स वै बको नाम महानसुरो बकरूपधृक् । आगत्य सहसा कृष्णं तीक्ष्णतुण्डोऽग्रसद्बली
That was Baka, a mighty demon in the form of a crane, who suddenly approached and, with his sharp beak, seized Krishna with force.
कृष्णं महाबकग्रस्तं दृष्ट्वा रामादयोऽर्भकाः । बभूवुरिन्द्रियाणीव विना प्राणं विचेतसः
Seeing Krishna swallowed by the great Baka, Rama and the other boys became like senses bereft of life, bewildered.
( मिश्र ) तं तालुमूलं प्रदहन्तमग्निवद् गोपालसूनुं पितरं जगद्गुरोः । चच्छर्द सद्योऽतिरुषाक्षतं बकः तुण्डेन हन्तुं पुनरभ्यपद्यत
But the son of the cowherd, the teacher of the world, burned the root of Baka's palate like fire; so, overwhelmed by pain, Baka immediately spat him out and, enraged, again attacked with his beak to kill him.
तं आपतन्तं स निगृह्य तुण्डयोः दोर्भ्यां बकं कंससखं सतां पतिः । पश्यत्सु बालेषु ददार लीलया मुदावहो वीरणवद् दिवौकसाम्
As Baka rushed upon him, Krishna, Lord of the virtuous and friend of Kamsa, seized him by the beak with his arms and, while the boys watched, effortlessly tore him apart as easily as a hero among the gods, bringing them joy.
तदा बकारिं सुरलोकवासिनः समाकिरन् नन्दनमल्लिकादिभिः । समीडिरे चानकशङ्खसंस्तवैः तद्वीक्ष्य गोपालसुता विसिस्मिरे
Then, the residents of heaven showered the enemy of Baka with Nandana flowers and jasmine, and praised him with drums, conches, and hymns; seeing this, the sons of the cowherds were amazed.
मुक्तं बकास्याद् उपलभ्य बालका रामादयः प्राणमिवेन्द्रियो गणः । स्थानागतं तं परिरभ्य निर्वृताः प्रणीय वत्सान् व्रजमेत्य तज्जगुः
When Krishna was released from Baka's mouth, the boys, led by Rama, felt as if their life had returned to their senses; embracing him with relief, they gathered the calves and joyfully returned to Vraja, singing of the event.
( अनुष्टुप् ) श्रुत्वा तद् विस्मिता गोपा गोप्यश्चातिप्रियादृताः । प्रेत्य आगतमिवोत्सुक्याद् ऐक्षन्त तृषितेक्षणाः
Hearing this, the cowherds and their wives, filled with wonder and deep affection, gazed at Krishna with thirsty eyes, as if he had returned from the dead.
अहो बतास्य बालस्य बहवो मृत्यवोऽभवन् । अप्यासीद् विप्रियं तेषां कृतं पूर्वं यतो भयम्
Alas, how many dangers this boy has faced! Perhaps some past misdeed of ours is the cause of this fear.
अथापि अभिभवन्त्येनं नैव ते घोरदर्शनाः । जिघांसयैनमासाद्य नश्यन्त्यग्नौ पतङ्गवत्
Yet, those terrifying beings cannot overcome him; though they approach with intent to kill, they perish like moths in a flame.
अहो ब्रह्मविदां वाचो नासत्याः सन्ति कर्हिचित् । गर्गो यदाह भगवान् अन्वभावि तथैव तत्
Indeed, the words of the knowers of Brahman are never false; just as the sage Garga declared, so it has come to pass.
इति नन्दादयो गोपाः कृष्णरामकथां मुदा । कुर्वन्तो रममाणाश्च नाविन्दन् भववेदनाम्
Thus, Nanda and the other cowherds, delighting in tales of Krishna and Rama, passed their time in joy, unaware of worldly suffering.
एवं विहारैः कौमारैः कौमारं जहतुर्व्रजे । निलायनैः सेतुबन्धैः मर्कटोत्प्लवनादिभिः
In this way, through childhood play—games of hiding, building dams, and monkey-like leaps—they spent their boyhood in Vraja.
शौनक उवाच । अश्वत्थाम्नोपसृष्टेन ब्रह्मशीर्ष्णोरुतेजसा । उत्तराया हतो गर्भ ईशेनाजीवितः पुनः
Shaunaka said: By the power of Ashvatthama's Brahmashirsha weapon, Uttara's unborn child was struck down, but by the Lord's grace, he was restored to life.
तस्य जन्म महाबुद्धेः कर्माणि च महात्मनः । निधनं च यथैवासीत् स प्रेत्य गतवान् यथा
We wish to hear about his birth, his deeds as a great soul, and how his end came, and to know where he went after death.
तदिदं श्रोतुमिच्छामो गदितुं यदि मन्यसे । ब्रूहि नः श्रद्दधानानां यस्य ज्ञानमदाच्छुकः
If you think it proper, please tell us this, for we are eager listeners, to whom Shuka imparted this knowledge.
सूत उवाच । अपीपलद्धर्मराजः पितृवद् रञ्जयन् प्रजाः । निःस्पृहः सर्वकामेभ्यः कृष्णपादानुसेवया
Sūta said: King Yudhishthira, like a father, delighted his subjects, being unattached to all desires through service at Krishna's feet.
सम्पदः क्रतवो लोका महिषी भ्रातरो मही । जम्बूद्वीपाधिपत्यं च यशश्च त्रिदिवं गतम्
He possessed wealth, sacrifices, realms, queens, brothers, dominion over Jambudvipa, and fame that reached the heavens.
किं ते कामाः सुरस्पार्हा मुकुन्दमनसो द्विजाः । अधिजह्रुर्मुदं राज्ञः क्षुधितस्य यथेतरे
O twice-born, what value are desires coveted even by the gods to one whose mind is fixed on Mukunda? Just as other things bring joy to a hungry king, so did they bring delight.
मातुर्गर्भगतो वीरः स तदा भृगुनन्दन । ददर्श पुरुषं कञ्चिद् दह्यमानोऽस्त्रतेजसा
O descendant of Bhrigu, while still in his mother's womb, the heroic child saw a certain Person, as he was being burned by the power of a weapon.
अङ्गुष्ठमात्रममलं स्फुरत् पुरट मौलिनम् । अपीव्यदर्शनं श्यामं तडिद् वाससमच्युतम्
He saw an immaculate form, the size of a thumb, shining, crowned with a golden diadem, dark in complexion, wondrous to behold, clad in yellow garments, the infallible One.
श्रीमद् दीर्घचतुर्बाहुं तप्तकाञ्चन कुण्डलम् । क्षतजाक्षं गदापाणिं आत्मनः सर्वतो दिशम् । परिभ्रमन्तं उल्काभां भ्रामयन्तं गदां मुहुः
Resplendent, with four long arms, adorned with blazing golden earrings, blood-red eyes, holding a mace, he moved all around the child in every direction, whirling the mace again and again like a blazing meteor.
अस्त्रतेजः स्वगदया नीहारमिव गोपतिः । विधमन्तं सन्निकर्षे पर्यैक्षत क इत्यसौ
With his own mace, he dispelled the weapon's fiery energy, just as the lord of cows disperses mist, and the child watched closely, wondering, 'Who is this?'
विधूय तदमेयात्मा भगवान् धर्मगुब् विभुः । मिषतो दशमासस्य तत्रैवान्तर्दधे हरिः
Then, having removed that danger, the immeasurable Lord, protector of righteousness, the all-pervading One, disappeared there itself before the child's very eyes at the end of ten months.
ततः सर्वगुणोदर्के सानुकूल ग्रहोदये । जज्ञे वंशधरः पाण्डोः भूयः पाण्डुरिवौजसा
Thereafter, when all auspicious qualities had arisen and the planets were favorable, the bearer of the Pāṇḍu line was born again, endowed with the strength of Pāṇḍu himself.
तस्य प्रीतमना राजा विप्रैर्धौम्य कृपादिभिः । जातकं कारयामास वाचयित्वा च मङ्गलम्
The king, his mind filled with joy, had the child's birth chart cast by the Brahmins—Dhaumya, Kṛpa, and others—and had auspicious rites performed.
हिरण्यं गां महीं ग्रामान् हस्त्यश्वान् नृपतिर्वरान् । प्रादात्स्वन्नं च विप्रेभ्यः प्रजातीर्थे स तीर्थवित्
The king, who knew the sacred duties, gave gold, cows, land, villages, elephants, horses, and excellent food to the Brahmins at the holy site of birth.
तमूचुर्ब्राह्मणास्तुष्टा राजानं प्रश्रयान्वितम् । एष ह्यस्मिन् प्रजातन्तौ पुरूणां पौरवर्षभ
The satisfied Brahmins then spoke to the humble king: 'O foremost of the Puru dynasty, in this line of yours, he is the one.'
दैवेनाप्रतिघातेन शुक्ले संस्थामुपेयुषि । रातो वोऽनुग्रहार्थाय विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना
'By the irresistible will of fate, when the white hair ascends to its end, he has been sent for your blessing by Viṣṇu, the all-powerful Lord.'
तस्मान्नाम्ना विष्णुरात इति लोके बृहच्छ्रवाः । भविष्यति न सन्देहो महाभागवतो महान्
'Therefore, he will be renowned in the world as Viṣṇurāta—protected by Viṣṇu. There is no doubt; he will be a great devotee, a great soul.'
युधिष्ठिर उवाच । अप्येष वंश्यान् राजर्षीन् पुण्यश्लोकान् महात्मनः । अनुवर्तिता स्विद्यशसा साधुवादेन सत्तमाः
Yudhiṣṭhira said: 'Will this child follow the virtuous path of the royal sages of our line, the illustrious and noble ones, praised by the good and the wise?'