SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 10

S'rî S'uka said: 'One day planned the Lord to have a picnic in the forest. Rising early He woke His comrades and the calves, blowing His horn nicely to make them rise. Next they departed from Vraja driving their groups of calves in front of them.

S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: O King, one day Krishna decided to take His breakfast as a picnic in the forest. Having risen early in the morning, He blew His bugle made of horn and woke all the cowherd boys and calves with its beautiful sound. Then Krishna and the boys, keeping their respective groups of calves before them, proceeded from Vrajabhûmi to the forest. (Vedabase)

Text 2

They all happy, beautifully shining in His company walking out with their prods, horns, flutes and the many of each his calves, who together numbered over a thousand, offered a most attractive sight.

At that time, hundreds and thousands of cowherd boys came out of their respective homes in Vrajabhûmi and joined Krishna, keeping before them their hundreds and thousands of groups of calves. The boys were very beautiful, and they were equipped with lunch bags, bugles, flutes, and sticks for controlling the calves. (Vedabase)

Text 3

Krishna along with the countless calves He had assembled of His own, then, here and there [in the forest], enjoyed engaging in their boyish games.

Along with the cowherd boys and their own groups of calves, Krishna came out with an unlimited number of calves assembled. Then all the boys began to sport in the forest in a greatly playful spirit. (Vedabase)

Text 4

Even though they with gems, shells, gold and pearls already were adorned, used they also fruits, green leaves, bunches of beautiful flowers, peacock feathers and colored minerals to decorate themselves.

Although all these boys were already decorated by their mothers with ornaments of kâca, guñjâ, pearls and gold, when they went into the forest they further decorated themselves with fruits, green leaves, bunches of flowers, peacock feathers and soft minerals. (Vedabase)

Text 5

Snatching away one another's belongings threw them at a distance from the one concerned and were they by those seeing him coming tossed further, but then again with a laugh returned.

All the cowherd boys used to steal one another's lunch bags. When a boy came to understand that his bag had been taken away, the other boys would throw it farther away, to a more distant place, and those standing there would throw it still farther. When the proprietor of the bag became disappointed, the other boys would laugh, the proprietor would cry, and then the bag would be returned. (Vedabase)

Text 6

If Krishna walked away with eyes for the beauty of the forest had they fun trying 'me first, me first' to touch Him.

Sometimes Krishna would go to a somewhat distant place to see the beauty of the forest. Then all the other boys would run to accompany Him, each one saying, "I shall be the first to run and touch Krishna! I shall touch Krishna first!" In this way they enjoyed life by repeatedly touching Krishna. (Vedabase)

Text 7-11

Some blew their flutes, some vibrated their horns, some hummed along with the bumblebees and others imitated the cuckoos. Some ran after the shadows of the birds, some walked elegant with the swans or sat with the ducks as silent or danced with the peacocks. They searched for young monkeys and hopped with them between the trees the way they were skipping from tree to tree. They jumped along with the frogs getting wet in the water, laughed at their shadows and mocked their own echoes. This way enjoyed they the merit of their previous lives in friendship with Him who for those entangled in mâyâ is the Supreme Divinity, who for the transcendentalists who accepted it to be of service, as a consequence is the spiritual happiness [see * and 1.1: 2, 1.7: 6 and 2.1: 6].

All the boys would be differently engaged. Some boys blew their flutes, and others blew bugles made of horn. Some imitated the buzzing of the bumblebees, and others imitated the voice of the cuckoo. Some boys imitated flying birds by running after the birds' shadows on the ground, some imitated the beautiful movements and attractive postures of the swans, some sat down with the ducks, sitting silently, and others imitated the dancing of the peacocks. Some boys attracted young monkeys in the trees, some jumped into the trees, imitating the monkeys, some made faces as the monkeys were accustomed to do, and others jumped from one branch to another. Some boys went to the waterfalls and crossed over the river, jumping with the frogs, and when they saw their own reflections on the water they would laugh. They would also condemn the sounds of their own echoes. In this way, all the cowherd boys used to play with Krishna, who is the source of the Brahman effulgence for jñânîs desiring to merge into that effulgence, who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead for devotees who have accepted eternal servitorship, and who for ordinary persons is but another ordinary child. The cowherd boys, having accumulated the results of pious activities for many lives, were able to associate in this way with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How can one explain their great fortune? (Vedabase)

Text 12

Not even for many lives being of penance do yogis apt in self-control achieve the dust of His lotus feet; how fortunate then are the inhabitants of Vraja to whom He indeed personally being present became the object of their personal witnessing?

Yogîs may undergo severe austerities and penances for many births by practicing yama, niyama, âsana and prânâyâma, none of which are easily performed. Yet in due course of time, when these yogis attain the perfection of controlling the mind, they will still be unable to taste even a particle of dust from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What then can we describe about the great fortune of the inhabitants of Vrajabhûmi, Vrindâvana, with whom the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally lived and who saw the Lord face to face? (Vedabase)

Text 13

And then appeared he, named Agha ['the bad one'] on the scene, a great demon unable to bear the sight of their happy pastimes whose life's end was awaited by practically all the immortals despite of their drinking the nectar.

My dear King Parîkshit, thereafter there appeared a great demon named Aghâsura, whose death was being awaited even by the demigods. The demigods drank nectar every day, but still they feared this great demon and awaited his death. This demon could not tolerate the transcendental pleasure being enjoyed in the forest by the cowherd boys. (Vedabase)

Text 14

Seeing the boys headed by Krishna thought Aghâsura, who was sent by Kamsa and was the younger brother of Bakî [Pûtanâ] and Bakâsura: 'This indeed is the killer of the two born along with me; so for their sake, let me now kill Him and His boys!

Aghâsura, who had been sent by Kamsa, was the younger brother of Pûtanâ and Bakâsura. Therefore when he came and saw Krishna at the head of all the cowherd boys, he thought, "This Krishna has killed my sister and brother, Pûtanâ and Bakâsura. Therefore, in order to please them both, I shall kill this Krishna, along with His assistants, the other cowherd boys." (Vedabase)

Text 15

When these boys for my brother and sister have become the sesame and water to their death rites, will all the inhabitants of Vraja be as good as dead when the strength of their life has left them, when these living beings whom they consider the very embodiment of their love and breath are gone.'

Aghâsura thought: If somehow or other I can make Krishna and His associates serve as the last offering of sesame and water for the departed souls of my brother and sister, then the inhabitants of Vrajabhûmi, for whom these boys are the life and soul, will automatically die. If there is no life, there is no need for the body; consequently, when their sons are dead, naturally all the inhabitants of Vraja will die. (Vedabase)

Text 16

Thus decided assumed he the wondrous body of a very, very large python extending for miles and occupied he, mountain high and with a mouth spread open like a mountain cave, at that time most crooked the road to swallow the picnickers.

After thus deciding, that crooked Aghâsura assumed the form of a huge python, as thick as a big mountain and as long as eight miles. Having assumed this wonderful python's body, he spread his mouth like a big cave in the mountains and lay down on the road, expecting to swallow Krishna and His associates the cowherd boys. (Vedabase)

Text 17

With the inside of his mouth gaping, rested his lower lip on the earth and touched his upper lip the sky; his teeth were like mountain peaks and within was it pitch dark, his tongue resembled a broad road, his breath was like a warm wind and his fiery look was like a fire.

His lower lip rested on the surface of the earth, and his upper lip was touching the clouds in the sky. The borders of his mouth resembled the sides of a big cave in a mountain, and the middle of his mouth was as dark as possible. His tongue resembled a broad traffic-way, his breath was like a warm wind, and his eyes blazed like fire. (Vedabase)

Text 18

Seeing him in that position they all thought it to be Vrindâvana at its best; it was in the line of their games indeed [to act] as if they were looking at the form of a python's mouth:

Upon seeing this demon's wonderful form, which resembled a great python, the boys thought that it must be a beautiful scenic spot of Vrindâvana. Thereafter, they imagined it to be similar to the mouth of a great python. In other words, the boys, unafraid, thought that it was a statue made in the shape of a great python for the enjoyment of their pastimes. (Vedabase)

Text 19

'Look o friends, a dead python laying before us to swallow us all with its snake mouth spread open, don't you think?

The boys said: Dear friends, is this creature dead, or is it actually a living python with its mouth spread wide just to swallow us all? Kindly clear up this doubt. (Vedabase)

Text 20

Really, it's as clear as the sun, there is the upper lip and below, that big bank is his lower lip with that reddish glow...

Thereafter they decided: Dear friends, this is certainly an animal sitting here to swallow us all. Its upper lip resembles a cloud reddened by the sunshine, and its lower lip resembles the reddish shadows of a cloud. (Vedabase)

Text 21

On the left and right, those caves, they just resemble the corners of the mouth, and those peaks there, they look exactly like the animal's teeth.

On the left and right, the two depressions resembling mountain caves are the corners of its mouth, and the high mountain peaks are its teeth. (Vedabase)

Text 22

The broad path, long and wide, is like the tongue and the darkness in between the mountains, that's indeed the inside of his mouth.

In length and breadth the animal's tongue resembles a broad traffic-way, and the inside of its mouth is very, very dark, like a cave in a mountain. (Vedabase)

Text 23

Just notice how the hot wind blowing from it like fire indeed is like his breath, smelling as bad as burning flesh with the corpses inside of him.

The hot fiery wind is the breath coming out of his mouth, which is giving off the bad smell of burning flesh because of all the dead bodies he has eaten. (Vedabase)

Text 24

'Would this animal be here to devour all who dare to enter? If so, then will he just like Bakâsura by Him immediately be vanquished!' they said looking at the gleaming face of Krishna, Baka's enemy, while they loudly laughing, clapping their hands entered the mouth.

Then the boys said, "Has this living creature come to swallow us? If he does so, he will immediately be killed like Bakâsura, without delay." Thus they looked at the beautiful face of Krishna, the enemy of Bakâsura, and, laughing loudly and clapping their hands, they entered the mouth of the python. (Vedabase)

Text 25

Hearing them this and that way besides the truth talking without realizing what they were dealing with, came Krishna, who knew that the Rakshasa was very real and deceiving them, to the conclusion that He, the Supreme Lord, the Complete of all living beings situated in the heart, should stop His comrades.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, S'rî Krishna, who is situated as antaryâmî, the Supersoul, in the core of everyone's heart, heard the boys talking among themselves about the artificial python. Unknown to them, it was actually Aghâsura, a demon who had appeared as a python. Krishna, knowing this, wanted to forbid His associates to enter the demon's mouth. (Vedabase)

Text 26

Meanwhile had all the boys and their calves entered the belly of the demon, but they were not devoured; the Rakshasa, thinking of his dead relatives, was waiting for Baka's enemy to enter.

Krishna saw that all the cowherd boys, who did not know anyone but Him as their Lord, had now gone out of His hand and were helpless, having entered like straws into the fire of the abdomen of Aghâsura, who was death personified. It was intolerable for Krishna to be separated from His friends the cowherd boys. Therefore, as if seeing that this had been arranged by His internal potency, Krishna was momentarily struck with wonder and unsure of what to do. (Vedabase)

Text 27

Krishna, who for each and everyone is the source of fearlessness, was amazed to witness that and compassionately felt sorry about the way things were turning out to be with His friends, who had no one but Him and now helplessly had ran out of His control to be as straws to the fire of the belly of Aghâsura, of death personified.

Krishna saw that all the cowherd boys, who did not know anyone but Him as their Lord, had now gone out of His hand and were helpless, having entered like straws into the fire of the abdomen of Aghâsura, who was death personified. It was intolerable for Krishna to be separated from His friends the cowherd boys. Therefore, as if seeing that this had been arranged by His internal potency, Krishna was momentarily struck with wonder and unsure of what to do. (Vedabase)

Text 28

What to do now; this rogue shouldn't exist, nor should the innocent faithful ones find their end; how could He have both at the same time? Gathering His thoughts knew the Lord, the Seer of the Unlimited, what to do and entered He Himself the mouth.

Now, what was to be done? How could both the killing of this demon and the saving of the devotees be performed simultaneously? Krishna, being unlimitedly potent, decided to wait for an intelligent means by which He could simultaneously save the boys and kill the demon. Then He entered the mouth of Aghâsura. (Vedabase)

Text 29

At that moment exclaimed all the gods from behind the clouds in fear 'Alas, alas!' and rejoiced Kamsa and the other blood thirsty friends of Aghâsura.

When Krishna entered the mouth of Aghâsura, the demigods hidden behind the clouds exclaimed, "Alas! Alas!" But the friends of Aghâsura, like Kamsa and other demons, were jubilant. (Vedabase)

Text 30

When He heard that expanded Krishna, the Supreme Lord who indeed never is vanquished, immediately Himself [see siddhi] from within the throat of the demon who tried to crush the boys and the calves in his belly.

When the invincible Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, heard the demigods crying "Alas! Alas!" from behind the clouds, He immediately enlarged Himself within the demon's throat, just to save Himself and the cowherd boys, His own associates, from the demon who wished to smash them. (Vedabase)

Text 31

With that action were all openings blocked and popped out the eyes of the squirming and wrestling giant; the life air arrested within the completely stuffed body then broke out and left through the top of the skull.

Then, because Krishna had increased the size of His body, the demon extended his own body to a very large size. Nonetheless, his breathing stopped, he suffocated, and his eyes rolled here and there and popped out. The demon's life air, however, could not pass through any outlet, and therefore it finally burst out through a hole in the top of the demon's head. (Vedabase)

Text 32

When all life-air had left the body and Krishna saw that all the boys and calves were laying dead, brought He, Mukunda, the Supreme Lord, them back to life and reappeared He, accompanied by them, from the mouth.

When all the demon's life air had passed away through that hole in the top of his head, Krishna glanced over the dead calves and cowherd boys and brought them back to life. Then Mukunda, who can give one liberation, came out from the demon's mouth with His friends and the calves. (Vedabase)

Text 33

Issuing from the lusty body there was a most wonderful light which all by itself illumined the ten directions; it waited remaining in the sky until the Supreme Personality came out and then entered, for all the gods to see, His body [sâyujya-mukti].

From the body of the gigantic python, a glaring effulgence came out, illuminating all directions, and stayed individually in the sky until Krishna came out from the corpse's mouth. Then, as all the demigods looked on, this effulgence entered into Krishna's body. (Vedabase)

Text 34

Next did everyone most pleased his own thing, in worship celebrating His glory [see also 1.2: 13]: flowers were showered, the singers of heaven sang, the heavenly girls danced, all the demigods played their specific instruments and the brahmins offered prayers.

Thereafter, everyone being pleased, the demigods began to shower flowers from Nandana-kânana, the celestial dancing girls began to dance, and the Gandharvas, who are famous for singing, offered songs of prayer. The drummers began to beat their kettledrums, and the brâhmanas offered Vedic hymns. In this way, both in the heavens and on earth, everyone began to perform his own duties, glorifying the Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 35

The Unborn One [Brahmâ] nearby in his abode hearing the wondrous sounds of those for everyone so very auspicious prayers, sweet sounds, songs and cheers for the One Supreme Lord, very quickly went over there to witness the glorification of God that amazed him.

When Lord Brahmâ heard the wonderful ceremony going on near his planet, accompanied by music and songs and sounds of "Jaya! Jaya!" he immediately came down to see the function. Upon seeing so much glorification of Lord Krishna, he was completely astonished. (Vedabase)

Text 36

O King, the dried python skin was a marvel of Vrindâvana that became a cave frequented for a long, long time afterwards.

O King Parîkshit, when the python-shaped body of Aghâsura dried up into merely a big skin, it became a wonderful place for the inhabitants of Vrindâvana to visit, and it remained so for a long, long time. (Vedabase)

Text 37

This incident of the python its death and liberation and the deliverance of His associates, that took place when the Lord was five years old [kaumâra], was only one year later [pauganda] by the boys in Vraja disclosed as if it had happened that very day.

This incident of Krishna's saving Himself and His associates from death and of giving deliverance to Aghâsura, who had assumed the form of a python, took place when Krishna was five years old. It was disclosed in Vrajabhûmi after one year, as if it had taken place on that very day. (Vedabase)

Text 38

The fact that by the little association with the Supreme Personality of the Brahman, of the apparent and nonapparent. who for the people was of mercy as a child, also Agha was freed from all material contamination and was elevated to merge with the Supersoul, was not so astonishing at all, however difficult it is for those far removed from the truth to attain.

Krishna is the cause of all causes. The causes and effects of the material world, both higher and lower, are all created by the Supreme Lord, the original controller. When Krishna appeared as the son of Nanda Mahârâja and Yas'odâ, He did so by His causeless mercy. Consequently, for Him to exhibit His unlimited opulence was not at all wonderful. Indeed, He showed such great mercy that even Aghâsura, the most sinful miscreant, was elevated to being one of His associates and achieving sârûpya-mukti, which is actually impossible for materially contaminated persons to attain. (Vedabase)

Text 39

If they, who [like Aghâsura] somehow by chance or even by force got His image installed in their hearts, by Him are granted the destination, what then indeed would that mean for those in whom He is ever present as the remover of the illusion, always granting each and every soul the unfailing resultant pleasure?'

If even only once or even by force one brings the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead into one's mind, one can attain the supreme salvation by the mercy of Krishna, as did Aghâsura. What then is to be said of those whose hearts the Supreme Personality of Godhead enters when He appears as an incarnation, or those who always think of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the source of transcendental bliss for all living entities and by whom all illusion is completely removed? (Vedabase)

Text 40

S'rî Sûta [see 1: 12-15] said: "He [Parikchit] who was protected by the God of the Yadus [Yâdavadeva or Krishna] this way, o twice-born, hearing about the all-wonderful activities of his savior [see 1.8], inquired thus fixed in his consciousness with the son of Vyâsa even more after those so meritorious deeds.

S'rî Sûta Gosvâmî said: O learned saints, the childhood pastimes of S'rî Krishna are very wonderful. Mahârâja Parîkshit, after hearing about those pastimes of Krishna, who had saved him in the womb of his mother, became steady in his mind and again inquired from S'ukadeva Gosvâmî to hear about those pious activities. (Vedabase)

Text 41

The honorable king said: 'O brahmin what happened in another time, was described as if it had happened right then, how could that be; how could what the Lord did at five years of age by all the boys be described at His sixth?

Mahârâja Parîkshit inquired: O great sage, how could things done in the past have been described as being done at the present? Lord S'rî Krishna performed this pastime of killing Aghâsura during His kaumâra age. How then, during His pauganda age, could the boys have described this incident as having happened recently? (Vedabase)

Text 42

I'm burning with curiosity, o great yogi, to hear from you about it, o guru, I am certain that it was caused by nothing else but the deluding capacity of the Lord [yoga-mâyâ].

O greatest yogi, my spiritual master, kindly describe why this happened. I am very much curious to know about it. I think that it was nothing but another illusion due to Krishna. (Vedabase)

Text 43

Being but a mundane ruler are we most blessed in this world, o teacher, with the opportunity to always drink from the nectar of your sacred talks about Krishna'."

O my lord, my spiritual master, although we are the lowest of kshatriyas, we are glorified and benefited because we have the opportunity of always hearing from you the nectar of the pious activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (Vedabase)

Text 44

S'rî Sûta said: "When he, the man of penance, this way indeed was questioned by him had he, the moment he was reminded of the Infinite One, completely lost contact with his senses; with difficulty slowly regaining his external vision he then replied the Lord His most outstanding, very best adherent."

Sûta Gosvâmî said: O S'aunaka, greatest of saints and devotees, when Mahârâja Parîkshit inquired from S'ukadeva Gosvâmî in this way, S'ukadeva Gosvâmî, immediately remembering subject matters about Krishna within the core of his heart, externally lost contact with the actions of his senses. Thereafter, with great difficulty, he revived his external sensory perception and began to speak to Mahârâja Parîkshit about krishna-kathâ. (Vedabase)

*: S'rîla Prabhupâda comments: 'The secret of success is unknown to people in general, and therefore S'rîla Vyâsadeva, being compassionate toward the poor souls in this material world, especially in this age of Kali, has given us the S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam. S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam purânam amalam yad vaishnavânâm priyam (S.B. 12.13: 18). For Vaishnavas who are somewhat advanced, or who are fully aware of the glories and potencies of the Lord, S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam is a beloved Vedic literature. After all, we have to change this body (tathâ dehântara-prâptih). If we do not care about Bhagavad-gîtâ and S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam, we do not know what the next body will be. But if one adheres to these two books - Bhagavad-gîtâ and S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam - one is sure to obtain the association of Krishna in the next life (tyaktvâ deham punar janma naiti mâm eti so 'rjuna [B.G. 4: 9]). Therefore, distribution of S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam all over the world is a great welfare activity for theologians, philosophers, transcendentalists and yogis (yoginâm api sarveshâm [B.G. 6: 47]), as well as for people in general'. (Vedabase)