राम

Viṣṇu-parva

Harivaṃśa · Adhyāya 96

72 versesThe Tale of the Earrings Completed

Synopsis

The public declaration in the Yadu assembly: "By your meritorious fame, by the strength of your tapas and meditations, the thought of the evil one, the earth-born Naraka, has done him in." The maiden-city has been freed from bondage, the peak torn from the jewel-mountain carried here. A key vignette in the middle: in the serpent-kingdom, honored by the nāgas, the Lord reveals his divine form in full, witnessed by Akrūra. The chapter closes with a formula: "Where modesty is, Śrī is; where Śrī is, there is reverence; and reverence, Śrī, and modesty are always in the great-souled Kṛṣṇa."

First-pass synopsis; pending review by a Sanskritist.

Verse 1

भवतां पुण्यकीर्तीनां तपोबलसमाधिभिः अपध्यानाच् च पापात्मा भौमः स नरको हतः

bhavatāṃ puṇyakīrtīnāṃ tapobalasamādhibhiḥ apadhyānāc ca pāpātmā bhaumaḥ sa narako hataḥ

'By your meritorious fames, by the strengths of your austerities and meditations, and by the misthinking of the evil-souled, Naraka the earth-born has been slain.'

Verse 2

मोक्षितं बन्धनाद् गुप्तं कन्यापुरवरं महत् मणिपर्वतम् उत्पाट्य शिखरं चैतद् आहृतम्

mokṣitaṃ bandhanād guptaṃ kanyāpuravaraṃ mahat maṇiparvatam utpāṭya śikharaṃ caitad āhṛtam

Verse 3

अयं धनौघः सुमहान् किंकरैर् आहृतो मया ईशा भवन्तस् तस्येति तान् उक्त्वा विरराम ह

ayaṃ dhanaughaḥ sumahān kiṃkarair āhṛto mayā īśā bhavantas tasyeti tān uktvā virarāma ha

Verse 4

तच् छ्रुत्वा वासुदेवस्य भोजवृष्ण्यन्धका वचः जहृषुर् हृष्टलोमानः पूजयन्तो जनार्दनम्

tac chrutvā vāsudevasya bhojavṛṣṇyandhakā vacaḥ jahṛṣur hṛṣṭalomānaḥ pūjayanto janārdanam

Verse 5

ऊचुश् चैनं नृवीरास् ते कृताञ्जलिपुटास् ततः नैतच् चित्रं महाबाहो त्वयि देवकिनन्दन

ūcuś cainaṃ nṛvīrās te kṛtāñjalipuṭās tataḥ naitac citraṃ mahābāho tvayi devakinandana

Verse 6

यत् कृत्वा दुष्करं कर्म देवैर् अपि सुदुष्करम् लालयेः स्वजनं भोगै रत्नैश् च स्वयम् अर्जितैः

yat kṛtvā duṣkaraṃ karma devair api suduṣkaram lālayeḥ svajanaṃ bhogai ratnaiś ca svayam arjitaiḥ

Verse 7

ततः सर्वदशार्हाणाम् आहुकस्य च याः स्त्रियः प्रीयमाणाः सभां जग्मुर् वासुदेवदिदृक्षया

tataḥ sarvadaśārhāṇām āhukasya ca yāḥ striyaḥ prīyamāṇāḥ sabhāṃ jagmur vāsudevadidṛkṣayā

Verse 8

देवकीसप्तमा देव्यो रोहिणी च शुभानना ददृशुः कृष्णम् आसीनं रामं चैव महाभुजम्

devakīsaptamā devyo rohiṇī ca śubhānanā dadṛśuḥ kṛṣṇam āsīnaṃ rāmaṃ caiva mahābhujam

Verse 9

तौ तु पूर्वम् अतिक्रम्य रोहिणीम् अभिवाद्य च अभ्यवादयतां देवौ देवकीं रामकेशवौ

tau tu pūrvam atikramya rohiṇīm abhivādya ca abhyavādayatāṃ devau devakīṃ rāmakeśavau

Verse 10

सा ताभ्याम् ऋषभाक्षाभ्यां पुत्राभ्यां शुशुभे ऽधिकम् अदितिर् देवमातेव मित्रेण वरुणेन च

sā tābhyām ṛṣabhākṣābhyāṃ putrābhyāṃ śuśubhe 'dhikam aditir devamāteva mitreṇa varuṇena ca

Verse 11

ततः प्राप्तौ नराग्र्यौ तु तस्या दुहितरं तदा एकानंशेति याम् आहुर् नरा वै कामरूपिणीम्

tataḥ prāptau narāgryau tu tasyā duhitaraṃ tadā ekānaṃśeti yām āhur narā vai kāmarūpiṇīm

Verse 12

तथा क्षणमुहूर्ताभ्यां यया जज्ञे सहेश्वरः यत्कृते सगणं कंसं जघान पुरुषोत्तमः

tathā kṣaṇamuhūrtābhyāṃ yayā jajñe saheśvaraḥ yatkṛte sagaṇaṃ kaṃsaṃ jaghāna puruṣottamaḥ

Verse 13

सा कन्या ववृधे तत्र वृष्णिसद्मनि पूजिता पुत्रवत् पाल्यमाना वै वासुदेवाज्ञया तदा

sā kanyā vavṛdhe tatra vṛṣṇisadmani pūjitā putravat pālyamānā vai vāsudevājñayā tadā

Verse 14

ताम् एकाम् आहुर् उत्पन्नाम् एकानंशेति मानवाः एकानंशेति याम् आहुर् उत्पन्नां मानवा भुवि योगकन्यां दुराधर्षां रक्षार्थं केशवस्य च

tām ekām āhur utpannām ekānaṃśeti mānavāḥ ekānaṃśeti yām āhur utpannāṃ mānavā bhuvi yogakanyāṃ durādharṣāṃ rakṣārthaṃ keśavasya ca

Verse 15

तां वै सर्वे सुमनसः पूजयन्ति स्म यादवाः देववद् दिव्यवपुषा क्र्ष्णः संरक्षितो यया

tāṃ vai sarve sumanasaḥ pūjayanti sma yādavāḥ devavad divyavapuṣā krṣṇaḥ saṃrakṣito yayā

Verse 16

तां च तत्रोपसंगम्य प्रियाम् इव सखीं सखा दक्षिणेन कराग्रेण परिजग्राह माधवः

tāṃ ca tatropasaṃgamya priyām iva sakhīṃ sakhā dakṣiṇena karāgreṇa parijagrāha mādhavaḥ

Verse 17

तथैव सामो ऽतिबलस् तां परिष्वज्य भाविनीम् मूर्ध्न्य् उपाघ्राय सव्येन परिजग्राह पाणिना

tathaiva sāmo 'tibalas tāṃ pariṣvajya bhāvinīm mūrdhny upāghrāya savyena parijagrāha pāṇinā

Verse 18

ददृशुस् तां प्रियां मध्ये भगिनीं रामकृष्णयोः रुक्मपद्मकरव्यग्रां श्रियं पद्मालयाम् इव

dadṛśus tāṃ priyāṃ madhye bhaginīṃ rāmakṛṣṇayoḥ rukmapadmakaravyagrāṃ śriyaṃ padmālayām iva

Verse 19

अथाक्षतमहावृष्ट्या पुष्पैश् च विविधैः शुभैः अवकीर्य च लाजैस् तां स्त्रियो जग्मुर् यथागतम्

athākṣatamahāvṛṣṭyā puṣpaiś ca vividhaiḥ śubhaiḥ avakīrya ca lājais tāṃ striyo jagmur yathāgatam

Verse 20

ततस् ते यादवाः सर्वे पूजयन्तो जनार्दनम् उपोपविविशुः प्रीताः प्रशंसन्तो ऽद्भुतं कृतम्

tatas te yādavāḥ sarve pūjayanto janārdanam upopaviviśuḥ prītāḥ praśaṃsanto 'dbhutaṃ kṛtam

Verse 21

पूज्यमानो महाबाहुः पौराणां रतिवर्धनः विजहार महाकीर्तिर् देवैर् इव स तैः सह

pūjyamāno mahābāhuḥ paurāṇāṃ rativardhanaḥ vijahāra mahākīrtir devair iva sa taiḥ saha

Verse 22

समासीनेषु सर्वेषु यादवेषु जनार्दनम् नियोगात् त्रिदशेन्द्रस्य नारदो ऽभ्यागमत् सभाम्

samāsīneṣu sarveṣu yādaveṣu janārdanam niyogāt tridaśendrasya nārado 'bhyāgamat sabhām

Verse 23

सो ऽथ संपूजितः पूज्यः शूरैस् तैर् यदुपुंगवैः करे संस्पृश्य गोविन्दं विवेश महद् आसनम्

so 'tha saṃpūjitaḥ pūjyaḥ śūrais tair yadupuṃgavaiḥ kare saṃspṛśya govindaṃ viveśa mahad āsanam

Verse 24

ततः प्राह महाबाहुर् आहुको नृपतिर् मुनिम् मुने वाचय किं चिद् वै पुराणं परमोत्तमम् तथेति हरिणा भूप हरिवंशस्य पुस्तकम् निक्षिप्तम् आसने पुण्ये नारदो ऽवाचयत् तदा श्रोतव्यो ऽप्य् उद्धवश् चाशु भूत्वा मौनम् उपाश्रितः सुखोपविष्टस् तूष्णीं तां नारदो ऽवाचयत् कथां सुखोपविष्टस् तान् वृष्णीन् उपविष्टान् उवाच ह आगतं शक्रवचनाज् जानीध्वं मां नरर्षभाः

tataḥ prāha mahābāhur āhuko nṛpatir munim mune vācaya kiṃ cid vai purāṇaṃ paramottamam tatheti hariṇā bhūpa harivaṃśasya pustakam nikṣiptam āsane puṇye nārado 'vācayat tadā śrotavyo 'py uddhavaś cāśu bhūtvā maunam upāśritaḥ sukhopaviṣṭas tūṣṇīṃ tāṃ nārado 'vācayat kathāṃ sukhopaviṣṭas tān vṛṣṇīn upaviṣṭān uvāca ha āgataṃ śakravacanāj jānīdhvaṃ māṃ nararṣabhāḥ

Verse 25

शृणुध्वं राजशार्दूलाः कृष्णस्यास्य पराक्रमम् यानि कर्माणि कृतवान् बाल्यात् प्रभृति केशवः

śṛṇudhvaṃ rājaśārdūlāḥ kṛṣṇasyāsya parākramam yāni karmāṇi kṛtavān bālyāt prabhṛti keśavaḥ

Verse 26

उग्रसेनसुतः कंसः सर्वान् निर्मथ्य बान्धवान् राज्यं जग्राह दुर्बुद्धिर् बध्वा पितरम् आहुकम्

ugrasenasutaḥ kaṃsaḥ sarvān nirmathya bāndhavān rājyaṃ jagrāha durbuddhir badhvā pitaram āhukam

Verse 27

समाश्रित्य जरासंधं श्वशुरं कुलपांसनः भोजवृष्ण्यन्धकान् सर्वान् अवमन्यत दुर्मतिः

samāśritya jarāsaṃdhaṃ śvaśuraṃ kulapāṃsanaḥ bhojavṛṣṇyandhakān sarvān avamanyata durmatiḥ

Verse 28

ज्ञातिकार्यं चिकीर्षंस् तु वसुदेवः प्रतापवान् उग्रसेनस्य रक्षार्थं स्वपुत्रं पर्यरक्षत

jñātikāryaṃ cikīrṣaṃs tu vasudevaḥ pratāpavān ugrasenasya rakṣārthaṃ svaputraṃ paryarakṣata

Verse 29

नन्दगोपस्य भवने गोव्रजेषु च वर्धितः स गोपैः सह धर्मात्मा मथुरोपवने वसन् अत्यद्भुतानि कर्माणि कृतवान् मधुसूदनः

nandagopasya bhavane govrajeṣu ca vardhitaḥ sa gopaiḥ saha dharmātmā mathuropavane vasan atyadbhutāni karmāṇi kṛtavān madhusūdanaḥ

Verse 30

प्रत्यक्षं शूरसेनानां श्रूयते महद् अद्भुतम् यथानेन शयानेन शकटान्तरचारिणा

pratyakṣaṃ śūrasenānāṃ śrūyate mahad adbhutam yathānena śayānena śakaṭāntaracāriṇā

Verse 31

राक्षसी निहता रौद्रा शकुनीवेषधारिणी पूतना नाम घोरा सा महाकाया महाबला विषदिग्धं स्तनं क्षुद्रा प्रयच्छन्ती महात्मने

rākṣasī nihatā raudrā śakunīveṣadhāriṇī pūtanā nāma ghorā sā mahākāyā mahābalā viṣadigdhaṃ stanaṃ kṣudrā prayacchantī mahātmane

Verse 32

ददृशुस् तां विनिहतां राक्षसीं ते वनेचराः बलेः सुतां महाघोरां भीषणां विकृताननाम् पुनर्जातो ऽयम् इत्य् आहुर् उक्तस् तस्माद् अधोक्षजः

dadṛśus tāṃ vinihatāṃ rākṣasīṃ te vanecarāḥ baleḥ sutāṃ mahāghorāṃ bhīṣaṇāṃ vikṛtānanām punarjāto 'yam ity āhur uktas tasmād adhokṣajaḥ

Verse 33

अत्यद्भुतम् इदं चासीद् यच् छिशुः पुरुषोत्तमः पादाङ्गुष्ठेन शकटं क्रीडमानो व्यलोडयत्

atyadbhutam idaṃ cāsīd yac chiśuḥ puruṣottamaḥ pādāṅguṣṭhena śakaṭaṃ krīḍamāno vyaloḍayat

Verse 34

भक्षयन् दधि गोविन्दः पयःपानं च साग्रजः दाम्ना चोलूखले बद्धो विप्रकुर्वन् कुमारकान् उलूखले परामृद्गाद् (सिच्) वृक्षौ सत्योपचायिनौ दामोदर इति ख्यातो वसुदेवसुतस् ततः

bhakṣayan dadhi govindaḥ payaḥpānaṃ ca sāgrajaḥ dāmnā colūkhale baddho viprakurvan kumārakān ulūkhale parāmṛdgād (sic) vṛkṣau satyopacāyinau dāmodara iti khyāto vasudevasutas tataḥ

Verse 35

बभञ्जार्जुनवृक्षौ द्वौ ख्यातो दामोदरस् ततः कालियश् च महानागो दुराधर्षो महाबलः क्रीडता वासुदेवेन निर्जितो यमुनाह्रदे

babhañjārjunavṛkṣau dvau khyāto dāmodaras tataḥ kāliyaś ca mahānāgo durādharṣo mahābalaḥ krīḍatā vāsudevena nirjito yamunāhrade

Verse 36

अक्रूरस्य च प्रत्यक्षं यन् नागभवने प्रभुः पूज्यमानस् तदा नागैर् दिव्यं वपुर् अधारयत्

akrūrasya ca pratyakṣaṃ yan nāgabhavane prabhuḥ pūjyamānas tadā nāgair divyaṃ vapur adhārayat

In the sight of Akrūra, the Lord, being worshipped by the nāgas in the serpent-kingdom, assumed his divine form.

Verse 37

शीतवातार्दिता गाश् च दृष्ट्वा कृष्णेन धीमता धृतो गोवर्धनः शैलः सप्तरात्रं महात्मना शिशुना वासुदेवेन गवां त्राणार्थम् इच्छता

śītavātārditā gāś ca dṛṣṭvā kṛṣṇena dhīmatā dhṛto govardhanaḥ śailaḥ saptarātraṃ mahātmanā śiśunā vāsudevena gavāṃ trāṇārtham icchatā

Verse 38

तथा सुदुष्टो ऽतिबलो महाकायो नरान्तकृत् गोपतिर् वासुदेवेन निहतो ऽरिष्टकः क्षितौ

tathā suduṣṭo 'tibalo mahākāyo narāntakṛt gopatir vāsudevena nihato 'riṣṭakaḥ kṣitau

Verse 39

धेनुकः स महाकायो दानवः सुमहाबलः निहतो वासुदेवेन गवां त्राणाय दुर्मतिः

dhenukaḥ sa mahākāyo dānavaḥ sumahābalaḥ nihato vāsudevena gavāṃ trāṇāya durmatiḥ

Verse 40

सुनामानम् अमित्रघ्नं सर्वसैन्यपुरस्कृतम् वृकैर् विद्रावयाम् आस ग्रहीतुं समुपागतम्

sunāmānam amitraghnaṃ sarvasainyapuraskṛtam vṛkair vidrāvayām āsa grahītuṃ samupāgatam

Verse 41

रौहिणेयेन संगम्य वने विचरता पुनः गोपवेषधरेणैव कंसस्य भयम् आहृतम्

rauhiṇeyena saṃgamya vane vicaratā punaḥ gopaveṣadhareṇaiva kaṃsasya bhayam āhṛtam

Verse 42

तथा वनगतः शौरिर् दंष्ट्रायुधबलं हयम् प्रग्रहं भोजराजस्य जघान पुरुषोत्तमः

tathā vanagataḥ śaurir daṃṣṭrāyudhabalaṃ hayam pragrahaṃ bhojarājasya jaghāna puruṣottamaḥ

Verse 43

प्रलम्बश् च महाकायो रौहिणेयेन धीमता दानवो मुष्टिनैकेन कंसामात्यो निपातितः

pralambaś ca mahākāyo rauhiṇeyena dhīmatā dānavo muṣṭinaikena kaṃsāmātyo nipātitaḥ

Verse 44

एतौ हि वसुदेवस्य पुत्रौ सुरसुतोपमौ ववृधाते महात्मानौ ब्रह्मगार्ग्येण संस्कृतौ

etau hi vasudevasya putrau surasutopamau vavṛdhāte mahātmānau brahmagārgyeṇa saṃskṛtau

Verse 45

जन्मप्रभृति चाप्य् एतौ गार्ग्येण परमर्षिणा याथातथ्येन विज्ञाय संस्कारं प्रतिपादितौ

janmaprabhṛti cāpy etau gārgyeṇa paramarṣiṇā yāthātathyena vijñāya saṃskāraṃ pratipāditau

Verse 46

यदा त्व् इमौ नरश्रेष्ठौ स्थितौ यौवनगौ मुखे सिंहशावाव् इवोदीर्णौ मत्तौ हैमवतौ यथा

yadā tv imau naraśreṣṭhau sthitau yauvanagau mukhe siṃhaśāvāv ivodīrṇau mattau haimavatau yathā

Verse 47

ततो मनांसि गोपीनां हरमाणौ महाबलौ आस्तां गोष्ठचरौ वीरौ देवपुत्रसमद्युती

tato manāṃsi gopīnāṃ haramāṇau mahābalau āstāṃ goṣṭhacarau vīrau devaputrasamadyutī

Verse 48

नैतौ जवे वा युद्धे वा क्रीडासु विविधासु वा नन्दगोपस्य गोपालाः शेकुः प्रतिसमीक्षितुम्

naitau jave vā yuddhe vā krīḍāsu vividhāsu vā nandagopasya gopālāḥ śekuḥ pratisamīkṣitum

Verse 49

व्यूढोरस्कौ महाबाहू सालस्कन्धाव् इवोद्गतौ श्रुत्वेमौ व्यथितः कंसो मन्त्रिभिः सहितो ऽभवत्

vyūḍhoraskau mahābāhū sālaskandhāv ivodgatau śrutvemau vyathitaḥ kaṃso mantribhiḥ sahito 'bhavat

Verse 50

नाशकच् च यदा कंसो ग्रहीतुं बलकेशवौ निजग्राह ततः क्रोधाद् वसुदेवं सबान्धवम्

nāśakac ca yadā kaṃso grahītuṃ balakeśavau nijagrāha tataḥ krodhād vasudevaṃ sabāndhavam

Verse 51

सहोग्रसेनेन तदा चोरवद् गाढबन्धनम् कालं महान्तम् अवसत् कृच्छ्रम् आनकदुंदुभिः

sahograsenena tadā coravad gāḍhabandhanam kālaṃ mahāntam avasat kṛcchram ānakaduṃdubhiḥ

Verse 52

कंसस् तु पितरं बध्वा शूरसेना? शशास ह जरासंधं समाश्रित्य तथैवाह्वृतिभीष्मकौ

kaṃsas tu pitaraṃ badhvā śūrasenā? śaśāsa ha jarāsaṃdhaṃ samāśritya tathaivāhvṛtibhīṣmakau

Verse 53

कस्यचित् त्व् अथ कालस्य मथुरायां महोत्सवम् पिनाकिनं समुद्दिश्य कंसश् चक्रे नराधिपः

kasyacit tv atha kālasya mathurāyāṃ mahotsavam pinākinaṃ samuddiśya kaṃsaś cakre narādhipaḥ

Verse 54

तत्र मल्लाः समापेतुर् नानादेश्या विशां पते नर्तका गायकाश् चैव कुशला नृत्तसामसु

tatra mallāḥ samāpetur nānādeśyā viśāṃ pate nartakā gāyakāś caiva kuśalā nṛttasāmasu

Verse 55

ततः कंसो महातेजा रङ्गवाटं महाधनम् कुशलैः कारयाम् आस शिल्पिभिः साधुनिष्ठितैः

tataḥ kaṃso mahātejā raṅgavāṭaṃ mahādhanam kuśalaiḥ kārayām āsa śilpibhiḥ sādhuniṣṭhitaiḥ

Verse 56

तत्र मञ्चसहस्राणि पौरजानपदैर् जनैः समाकीर्णान्य् अदृश्यन्त ज्योतिर्भिर् गगनं यथा

tatra mañcasahasrāṇi paurajānapadair janaiḥ samākīrṇāny adṛśyanta jyotirbhir gaganaṃ yathā

Verse 57

भोजराजः श्रिया जुष्टं राजमञ्चं महर्द्धिमत् अरुरोह ततः कंसो विमानं सुकृती यथा

bhojarājaḥ śriyā juṣṭaṃ rājamañcaṃ maharddhimat aruroha tataḥ kaṃso vimānaṃ sukṛtī yathā

Verse 58

रङ्गद्वारे गजं मत्तं प्रभूतायुधकल्पितम् शूरैर् अधिष्ठितं कंसः स्थापयाम् आस वीर्यवान्

raṅgadvāre gajaṃ mattaṃ prabhūtāyudhakalpitam śūrair adhiṣṭhitaṃ kaṃsaḥ sthāpayām āsa vīryavān

Verse 59

यदा हि स महाभोजो रामकृष्णौ समागतौ शुश्राव पुरुषव्याघ्रौ सूर्याचन्द्रमसाव् इव

yadā hi sa mahābhojo rāmakṛṣṇau samāgatau śuśrāva puruṣavyāghrau sūryācandramasāv iva

Verse 60

तदाप्रभृति यत्तो ऽभूद् रक्षां प्रति नराधिपः न च शेते सुखं रात्रौ रामकृष्णौ विचिन्तयन्

tadāprabhṛti yatto 'bhūd rakṣāṃ prati narādhipaḥ na ca śete sukhaṃ rātrau rāmakṛṣṇau vicintayan

Verse 61

श्रुत्वा तु रामकृष्णौ च तं समाजम् अनुत्तमम् उभौ विविशतुर् वीरौ शार्दूलौ गोव्रजं यथा

śrutvā tu rāmakṛṣṇau ca taṃ samājam anuttamam ubhau viviśatur vīrau śārdūlau govrajaṃ yathā

Verse 62

ततः प्रवेशे संरुद्धौ रक्षिभिः पुरुषर्षभौ हत्वा कुवलयापीडं ससादिनम् अरिंदमौ अवमृद्य दुराधर्षौ रङ्गं विविशतुस् तदा

tataḥ praveśe saṃruddhau rakṣibhiḥ puruṣarṣabhau hatvā kuvalayāpīḍaṃ sasādinam ariṃdamau avamṛdya durādharṣau raṅgaṃ viviśatus tadā

Verse 63

चाणूरान्ध्रौ विनिष्पिष्य केशवेन बलेन च औग्रसेनिः स दुष्टात्मा सानुजो विनिपातितः

cāṇūrāndhrau viniṣpiṣya keśavena balena ca augraseniḥ sa duṣṭātmā sānujo vinipātitaḥ

Verse 64

यत् कृतं यदुसिंहेन देवैर् अपि सुदुःसहम् कर्म तत् केशवाद् अन्यः कर्तुम् अर्हति कः पुमान्

yat kṛtaṃ yadusiṃhena devair api suduḥsaham karma tat keśavād anyaḥ kartum arhati kaḥ pumān

Verse 65

यद् धि नाधिगतं पूर्वैः प्रह्रादबलिशम्बरैः तद् इदं शौरिणा चित्तं प्रापितं भवताम् इह

yad dhi nādhigataṃ pūrvaiḥ prahrādabaliśambaraiḥ tad idaṃ śauriṇā cittaṃ prāpitaṃ bhavatām iha

Verse 66

एतेन मुरम् आक्रम्य दैत्यं पञ्चजनं तथा शैलसंघान् अतिक्रम्य निसुन्दः सगणो हतः

etena muram ākramya daityaṃ pañcajanaṃ tathā śailasaṃghān atikramya nisundaḥ sagaṇo hataḥ

Verse 67

नरकश् च हतो भौमः कुण्डले चाहृते शुभे प्राप्तं च दिवि देवेषु केशवेन महद् यशः

narakaś ca hato bhaumaḥ kuṇḍale cāhṛte śubhe prāptaṃ ca divi deveṣu keśavena mahad yaśaḥ

Verse 68

वीतशोकभयाबाधाः कृष्णबाहुबलाश्रयाः यजन्तु बहुभिर् यज्ञैर् यादवा वीतमत्सराः

vītaśokabhayābādhāḥ kṛṣṇabāhubalāśrayāḥ yajantu bahubhir yajñair yādavā vītamatsarāḥ

Verse 69

देवानां सुमहत् कार्यं कृतं कृष्णेन धीमता क्षिप्रम् आवेदये चेदं भवतां भद्रम् अस्तु वः

devānāṃ sumahat kāryaṃ kṛtaṃ kṛṣṇena dhīmatā kṣipram āvedaye cedaṃ bhavatāṃ bhadram astu vaḥ

Verse 70

यद् इष्टं वो यदुश्रेष्ठाः कर्तास्मि तद् अतन्द्रितः भवताम् अस्मि यूयं च मम युष्मास्व् अहं स्थितः

yad iṣṭaṃ vo yaduśreṣṭhāḥ kartāsmi tad atandritaḥ bhavatām asmi yūyaṃ ca mama yuṣmāsv ahaṃ sthitaḥ

Verse 71

इति संबोधयन् कृष्णम् अब्रवीत् पाकशासनः माम् अप्रैषीत् सुरश्रेष्ठः प्रीतास् तुष्टास् तथा वयम्

iti saṃbodhayan kṛṣṇam abravīt pākaśāsanaḥ mām apraiṣīt suraśreṣṭhaḥ prītās tuṣṭās tathā vayam

Verse 72

यत्र ह्रीः श्रीः स्थिता तत्र यत्र श्रीस् तत्र संनतिः संनतिर् ह्रीस् तथा श्रीश् च नित्यं कृष्णे महात्मनि

yatra hrīḥ śrīḥ sthitā tatra yatra śrīs tatra saṃnatiḥ saṃnatir hrīs tathā śrīś ca nityaṃ kṛṣṇe mahātmani

Where modesty is, there Śrī stands; where Śrī is, there reverence; modesty, Śrī, and reverence are always in the great-souled Kṛṣṇa.

Verse commentary

The Return from Narakāsura and Nārada's Recitation of the Harivaṃśa

नरकवधानन्तरं नारदेन हरिवंशवाचनम्

Verses 1, 8, 11, 16, 24, 68, 72: Kṛṣṇa's announcement of Naraka's death and the release of sixteen thousand women, the meeting with Devakī and Rohiṇī, the introduction of Subhadrā-Ekānaṃśā, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma's embrace of their sister in the assembly, Nārada placing 'the book of the Harivaṃśa' on an auspicious seat and reciting it before the Yādavas, the injunction that the Yādavas should now sacrifice free from grief and fear, and the closing verse that hrī, śrī, and saṃnati always dwell in Kṛṣṇa. Template commentary, pending Editorial Council review.

HV 96 is one of the most remarkable chapters in the Harivaṃśa — the one where the text names itself. After Kṛṣṇa's victory over Narakāsura, the Yādavas gather in assembly. The king Āhuka asks Nārada to recite a purāṇa; Nārada places 'the book of the Harivaṃśa' (harivaṃśasya pustakam) on an auspicious seat and reads it aloud before the assembly. The text thus contains an account of its own recitation, and the scriptures inside it — Pūtanā, śakaṭa, Dāmodara, Kāliya, Govardhana, Keśin, Arjuna-trees — are read, not as we have been told them, but as Nārada now re-tells them to the Yādavas themselves. The chapter closes with the theological statement: hrī, śrī, and saṃnati — modesty, prosperity, and humility — always dwell in Kṛṣṇa.

HV 96.1

भवतां पुण्यकीर्तीनां तपोबलसमाधिभिः । अपध्यानाच् च पापात्मा भौमः स नरको हतः ॥

bhavatāṃ puṇya-kīrtīnāṃ tapo-bala-samādhibhiḥ | apadhyānāc ca pāpātmā bhaumaḥ sa narako hataḥ

'By the tapas-strength and samādhi of you who are of pure fame, and by the blame-directing-elsewhere, the evil-souled Bhauma — that Naraka — was killed.'

The Living Words

*Puṇya-kīrtīnāṃ*, 'of you who are of pure fame'. *Tapo-bala-samādhibhiḥ*, 'by tapas-strength and samādhi'. *Apadhyānāt*, 'by blame-directing-elsewhere, by ill-wishing'. *Pāpātmā bhaumaḥ*, 'the evil-souled Bhauma'. *Narako hataḥ*, 'Naraka was killed'.

The Heart of It

Kṛṣṇa returns and first credits the community. *Bhavatāṃ puṇya-kīrtīnāṃ* — 'of you who are of pure fame'. He does not say 'I killed'; he says the community's tapas and samādhi made the killing possible. The Varkari tradition's long teaching that every victory of the Name is the community's victory, never the isolated saint's — that the *satsaṅga* is the field in which grace germinates — is in this verse. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh insists the *jyotirlinga* of bhakti belongs to the whole sangha; Kṛṣṇa is its first demonstrator.

HV 96.8

देवकीसप्तमा देव्यो रोहिणी च शुभानना । ददृशुः कृष्णम् आसीनं रामं चैव महाभुजम् ॥

devakī-saptamā devyo rohiṇī ca śubhānanā | dadṛśuḥ kṛṣṇam āsīnaṃ rāmaṃ caiva mahā-bhujam

Devakī seventh among the queens, and the lovely-faced Rohiṇī, saw seated Kṛṣṇa and the great-armed Rāma.

The Living Words

*Devakī-saptamā devyaḥ*, 'Devakī seventh among the devīs' — the seven queens of Vasudeva. *Rohiṇī ca śubhānanā*, 'and the lovely-faced Rohiṇī'. *Dadṛśuḥ kṛṣṇam āsīnam*, 'saw Kṛṣṇa seated'. *Rāmaṃ caiva mahā-bhujam*, 'and Rāma of great arms'.

The Heart of It

The verse is the mother's gaze. Devakī, who once watched seven of her infants taken to be killed; Rohiṇī, who raised the eighth son in secret — they are both in this room, seeing both sons seated together. The Varkari tradition's deep attention to the mother's gaze upon the Lord is rooted in verses like this. Jñāneśvar's devotion to Yaśodā, Kauśalyā, Sītā as mothers of the Lord is, finally, devotion to this gaze. *Dadṛśuḥ* — 'they saw' — carries all the years of not-seeing compressed into one syllable.

HV 96.11

ततः प्राप्तौ नराग्र्यौ तु तस्या दुहितरं तदा । एकानंशेति याम् आहुर् नरा वै कामरूपिणीम् ॥

tataḥ prāptau narāgryau tu tasyā duhitaraṃ tadā | ekānaṃśeti yām āhur narā vai kāma-rūpiṇīm

Then the best-of-men reached her daughter — she whom people call Ekānaṃśā, the one who takes the form she wishes.

The Living Words

*Narāgryau*, 'best-of-men' — the two brothers. *Duhitaraṃ tadā*, 'her daughter then' — Subhadrā. *Ekānaṃśeti yām āhuḥ*, 'whom they call Ekānaṃśā' — 'the indivisible one'. *Kāma-rūpiṇīm*, 'one who takes the form she wishes'.

The Heart of It

The verse introduces Subhadrā under her esoteric name. *Ekānaṃśā*, 'the one-without-parts' — the same goddess who was substituted for Devakī's eighth child on the night of Kṛṣṇa's birth, now grown. The Varkari tradition's recognition of her as one of the great goddesses — *yoga-kanyā durādharṣā rakṣārthaṃ keśavasya ca* (HV 96.14) — protector of Keśava — is the Sanskrit source of her cult at Puri, where she stands between Jagannātha and Balabhadra. Jñāneśvar's own theology allows Pāṇḍuraṅga to be addressed with such yoga-kanyā names; bhakti knows the Lord by many attendants.

HV 96.16

तां च तत्रोपसंगम्य प्रियाम् इव सखीं सखा । दक्षिणेन कराग्रेण परिजग्राह माधवः ॥

tāṃ ca tatropasaṃgamya priyām iva sakhīṃ sakhā | dakṣiṇena karāgreṇa parijagrāha mādhavaḥ

Approaching her there, Mādhava, as a friend to a beloved friend, embraced her with his right hand's edge.

The Living Words

*Tāṃ ca tatra upasaṃgamya*, 'approaching her there'. *Priyām iva sakhīṃ sakhā*, 'as a friend to a beloved friend'. *Dakṣiṇena karāgreṇa*, 'with the right hand's edge'. *Parijagrāha mādhavaḥ*, 'Mādhava embraced'.

The Heart of It

The verse catches the tender iconography. *Priyām iva sakhīṃ sakhā* — 'as a friend to a beloved friend'. The brother-sister relation is rendered as *sakha-sakhī*, friend-to-friend. The Varkari tradition's understanding of Kṛṣṇa's relations with the women of his household — including his sister — as the Lord's capacity to be friend, not merely kin, is in this verse. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh's repeated invocation *tū sakhā māzhā*, 'you are my friend', draws its Sanskrit warrant from this iconography: the Lord is *sakha* first, *mādhava* second.

HV 96.24

तथेति हरिणा भूप हरिवंशस्य पुस्तकम् । निक्षिप्तम् आसने पुण्ये नारदो ऽवाचयत् तदा ॥

tatheti hariṇā bhūpa hari-vaṃśasya pustakam | nikṣiptam āsane puṇye nārado 'vācayat tadā

With 'so be it', O king, by Hari's assent, the book of the Harivaṃśa was placed on an auspicious seat; then Nārada recited.

The Living Words

*Tatheti*, 'so be it'. *Hariṇā*, 'by Hari'. *Hari-vaṃśasya pustakam*, 'the book of the Harivaṃśa'. *Nikṣiptam āsane puṇye*, 'placed on an auspicious seat'. *Nārado 'vācayat tadā*, 'Nārada then recited'.

The Heart of It

The verse is astonishing: the Harivaṃśa names itself. *Hari-vaṃśasya pustakam* — 'the book of the Harivaṃśa' — placed on the auspicious seat; Nārada read it aloud before Kṛṣṇa himself. The Varkari tradition has read this self-reference as the scripture's claim of its own sanctity: the book exists within the story it narrates, and Kṛṣṇa listens to it. Jñāneśvar's Jñāneśvarī is likewise self-aware; the saints' texts know themselves as grace-bearing objects. The *pustakam* placed on the auspicious seat is itself *āsana*, the very throne of the Name.

HV 96.68

वीतशोकभयाबाधाः कृष्णबाहुबलाश्रयाः । यजन्तु बहुभिर् यज्ञैर् यादवा वीतमत्सराः ॥

vīta-śoka-bhayābādhāḥ kṛṣṇa-bāhu-balāśrayāḥ | yajantu bahubhir yajñair yādavā vīta-matsarāḥ

'Free from grief, fear, and obstruction, taking refuge in Kṛṣṇa's arms' strength, let the Yādavas — without envy — offer many sacrifices.'

The Living Words

*Vīta-śoka-bhayābādhāḥ*, 'free from grief, fear, and obstruction'. *Kṛṣṇa-bāhu-balāśrayāḥ*, 'taking refuge in Kṛṣṇa's arms' strength'. *Yajantu bahubhir yajñaiḥ*, 'let them sacrifice with many sacrifices'. *Vīta-matsarāḥ*, 'free from envy'.

The Heart of It

The verse is Nārada's injunction after he has finished reciting the Harivaṃśa. *Vīta-śoka-bhayābādhāḥ* — 'free from grief, fear, obstruction' — is what hearing the book produces in its hearers. And the corresponding worship is no longer propitiatory (*vīta-matsarāḥ*, without envy); it is overflow. The Varkari tradition's teaching that bhakti, when it has really listened to the Lord's carita, becomes worship without fear and without competition, is in this verse. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh is a sacrifice of exactly this kind: sung without fear, without envy, in the shelter of the Lord's arms.

HV 96.72

यत्र ह्रीः श्रीः स्थिता तत्र यत्र श्रीस् तत्र संनतिः । संनतिर् ह्रीस् तथा श्रीश् च नित्यं कृष्णे महात्मनि ॥

yatra hrīḥ śrīḥ sthitā tatra yatra śrīs tatra saṃnatiḥ | saṃnatir hrīs tathā śrīś ca nityaṃ kṛṣṇe mahātmani

Where there is hrī (modesty), there Śrī is established; where there is Śrī, there is saṃnati (humility). Saṃnati, hrī, and Śrī always dwell in the great-souled Kṛṣṇa.

The Living Words

*Yatra hrīḥ śrīḥ sthitā tatra*, 'where there is hrī, there Śrī is established'. *Yatra śrīs tatra saṃnatiḥ*, 'where there is Śrī, there is saṃnati'. *Nityaṃ kṛṣṇe mahātmani*, 'always in the great-souled Kṛṣṇa'. A triadic theology of virtues-in-company.

The Heart of It

The chapter closes with a theological theorem. *Yatra hrīḥ śrīḥ sthitā tatra* — where modesty is, there prosperity dwells. And where prosperity dwells, humility is its companion. The three — modesty, prosperity, humility — are so linked that separating them loses all three. The Varkari tradition's understanding of Śrī — Lakṣmī, the Lord's consort — as inseparable from *hrī* and *saṃnati* is this verse in theological shorthand. The bhakta who seeks Śrī without the modesty and humility that accompany her finds neither; the bhakta who cultivates *hrī* finds Śrī dwelling with him. Kṛṣṇa, *nityaṃ*, holds all three.

Thread

The seven verses trace the chapter's arc: Kṛṣṇa crediting the community for Naraka's death (96.1), the mothers' gaze at the returned sons (96.8), the introduction of Subhadrā-Ekānaṃśā (96.11), the brothers' friend-like embrace of their sister (96.16), Nārada placing the book of the Harivaṃśa on an auspicious seat and reciting it (96.24), the freed-from-grief Yādava community sacrificing without envy (96.68), and the theological closure that hrī, śrī, and saṃnati always dwell in Kṛṣṇa (96.72). The Harivaṃśa's astonishing self-reference: the scripture depicts its own recitation, and names the virtues that reading produces in the reader.

Echo in the saints

HV 96's self-naming — *hari-vaṃśasya pustakam nikṣiptam āsane puṇye* — has been read by Warkari commentators as the Sanskrit paradigm for the cult of the sacred book. Every Varkari family's Jñāneśvarī placed on its own seat (āsana), read aloud, worshiped with tulsi — is in this verse's lineage. The scripture named as *pustakam*, placed as *āsana*, recited as *pravacanam*, is the Warkari liturgy compressed. And the chapter's closing theorem — that hrī, śrī, and saṃnati are inseparable — is Jñāneśvar's own constant doctrine: there is no real prosperity that walks without modesty and humility; the bhakta must not seek Śrī by discarding the two virtues that make her stay.

Scripture references

EchoesBhagavad Gītā 4.34

The wise, the seers of truth, will teach you knowledge.

तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया । उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः ॥

tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā | upadekṣyanti te jñānaṃ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ

Know that by prostration, by questioning, by service; the wise, the seers of truth, will teach you knowledge.

The Gītā's injunction to approach the teacher is narratively enacted at HV 96.24: Āhuka requests a purāṇa of Nārada, and Nārada, placing the Harivaṃśa on the auspicious seat, recites it. The book-on-the-āsana is the Gītā's tattva-darśī in objectified form.

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