by Bibek Debroy
‘As she enjoyed herself happily with the brave Yadu, her vow was broken. 568 It was impossible to conceal the signs. The female servants went and said, “O king! We have noticed signs of behaviour in your daughter that will taint the lineage. O lord! She has been guarded by us in the house and she couldn’t be approached. It was impossible for men to see her. We do not understand how your daughter could have been polluted.” Hearing about his maiden being polluted, Bana was distressed. He swiftly went to his daughter’s room. There, he saw the supreme one of the Yadu lineage. He was Kama’s 569 son and the most beautiful person on earth. He was dark in complexion and his garment was yellow. His eyes were like lotuses. His arms were long and his earrings and locks of hair made his face beautiful. His glances were full of smiles. He sat there, in front of his beloved and auspicious daughter, playing with dice. Since it was spring, a garland of jasmine flowers hung between his arms and because he had embraced his beloved, it was smeared with kunkuma from her breasts. Seeing this, he 570 was amazed. Madhava saw him enter, surrounded by several soldiers who were like assassins. He raised an iron club and stood there, like the Destroyer 571 wielding his rod, ready to strike. As they approached and surrounded him, desiring to seize him, he struck, like a leader of boars at dogs. Struck by him, their heads, thighs and arms were shattered and they left the residence and fled. When he struck and killed his own soldiers, Bali’s powerful son became angry and tied him in bonds made out of serpents. 572 When she heard about his bondage, Usha was overwhelmed with great grief and misery. Tears flowed from her eyes.’
Chapter 10(63)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘O descendant of the Bharata lineage! The four months of the rainy season passed. Aniruddha’s relatives could not see him and grieved. The Vrishnis, for whom Krishna was a divinity, heard from Narada about what he had done and his bondage. They went to Shonitapura. Assembling twelve akshouhinis, the bulls among the Satvatas laid siege to Bana’s city from all directions. They were Pradyumna, Yuyudhana, Gada, Samba, Sarana, Nanda, Upananda, Bhadra and others—all Rama and Krishna’s followers. The groves, ramparts, mansions and arches of the city were shattered. Seeing this, he 573 became angry and emerged with an army that was equally large. For Bana’s sake, along with his son, 574 Shiva surrounded him with pramathas. 575 Astride the bull Nandi, he fought with Rama and Krishna. O king! There was a tumultuous encounter that made the body hair stand up, between Krishna and Shankara and between Pradyumna and Guha. 576 Bala fought with Kumbhanda and Kupakarna, Samba with Bana’s son and Satyaki with Bana. On their vimanas, Brahma and the other lords among the gods, sages, Siddhas, charanas, gandharvas, apsaras and yakshas arrived to witness it. With sharp-tipped arrows shot from his Sharnga bow, Shouri drove away Shankara’s followers—bhutas, pramathas, guhyakas, dakinis, yatudhanas, vetalas, vinayakas, pretas, matris, pishachas, kushmandas and brahma-rakshasas. The wielder of the Pinaka used many different kinds of weapons against the wielder of Sharnga. Without being surprised at all, with the Sharnga bow in his hand, he pacified all these with counter-weapons. He countered brahmastra with brahmastra, vayavyastra with parvatastra, agneyastra with parjanyastra and pashupata with his own weapon. 577 Using jrimbhanastra, he confounded Girisha by making him yawn. Shouri used swords, a club and arrows to kill Bana’s soldiers. From every direction, Skanda was struck by Pradyumna’s showers of weapons. With blood flowing from his limbs, astride the peacock, he fled from the battle. Kumbhanda and Kupakarna suffered from the club 578 and fell down. With these leaders slain, the soldiers fled in different directions. Seeing that his own army had been routed, Bana was filled with great intolerance. He abandoned his duel with Satyaki, and on his chariot, attacked Krishna in the battle. Indomitable in the battle, Bana simultaneously drew back the strings on five thousand bows and on each string, affixed two arrows. 579 The illustrious Hari simultaneously severed all these arrows and killing the charioteer and horses and destroying the chariot, blew on his conch shell. His mother was named Kotara. Wishing to save her son’s life, she appeared before Krishna, naked, and with her hair loose. 580 Gada’s elder brother turned his face away, so that he would not have to look at the naked one. At that time, devoid of his chariot and with his bow severed, Bana entered the city. When the large number of bhutas had run away, Jvara 581 attacked Dasharha. He possessed three heads and three feet and seemed to burn down the ten directions. Seeing this, the god Narayana released his own Jvara. The two Jvaras, Maheshvara and Vaishnava, fought against each other. Suffering from Vaishnava’s strength, Maheshvara started to cry. Maheshvara Jvara was frightened and could not find freedom from fear anywhere else. Therefore, he sought refuge with Hrishikesha. He joined his hands in salutation and praised him.
‘Jvara said, “I bow down before you. You are infinite in your powers. You are the supreme lord. You are in all atmans. You are pure consciousness and absolute. You are the cause behind the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. You are the brahman. You are the signs of the brahman. You are serene. You are time, destiny, karma, jivatman, 582 nature, objects, kshetra, prana, 583 atman and transformations. You are the seed that leads to the constant interaction between these. It is your maya and I seek refuge with you to counter that maya. In many forms, you indulge in pastimes to protect the gods, virtuous people and the ordinances of the worlds. You kill those who deviate from the path and subsist through violence. This birth of yours is for the sake of removing the earth’s burden. I am scorched by your energy, which is impossible to withstand. This Jvara is extremely fierce in its energy and is extremely cold. As long as they do not serve at the soles of your feet and as long as they are bound to desire, embodied creatures are tormented by it.”
‘The illustrious one replied, “O three-headed one! I am pleased with you. Let the fever on account of my Jvara go away. If a person remembers this conversation, may he not suffer fear on account of this.”’
Shri-Shuka continued, ‘Thus addressed, Maheshvara Jvara took Achyuta’s permission and left. However, astride his chariot, Bana advanced against Janardana. The asura wielded many kinds of weapons in his one thousand arms. O king! Extremely angry, he released arrows at the one who wields the chakra as a weapon. He repeatedly hurled weapons at him. The illustrious one used his chakra, sharp at the edges, to lop off his arms, as if they were the branches of a tree. When Bana’s arms were being severed, the illustrious Bhava was filled with compassion towards his devotee. Approaching the one who wields the chakra as a weapon, he spoke to him.
‘The illustrious Rudra said, “You are the brahman. You are the supreme illumination. You are concealed in words about the brahman. 584 You are as unpolluted as the sky and those with spotless atmans can see you. The sky is your navel. The fire is your mouth. The water is your semen. The firmament is your head. The directions are your ears. Your feet are the earth. The moon is your mind. Your eyes are the sun. I am your ahamkara. The ocean is your stomach. Your arms are Indra. The herbs and plants are your body hair. The clouds are your hair. Virinchi is your intelligence. Prajapati is your genital organ. Dharma is your heart. You are Purusha, the creator of the worlds. O one who is infinite in powers! For the welfare of the universe, you have assumed this avatara to protect dharma. All of us are dependent on you and maintain the seven worlds. You alone are the original being. You are without a second. You are transcendental and self-manifesting. You are without cause, but you are the lord behind all causes. Nevertheless, you can be perceived through the transformations. You use your own maya for the manifestation of all the gunas. When covered under its own shadow, 585 the sun illuminates its own shadow and all the forms. In that way, your attributes are hidden behind the gunas. O lord! But you are like a lamp to those who possess those gunas. Your maya confounds and causes immersion in sons, wives, homes and other things. Thus attached, they are immersed in this ocean of misery, rise up and are submerged again. A man obtains birth in this world of men through the god’s favours. However, if he does not conquer his senses and does not honour his feet, on
e should grieve over him. He is deceiving himself. For the sake of the objects of the senses, which are calamities, if a mortal person abandons you, the beloved lord who is his own atman, he gives up amrita for the sake of poison. You are the lord who is most loved by our atmans. I, Brahma, the gods and sages who are pure in their consciousness have sought refuge in you with all our souls. You are the reason behind the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. You are impartial and tranquil. You are our well-wisher and divinity. You are unique and without a second. The universe is in your atman. We worship this god for the sake of liberation from samsara. This one 586 is loved by me and follows me. O god! I have bestowed freedom from fear on him. Through your favours, let that be granted to him, just as the lord of the daityas 587 obtained your favours.”
‘The illustrious one replied, “O illustrious one! I will do what you have said and give you pleasure. We will act accordingly. I find this virtuous and approve of it. This asura, the son of Virochana’s son, will not be killed by me. I granted Prahlada the boon that I would not kill any of his descendants. I lopped off his arms so that I could destroy his insolence. His large army has been killed because it was a burden on earth. Four arms still remain and he will be immortal, without suffering from old age. This asura will be the foremost among your attendants and will not suffer from fear from any source.”’
Shri-Shuka continued, ‘Having thus obtained freedom from fear from Krishna, the asura bowed his head down. He placed Pradyumna’s son and his bride on a chariot and brought them there. Taking Rudra’s leave, he departed, placing him and his wife, in front, with excellent garments and ornaments. They were surrounded by an akshouhini. He entered his own capital, which was ornamented with flags and arches. The roads and quadrangles were sprinkled with water. There were the sounds of conch shells, drums and kettledrums. He was welcomed by citizens, well-wishers and brahmanas. Thus did Krishna triumph over Shankara in the encounter. If a person wakes up and remembers it, he is never defeated.’
Chapter 10(64)
Shri-Shuka said, ‘O king! On one occasion, Samba, Pradyumna, Charu, Bhanu, Gada and other young ones from the Yadu lineage went to a grove to amuse themselves. After playing there for a very long time, they became thirsty. They searched around for water and found a well without any water in it. They saw an extraordinary creature there. It was a lizard that was as large as a mountain. On seeing it, their minds were astonished. Full of compassion, they made great efforts to raise it up. It had fallen down there. The boys tied it up with leather thongs and ropes. However, they were unable to raise it. Anxious, they went and told Krishna about this. The illustrious lotus-eyed creator of the universe went there and saw it. Effortlessly, he used his left hand to raise it up. Touched by Uttamashloka’s hand, it immediately abandoned its form as a lizard. His beautiful complexion was like that of molten gold. His amazing form was like that of a resident of heaven, with ornaments, garments and garlands. Though he knew, with a view to making it known among people, Mukunda questioned him. “O immensely fortunate one! Who are you? Your form is excellent. Indeed, I must count you as a supreme among the gods. What karma reduced you to this state? O extremely fortunate one! You do not seem to deserve it. We are eager to know. Tell us about yourself. If you think it to be appropriate, tell us.” The king was thus asked by Krishna, who has an infinite number of forms. Wearing a diadem that was as radiant as the sun, he bowed down before Madhava.
‘Nriga replied, “O lord! I am a king among men, named Nriga. I am descended from the lineage of Ikshvaku. When the list of generous ones is recounted, it is possible that you may have heard of me. O protector! There is nothing that is not known to you. You are the witness in the atmans of all creatures. Your vision is not affected by time. Nevertheless, because of your command, I will speak. In charity, I gave away as many cows as there are grains of sand on earth, as many stars as there are in the firmament and as many drops of rain as there are in showers. They yielded milk and were young. They were excellent in conduct and form. They were full of attributes. They were brown and their horns were encrusted in gold. They had been obtained in the proper way. 588 Their hooves were plated with silver and they were with their calves. They were covered with garments, garlands and ornaments and I gave them away. I gave them to young bulls among brahmanas who had ornamented themselves with their qualities and good conduct. They were from families that were suffering. They were devoted to truth and the vows. They were known for their austerities, learning, knowledge about the brahman and virtue. I gave them cows, land, gold, houses, horses, elephants, maidens, 589 female servants, sesamum, silver, beds, garments, jewels, furnishings and chariots. I performed rites, sacrifices and auspicious works. There was a cow that belonged to a foremost brahmana. It got lost and entered my own herd of cattle, getting mixed up in the process. Not knowing about this, I gave it to a different brahmana. Seeing it being taken away, its owner spoke these words. ‘This belongs to me.’ The one who had received it said, ‘This belongs to me. It was given to me by Nriga.’ The two brahmanas debated in this way. Seeking to accomplish their own respective objectives, they came and spoke to me. ‘You gave it to me.’ ‘You took it away from me.’ Hearing them, I was filled with confusion. Because of dharma, I faced a difficult situation and entreated both the brahmanas. ‘In exchange for this cow, I will give one hundred thousand excellent cows. You should show me your favours. I am your servant and have done this unwittingly. Please save me from this calamity. Otherwise, I will descend into an impure hell.’ The owner said, ‘O king! I do not want that.’ Saying this, he left. The other one said, ‘I do not desire ten thousand cows in exchange for this cow.’ Saying this, he too left. O god of the gods! O lord of the universe! At this time, Yama’s messengers arrived and conveyed me to Yama’s eternal abode, where Yama questioned me. ‘O king! Do you first want to experience the consequence of your wicked deed, or the consequence of your good deeds? I do not see any end to the generous deeds of dharma you have performed. You have obtained radiant worlds.’ I replied, ‘O god! I first want to experience the consequences of my wicked deed.’ He said, ‘Then, fall.’ O lord! I saw myself fall down and I have become this lizard. O Keshava! I was generous and I was devoted to brahmanas. I am your servant. Since I have always desired to meet you, my memory has still not been extinguished. O lord! O paramatman! How is it that you are yourself before my eyes now? O Adhokshaja! I am blind in my intelligence and am suffering severely from this hardship. You are perceived by lords of yoga who meditate in their hearts, using the unblemished insight of the sacred texts. You are the one who liberates from the cycle of samsara. Perhaps that is the reason you have shown yourself to me. O god of the gods! O protector of the universe! O Purushottama! O Narayana! O Hrishikesha! O one of auspicious fame! O Achyuta! O undecaying one! O Krishna! O lord! Give me leave to return to my state as a god. Wherever I may be, may you remain in my consciousness and may I seek shelter at your feet. I bow down before the source of all creation. O brahman! O one who is infinite in powers! O Krishna! O Vasudeva! O lord of yoga! I bow down before you.”’
Shri-Shuka said, ‘Saying this, he circumambulated him, touching his feet with his diadem. Having taken his permission, while all the men looked on, he mounted his vimana. The illustrious Krishna, Devaki’s son, spoke to his own people. He regarded brahmanas as divinities and possessed dharma in his soul. He wished to instruct those born in royal lineages. “Indeed, the property of a brahmana, however little, is as difficult to digest as a fire that has been consumed. In fact, it is more powerful. What need be said about kings who pride themselves on being lords? I do not think that halahala is a poison, since it has an antidote. 590 It has been said that the property of a brahmana is a poison for which there is no antidote on earth. If a brahmana’s property is used without his permission, it ruins three generations. However, if it is seized and enjoyed by force, it destroys ten generations of ancestors and ten generations of successors. Kings are blinded by the prosperity of their kingd
om and do not see their own downfall. Foolish, they regard it as virtuous to take a brahmana’s property and head for hell. If a king from a royal lineage loses control and takes away the means of subsistence of a generous brahmana with a family, he takes away the brahmana’s share, which is then stained with the tears of weeping. He is then cooked in kumbhipaka for as many years as there are particles of dust. 591 Whether it has been given to him by the brahmana himself or whether it has been given by someone else, if a person takes away his property, for sixty thousand years, he is born as a worm in excrement. May a brahmana’s wealth never come to me. Men who hanker after it are limited in their lifespans. They are defeated and dislodged from their kingdoms. They become snakes that cause anxiety. O those who are my own! Do not injure a brahmana, even if he has caused offence. Even if he strikes you a lot and curses you, always bow down before him. I control myself and always bow down before brahmanas. You should always bow down in a similar way. Otherwise, you will face punishment from me. Even if a brahmana’s possession has been taken away ignorantly, the taker will fall downwards, just as it was with Nriga, who took away the brahmana’s cow.” In this way, the illustrious Mukunda made the residents of Dvaraka listen. The purifier of all the worlds then entered his own residence.’