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Post by madanmohandas on Jun 27, 2020 6:21:40 GMT -6
Here is a passage that I previously paraphrased which would now form the argument for the complete passage.
Another monster in a calve's disguise, Sought Rama and Mukunda to surprise; But with his mighty arm Lord Krishna flung And spun him round and upon a tree hung.
Now the full episode which begins from verse 36 of Ch.11, Book 10, following the exodus from Brhadvana to Vrindavan, and upon arrival, Suka makes an initial observation thus,
What time Rama and Mukunda survey The mountains, glades and streams fit for their play, They entered in the forest with delight, Their friends to cheer, the demons to affright. 36
The brothers twain thus in their tender age, In diverse sports and games of boys engage, Delighting the cowherds; then came the time, They be employed in tending the small kine. 37
At no great distance from the settlement, The brothers with the cowherd's children went And while they the small calves to pastures drive, Diverse and varied childhood sports contrive. 38
Sometimes they play upon their flutes, and now Stones and pebbles in their catapults throw, To knock down fruits that drop upon the ground; Sometimes is heard of their foot bells the sound. Sometimes disguised as bulls they take delight, And roar like bulls; and now play a mock fight; They mimic cries of beasts, and taste the joys As if they were but ordinary boys. 39/40
And so while Rama and Krishna one day Upon Yamuna's bank with their friends stray, Herding the calves, a wily demon came With foul intent to kill the brothers twain. 41
When Hari saw that demon in calve's form Enter the herd, Baladev did inform; Little by little, as if he knew not Where the demon was, and approached the spot. 42
Thereon Krishna the demon did assail, Seizing both of his hind legs and his tail, And spun him dead and threw him to the top Of a Kapittha tree, whence he did drop; Forsaking the form which he had assumed, And his mighty colossal form resumed. 43
His friends beholding how that he had won The victory, cried, 'Bravo!' and, 'Well done!; The gods who marvelled at their wondrous powers, Pelted from heaven celestial flowers. 44
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Post by madanmohandas on Jun 27, 2020 16:43:46 GMT -6
More inserts for Book X. CantoXI, 45-52
Now the protectors of the world divine Became the keepers of the grazing kine, And having in the morning breakfasted, They roam the pastures and the cattle led. 45
One day the boys their respective herds guide To let them drink down by the water side, And while their thirst the cattle eager slake, The boys also of the waters partake. 46
The boys behold a terrifying sight, A being of such stature and such height, As by the levin's bolt let there to fall, The riven summit of a mountain tall. 47
He was no other than Baka by name, Assuming the form of a giant crane; Straightway did with his sharp beak Krishna seize, And gulped him down and swallowed him with ease. 48
When Rama and the other boys beheld, How Krishna by the crane had been swallowed, They were astonied and by woe assailed, The vital forces of their senses failed. 49
The son of the cowherd now in his turn The root of the demon's palate did burn, And thus effected his release, and came Out of the demon's mouth, which did enflame His wrath, and with his cruel beak enlarged, Again with rage at the world teacher charged. 50
Then he, the master of the devotees, The inhabiters of heaven to please, With the firm grip of his mighty arm takes The friend of Kamsa by the beak, and breaks; As a basket weaver divides a reed, He thus performed with ease a marvellous deed. 51
The dwellers of heaven congratulate The foe of Baka, and precipitate Mallika blooms grown in the Nandan grove, In the fair regions of the blest above; And as the flowers fall upon the ground, The drums and conches of the gods resound; Then with hymns his high dignity was praised, And the sons of the cowherds were amazed. 52
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Post by madanmohandas on Jun 28, 2020 0:13:48 GMT -6
Thus from the mouth of Baka having gained Their Lord, Rama and all the boys regained Their composure now that he had survived, And the faculties of their sense revived; Now freed from all danger they held him tight, And embraced him with eager fond delight; Thereon gathering the herds they proceed To Vraja, and loudly proclaim his deed. 53
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Post by madanmohandas on Jun 28, 2020 6:10:20 GMT -6
Concluding verses of Book X, Canto XI. 54-59
The cowherds and their women when they heard, By wonder and admiration were stirred; As those who from the home of death return, To gaze upon the boys they eager yearn. 54
"Ah me! how many times has death contrived To kill this boy, who by grace has survived! That all of these causes of fear not one Have effected death, but to death were done. 55
Although of fearful aspect and most skilled, They were by their own evil intent killed; What though they with designs wicked conspire, They are consumed as moths rush into fire. 56
And, Oh, it is no less a wonder too, That wise men's speech should never prove untrue, For all that illustrious Garga said, Has come to pass, e'en as he predicted." 57
Thus Nanda and the other cowherd men, Repeated with delight o'er and again Discussions on Rama and Krishna's deeds, Which makes them to forget their worldly needs. 58
The two boys thus with other children played, As through the tracts of Vrindavan they strayed, They played at hide and seek, and like monkeys The leapt and clomb the branches of the trees; And such games as worthy to children seem; Constructing bunds and leaping o'er the stream. 59
Here endeth Canto XI in Book X of the glorious Srimad Bhagavatam
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 1, 2020 12:18:16 GMT -6
Some of the verses that I omitted earlier to be inserted in Book X, Canto I, 8-12, The Raja continues his interrogation. Moreover, Rama, son of Rohini, Is Sankarshan, the great divinity; How was he removed from Devaki's womb, If he did not another form assume? 8 Why did Mukunda, Lord preeminent, Leave his father's home for the settlement Of cowherds? and how did he then begin, To grow and dwell there with his kith and kin? 9 At Vraja and at Madhu city too, What did the almighty Keshava do? Why did he kill uncle Kamsa, a deed, Nor by custom, nor holy writ decreed? 10 How many years as man did he abide? How did he with the Vrishni clans reside? How did he in Yadu's town spend his life? How many damsels did he take to wife? 11 Of these and other themes do thou relate; On Krishna's deeds, O sage, expatiate; 'Tis only right, since thou knowst all things well, To me, your faithful auditor, to tell. 12 I'm using honorific pronouns only where it seems the speaker is being deferential, not all the time.
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 1, 2020 13:59:47 GMT -6
And to conclude the Raja's approbation of the narrative.
From food and even water to abstain, Is not for me difficult to sustain; As I may the sweet nectar quaff that drips, Of Hari's exploits, from thy lotus lips. 13
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 2, 2020 3:00:04 GMT -6
Three more verses conclude the introductory passage of Book X.
Suta said; O scion of the Bhrigus, having heard. These inquiries, Vyasa's son was stirred, And did Vishnu's protege gratulate, Then that best devotee gan to relate The worthy acts of Krishna, full of joy; Which does the stain of Kali's age destroy. 14
Suka said; O pious prince, since you are so inclined, With concentrated intellect and mind, You have for themes on Vasudeva gained Fondness, and unwavering love attained. 15
When talks on Vasudeva's deeds are held, The sins of all three persons are dispelled; The speaker who recites with eloquence, The interlocutor and audience; As Ganga, sprung from his feet, does divide, And the three spheres are cleansed and purified. 16
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 2, 2020 6:43:42 GMT -6
Here are the preceding verses from the beginning of the Canto, which I had done earlier, and may have posted before, but for convenience, and if perchance they have been overlooked,
Tha Raja said; The virtues of the mighty kings who trace Their original from the Solar race, As also from the lordly Moon, to me Exhaustively have been described by thee. 1
Moreover, thou hast told, O holy sage, How, once in pious Yadu's lineage, That by a portion of himself appeared The mighty Vishnu, by the gods revered.2
What were the wondrous deeds, I pray thee tell, Of him, the Lord in whom all creatures dwell, The ancient universal soul when he Took birth in royal Yadu's dynasty. 3
Who but a ritual butcher would abstain, From song which lauds Uttamasloka's fame? Which by ascetics is sung and rehearsed, Who have o'ercome for worldliness the thirst; Like some potent simple it cures all ills, Captures the ear, the mind with rapture fills. 4
But by his grace my grandsires could cross o'er The Kuru host, a sea without a shore, Where he who made the awesome vow became Leviathan, that none might hope to tame; Yet they that ocean crossed as one might pass A tiny calf's hoof print upon the grass. 5
When scorched within my mother's womb I lay, And she his refuge sought that he might stay The Brhama missile launched by Drona's son, Intent to take my life before begun; He with his discus entered in sublime, And upheld the Pandu and Kuru line. 6
O learned one, the deeds to us relate, Of him who does all beings permeate; Who from without is manifest as time, Deals death by this, by that the life divine; Recount his fame and glorious enterprise, When he assumed a mortal man's disguise. 7
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 3, 2020 14:53:18 GMT -6
प्रयुज्यमाने मयि तां शुद्धां भागवतीं तनुम् । आरब्धकर्मनिर्वाणो न्यपतत् पाञ्चभौतिक: ॥ २८ ॥
prayujyamāne mayi tāṁ śuddhāṁ bhāgavatīṁ tanum ārabdha-karma-nirvāṇo nyapatat pāñca-bhautikaḥ
Invested with a god-like form and pure, Release from patent acts I did secure; The body formed of elemental clay, With its five evolutes, then fell away.
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 6, 2020 13:28:10 GMT -6
Krishna to Uddhava on the general character of the social orders. Bhag.11.17. 16-20
शमो दमस्तप: शौचं सन्तोष: क्षान्तिरार्जवम् । मद्भक्तिश्च दया सत्यं ब्रह्मप्रकृतयस्त्विमा: ॥ १६ ॥
śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ santoṣaḥ kṣāntir ārjavam mad-bhaktiś ca dayā satyaṁ brahma-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ
Control of mind and of the faculties Of sense perception by austerities; To cleanliness devoted, satisfied, Tolerant, simple, and devoid of pride; Always endued with ardent love for me, Truthfulness, and disinterested mercy; Such are the qualities by nature shown, By which the holy brahmans should be known.
तेजो बलं धृति: शौर्यं तितिक्षौदार्यमुद्यम: । स्थैर्यं ब्रह्मण्यमैश्वर्यं क्षत्रप्रकृतयस्त्विमा: ॥ १७ ॥
tejo balaṁ dhṛtiḥ śauryaṁ titikṣaudāryam udyamaḥ sthairyaṁ brahmanyam aiśvaryaṁ kṣatra-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ
Vigour and prowess and firm fortitude, Heroic, and with tolerance endued, Magnanimous and of great enterprise, Steadfast, devoted to the brahmans wise, And lordliness; such are the common traits, Of warrior princes governing estates.
आस्तिक्यं दाननिष्ठा च अदम्भो ब्रह्मसेवनम् । अतुष्टिरर्थोपचयैर्वैश्यप्रकृतयस्त्विमा: ॥ १८ ॥
āstikyaṁ dāna-niṣṭhā ca adambho brahma-sevanam atuṣṭir arthopacayair vaiśya-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ
Devout in faith, and firm in charity, And serving holy ones with dignity; Without arrogance, vanity, or pride, Yet in profit and gain unsatisfied; Who in abundance seek more to amass, Such is the nature of the merchant class.
शुश्रूषणं द्विजगवां देवानां चाप्यमायया । तत्र लब्धेन सन्तोष: शूद्रप्रकृतयस्त्विमा: ॥ १९ ॥
śuśrūṣaṇaṁ dvija-gavāṁ devānāṁ cāpy amāyayā tatra labdhena santoṣaḥ śūdra-prakṛtayas tv imāḥ
Service to twice-born ones and holy cows, And worshipping the gods with pious vows, And satisfied with wages fairly earned, Thus are the sudras by nature discerned.
अशौचमनृतं स्तेयं नास्तिक्यं शुष्कविग्रह: । काम: क्रोधश्च तर्षश्च स भावोऽन्त्यावसायिनाम् ॥ २० ॥
aśaucam anṛtaṁ steyaṁ nāstikyaṁ śuṣka-vigrahaḥ kāmaḥ krodhaś ca tarṣaś ca sa bhāvo ’ntyāvasāyinām
Uncleanliness and vile dishonesty, Inclined to theft, quarrel and treachery; Lascivious, and prone to anger's blast; Such are the natural traits of the outcaste.
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 8, 2020 13:03:44 GMT -6
Brahma to Krishna,
श्रेय:सृतिं भक्तिमुदस्य ते विभो क्लिश्यन्ति ये केवलबोधलब्धये । तेषामसौ क्लेशल एव शिष्यते नान्यद् यथा स्थूलतुषावघातिनाम् ॥ ४ ॥
śreyaḥ-sṛtiṁ bhaktim udasya te vibho kliśyanti ye kevala-bodha-labdhaye teṣām asau kleśala eva śiṣyate nānyad yathā sthūla-tuṣāvaghātinām
O Lord, those who your blessed love forgo, And seek the exclusive oneness to know; As those who grind the empty husks of grain, Their reward is but the labour and pain.
Bhag 10.14.4
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Post by madanmohandas on Jul 19, 2020 3:09:47 GMT -6
One of the first meditative descriptions we find in the Bhagavata, I think. सूत उवाच आनर्तान् स उपव्रज्य स्वृद्धाञ्जनपदान्स्वकान् । दध्मौ दरवरं तेषां विषादं शमयन्निव ॥ १ ॥ sūta uvāca ānartān sa upavrajya svṛddhāñ jana-padān svakān dadhmau daravaraṁ teṣāṁ viṣādaṁ śamayann iva स उच्चकाशे धवलोदरो दरो- ऽप्युरुक्रमस्याधरशोणशोणिमा । दाध्मायमान: करकञ्जसम्पुटे यथाब्जखण्डे कलहंस उत्स्वन: ॥ २ ॥ sa uccakāśe dhavalodaro daro ’py urukramasyādharaśoṇa-śoṇimā dādhmāyamānaḥ kara-kañja-sampuṭe yathābja-khaṇḍe kala-haṁsa utsvanaḥ Arriving in his opulent domain, To assuage of his long absence the pain; He blew a sounding blast on his conch shell, The gloom of separation to dispel. When he of mighty strides his conch shell blew, The pure white conch reflected the pink hue Which from his lower lip and hands divine, With a roseate and pleasing lustre shine; E'n like a swan who on a lake abides, And through the lotus clusters, cooing, glides. Bhag. 1.11.1-2
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Post by madanmohandas on Aug 12, 2020 18:35:23 GMT -6
ŚB 2.9.33 अहमेवासमेवाग्रे नान्यद् यत् सदसत् परम् । पश्चादहं यदेतच्च योऽवशिष्येत सोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ ३३ ॥ aham evāsam evāgre nānyad yat sad-asat param paścād ahaṁ yad etac ca yo ’vaśiṣyeta so ’smy aham
Before the gross and the subtle began I was, and as the manifest, I am; And when the gross and the subtle subside, I am as I was and always abide.
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Post by madanmohandas on Aug 30, 2020 2:32:57 GMT -6
Rahasya in the Catuh sloki Bhagavata, implies a mystery and something extremely rare, concealed by extraneous matter, in order to restrict the view of the indifferent or hostile; even as an invaluable Chintamani gem is kept in a case. The Almighty Lord sayeth,
vedaa brahmaatmavisayaas- tri-kaanda-visayaa ime/ paroksa-vaadaa rsayah paroksam mama ca priyam//
The Vedic texts in their three parts decree Brahman and Atman, which refer to me; The seers speak indirectly, unclear; The indirect method to me is dear. (Bhag. 11.21.35)
From Bhagavat Sandarbha, Subsection 106
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Post by madanmohandas on Sept 23, 2020 13:44:04 GMT -6
तस्मान्मद्भक्तियुक्तस्य योगिनो वै मदात्मन: । न ज्ञानं न च वैराग्यं प्राय: श्रेयो भवेदिह ॥ ३१ ॥
tasmān mad-bhakti-yuktasya yogino vai mad-ātmanaḥ na jñānaṁ na ca vairāgyaṁ prāyaḥ śreyo bhaved iha
(Krishna to Uddhava) Therefore those who are devoted to me, And practice worship assiduously, Have nought to gain from the cultivation Of self-knowledge or pious dispassion.
(Bhag. 11.20.31)
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