Chapter 67: Lord Balarāma Slays Dvivida Gorilla

 

10.67.1

śrī-rājovāca

bhuyo 'haḿ śrotum icchāmi

rāmasyādbhuta-karmaṇaḥ

anantasyāprameyasya

yad anyat kṛtavān prabhuḥ

 

śrī-rājā — the glorious King (Parīkṣit); uvāca — said; bhūyaḥ — further; aham — I; śrotum — to hear; icchāmi — wish; rāmasya — of Lord Balarāma; adbhuta — amazing; karmaṇaḥ — whose activities; anantasya — unlimited; aprameyasya — immeasurable; yat — what; anyat — else; kṛtavān — did; prabhuḥ — the Lord.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The glorious King Parīkṣit said: I wish to hear further about Śrī Balarāma, the unlimited and immeasurable Supreme Lord, whose activities are all astounding. What else did He do?

 

10.67.2

śrī-śuka uvāca

narakasya sakhā kaścid

dvivido nāma vānaraḥ

sugrīva-sacivaḥ so 'tha

bhrātā maindasya vīryavān

 

śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; narakasya — of the demon Naraka; sakhā — friend; kaścit — a certain; dvividaḥ — Dvivida; nāma — by name; vānaraḥ — an ape; sugrīva — King Sugrīva; sacivaḥ — whose adviser; saḥ — he; atha — also; bhrātā — the brother; maindasya — of Mainda; vīrya-vān — powerful.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: There was an ape named Dvivida who was a friend of Narakāsura's. This powerful Dvivida, the brother of Mainda, had been instructed by King Sugrīva.

 

10.67.3

sakhyuḥ so 'pacitiḿ kurvan

vānaro rāṣṭra-viplavam

pura-grāmākarān ghoṣān

adahad vahnim utsṛjan

 

sakhyuḥ — of his friend (Naraka, whom Lord Kṛṣṇa had killed); saḥ — he; apacitim — repayment of his debt; kurvan — doing; vānaraḥ — the ape; rāṣṭra — of the kingdom; viplavam — creating great disturbance; pura — the cities; grāma — villages; ākarān — and mines; ghoṣān — cowherd communities; adahat — he burned; vahnim — fire; utsṛjan — spreading about.

 

TRANSLATION

 

To avenge the death of his friend [Naraka], the ape Dvivida ravaged the land, setting fires that burned cities, villages, mines and cowherd dwellings.

 

10.67.4

kvacit sa śailān utpāṭya

tair deśān samacūrṇayat

ānartān sutarām eva

yatrāste mitra-hā hariḥ

 

kvacit — once; saḥ — he, Dvivida; śailān — mountains; utpāṭya — tearing up; taiḥ — with them; deśān — all the kingdoms; samacūrṇayat — he devastated; ānartān — the province of the Ānarta people (in which Dvārakā is situated); sutarām eva — especially; yatra — where; āste — is present; mitra — of his friend; hā — the killer; hariḥ — Kṛṣṇa.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Once Dvivida tore up a number of mountains and used them to devastate all the neighboring kingdoms, especially the province of Ānarta, wherein dwelt his friend's killer, Lord Hari.

 

10.67.5

kvacit samudra-madhya-stho

dorbhyām utkṣipya taj-jalam

deśān nāgāyuta-prāṇo

velā-kūle nyamajjayat

 

kvacit — once; samudra — of the ocean; madhya — in the midst; sthaḥ — standing; dorbhyām — with his arms; utkṣipya — churning up; tat — its; jalam — water; deśān — the kingdoms; nāga — elephants; ayuta — (like) ten thousand; prāṇaḥ — whose vital strength; velā — of the coast; kūle — upon the shore; nyamajjayat — he caused to drown.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Another time he entered the ocean and, with the strength of ten thousand elephants, churned up its water with his arms and thus submerged the coastal regions.

 

10.67.6

āśramān ṛṣi-mukhyānāḿ

kṛtvā bhagna-vanaspatīn

adūṣayac chakṛn-mūtrair

agnīn vaitānikān khalaḥ

 

āśramān — the spiritual communities; ṛṣi — of sages; mukhyānām — exalted; kṛtva — making; bhagna — broken; vanaspatīn — whose trees; adūṣayat — he contaminated; śakṛt — with stool; mūtraiḥ — and urine; agnīn — the fires; vaitānikān — sacrificial; khalaḥ — wicked.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The wicked ape tore down the trees in the hermitages of exalted sages and contaminated their sacrificial fires with his feces and urine.

 

10.67.7

puruṣān yoṣito dṛptaḥ

kṣmābhṛd-dronī-guhāsu saḥ

nikṣipya cāpyadhāc chailaiḥ

peśaṣkārīva kīṭakam

 

puruṣān — men; yoṣitaḥ — and women; dṛptaḥ — audacious; kṣmā-bhṛt — of a mountain; droṇī — within a valley; guhāsu — inside caves; saḥ — he; nikṣipya — casting; ca — and; apyadhāt — sealed; śailaiḥ — with large stones; peśaṣkārī — a wasp; iva — as; kīṭakam — a small insect.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Just as a wasp imprisons smaller insects, he arrogantly threw both men and women into caves in a mountain valley and sealed the caves shut with boulders.

 

10.67.8

evaḿ deśān viprakurvan

dūṣayaḿś ca kula-striyaḥ

śrutvā su-lalitaḿ gītaḿ

giriḿ raivatakaḿ yayau

 

evam — thus; deśān — the various kingdoms; viprakurvan — disturbing; dūṣayan — contaminating; ca — and; kula — of respectable families; striyaḥ — the women; śrutvā — hearing; su-lalitam — very sweet; gītam — song; girim — to the mountain; raivatakam — named Raivataka; yayau — he went.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Once, while Dvivida was thus engaged in harassing the neighboring kingdoms and polluting women of respectable families, he heard very sweet singing coming from Raivataka Mountain. So he went there.

 

10.67.9-10

tatrāpaśyad yadu-patiḿ

rāmaḿ puṣkara-mālinam

sudarśanīya-sarvāńgaḿ

lalanā-yūtha-madhya-gam

 

gāyantaḿ vāruṇīḿ pītvā

mada-vihvala-locanam

vibhrājamānaḿ vapuṣā

prabhinnam iva vāraṇam

 

tatra — there; apaśyat — he saw; yadu-patim — the Lord of the Yadus; rāmam — Balarāma; puṣkara — of lotus flowers; mālinam — wearing a garland; su-darśanīya — most attractive; sarva — all; ańgam — whose limbs; lalanā — of women; yūtha — of a bevy; madhya-gam — in the midst;

 

gāyantam — singing; vāruṇīm — the vāruṇī liquor; pītvā — drinking; mada — with intoxication; vihvala — unsteady; locanam — whose eyes; vibhrājamānam — brilliantly glowing; vapuṣā — with His body; prabhinnam — in rut; iva — as; vāraṇam — an elephant.

 

TRANSLATION

 

There he saw Śrī Balarāma, the Lord of the Yadus, adorned with a garland of lotuses and appearing most attractive in every limb. He was singing amidst a crowd of young women, and since He had drunk vāruṇī liquor, His eyes rolled as if He were intoxicated. His body shone brilliantly as He behaved like an elephant in rut.

 

10.67.11

duṣṭaḥ śākhā-mṛgaḥ śākhām

ārūḍhaḥ kampayan drumān

cakre kilakilā-śabdam

ātmānaḿ sampradarśayan

 

duṣṭaḥ — mischievous; śākhā-mṛgaḥ — the ape ("the animal who lives on branches"); śākhām — a branch; ārūḍhaḥ — having climbed; kampayan — shaking; drumān — trees; cakre — he made; kilakilā-śabdam — the sound kilakilā; ātmānam — himself; sampradarśayan — showing.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The mischievous ape climbed a tree branch and then revealed his presence by shaking the trees and making the sound kilakilā.

 

10.67.12

tasya dhārṣṭyaḿ kaper vīkṣya

taruṇyo jāti-cāpalāḥ

hāsya-priyā vijahasur

baladeva-parigrahāḥ

 

tasya — of him; dhārṣṭyam — the impudence; kapeḥ — of the ape; vīkṣya — seeing; taruṇyaḥ — the young women; jāti — by nature; cāpalāḥ — not serious; hāsya-priyāḥ — fond of laughter; vijahasuḥ — laughed loudly; baladeva-parigrahāḥ — the consorts of Lord Baladeva.

 

TRANSLATION

 

When Lord Baladeva's consorts saw the ape's impudence, they began to laugh. They were, after all, young girls who were fond of joking and prone to silliness.

 

10.67.13

tā helayām āsa kapir

bhrū-kṣepair sammukhādibhiḥ

darśayan sva-gudaḿ tāsāḿ

rāmasya ca nirīkṣitaḥ

 

tāḥ — them (the girls); helayām āsa — ridiculed; kapiḥ — the ape; bhrū — of his eyebrows; kṣepaiḥ — with odd gestures; sammukha — by standing right in front of them; ādibhiḥ — and so on; darśayan — showing; sva — his; gudam — anus; tāsām — to them; rāmasya — as Lord Balarāma; ca — and; nirīkṣitaḥ — was watching.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Even as Lord Balarāma looked on, Dvivida insulted the girls by making odd gestures with his eyebrows, coming right in front of them, and showing them his anus.

 

10.67.14-15

taḿ grāvṇā prāharat kruddho

balaḥ praharatāḿ varaḥ

sa vañcayitvā grāvāṇaḿ

madirā-kalaśaḿ kapiḥ

gṛhītvā helayām āsa

 

dhūrtas taḿ kopayan hasan

nirbhidya kalaśaḿ duṣṭo

vāsāḿsy āsphālayad balam

kadarthī-kṛtya balavān

vipracakre madoddhataḥ

 

tam — at him, Dvivida; grāvṇā — a rock; prāharat — threw; kruddhaḥ — angry; balaḥ — Lord Balarāma; praharatām — of throwers of weapons; varaḥ — the best; saḥ — he, Dvivida; vañcayitvā — avoiding; grāvāṇam — the rock; madirā — of liquor; kalaśam — the pot; kapiḥ — the ape; gṛhītvā — seizing; helayām āsa — made fun of;

 

dhūrtaḥ — the rascal; tam — Him, Lord Balarāma; kopayan — angering; hasan — laughing; nirbhidya — breaking; kalaśam — the pot; duṣṭaḥ — wicked; vāsāḿsi — the garments (of the girls); āsphālayat — he pulled at; balam — Lord Balarāma; kadarthīkṛtya — disrespecting; bala-vān — powerful; vipracakre — he insulted; mada — by false pride; uddhataḥ — puffed up.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Angered, Lord Balarāma, the best of fighters, hurled a rock at him, but the cunning ape dodged the rock and grabbed the Lord's pot of liquor. Further infuriating Lord Balarāma by laughing and by ridiculing Him, wicked Dvivida then broke the pot and offended the Lord even more by pulling at the girls' clothing. Thus the powerful ape, puffed up with false pride, continued to insult Śrī Balarāma.

 

10.67.16

taḿ tasyāvinayaḿ dṛṣṭvā

deśāḿś ca tad-upadrutān

kruddho muṣalam ādatta

halaḿ cāri-jighāḿsayā

 

tam — that; tasya — his; avinayam — rudeness; dṛṣṭvā — seeing; deśān — the kingdoms; ca — and; tat — by him; upadrutān — disrupted; kruddhaḥ — angry; muṣalam — His club; ādatta — took; halam — His plow; ca — and; ari — the enemy; jighāḿsayā — intending to kill.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Lord Balarāma saw the ape's rude behavior and thought of the disruptions he had created in the surrounding kingdoms. Thus the Lord angrily took up His club and His plow weapon, having decided to put His enemy to death.

 

10.67.17

dvivido 'pi mahā-vīryaḥ

śālam udyamya pāṇinā

abhyetya tarasā tena

balaḿ mūrdhany atāḍayat

 

dvividaḥ — Dvivida; api — also; mahā — great; vīryaḥ — whose potency; śālam — a śāla tree; udyamya — lifting up; pāṇinā — with his hand; abhyetya — approaching; tarasā — swiftly; tena — with it; balam — Lord Balarāma; mūrdhani — on the head; atāḍayat — he struck.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Mighty Dvivida also came forward to do battle. Uprooting a śāla tree with one hand, he rushed toward Balarāma and struck Him on the head with the tree trunk.

 

10.67.18

taḿ tu sańkarṣaṇo mūrdhni

patantam acalo yathā

pratijagrāha balavān

sunandenāhanac ca tam

 

tam — that (tree trunk); tu — but; sańkarṣaṇaḥ — Lord Balarāma; mūrdhni — on His head; patantam — falling; acalaḥ — an unmoving mountain; yathā — like; pratijagrāha — took hold of; bala-vān — powerful; sunandena — with Sunanda, His club; ahanat — He struck; ca — and; tam — him, Dvivida.

 

TRANSLATION

 

But Lord Sańkarṣaṇa remained as motionless as a mountain and simply grabbed the log as it fell upon His head. He then struck Dvivida with His club, named Sunanda.

 

10.67.19-21

mūṣalāhata-mastiṣko

vireje rakta-dhārayā

girir yathā gairikayā

 

prahāraḿ nānucintayan

punar anyaḿ samutkṣipya

kṛtvā niṣpatram ojasā

 

tenāhanat su-sańkruddhas

taḿ balaḥ śatadhācchinat

tato 'nyena ruṣā jaghne

taḿ cāpi śatadhācchinat

 

mūṣala — by the club; āhata — struck; mastiṣkaḥ — his skull; vireje — he appeared brilliant; rakta — of blood; dhārayā — with the downpour; giriḥ — a mountain; yathā — like; gairikayā — with red oxide;

 

prahāram — the blow; na — not; anucintayan — regarding seriously; punaḥ — again; anyam — another (tree); samutkṣipya — uprooting; kṛtvā — making; niṣpatram — devoid of leaves; ojasā — forcefully;

 

tena — with it; ahanat — he struck; su-sańkruddhaḥ — totally angered; tam — it; balaḥ — Lord Balarāma; śatadhā — into hundreds of pieces; acchinat — shattered; tataḥ — then; anyena — with another; ruṣā — furiously; jaghne — smashed; tam — it; ca — and; api — also; śatadhā — into hundreds of pieces; acchinat — He broke.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Struck on the skull by the Lord's club, Dvivida became brilliantly decorated by the outpour of blood, like a mountain beautified by red oxide. Ignoring the wound, Dvivida uprooted another tree, stripped it of leaves by brute force and struck the Lord again. Now enraged, Lord Balarāma shattered the tree into hundreds of pieces, upon which Dvivida grabbed yet another tree and furiously hit the Lord again. This tree, too, the Lord smashed into hundreds of pieces.

 

10.67.22

evaḿ yudhyan bhagavatā

bhagne bhagne punaḥ punaḥ

ākṛṣya sarvato vṛkṣān

nirvṛkṣam akarod vanam

 

evam — in this way; yudhyan — (Dvivida) fighting; bhagavatā — by the Lord; bhagne bhagne — being repeatedly broken; punaḥ punaḥ — again and again; ākṛṣya — pulling out; sarvataḥ — from everywhere; vṛkṣān — trees; nirvṛkṣam — treeless; akarot — he made; vanam — the forest.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Thus fighting the Lord, who again and again demolished the trees He was attacked with, Dvivida kept on uprooting trees from all sides until the forest was left treeless.

 

10.67.23

tato 'muñcac chilā-varṣaḿ

balasyopary amarṣitaḥ

tat sarvaḿ cūrṇayāḿ āsa

līlayā muṣalāyudhaḥ

SYNONYMS

tataḥ — then; amuñcat — he released; śilā — of stones; varṣam — a rain; balasya upari — on top of Lord Balarāma; amarṣitaḥ — frustrated; tat — that; sarvam — all; cūrṇayām āsa — pulverized; līlayā — easily; muṣala-āyudhaḥ — the wielder of the club.

TRANSLATION

The angry ape then released a rain of stones upon Lord Balarāma, but the wielder of the club easily pulverized them all.

 

10.67.24

sa bāhū tāla-sańkāśau

muṣṭī-kṛtya kapīśvaraḥ

āsādya rohiṇī-putraḿ

tābhyāḿ vakṣasy arūrujat

 

saḥ — he; bāhū — both his arms; tāla — palm trees; sańkāśau — as big as; muṣṭī — into fists; kṛtya — making; kapi — of apes; īśvaraḥ — the most powerful; āsādya — confronting; rohiṇī-putram — the son of Rohiṇī, Balarāma; tābhyām — with them; vakṣasi — upon His chest; arūrujat — he beat.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Dvivida, the most powerful of apes, now clenched his fists at the end of his palm-tree-sized arms, came before Lord Balarāma and beat his fists against the Lord's body.

 

10.67.25

yādavendro 'pi taḿ dorbhyāḿ

tyaktvā muṣala-lāńgale

jatrāv abhyardayat kruddhaḥ

so 'patad rudhiraḿ vaman

 

yādava-indraḥ — Balarāma, the Lord of the Yādavas; api — and; tam — him; dorbhyām — with His hands; tyaktvā — throwing aside; muṣala-lāńgale — His club and plow; jatrau — on the collarbone; abhyardayat — hammered; kruddhaḥ — angry; saḥ — he, Dvivida; apatat — fell; rudhiram — blood; vaman — vomiting.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The furious Lord of the Yādavas then threw aside His club and plow and with His bare hands hammered a blow upon Dvivida's collarbone. The ape collapsed, vomiting blood.

 

10.67.26

cakampe tena patatā

sa-ṭańkaḥ sa-vanaspatiḥ

parvataḥ kuru-śārdūla

vāyunā naur ivāmbhasi

 

cakampe — shook; tena — because of him; patatā — as he fell; sa — together with; ṭańkaḥ — its cliffs; sa — together with; vanaspatiḥ — its trees; parvataḥ — the mountain; kuru-śārdūla — O tiger among the Kurus (Parīkṣit Mahārāja); vāyunā — by the wind; nauḥ — a boat; iva — as if; ambhasi — on the water.

 

TRANSLATION

 

When he fell, O tiger among the Kurus, Raivataka Mountain shook, along with its cliffs and trees, like a wind-tossed boat at sea.

 

10.67.27

jaya-śabdo namaḥ-śabdaḥ

sādhu sādhv iti cāmbare

sura-siddha-munīndrāṇām

āsīt kusuma-varṣiṇām

 

jaya-śabdaḥ — the sound of jaya ("Victory!"); namaḥ-śabdaḥ — the sound of namaḥ ("Obeisances!"); sādhu sādhu iti — the exclamation "Excellent! Well done!"; ca — and; ambare — in the sky; sura — of the demigods; siddha — advanced mystics; muni-indrāṇām — and great sages; āsīt — there were; kusuma — flowers; varṣiṇām — who were pouring down.

 

TRANSLATION

 

In the heavens the demigods, perfect mystics and great sages cried out, "Victory to You! Obeisances to You! Excellent! Well done!" and showered flowers upon the Lord.

 

10.67.28

evaḿ nihatya dvividaḿ

jagad-vyatikarāvaham

saḿstūyamāno bhagavān

janaiḥ sva-puram āviśat

 

evam — thus; nihatya — having killed; dvividam — Dvivida; jagat — to the world; vyatikara — disturbance; āvaham — who brought; saḿstūyamānaḥ — being glorified with the chanting of prayers; bhagavān — the Supreme Lord; janaiḥ — by the people; sva — His; puram — city (Dvārakā); āviśat — He entered.

 

TRANSLATION

 

Having thus killed Dvivida, who had disturbed the whole world, the Supreme Lord returned to His capital as the people along the way chanted His glories.