शुक्र उवाच शृणु वत्स प्रवक्ष्यामि गुरवे देहि तारकाम् । शंभोश्च सुरुपुत्राय पौत्राय ब्रह्मणश्च वै
Shukra said: Listen, my child, I will tell you—give Tārā to your guru, to the son of Shiva, to the grandson of Brahmā.
पूजिताय सुरार्णा च देया तस्मै निशापते । प्रियाय तत्प्रिर्यां दत्तवा शीघ्रं त्वं शरणं व्रज
To him, the lord of the night, who is beloved and worshipped by the gods, give her whom you love; quickly seek refuge in him.
गुरुपत्नीं मातृतुल्यां त्यज सद्वचनाद्विधो । कुरु पापक्षयं पापनिवृत्तिस्तु महाफला
Abandon the wife of your guru, who is like a mother, as instructed by good words; destroy your sin, for turning away from sin bears great fruit.
सतीनां गुरुपत्नीर्नां ग्रहणे च बलेन च । ब्रह्महत्यासहस्रार्णां पातकं लभते जनः
Whoever seizes the wife of a guru, especially by force, incurs the sin equal to a thousand brahmin-murders.
कुम्भीपाके च पच्यन्ते यावद्वै ब्रह्मणः शतम् । साम्यं नारायणस्थाने तृणपर्वतयोः सुर
They are cooked in Kumbhīpāka hell for as many ages as there are hundreds of Brahmā's lifetimes; there is no equality with the place of Nārāyaṇa, as between a blade of grass and a mountain, O god.
कस्त्वं वत्स हरेः स्थाने कर्मभोगोऽस्ति ब्रह्मणः । नारायणाश्रीताः सर्वे जीविनस्त्रिविधा भवे
Who are you, child, in the place of Hari? The results of actions belong to Brahmā; all living beings who take refuge in Nārāyaṇa become of three kinds.
इति श्रीब्रह्मo महाo श्रीकृष्णजन्मखo उत्तo नारदनाo भगवन्नन्दसंo ताराहरणेऽशीतितमोऽध्यायः
Thus ends the eightieth chapter, entitled 'The Abduction of Tārā,' in the great Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa, in the section on the birth of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the conversation between Nārada and the blessed Nanda.
अथैकाशीतितमोऽध्यायः श्रीकृष्ण उवाय एतस्मिन्नन्तरे शुक्रः सुरश्रेणीं ददर्श सः । आकाशमार्गादायान्तीं रणशस्त्रास्त्रधारिणीम्
Now, the eighty-first chapter. Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: Meanwhile, Shukra saw the host of gods, coming by the path of the sky, bearing weapons and missiles for battle.
पताकानां त्रिकोटिश्च शतकोटिर्महारथाः । शतकोटिर्गजेन्द्राणां रथानां तच्चतुर्गुणम्
There were thirty million banners, one hundred billion great chariots, one hundred billion lordly elephants, and four times that number of chariots.
अश्वानां तत्छतगुणं समूहं च सुदारुणम् । पदातीनां समूहं च तुरङ्गेभ्यश्च षड्गुणम्
The number of horses was a hundred times that, forming a most formidable host; and the infantry numbered six times the horses.
दुंदूभीवाद्यभाण्डानां पञ्चलक्षं तथैव च । पटहानां त्रिलक्षं च डिण्डिमानां द्विलक्षकम्
There were also five hundred thousand kettledrums and musical instruments, three hundred thousand war drums, and two hundred thousand ḍiṇḍima drums.
ऐरावते महेन्द्रं च श्वेताश्वे धर्ममेव च । कुबेरं वरुणं वह्निं रथस्थं पवनं तथा
There were Mahendra on Airavata, Dharma on a white horse, Kubera, Varuṇa, Agni, Pavan on his chariot,
महिषस्थं यमं चैव स्यन्दनस्थं दिवाकरम् । ईशानं च वृषेन्द्रस्थमनन्तं नागवाहम्
Yama on a buffalo, the Sun riding his chariot, Īśāna on the bull, and Ananta, the serpent-borne.
आदित्यांश्च वसून्रुद्रान्सिद्धगन्धर्वाकिन्नरान् । जीवन्मुक्तमुनीनां च समीहं सूर्यवर्चसम्
There were the Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, and the assembly of living-liberated sages, radiant as the sun.
तान्दृष्ट्वा निर्भयः शुक्रः समाश्वास्य निशाकरम् । सुराणां द्विगुणं सैन्यमाजुहाव व्रजेश्वर
Seeing them, Śukra became fearless, comforted the moon, and summoned an army for the gods, twice as great, O lord of Vraja.
रत्नमालानदीतीरे हुताशनप्रियाश्रमे । तत्र तस्थौ दैत्यसैन्यं पुण्यक्षीरोदधेस्तटे
On the bank of the Ratnamālā river, at the hermitage dear to Agni, there stood the army of the Daityas, on the sacred shore of the Kṣīroda ocean.
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे शुक्रः समीपे सरसस्तटे । पुण्याश्रमेऽक्षयवटे सुरसैन्यात्समागतम्
Meanwhile, Śukra, near the lake's edge, at the holy hermitage under the imperishable banyan, saw the army of the gods assembled.
ददर्श वृषभस्थं च शंकरं सर्वंशंकरम् । त्रिशूलपट्टीशधरं व्याघ्रचर्माम्बरं वरम्
He beheld Śaṅkara, the source of all auspiciousness, seated on a bull, bearing the trident and spear, clad in a tiger skin, the supreme one.
तेजःस्वरूपं परमं भक्तानुग्रहविग्रहम् । सर्दसंपत्प्रदातारं सर्वज्ञं सर्वकारणम्
He saw the supreme form of radiance, the embodiment of grace to devotees, the bestower of all prosperity, the all-knowing, the cause of all.
सर्वेश्वरं सर्वपूज्यं सर्वहूपं सनातनम् । शरणागतदीनार्तं परित्राणपरायणम्
He saw the Lord of all, worshipped by all, the eternal one of every form, the refuge of the distressed and the savior of the afflicted.
सस्मितं परमात्मानं ज्वलन्तं ब्रह्मतेजसा । संत्रस्तः सहसोत्थाय प्रणनाम पदाम्बुजे
He saw the Supreme Self, smiling, blazing with the radiance of Brahman; terrified, he rose at once and bowed at his lotus feet.
ददौ शुभाशिषं तस्मै सुप्रसन्नः परात्परः । रत्नसिंहासने तं च वासयामास सादरम्
The supremely gracious and transcendent Lord gave him auspicious blessings and respectfully seated him on a jeweled throne.
अथ तत्रान्तरे विप्रं पुरतस्तं ददर्श सः । शान्तं स्वयं विधातारं रत्नस्यन्दनमुन्दरम्
Then, in that moment, he saw before him a sage, tranquil, the very creator himself, seated in a splendid jeweled chariot.
वह्निशुद्धांशुकाधानं रत्नमालाविभूषितम् । प्रसन्नं सुस्मितं शुद्धं जगतामीश्वरं परम्
He was adorned with garments purified by fire, decorated with a garland of jewels, serene, smiling, pure, the supreme Lord of the worlds.
कर्मणां फलदातारं तपोरूपं तपश्विनाम् । वेदानां जनकं वेदप्रसूं कान्तं मनोहरम्
He was the giver of the fruits of actions, the embodiment of asceticism for ascetics, the progenitor of the Vedas, the source of the Vedas, beloved and captivating.
पुटाञ्जलिस्तदा त्रस्तः प्रणनाम सुरेश्वरम् । रत्नसिंहासने रम्ये वासयामास भक्तितः
Frightened, with folded hands, he bowed to the Lord of the gods; and with devotion, he was seated on a beautiful jeweled throne.
पूजां चकार भक्त्या च तयोश्चरणपङ्कजे । नोचितं कुशलप्रश्नं तयोः कल्याणमेव च
With devotion, he worshipped the lotus feet of both of them, and did not ask the customary questions of well-being, but only offered blessings.
विधाता जगतां नन्द शकाचार्यं पुरस्थितम् । सुनीतिं कथयामास यत्नतः शंमुसंमतः
O Nanda, the Creator of the worlds, seeing Śukrācārya before him, carefully spoke to him words of good conduct, as approved by the virtuous.
श्रृणु शुक्र प्रवक्ष्यामि तुर्नीतिं शशिनः सुत । लज्जाकारं त्रिजगतां कर्म वेदबहिष्कृतम्
Listen, Śukra, I will tell you the wicked deed of the son of the moon, an act that brings shame to the three worlds and is condemned by the Vedas.
स्नात्वा गृहोन्मुखीं तारां गुरुपत्नीं पतिव्रताम् । गृहीत्वा शरणापन्नस्त्वयि पापश्च संप्रतम्
After bathing, Tārā, the devoted wife of the guru, turned toward her home; but now, having taken her, the sinner has sought refuge in you.