva — even; narakasya — of Bhauma; śiraḥ — the head; hariḥ — Lord Kṛṣṇa; apāharat — removed; gaja — on his elephant; sthasya — who was seated; cakreṇa — with His disc; kṣura — razor-sharp; neminā — whose edge.
Translation
Bhauma, frustrated in all his attempts, took up his trident to kill Lord Kṛṣṇa. But even before he could release it, the Lord cut off his head with His razor-sharp cakra as the demon sat atop his elephant.
Purport
According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī, as Bhauma raised his invincible trident, Satyabhāmā, sitting on Garuḍa with the Lord, said to Kṛṣṇa, “Kill him right away,” and Kṛṣṇa did just that.
Devanagari
बभौ पृथिव्यां पतितं समुज्ज्वलम् ।
हा हेति साध्वित्यृषय: सुरेश्वरा
माल्यैर्मुकुन्दं विकिरन्त ईडिरे ॥ २२ ॥
Text
babhau pṛthivyāṁ patitam samujjvalam
ha heti sādhv ity ṛṣayaḥ sureśvarā
mālyair mukundaṁ vikiranta īdire
Synonyms
sa — together with; kuṇḍalam — earrings; cāru — attractive; kirīṭa — with a helmet; bhūṣaṇam — decorated; babhau — shone; pṛthivyām — on the ground; patitam — fallen; samujjvalam — brilliant; hā hā iti — “alas, alas!”; sādhu iti — “excellent!”; ṛṣayaḥ — the sages; sura-īśvaraḥ — and the chief demigods; mālyaiḥ — with flower garlands; mukundam — Lord Kṛṣṇa; vikirantaḥ — showering; īḍire — they worshiped.
Translation
Fallen on the ground, Bhaumāsura’s head shone brilliantly, decorated as it was with earrings and an attractive helmet. As cries of “Alas, alas!” and “Well done!” arose, the sages and principal demigods worshiped Lord Mukunda by showering Him with flower garlands.
Devanagari
प्रतप्तजाम्बूनदरत्नभास्वरे ।
सवैजयन्त्या वनमालयार्पयत्
प्राचेतसं छत्रमथो महामणिम् ॥ २३ ॥
Text
pratapta-jāmbūnada-ratna-bhāsvare
sa-vaijayantyā vana-mālayārpayat
prācetasaṁ chatram atho mahā-maṇim
Synonyms
tataḥ — then; ca — and; bhūḥ — the goddess of the earth; kṛṣṇam — Lord Kṛṣṇa; upetya — approaching; kuṇḍale — the two earrings (belonging to Aditi); pratapta — glowing; jāmbūnada — gold; ratna — with jewels; bhāsvare — shining; sa — together with; vaijayantyā — named Vaijayantī; vana-mālayā — and with a flower garland; arpayat — presented; prācetasam — of Varuṇa; chatram — the umbrella; atha u — then; mahā-maṇim — Maṇi-parvata, the peak of Mandara Mountain.
Translation
The goddess of the earth then approached Lord Kṛṣṇa and presented Him with Aditi’s earrings, which were made of glowing gold inlaid with shining jewels. She also gave Him a Vaijayantī flower garland, Varuṇa’s umbrella and the peak of Mandara Mountain.
Devanagari
प्राञ्जलि: प्रणता राजन् भक्तिप्रवणया धिया ॥ २४ ॥
Text
devī deva-varārcitam
prāñjaliḥ praṇatā rājan
bhakti-pravaṇayā dhiyā
Synonyms
astauṣīt — praised; atha — then; viśva — of the universe; īśam — the Lord; devī — the goddess; deva — of demigods; vara — by the best; arcitam — who is worshiped; prāñjaliḥ — folding her palms; praṇatā — bowed down; rājan — O King (Parīkṣit); bhakti — of devotion; pravaṇayā — full; dhiyā — with a mentality.
Translation
O King, after bowing down to Him and then standing with joined palms, the goddess, her mind filled with devotion, began to praise the Lord of the universe, whom the best of demigods worship.
Devanagari
नमस्ते देवदेवेश शङ्खचक्रगदाधर ।
भक्तेच्छोपात्तरूपाय परमात्मन् नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ २५ ॥
Text
namas te deva-deveśa
śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dhara
bhaktecchopātta-rūpāya
paramātman namo ’stu te
Synonyms
bhūmiḥ uvāca — the earth-goddess said; namaḥ — obeisances; te — unto You; deva-deva — of the lords of the demigods; īśa — O Lord; śaṅkha — of the conchshell; cakra — disc; gadā — and club; dhara — O holder; bhakta — of Your devotees; icchā — by the desire; upātta — who have assumed; rūpāya — Your forms; parama-ātman — O Supreme Soul; namaḥ — obeisances; astu — let there be; te — unto You.
Translation
Goddess Bhūmi said: Obeisances unto You, O Lord of the chief demigods, O holder of the conchshell, disc and club. O Supreme Soul within the heart, You assume Your various forms to fulfill Your devotees’ desires. Obeisances unto You.
Devanagari
नम: पङ्कजनेत्राय नमस्ते पङ्कजाङ्घ्रये ॥ २६ ॥
Text
namaḥ paṅkaja-māline
namaḥ paṅkaja-netrāya
namas te paṅkajāṅghraye
Synonyms
namaḥ — all respectful obeisances; paṅkaja-nābhāya — unto the Lord who has a specific depression resembling a lotus flower in the center of His abdomen; namaḥ — obeisances; paṅkaja-māline — one who is always decorated with a garland of lotus flowers; namaḥ — obeisances; paṅkaja-netrāya — one whose glance is as cooling as a lotus flower; namaḥ te — respectful obeisances unto You; paṅkaja-aṅghraye — unto You, the soles of whose feet are engraved with lotus flowers (and who are therefore said to possess lotus feet).
Translation
My respectful obeisances are unto You, O Lord, whose abdomen is marked with a depression like a lotus flower, who are always decorated with garlands of lotus flowers, whose glance is as cool as the lotus and whose feet are engraved with lotuses.
Purport
Queen Kuntī offered this same prayer, which is found in First Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Chapter 8, text 22. The synonyms and translation given here are taken from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s rendering of that text.
We may also note that although Kuntī’s prayer occurs early in the Bhāgavatam, she offered it many years after the incident described here.
Devanagari
पुरुषायादिबीजाय पूर्णबोधाय ते नम: ॥ २७ ॥
Text
vāsudevāya viṣṇave
puruṣāyādi-bījāya
pūrṇa-bodhāya te namaḥ
Synonyms
namaḥ — obeisances; bhagavate — to the Supreme Godhead; tubhyam — unto You; vāsudevāya — Lord Vāsudeva, the shelter of all created beings; viṣṇave — all-pervading Lord Viṣṇu; puruṣāya — the primeval person; ādi — original; bījāya — the seed; pūrṇa — full; bodhāya — knowledge; te — to You; namaḥ — obeisances.
Translation
Obeisances unto You, the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva, Viṣṇu, the primeval person, the original seed. Obeisances unto You, the omniscient one.
Devanagari
परावरात्मन् भूतात्मन् परमात्मन् नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ २८ ॥
Text
brahmaṇe ’nanta-śaktaye
parāvarātman bhūtātman
paramātman namo ’stu te
Synonyms
ajāya — to the unborn; janayitre — the progenitor; asya — of this (universe); brahmaṇe — the Absolute; ananta — unlimited; śaktaye — whose energies; para — of the superior; avara — and the inferior; ātman — O Soul; bhūta — of the material creation; ātman — O Soul; parama-ātman — O Supreme Soul, who are all-pervading; namaḥ — obeisances; astu — may there be; te — unto You.
Translation
Obeisances unto You of unlimited energies, the unborn progenitor of this universe, the Absolute. O Soul of the high and the low, O Soul of the created elements, O all-pervading Supreme Soul, obeisances unto You.
Devanagari
तमो निरोधाय बिभर्ष्यसंवृत: ।
स्थानाय सत्त्वं जगतो जगत्पते
काल: प्रधानं पुरुषो भवान् पर: ॥ २९ ॥
Text
tamo nirodhāya bibharṣy asaṁvṛtaḥ
sthānāya sattvaṁ jagato jagat-pate
kālaḥ pradhānaṁ puruṣo bhavān paraḥ
Synonyms
tvam — You; vai — indeed; sisṛkṣuḥ — desiring to create; ajaḥ — unborn; utkaṭam — prominent; prabho — O master; tamaḥ — the mode of ignorance; nirodhāya — for annihilation; bibharṣi — You assume; asaṁvṛtaḥ — uncovered; sthānāya — for maintenance; sattvam — the mode of goodness; jagataḥ — of the universe; jagat-pate — O Lord of the universe; kālaḥ — time; pradhānam — material nature (in its original, undifferentiated state); puruṣaḥ — the creator (who interacts with material nature); bhavān — You; paraḥ — distinct.
Translation
Desiring to create, O unborn master, You increase and then assume the mode of passion. You do likewise with the mode of ignorance when You wish to annihilate the universe and with goodness when You wish to maintain it. Nonetheless, You remain uncovered by these modes. You are time, the pradhāna, and the puruṣa, O Lord of the universe, yet still You are separate and distinct.
Purport
The word jagataḥ in the third line of this verse indicates that the functions of creation, maintenance and annihilation are here mentioned in a cosmic context.
The word utkaṭam indicates that when a particular function is being carried out, whether universal creation, maintenance or annihilation, the particular material quality associated with that function becomes predominant.
Devanagari
मात्राणि देवा मन इन्द्रियाणि ।
कर्ता महानित्यखिलं चराचरं
त्वय्यद्वितीये भगवन्नयं भ्रम: ॥ ३० ॥
Text
mātrāṇi devā mana indriyāṇi
kartā mahān ity akhilaṁ carācaraṁ
tvayy advitīye bhagavan ayaṁ bhramaḥ
Synonyms
aham — myself (earth); payaḥ — water; jyotiḥ — fire; atha — and; anilaḥ — air; nabhaḥ — ether; mātrāṇi — the various sense objects (corresponding to each of the five gross elements); devāḥ — the demigods; manaḥ — the mind; indriyāṇi — the senses; kartā — “the doer,” false ego; mahān — the total material energy (mahat-tattva); iti — thus; akhilam — everything; cara — moving; acaram — and nonmoving; tvayi — within You; advitīye — who has no second; bhagavan — O Lord; ayam — this; bhramaḥ — illusion.
Translation
This is illusion: that earth, water, fire, air, ether, sense objects, demigods, mind, the senses, false ego and the total material energy exist independent of You. In fact, they are all within You, my Lord, who are one without a second.
Purport
The earth-goddess, in her prayers, directly touches upon the subtleties of transcendental philosophy, clarifying that although the Supreme Lord is unique and distinct from His creation, His creation has no independent existence and always rests within Him. Thus the Lord and His creation are simultaneously one and different, as explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu five hundred years ago.
To say that everything is God, without any distinction, is meaningless, since nothing can act like God. Dogs, shoes and human beings are hardly omnipotent or omniscient, nor do they create the universe. On the other hand, there is a real sense in which all things are one, for everything is part of the same supreme, absolute reality. Lord Caitanya has given the very useful analogy of the sun and the sun rays. The sun and its sunshine are one reality, for the sun is the celestial body that shines. On the other hand, one can certainly distinguish between the sun globe and the sun rays. Thus God’s simultaneous oneness with and difference from His creation is the final and satisfying explanation of reality. All that exists is the Lord’s potency, and yet He endows the superior potency, the living beings, with free will so that they can become responsible for the moral and spiritual quality of their decisions and activities.
This entire transcendental science is clearly and rationally explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Devanagari
भीत: प्रपन्नार्तिहरोपसादित: ।
तत् पालयैनं कुरु हस्तपङ्कजं
शिरस्यमुष्याखिलकल्मषापहम् ॥ ३१ ॥
Text
bhītaḥ prapannārti-haropasāditaḥ
tat pālayainaṁ kuru hasta-paṅkajaṁ
śirasy amuṣyākhila-kalmaṣāpaham
Synonyms
tasya — of him (Bhaumāsura); ātma-jaḥ — son; ayam — this; tava — Your; pāda — feet; paṅkajam — lotuslike; bhītaḥ — afraid; prapanna — of those who take shelter; ārti — the distress; hara — O You who remove; upasāditaḥ — has approached; tat — therefore; pālaya — please protect; enam — him; kuru — place; hasta-paṅkajam — Your lotus hand; śirasi — on the head; amuṣya — his; akhila — all; kalmaṣa — sins; apaham — which eradicates.
Translation
Here is the son of Bhaumāsura. Frightened, he is approaching Your lotus feet, since You remove the distress of all who seek refuge in You. Please protect him. Place Your lotus hand, which dispels all sins, upon his head.
Purport
Here the earth-goddess seeks protection for her grandson, who has been frightened by all the terribly violent events that just took place.
Devanagari
इति भूम्यर्थितो वाग्भिर्भगवान् भक्तिनम्रया ।
दत्त्वाभयं भौमगृहं प्राविशत् सकलर्द्धिमत् ॥ ३२ ॥
Text
iti bhūmy-arthito vāgbhir
bhagavān bhakti-namrayā
dattvābhayaṁ bhauma-gṛham
prāviśat sakalarddhimat
Synonyms
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; iti — thus; bhūmi — by goddess Bhūmi; arthitaḥ — prayed to; vāgbhiḥ — in those words; bhagavān — the Supreme Lord; bhakti — with devotion; namrayā — humble; dattvā — giving; abhayam — fearlessness; bhauma-gṛham — the residence of Bhaumāsura; prāviśat — He entered; sakala — all; ṛddhi — with opulences; mat — endowed.
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus entreated by Goddess Bhūmi in words of humble devotion, the Supreme Lord bestowed fearlessness upon her grandson and then entered Bhaumāsura’s palace, which was filled with all manner of riches.
Devanagari
भौमाहृतानां विक्रम्य राजभ्यो ददृशे हरि: ॥ ३३ ॥
Text
ṣaṭ-sahasrādhikāyutam
bhaumāhṛtānāṁ vikramya
rājabhyo dadṛśe hariḥ
Synonyms
Translation
There Lord Kṛṣṇa saw sixteen thousand royal maidens, whom Bhauma had taken by force from various kings.
Purport
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī provides evidence from the sage Parāśara, as quoted in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (5.29.31), to the effect that there were actually 16,100 royal maidens imprisoned in Bhauma’s palace:
ṣoḍaśātulya-vikramaḥ
śatādhikāni dadṛśe
sahasrāṇi mahā-mate
“Within the maidens’ quarters, O wise one, that Lord of unequaled prowess found 16,100 princesses.”
Another relevant verse from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (5.29.9) is as follows:
nṛpānāṁ ca janārdana
hṛtvā hi so ’suraḥ kanyā
rurodha nija-mandire
“The demon [Bhaumāsura] kidnapped the unmarried daughters of demigods, siddhas, asuras and kings, O Janārdana, and imprisoned them in his palace.”
Devanagari
मनसा वव्रिरेऽभीष्टं पतिं दैवोपसादितम् ॥ ३४ ॥
Text
nara-varyaṁ vimohitāḥ
manasā vavrire ’bhīṣṭaṁ
patiṁ daivopasāditam
Synonyms
Translation
The women became enchanted when they saw that most excellent of males enter. In their minds they each accepted Him, who had been brought there by destiny, as their chosen husband.
Devanagari
इति सर्वा: पृथक् कृष्णे भावेन हृदयं दधु: ॥ ३५ ॥
Text
dhātā tad anumodatām
iti sarvāḥ pṛthak kṛṣṇe
bhāvena hṛdayaṁ dadhuḥ
Synonyms
Translation
With the thought “May providence grant that this man become my husband,” each and every princess absorbed her heart in contemplation of Kṛṣṇa.
Devanagari
नरयानैर्महाकोशान् रथाश्वान् द्रविणं महत् ॥ ३६ ॥
Text
su-mṛṣṭa-virajo-’mbarāḥ
nara-yānair mahā-kośān
rathāśvān draviṇaṁ mahāt
Synonyms
Translation
The Lord had the princesses arrayed in clean, spotless garments and then sent them in palanquins to Dvārakā, together with great treasures of chariots, horses and other valuables.
Devanagari
पाण्डुरांश्च चतु:षष्टिं प्रेरयामास केशव: ॥ ३७ ॥
Text
catur-dantāṁs tarasvinaḥ
pāṇḍurāṁś ca catuḥ-ṣaṣṭiṁ
prerayām āsa keśavaḥ
Synonyms
Translation
Lord Kṛṣṇa also dispatched sixty-four swift white elephants, descendants of Airāvata, who each sported four tusks.
Devanagari
पूजितस्त्रिदशेन्द्रेण महेन्द्रयाण्या च सप्रिय: ॥ ३८ ॥
चोदितो भार्ययोत्पाट्य पारिजातं गरुत्मति ।
आरोप्य सेन्द्रान् विबुधान् निर्जित्योपानयत्पुरम् ॥ ३९ ॥
Text
dattvādityai ca kuṇḍale
pūjitas tridaśendreṇa
mahendryāṇyā ca sa-priyaḥ
pārījātaṁ garutmati
āropya sendrān vibudhān
nirjityopānayat puram
Synonyms
gatvā — going; sura — of the demigods; indra — of the King; bhavanam — to the abode; dattvā — giving; adityai — to Aditi, the mother of Indra; ca — and; kuṇḍale — her earrings; pūjitaḥ — worshiped; tridaśa — of the thirty (chief demigods); indreṇa — by the chief; mahā-indryāṇyā — by the wife of Lord Indra; ca — and; sa — together with; priyaḥ — His beloved (Queen Satyabhāmā); coditaḥ — urged; bhāryayā — by His wife; utpāṭya — uprooting; pārijātam — the pārijāta tree; garutmati — on Garuḍa; āropya — placing; sa-indrān — including Indra; vibudhān — the demigods; nirjitya — defeating; upānayat — He brought; puram — to His city.
Translation
The Lord then went to the abode of Indra, the demigods’ king, and gave mother Aditi her earrings; there Indra and his wife worshiped Kṛṣṇa and His beloved consort Satyabhāmā. Then, at Satyabhāmā’s behest the Lord uprooted the heavenly pārijāta tree and put it on the back of Garuḍa. After defeating Indra and all the other demigods, Kṛṣṇa brought the pārijāta to His capital.
Devanagari
अन्वगुर्भ्रमरा: स्वर्गात् तद्गन्धासवलम्पटा: ॥ ४० ॥
Text
gṛhodyānopaśobhanaḥ
anvagur bhramarāḥ svargāt
tad-gandhāsava-lampaṭāḥ
Synonyms
Translation
Once planted, the pārijāta tree beautified the garden of Queen Satyabhāmā’s palace. Bees followed the tree all the way from heaven, greedy for its fragrance and sweet sap.
Devanagari
पादौ स्पृशन्नच्युतमर्थसाधनम् ।
सिद्धार्थ एतेन विगृह्यते महा-
नहो सुराणां च तमो धिगाढ्यताम् ॥ ४१ ॥
Text
pādau spṛśann acyutam artha-sādhanam
siddhārtha etena vigṛhyate mahān
aho surāṇāṁ ca tamo dhig āḍhyatām
Synonyms
yayāca — he (Lord Indra) begged; ānamya — bowing down; kirīṭa — of his crown; koṭibhiḥ — with the tips; pādau — His feet; spṛśan — touching; acyutam — to Lord Kṛṣṇa; artha — his (Indra’s) purpose; sādhanam — who fulfilled; siddha — fulfilled; arthaḥ — whose purpose; etena — with Him; vigṛhyate — he quarrels; mahān — the great soul; aho — indeed; surāṇām — of the demigods; ca — and; tamaḥ — the ignorance; dhik — damnation; āḍhyatām — upon their wealth.
Translation
Even after Indra had bowed down to Lord Acyuta, touched His feet with the tips of his crown and begged the Lord to fulfill his desire, that exalted demigod, having achieved his purpose, chose to fight with the Supreme Lord. What ignorance there is among the gods! To hell with their opulence!
Purport
It is well known that material wealth and power tend to produce arrogance, and thus an opulent life can often be the royal road to hell.
Devanagari
यथोपयेमे भगवान् तावद् रूपधरोऽव्यय: ॥ ४२ ॥
Text
nānāgāreṣu tāḥ striyaḥ
yathopayeme bhagavān
tāvad-rūpa-dharo ’vyayaḥ
Synonyms
Translation
Then the imperishable Supreme Personality, assuming a separate form for each bride, duly married all the princesses simultaneously, each in her own palace.
Purport
As Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains, here the word yathā indicates that each marriage was duly performed. This means that the entire company of the Lord’s relatives, including His mother Devakī, appeared in each and every palace and attended each and every wedding. Since all these weddings took place simultaneously, this event was surely a manifestation of the Lord’s inconceivable potency.
When Lord Kṛṣṇa does things, He does them in style. So it is not astonishing that the Lord simultaneously appeared in 16,100 wedding ceremonies taking place in 16,100 royal palaces, accompanied in each palace by all His relatives. Indeed, this is the way one would expect the Supreme Personality of Godhead to do things. After all, He is not an ordinary human being.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī further explains that on this particular occasion the Lord manifested His original form in each of His palaces. In other words, to take part in the wedding vows, He manifested identical forms (prakāśa) in all the palaces.
Devanagari
न्निरस्तसाम्यातिशयेष्ववस्थित: ।
रेमे रमाभिर्निजकामसम्प्लुतो
यथेतरो गार्हकमेधिकांश्चरन् ॥ ४३ ॥
Text
nirasta-sāmyātiśayeṣv avasthitaḥ
reme ramābhir nija-kāma-sampluto
yathetaro gārhaka-medhikāṁś caran
Synonyms
gṛheṣu — in the residences; tāsām — their; anapāyī — never leaving; atarka — inconceivable; kṛt — performing deeds; nirasta — which refuted; sāmya — equality; atiśayeṣu — and superiority; avasthitaḥ — remaining; reme — He enjoyed; ramābhiḥ — with the pleasing women; nija — His own; kāma — in the pleasure; samplutaḥ — absorbed; yathā — as; itaraḥ — any other man; gārhaka-medhikān — the duties of household life; caran — carrying out.
Translation
The Lord, performer of the inconceivable, constantly remained in each of His queens’ palaces, which were unequaled and unexcelled by any other residence. There, although fully satisfied within Himself, He enjoyed with His pleasing wives, and like an ordinary husband He carried out His household duties.
Purport
The word atarka-kṛt is significant here. Tarka means “logic,” and atarka means “that which is beyond logic.” The Lord can perform (kṛt) that which is beyond mundane logic and hence inconceivable. Still, the Lord’s activities can be appreciated and understood to a significant extent by those who surrender unto Him. This is the secret of bhakti, loving devotion to the Supreme Lord.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī comments that the Lord was always at home except for when He had to go out to do ordinary household duties. And Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that since in the Vaikuṇṭha planets Lord Nārāyaṇa enjoys with only one goddess of fortune and in Dvārakā Kṛṣṇa enjoys with thousands of queens, Dvārakā must be considered superior to Vaikuṇṭha. In this regard Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī also quotes the following passage from the Skanda Purāṇa:
gopyas tawra samāgatāḥ
haṁsa eva mataḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
paramātmā janārdanaḥ
ṣoḍaśaiva prakīṛtitāḥ
candra-rūpī mataḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
kalā-rūpās tu tāḥ smṛtāḥ
mālinī ṣoḍaśī kalā
ṣoḍaśaiva kalā yāsu
gopī-rūpā varāṅgane
sahasreṇa pṛthak pṛthak
“At that place sixteen thousand gopīs were assembled with Kṛṣṇa, who is considered the Supreme, the Supersoul, the shelter of all living beings. These gopīs are His renowned sixteen potencies, O goddess. Kṛṣṇa is like the moon, the gopīs are like its phases, and the full contingent of gopīs is like the full sequence of the moon’s sixteen phases. Each of these sixteen divisions of gopīs, my dear Varāṅganā, is subdivided into one thousand parts.”
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī further quotes the Kārttika-māhātmya section of the Padma Purāṇa: kaiśore gopa-kanyās tā yauvane rāja-kanyakāḥ. “Those who were the daughters of cowherds in their early youth became royal princesses in their maturity.” The ācārya adds, “Therefore just as the Lord of Dvārakā is a plenary expansion of the supremely complete Lord of Śrī Vṛndāvana, so His principal queens are full expansions of His supremely complete pleasure potencies, the gopīs.”
Devanagari
ब्रह्मादयोऽपि न विदु: पदवीं यदीयाम् ।
भेजुर्मुदाविरतमेधितयानुराग-
हासावलोकनवसङ्गमजल्पलज्जा: ॥ ४४ ॥
Text
brahmādayo ’pi na viduḥ padavīṁ yadīyām
bhejur mudāviratam edhitayānurāga
hāsāvaloka-nava-saṅgama-jalpa-lajjāḥ
Synonyms
ittham — in this manner; ramā-patim — the Lord of the goddess of fortune; avāpya — obtaining; patim — as their husband; striyaḥ — the women; tāḥ — they; brahmā-ādayaḥ — Lord Brahmā and other demigods; api — even; na viduḥ — do not know; padavīm — the means of attaining; yadīyām — whom; bhejuḥ — partook of; mudā — with pleasure; aviratam — incessantly; edhitayā — increasing; anurāga — loving attraction; hāsa — smiling; avaloka — glances; nava — ever fresh; saṅgama — association; jalpa — playful conversations; lajjāḥ — and shyness.
Translation
Thus those women obtained as their husband the husband of the goddess of fortune, although even great demigods like Brahmā do not know how to approach Him. With ever-increasing pleasure they experienced loving attraction for Him, exchanged smiling glances with Him and reciprocated with Him in ever-fresh intimacy, replete with joking and feminine shyness.
Devanagari
ताम्बूलविश्रमणवीजनगन्धमाल्यै: ।
केशप्रसारशयनस्नपनोपहार्यै-
र्दासीशता अपि विभोर्विदधु: स्म दास्यम् ॥ ४५ ॥
Text
tāmbūla-viśramaṇa-vījana-gandha-mālyaiḥ
keśa-prasāra-śayana-snapanopahāryaiḥ
dāsī-śatā api vibhor vidadhuḥ sma dāsyam
Synonyms
pratyudgama — by approaching; āsana — offering a seat; vara — first class; arhaṇa — worship; pāda — His feet; śauca — washing; tāmbūla — (offering) betel-nut preparation; viśramaṇa — helping Him to relax (by massaging His feet); vījana — fanning; gandha — (offering) fragrant substances; mālyaiḥ — and flower garlands; keśa — His hair; prasāra — by dressing; śayana — putting to bed; snapana — bathing; upahāryaiḥ — and by presenting gifts; dāsī — maidservants; śatāḥ — having hundreds; api — although; vibhoḥ — for the almighty Lord; vidadhuḥ sma — they executed; dāsyam — service.
Translation
Although the Supreme Lord’s queens each had hundreds of maidservants, they chose to personally serve the Lord by approaching Him humbly, offering Him a seat, worshiping Him with excellent paraphernalia, bathing and massaging His feet, giving Him pān to chew, fanning Him, anointing Him with fragrant sandalwood paste, adorning Him with flower garlands, dressing His hair, arranging His bed, bathing Him, and presenting Him with various gifts.
Purport
Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Tenth Canto, Fifty-ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Killing of the Demon Naraka.”