राम

Viṣṇu-parva

Harivaṃśa · Adhyāya 103

31 versesBeyond the Ocean

Synopsis

Crossing mountain-ranges, rivers, and lakes, they see the sea, home of makaras. The ocean itself comes to offer arghya, praises, and asks what he can do. The middle of the chapter names the great mountains Mahāmeru with Kailāsa, Indrakūṭa and others, carrying forms and colors of varied wonder. The chapter closes with Kṛṣṇa, great in fame, feasting the brahmin and his son, gratifying him with wealth, and sending him home.

First-pass synopsis; pending review by a Sanskritist.

Verse 1

ततः पर्वतजालानि सरितश् च सरांसि च अपश्यं समतिक्रम्य सागरं मकरालयम्

tataḥ parvatajālāni saritaś ca sarāṃsi ca apaśyaṃ samatikramya sāgaraṃ makarālayam

Then, crossing the networks of mountains, rivers, and lakes, I saw the ocean, the home of sea-monsters.

Verse 2

ततो ऽर्घ्यम् उदधिः साकाद् उपनिन्ये जनार्दने प्राञ्जलिः समुपस्थाय किं करोमीति चाब्रवीत्

tato 'rghyam udadhiḥ sākād upaninye janārdane prāñjaliḥ samupasthāya kiṃ karomīti cābravīt

Verse 3

प्रतिगृह्य तु तां पूजां तम् उवाच जनार्दनः रथपन्थानम् इच्छामि दत्तं नदनदीपते

pratigṛhya tu tāṃ pūjāṃ tam uvāca janārdanaḥ rathapanthānam icchāmi dattaṃ nadanadīpate

Verse 4

अथाब्रवीत् समुद्रस् तं प्राञ्जलिर् गरुडध्वजम् प्रसीद भगवन् मैवम् अन्यो ऽप्य् एवं गमिष्यति

athābravīt samudras taṃ prāñjalir garuḍadhvajam prasīda bhagavan maivam anyo 'py evaṃ gamiṣyati

Verse 5

त्वयैव स्थापितः पूर्वम् अगाधो ऽस्मि जनार्दन त्वया प्रवर्तिते गाधे यास्यामि गमनीयताम्

tvayaiva sthāpitaḥ pūrvam agādho 'smi janārdana tvayā pravartite gādhe yāsyāmi gamanīyatām

Verse 6

अन्ये ऽप्य् एवं गमिष्यन्ति राजानो दर्पमोहिताः एवं निश्चित्य गोविन्द यत् क्षमं तत् समाचर

anye 'py evaṃ gamiṣyanti rājāno darpamohitāḥ evaṃ niścitya govinda yat kṣamaṃ tat samācara

Verse 7

ब्राह्मणार्थे मदर्थे च कुरु सागर मद्वचः माम् ऋते न पुमान् कश्चिद् अन्यस् त्वां धर्षयिष्यति

brāhmaṇārthe madarthe ca kuru sāgara madvacaḥ mām ṛte na pumān kaścid anyas tvāṃ dharṣayiṣyati

Verse 8

अथाब्रवीत् समुद्रस् तु पुनर् एव जनार्दनम् अभिशापभयाद् भीतो बाढम् एवं भविष्यति

athābravīt samudras tu punar eva janārdanam abhiśāpabhayād bhīto bāḍham evaṃ bhaviṣyati

Verse 9

शोषयाम्य् एष मार्गं ते येन त्वं तात यास्यसि रथेन सहसूतेन सध्वजेन च केशव

śoṣayāmy eṣa mārgaṃ te yena tvaṃ tāta yāsyasi rathena sahasūtena sadhvajena ca keśava

Verse 10

मया दत्तवरः पूर्वं न शोषं त्वम् इहार्हसि मानुषास् ते न जानीयुर् विविधान् रत्नसंचयान्

mayā dattavaraḥ pūrvaṃ na śoṣaṃ tvam ihārhasi mānuṣās te na jānīyur vividhān ratnasaṃcayān

Verse 11

जलं स्तम्भय साधो त्वं ततो यास्याम्य् अहं रथी न हि कश्चित् प्रमाणं ते रत्नानां वेत्स्यते नरः

jalaṃ stambhaya sādho tvaṃ tato yāsyāmy ahaṃ rathī na hi kaścit pramāṇaṃ te ratnānāṃ vetsyate naraḥ

Verse 12

सागरेण तथेत्य् उक्ते प्रस्थिताः स्म जलेन वै स्तम्भितेन यथा भूमौ मणिवर्णेन भास्वता

sāgareṇa tathety ukte prasthitāḥ sma jalena vai stambhitena yathā bhūmau maṇivarṇena bhāsvatā

Verse 13

ततो ऽर्णवं समुत्तीर्य कुरून् अप्य् उत्तरान् वयम् क्षणेन समतिक्रान्ता गन्धमादनम् एव च

tato 'rṇavaṃ samuttīrya kurūn apy uttarān vayam kṣaṇena samatikrāntā gandhamādanam eva ca

Verse 14

ततस् तु पर्वताः सप्त केशवं समुपस्थिताः जयन्तो वैजयन्तश् च नीलो रजतपर्वतः

tatas tu parvatāḥ sapta keśavaṃ samupasthitāḥ jayanto vaijayantaś ca nīlo rajataparvataḥ

Verse 15

महामेरुः सकैलास इन्द्रकूटश् च नामतः वर्णरूपाणि बिभ्रन्तो विविधान्य् अद्भुतानि च

mahāmeruḥ sakailāsa indrakūṭaś ca nāmataḥ varṇarūpāṇi bibhranto vividhāny adbhutāni ca

Mahāmeru with Kailāsa, and the one called Indrakūṭa, bearing colors and forms varied and wondrous.

Verse 16

उपस्थाय च गोविन्दं किं कुर्मेत्य ब्रवंस् तदा तांश् चापि प्रतिजग्राह विधिवन् मधुसूदनः

upasthāya ca govindaṃ kiṃ kurmetya bravaṃs tadā tāṃś cāpi pratijagrāha vidhivan madhusūdanaḥ

Verse 17

तान् उवाच हृषीकेशः प्रणामावनतान् स्थितान् विवरं गच्छतो मे ऽद्य रथमार्गः प्रदीयताम्

tān uvāca hṛṣīkeśaḥ praṇāmāvanatān sthitān vivaraṃ gacchato me 'dya rathamārgaḥ pradīyatām

Verse 18

ते कृष्णस्य वचः श्रुत्वा प्रतिगृह्य च पर्वताः प्रददुः कामतो मार्गं गच्छतो भरतर्षभ

te kṛṣṇasya vacaḥ śrutvā pratigṛhya ca parvatāḥ pradaduḥ kāmato mārgaṃ gacchato bharatarṣabha

Verse 19

तत्रैवान्तर्हितास् ते च तद् आश्चर्यतरं मम असक्तं च रथो याति मेघजालेष्व् इवांशुमान्

tatraivāntarhitās te ca tad āścaryataraṃ mama asaktaṃ ca ratho yāti meghajāleṣv ivāṃśumān

Verse 20

सप्त द्वीपान् ससिन्धूंश् च सप्त सप्त गिरीन् अथ लोकालोकं तथातीत्य विवेश सुमहत् तमः ततः कदा चिद् दुःखेन रथम् ऊहुस् तुरंगमाः पङ्कभूतं हि तिमिरं स्पर्शाद् विज्ञायते ऽनघ

sapta dvīpān sasindhūṃś ca sapta sapta girīn atha lokālokaṃ tathātītya viveśa sumahat tamaḥ tataḥ kadā cid duḥkhena ratham ūhus turaṃgamāḥ paṅkabhūtaṃ hi timiraṃ sparśād vijñāyate 'nagha

Verse 21

अथ पर्वतभूतं तत् तिमिरं समपद्यत अश्वा नाशक्नुवन् गन्तुं ततोऽहं संभ्रमान्वितः तद् आसाद्य हया राजन् निष्प्रयत्नास् ततः स्थिताः

atha parvatabhūtaṃ tat timiraṃ samapadyata aśvā nāśaknuvan gantuṃ tato'haṃ saṃbhramānvitaḥ tad āsādya hayā rājan niṣprayatnās tataḥ sthitāḥ

Verse 22

ततश् चक्रेण गोविन्दः पाटयित्वा तु तत् तमः आकाशं दर्शयाम् आस रथपन्थानम् ऊत्तमम्

tataś cakreṇa govindaḥ pāṭayitvā tu tat tamaḥ ākāśaṃ darśayām āsa rathapanthānam ūttamam

Verse 23

निष्क्रम्य तमसस् तस्माद् आकाशे दर्शिते तदा भविष्यामीति संज्ञा मे भयं च विगतं मम

niṣkramya tamasas tasmād ākāśe darśite tadā bhaviṣyāmīti saṃjñā me bhayaṃ ca vigataṃ mama

Verse 24

ततस् तेजः प्रज्वलितम् अपश्यं वदतां वर सर्वलोकं समाविश्य स्थितं पुरुषविग्रहम्

tatas tejaḥ prajvalitam apaśyaṃ vadatāṃ vara sarvalokaṃ samāviśya sthitaṃ puruṣavigraham

Verse 25

तं प्रविष्टो हृषीकेशो दीप्तं तेजोनिधिं तदा रथ एव स्थितश् चाहं स च ब्राह्मणसत्तमः

taṃ praviṣṭo hṛṣīkeśo dīptaṃ tejonidhiṃ tadā ratha eva sthitaś cāhaṃ sa ca brāhmaṇasattamaḥ

Verse 26

स मुहूर्तात् ततः कृष्णो निश्चक्राम तदा प्रभुः चतुरो बालकान् गृह्य ब्राह्मणस्यात्मजांस् तदा

sa muhūrtāt tataḥ kṛṣṇo niścakrāma tadā prabhuḥ caturo bālakān gṛhya brāhmaṇasyātmajāṃs tadā

Verse 27

प्रददौ ब्राह्मणायाथ पुत्रान् सर्वाञ् जनार्दनः त्रयः पूर्वं हृता ये च सद्योजातश् च बालकः

pradadau brāhmaṇāyātha putrān sarvāñ janārdanaḥ trayaḥ pūrvaṃ hṛtā ye ca sadyojātaś ca bālakaḥ

Verse 28

प्रहृष्टो ब्राह्मणस् तात पुत्रान् दृष्ट्वा पुनः प्रभो अहं च परमप्रीतो विस्मितश् चाभवं नृप

prahṛṣṭo brāhmaṇas tāta putrān dṛṣṭvā punaḥ prabho ahaṃ ca paramaprīto vismitaś cābhavaṃ nṛpa

Verse 29

ततो वयं पुनः सर्वे ब्राह्मणस्य च ते सुताः यथागता निवृत्ताः स्म तथैव भरतर्षभ

tato vayaṃ punaḥ sarve brāhmaṇasya ca te sutāḥ yathāgatā nivṛttāḥ sma tathaiva bharatarṣabha

Verse 30

ततः स्म द्वारकां प्राप्ताः क्षणेन नृपसत्तम असंप्राप्ते ऽर्धदिवसे विस्मितो ऽहं ततः पुनः

tataḥ sma dvārakāṃ prāptāḥ kṣaṇena nṛpasattama asaṃprāpte 'rdhadivase vismito 'haṃ tataḥ punaḥ

Verse 31

सपुत्रं भोजयित्वा तं द्विजं कृष्णो महायशाः धनेन तर्पयित्वा च गृहं प्रास्थापयत् तदा

saputraṃ bhojayitvā taṃ dvijaṃ kṛṣṇo mahāyaśāḥ dhanena tarpayitvā ca gṛhaṃ prāsthāpayat tadā

Having fed the brahmin with his son, Kṛṣṇa of great fame sent him home, satisfying him with wealth.

Verse commentary

Across the Ocean, Beyond Lokāloka: The Sons Restored

सागरपर्वतलोकालोकातीतं गमनं पुत्राणां प्रत्यानयनम्

Verses 3, 7, 12, 20, 22, 25, 28: Kṛṣṇa asking the ocean for a chariot-path, the appeal 'for the Brahmin and for me', the ocean stilled as gemstone-colored earth, the crossing of seven dvīpas and seven seas and seven mountains into the great darkness, Govinda splitting the darkness with his cakra, entering the splendid repository of tejas, and the Brahmin at last seeing his four sons restored. Template commentary, pending Editorial Council review.

HV 103 is the chapter of the cosmic rescue. With Arjuna driving, the Brahmin seated on the chariot, and his own Dāruka dismissed, Kṛṣṇa sets out not into a forest but into the ocean itself. He asks the ocean for a chariot-path; the ocean, recognizing its own establisher, makes itself solid as gemstone-colored earth. Kṛṣṇa commands the mountains to yield; they do. Across seven dvīpas, seven seas, seven mountains, he reaches the Lokāloka — the cosmic boundary — and beyond it the absolute darkness. There, with his *cakra*, he splits the tamas and reveals the supreme *tejo-nidhi*, the repository of light, where the four Brahmin sons have been kept. They return to Dvārakā in half a day. The chapter is the Harivaṃśa's most stunning image of what the Lord does when the warrior has been humbled.

HV 103.3

प्रतिगृह्य तु तां पूजां तम् उवाच जनार्दनः । रथपन्थानम् इच्छामि दत्तं नदनदीपते ॥

pratigṛhya tu tāṃ pūjāṃ tam uvāca janārdanaḥ | ratha-panthānam icchāmi dattaṃ nadanadī-pate

Receiving that pūjā, Janārdana said to him [the Ocean]: 'I wish for a chariot-path given, O lord of streams and rivers.'

The Living Words

*Pratigṛhya tu tāṃ pūjām*, 'receiving that pūjā'. *Ratha-panthānaṃ icchāmi*, 'I wish a chariot-path'. *Dattaṃ nadanadī-pate*, 'given, O lord of streams and rivers'.

The Heart of It

The verse's politeness is theologically significant. *Ratha-panthānaṃ icchāmi dattam* — 'I wish a chariot-path given'. The Lord does not command; he *asks* for what will be *given*. The Varkari tradition's reading: even the Lord treats the ocean as a conscious being with whom negotiation is proper. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's tender treatment of elements — the river, the wind, the sea — as responsive to request rather than compelled by power, has HV 103.3 as its Sanskrit ground. The ocean is addressed as *nadanadī-pate*, 'lord of streams and rivers' — a title, an honorific, an invitation.

HV 103.7

ब्राह्मणार्थे मदर्थे च कुरु सागर मद्वचः । माम् ऋते न पुमान् कश्चिद् अन्यस् त्वां धर्षयिष्यति ॥

brāhmaṇārthe madarthe ca kuru sāgara mad-vacaḥ | mām ṛte na pumān kaścid anyas tvāṃ dharṣayiṣyati

'For the Brahmin's sake and for my sake, O ocean, do my word; besides me, no other man shall violate you.'

The Living Words

*Brāhmaṇārthe mad-arthe ca*, 'for the Brahmin's sake and for my sake'. *Kuru mad-vacaḥ*, 'do my word'. *Mām ṛte*, 'besides me'. *Na pumān anyas tvāṃ dharṣayiṣyati*, 'no other man shall violate you'.

The Heart of It

The verse names the double-cause. *Brāhmaṇārthe madarthe ca* — 'for the Brahmin's sake and for my sake'. The Lord petitions the ocean not for himself alone but for the one-he-serves. The Varkari tradition's teaching that the bhakta's petitions should always be in the double-mode — 'for this Brahmin (the specific person I serve) and for me (the Name that has sent me)' — is in this verse. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh understands: no prayer is purely for oneself; every prayer carries a specific Brahmin.

HV 103.12

सागरेण तथेत्य् उक्ते प्रस्थिताः स्म जलेन वै । स्तम्भितेन यथा भूमौ मणिवर्णेन भास्वता ॥

sāgareṇa tathety ukte prasthitāḥ sma jalena vai | stambhitena yathā bhūmau maṇi-varṇena bhāsvatā

With the ocean saying 'so be it', we set out upon the water — fixed as earth, of jewel-color, shining.

The Living Words

*Sāgareṇa tathety ukte*, 'the ocean saying "so be it"'. *Prasthitāḥ sma jalena*, 'we set out by the water'. *Stambhitena yathā bhūmau*, 'fixed as upon earth'. *Maṇi-varṇena bhāsvatā*, 'of jewel-color, shining'.

The Heart of It

The verse's image is one of the Harivaṃśa's most iconic. *Stambhitena yathā bhūmau maṇi-varṇena* — 'fixed as upon earth, of jewel-color'. The water becomes solid gemstone-ground. The Varkari tradition's teaching: the elements become *stambhita*, stabilized, for the bhakta when the Lord has asked. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's image of the *mahāsāgara* of samsāra crossed by the bhakta as though it were land has HV 103.12 as its Sanskrit precedent. The ocean does not part; it solidifies.

HV 103.20

सप्त द्वीपान् ससिन्धूंश् च सप्त सप्त गिरीन् अथ । लोकालोकं तथातीत्य विवेश सुमहत् तमः ॥

sapta dvīpān sa-sindhūṃś ca sapta sapta girīn atha | lokālokaṃ tathātītya viveśa sumahat tamaḥ

Crossing the seven dvīpas with their oceans, and the seven-and-seven mountains, and the Lokāloka [boundary], he entered the immense darkness.

The Living Words

*Sapta dvīpān sa-sindhūn*, 'seven dvīpas with seas'. *Sapta sapta girīn*, 'seven-and-seven mountains'. *Lokālokam tathātītya*, 'crossing the Lokāloka'. *Viveśa sumahat tamaḥ*, 'entered the immense darkness'.

The Heart of It

The verse is the Harivaṃśa's cosmic journey in miniature. *Lokālokam... sumahat tamaḥ* — the Lokāloka-mountain marks the boundary of the inhabited universe, beyond which begins *mahat tamas*, the absolute darkness. The Varkari tradition's reading: the bhakta's journey, with the Lord at the reins, takes him beyond the inhabited, beyond the categorizable, into the *mahat tamas* — the great darkness that the ordinary eye cannot endure. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's willingness to follow the Name past the boundary of the known, has HV 103.20 as its Sanskrit courage.

HV 103.22

ततश् चक्रेण गोविन्दः पाटयित्वा तु तत् तमः । आकाशं दर्शयाम् आस रथपन्थानम् उत्तमम् ॥

tataś cakreṇa govindaḥ pāṭayitvā tu tat tamaḥ | ākāśaṃ darśayām āsa ratha-panthānam uttamam

Then, with his cakra, Govinda splitting that darkness — showed the sky, the excellent chariot-path.

The Living Words

*Cakreṇa pāṭayitvā*, 'splitting with the cakra'. *Tat tamaḥ*, 'that darkness'. *Ākāśaṃ darśayām āsa*, 'showed the sky'. *Ratha-panthānam uttamam*, 'the excellent chariot-path'.

The Heart of It

The verse is the Harivaṃśa's signature moment of light. *Cakreṇa pāṭayitvā tat tamaḥ* — 'splitting that darkness with the cakra'. The Sudarśana-cakra is not only a weapon against asuras; it is the instrument that cleaves through *tamas* itself. The Varkari tradition's understanding: the Name is the bhakta's *cakra* — the tool that opens the absolute darkness. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh sings the Name as exactly this *cakra*: *cakreṇa pāṭayitvā*, 'splitting with the cakra', is what every abhaṅga does to the bhakta's *mahā-tamas*.

HV 103.25

तं प्रविष्टो हृषीकेशो दीप्तं तेजोनिधिं तदा । रथ एव स्थितश् चाहं स च ब्राह्मणसत्तमः ॥

taṃ praviṣṭo hṛṣīkeśo dīptaṃ tejo-nidhiṃ tadā | ratha eva sthitaś cāhaṃ sa ca brāhmaṇa-sattamaḥ

Hṛṣīkeśa then entered that blazing tejo-repository; I remained in the chariot, and the excellent Brahmin too.

The Living Words

*Tejo-nidhim praviṣṭaḥ*, 'entered the tejas-repository'. *Dīptam*, 'blazing'. *Ratha eva sthitaś cāham*, 'I remained in the chariot'. *Sa ca brāhmaṇa-sattamaḥ*, 'and the excellent Brahmin too'.

The Heart of It

The verse names a remarkable devotional detail. *Hṛṣīkeśaḥ praviṣṭaḥ* — Kṛṣṇa alone entered the tejo-nidhi; Arjuna and the Brahmin remained on the chariot. The Varkari tradition's teaching: the final reaches of grace are entered by the Lord alone on behalf of those he serves. The bhakta does not follow into every chamber; some rooms the Lord goes into alone, and returns with the gift. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's humility: the bhakta waits on the chariot while the Name enters the deepest *tejo-nidhi* and brings back what was lost.

HV 103.28

प्रहृष्टो ब्राह्मणस् तात पुत्रान् दृष्ट्वा पुनः प्रभो । अहं च परमप्रीतो विस्मितश् चाभवं नृप ॥

prahṛṣṭo brāhmaṇas tāta putrān dṛṣṭvā punaḥ prabho | ahaṃ ca parama-prīto vismitaś cābhavaṃ nṛpa

'The Brahmin, father, was full of joy at seeing his sons again, O lord. And I too, O king, was filled with supreme delight and astonishment.'

The Living Words

*Prahṛṣṭaḥ brāhmaṇaḥ*, 'the Brahmin full of joy'. *Putrān dṛṣṭvā punaḥ*, 'seeing his sons again'. *Parama-prītaḥ vismitaḥ cābhavam*, 'I was supremely delighted and astonished'.

The Heart of It

The verse captures the doubled-gladness of rescue. *Prahṛṣṭo brāhmaṇaḥ... aham ca parama-prītaḥ vismitaś* — the Brahmin joyful; Arjuna also delighted, and astonished. The Varkari tradition's teaching on what the bhakta feels when the Lord's work is complete: *parama-prīti* (supreme delight) mixed with *vismaya* (astonishment at what grace can do). Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh is full of this exact mixture — the delight of the Name's efficacy, and the astonishment that the Name was always going to succeed. HV 103.28 names both emotions as properly held together.

Thread

The seven verses trace the cosmic journey: Kṛṣṇa asking the ocean for a chariot-path with honor (103.3), the appeal 'for the Brahmin and for me' (103.7), the ocean stilled to gemstone-colored earth (103.12), the crossing past seven dvīpas and the Lokāloka into mahat tamas (103.20), Govinda's cakra splitting the darkness (103.22), Kṛṣṇa alone entering the tejo-nidhi (103.25), and the Brahmin's tears of joy at his restored sons (103.28). The Harivaṃśa's most cosmically expansive rescue, carried out at the scale of the entire seven-island universe.

Echo in the saints

HV 103 has been read by Warkari commentators as the Harivaṃśa's most vast demonstration of *saccidānanda-karuṇā* — bliss-filled compassion operating at cosmic scale. The Lord crosses seven dvīpas to retrieve one Brahmin's four sons; the ocean is compelled by request, not by force; the darkness is split by the cakra; the gifts are brought back. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh teaches that the bhakta's prayer is never too local for the Lord's extent: a single specific request (the Brahmin's four sons) can mobilize the entire cosmos. And HV 103.25's image — the Lord entering the final tejo-nidhi alone while the bhakta waits on the chariot — is, for the Warkari tradition, the model of the last silence before the gift returns.

Scripture references

EchoesBhagavad Gītā 15.6

I enter beyond where the sun does not shine; by me they return.

न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावकः । यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ॥

na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ | yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṃ mama

That the sun does not illumine, nor the moon, nor fire — going whither they return not — that is my supreme abode.

HV 103.25's dīpta-tejo-nidhi, entered only by the Lord himself, is the Gītā's tad dhāma paramam mama enacted as narrative. From that place the Lord brings the Brahmin's sons back — which the Gītā says is impossible for mortals (yad gatvā na nivartante), but for the Lord himself nothing is impossible. The two verses together frame the chapter's theology.

BORI critical edition, ed. P. L. Vaidya (1969). Digital text from the GRETIL Zurich constituted text. Distributed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.