ततो दुन्दुभयो नेदुर्वादित्राणि च सस्वनुः । जयशब्दस्तु सर्वेषामुत्पन्नस्तत्र संसदि
Then drums resounded and musical instruments played; cries of victory arose among all those assembled there.
प्रसाद्य कंसं प्रतिमोच्य देवकीं महायशाः शूरसुतस्तदानीम् । जगाम गेहं स्वजनानुवृत्तो नवोढया वीतभयस्तरस्वी
Having appeased Kamsa and released Devaki, the illustrious son of Shura then went home, accompanied by his people and his newly-wedded wife, fearless and swift.
कंसेन देवकीप्रथमपुत्रवधवर्णनम् व्यास उवाच अथ काले तु सम्प्राप्ते देवकी देवरूपिणी । गर्भं दधार विधिवद्वसुदेवेन सङ्गता
The killing of Devaki's firstborn by Kamsa—Vyasa said: Then, when the time had come, Devaki, divine in form, united with Vasudeva according to the rites, conceived.
पूर्णेऽथ दशमे मासे सुषुवे सुतमुत्तमम् । रूपावयवसम्पन्नं देवकी प्रथमं यदा
When the tenth month was complete, Devaki gave birth to an excellent son, endowed with beauty and perfect limbs, her first child.
तदाऽऽह वसुदेवस्तां सत्यवाक्यानुमोदितः । भावित्वाच्च महाभागो देवकीं देवमातरम्
Then Vasudeva, having reflected and assented to truthful words, addressed Devaki, the blessed mother of the gods.
वरोरु समयं मे त्वं जानासि स्वसुतार्पणे । मोचिता त्वं महाभागे शपथेन मया तदा
O fair-waisted one, you know the agreement I made to give our children; O blessed one, at that time I freed you by my oath.
इमं पुत्रं सुकेशान्ते दास्यामि भ्रातृसूनवे । (खले कंसे विनाशार्थं दैवे किं वा करिष्यसि ।)
I will give this son, with beautiful hair, to your brother's son; (What can you do against fate, or for the destruction of the wicked Kamsa?)
सर्वेषां किल जीवानां कालपाशानुवर्तिनाम् । भोक्तव्यं स्वकृतं कर्म शुभ वा यदि वाशुभम्
For all living beings, bound by the noose of time, must experience the results of their own actions, whether good or bad.
प्रारब्धं सर्वथैवात्र जीवस्य विधिनिर्मितम् । देवक्युवाच स्वामिन् पूर्वं कृतं कर्म भोक्तव्यं सर्वथा नृभिः
Indeed, what has been set in motion for a living being is always ordained by fate. Devaki said: O lord, everyone must experience the karma they have previously performed.
तीर्थैस्तपोभिर्दानैर्वा किं न याति क्षयं हि तत् । लिखितो धर्मशास्त्रेषु प्रायश्चित्तविधिर्नृप
Why does it not perish through pilgrimages, austerities, or gifts? For, O king, the method of atonement is prescribed in the scriptures.
पूर्वार्जितानां पापानां विनाशाय महात्मभिः । ब्रह्महा हेमहारी च सुरापो गुरुतल्पगः
For the destruction of sins committed in previous lives, the great souls have prescribed that even a slayer of a Brahmin, a gold thief, a drinker of liquor, or one who violates the teacher's bed—
द्वादशाब्दव्रते चीर्णे शुद्धिं याति यतस्ततः । मन्वादिभिर्यथोद्दिष्टं प्रायश्चित्तं विधानतः
—after observing a twelve-year vow, attains purification; and thus, as prescribed by Manu and others, one should perform the expiatory rites according to rule.
तथा कृत्वा नरः पापान्मुच्यते वा न वानघ । विगीतवचनास्ते किं मुनयस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः
But even after doing so, is a person truly freed from sin or not, O sinless one? What do those sages, knowers of truth, declare about this?
याज्ञवल्क्यादयः सर्वे धर्मशास्त्रप्रवर्तकाः । भवितव्यं भवत्येव यद्येवं निश्चयः प्रभो
All the promulgators of the Dharmaśāstra, such as Yājñavalkya and others, have declared that what must happen will indeed happen, if such is the determination, O Lord.
आयुर्वेदः स मिथ्यैव मन्त्रवादास्तथाखिलाः । उद्यमस्तु वृथा सर्वमेवं चेद्दैवनिर्मितम्
If everything is determined by fate, then Ayurveda is false, all incantations are likewise false, and every effort is in vain.
भवितव्यं भवत्येव प्रवृत्तिस्तु निरर्थिका । अग्निष्टोमादिकं व्यर्थं नियतं स्वर्गसाधनम्
If what must happen will certainly happen, then all activity is meaningless; even Agniṣṭoma and other rites, which are said to surely lead to heaven, are pointless.
यदा तदा प्रमाणं हि वृथैव परिभाषितम् । वितथे तत्प्रमाणे तु धर्मोच्छेदः कुतो न हि
If that is so, then scriptural authority is rendered useless, and all discussion is in vain; and if that authority is false, why would there not be a collapse of righteousness?
उद्यमे च कृते सिद्धिः प्रत्यक्षेणैव साध्यते । तस्मादत्र प्रकर्तव्यः प्रपञ्चश्चित्तकल्पितः
But when effort is made, success is directly achieved; therefore, in this matter, one should act, for the world is shaped by the mind.
यथायं बालकः क्षेमं प्राप्नोति मम पुत्रकः । मिथ्या यदि प्रकर्तव्यं वचनं शुभमिच्छता
Just as someone wishing well for a child says, 'May this boy, my son, attain safety,' even if the statement is untrue, it should be made by one desiring good.
न तत्र दूषणं किञ्चित्पवदन्ति मनीषिणः । वसुदेव उवाच निशामय महाभागे सत्यमेतद् ब्रवीमि ते
The wise say there is no fault in this; Vasudeva said: Listen, O greatly fortunate one, I speak this truth to you.
उद्यमः खलु कर्तव्यः फलं दैववशानुगम् । त्रिविधानीह कर्माणि संसारेऽत्र पुराविदः
Indeed, effort must be made, but the result follows the will of fate; in this world, the ancient sages speak of three kinds of actions.
प्रवदन्तीह जीवानां पुराणेष्वागमेषु च । सञ्चितानि च जीर्णानि प्रारब्धानि सुमध्यमे
They declare in the Purāṇas and Āgamas that for living beings, there are accumulated, exhausted, and commenced actions, O most virtuous one.
वर्तमानानि वामोरु विविधानीह देहिनाम् । शुभाशुभानि कर्माणि बीजभूतानि यानि च
O slender-waisted one, there are also present actions of various kinds for embodied beings, both auspicious and inauspicious, which serve as seeds.
बहुजन्मसमुत्थानि काले तिष्ठन्ति सर्वथा । पूर्वदेहं परित्यज्य जीवः कर्मवशानुगः
Arising from many births, they remain in every way for a time; abandoning the previous body, the soul proceeds according to its karma.
स्वर्गं वा नरकं वापि प्राप्नोति स्वकृतेन वै । दिव्यं देहञ्च सम्प्राप्य यातनादेहमर्थजम्
By its own actions, it attains either heaven or hell, and, obtaining a divine body or a body born for suffering—
भुनक्ति विविधान् भोगान्स्वर्गे वा नरकेऽथवा । भोगान्ते च यदोत्पत्तेः समयस्तस्य जायते
—it experiences various enjoyments, whether in heaven or in hell; and when the time for its next birth arrives at the end of those enjoyments—
लिङ्गदेहेन सहितं जायते जीवसंज्ञितम् । तदैव सञ्चितेभ्यश्च कर्मभ्यः कर्मभिः पुनः
—it is born again, together with its subtle body, as what is called a living being; and then, from the accumulated karmas, with those actions once more—
योजयत्येव तं कालं कर्माणि प्राक्कृतानि च । देहेनानेन भाव्यानि शुभानि चाशुभानि च
—it is again joined to that time, with the actions done previously, and with this body, it experiences both auspicious and inauspicious results.
प्रारब्धानि च जीवेन भोक्तव्यानि सुलोचने । प्रायश्चित्तेन नश्यन्ति वर्तमानानि भामिनि
O bright-eyed one, the karmas that have begun must be experienced by the living being; present karmas are destroyed by expiation, O beautiful one.
सञ्चितानि तथैवाशु यथार्थं विहितेन च । प्रारब्धकर्मणां भोगात्संक्षयो नान्यथा भवेत्
In the same way, accumulated karmas are quickly exhausted by proper actions; but the enjoyment of karmas that have begun cannot be avoided otherwise.