उत्सृज्य द्वारकां कृष्णस् त्यक्त्वा मानुष्यम् आत्मभूः स्वांशो विष्णुमयं स्थानं प्रविवेश पुनर् निजम्
Krishna, abandoning Dvaraka and relinquishing his human form, entered again his own abode, the place filled with Vishnu's essence.
स विप्रशापव्याजेन संजह्रे स्वकुलं कथम् कथं च मानुषं देहम् उत्ससर्ज जनार्दनः
By means of the Brahmins' curse, he ended his own clan; and thus Janardana left his human body.
विश्वामित्रस् तथा कण्वो नारदश् च महामुनिः पिण्डारके महातीर्थे दृष्टा यदुकुमारकैः
Visvamitra, Kanva, and the great sage Narada were seen by the Yadu princes at the great holy place of Pindaraka.
ततस् ते यौवनोन्मत्ता भाविकार्यप्रचोदिताः साम्बं जाम्बवतीपुत्रं भूषयित्वा स्त्रियं यथा प्रसृतास् तान् मुनीन् ऊचुः प्रणिपातपुरःसरम्
Then, intoxicated by youth and prompted by destiny, they adorned Samba, son of Jambavati, as a woman, and, approaching the sages with reverence, asked them.
इयं स्त्री पुत्रकामा तु प्रभो किं जनयिष्यति
This woman desires a son, O lord; what will she give birth to?
दिव्यज्ञानोपपन्नास् ते विप्रलब्धा कुमारकैः शापं ददुस् तदा विप्रास् तेषां नाशाय सुव्रताः
Endowed with divine insight, the sages, deceived by the princes, then pronounced a curse upon them for their destruction, steadfast in their vows.
मुनयः कुपिताः प्रोचुर् मुशलं जनयिष्यति येनाखिलकुलोत्सादो यादवानां भविष्यति
The sages, angered, declared: A pestle will be born by which the entire clan of the Yadavas will be destroyed.
इत्य् उक्तास् तैः कुमारास् त आचचक्षुर् यथातथम् उग्रसेनाय मुशलं जज्ञे साम्बस्य चोदरात्
Thus addressed by them, those youths truthfully reported everything to Ugrasena; a pestle was indeed born from Sāmba’s belly.
तद् उग्रसेनो मुशलम् अयश्चूर्णम् अकारयत् जज्ञे तच् चैरका चूर्णं प्रक्षिप्तं वै महोदधौ
Then Ugrasena had the pestle ground into iron powder; that powder was thrown into the great ocean by the guards.
मुसलस्याथ लौहस्य चूर्णितस्यान्धकैर् द्विजाः खण्डं चूर्णयितुं शेकुर् नैव ते तोमराकृति
But of that iron pestle, though the Andhakas and the twice-born tried, they could not grind one fragment, which was shaped like a spear.
तद् अप्य् अम्बुनिधौ क्षिप्तं मत्स्यो जग्राह जालिभिः घातितस्योदरात् तस्य लुब्धो जग्राह तज् जरा
That too was cast into the ocean, and a fish caught it in its nets; from the belly of the slain fish, a greedy hunter named Jarā took it.
विज्ञातपरमार्थो ऽपि भगवान् मधुसूदनः नैच्छत् तद् अन्यथा कर्तुं विधिना यत् समाहृतम्
Even though the Blessed Madhusūdana understood the ultimate purpose, he did not wish to act otherwise than what was ordained by fate.
देवैश् च प्रहितो दूतः प्रणिपत्याह केशवम् रहस्य् एवम् अहं दूतः प्रहितो भगवन् सुरैः
Then a messenger sent by the gods approached Keśava, bowed, and said in private: ‘O Blessed One, I am a messenger sent by the gods.’
वस्वश्विमरुदादित्यरुद्रसाध्यादिभिः सह विज्ञापयति वः शक्रस् तद् इदं श्रूयतां प्रभो
Together with Vasus, Aśvins, Maruts, Ādityas, Rudras, Sādhyas, and others, Indra conveys this to you: Please hear, O Lord.
भारावतरणार्थाय वर्षाणाम् अधिकं शतम् भगवान् अवतीर्णो ऽत्र त्रिदशैः संप्रसादितः
For the purpose of relieving the burden of the earth, for more than a hundred years, you have descended here, O Blessed One, propitiated by the gods.
दुर्वृत्ता निहता दैत्या भुवो भारो ऽवतारितः त्वया सनाथास् त्रिदशा व्रजन्तु त्रिदिवेशताम्
The wicked Daityas have been slain, the burden of the earth removed by you; the gods, now protected, should return to their heavenly stations.
तद् अतीतं जगन्नाथ वर्षाणाम् अधिकं शतम् इदानीं गम्यतां स्वर्गो भवता यदि रोचते
O Lord of the Universe, more than a hundred years have now passed; if it pleases you, now ascend to heaven.
देवैर् विज्ञापितो देवो ऽप्य् अथात्रैव रतिस् तव तत् स्थीयतां यथाकालम् आख्येयम् अनुजीविभिः
Thus addressed by the gods, the Lord replied: ‘Let your delight remain here for the proper time, as will be told by those who survive.’
यत् त्वम् आत्थाखिलं दूत वेद्मि चैतद् अहं पुनः प्रारब्ध एव हि मया यादवानाम् अपि क्षयः
What you have said, O messenger, I know all this as well; the destruction of the Yadavas has already been set in motion by me.
भुवो नामातिभारो ऽयं यादवैर् अनिबर्हितैः अवतारं करोम्य् अस्य सप्तरात्रेण सत्वरः
This excessive burden on the earth, caused by the unchecked Yadavas, I will remove swiftly within seven nights.
यथागृहीतं चाम्भोधौ हृत्वाहं द्वारकां पुनः यादवान् उपसंहृत्य यास्यामि त्रिदशालयम्
As I brought the city of Dvārakā from the ocean, so too, after withdrawing the Yadavas, I will return to the abode of the gods.
मनुष्यदेहम् उत्सृज्य संकर्षणसहायवान् प्राप्त एवास्मि मन्तव्यो देवेन्द्रेण तथा सुरैः
Casting off my human body, accompanied by Saṃkarṣaṇa, I shall be regarded as having arrived by Indra and the other gods.
जरासंधादयो ये ऽन्ये निहता भारहेतवः क्षितेस् तेभ्यः स भारो हि यदूनां समधीयत
Those others, like Jarāsandha and the rest, who were slain for the removal of the burden, from them the weight was shifted to the Yadus.
तद् एतत् सुमहाभारम् अवतार्य क्षितेर् अहम् यास्याम्य् अमरलोकस्य पालनाय ब्रवीहि तान्
Having thus removed this great burden from the earth, I shall go to the realm of the immortals for its protection; tell them this.
इत्य् उक्तो वासुदेवेन देवदूतः प्रणम्य तम् द्विजाः स दिव्यया गत्या देवराजान्तिकं ययौ
Thus addressed by Vāsudeva, the divine messenger bowed to him, O twice-born, and with a celestial speed went to the king of the gods.
भगवान् अप्य् अथोत्पातान् दिव्यान् भौमान्तरिक्षगान् ददर्श द्वारकापुर्यां विनाशाय दिवानिशम्
The Blessed Lord also beheld wondrous omens—on earth and in the sky—day and night in Dvārakā city, portending destruction.
तान् दृष्ट्वा यादवान् आह पश्यध्वम् अतिदारुणान् महोत्पाताञ् शमायैषां प्रभासं याम मा चिरम्
Seeing these, he said to the Yādavas: 'Behold these exceedingly terrible great portents; let us go at once to Prabhāsa for their pacification.'
महाभागवतः प्राह प्रणिपत्योद्धवो हरिम्
The great devotee Uddhava, bowing down, spoke to Hari.
भगवन् यन् मया कार्यं तद् आज्ञापय सांप्रतम् मन्ये कुलम् इदं सर्वं भगवान् संहरिष्यति नाशायास्य निमित्तानि कुलस्याच्युत लक्षये
O Lord, command me now as to what I should do; I think the Blessed One will destroy this whole clan. O Acyuta, I perceive the signs of the clan's ruin.
गच्छ त्वं दिव्यया गत्या मत्प्रसादसमुत्थया बदरीम् आश्रमं पुण्यं गन्धमादनपर्वते
Go you, by a divine path arising from my grace, to the holy hermitage at Badarī on Mount Gandhamādana.