मयि स्वर्गं गते शक्र गृहाण त्वं यथेच्छया । महादेव उवाच- एवमुक्त्वा यदुश्रेष्ठस्तस्मै वज्रं ददौ स्वयम्
When I go to heaven, O Shakra, you may take it as you wish. Mahadeva said: Having spoken thus, the best of the Yadus himself gave the thunderbolt to him.
एवमस्त्विति गोविंदं नमस्कृत्य स वज्रभृत् । प्रययौ स्वपुरं दिव्यं सह देवगणैर्वृतः
Saying, 'So be it,' and bowing to Govinda, the wielder of the thunderbolt departed for his own divine city, surrounded by the hosts of gods.
कृष्णोऽपि सत्यया देव्या गरुडोपरि संस्थितः । संस्तूयमानो मुनिभिर्द्वारवत्यां विवेश ह
Krishna, too, together with Queen Satyabhama, seated upon Garuda and praised by sages, entered Dvaraka.
सत्यया निकटे स्थाप्य पारिजातं सुरद्रुमम् । रमयामास भार्याभिः सर्वाभिः सर्वगो हरिः
Placing the Parijata, the divine tree, near Satyabhama, Hari, who is all-pervading, delighted all his wives.
निशासु तासां सर्वासां गृहेषु मधुसूदनः । विश्वरूपधरः श्रीमानुवास स सुखप्रदः
During the nights, Madhusudana, glorious and assuming all forms, dwelled in the houses of all his wives, bringing them happiness.
इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्साहस्र्यां संहितायामुत्तरखंडे । उमामहेश्वरसंवादे श्रीकृष्णचरिते श्रीवासुदेवविवाहकथनं नामैकोनपंचाशदधिकद्विशततमोऽध्यायः
Thus, in the glorious Padma Mahapurana, in the Uttarakanda of the compilation of fifty-five thousand verses, in the dialogue of Uma and Maheshvara, in the story of Krishna, this is the two hundred and fifty-first chapter named 'The Account of the Marriage of Shri Vasudeva.'
श्रीरुद्र उवाच- अथ पौंड्रक वासुदेवः काशिराजो वाराणस्यां विविक्ते द्वादशवर्षं महेशमर्च्चयन्निराहारः पंचाक्षरं जजाप
Shri Rudra said: Then Paundraka Vasudeva, the king of Kashi, worshipped Mahesha in seclusion at Varanasi for twelve years, fasting and reciting the five-syllable mantra.
पौरश्चरणकाले शंकरं स्वनेत्रकमलेन पूजयामास
During the period of his austerity, he worshipped Shankara with a lotus from his own eye.
ततः शूलपाणिरुमापतिः प्रसन्नो वरं वृणीष्वेति तमाह
Then Shulapani, the Lord of Uma, being pleased, said to him, 'Choose a boon.'
असौ पंचवक्त्रंसर्वभूतपतिं शिवं प्रसन्नं वरद मम वासुदेवसमानरूपं प्रयच्छेत्युवाच
He said, 'Grant me, O gracious Shiva, Lord of all beings, five-faced one, a form equal to Vasudeva.'
शिवस्तस्मै शंख चक्र गदा पद्मयुत चतुर्भुजं पुंडरीकदलनिभलोचनं वासुदेवसमानकिरीट। ललित कुंतलं पीतवस्त्रकौस्तुभाभरणादि चिह्नान्यपि मह्यं देहीति याचितः शिवः सर्वमपि तस्मै प्रददौ
Shiva, thus asked, granted him everything: a form with four arms holding conch, discus, mace, and lotus, eyes like lotus petals, a crown like Vasudeva's, lovely locks, yellow garments, the Kaustubha jewel, and all other marks.
स तु वासुदेवोऽहमिति सर्वलोकान्मोहयामास
Then he, claiming 'I am Vasudeva,' deluded all the worlds.
कदाचित्स्वर्गतः मदबलोत्कटं तं काशिपतिं नारदोऽभ्येत्य वसुदेवसुतमजित्वा वासुदेवत्वं न विद्यते इत्युवाच
Once, Nārada approached the mighty king of Kāśī in heaven and said: 'Without defeating the son of Vasudeva, one cannot attain the status of Vāsudeva.'
स तु तस्मिन्नेव क्षणे गरुडपताकायुतरूपं रथमारोप्य चतुरंगाक्षौहिणीबलेन द्वारकामवाप
At that very moment, he mounted a chariot adorned with Garuḍa banners, assumed a formidable form, and, with an army of four divisions, arrived at Dvārakā.
तत्र पुरद्वारि स्वर्णयाने संस्थितो वासुदेवोऽहं युद्धार्थं संप्राप्तोस्मि मामजित्वात ववासुदेवत्वं नास्तीति दूतं प्रेषयामास
There, stationed at the city gate in a golden chariot, he sent a messenger to Vāsudeva, declaring: 'I have come for battle; unless you defeat me, you cannot claim the status of Vāsudeva.'
विष्णुरपि तच्छ्रुत्वा वैनतेयमारुह्य पौंड्रकेण योद्धुं पुरद्वारि विनिष्क्रम्याक्षौहिणीबलेन स्यंदने समासीनं शंखचक्रगदापद्महस्तं पौंड्रकं ददर्श
Viṣṇu, hearing this, mounted Garuḍa and went out to the city gate to fight Pauṇḍraka. There he saw Pauṇḍraka seated in a chariot with an army, holding conch, discus, mace, and lotus in his hands.
कृष्णोऽथ शार्ङ्गमादाय संवर्ताग्निप्रभैर्बाणैस्तथाश्वगजपदातियुक्तं महदक्षौहिणीबलं मुहूर्तमात्रेण निःशेषं ददाह
Then Kṛṣṇa, taking up the Śārṅga bow, burned up the great army—composed of horses, elephants, and infantry—in a moment, with arrows blazing like the fire of destruction.
शरेणैकेन तस्य हस्तावसक्तशंखचक्रगदादिहेतीरपि लीलयैव चिच्छेद
With a single arrow, he playfully severed the conch, discus, mace, and other weapons attached to Pauṇḍraka's hands.
पवित्रेण सुदर्शनेन किरीटकुंडलयुतं तस्य शिरः कमलं छित्त्वा वाराणस्यामंतः पुरे निपातयामास
With the pure Sudarśana discus, he cut off Pauṇḍraka's lotus-like head, adorned with crown and earrings, and cast it down within the city of Vārāṇasī.
तद्दृष्ट्वा सर्वे काशीनिवासिनः किमेतदित्याशंक्य विस्मिता बभूवुः
Seeing this, all the inhabitants of Kāśī were astonished and, wondering what had happened, became fearful.
तस्य पौंड्रकस्य सुतो दंडपाणिरिति वासुदेवेन भगवता निहतं स्वपितरं श्रुत्वा मात्रा मृत्युना समादिष्टः स्वपुरोहितेनाभियुक्तो माहेश्वरेण क्रतुना शंकरमियाज
Hearing that his father Pauṇḍraka had been slain by the blessed Vāsudeva, his son Daṇḍapāṇi, urged by his mother and commanded by death, was instructed by his family priest to perform a great Śaiva sacrifice to Śaṃkara.
स तु प्रसन्नः कृष्णजिघांसया समर्थां माहेश्वरीं कृत्यां तस्मै संप्रीत्या च दत्तवान्
Śiva, being pleased, granted him, out of affection and for the purpose of killing Kṛṣṇa, a powerful Māheśvarī Kṛtyā (magical being).
स काशिराजस्तां महोश्वरीं ज्वालाकुलोपचितविग्रहां संदीप्तसटाकलापां पिंगलनेत्रां ज्वलत्करालवदनां त्रिशूलहस्तां भस्मांगरागलिप्तां नरमुंडमालाविभूषितां सर्वदेवभयंकरीं रुद्रदत्तां समीक्ष्य सपुत्रदारबांधवसहितं कृष्णं जहीति प्रेरयामास
The king of Kāśī, seeing that great Māheśvarī, whose form was enveloped in flames, with blazing hair, tawny eyes, a gaping fiery mouth, holding a trident, smeared with ashes, adorned with a garland of human heads, terrifying to all the gods and given by Rudra, sent her, along with his sons, wives, and relatives, to destroy Kṛṣṇa.
सा तु सर्वलोकभयावहा सर्वां पृथ्वीं स्वतेजसा निर्दहंती प्रलयाशनिनिर्भरस्वनं नदंती द्वारकामवाप
That being, bringing terror to all worlds, burning the entire earth with her own radiance, roaring with the sound of the thunder of dissolution, reached Dvārakā.
तत्रत्याः सर्वेजनास्तां दृष्ट्वा महाप्रलयमिति मत्वा हाहाकारं कुर्वंतः कृष्णं निवेदयामासुः
All the people there, seeing her, thought it was the great dissolution and, crying out in distress, reported to Kṛṣṇa.
कृष्णोऽपि तान्सर्वान्न भेतव्यमित्युक्त्वा प्राकारतोरणे स्थितां महारौद्रां कृत्यां तथाविधां दृष्ट्वा सकलशस्त्रास्त्रानिवारणसमर्थं सहस्रारं सुदर्शनं तस्या कृत्यायां सहसा मुमोच
Kṛṣṇa, telling them all not to fear, saw that terrible Kṛtyā standing at the city gate, and immediately released the thousand-spoked Sudarśana, capable of repelling all weapons and missiles, against her.
सा तु कल्पान्तार्ककोटिसमवर्चसा शतयोजनोद्गतं सकलदीप्तास्त्रयुतं हिरण्मयं प्रभापूर्णं सकलजगत्प्रलयस्थितिसमर्थं सहस्रारं सर्वदेवनमस्कृतं जगच्छरणभूतं महासुदर्शनं विलोक्य विनष्टतेजा भयार्ता क्रोशंती वाराणसीं प्रतिदुद्राव
She, seeing the great Sudarśana—equal in brilliance to millions of suns at the end of an age, rising a hundred yojanas high, filled with all blazing weapons, golden, radiant, capable of destroying and sustaining the worlds, worshipped by all the gods, the refuge of the universe—lost her power, was seized by fear, and, crying out, fled back toward Vārāṇasī.
सुदर्शनमपि तां कृत्यां भृशमन्वगात्
Sudarśana pursued that Kṛtyā relentlessly.
सापि भयार्ता क्रोशंती काशिपतेस्तस्यांतःपुरं प्रविवेश
She, terrified and crying out, entered the inner palace of the king of Kāśī.
सुदर्शनोऽपि तां वाराणसीं पुरीं प्राप्य सभृत्यबलवाहनं पौंड्रकसुतं दंडपाणिं नामकाशिराजं बहुप्रासादहर्म्यमालिनीं पुरीं माहेश्वरीमपि भस्मावशेषां कृत्वा सकलदेवमहर्षिभिः पूज्यमानः पुनरेव द्वारवत्यां कृष्णहस्तं सुसौम्यं कल्पमिव आविवेश
Sudarśana, reaching the city of Vārāṇasī, reduced the Māheśvarī city, with its many palaces and mansions, and Daṇḍapāṇi, the king and son of Pauṇḍraka, along with his servants, army, and vehicles, to ashes; then, worshipped by all the gods and sages, he returned once more to the gentle hand of Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā, as if to the world-tree itself.