104. The meeting of Krishna and Garuda
VAISHAMPAYANA said:—Having said this, and set out on his car Krishna arrived at Bhishmaka's house in the evening1 (1).
When he arrived at that meeting of the kings and saw the spacious arena full of camps he was possessed by Rajasika2 inclination (2).
Thereupon in order to terrify the kings and display his own prowess he thought of the highly powerful son of Vinatā who had attained Siddhi beforehand (3).
As soon as he was thought of Vinatā's son, assuming a form that could be seen easily, approached Keshava (4).
With the strokes of his wings which could agitate even the wind, all the men, trembling and being haunch-backed, fell down on earth.
And they began to exert like serpents deprived of the power of rising up. Beholding them all fallen Krishna, firm like a mountain, came to know that the king of birds had arrived.
He then saw that Garuda, adorned with celestial garlands and unguents, was approaching him, shaking the earth with the flapping of his wings.
The weapons, with their faces downwards, were fixed on his back like licking serpents with a view to be favoured with the touch of Vishnu's hand.
Adorned with golden feathers like a mountain consisting of minerals that king of birds was dragging, with his feet, black serpents.
Beholding his own carrier the intelligent Garuda arrived and stationed before him like a god, who brought ambrosia for him, who was the destroyer of serpents, the terrifier of the Daityas,
whose emblem was on his flag-staff and who was his councillor Madhusudana was pleased and gave vent to the following words befitting the occasion.
“O foremost of birds, O grinder of the enemies of the celestial army, O delighter of Vinatā's heart, O favourite of Keshava, thou art welcome (5-13).
O foremost of birds, we shall go to the house of Kaishika and behold the Swayaṃvara. Do thou also accompany us (14).
There hundreds of highly powerful kings have assembled with their elephants, horses and cars; we shall behold those high-souled ones (15).”
Saying this to the highly powerful son of of Vinatā, the beautiful Krishna, of large arms, set out for the city of the high-sould Kaishika along with the mighty car-warriors the Yādavas (16).
When Devaki's son the beautiful Krishna, the friend of Vinatā's son, reached the city of Vidarbha along with the mighty car-warrior Yādavas, all the powerful kings, holding all sorts of weapons, were filled with delight and began to make arrangements for his quarters (17–18).
VAISHAMPAYANA said:—In the meantime the king Kaishika, well read in moral laws, rose up delightedly from among the kings, welcomed himself Krishna with water to wash his feet and rinse his mouth and arghya and placed him in his own city (19-20).
Like unto Shankara entering into the Kailāca hill Krishna, with his army, entered into the house that had been kept ready for him from before.
Adored with various edibles, drinks, jewels, honors and love Vāsava's younger brother Krishna lived happily in king Kaishika's house (21–22).
105. Jarāsandha's adress to the kings
VAISHAMPAYANA said:—Beholding the eternal Krishna arrive there with Vināta's son the leading kings were stricken with great anxiety (1).
O king, those kings of dreadful prowess, well-read in the science of Polity and expert in counsels, assembled at the golden assembly hall of king Bhismaka for holding consultations.
As the gods sit in the celestial assembly hall so they sat there on seats varieagated with coverings of diverse colors (1-3).
As the king of gods addressed the celestials so the highly powerful Jarāsandha, of large arms and great energy, addressed them saying (4).
“O ye foremost of kings, the best of speakers, O highly intelligent Bhishmaka, do you all listen to what I say according to my own understanding (5).
This Krishna, the well-known son of Vasudeva, who has come to the city of Kundina with Garuda and other Yādavas, is endued with great energy and prowess.
He has come here for the maiden and forsooth he will set forth mighy exertions for acquiring her (6-7).
O foremost of kings, you should behave in this matter according to the rules of Polity. Do yo all work so considering your own strength and weakness (8).
You know well the highly dreadful work which these two powerful sons of Vasudeva performed on the mount Gomanta with out the help of Vinatā's son (9).
I cannot say how Krishna will fight united with the mighty car-warriors of the Yādava, Bhoja and Andhaka races (10).
When seated on Garuda Vishnu will set forth his exertions for acquiring the maiden, even Sakra, assisted by the celestials, or any other person, will not be able to stand in the battle-field (11).
When the universe was submerged under one all-spreading ocean, the powerful Vishnu, the Prime cause of the world, assuming a boar form, released the earth gone down to the depth of the nether region and in his same boarish form killed Hiranyāksha the king of Daityas (12–13).
The highly powerful, unconquerable Daitya-king, Hiranyakashipu, who did not meet with his death in the three worlds, consisting of immortals, Daityas, Rishis, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Yakshas Rakshasas and Nāgas, in the sky, on the earth, and in the nether region, in day or in night, from a dry or an wet article, was slain in the days of yore by Hari in his man-lion form (14–16).
Binding the powerful Bali, the foremost of Asuras begotten by Kacyapa on Aditi, with a noose of promise Vishnu, in his form of a dwarf, sent him down to the nether region.
When at the junction of the Tretā and Dwāpara ages, the king of seven insular continents, the highly powerful king Kārtavirya, endued with thousand arms,
grew elated with the pride of kingdom by Dattātreya's favour the highly energetic Vishnu took his birth in disguise, from Jamadagni and Renukā, as Rāma, the foremost of warriors and killed him with his axe, hard as the thunder-bolt (17–20).
Dasharatha's son Rāma, born in the race of Ikshāku in the days of yore, killed the heroic Rāvana, the conqueror of the three worlds (21).
In the Tretā age in the war of which Tāraka was the root, the powerful Vishnu, seated on Garuda, assuming a form of eight arms, killed in the battle-field the Asuras, who were elated with the boons conferred on them.
By his great Yoga power, Vishnu, having an universal form, killed, with his discus, effulgent like the sun, the demon Kālanemi who terrorized the gods (22–24).
What more, innumerable Daityas have been despatched by him in time to the abode of Yama. By him as a boy in the forest, many highly powerful and forest-ranging demons, Dhenuka, Arishtha and Pralamva have been slain.
Slaying in his cow-herd form Shakuni, Putanā, Keshi, Jamala, Arjuna, the elephant Kuvalayapida, Chānura, Mushitika and Kansa with his followers Devaki's son sported there. In disguise thus he performed many superhuman feats (25–28).
I consider Devaki's son Keshava as the first cause of the celestials, the destroyer of the Asuras, as Nārāyana, the ancient Purusha, the Prime cause of the universe, as Truth, the creator of all creatures manifest and unmanifest,
irrepressible unto all, the adored of all, the first, the middle, as devoid of destruction, eternal, self-born, unborn, stable, mobile and immobile,
unconquerable, of three foot-steps, the lord of the three worlds, the destroyer of the enemies of the king of gods, and the eternal Vishnu. This my sure understanding, I have acquired from Mathurā (29–33).
Can Garuda be the carrier of a man even if he be born in the high family of a mortal Lord Paramount (34)?
Besides when Janārddana will display his prowess for the maiden what powerful man will be able to stand before Garuda (35)?
Forsooth I tell you that Vishnu himself has come for this Swayaṃvara. Mighty is the calamity that will befall you on his arrival here (36).
You should do whatever you think proper after this.”
VAISHAMPAYANA said:—After Jarāshandha, the king of Magadha, had said this, the greatly wise Sunitha replied saying:
“What the mighty-armed king of Magadha has said, is true. In that great battle on the mount Gomanta Krishna performed many feats, difficult of accomplishment, before the kings (37–39).
With the fire of their discus and plough-share the huge army, of the kings, consisting of elephants, horses, cars, infantry and flags, was consumed (40).
Remembering the dreadful plight of the soldiers of the king and fearing their future calamity the king of Magadha is saying this (41).
Though Rāma and Keshava fought on foot in battle still the soldiers of the kings were terribly slaughtered and no body could prevent it (42).
O foremost of kings, you all remember that the sky-rangers were overwhelmed by the wind raised by the flapping of the wings of Suparna when he came there (43).
The oceans were agitated and the earth and the mountains were repeatedly shaken. We also were terrified thinking “what is this calamity (44)?”
When armed with his coat of mail, Keshava, seated on Garuda, will engage in fight what man, like ourselves, will be able to stand in the battle-field (45)?
The prime kings laid down the practice of holding Swayaṃvara ever increasing delight, the mine of piety and fame unto the kings (46).
Coming to this city of Kundina the kings will no time combat with that great heroe (47).
If this princess selects any one from amongst other kings what person will be able to stand the strength of Krishna's arms (48)?
O kings, although a Swayaṃvara is a matter of festivity, still it will give birth to a calamity and for this Krishna and ourselves have met here (49).
Therefore as the king of Magadha has said, the arrival of Krishna here, for the maiden, bespeaks of a calamity that is to befall the kings (50).
106. Dantavakra's speech
VAISHAMPAYANA said:-After the highly powerful Sunitha had thus expressed himself, the heroic Dantavakra, the king of Karusha said (1).
DANTAVAKRA said:—“O ye kings, what the king of Magadha and Sunitha have said for our well-being appears to me as proper (2).
I cannot blame these nectarine words out of malice, pride or of my own desire for victory (3).
Who, else save them, can give vent, in the midst of kings, to such words grave like an ocean and sanctioned by the science of Polity? (4).
Listen to what I say which you should keep in memory. O kings, what wonder is there that Vāsudeva has come here ? (5).
He has come here for this maiden as we have all done. What virtue or blemish lies there ? (6).
We all unitedly laid siege to Gomanta. Why do you then find fault with the battle ? (7).
O kings, on account of Kansa's foolishness those two heroes first lived in Vrindāvana (8).
Thereupon in order to slay them both Kansa invited Rāma and Keshava and set an infuriated elephant against them. Slaying that elephant those two heroes entered the arena (9).
Thereafter by virtue of their own prowess, they slew Kansa, the king of Mathurā, seated in the sporting arena, like one dead, with his followers (10).
What offence did they commit thereby, that we all, elderly in age, came to Mathurā at (another's) instigation (11).
O kings, terrified at our huge and overwhelming army, Rāma and Keshava, leaving their own city and soldiers, fled away to Gomanta (12).
We still pursued them there; and though expert in the art of fighting we were defeated in the battle-field by those two boys (13).
Though they did not fight with us, with cars, elephants, horses and infantry, still, as the Kshatriyas should do, we laid seige to the hill and set fire to it (14).
O ye leading Kshatryas, if they had given up their life quietly in that conflagration considering it a forest fire we would have considered them humbled. We blame Janārddana because he fought against us (15).
As the matters have now stood it appears that wherever we shall go we will pick up a quarrel. Let us, therefore, O king, contract friendship with Krishna (16).
Besides, Krishna has not come to this city of Kundina for picking up a quarrel. He has come for the maiden. Why should he fight with another (17)?
Krishna is not an ordinary human being. He is the foremost of men in this land of mortals, the foremost of gods in the land of celestials.
He is the Deity and the Creator of the worlds. In God there is no malice, pride or crookedness (18–19).
They are not stupified, they do not grow lean and are not visited by any calamity. They always remove the calamities of those who bow unto them.
In order to show his true form, Vishnu, the king of gods has come here with Garuda. You should also know that Krishna never goes with his army to slay his enemies. That he has come here accompanied by the leading Bhojas, Vrishnis, Andhakas and Yādavas indicates his desire of contracting friendship with you (20–22).
Therefore, O kings, let us go and offer the high-souled Keshava hospitality with arghya and water to rinse his mouth (23).
What more, if we make peace with Keshava we shall be able to live freed from anxiety and fear” (24).
Hearing the words of the intelligent Dantavakra, Sālwa, the foremost of speakers, said to the kings (25).
SALWA said:—“What is the use of this fear? Had we trembled in Krishna's fear and thought it proper to make peace with him, we would have left our weapons at that time (26).
Besides what is the necessity of speaking ill of our own army and extolling another? Such is not the duty of the Kshatriya kings (27).
We are all born in great royal families and have glorified our respectve races. Why should then our sense be poorly like that of a coward (28)?
I know Devaki's son Krishna as the immortal, eternal, Prime Deity Vishnu, invincible unto the kings, powerful, adored of all the worlds, Vaikuntha and the preceptor of the entire world, mobile and immobile (29-30).
I know full well all the objects of Vishnu. He has in view, for incarnating a portion of His Self, the destruction of king Kansa, the relieving of the earth of her burden, our destruction and the protection of the worlds. (I know also) that a great battle will take place between Vishnu and all the kings (31–32).
O kings, I know truly that consumed by the fire of his discus we will go to the abode of Yama. Still considering that no one meets with untimely death, no one survives when the proper time comes and the lease of his life runs out in due time; therefore a man should not entertain fear (33–34).
When the ascetic virtue of the Daityas is annahilated the Divine Vishnu, conversant with Yoga, brings about their destruction in proper time (35).
This Lord of gods sent down Virochona's son, the highly powerful Bali, to the nether region (36).
O kings, Vishnu has performed many other feats like this; you should not therefore question the subject of fighting—for Vishnu has not come here to fight.
Besides he, whom the maiden will choose, will get her. What chance is there of a quarrel amongst the kings? Let us all be reconciled now (37-38).
VAISHAMPAYANA said:—The intelligent kings thus spoke amongst themselves. But king Bhishmaka did not say anything out of regard for his son (39).
He knew his own son to be highly-powerful, elated with pride, fearful in battle, a mighty car-warrior and well protected by Bhārgava weapons (40).
BHISHMAKA said:—My son is highly powerful and is ever arrogant. He does not fear any one in battle and he won’t stoop before Krishna (41).
If Krishna carries away the maiden by the strength of his arms forsooth a great dissension will take place amongst the powerful warriors (42).
Alas, how will this my son, evil disposed towards Krishna, survive? I do not see any means of his escaping with his life, from Keshava (43).
Alas, how shall I, for my daughter, set my eldest son, the enhancer of the joy of the departed manes, in fight against Keshava and his son (44).
My son Rukshavan, elated with pride and possessed by ignorance, who does not return from the battle-field, does not pray for boons from Nārāyana (45).
Forsooth he will be consumed like cotton thrown into fire. The heroic king of Karavira Shrigāla was in no time consumed by the powerful Keshava, fighting in various ways.
While living in Vrindāvana, the powerful Keshava held up the mount Govardhana with one finger for seven days. Remembering his superhuman feat my mind is drooping (46-48).
Coming on the mount (Govardhana) along with all the gods, Sachi's lord (Indra), the slayer of Vitra, sprinkled Krishna and recognised him as Upendra (his younger brother) (49).
The dreadful Nāga Kālya, burning in the fire of his poison and effulgent like Death, was subdued by Vāsudeva in the lake of Yamunā.
The highly powerful horse-shaped Dānava Keshi, irrepressible even unto the gods, was slain by him. Killing the demon of Panchajana he brought back from the abode of Yama Sāndipani’s son who was lost in water for ever (50–52).
Fighting with many on the mount Gomanta both Rāma and Keshava destroyed many horses and cars and struck terror into their enemies (53).
There those two highly powerful sons of Vasudeva brought about the destruction of the elephants through elephants, that of the car-warriors through car-warriors, that of the cavalry through cavalry and that of the infantry through infantry (54).
The way in which they destroyed the elephants, horses and cars in that battle, none amongst the gods, Asuras, Gandharvas, Yakshas, Uragas, Rākshasas, Nāgas, Daityas, Pichāsas, Guhyakas has been able to imitate. Thinking of that battle my mind is greatly drooping (55–56).
I had never seen before on earth a man more powerful than Vāsudeva the foremost of the celestials nor have I heard that such a man was ever born in the land of immortals (57).
Truly has the mighty-armed king Dantavakra said that we should reconciliate the highly powerful Vāsudeva for our well-being” (58).
VAISHAMPAYANA said:-Having thus thought, in his mind, over the weakness and strength of the respective armies Bhismaka felt a desire to go to eternal Krishna for propitiating him (59).
Many a king, proficient in the Science of Polity, approved of his going, and he too, having benedictory songs sung by panegyrists and bards, set out (60).
After the expiration of the night all the kings, performing their morning rites, sat in their respective quarters (61).
The spies, who were sent to the city of Vidarbha, returned and communicated every thing secretly to their master (62).
Hearing of Krishna’s Abhisekha1 from their emissaries, some amongst those kings attained to delight and others were stricken with fear and sorrow.
And many paid no attention to it. Thus moved by the (news of) Krishna's Abhisheka the army of the kings, abounding in men, horses and elephants, was agitated like a huge ocean and divided into three divisions (64).
Marking the division of the kings, the foremost of kings Bhismaka began to think within himself about the unthought-of insult offered to them by him.
And in order to be informed of their object he, with a burning heart, went to their assembly.
In the meantime, carrying on their heads the letter announcing Krishna Abhisheka, the emissaries, despatched by Kaishika, entered into that ocean-like assembly of the kings (64–67).
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