अर्जुनोऽपि कालधर्ममुपागतं पंचवार्षिकं बालकं दृष्ट्वा कृपयाविष्टस्तव पुत्रमहंजीवयिष्यामीति ब्राह्मणायाभयं दत्वा प्रतिश्रुतवान्
Arjuna, seeing the five-year-old boy who had met his fate, was filled with compassion and, assuring the Brahmin of safety, promised, 'I will bring your son back to life.'
ब्राह्मणस्तु तेनाश्वासितो हृष्टवान्
The Brahmin, reassured by him, became joyful.
अथैतं ब्राह्मणशिशुं बहुभिः संजीविनास्त्रैरभिमंत्र्य अलब्धजीवितं दृष्ट्वा वृथा प्रतिज्ञामवाप्य बहुशोकसमन्वितस्तेनैव प्राणांस्त्यक्तुमैच्छत्
Then, after invoking many life-restoring weapons over the Brahmin’s child, and seeing that life could not be restored, Arjuna, having failed in his vow and filled with great sorrow, wished to give up his own life.
कृष्णस्तु तत्सर्वं ज्ञात्वांतःपुराद्विनिष्क्रम्य तं वैदिकं प्राह तवपुत्रान्सर्वानहं दास्यामीत्युक्त्वाश्वास्य वैनतेयमारुह्यार्जुनसहितो वैष्णवं लोकमाजगाम
But Krishna, knowing all this, came out from the inner chambers, comforted the Brahmin, saying, 'I will give you all your sons,' and, after reassuring him, mounted Garuda together with Arjuna and went to the Vaishnava world.
तत्र दिव्यमणिमंडपोद्देशे देव्या सह समासीनं नारायणं दृष्ट्वा कृष्णार्जुनौ नमश्चक्रतुः ५० 6.252.
There, seeing Nārāyaṇa seated with the goddess in a divine jeweled pavilion, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna bowed down to him.
स तौ बाहुभ्यां परिष्वज्य किमर्थमागतावित्युवाच
He embraced them both with his arms and asked, 'For what purpose have you come?''
कृष्णश्च भगवन्वैदिकस्य तनयान्मम देहीत्युवाच
And Kṛṣṇa said, 'Lord, give me the sons of the Vedic brāhmaṇa.'
स तु नारायणस्तादृग्वयसि संस्थितान्ब्राह्मणपुत्रान्कृष्णाय संददौ
Then Nārāyaṇa gave to Kṛṣṇa those brāhmaṇa sons, who were of the same age as before.
श्रीकृष्णोऽपि तान्वैनतेयस्कंधे समारोप्य हर्षसमन्वितोऽर्जुनसहितः स्वयमप्यारुह्य दिवि देवगणैः संस्तूयमानो द्वारवतीमाविवेश
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, filled with joy, placed them on Garuḍa's shoulder, and together with Arjuna, he himself mounted as well; praised by the hosts of gods, he entered Dvārakā.
तस्मै ब्राह्मणाय पंचवर्षवयःस्थान्षट्पुत्रान्ददौ सोऽप्यत्यंतर्हषसमन्वितः कृष्णं वर्द्धयस्वेत्याशिषं प्रायच्छत्
He gave those six sons, who were five years old, to the brāhmaṇa; and the brāhmaṇa, overwhelmed with great joy, blessed Kṛṣṇa, saying, 'May you prosper.'
अर्जुनस्तु सफलां प्रतिज्ञामवाप्य कृष्णं नमस्कृत्य युधिष्ठिरपालितां स्वां पुरीमाजगाम
Arjuna, having fulfilled his vow, bowed to Kṛṣṇa and returned to his own city, ruled by Yudhiṣṭhira.
कृष्णस्य षोडशसहस्रभार्यास्वयुतसाहस्रपुत्रा जज्ञिरे तेषां पुत्रपौत्रसंख्यां वक्तुं न शक्यते
From Kṛṣṇa's sixteen thousand wives, ten thousand sons were born; their number of sons and grandsons cannot be told.
अत्रापि श्लोकः । अष्टौशतानि पुत्राणां सहस्राण्ययुतं तथा । प्रद्युम्नः प्रथमस्तेषां सर्वेषां रुक्मिणीसुतः
Here too is a verse: 'Eight hundred sons, and also ten thousand, were born; Pradyumna, the son of Rukmiṇī, was the foremost among them.'
असंख्यैस्तैर्यादवैरियं पृथिवी संवृताऽभवत्
By those countless Yādavas, the earth became filled.
पुनरप्यवनीभारशंकया कृष्णस्तु तानृषिशापव्याजेन संहर्तुमैच्छत्
But again, suspecting the burden on the earth, Kṛṣṇa wished to destroy them under the pretext of a sage's curse.
कदाचित्सर्वे कुमारा नर्मदायां विहर्तुमाजग्मुः
Once, all the young men went to play at the Narmadā river.
तत्र तपंतं कण्वं महर्षिं दृष्ट्वा जांबवत्याः । पुत्रं योषिद्वेषं कृत्वा तस्योदरे कात्वायसं मुसलं बद्ध्वा ऋषेः । समीपमागत्य सर्वे नमस्कृत्वा पत्नीरूपं सांबं कुमारं तस्य पुरतो निधाय । अस्या गर्भे स्त्री वा पुरुषो वा भविष्तीति ब्रूहीत्यूचुः
There, seeing the great sage Kaṇva engaged in austerities, they made Sāmba, Jāmbavatī's son, take the form of a woman by magic, and tied an iron club in his belly; approaching the sage, all of them bowed and placed Sāmba, appearing as a woman, before him, saying, 'Tell us, will this one bear a boy or a girl?'
स तु मनसा तद्विज्ञाय तानमर्षमाणः सर्वाननेन मुसलेन यूयं सर्वे निहता भवतेत्युवाच
But the sage, knowing their intent in his mind and angered, said, 'All of you will be destroyed by this very club.'
सर्वे समुद्विग्नमनसः कृष्णं समेत्य महर्षिणोक्तं तत्कर्म निवेदयामासुः
All, their minds greatly disturbed, went to Kṛṣṇa and reported to him the act and the words spoken by the sage.
कृष्णोऽपि तदायसं मुसलं चूर्णीभूतं ह्रदे निपातयामास
Kṛṣṇa then had the iron club ground to powder and cast it into the water.
तदयश्चूर्णीभूतबीजसमुद्भूता वज्रसन्निभा महाकाशाः संबभूवुः
From the powdered iron seeds, great reeds, hard as thunderbolts, sprang up.
तत्र तं मुसलावशिष्टं कनिष्ठांगुलिमात्रं मत्स्यो जग्रास तं मत्स्यं निषादो गृहीत्वा तदुदरस्थं मुशलखण्डमादाय बाणाग्रे फलकमकरोत्
There, a fish swallowed the remaining piece of the club, which was the size of a little finger; a hunter caught that fish, took the piece of iron from its belly, and made an arrowhead from it.
कदाचित्सर्वे यादवा रामकृष्णप्रद्युम्नादयो मघवता प्रेषितां वारुणीं पीत्वा मत्ता बभूवुः
Once, all the Yadavas—Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Pradyumna, and others—drank the Varuṇī liquor sent by Indra, and became intoxicated.
परस्परं वीरणं नीत्वा बहून्याक्रोशवाक्यानि वदंतो युद्धं चक्रुः क्षयं च गताः
They began to insult each other, uttering many harsh words, and fought among themselves until they were destroyed.
कृष्णस्तु युद्धश्रांतः कल्पतरुच्छायायां शयनं चकार स निषादो धनुर्बाणं गृहीत्वा खेटकवृत्तिं जगाम
Kṛṣṇa, weary from battle, lay down beneath the shade of a wish-fulfilling tree; meanwhile, a hunter, taking up his bow and arrows, assumed the role of a protector.
एवं निःशेषं त्यक्तजीविता बभूवुस्ते सर्वे स्वान्स्वांस्त्रिदशान्प्रपेदिरे
Thus, all of them, having abandoned their lives, departed completely, each attaining their respective divine realms.
एवं मुशलेन संहृत्य सर्वं स्वयमेको देवो बहुगुल्मसमाकीर्णमहाद्रुमछायायां सुप्तश्चतुर्विधव्यूहगतं वासुदेवात्मकमात्मानं चिंतयञ्जानूपरिपदं निधायात्मनो मानुषंवपुस्त्यक्तुमनुनिषसाद
In this way, after destroying everything with the club, the one god alone, surrounded by many troops, lay sleeping under the shade of a great tree, contemplating his own self—Vāsudeva—arranged in fourfold battle formation, placing his knees on the ground, and prepared to abandon his human body.
एतस्मिनन्तरे मृगयाजीविको हरेः स तदा कालप्रभावेन चक्रवज्रध्वजांकुशादिचिह्नितमतिरक्ततमं हरेः पादकमलं दृष्ट्वा विव्याध
At that moment, a hunter by profession, influenced by the power of time, saw the lotus foot of Hari, marked with symbols like the discus, thunderbolt, banner, and goad, and very red, and pierced it.
तदनंतरं श्रीकृष्णं ज्ञात्वा सुमहाभयार्तः प्रवेपमानः कृतांजलिपुटो महदपराधः सकलोपह्रियतामिति तं प्रणनाम
Immediately after, realizing it was Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the hunter, overwhelmed with great fear, trembling, with hands joined in reverence, bowed to him, saying, 'Let all my offenses be forgiven.'
श्रीकृष्णस्तथाभूतं दृष्ट्वा सुधामयकराभ्यां तमुत्थाप्य भवतानापराद्धं कृतमिति वदन्महाभयपीडितमाश्वासयन्नुवाच
Śrī Kṛṣṇa, seeing him in such a state, raised him with hands full of nectar, saying, 'You have not committed an offense,' and comforted him, who was afflicted by great fear.