गुह्यं स जठरं विष्णुर् जङ्घापादौ जनार्दनः वामनो रक्षतु सदा भवन्तं यः क्षणाद् अभूत्
May Vishnu guard your secret parts, Janardana your thighs and feet; may Vamana, who appeared in a moment, always protect you.
त्रिविक्रमक्रमाक्रान्तत्रैलोक्यस्फुरदायुधः शिरस् ते पातु गोविन्दः कण्ठं रक्षतु केशवः
May Govinda, whose weapons shine as he strides the three worlds as Trivikrama, protect your head; may Keshava guard your neck.
मुखबाहू प्रबाहू च मनः सर्वेन्द्रियाणि च रक्षत्व् अव्याहतैश्वर्यस् तव नारायणो ऽव्ययः
May Narayana, the imperishable lord of undiminished power, protect your face, arms, mind, and all your senses.
त्वां दिक्षु पातु वैकुण्ठो विदिक्षु मधुसूदनः हृषीकेशो ऽम्बरे भूमौ रक्षतु त्वां महीधरः
May Vaikuntha protect you in all directions, Madhusudana in the intermediate quarters; may Hrishikesha guard you in the sky, and Mahidhara on the earth.
एवं कृतस्वस्त्ययनो नन्दगोपेन बालकः शायितः शकटस्याधो बालपर्यङ्किकातले
Thus, having performed the rite of protection, Nanda laid the child to rest beneath the cart, on a little bed for infants.
ते च गोपा महद् दृष्ट्वा पूतनायाः कलेवरम् मृतायाः परमं त्रासं विस्मयं च तदा ययुः
The cowherds, seeing the immense body of the dead Putana, were seized with great fear and wonder.
कदाचिच् छकटस्याधः शयानो मधुसूदनः चिक्षेप चरणाव् ऊर्ध्वं स्तनार्थी प्ररुरोद च
Once, as Madhusudana lay beneath the cart, desiring his mother’s milk, he raised his feet and began to cry.
तस्य पादप्रहारेण शकटं परिवर्तितम् विध्वस्तभाण्डकुम्भं तद् विपरीतं पपात वै
Struck by his foot, the cart was overturned; its pots and vessels shattered, and it fell in the opposite direction.
ततो हाहाकृतः सर्वो गोपगोपीजनो द्विजाः आजगाम तदा ज्ञात्वा बालम् उत्तानशायिनम्
Then all the cowherds and their wives, crying out in alarm, came running, seeing the child lying on his back.
गोपाः केनेति जगदुः शकटं परिवर्तितम् तत्रैव बालकाः प्रोचुर् बालेनानेन पातितम्
The cowherds asked, 'By whom was the cart overturned?' The children there replied, 'By this child it was thrown down.'
रुदता दृष्टम् अस्माभिः पादविक्षेपताडितम् शकटं परिवृत्तं वै नैतद् अन्यस्य चेष्टितम्
'We saw him crying, striking with his foot; the cart was overturned. No one else did this.'
ततः पुनर् अतीवासन् गोपा विस्मितचेतसः नन्दगोपो ऽपि जग्राह बालम् अत्यन्तविस्मितः
Then again, the cowherds, their minds astonished, sat down; and Nanda, utterly amazed, took up the child.
यशोदा विस्मयारूढा भग्नभाण्डकपालकम् शकटं चार्चयाम् आस दधिपुष्पफलाक्षतैः
Yaśodā, filled with wonder, worshipped the broken potsherds and the overturned cart with curds, flowers, fruits, and grains of rice.
गर्गश् च गोकुले तत्र वसुदेवप्रचोदितः प्रच्छन्न एव गोपानां संस्कारम् अकरोत् तयोः
There in Gokula, Garga, prompted by Vasudeva, performed the rites for the two boys in secret from the cowherds.
ज्येष्ठं च रामम् इत्य् आह कृष्णं चैव तथापरम् गर्गो मतिमतां श्रेष्ठो नाम कुर्वन् महामतिः
He named the elder one Rāma, and the other Kṛṣṇa, thus did Garga, foremost among the wise, bestow their names with great discernment.
अल्पेनैव हि कालेन विज्ञातौ तौ महाबलौ घृष्टजानुकरौ विप्रा बभूवतुर् उभाव् अपि
In a short time, both boys, mighty in strength and with knees rubbed raw from play, became well-known to the brāhmaṇas.
करीषभस्मदिग्धाङ्गौ भ्रममाणाव् इतस् ततः न निवारयितुं शक्ता यशोदा तौ न रोहिणी
Smeared with cow-dung ash, wandering here and there, neither Yaśodā nor Rohiṇī was able to restrain them.
गोवाटमध्ये क्रीडन्तौ वत्सवाटगतौ पुनः तदहर्जातगोवत्सपुच्छाकर्षणतत्परौ
Playing in the middle of the cow-pen, they went again to the calves’ enclosure, and that very day became intent on pulling the tails of the newborn calves.
यदा यशोदा तौ बालाव् एकस्थानचराव् उभौ शशाक नो वारयितुं क्रीडन्ताव् अतिचञ्चलौ
Whenever Yaśodā saw the two boys playing together in one place, she was unable to stop their restless games.
दाम्ना बद्ध्वा तदा मध्ये निबबन्ध उलूखले कृष्णम् अक्लिष्टकर्माणम् आह चेदम् अमर्षिता
Then, out of impatience, she bound Kṛṣṇa, who was blameless in his actions, to the mortar in the middle with a rope, and spoke these words.
यदि शक्तो ऽसि गच्छ त्वम् अतिचञ्चलचेष्टित
"If you are able, go now, with your excessively restless behavior!"
इत्य् उक्त्वा च निजं कर्म सा चकार कुटुम्बिनी व्यग्रायाम् अथ तस्यां स कर्षमाण उलूखलम्
Having said this, the housewife went about her own tasks, and while she was busy, he began to drag the mortar.
यमलार्जुनयोर् मध्ये जगाम कमलेक्षणः कर्षता वृक्षयोर् मध्ये तिर्यग् एवम् उलूखलम्
The lotus-eyed one went between the two yamalārjuna trees, dragging the mortar sideways between them.
भग्नाव् उत्तुङ्गशाखाग्रौ तेन तौ यमलार्जुनौ ततः कटकटाशब्दसमाकर्णनकातरः
Then those two yamalārjuna trees, with their tall branches, were broken by him, and frightened by the loud cracking sound—
आजगाम व्रजजनो ददृशे च महाद्रुमौ भग्नस्कन्धौ निपातितौ भग्नशाखौ महीतले
The people of Vraja came running and saw the two great trees, their trunks broken, their branches shattered, fallen to the ground.
ददर्श चाल्पदन्तास्यं स्मितहासं च बालकम् तयोर् मध्यगतं बद्धं दाम्ना गाढं तथोदरे
They saw the boy, with only a few teeth and a smiling face, bound tightly around his waist with a rope, standing between the two.
ततश् च दामोदरतां स ययौ दामबन्धनात् गोपवृद्धास् ततः सर्वे नन्दगोपपुरोगमाः
From that time, because of being bound with a rope, he came to be called Dāmodara; then all the elders of the cowherds, led by Nanda, gathered.
मन्त्रयाम् आसुर् उद्विग्ना महोत्पातातिभीरवः स्थानेनेह न नः कार्यं व्रजामो ऽन्यन् महावनम्
Disturbed and greatly frightened by these terrible omens, they consulted together: 'We should not stay here; let us go to another great forest.'
उत्पाता बहवो ह्य् अत्र दृश्यन्ते नाशहेतवः पूतनाया विनाशश् च शकटस्य विपर्ययः
For here many omens are seen, causes of destruction: the death of Pūtanā, the overturning of the cart—
विना वातादिदोषेण द्रुमयोः पतनं तथा वृन्दावनम् इतः स्थानात् तस्माद् गच्छाम मा चिरम्
And the falling of the trees without any wind or other cause; therefore, let us quickly leave this place for Vṛndāvana.