Canto Ten - Chapter 59

The King said: Please tell how the Supreme Lord killed Bhauma, why that demon had imprisoned the women, and the heroic deeds performed by the wielder of Śārṅga.

Śrī Śuka said: Indra informed the Lord of Bhauma's deeds: he had stolen Varuṇa's umbrella, Aditi's earrings, and the gods' playground upon Mount Mandara.

With His wife beside Him, Kṛṣṇa mounted Garuḍa and went to Prāgjyotiṣa, a city surrounded on every side by strong fortifications of mountains and weapons, impassable barriers of water, fire, and wind, and ten thousand dreadful snares of Mura.

With His club He shattered the mountains, with arrows the weapon defenses, with His disc the fire, water, and wind barriers, and with His sword the snares of Mura.

With the sound of His conch He broke the machines and the hearts of the proud defenders, and with His heavy club Gadādhara shattered the rampart.

Hearing Pāñcajanya's blast, terrifying as the thunderbolt at the end of an age, the five-headed Daitya Mura awoke from sleep and rose out of the water.

Raising his trident, dreadful to behold, blazing fiercely like the sun and fire at the end of an age, and seeming to swallow the three worlds with his five mouths, Mura rushed at Garuḍa like a serpent.

He whirled the trident with force and hurled it at Garuḍa, then roared from his five mouths. That mighty sound filled earth and heaven, every direction, and the sky, enveloping the shell of the universe.

As the three-pointed weapon flew toward Garuḍa, Hari powerfully split it into three with two arrows. He then struck Mura's mouths with arrows, and the demon angrily hurled his club at Him.

In battle Gadāgraja shattered the oncoming club into a thousand pieces with His own. When the demon ran at Him with arms raised, the unconquered Lord playfully severed his heads with the disc.

Lifeless and decapitated, Mura fell into the water like a mountain whose peaks Indra's thunderbolt has cut away. Aggrieved by their father's death and burning for revenge, his seven sons prepared for battle.

Tāmra, Antarikṣa, Śravaṇa, Vibhāvasu, Vasu, Nabhasvān, and the seventh, Aruṇa, took up their weapons and, dispatched by Bhauma, marched out to battle with the commander Pīṭha at their head.

Reaching Acyuta, they furiously attacked Him with arrows, swords, clubs, lances, spears, and tridents. The Supreme Lord of unfailing prowess cut that mass of weapons into pieces as small as sesame seeds with His arrows.

Acyuta sent Pīṭha and the others to Yama's abode, cutting off their heads, thighs, arms, feet, and armor with His disc and arrows. Seeing his army commanders thus destroyed, the intolerant Naraka, son of Earth, advanced with elephants born from the ocean, streaming with rut.

Seeing Kṛṣṇa standing with His wife upon Garuḍa like a cloud with lightning above the sun, Bhauma launched a śataghnī at Him, and all the warriors simultaneously pierced Him with their weapons.

At once the Supreme Lord Gadāgraja used keen, variegated-feathered arrows to sever the arms, thighs, heads, and torsos of Bhauma's soldiers and to kill their horses and elephants.

O best of the Kurus, Hari cut apart every weapon and missile launched by the warriors, one by one, with three sharp arrows each.

Garuḍa carried the Lord while striking the elephants with his wings. Beaten by his beak, wings, and talons, the elephants became distressed.

They fled back into the city, while Naraka alone remained outside to fight. He had seen his army scattered and tormented by Garuḍa.

Bhauma struck Garuḍa with the spear that had once repelled Indra's thunderbolt, yet the bird did not tremble when pierced, any more than an elephant struck by a flower garland.

Bhauma took up his trident to kill Acyuta, but before he could release it, Hari severed the elephant-rider's head with His razor-edged disc.

Fallen brilliantly upon the earth, that head shone with its earrings and beautiful crown. Crying 'Alas!' and 'Well done!' the sages and gods showered Mukunda with garlands and praised Him.

Then Earth approached Kṛṣṇa and presented Aditi's earrings, glowing with heated Jāmbūnada gold and jewels, together with a Vaijayantī forest garland, Varuṇa's umbrella, and the great jewel.

O King, the goddess bowed with joined palms and a mind inclined by devotion, then praised the Lord of the universe, whom the foremost gods worship.

Bhūmi said: O Lord of the gods' lord, bearer of conch, disc, and club, obeisance to You. O Supreme Self who assumes forms according to Your devotees' desires, obeisance to You.

Obeisance to the lotus-naveled Lord, obeisance to Him who wears a lotus garland, obeisance to the lotus-eyed Lord, and obeisance to Your lotus feet.

Obeisance to You, the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva, Viṣṇu, the primeval seed of the cosmic Person, whose awareness is complete.

Obeisance to the unborn creator of this universe, Brahman of infinite power, the Self of high and low, the Self of all beings, the Supreme Self.

O unborn Lord, when You desire creation You assume manifest passion; for dissolution, darkness; and for the world's maintenance, goodness. O Lord of the universe, You are time, primordial nature, the cosmic person, and that which transcends them.

I, water, fire, wind, sky, the subtle elements, the gods, mind, senses, agency, the great principle, and the whole moving and unmoving world are merely an appearance within You, the one without a second, O Lord.

This frightened son of Bhauma has approached Your lotus feet, which remove the distress of those who surrender. Please protect him and place upon his head Your lotus hand, which destroys every sin.

Śrī Śuka said: Thus petitioned by Earth with words humbled by devotion, the Supreme Lord granted fearlessness and entered Bhauma's palace, filled with every opulence.

There Hari saw 16,000 royal maidens whom Bhauma had carried away after overpowering kings.

Seeing that foremost man enter, the women became entranced and mentally chose as their desired husband the Lord whom providence had brought to them.

Each woman separately gave her heart to Kṛṣṇa with the thought, 'May He become my husband; may destiny approve.'

He sent them to Dvārakā in palanquins, freshly bathed and dressed in spotless garments, together with immense treasures, chariots, horses, and wealth.

Keśava also sent sixty-four swift, white, four-tusked elephants descended from Airāvata's line.

He then went to Indra's abode and returned Aditi's earrings. Accompanied by His beloved, He was worshiped by Indra and Indrāṇī.

At His wife's urging, He uprooted the pārijāta tree, placed it upon Garuḍa, defeated Indra and the other gods, and brought it to His city.

Planted in Satyabhāmā's garden, it beautified her grounds. Bees greedy for the nectar of its fragrance followed it from heaven.

Indra had bowed, touching Acyuta's feet with the tips of his crowns, and begged Him to accomplish his purpose. Yet once his aim was fulfilled, that mighty god fought the Lord. Alas, fie upon the gods' ignorance and the blindness of opulence!

Then, in one auspicious moment, the imperishable Supreme Lord assumed as many forms as there were women and married them in their many separate palaces.

Remaining constantly in each of their unequaled palaces by His inconceivable power, the Lord enjoyed with those manifestations of Ramā. Though complete in His own desire, He performed the duties of household life like an ordinary man.

Having obtained Ramā's Lord as their husband, those women, whose path even Brahmā and the other gods cannot know, served Him joyfully without interruption, their love ever increasing through smiles, glances, fresh union, conversation, and bashfulness.

Although each had hundreds of maidservants, they personally served the mighty Lord by rising to greet Him, offering a seat and excellent worship, washing His feet, presenting betel, helping Him rest, fanning Him, offering fragrances and garlands, dressing His hair, preparing His bed, bathing Him, and presenting gifts.