Bhagavata Purana

व्रजस्त्रियो यद्वाञ्छन्ति पुलिन्द्यस्तृणवीरुधः। गावश्चारयतो गोपाः पदस्पर्शं महात्मनः

The cowherd women of Vraja, the Pulinda women, the grasses and herbs, the cows, and the cowherd boys—all desire the touch of the feet of that great soul as he tends the cows.

ऋषिगणकृता भगवत्स्तुतिः; वसुदेवयज्ञोत्सवः; बन्धूनां प्रस्थापनादिकं च - श्रीशुक उवाच - ( वसंततिलका ) श्रुत्वा पृथा सुबलपुत्र्यथ याज्ञसेनी माधव्यथ क्षितिपपत्‍न्य उत स्वगोप्यः । कृष्णेऽखिलात्मनि हरौ प्रणयानुबन्धं सर्वा विसिस्म्युरलमश्रुकलाकुलाक्ष्यः

Śuka said: When Kuntī, Subhadrā, Draupadī, Mādhavī, the royal wives, and their own gopīs heard of the deep affection Krishna, the Supreme Soul, had for them, they were all amazed, their eyes brimming with tears.

( अनुष्टुप् ) इति सम्भाषमाणासु स्त्रीभिः स्त्रीषु नृभिर्नृषु । आययुर्मुनयस्तत्र कृष्णरामदिदृक्षया

As the women spoke among themselves and the men among men, the sages arrived there, eager to see Krishna and Balarāma.

द्वैपायनो नारदश्च च्यवनो देवलोऽसितः । विश्वामित्रः शतानन्दो भरद्वाजोऽथ गौतमः

Vyāsa, Nārada, Cyavana, Devala, Asita, Viśvāmitra, Śatānanda, Bharadvāja, and Gautama came.

रामः सशिष्यो भगवान् वसिष्ठो गालवो भृगुः । पुलस्त्यः कश्यपोऽत्रिश्च मार्कण्डेयो बृहस्पतिः

Rāma with his disciples, the venerable Vasiṣṭha, Gālava, Bhṛgu, Pulastya, Kaśyapa, Atri, Mārkaṇḍeya, and Bṛhaspati also arrived.

द्वितस्त्रितश्चैकतश्च ब्रह्मपुत्रास्तथाङ्‌गिराः । अगस्त्यो याज्ञवल्क्यश्च वामदेवादयोऽपरे

Dvitas, Trita, Ekata, the sons of Brahmā, Aṅgirā, Agastya, Yājñavalkya, Vāmadeva, and others came as well.

तान्दृष्ट्वा सहसोत्थाय प्रागासीना नृपादयः । पाण्डवाः कृष्णरामौ च प्रणेमुर्विश्ववन्दितान्

Seeing them, the kings, who had been seated before, along with the Pāṇḍavas, Krishna, and Balarāma, immediately rose and bowed to those revered by the world.

तान् आनर्चुर्यथा सर्वे सहरामोऽच्युतोऽर्चयत् । स्वागतासनपाद्यार्घ्य माल्यधूपानुलेपनैः

They all worshipped the sages as was proper, and Rāma and Acyuta also honored them with words of welcome, seats, water for washing feet, offerings, garlands, incense, and ointments.

उवाच सुखमासीनान् भगवान् धर्मगुप्तनुः । सदसस्तस्य महतो यतवाचोऽनुश्रृण्वतः

The Lord, embodiment of righteousness, spoke to them as they sat comfortably, while the great assembly listened in silence to his measured words.

श्रीभगवानुवाच - अहो वयं जन्मभृतो लब्धं कार्त्स्न्येन तत्फलम् । देवानामपि दुष्प्रापं यद् योगेश्वरदर्शनम्

The Blessed Lord said: Ah, we who are born into this world have attained the highest fruit, which is difficult even for the gods to obtain—the sight of the masters of yoga.

किं स्वल्पतपसां नॄणां अर्चायां देवचक्षुषाम् । दर्शनस्पर्शनप्रश्न प्रह्वपादार्चनादिकम्

What to say of those men of little austerity, who in the worship of the gods—who are the eyes of the world—gain the chance to see, touch, question, and bow to the feet of such beings?

न ह्यम्मयानि तीर्थानि न देवा मृच्छिलामयाः । ते पुनन्त्युरुकालेन दर्शनादेव साधवः

Neither sacred waters, nor gods made of clay and stone, purify in the same way; it is the holy ones who purify, simply by their sight, even in a brief moment.

( मिश्र ) नाग्निर्न सूर्यो न च चन्द्रतारका न भूर्जलं खं श्वसनोऽथ वाङ्‌मनः । उपासिता भेदकृतो हरन्त्यघं विपश्चितो घ्नन्ति मुहूर्तसेवया

Neither fire, nor sun, nor moon and stars, nor earth, water, sky, wind, speech, or mind—though worshipped as separate—remove sin; the wise destroy it by serving the enlightened, even for a moment.

यस्यात्मबुद्धिः कुणपे त्रिधातुके स्वधीः कलत्रादिषु भौम इज्यधीः । यत्तीर्थबुद्धिः सलिले न कर्हिचित् जनेष्वभिज्ञेषु स एव गोखरः

He who identifies the self with the body of three elements, regards wife and kin as his own, worships earth as sacred, and sees holy places only as water, but never seeks out the wise—he is no better than a cow or donkey.

श्रीशुक उवाच - ( अनुष्टुप् ) निशम्येत्थं भगवतः कृष्णस्याकुण्थमेधसः । वचो दुरन्वयं विप्राः तूष्णीमासन् भ्रमद्धियः

Śuka said: Hearing these words of Krishna, whose wisdom is unfathomable, the sages sat silent, their minds perplexed by the depth of his speech.

चिरं विमृश्य मुनय ईश्वरस्येशितव्यताम् । जनसङ्ग्रह इत्यूचुः स्मयन्तस्तं जगद्‌गुरुम्

After long deliberation, the sages, smiling at the Lord of the universe, said that his sovereignty was for gathering people together.

श्रीमुनय ऊचुः - ( मिश्र ) यन्मायया तत्त्वविदुत्तमा वयं विमोहिता विश्वसृजामधीश्वराः । यदीशितव्यायति गूढ ईहया अहो विचित्रं भगवद् विचेष्टितम्

The sages said: By your māyā, O highest knower of truth, even we, the lords among the creators of the world, are bewildered; your mastery is hidden by your own mysterious power—how wondrous are the Lord's actions!

अनीह एतद्‌ बहुधैक आत्मना सृजत्यवत्यत्ति न बध्यते यथा । भौमैर्हि भूमिर्बहुनामरूपिणी अहो विभूम्नश्चरितं विडम्बनम्

Though without desire, you create, maintain, and withdraw the world in many ways, yet are not bound—just as the earth, though appearing in many forms and names, remains unchanged. How marvelous and mysterious are the acts of your greatness!

अथापि काले स्वजनाभिगुप्तये बिभर्षि सत्त्वं खलनिग्रहाय च । स्वलीलया वेदपथं सनातनं वर्णाश्रमात्मा पुरुषः परो भवान्

Yet, at the proper time, for the protection of Your own people, You assume the mode of goodness, and also for the subjugation of the wicked; by Your own play, You uphold the eternal path of the Veda, O Supreme Person, who are the soul of the varṇāśrama order.

( अनुष्टुप् ) ब्रह्म ते हृदयं शुक्लं तपःस्वाध्यायसंयमैः । यत्रोपलब्धं सद्व्यक्तं अव्यक्तं च ततः परम्

O Brahman, Your heart is pure, attained through austerity, study, and self-restraint; in it is realized that which is manifest, unmanifest, and beyond both.

तस्माद्‌ ब्रह्मकुलं ब्रह्मन् शास्त्रयोनेस्त्वमात्मनः । सभाजयसि सद्धाम तद्‌ ब्रह्मण्याग्रणीर्भवान्

Therefore, O Brahman, You honor the community of Brahmins, the very source of the scriptures and of Yourself; thus You become the foremost among those devoted to Brahman.

अद्य नो जन्मसाफल्यं विद्यायास्तपसो दृशः । त्वया सङ्गम्य सद्‌गत्या यदन्तः श्रेयसां परः

Today, our birth, our learning, our austerity, and our vision have borne fruit, for by meeting You, who are the highest goal, we have attained the supreme good.

नमस्तस्मै भगवते कृष्णायाकुण्ठमेधसे । स्वयोगमाययाच्छन्न महिम्ने परमात्मने

Obeisance to that Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose intellect is unfailing, whose greatness is concealed by His own yogamāyā, and who is the Supreme Soul.

न यं विदन्त्यमी भूपा एकारामाश्च वृष्णयः । मायाजवनिकाच्छन्नं आत्मानं कालमीश्वरम्

He whom these kings and even the Vṛṣṇis, who delight in Him alone, do not know—He is the Lord of time and the Self, hidden by the curtain of māyā.

यथा शयानः पुरुष आत्मानं गुणतत्त्वदृक् । नाममात्रेन्द्रियाभातं न वेद रहितं परम्

Just as a man lying asleep, though perceiving the elements and qualities, does not know his own true self, which is distinct from mere names and sense-objects.

एवं त्वा नाममात्रेषु विषयेष्विन्द्रियेहया । मायया विभ्रमच्चित्तो न वेद स्मृत्युपप्लवात्

So too, by the delusion of māyā, the mind bewildered by attachment to names, objects, and senses, does not know You, due to the disturbance of memory.

( वसंततिलका ) तस्याद्य ते ददृशिमाङ्‌घ्रिमघौघमर्ष तीर्थास्पदं हृदि कृतं सुविपक्वयोगैः । उत्सिक्तभक्त्युपहताशय जीवकोशा आपुर्भवद्‌गतिमथानुगृहान भक्तान्

Today, we have seen Your feet, which remove the mass of sins, which are the very abode of holy places, established in the heart by those whose yoga is fully matured; O Lord, whose devotees, their inner coverings pierced by overflowing devotion, attain Your path—please grant them Your grace.

श्रीशुक उवाच - ( अनुष्टुप् ) इत्यनुज्ञाप्य दाशार्हं धृतराष्ट्रं युधिष्ठिरम् । राजर्षे स्वाश्रमान् गन्तुं मुनयो दधिरे मनः

Śuka said: Thus, after taking leave of the Dāśārha (Kṛṣṇa), Dhṛtarāṣṭra, and Yudhiṣṭhira, the royal sage, the sages set their minds on returning to their own hermitages.

तद् वीक्ष्य तानुपव्रज्य वसुदेवो महायशाः । प्रणम्य चोपसङ्गृह्य बभाषेदं सुयन्त्रितः

Seeing them, the illustrious Vasudeva approached, bowed, honored them, and spoke these well-controlled words.