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?
किं सुखं मानुषं प्राप्य भुवि जन्म मुनीश्वर । किं निमित्तं हरिः साक्षाद्गर्भवासं करोति वै
What happiness is there in gaining a human birth on earth, O best of sages? For what reason does Hari himself enter the womb?
गर्भदुःखं जन्मदुःखं बालभावे तथा पुनः । यौवने कामजं दुःखं गार्हस्त्येऽतिमहत्तरम्
The suffering of the womb, the pain of birth, and again in childhood; in youth, the suffering born of desire, and in household life, the greatest of all.
दुःखान्येतान्यवाप्नोति मानुषे द्विजसत्तम । कथं स भगवान्विष्णुरवतारान्पुनः पुनः
These sufferings are obtained in human life, O best of twice-born; how does Lord Vishnu repeatedly take incarnations?
प्राप्य रामावतारं हि हरिणा ब्रह्मयोनिना । दुःखं महत्तरं प्राप्तं वनवासेऽतिदारुणे
Having taken the incarnation as Rāma, Hari, born from Brahmā, endured even greater suffering during the exceedingly harsh forest exile.
सीताविरहजं दुःखं संग्रामश्च पुनः पुनः । कान्तात्यागोऽप्यनेनैवमनुभूतो महात्मना
The sorrow born from Sita's separation, and battles again and again, as well as the abandonment of his beloved—these too were experienced by that great-souled one.
तथा कृष्णावतारेऽपि जन्म रक्षागृहे पुनः । गोकुले गमनं चैव गवां चारणमित्युत
Likewise, in the Krishna incarnation, there was birth in the prison house, then going to Gokula, and indeed the tending of cows.
कंसस्य हननं कष्टाद् द्वारकागमनं पुनः । नानासंसारदुःखानि भुक्तवान्भगवान् कथम्
The slaying of Kamsa with great hardship, then the journey to Dvaraka, and various sufferings of worldly existence—how did the Blessed Lord endure them?
स्वेच्छया कः प्रतीक्षेत मुक्तो दुःखानि ज्ञानवान् । संशयं छिन्धि सर्वज्ञ मम चित्तप्रशान्तये
Who, being liberated and wise, would willingly endure sufferings? O Omniscient One, dispel my doubt for the peace of my mind.
दित्या अदित्यै शापदानम् व्यास उवाच कारणानि बहून्यत्राप्यवतारे हरेः किल । सर्वेषां चैव देवानामंशावतरणेष्वपि
Vyasa said: There are indeed many reasons for the incarnations of Hari, and also for the partial descents of all the gods.
वसुदेवावतारस्य कारणं शृणु तत्त्वतः । देवक्याश्चैव रोहिण्या अवतारस्य कारणम्
Hear now, in truth, the reason for Vasudeva's incarnation, and also for the incarnations of Devaki and Rohini.
एकदा कश्यपः श्रीमान्यज्ञार्थं धेनुमाहरत् । याचितोऽयं बहुविधं न ददौ धेनुमुत्तमाम्
Once, the illustrious Kashyapa, for the sake of a sacrifice, asked for a cow; though entreated in many ways, he did not give the excellent cow.
वरुणस्तु ततो गत्वा ब्रह्माणं जगतः प्रभुम् । प्रणम्योवाच दीनात्मा स्वदुःखं विनयान्वितः
Then Varuna, going to Brahma, the Lord of the world, bowed and spoke with a distressed heart, humbly telling of his own suffering.
किं करोमि महाभाग मत्तोऽसौ न ददाति गाम् । शापो मया विसृष्टोऽस्मै गोपालो भव मानुषे
"What shall I do, O greatly fortunate one? He does not give me the cow. I have pronounced a curse upon him: 'Become a cowherd among men.'"
भार्ये द्वे अपि तत्रैव भवेतां चातिदुःखिते । यतो वत्सा रुदन्त्यत्र मातृहीनाः सुदुःखिताः
"Let both his wives also be there, exceedingly afflicted, for here the calves, deprived of their mothers, are crying in great distress."
मृतवत्सादितिस्तस्माद्भविष्यति धरातले । कारागारनिवासा च तेनापि बहुदुःखिता
"Therefore, there will be the killing of their calves on earth, and by dwelling in prison, they too will suffer greatly."
व्यास उवाच तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य यादोनाथस्य पद्मभूः । समाहूय मुनिं तत्र तमुवाच प्रजापतिः
Vyasa said: Hearing the words of that lord of the Yadus, the lotus-born one summoned the sage there and the Lord of creatures spoke to him.
कस्मात्त्वया महाभाग लोकपालस्य धेनवः । हृताः पुनर्न दत्ताश्च किमन्यायं करोषि च
"Why, O greatly fortunate one, have you taken the cows of the guardian of the world and not returned them? Why do you act unjustly?"
जानन् न्यायं महाभाग परवित्तापहारणम् । कृतवान्कथमन्यायं सर्वज्ञोऽसि महामते
"Knowing the law, O greatly fortunate one, that taking another's property is wrong, how have you done this injustice? You are all-knowing and of great wisdom."
अहो लोभस्य महिमा महतोऽपि न मुञ्चति । लोभं नरकदं नूनं पापाकरमसम्मतम्
"Ah, such is the power of greed—it does not release even the great. Greed surely leads to hell and is condemned as sinful."
कश्यपोऽपि न तं त्यक्तुं समर्थः किं करोम्यहम् । सर्वदैवाधिकस्तस्माल्लोभो वै कलितो मया
"Even Kashyapa was not able to abandon it—what can I do? Therefore, I have reckoned greed as always stronger than the gods."