हे प्रलम्ब! महाबाहो ! केशिन् !धेनुक!पूतने ! अरिष्टाद्यस्तथा चान्यैः श्रूयतां वचनं मम ।। ५-४-
'O Pralamba, mighty-armed one! O Keshi! Dhenuka! Putana! Arishta and the rest, and all others—listen to my words.'
मां हन्तुममरैर्यत्रः कृतः किल दुरात्मभिः । मद्रीर्य्यतापितैवींरो न त्वेतान् गणयाम्यहम् ।। ५-४-
'The gods, with evil intent, have tried to kill me many times, and Indra himself has tormented me, but I do not count them as anything.'
किमिन्द्रणाल्पवीर्य्येण किं हरेणैकचारिणा । हरिणा वापि किं साध्यं छिद्रष्वसुरघातिना ।। ५-४-
What can be accomplished by Indra, whose strength is small, or by Hari, who wanders alone? What can be achieved even by Hari, the slayer of demons, who seeks out faults?
किमादित्यैः किं वसुभिरल्पवीय्यैः किमग्रिभिः । किञ्चान्यैरमरैः सर्व्वैर्मदूबाहुबलनिर्ज्जितैः ।। ५-४-
What can be done by the Adityas, or by the Vasus, whose power is limited? What by the Maruts, or by any other immortals, all of whom have been subdued by the might of my arms?
किं न दृष्टोऽमरपतिर्मया संयुगमेत्य सः । पृष्ठेनैव वहन् वाणानपागच्छन्न वक्षसा ।। ५-४-
Have I not seen the lord of the immortals himself come to battle, only to flee, carrying his arrows on his back and turning away his chest?
मद्राष्ट्रे वारिता वृष्टिर्यदा शक्रेणा किं तदा । मद्राणभिन्नैर्जलदैरापोऽमुक्ता यथेप्सिताः ।। ५-४-
When Indra once held back the rain in the land of the Madras, what of it? The clouds, broken apart by the Madras, still released the waters as they wished.
किमुर्व्ब्यामवनीपाला मद्रबाहुबलभीरवः । न सर्व्वे सन्नतिं याता जरासन्धमृते गुरुम् ।। ५-४-
Are there any kings on earth, terrifying in the strength of their arms, who have not all submitted to Jarasandha as their superior?
अमरेषु च मेऽवज्ञा जायते दैत्यपुङ्गवाः । हास्यं मे जायते बींरास्तेषु यत्रपरेष्वपि ।। ५-४-
Among the immortals, O best of the Daityas, I feel only disdain; they are laughable to me, as are all others among them.
तथापि खलु दुष्टानां तेषामभ्यधिकं मया । अपकाराय देत्येन्द्रा यतनीयं दुरात्मनाम् ।। ५-४-
Nevertheless, O lords of the Daityas, I must strive all the more to bring harm to those wicked ones, for they are evil-minded.
तदू ये यशस्विनः केचित् पृथिव्यां ये च यज्विनः । कार्य्यो देबापकाराय तेषां सर्व्वात्मना वधः ।। ५-४-
Therefore, all those who are renowned on earth, and those who perform sacrifices, must be slain completely, for the sake of harming the gods.
उत्पन्नश्वापि मृत्युर्मे भूतपूर्व्वः स वै किल । इत्येतदू बालिका प्राह देवकीगर्भसम्भवा ।। ५-४-
Even if death, which has occurred before, arises for me, so be it—thus spoke the maiden born from Devaki's womb.
तस्मादू बालेषु परमो यत्रः कार्य्यो महीतले । यत्रोद्रिक्तं बलं बाले स हन्तव्यः प्रयत्रतः ।। ५-४-
Therefore, wherever on earth there are exceptional children, and wherever a child possesses excessive strength, he must be killed with effort.
इत्याज्ञाप्यासुरान् कंसः प्रविश्यात्मगृहं ततः । मुमोच वसुदेवञ्च देवकीञ्च निरोधतः ।। ५-४-
Having thus commanded the Asuras, Kamsa then entered his own house and released Vasudeva and Devaki from confinement.
युवयोर्घातिता गर्भा वृथैवैते मयाधुना । कोऽप्यन्य एव नाशाय बालो मम समुदूगतः ।। ५-४-
The children in your wombs whom I killed are now gone in vain; some other child has arisen for my destruction.
तदलं परितापेन नूनं तद्भाविनो हि ते । अर्भका युवयोर्दोषाच्चायुषो यद्रियोजिताः ।। ५-४-
Therefore, let there be no more sorrow; surely, those children were destined for that fate. Because of your fault, their lives were cut short.
इत्याश्वास्य विमुक्त्वां च कंसस्तौ परिशङ्कितः । अन्तर्गहं द्रिजश्वेष्ठ प्रविवेश पुनः स्वकम् ।। ५-४-
Thus consoling and releasing them, Kamsa, still suspicious, entered his inner chambers once again, O best of the twice-born.
विमुक्तो वसुदेवोऽस्य नन्दस्य शकटं गतः । प्रह्टष्टं दृष्टवान् नन्दं पूत्रो जातो ममेति वै ।। ५-५-
Released, Vasudeva went to Nanda's cart and saw Nanda rejoicing, saying, 'A son has been born to me!'
वसुदेवोऽपि तं प्राह दिष्ठया दिष्ठयति सादरम् । वार्द्धकेऽपि समुत्पन्नस्तनयोऽयं तवाघुना ।। ५-५-
Vasudeva also spoke to him with respect, 'By good fortune, even in your old age, a son has been born to you.'
दत्तो हि वार्षिकः सर्व्वो भवद्भिर्नृ पतेः करः । यदर्थमागतास्तस्मान्नावस्थेयं महाधनाः ।। ५-५-
Indeed, you have all paid the annual tax to the king; for that purpose you have come, so you wealthy ones need not stay.
यदर्थमागताः कार्य्यं तन्निष्पन्नं किमास्यते ? भतद्भिर्गम्यतां नन्द! तच्छीघ्रं निजगोकुलम् ।। ५-५-
The purpose for which you came has been accomplished; why remain here? Go, Nanda, quickly to your own cowherd village.
ममापि बालकस्तत्र रोहिणीप्रसवी हि यः । स रक्षणीयो भवता यथायं तनयो निजः ।। ५-५-
There too is my own child, born of Rohiṇī; you must protect him just as you do your own son.
इत्युक्ताः प्रययुर्गोपा नन्दगोपपुरोगमाः । शकटारोपितैर्भाण्डैः करं दत्त्वा महाबलाः ।। ५-५-
Thus addressed, the cowherds, led by Nanda, departed, having loaded their goods onto carts, and paid their taxes, being mighty in strength.
वसतां गोकुले तेषां पूतना बालघातिनी । सुप्तं कृषूणमुपादाय रात्रौ तस्मै ददौ स्तनम् ।। ५-५-
While they dwelt in Gokula, Pūtanā, the child-killer, took up the sleeping Kṛṣṇa at night and offered him her breast.
यस्मै यस्मै स्तनं पूतना सम्प्रयच्छति । तस्य तस्य क्षणोनाङ्ग बालकस्योपहन्यते ।। ५-५-
To whichever child Pūtanā gave her breast, that very child, within a moment, would be destroyed.
कुषूणस्तस्याः स्तनं गाढ़ं कराभ्यामवपीड़ितम् । गृहोत्वा प्राणसहितं पपौ कोपसमन्वितः ।। ५-५-
But Kṛṣṇa grasped her firm breast tightly with his hands, and, filled with anger, drank out her very life along with her milk.
सा विमुक्तमहारावा विच्छिन्नस्त्रंयुबन्धना । पपात पूतना भूमौ म्रियमाणतिभीषणा ।। ५-५-
With a great, terrible cry, her limbs loosened, Pūtanā fell to the ground, dying, fearsome to behold.
तन्नादश्रुतिसन्त्रासात् प्रबुद्धास्ते व्रजौकसः । ददृशुः पूतनोत्सङ्गे कृषूणं ताञ्च निपातिताम् ।। ५-५-
Awakened by the terror of that sound, the residents of Vraja saw Kṛṣṇa in Pūtanā’s lap and her fallen dead.
आदाय कृषूणं सन्त्रस्ता यशोदापि द्रिजोत्तम! गोपुच्छं भ्राम्य हस्तेन बालदोषमपाकरोत् ।। ५-५-
Taking up Kṛṣṇa in fear, O best of the twice-born, Yaśodā waved a cow’s tail over him with her hand to remove any evil influence.
गोः करीषमुपादाय नन्दगोफोऽपि मस्तके । कृषूणस्य प्रददौ रक्षां कुर्वंश्चैतदुदोरयन् ।। ५-५-
Nanda, too, took cow dung and, placing it on Kṛṣṇa’s head, performed a rite of protection for him, reciting as follows:
रक्षतु त्वामशेषाणां भूतानां प्रभवो हरिः । यस्य नाभिसमुदूभूतपङ्कजादभवज्जगत् ।। ५-५-
May Hari, the source of all beings, protect you—he from whose navel-lotus the world arose.