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.
तेनायं ते कुमारो वै देयः कंसाय सर्वथा । न मिथ्या वचनं मेऽस्ति लोकनिन्दाभिदूषितम्
Therefore, this son of yours must certainly be given to Kamsa; my word is never false, nor tainted by the blame of public censure.
अनित्येऽस्मिंस्तु संसारे धर्मसारे महात्मनाम् । दैवाधीनं हि सर्वेषां मरणं जननं तथा
In this impermanent world, the essence of righteousness is found in the great-souled; for birth and death for all are indeed subject to fate.
तस्माच्छोको न कर्तव्यो देहिना हि निरर्थकः । सत्यं यस्य गतं कान्ते वृथा तस्यैव जीवितम्
Therefore, grief should not be indulged by the embodied, for it is useless; truly, for one whose beloved is gone, life itself is in vain.
इहलोको गतो यस्मात्परलोकः कुतस्ततः । अतो देहि सुतं सुभ्रु कंसाय प्रददाम्यहम्
Since this world has been lost, how can there be a next world? Therefore, O lovely-browed one, give me the son, I shall hand him over to Kamsa.
सत्यसंस्तरणाद्देवि शुभमग्रे भविष्यति । कर्तव्यं सुकृतं पुम्भिः सुखे दुःखे सति प्रिये
O goddess, by upholding truth, good will come in the future; a man must do righteous deeds, whether in happiness or in sorrow, dear one.
(सत्यसंरक्षणाद्देवि शुभमेव भविष्यति) ॥ व्यास उवाच इत्युक्तवति कान्ते सा देवकी शोकसंयुता । ददौ पुत्रं प्रसूतं च वेपमाना मनस्विनी
(O goddess, by protecting truth, only good will result.) Vyasa said: When her beloved had spoken thus, Devaki, filled with sorrow, trembling, and steadfast in mind, gave her newborn son.
वसुदेवोऽपि धर्मात्मा आदाय स्वसुतं शिशुम् । जगाम कंससदनं मार्गे लोकैरभिष्टुतः
Vasudeva, righteous-souled, taking his own infant son, went to Kamsa's palace, praised by the people along the way.
लोका ऊचुः पश्यन्तु वसुदेवं भो लोका एवं मनस्विनम् । स्ववाक्यमनुरुध्यैव बालमादाय यात्यसौ
The people said: Let the people see Vasudeva, so resolute, who, keeping his word, is carrying his child.
मृत्यवे दातुकामोऽद्य सत्यवागनसूयकः । सफलं जीवितं चास्य धर्मं पश्यन्तु चाद्भुतम्
Desiring to give his son today to death, truthful and free from deceit; let them see his wondrous righteousness, and that his life is fulfilled.
यः पुत्रं याति कंसाय दातुं कालात्मनेऽपि हि । व्यास उवाच इति संस्तूयमानस्तु प्राप्तः कंसालयं नृप
He who goes to give his son even to Kamsa, the very embodiment of death—Vyasa said: Thus praised, he reached Kamsa's palace, O King.