Chapter 12 - Manifestation of Viṣṇu as Kṛṣṇa

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Agni said:

1. I shall describe the genealogy of Hari (Kṛṣṇa). Brahmā (was born) from the lotus in the navel of Viṣṇu. (Sage) Atri (was born) from Brahmā. Then Soma (was born). Purūravas was born from Soma.

2. Āyu was (born) from him (Purūravas). From him (was born) Nahuṣa and then Yayāti. From whom Devayānī^[1] gave birth to Yadu and Turvasu.

3. Śarmiṣṭhā, the daughter of Vṛṣaparvan (gave birth to) Druhyu, Anu and Puru (through Yayāti). The Yādavas (came) in the race of Yadu. Vasudeva was the foremost among these.

4-7. From Vasudeva through Devakī (was born Kṛṣṇa) in order to remove oppression on the earth. Once the sons of Hiraṇyakaśipu (became) the six embryos in the womb of Devakī being led by the meditative-sleep cast by Viṣṇu. The seventh child in the womb of Devakī that was strong was transferred to (the womb of) Rohiṇī and (was born) as the son of Rohiṇī.^[2] Then Hari the four-armed (manifested) in the sky on the eighth day of the dark fortnight and being adored by Devakī and Vasudeva (was born) as a child with two arms. Vasudeva took (the child) to the couch of Yaśodā, being afraid of Kaṃsa.

8-10. Yaśodā carried the daughter (born to her) and left it at the couch of Devakī. Having heard the cries of the child, Kaṃsa (came there and carried the child) and smashed it on the stone slab in spite of being obstructed by Devakī. Having heard the voice in the heavens that, “My eighth birth would be your death", and being infuriated all the children born were killed (by him) after they were left with him by Devakī as promised (by Vasudeva) at the time of their marriage. The girl who was thrown (on the slab) (bounced) to the sky and said:

11. “O Kaṃsa! What is the use of throwing me (to kill me). One who would kill you, that lord of all the celestials had born (already) for the removal of oppression on the earth.”

12-13. Having told so she (disappeared). And she having killed Śumbha^[3] and other demons and being praised by Indra (was known differently as) the Āryā, Durgā, the source of the Vedas, Ambikā (the mother), Bhadrakālī (beneficent Kālī), the beneficent, Kṣemyā (bestower of peace), propitious, (and) multi-armed. I bow unto her. Whoever reads these names at the three twilights will get all cherished desires fulfilled.

14-15. Kaṃsa also sent Pūtanā and others in order to kill the boy. (Bala) Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, being entrusted by Vasudeva to the custody of Nanda, the husband of Yaśodā, for their protection from the fear of Kaṃsa and others, were living at Gokula with the cows and shepherds.

16. They (two), the protectors of the entire world became the protectors of cows. (Once the boy) Kṛṣṇa was tied to the mortar with a rope by the bewildered Yaśodā (to contain his sportive mischiefs).

17-20. He went in between the two Arjuna-trees^[4] and uprooted them. And the cart^[5] was made to roll away by a kick of the foot. Pūtanā, who was intent on killing (him) was killed by that seeker of the breast (milk) by sucking her breast. Kṛṣṇa, who had gone to Vṛndāvana (grove of holy basil), drew out the (serpent) Kāliya, resident in the waters, from the waters of (the river) Yamunā and conquered it and was praised by (his brother) Bala. (He) made the Tālavana (palymyra grove) secure after killing (the demon) Dhenuka (in the form of) an ass (and) after having killed (the demons) Ariṣṭa (in the form of) a bull (and) Keśi in the form of a horse. Abandoning the festivity for Śakra (Indra), the ritual of protecting the cows was made to be observed.

21. The mountain was borne and the rain (caused to fall) by Indra, was warded off. (Then) Govinda (Kṛṣṇa) was saluted by Indra and offered with the peacock (plumes).

22. Festivities for Indra were again caused to be done by Kṛṣṇa, after being pleased. Riding a chariot he went to Ma-thurā and was praised by Akrūra, as directed by Kaṃsa.

23. Being attended to by the devoted and sportive shepherd women, he having killed the washerman who did not get (the clothes), seized the clothes.

24-26. Wearing the garland along with Rāma (Balarāma) he blessed the garland-maker. He made upright the hunchbacked woman who had given him unguent. He killed the demon Kuvalayāpīḍa (in the form of) an intoxicated elephant. Even as Kaṃsa and others were looking on, he entered the (wrestling) court and fought with those (wrestlers) on the dais. Much strength was shown by the wrestler Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika. The wrestlers Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika and others were killed by them.

27-28. Having killed Kaṃsa, the ruler of Mathurā, Hari (Kṛṣṇa) made his father as the ruler of Yādavas. Asti and Prāptī, the wives of Kaṃsa were the two daughters of Jarāsandha. Being entreated by them Jarāsandha besieged Mathurā. and fought with the Yādavas with arrows.

29-31. (Bala) Rāma and Kṛṣṇa came to Gomantaka leaving Mathurā. After conquering Jarāsandha, the despiser of Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) and of Pauṇḍraka,^[6] he made Dvārakā as his capital and stayed there being surrounded by Yādavas. Having killed (the demon) Naraka, the son of the Earth, he (Kṛṣṇa) brought 16000 daughters of the celestials, gandharvas and yakṣas (kinds of semi-divine beings) and married them, as well as the eight (girls) Rukmiṇī and others.

32-34. (Then) the killer of Naraka, (seated) on the (bird) Garuḍa, in the company of Satyabhāmā and with the jewelstore and other jewels after having conquered Indra in the heavens and brought the (divine tree) Pārijāta planted (it) in the house of Satyabhāmā. Having learnt the (science of) astra and śastra (use of weapons) from Sāndīpanī (rescued) his son and brought him (to him) after conquering the demon Pañcajana and was well-worshipped by Yama (the god of death). He killed (the demon) Kālayavana^[7] (by a ruse) and was worshipped by (the king) Mucukunda.^[8]

35. He worshipped Vasudeva and Devakī the devotees and brahmins. Niśaṭha and Ulmuka were born to Revatī through Balabhadra.

36. Sāmba (was born) through Jāmbavatī and other sons were (born) through other (wives) to Kṛṣṇa.

37-39. Pradyumna was born through Rukmiṇī (to Kṛṣṇa) and was forcibly taken away on the sixth day by Śambara^[9] and thrown into the ocean. A fish seized him. A fisherman (caught) that fish and brought it to Śambara^[9] and Śambara (gave it) to. Māyāvatī (the maid). Māyāvatī having found her husband inside the fish, nourished him with respect. She also said to him, “I am Rati. You are my husband. You are Kāma (cupid) and made bodiless by Śambhu (Śiva). I was forcibly taken a (captive). I am not his wife. You (are) knower of magic. You. kill Śambara.”

40. Having heard that Pradyumna killed Śambara and went to Kṛṣṇa along with (his) wife Māyāvatī. Then Rukmiṇī was happy.

41-42. From Pradyumna Aniruddha was born, who was the husband of Uṣā and was highly intelligent. Bāṇa (was) the son. of Bali (and) his daughter (was) Uṣā. (His city was known) as Śoṇitapura. By (his) penance (he) was (treated as) son of Śiva. “Bāṇa! You will be waging a war (as indicated) by the fall of flagstaff,” said Śiva to Bāṇa, becoming pleased.

43-44. Having seen Gauri (Pārvatī) sporting with Śiva, Uṣā. was desirous of (getting) a husband. Gaurī said to her, “The person seen by you in your dream on the twelfth day in the month of Vaiśākha (the second month in the Hindu new year) will become you husband”. Uṣā becoming happy on these words of Gaurī, saw him (that person) (in dream) while she slept in her house.

45-46. Knowing (that person)united with herself, she (identified) Aniruddha from the drawn portraits (of princes) through (the assistance of) her friend Citralekhā (and) brought that grandson of Kṛṣṇa from Dvārakā (to her place) by the daughter of Kumbhāṇḍa, the minister of Bāṇa. Aniruddha went and made marry with Uṣā.

47-48. (Bāṇa was) informed (of this) by his mobile guards. Aniruddha had a fierce fight with Bāṇa.^[9] Having heard this from Nārada, Kṛṣṇa (went along) with Pradyumna (and) Balabhadra (and) remaining on the Garuḍa (vehicle of Viṣṇu) conquered the fires and the fever related to Maheśvara (Siva).

49. There was a fight between Hari and Śaṅkara (Siva) with arrows. Nandi, Vināyaka, Skanda and others were conquered by Tārkṣya (Garuḍa) and others.

50. When Śaṅkara (Śiva) yawned, Viṣṇu (employed) the missile Jṛmbhaṇa and cut the thousand arms (of Śaṅkara). Protection was sought by Rudra (Siva).

51-53. Bāṇa was animated by Viṣṇu. The two-armed (Viṣṇu) said to Śiva, “What protection was offered by you to Bāṇa (is identical with) that (offered) by me. There is no difference between us and one who (thinks of) any difference goes to hell. Viṣṇu was propitiated by Śiva and others. Aniruddha in the company of Uṣā and others, having gone to Dvārakā, amused himself along with Ugrasena and other Yādavas. Vajra (was) the son of Aniruddha. He learnt all knowledge from Mārkaṇḍeya.

54-55. Balarāma was the killer of (the demon) Pralamba^[10] (by whom) there was the dragging of the river Yamunā. The destroyer of the monkey Dvivida^[11] and the destroyer of the pride of Kauravas, Lord Hari amused himself in many forms along with Rukmiṇī and others. He produced many sons and innumerable Yādavas. Whoever reads the account of the lineage of Hari, that person would have his desires fulfilled and attain Hari.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Devayānī was the daughter of Śukra, the preceptor of demons. When her love for Kaca, the pupil of her father was not reciprocated by him, she cursed him and he in turn cursed her that she would become the wife of a warrior. Once when Devayānī and her companion Śarmiṣṭhā were bathing, their dresses got exchanged, and the irate Śarmiṣṭhā slapped Devayānī and threw her into the well. Devayānī was later rescued from the well by Yayāti, who married her with the consent of her father. As cursed by Devayānī, Śarmiṣṭhā became her servant. See Apte SD. and M Bh.-Nam. p. 151.

[2]:

Vasudeva had two wives—Devakī and Rohiṇī. The six sons born of yogic sleep were carried off by Hiraṇyakaśipu’s yogic power. They were again born to Devakī and were killed by Kaṃsa. The seventh child in the womb of Devakī was transferred to the womb of Rohiṇī, hence was known as Saṅkarṣaṇa alias Balarāma. See Bhdg. P. X.lxxxv. 46-49; Vi.P.V.i. 70;P. Index III. p. 769.

[3]:

Śumbha and his brother Niśumbha, the two demons, propitiated Brahmā and requested him that they should have no death. When Brahmā. declined to grant their request as impossible, they again requested that they should not die at the hands of mortals, celestials, animals or birds. They excluded women, as they thought that women are not so much powerful to fear death at their hands. When they oppressed all beings, the goddess killed them. See Devi Bh. P. V. xxi. xxx. xxxi.

[4]:

Arjuna trees, later personified as two demons.

[5]:

The name of a demon, who assumed the form of a cart.

[6]:

Pauṇḍraka was the King of Kāśī and the son of Vasudeva and Sutanu, the daughter of Kāśirāja. When he became the king, he asserted that he was the real Vasudeva. Kṛṣṇa invaded Kāśī and killed him. See Vi.P. V. xxxiv. 4-28; Bḥāg. P. X Ixi. 1-23; P. Index. II. p. 393.

[7]:

Kālayavana was a king of the Yavanas. He was an enemy of Kṛṣṇa and an invincible foe of the Yādavas. Kṛṣṇa found it impossible to vanquish him. He cunningly decoyed him to the cave where Mucukunda was sleeping. Mucukunda’s sleep being disturbed, he burnt him down.

[8]:

King Mucukunda, son of Māndhātṛ, assisted celestials in their war against demons and got as a boon a long and unbroken sleep and that whoever dared to disturb his sleep would be burnt to ashes. Accordingly when Kālayavana disturbed his sleep, he was burnt to ashes. See note 2 above and Apte SD.

[9]:

Śambara was a companion of Kaṃsa. He took away the child Pradyumna a couple of days after the birth of the child, knowing that it would be his slayer and threw him into the ocean. A giant fish swallowed it. When. the fishermen caught the fish and brought to Śambara, the fish was sent to. the kitchen. When the cooks cut the fish and found the beautiful child, they informed Māyāvatī, the mistress of Śambara’s household. Māyāvatī knew that she was none other than Rati and Kāma was reborn as Pradyumna. She nourished and brought up Pradyumna. After he grew up she revealed the truth to him. The two got married. At last Śambara was killed by Pradyumna after a severe battle. See Bhag. P. X. ^xxvi. 36 and lv. 3-24.

[10]:

As Bāṇa was a devotee of Śiva, the forces of Śiva came to assist him in the war. See verse 42 above. See Bhāg. P. X. Ixiii. 23.

[11]:

Pralamba, an asura friend of Kaṃsa went in the guise of a cowherd to the place where Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were playing with their companions. Being admitted to the games, while carrying Balarāma on his back, he grew into a huge form and was killed by Balarāma. See Bhāg. P. X. xviii. 17-29; M. Bh.-Nam. p. 209b; Vi. P. V. ix. 1-38.

[12]:

Dvivida, a counsellor of Sugrīva and brother of Mainda, was also a friend of the demon Naraka. In order to avenge the death of his friend, he burnt the cities and villages and caused much havoc. He was finally killed by Balarāma after a hard combat. See Bhāg. P. X. lxvii; Vi.P. V. xxxvi. 1-23 and P Index II. p. 150.