मुक्त्वा को नरके वासं मनसापि विचिन्तयेत् । सिन्धुजाद्भुतभावानां रसं त्यक्त्वा सुदुस्त्वजम्
Who, after escaping the residence in hell, would even mentally contemplate abandoning the wondrous nectar of the ocean for something exceedingly unpleasant?
विण्मूत्ररसपानञ्ज क इच्छेन्मतिमान्नरः । गर्भवासात्परो नास्ति नरको भुवनत्रये
What wise person would desire to drink the essence of urine and feces? There is no hell in the three worlds worse than dwelling in the womb.
तद्भीताश्च प्रकुर्वन्ति मुनयो दुस्तरं तपः । हित्वा भोगञ्च राज्यञ्च वने यान्ति मनस्विनः
Fearing this, sages undertake arduous austerities, and those of discerning mind abandon pleasures and kingdoms to go into the forest.
यद्भीतास्तु विमूढात्मा कस्तं सेवितुमिच्छति । गर्भे तुदन्ति कृमयो जठराग्निस्तपत्यधः
Who, being bewildered in mind, would wish to serve that place out of fear? In the womb, worms bite and the fire of digestion burns below.
वपासंवेष्टनं कूरं किं सुखं तत्र भूपते । वरं कारागृहे वासो बन्धनं निगडैर्वरम्
What happiness is there, O king, in being tightly wrapped in flesh? Better is the residence in a prison, better is bondage with chains.
अल्पमात्रं क्षणं नैव गर्भवासः क्वचिच्छुभः । गर्भवासे महद्दुःखं दशमासनिवासनम्
Not even for a brief moment is dwelling in the womb ever auspicious; the suffering is great in residing there for ten months.
तथा निःसरणे दुःखं योनियन्त्रेऽतिदारुणे । बालभावे तदा दुःखं मूकाज्ञभावसंयुतम्
Likewise, there is suffering in the harsh mechanism of birth; and in infancy, there is suffering, joined with dumbness and ignorance.
क्षुतृष्णावेदनाशक्तः परतन्त्रोऽतिकातरः । क्षुधिते रुदिते बाले माता चिन्तातुरा तदा
Helpless to sensations of hunger and thirst, utterly dependent and fearful; when the child cries from hunger, the mother is anxious.
भेषजं पातुमिच्छन्ती ज्ञात्वा व्याधिव्यथां दृढाम् । नानाविधानि दुःखानि बालभावे भवन्ति वै
Desiring to administer medicine, knowing the child's severe pain from disease; various kinds of suffering arise in infancy.
किं सुखं विबुधा दृष्ट्वा जन्म वाञ्छन्ति चेच्छया । संग्रामममरैः सार्धं सुखं त्यक्त्वा निरन्तरम्
What happiness, seeing this, would the wise wish for birth by their own will? Abandoning constant happiness, who would desire battle with immortals?
कर्तुमिच्छेच्च को मूढः श्रमदं सुखनाशनम् । सर्वथैव नृपश्रेष्ठ सर्वे ब्रह्मादयः सुराः
Who, being foolish, would wish to undertake toil that destroys happiness? Indeed, O best of kings, all the gods beginning with Brahma—
कृतकर्मविपाकेन प्राप्नुवन्ति सुखासुखे । अवश्यमेव भोक्तव्यं कृतं कर्म शुभाशुभम् । देहवद्भिर्नृभिर्देवैस्तिर्यग्भिश्च नृपोत्तम
By the ripening of deeds, they experience pleasure and pain; whatever action is done, good or bad, must certainly be enjoyed by embodied men, gods, and animals, O best of kings.
तपसा दानयज्ञैश्च मानवश्चेन्द्रतां व्रजेत् । क्षीणे पुण्येऽथ शक्रोऽपि पतत्येव न संशयः
By austerity, charity, and sacrifice, a human may attain the status of Indra; but when merit is exhausted, even Indra falls, without doubt.
रामावतारयोगेन देवा वानरतां गताः । तथा कृष्णसहायार्थं देवा यादवतां गताः
By the descent of Rama, the gods took the form of monkeys; likewise, for assisting Krishna, the gods assumed the form of Yadavas.
एवं युगे युगे विष्णुरवताराननेकशः । करोति धर्मरक्षार्थं ब्रह्मणा प्रेरितो भृशम्
Thus, in every age, Vishnu performs numerous descents for the protection of dharma, being earnestly prompted by Brahma.
पुनः पुनर्हरेरेवं नानायोनिषु पार्थिव । अवतारा भवन्त्यन्ये रथचक्रवदद्भुताः
Again and again, O king, Hari's descents occur in various forms; other incarnations arise, wondrous as the wheels of a chariot.
दैत्यानां हननं कर्म कर्तव्यं हरिणा स्वयम् । अंशांशेन पृथिव्यां वै कृत्वा जन्म महात्मना
The slaying of the Daityas must be accomplished by Hari himself, by taking birth on earth through a portion of his own great being.
तदहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि कृष्णजन्मकथां शुभाम् । स एव भगवान्विष्णुरवतीर्णो यदोः कुले
Therefore, I shall now narrate the auspicious story of Krishna’s birth; that very Lord Vishnu descended into the lineage of Yadu.
कश्यपस्य मुनेरंशो वसुदेवः प्रतापवान् । गोवृत्तिरभवद्राजन् पूर्वशापानुभावतः
Vasudeva, the illustrious one, was a portion of the sage Kashyapa; O King, due to a previous curse, he became a cowherd.
कश्यपस्य च द्वे पत्न्यौ शापादत्र महीपते । अदितिः सुरसा चैवमासतुः पृथिवीपते
And, O ruler of the earth, Kashyapa had two wives who, because of a curse, were born here as Aditi and Surasā.
देवकी रोहिणी चोभे भगिन्यौ भरतर्षभ । वरुणेन महाञ्छापो दत्तः कोपादिति श्रुतम्
Devakī and Rohiṇī, both sisters, O best of the Bharatas, received a great curse from Varuṇa, as is well known.
राजोवाच किं कृतं कश्यपेनागो येन शप्तो महानृषिः । सभार्यः स कथं जातस्तद्वदस्व महामते
The king said: What did Kashyapa do, O sage, that caused the great Ṛṣi to be cursed? How was he born with his wives? Tell me this, O wise one.
कथञ्च भगवान्विष्णुस्तत्र जातोऽस्ति गोकुले । वासी वैकुण्ठनिलये रमापतिरखण्डितः
And how did the Lord Vishnu, the undivided consort of Lakshmi, who dwells in Vaikuṇṭha, take birth in Gokula?
निदेशात्कस्य भगवान्वर्तते प्रभुरव्ययः । नारायणः सुरश्रेष्ठो युगादिः सर्वधारकः
By whose command does the imperishable Lord, Nārāyaṇa, the foremost of the gods, the origin of the ages, the sustainer of all, act?
स कथं सदनं त्यक्त्वा कर्मवानिव मानुषे । करोति जननं कस्मादत्र मे संशयो महान्
How does he, abandoning his own abode, act as if bound by karma in a human form? For what reason does he take birth? This is my great doubt.
प्राप्य मानुषदेहं तु करोति च विडम्बनम् । भावान्नानाविधांस्तत्र मानुषे दुष्टजन्मनि
Having obtained a human body, he enacts a semblance, adopting various dispositions in a human birth, even in a wicked one.
कामः क्रोधोऽमर्षशोकौ वैरं प्रीतिश्च कर्हिचित् । सुखं दुःखं भयं नॄणां दैन्यमार्जवमेव च
Desire, anger, jealousy, sorrow, enmity, and sometimes affection; happiness, suffering, fear, poverty, and simplicity among people—
दुष्कृतं सुकृतं चैव वचनं हननं तथा । पोषणं चलनं तापो विमर्शश्च विकत्थनम्
Evil and good deeds, speech, killing, nurturing, movement, pain, deliberation, and boasting—
लोभो दम्भस्तथा मोहः कपटः शोचनं तथा । एते चान्ये तथा भावा मानुष्ये सम्भवन्ति हि
Greed, hypocrisy, delusion, deceit, lamentation, and other such states also arise in human existence.
स कथं भगवान्विष्णुस्त्वक्त्या सुखमनश्वरम् । करोति मानुषं जन्म भावैस्तैस्तैरभिद्रुतम्
How does Lord Vishnu, whose bliss is unchanging and imperishable, take a human birth, beset by such conditions?