Balarāma at Vraja

रामेऽथगोकुलगते प्रमदाप्रसक्ते हूतानुपेतयमुनादमने मदान्धे ।
स्वैरं समारमति सेवकवादमूढो दूतं न्ययुङ्क्त तव पौण्ड्रकवासुदेवः

rāme'thagokulagate pramadāprasakte hūtānupetayamunādamane madāndhe svairaṁ samāramati sevakavādamūḍho dūtaṁ nyayuṅkta tava pauṇḍrakavāsudevaḥ

“When Rāma was gone to Gokula, attached to the women, when the called Yamunā did not come, mad with intoxication and self-will, hearing the deluded servant's gossip, the messenger he sent...”

नारायणोऽहमवतीर्ण इहास्मि भूमौ
धत्से किल त्वमपि मामकलक्षणानि ।
उत्सृज्य तानि शरणं व्रज मामिति त्वां
दूतो जगाद सकलैर्हसितः सभायाम्

nārāyaṇo'hamavatīrṇa ihāsmi bhūmau dhatse kila tvamapi māmakalakṣaṇāni utsṛjya tāni śaraṇaṁ vraja māmiti tvāṁ dūto jagāda sakalairhasitaḥ sabhāyām

“Bala in his drunkenness ordered the Yamunā to come close. She did not. He took up his plough and dragged her, splitting her bank. The river then flowed where he had drawn her.”

दूतेऽथ यातवति यादवसैनिकस्त्वं
यातो ददर्शिथ वपुः किल पौण्ड्रकीयम् ।
तापेन वक्षसि कृताङ्कमनल्पमूल्य
श्रीकौस्तुभं मकरकुण्डलपीतचेलम्

dūte'tha yātavati yādavasainikastvaṁ yāto dadarśitha vapuḥ kila pauṇḍrakīyam tāpena vakṣasi kṛtāṅkamanalpamūlya śrīkaustubhaṁ makarakuṇḍalapītacelam

“Even your brother had his moments of intoxication and self-assertion. Even those nearest you carried bodies that could be carried away.”

कालायसं निजसुदर्शनमस्यतोऽस्य
कालानलोत्करकिरेण सुदर्शनेन ।
शीर्षं चकर्तिथ ममर्दिथ चास्य सेनां
तन्मित्रकाशिपशिरोऽपि चकर्थ काश्याम्

kālāyasaṁ nijasudarśanamasyato'sya kālānalotkarakireṇa sudarśanena śīrṣaṁ cakartitha mamarditha cāsya senāṁ tanmitrakāśipaśiro'pi cakartha kāśyām

“By that small story, the Bhāgavata refused to make its heroes monolithic. Even Bala, even the lord's brother, could be drunk on a Yamunā-bank.”

जाड्येन बालकगिराऽपि किलाहमेव
श्रीवासुदेव इति रूढमतिश्चिरं सः ।
सायुज्यमेव भवदैक्यधिया गतोऽभूत्
को नाम कस्य सुकृतं कथमित्यवेयात्

jāḍyena bālakagirā'pi kilāhameva śrīvāsudeva iti rūḍhamatiściraṁ saḥ sāyujyameva bhavadaikyadhiyā gato'bhūt ko nāma kasya sukṛtaṁ kathamityaveyāt

“By that frankness, the Bhāgavata was made trustworthy. The reader does not feel preached to.”

काशीश्वरस्य तनयोऽथ सुदक्षिणाख्यः शर्वं प्रपूज्य भवते विहिताभिचारः ।
कृत्यानलं कमपि बाणरणातिभीतैर्भूतैः कथञ्चन वृतैः सममभ्यमुञ्चत्

kāśīśvarasya tanayo'tha sudakṣiṇākhyaḥ śarvaṁ prapūjya bhavate vihitābhicāraḥ kṛtyānalaṁ kamapi bāṇaraṇātibhītairbhūtaiḥ kathañcana vṛtaiḥ samamabhyamuñcat

“Bala, sobering, was ashamed; the Yamunā was honoured; the cowherd-place was visited again. The visit was a private return for him.”

तालप्रमाणचरणामखिलं दहन्तीं
कृत्यां विलोक्य चकितैः कथितोऽपि पौरैः ।
द्यूतोत्सवे कमपि नो चलितो विभो त्वं
पार्श्वस्थमाशु विससर्जिथ कालचक्रम्

tālapramāṇacaraṇāmakhilaṁ dahantīṁ kṛtyāṁ vilokya cakitaiḥ kathito'pi pauraiḥ dyūtotsave kamapi no calito vibho tvaṁ pārśvasthamāśu visasarjitha kālacakram

“By the return, the Vraja that had been left was given a brief embrace. The gopis met Bala; they sent through him their longing for you.”

अभ्यापतत्यमितधाम्नि भवन्महास्त्रे हा हेति विद्रुतवती खलु घोरकृत्या ।
रोषात्सुदक्षिणमदक्षिणचेष्टितं तं पुप्लोष चक्रमपि काशिपुरामधाक्षीत्

abhyāpatatyamitadhāmni bhavanmahāstre hā heti vidrutavatī khalu ghorakṛtyā roṣātsudakṣiṇamadakṣiṇaceṣṭitaṁ taṁ puploṣa cakramapi kāśipurāmadhākṣīt

“By that embassy, even Bala became a messenger of love-in-separation. Each of the Yadus was, in his own way, that messenger.”

स खलु विविदो रक्षोघाते कृतोपकृतिः पुरा
तव तु कलया मृत्युं प्राप्तुं तदा खलतां गतः ।
नरकसचिवो देशक्लेशं सृजन् नगरान्तिके
झटिति हलिना युध्यन्नद्धा पपात तलाहतः

sa khalu vivido rakṣoghāte kṛtopakṛtiḥ purā tava tu kalayā mṛtyuṁ prāptuṁ tadā khalatāṁ gataḥ narakasacivo deśakleśaṁ sṛjan nagarāntike jhaṭiti halinā yudhyannaddhā papāta talāhataḥ

“Lord, by such daily Yamunā-banks of the family, the family is kept honest.”

साम्बं कौरव्यपुत्रीहरणनियमितं सान्त्वनार्थी कुरूणां
यातस्तद्वाक्यरोषोद्धृतकरिनगरो मोचयामास रामः ।
ते घात्याः पाण्डवेयैरिति यदुपृतनां नामुचस्त्वं तदानीं
तं त्वां दुर्बोधलीलं पवनपुरपते तापशान्त्यै निषेवे

sāmbaṁ kauravyaputrīharaṇaniyamitaṁ sāntvanārthī kurūṇāṁ yātastadvākyaroṣoddhṛtakarinagaro mocayāmāsa rāmaḥ te ghātyāḥ pāṇḍaveyairiti yadupṛtanāṁ nāmucastvaṁ tadānīṁ taṁ tvāṁ durbodhalīlaṁ pavanapurapate tāpaśāntyai niṣeve

“Lord of the wind-house, save me from the small drunkennesses on the bank of my own private rivers.”