इत्थं वदन् ययौ जिष्णुर् इन्द्रप्रस्थं पुरोत्तमम् चकार तत्र राजानं वज्रं यादवनन्दनम्
Thus speaking, Jishnu went to Indraprastha, the foremost city, and there installed as king Vajra, the joy of the Yadavas.
स ददर्श ततो व्यासं फाल्गुनः काननाश्रयम् तम् उपेत्य महाभागं विनयेनाभ्यवादयत्
There Phalguna beheld Vyasa, dwelling in the forest; approaching that illustrious one, he greeted him with reverence.
तं वन्दमानं चरणाव् अवलोक्य सुनिश्चितम् उवाच पार्थं विच्छायः कथम् अत्यन्तम् ईदृशः
Seeing him bowing at his feet, Vyasa, fully certain, spoke to Partha: 'How is it that your radiance has so utterly departed?'
अजारजोनुगमनं ब्रह्महत्याथवा कृता जयाशाभङ्गदुःखी वा भ्रष्टच्छायो ऽसि सांप्रतम्
Have you followed one who is aged or born low, or committed the sin of Brahmin-slaying? Or are you grieved by the shattering of your hope for victory, that your luster is now lost?
सांतानिकादयो वा ते याचमाना निराकृताः अगम्यस्त्रीरतिर् वापि तेनासि विगतप्रभः
Or perhaps you have refused the requests of the Santanikas and others, or indulged in forbidden women—thus your splendor has faded.
भुङ्क्ते प्रदाय विप्रेभ्यो मिष्टम् एकम् अथो भवान् किं वा कृपणवित्तानि हृतानि भवतार्जुन
Or, having given delicious food to Brahmins, have you yourself eaten it? Or, Arjuna, have your meager possessions been taken from you?
कच्चिन् न सूर्यवातस्य गोचरत्वं गतो ऽर्जुन दुष्टचक्षुर् हतो वापि निःश्रीकः कथम् अन्यथा
Arjuna, have you perhaps come under the gaze of the sun or wind? Or have you been struck by an evil eye, or slain someone wicked, that you are thus deprived of glory?
स्पृष्टो नखाम्भसा वापि घटाम्भःप्रोक्षितो ऽपि वा तेनातीवासि विच्छायो न्यूनैर् वा युधि निर्जितः
Or have you been touched by water from a nail, or sprinkled with water from a pot? Or have you been defeated in battle by those inferior, that you are so utterly bereft of radiance?
ततः पार्थो विनिःश्वस्य श्रूयतां भगवन्न् इति प्रोक्तो यथावद् आचष्ट विप्रा आत्मपराभवम्
Then Partha, sighing deeply, said, 'Revered one, listen,' and recounted to the sage, just as it happened, his own defeat.
यद् बलं यच् च नस् तेजो यद् वीर्यं यत् पराक्रमः या श्रीश् छाया च नः सो ऽस्मान् परित्यज्य हरिर् गतः
The strength, the energy, the valor, the prowess, the fortune, and the radiance we possessed—all of these left us when Hari departed.
इतरेणेव महता स्मितपूर्वाभिभाषिणा हीना वयं मुने तेन जातास् तृणमया इव
By that other, who spoke first with a smile, we have been abandoned, O sage, and have become as weak as grass.
अस्त्राणां सायकानां च गाण्डीवस्य तथा मम सारता याभवन् मूर्ता स गतः पुरुषोत्तमः
The power that was manifest in my weapons, arrows, and Gandiva—he, the Supreme Person, has departed.
यस्यावलोकनाद् अस्माञ् श्रीर् जयः संपद् उन्नतिः न तत्याज स गोविन्दस् त्यक्त्वास्मान् भगवान् गतः
By whose mere glance we gained fortune, victory, wealth, and elevation—Govinda did not abandon us then, but now the Blessed Lord has left us.
भीष्मद्रोणाङ्गराजाद्यास् तथा दुर्योधनादयः यत्प्रभावेन निर्दग्धाः स कृष्णस् त्यक्तवान् भुवम्
Bhishma, Drona, the king of Anga, and Duryodhana and the rest—all were consumed by his power; that Krishna has now left the earth.
निर्यौवना हतश्रीका भ्रष्टच्छायेव मे मही विभाति तात नैको ऽहं विरहे तस्य चक्रिणः
Deprived of youth, bereft of splendor, my earth appears to me, dear one, like a woman whose radiance is lost; I am not alone in sorrow at the separation from him, the wielder of the discus.
यस्यानुभावाद् भीष्माद्यैर् मय्य् अग्नौ शलभायितम् विना तेनाद्य कृष्णेन गोपालैर् अस्मि निर्जितः
By whose power even Bhishma and others became like moths in my fire—without him, Krishna, today I have been defeated by cowherds.
गाण्डीवं त्रिषु लोकेषु ख्यातं यद् अनुभावतः मम तेन विनाभीरैर् लगुडैस् तु तिरस्कृतम्
The Gandiva bow, renowned in the three worlds by his power, has now, without him, been scorned by cowherds wielding clubs.
स्त्रीसहस्राण्य् अनेकानि ह्य् अनाथानि महामुने यततो मम नीतानि दस्युभिर् लगुडायुधैः
Countless thousands of women, now destitute, O great sage, have been carried off by club-armed robbers while I strove to protect them.
आनीयमानम् आभीरैः सर्वं कृष्णावरोधनम् हृतं यष्टिप्रहरणैः परिभूय बलं मम
All the women of Krishna’s household were seized by the Abhiras, who, armed with staffs, humiliated my strength and carried them away.
निःश्रीकता न मे चित्रं यज् जीवामि तद् अद्भुतम् नीचावमानपङ्काङ्की निर्लज्जो ऽस्मि पितामह
It is no wonder that I am bereft of glory; it is astonishing that I still live. Stained by the mud of base humiliation, I am shameless, O grandsire.
श्रुत्वाहं तस्य तद् वाक्यम् अब्रवं द्विजसत्तमाः दुःखितस्य च दीनस्य पाण्डवस्य महात्मनः
Hearing his words, O best of twice-born, I spoke to the great-souled Pandava, who was afflicted and dejected.
अलं ते व्रीडया पार्थ न त्वं शोचितुम् अर्हसि अवेहि सर्वभूतेषु कालस्य गतिर् ईदृशी
Enough of your shame, Partha; you should not grieve. Know that such is the course of time for all beings.
कालो भवाय भूतानाम् अभवाय च पाण्डव कालमूलम् इदं ज्ञात्वा कुरु स्थैर्यम् अतो ऽर्जुन
Time brings about the creation and destruction of beings, O Pandava. Knowing that all is rooted in time, steady yourself, O Arjuna.
नद्यः समुद्रा गिरयः सकला च वसुंधरा देवा मनुष्याः पशवस् तरवश् च सरीसृपाः
Rivers, oceans, mountains, the entire earth, gods, humans, animals, trees, and reptiles—
सृष्टाः कालेन कालेन पुनर् यास्यन्ति संक्षयम् कालात्मकम् इदं सर्वं ज्ञात्वा शमम् अवाप्नुहि
All these are created by time and, in time, will again meet their end. Knowing that all is of the nature of time, attain peace.
यथात्थ कृष्णमाहात्म्यं तत् तथैव धनंजय भारावतारकार्यार्थम् अवतीर्णः स मेदिनीम्
Just as you have described Krishna’s greatness, so it is, O Dhananjaya; he descended to earth for the purpose of relieving its burden.
भाराक्रान्ता धरा याता देवानां संनिधौ पुरा तदर्थम् अवतीर्णो ऽसौ कामरूपी जनार्दनः
When the earth, weighed down, approached the gods long ago, for that purpose Janardana, the wish-formed, descended.
तच् च निष्पादितं कार्यम् अशेषा भूभृतो हताः वृष्ण्यन्धककुलं सर्वं तथा पार्थोपसंहृतम्
That task has been accomplished; all the earth’s rulers have been slain, the entire clan of the Vrishnis and Andhakas, as well as the sons of Pritha, have been withdrawn.
न किंचिद् अन्यत् कर्तव्यम् अस्य भूमितले ऽर्जुन ततो गतः स भगवान् कृतकृत्यो यथेच्छया
There is nothing further to be done by him on earth, O Arjuna; thus, the Blessed Lord, his work complete, departed as he wished.
सृष्टिं सर्गे करोत्य् एष देवदेवः स्थितिं स्थितौ अन्ते तापसमर्थो ऽयं सांप्रतं वै यथा कृतम्
This Lord of gods creates at the beginning of creation, sustains in the time of preservation, and at the end, is capable of withdrawal—just as he has now done.