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.
ततो योगिगम्यमपुनरावृत्तिशाश्वतं सर्वोपनिषदमयं वैष्णवं लोकं प्रददौ
Then, he granted him the Vaishnava world, which is attainable by yogis, eternal, non-returning, and composed of all the Upanishads.
असौ तस्मिन्नेव मुहूर्ते मानुषं रूपं विहाय पंचोपनिषन्मयं सकलपुत्रदारसहितो दीप्तिमयं वैष्णवं लोकं दिव्यं विमानमास्थाय सहस्रार्कद्युतिसदृशं दिव्याप्सरोगणाकीर्णं हिरण्मयं वासुदेवेत्येकं जगाम
At that very moment, he abandoned his human form, and, together with all his sons and wives, assumed a radiant Vaishnava form composed of the five Upanishads, entered a divine vehicle, and went to the single golden realm of Vāsudeva, surrounded by hosts of celestial nymphs, shining like a thousand suns.
तस्मिन्काले दारुको रथमारुह्य विष्णोः समीपं विवेश
At that time, Dāruka mounted the chariot and approached Viṣṇu.
कृष्णोऽपि मत्स्वरूपमर्जुनं पूर्वमानयस्वेति प्रेषयामास
Kṛṣṇa also sent word, 'Bring Arjuna, who is like myself, here as before.'
स तु मनोजवस्यंदनमारुह्यार्जुनसमीपमाजगाम
He mounted a chariot swift as the mind and arrived at Arjuna's side.
एतस्मिन्नंतरे देव्यर्जुनस्तदारुह्य परिणीय नमस्कृत्वा किं करोमीति पुटांजलिरुवाच
Meanwhile, Arjuna, together with the queens, mounted the chariot, performed the marriage rites, bowed, and with joined hands asked, 'What shall I do?'
कृष्णस्तु तमाह पार्थाहं स्वलोकं यास्यामि त्वं तु द्वारवतीं गत्वा तत्रस्था रुक्मिण्याद्यष्टभार्या आनीय मम शरीरे प्रेषय
Kṛṣṇa said to him, 'O Pārtha, I will go to my own world. You go to Dvāravatī, bring my eight wives—Rukmiṇī and others—who are there, and send them to my body.'
स दारुकेण सहितो नगरीमाजगाम
He, together with Dāruka, entered the city.
एतस्मिन्नंतरे देवा विमानस्था नभसि संस्थिताः स्वर्लोकं यियान्तं कृष्णं दृष्ट्वा ऋषिभिः सार्द्धं स्तुत्वा पुष्पवर्षाणि ववृषुः
Meanwhile, the gods, stationed in celestial vehicles in the sky, saw Kṛṣṇa departing for heaven, praised him together with the sages, and showered flowers.
कृष्णोऽपि मानुषदेहं- संन्यस्यसकलजगत्स्थितिसंहारहेतुभूतं सकलक्षेत्रज्ञमंतर्यामियोगिध्येयमनामयं वासुदेवात्मकं देहं धृत्वा वैनतेयमारुह्य महर्षिभिस्तूयमानो जगाम
Kṛṣṇa, abandoning his human body—which was the cause of the maintenance and destruction of the entire world, the indwelling knower of all fields, the object of yogic meditation, free from affliction, and the essence of Vāsudeva—mounted Garuḍa, and, praised by the great sages, departed.