Linga Purana

श्रीदेवा शान्तिदेवा च सहदेवा तथापरा देवकी चापि तासां च वरिष्ठाभूत्सुमध्यमा

Śrīdevā, Śāntidevā, Sahadevā, and Devakī were among them; of these, Devakī was the most distinguished and of noble character.

नवोग्रसेनस्य सुतास् तेषां कंसस्तु पूर्वजः तेषां पुत्राश्च पौत्राश् च शतशो ऽथ सहस्रशः

Ugrasena had nine sons, with Kaṃsa as the eldest; their sons and grandsons numbered in the hundreds and thousands.

देवकस्य सुता पत्नी वसुदेवस्य धीमतः बभूव वन्द्या पूज्या च देवैरपि पतिव्रता

Devakī, daughter of Devaka, became the wife of the wise Vasudeva; she was revered and honored even by the gods, devoted to her husband.

रोहिणी च महाभागा पत्नी चानकदुन्दुभेः पौरवी बाह्लिकसुता संपूज्यासीत्सुरैरपि

Rohiṇī, greatly fortunate, was also the wife of Anakadundubhi; Pauravī, daughter of Bāhlika, was honored even by the gods.

असूत रोहिणी रामं बलश्रेष्ठं हलायुधम् आश्रितं कंसभीत्या च स्वात्मानं शान्ततेजसम्

Rohiṇī gave birth to Rāma, the foremost in strength, wielder of the plough; out of fear of Kaṃsa, she concealed her own radiant self.

जाते रामे ऽथ निहते षड्गर्भे चातिदक्षिणे वसुदेवो हरिं धीमान् देवक्यामुदपादयत्

When Rāma was born and the six sons had been slain, the wise Vasudeva begot Hari in Devakī.

स एव परमात्मासौ देवदेवो जनार्दनः हलायुधश् च भगवान् अनन्तो रजतप्रभः

He is the Supreme Self, the god of gods, Janārdana; and the blessed Halāyudha, Ananta, shining like silver.

भृगुशापछलेनैव मानयन्मानुषीं तनुम् बभूव तस्यां देवक्यां वासुदेवो जनार्दन

By the pretext of Bhṛgu's curse, honoring a human form, Janārdana Vāsudeva was born in Devakī.

उमादेहसमुद्भूता योगनिद्रा च कौशिकी नियोगाद्देवदेवस्य यशोदातनया ह्यभूत्

Yoganidrā, arising from the body of Umā and called Kauśikī, by the will of the god of gods, became the daughter of Yaśodā.

सा चैव प्रकृतिः साक्षात् सर्वदेवनमस्कृता पुरुषो भगवान्कृष्णो धर्ममोक्षफलप्रदः

She is indeed Prakṛti herself, directly worshipped by all the gods; and the blessed Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, bestower of the fruits of dharma and liberation.

तां कन्यां जगृहे रक्षन् कंसात्स्वस्यात्मजं तदा चतुर्भुजं विशालाक्षं श्रीवत्सकृतलाञ्छनम्

That maiden, with wide eyes and four arms, bearing the mark of Śrīvatsa on her chest, was taken up by him to protect his own son from Kaṃsa.

शङ्खचक्रगदापद्मं धारयन्तं जनार्दनम् यशोदायै प्रदत्त्वा तु वसुदेवश् च बुद्धिमान्

Janārdana, bearing the conch, discus, mace, and lotus, was given by the wise Vasudeva to Yaśodā.

दत्त्वैनं नन्दगोपस्य रक्षतामिति चाब्रवीत् रक्षकं जगतां विष्णुं स्वेच्छया धृतविग्रहम्

Having given him to Nandagopa, saying, 'Let him be protected,' Vasudeva entrusted Viṣṇu, the protector of the worlds, who had assumed a form by his own will.

प्रसादाच्चैव देवस्य शिवस्यामिततेजसः रामेण सार्धं तं दत्त्वा वरदं परमेश्वरम्

By the grace of the god Śiva, of immeasurable brilliance, the boon-bestowing Supreme Lord was given to Rāma.

भूभारनिग्रहार्थं च ह्य् अवतीर्णं जगद्गुरुम् अतो वै सर्वकल्याणं यादवानां भविष्यति

And for the purpose of relieving the burden of the earth, the preceptor of the world descended; therefore, all auspiciousness will come to the Yādavas.

अयं स गर्भो देवक्या यो नः क्लेश्यान्हरिष्यति उग्रसेनात्मजायाथ कंसायानकदुन्दुभिः

This is the embryo of Devakī, who will remove our afflictions; and then the son of Ugrasena, Kaṃsa, the son of Ānakadundubhi's wife.

निवेदयामास तदा जातां कन्यां सुलक्षणाम् अस्यास्तवाष्टमो गर्भो देवक्याः कंस सुव्रत

Then, he announced the birth of a well-marked girl: 'This is the eighth embryo of Devakī, O Kaṃsa of good vows.'

मृत्युर् एव न संदेह इति वाणी पुरातनी ततस्तां हन्तुमारेभे कंसः सोल्लङ्घ्य चांबरम्

There is no doubt that she is death itself—so goes the ancient saying; then Kaṃsa, leaping into the air, began to kill her.

उवाचाष्टभुजा देवी मेघगंभीरया गिरा रक्षस्व तत्स्वकं देहम् आयातो मृत्युरेव ते

The eight-armed goddess spoke with a voice deep as a cloud: 'Protect your own body; your death has already arrived.'

रक्षमाणस्य देहस्य मायावी कंसरूपिणः किं कृतं दुष्कृतं मूर्ख जातः खलु तवान्तकृत्

'While you protect your body, O deceiver in the form of Kaṃsa, what evil deed have you committed, fool, that your destroyer has now been born?'

देवक्याः स भयात्कंसो जघानैवाष्टमं त्विति स्मरन्ति विहितो मृत्युर् देवक्यास् तनयो ऽष्टमः

Out of fear of Devakī, Kaṃsa killed the eighth child—so it is remembered; but the eighth son of Devakī was destined to be his death.

यस्तत्प्रतिकृतौ यत्नो भोजस्यासीद्वृथा हरेः प्रभावान्मुनिशार्दूलास् तया चैव जडीकृतः

The effort made by Bhoja to substitute that child was in vain, O tiger among sages, for by the power of Hari and by her, he was rendered inert.

कंसो ऽपि निहतस्तेन कृष्णेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा निहता बहवश्चान्ये देवब्राह्मणघातिनः

Kaṃsa too was slain by that Kṛṣṇa, whose actions are untainted; and many others, slayers of gods and Brāhmaṇas, were also killed.

तस्य कृष्णस्य तनयाः प्रद्युम्नप्रमुखास् तथा बहवः परिसंख्याताः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः

The sons of Kṛṣṇa, headed by Pradyumna, and many others, all renowned and skilled in battle, are enumerated.

कृष्णपुत्राः समाख्याताः कृष्णेन सदृशाः सुताः पुत्रेष्वेतेषु सर्वेषु चारुदेष्णादयो हरेः

The sons of Kṛṣṇa are named, all resembling Kṛṣṇa; among all these sons of Hari, Cārudeṣṇa and others are distinguished.

विशिष्टा बलवन्तश् च रौक्मिणेयारिसूदनाः षोडशस्त्रीसहस्राणि शतमेकं तथाधिकम्

Especially powerful are the sons of Rukmiṇī, O slayer of enemies; Kṛṣṇa had sixteen thousand one hundred wives.

कृष्णस्य तासु सर्वासु प्रिया ज्येष्ठा च रुक्मिणी तया द्वादशवर्षाणि कृष्णेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा

Among all of them, Rukmiṇī was Kṛṣṇa’s beloved and eldest; with her, Kṛṣṇa, whose actions are untainted, dwelt for twelve years.

उष्यता वायुभक्षेण पुत्रार्थं पूजितो हरः चारुदेष्णः सुचारुश् च चारुवेषो यशोधरः

Desiring sons, Hara was worshipped by subsisting on air for twelve years; Cārudeṣṇa, Sucāru, Cāruveṣa, and Yaśodhara were born.

चारुश्रवाश्चारुयशाः प्रद्युम्नः साम्ब एव च एते लब्धास्तु कृष्णेन शूलपाणिप्रसादतः

Cāruśravā, Cāruyaśas, Pradyumna, and Sāmba as well—these were obtained by Kṛṣṇa through the grace of the trident-bearing Lord.