आश्रुत्य मघवांस्ताभ्यो वृत्तान्तं तस्य विस्तरात् । तुष्टाव तं महात्मानं नारीर्दृष्ट्वा तथोर्वशीः
Having heard from them in detail the account of what had happened, Maghavan praised that great soul, seeing those women and Urvaśī as well.
इन्द्र उवाच अहो धैर्यं मुनेः कामं तथैव च तपोबलम् । येनोर्वश्यः स्वतपसा तादृग्रूपाः प्रकल्पिताः
Indra said: 'Oh, what fortitude and ascetic power the sage possesses, by whose austerity such beautiful Urvaśīs have been created!'
इति स्तुत्वा प्रसन्नात्मा बभूव सुरराट् ततः । नारायणोऽपि धर्मात्मा तपस्यभिरतोऽभवत्
Having thus praised him, the king of the gods became pleased in heart; and Nārāyaṇa, devoted to righteousness, continued his austerities.
इत्येतत्सर्वमाख्यातं मुनेर्वृत्तान्तमद्भुतम् । नारायणस्य सकलं नरस्य च महामुनेः
Thus has the entire wondrous story of the sage, of Nārāyaṇa and the great sage Nara, been recounted.
तौ हि कृष्णार्जुनौ वीरौ भूभारहरणाय च । जातौ तौ भरतश्रेष्ठ भृगोः शापवशादिह
Indeed, those two heroes, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, were born here under the influence of Bhṛgu's curse, O best of the Bharatas, to relieve the burden of the earth.
राजोवाच कृष्णावतारचरितं विस्तरेण वदस्व मे । सन्देहो मम चित्तेऽस्ति तं निवारय मानद
The king said: 'Tell me in detail the story of Kṛṣṇa's incarnation; there is doubt in my mind—remove it, O bestower of honor.'
ययोः पुत्रत्वमापन्नौ हर्यनन्तौ महाबलौ । देवकीवसुदेवौ तौ दुःखभाजौ कथं मुने
O sage, how is it that Devakī and Vasudeva, whose sons were the mighty Hari and Ananta, became the recipients of suffering?
कंसेन निगडे बद्धौ पीडितौ बहुवत्सरान् । ययोः पुत्रो हरिः साक्षात्तपसा तोषितोऽभवत्
Bound in chains by Kaṃsa, they were tormented for many years; yet their son Hari, directly pleased by their austerity, was born to them.
जातोऽसौ मथुरायां तु गोकुले स कथं गतः । कंसं हत्वा द्वारवत्यां निवासं कृतवान्कथम्
He was born in Mathurā, but how did he go to Gokula? And after killing Kaṃsa, how did he come to dwell in Dvāravatī?
पित्रादिसेवितं देशं समृद्धं पावनं किल । त्यक्त्वा देशान्तरेऽनार्ये गतवान्स कथं हरिः
How did Hari abandon that prosperous and holy land, served by his father and others, and go to another, unrefined country?
कुलञ्च द्विजशापेन कथमुत्सादितं हरेः । भारावतारणं कृत्वा वासुदेवः सनातनः
How was the lineage of Hari destroyed by a brāhmaṇa’s curse, after Vāsudeva, the eternal one, had removed the burden of the earth?
देहं मुमोच तरसा जगाम च दिवं हरिः । पापिष्ठानाञ्च भारेण व्याकुलाभूच्च मेदिनी
Hari swiftly gave up his body and ascended to heaven, and the earth became distressed by the weight of the most wicked.
ते हता वासुदेवेन पार्थेनामितकर्मणा । लुण्ठिता यैर्हरेः पत्न्यस्ते कथं न निपातिताः
Those evil ones were slain by Vāsudeva and by Arjuna, who performed countless deeds; yet those who plundered Hari’s wives—how were they not destroyed?
भीष्मो द्रोणस्तथा कर्णो बाह्लिकोऽप्यथ पार्थिवः । वैराटोऽथ विकर्णश्च धृष्टद्युम्नश्च पार्थिवः
Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, Bāhlika the king, Virāṭa, Vikarṇa, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna the king—
सोमदत्तादयः सर्वे निहताः समरे नृपाः । तेषामुत्तारितो भारश्चौराणां न हृतः कथम्
All the kings like Somadatta and others were slain in battle; how is it that the burden of the thieves was not removed?
कृष्णपत्न्यः कथं दुःखं प्राप्ताः प्रान्ते पतिव्रताः । सन्देहोऽयं मुनिश्रेष्ठ चित्ते मे परिवर्तते
How did Kṛṣṇa’s wives, devoted to their husbands, come to such suffering in the end? O best of sages, this doubt turns over and over in my mind.
वसुदेवस्तु धर्मात्मा पुत्रदुःखेन तापितः । त्यक्तवान्स कथं प्राणानपमृत्युं जगाम ह
Vasudeva, righteous in soul, was tormented by the sorrow of his sons; how did he give up his life and meet with untimely death?
पाण्डवा धर्मसंयुक्ताः कृष्णे च निरताः सदा । ते कथं दुःखभोक्तारो ह्यभवन्मुनिसत्तम
The Pāṇḍavas, ever devoted to righteousness and always intent on Kṛṣṇa—how did they, O best of sages, come to experience suffering?
द्रौपदी च महाभागा कथं दुःखस्य भागिनी । वेदीमध्याच्च सञ्जाता लक्ष्म्यंशसम्भवा किल
And how did Draupadī, greatly fortunate and born from the altar, a portion of Lakṣmī, become a sharer in suffering?
सभायां सा समानीता रजोदोषसमन्विता । बाला दुःशासनेनाथ केशग्रहणकर्शिता
She was brought into the assembly, afflicted by the stain of her period, and, though a young woman, was seized and dragged by her hair by Duḥśāsana.
पीडिता सिन्धुराज्ञाथ वनमध्यगता सती । तथैव कीचकेनापि पीडिता रुदती भृशम्
She was tormented by the king of Sindhu and, though chaste, went into the forest; likewise, she was grievously afflicted by Kīcaka, weeping greatly.
पुत्राः पञ्चैव तस्यास्तु निहता द्रौणिना गृहे । सुभद्रायाः सुतो युद्धे बाल एव निपातितः
Her five sons were slain at home by Drauni, and Subhadrā’s son was cut down in battle while still a boy.
तथा च देवकीपुत्रा षट् कंसेन निषूदिताः । समर्थेनापि हरिणा दैवं न कृतमन्यथा
Likewise, Devakī’s six sons were killed by Kaṃsa; even though Hari was capable, fate did not turn otherwise.
यादवानां तथा शापः प्रभासे निधनं पुनः । कुलक्षयस्तथा तीव्रस्तत्पत्नीनाञ्च लुण्ठनम्
So too, the curse upon the Yādavas led to their destruction at Prabhāsa, and there was a terrible annihilation of the clan and the plundering of their wives.
विष्णुना चेश्वरेणापि साक्षान्नारायणेन च । उग्रसेनस्य सेवा वै दासवत्सततं कृता
Even Vishnu, the Lord himself, Narayana in person, continually served Ugrasena like a servant.
सन्देहोऽयं महाभाग तत्र नारायणे मुनौ । सर्वजन्तुसमानत्वं व्यवहारे निरन्तरम्
O greatly fortunate one, there is this doubt regarding Narayana, the sage: why does he always behave just like any other being?
हर्षशोकादयो भावाः सर्वेषां सदृशाः कथम् । ईश्वरस्य हरेर्जाता कथमप्यन्यथा गतिः
How is it that feelings such as joy and sorrow arise equally in all, and how could there be any different outcome for Hari, the Lord?
तस्माद्विस्तरतो ब्रूहि कृष्णस्य चरितं महत् । अलौकिकेन हरिणा कृतं कर्म महीतले
Therefore, tell in detail the great deeds of Krishna, the extraordinary acts performed by Hari on earth.
हता आयुःक्षये दैत्याः क्लेशेन महता पुनः । क्वैश्वर्यशक्तिः प्रथिता हरिणा मुनिसत्तम
When the demons were slain at the end of their lives, again through great suffering, where was the famed power and majesty of Hari, O best of sages?
रुक्मिणीहरणे नूनं गृहीत्वाथ पलायनम् । कृतं हि वासुदेवेन चौरवच्चरितं तदा
Surely, in the abduction of Rukmini, Vasudeva acted like a thief, seizing her and fleeing away.