Linga Purana

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.

तान् दृष्ट्वा तनयान्वीरान् रौक्मिणेयांश् च रुक्मिणीम् जाम्बवत्यब्रवीत्कृष्णं भार्या कृष्णस्य धीमतः

Seeing those heroic sons and the sons of Rukmiṇī, Jāmbavatī, wife of wise Kṛṣṇa, spoke to him.

मम त्वं पुण्डरीकाक्ष विशिष्टं गुणवत्तरम् सुरेशसंमितं पुत्रं प्रसन्नो दातुमर्हसि

'O lotus-eyed one, you should graciously give me a son who is distinguished, most virtuous, and esteemed by the lord of gods.'

जाम्बवत्या वचः श्रुत्वा जगन्नाथस्ततो हरिः तपस्तप्तुं समारेभे तपोनिधिरनिन्दितः

Hearing the words of Jāmbavatī, the Lord of the universe, Hari, the faultless repository of austerity, then undertook penance.

सो ऽथ नारायणः कृष्णः शङ्खचक्रगदाधरः व्याघ्रपादस्य च मुनेर् गत्वा चैवाश्रमोत्तमम्

Then Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, bearer of the conch, discus, and mace, went to the excellent hermitage of the sage Vyāghrapāda.

ऋषिं दृष्ट्वा त्वङ्गिरसं प्रणिपत्य जनार्दनः दिव्यं पाशुपतं योगं लब्धवांस्तस्य चाज्ञया

Seeing the sage Aṅgiras, Janārdana bowed down and, by his command, obtained the divine Pāśupata yoga.

प्रलुप्तश्मश्रुकेशश् च घृताक्तो मुञ्जमेखली दीक्षितो भगवान्कृष्णस् तताप च परंतपः

Having his hair and beard removed, anointed with ghee, girded with a muñja grass belt, the blessed Kṛṣṇa, the subduer of foes, undertook severe austerity.

ऊर्ध्वबाहुर् निरालंबः पादाङ्गुष्ठाग्रधिष्ठितः फलाम्बनिलभोजी च ऋतुत्रयम् अधोक्षजः

With arms raised, unsupported, standing on the tips of his toes, subsisting on fruits, water, and air, Adhokṣaja practiced for three seasons.

तपसा तस्य संतुष्टो ददौ रुद्रो बहून् वरान् साम्बं जांबवतीपुत्रं कृष्णाय च महात्मने

Pleased by his austerity, Rudra granted many boons to Kṛṣṇa, the great-souled one, including Sāmba, the son of Jāmbavatī.

तथा जांबवती चैव सांबं भार्या हरेः सुतम् प्रहर्षमतुलं लेभे लब्ध्वादित्यं यथादितिः

Thus Jāmbavatī, wife of Hari, having obtained Sāmba as her son, experienced incomparable joy, as Aditi did upon obtaining Āditya.

बाणस्य च तदा तेन छेदितं मुनिपुङ्गवाः भुजानां चैव साहस्रं शापाद्रुद्रस्य धीमतः

Then, O eminent sages, by the curse of the wise Rudra, the thousand arms of Bāṇa were cut off by him.

अथ दैत्यवधं चक्रे हलायुधसहायवान् तथा दुष्टक्षितीशानां लीलयैव रणाजिरे

Then, aided by Halāyudha, he slew the Daityas, and likewise, with ease, destroyed the wicked kings on the battlefield.

स हत्वा देवसम्भूतं नरकं दैत्यपुङ्गवम् ब्राह्मणस्योर्ध्वचक्रस्य वरदानान्महात्मनः

Having slain Naraka, the foremost of Daityas, born of the gods, by the boon of the great-souled brāhmaṇa Urdhvacakra, he acted.

स्वोपभोग्यानि कन्यानां षोडशातुलविक्रमः शताधिकानि जग्राह सहस्राणि महाबलः

The mighty one, of unrivaled prowess, took for his enjoyment over sixteen thousand maidens.

शापव्याजेन विप्राणाम् उपसंहृतवान् कुलम् संहृत्य तत्कुलं चैव प्रभासे ऽतिष्ठदच्युतः

On the pretext of a curse, he destroyed the lineage of the brāhmaṇas, and having annihilated that family, Acyuta remained at Prabhāsa.

तदा तस्यैव तु गतं वर्षाणामधिकं शतम् कृष्णस्य द्वारकायां वै जराक्लेशापहारिणः

Then, for over a hundred years, Kṛṣṇa, the remover of the affliction of old age, dwelled in Dvārakā.

विश्वामित्रस्य कण्वस्य नारदस्य च धीमतः शापं पिण्डारके ऽरक्षद् वचो दुर्वाससस्तदा

At that time, he protected the words of the sage Durvāsas regarding the curse of Viśvāmitra, Kaṇva, and the wise Nārada at Piṇḍāraka.

त्यक्त्वा च मानुषं रूपं जरकास्त्रच्छलेन तु अनुगृह्य च कृष्णो ऽपि लुब्धकं प्रययौ दिवम्

Then, abandoning his human form under the pretext of the arrow of Jara, Kṛṣṇa, having favored the hunter, ascended to heaven.

अष्टावक्रस्य शापेन भार्याः कृष्णस्य धीमतः चौरैश्चापहृताः सर्वास् तस्य मायाबलेन च

By the curse of Aṣṭāvakra, all the wives of wise Kṛṣṇa were carried off by thieves through the power of illusion.

बलभद्रो ऽपि संत्यज्य नागो भूत्वा जगाम च महिष्यस्तस्य कृष्णस्य रुक्मिणीप्रमुखाः शुभाः

Balabhadra too, having renounced, became a serpent and departed; and Kṛṣṇa's auspicious wives, headed by Rukmiṇī, likewise.

सहाग्निं विविशुः सर्वाः कृष्णेनाक्लिष्टकर्मणा रेवती च तथा देवी बलभद्रेण धीमता

All of them, along with Agni, entered the fire; and so too did the goddess Revatī, with the wise Balabhadra, whose deeds were pure.