कर्मक्षये जन्मनाशः प्राणिनां नात्र संशयः । ब्रह्मा विष्णुस्तथा रुद्र इन्द्राद्याश्च सुरास्तथा
When karma is exhausted, the end of birth comes for living beings—of this there is no doubt. Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Indra, and the other gods,
दानवा यक्षगन्धर्वाः सर्वे कर्मवशा किल । अन्यथा देहसम्बन्धः कथं भवति भूपते
the dānavas, yakṣas, and gandharvas—all are indeed subject to karma; otherwise, O king, how could there be embodiment?
कारणं यस्तु भोगस्य देहिनः सुखदुःखयोः । तस्मादनेकजन्मोत्थसञ्चितानां च कर्मणाम्
The cause of enjoyment for the embodied being, of pleasure and pain, is thus the accumulated actions arising from many births.
मध्ये वेगः समायाति कस्यचित्कालपाकतः । तत्प्रारब्धवशात्पुण्यं करोति च यथा तथा
In the midst of these, at a certain time, the force of some action matures; by the power of that destiny, one performs virtuous deeds accordingly.
पापं करोति मनुजस्तथा देवादयोऽपि च । तथा नारायणो राजन्नरश्च धर्मजावुभौ
A person acts sinfully in the same way, and so do the gods and others; likewise, O King, even Nārāyaṇa and Nara, both born of righteousness, act thus.
जातौ कृष्णार्जुनौ काममंशौ नारायणस्य तौ । पुराणपीठिकेयं वै मुनिभिः परिकीर्तिता
In their birth as Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, they are indeed considered portions of Nārāyaṇa; this ancient account is well known among the sages.
देवांशः स तु विज्ञेयो यो भवेद्विभवाधिकः । नानृषिः कुरुते काव्यं नारुद्रो रुद्रमर्चते
That one should be understood as a portion of a god who possesses superior power; a non-seer does not compose poetry, nor does one who is not Rudra worship Rudra.
नादेवांशो ददात्यन्नं नाविष्णुः पृथिवीपतिः । इन्द्रादग्नेर्यमाद्विष्णोर्धनदादिति भूपते
One who is not a portion of a god does not give food; one who is not Viṣṇu is not lord of the earth; O King, from Indra, Agni, Yama, Viṣṇu, and Kubera come the givers of wealth.
प्रभुत्वं च प्रभावं च कोपं चैव पराक्रमम् । आदाय क्रियते नूनं शरीरमिति निश्चयः
Indeed, it is certain that power, might, anger, and valor are assumed, and then a body is taken up.
यः कश्चिद्बलवाँल्लोके भाग्यवानथ भोगवान् । विद्यावान्दानवान्वापि स देवांशः प्रपढ्यते
Whoever in this world is strong, fortunate, or enjoys pleasures, learned or wealthy—that one is to be regarded as a portion of a god.
तथैवैते मयाख्याता पाण्डवाः पृथिवीपते । देवांशो वासुदेवोऽपि नारायणसमद्युतिः
In the same way, O lord of the earth, these Pāṇḍavas I have described are also portions of gods; Vāsudeva, equal in splendor to Nārāyaṇa, is likewise a divine portion.
शरीरं प्राणिनां नूनं भाजनं सुखदुःखयोः । शरीरी प्राप्नुयात्कामं सुखं दुःखमनन्तरम्
The body of living beings is certainly the vessel of pleasure and pain; the embodied one attains, as destined, happiness or suffering thereafter.
देही नास्ति वशः कोऽपि दैवाधीनः सदैव हि । जननं मरणं दुःखं सुखं प्राप्नोति चावशः
No embodied being has independence; always subject to fate, one inevitably experiences birth, death, suffering, and happiness.
पाण्डवास्ते वने जाताः प्राप्तास्तु स्वगृहं पुनः । स्वबाहुबलतः पश्चाद्राजसूयं क्रतूत्तमम्
The Pāṇḍavas were born in the forest and later returned to their own home; afterwards, by the strength of their own arms, they performed the great Rājasūya sacrifice.
वनवासं पुनः प्राप्ता बहुदुःखकरं परम् । अर्जुनेन तपस्तप्तं दुष्करं ह्यजितेन्द्रियैः
Again they underwent exile in the forest, which brought them great suffering; Arjuna performed severe austerities, difficult indeed for those who have not mastered their senses.
सन्तुष्टैस्तु सुरैर्दत्तं वरदानं पुनः शुभम् । नरदेहकृतं पुण्यं क्व गतं वनवासजम्
Satisfied, the gods granted them an auspicious boon; but where did the merit acquired in human form, especially from their forest exile, go?
नरदेहे तपस्तप्तं चोग्रं बदरिकाश्रमे । नार्जुनस्य शरीरे तत्फलदं सम्बभूव ह
In human form, Arjuna performed intense austerities at Badarikāśrama; that austerity bore fruit in Arjuna's own body.
प्राणिनां देहसम्बन्धे गहना कर्मणो गतिः । दुर्ज्ञेया सर्वथा देवैर्मानवानां तु का कथा
The course of karma in connection with the bodies of living beings is profound; it is always difficult to know, even for the gods—what then of humans?
वासुदेवोऽपि सञ्जातः कारागारेऽतिसङ्कटे । नीतोऽसौ वसुदेवेन नन्दगोपस्य गोकुलम्
Even Vāsudeva was born in a most confining prison; he was taken by Vasudeva to the cowherd settlement of Nanda.
एकादशैव वर्षाणि संस्थितस्तत्र भारत । पुनः स मथुरां गत्वा जघानोग्रसुतं बलात्
He remained there for eleven years, O Bhārata; then, going to Mathurā, he forcefully slew the son of Ugrasena.
मोचयामास पितरौ बन्धनाद्भृशदुःखितौ । उग्रसेनं च राजानञ्चकार मधुरापुरे
He released his parents, who were greatly distressed, from their bondage, and made Ugrasena king in the city of Mathurā.
जगाम द्वारवत्यां स म्लेच्छराजभयात्पुनः । सर्वं भाविवशात्कृष्णः कृतवान्पौरुषं महत्
Then, out of fear of the barbarian kings, Kṛṣṇa went again to Dvāravatī; all this he did according to destiny, performing great deeds.
कृत्वा कार्याण्यनेकानि द्वारवत्यां जनार्दनः । देहं त्यक्त्वा प्रभासे तु सकुटुम्बो दिवं गतः
Having accomplished many tasks in Dvāravatī, Janārdana, together with his family, abandoned his body at Prabhāsa and ascended to heaven.
पुत्राः पौत्राश्च सुहृदो भ्रातरो जामयस्तथा । प्रभासे यादवाः सर्वे विप्रशापात्क्षयं गताः
His sons, grandsons, friends, brothers, and brothers-in-law—all the Yādavas at Prabhāsa—perished due to the curse of the Brāhmaṇas.
एवं ते कथिता राजन् कर्मणो गहना गतिः । वासुदेवोऽपि व्याधस्य बाणेन निधनं गतः
Thus, O King, the inscrutable course of karma has been described to you; even Vāsudeva met his end by the arrow of a hunter.
युगधर्मव्यवस्थावर्णनम् जनमेजय उवाच भारावतारणार्थाय कथितं जन्म कृष्णयोः । संशयोऽयं द्विजश्रेष्ठ हृदये मम तिष्ठति
Janamejaya said: The birth of Kṛṣṇa for the removal of the earth's burden has been told; yet, O best of Brāhmaṇas, a doubt remains in my heart.
पृथिवी गोस्वरूपेण ब्रह्माणं शरणं गता । द्वापरान्तेऽतिदीनार्ता गुरुभारप्रपीडिता
The earth, taking the form of a cow, sought refuge with Brahmā at the end of Dvāpara, extremely afflicted and oppressed by the heavy burden.
वेधसा प्रार्थितो विष्णुः कमलापतिरीश्वरः । भूभारोत्तारणार्थाय साधूनां रक्षणाय च
Viṣṇu, Lord of Lakṣmī, was entreated by the Creator for the removal of the earth's burden and for the protection of the virtuous.
भगवन् भारते खण्डे देवैः सह जनार्दन । अवतारं गृहाणाशु वसुदेवगृहे विभो
O Lord Janārdana, together with the gods, descend quickly in the house of Vasudeva on the land of Bhārata.
एवं सम्प्रार्थितो धात्रा भगवान्देवकीसुतः । बभूव सह रामेण भूभारोत्तारणाय वै
Thus entreated by the Creator, the blessed son of Devakī was born together with Rāma for the removal of the earth's burden.