Chapter 77 - Satya Perform the Rite

1. Vaishampayana said:—O descendant of Kuru, as soon as he was thought of by Krishna, that foremost of Munis and speakers, Narada, having asceticism for his wealth, arrived there,

2. O king, having worshipped him duly, the beautiful lord of Shri invited him reverentially to accept the Punyaka ceremonies.

3-4. O descendant of Bharata, thereupon when the appointed hour came, the eternal Vasudeva, the creator of all creatures, along with the beloved Satya, delightedly worshipped the great Muni Narada, who had been well bathed, with scents and garlands and fed him.

5. Thereupon the lucky damsel, having a put garland of flowers, around Krishna’s neck, bound him to the Parijata tree.

6-7. Afterwards obtaining his permission she dedicated Keshava unto Narada. Then she gave away sessamum seeds illumined with the lustre of jems and jewels, gold mixed with rice and other plants, mountains of gold and a thousand kine.

8-10. Having accepted all those articles the Muni Narada, the foremost of speakers, delightedly said to Keshava:—"O Keshava, given by Satya together with water you have become mine. Do you follow me and do what I say." Hearing it Janarddana said "This is the first stage" and began to follow Narada who was about to go.

11-13. Having thus cut various jokes and saying "do you wait here, I shall go" that foremost of Munis, always clever in cutting jokes, took away (from Krishna’s neck) the garland of flowers and said: "In order to release thyself do you give me a Kapila cow with a calf and the skin of a black antelope full of sessamum seeds and gold. This means of release has been laid down by the god (Siva) having a bull for his emblem".

14-15. O king, Janarddana said "So be it" and offered him the same fee of release. And then smilingly he said to that foremost of Munis Narada:—"O Narada, O you conversant with religion, I have been greatly pleased with you. Pray for a desired-for boon and I will grant it".

16. Narada said:—"O you eternal and great Vishnu, may you always remain pleased with me and may I, with your favour, obtain habitation with you.

17. O Vishnu the refuge of the pious, if I am to take birth again may I be born of no woman and be a Brahmana".

18. O descendant of Bharata, the Lord Vishnu said "So it will be" and the highly intelligent Muni Narada too was pleased.

19-20. O Kuru Emperor, Satyabhama, the beloved wife of Hari, had invited on the occasion of the Punyaka ceremony, the sixteen thousand wives of the highly powerful Vishnu. And at the termination of the ceremony she distributed amongst them all those celestial raiments and ornaments which Saci had previously given to Vasudeva.

21-22. Living there, Parijata, at the command of Vasudeva, began to display its own accomplishments. And invited by the high-souled Narada and Keshava all their friends and relations began to witness the power of Parijata.

23-24. On the occasion of that great festival the highly powerful Hari had brought there the Pandavas along with Pritha, Draupadi, and Subhadra. O Kuru king, Shrutasrava, with her son, Bhishmaka with his son and other friends and relations were also brought there.

25. O king, in this way, the highly energetic Janarddana, along with Pritha’s son Arjuna, began to spend his time happily in the company of the ladies of his seraglio.

26-27. In this way after a year had elapsed the highly powerful Keshava, of incomparable prowess and intelligence, the foremost of immortals and the preserver of all, returned with Parijata to the city of the celestials and saluted Sakra, Aditi, and Kashyapa.

28-29. After the slayer of Madhu had bowed unto the mother Aditi she said:—"O foremost of immortals, may you both always entertain such a brotherly feeling. O Janarddana, you are to satisfy this desire of mine." Hearing it the intelligent Keshava said to his mother. "It shall be so".

30. Thereupon having honored his parents the highly energetic Vasudeva addressed to the king of gods, the following words suited to the occasion. "

31-33. O king of gods, O giver of honor, I have been commanded by the high-souled Siva, to destroy all the unslayable Danavas living on earth. From to-day within ten days I will kill all those Asuras. O king of gods, at the time of that battle, Pravara, together with the heroic Jayanta, shall have to wait in the sky for slaying those Danavas. Of them one is a god in a human form and the other is the son of a god.

34. Although those Danavas, proud of the boon conferred on them by Brahma, are unslayable by the gods, still we will kill them for I am now a man."

35. Then Indra, pleased, said to Krishna "So it will be." And then, O Janamejaya, they embraced each other.