Source
Texts:
The
Killing of Dantavakra, Vidûratha and
Romaharshana
Text
1-2:
S'rî
S'uka said: 'As an act of friendship to the deceased,
S'is'upâla, S'âlva and Paundraka who had left for
the next world, was all by himself, on foot with a club in his
hand, o great king, the wicked one [Dantavakra, see
9.24:
37] seen
who infuriated in his sheer physical power made the earth
tremble under his feet.
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Acting out of friendship for
S'is'upâla, S'âlva and Paundraka, who had all
passed on to the next world, the wicked Dantavakra appeared
on the battlefield in a great rage, O King. All alone, on
foot and wielding a club in his hand, the mighty warrior
shook the earth with his footsteps.
Text
3
Seeing him
coming His way took Lord Krishna quickly His club leaping down
from His chariot and called He him to a stop like the shore
does with the sea.
Seeing
Dantavakra approach, Lord Krishna quickly picked up His
club, jumped down from His chariot and stopped His advancing
opponent just as the shore holds back the ocean.
Text
4
Raising
his club said the king of Karûsha besotted to Mukunda:
'What a luck, what a luck to have today the sight of You
approaching on my path.
Raising
his club, the reckless King of Karûsha said to Lord
Mukunda, "What luck! What luck - to have You come before me
today!
Text
5
You
as our maternal cousin Krishna, having been of violence with my
friends, wish to kill me; therefore, You nice guy, will I kill
You with my thunderbolt club.
"You
are our maternal cousin, Krishna, but You committed violence
against my friends, and now You want to kill me also.
Therefore, fool, I will kill You with my thunderbolt
club.
Text
6
Only
then, ignoramus, will I, who cares for his friends, with
killing the enemy in the form of a family member that is like a
disease in one's body, have paid my debt to my
friends.'
"Then,
O unintelligent one, I who am obliged to my friends will
have repaid my debt to them by killing You, my enemy
disguised as a relative, who are like a disease within my
body."
Text
7
Thus
with harsh words harassing Krishna like one does an elephant
with goads, roared he like a lion and stroke he Him with his
club on the head.
Thus
trying to harass Lord Krishna with harsh words, as one might
prick an elephant with sharp goads, Dantavakra struck the
Lord on the head with his club and roared like a
lion.
Text
8
Despite
of being hit by the club did Krishna, the deliverer of the
Yadus, not move an inch on the battlefield and dealt He with
His Kaumodakî [His club] him a heavy blow in the
middle of his chest.
Although
hit by Dantavakra's club, Lord Krishna, the deliverer of the
Yadus, did not budge from His place on the battlefield.
Rather, with His massive Kaumodakî club the Lord
struck Dantavakra in the middle of his chest.
Text
9
With
his heart shattered by the club vomiting blood fell he lifeless
to the ground with his hair, arms and legs spread
wide.
His
heart shattered by the club's blow, Dantavakra vomited blood
and fell lifeless to the ground, his hair disheveled and his
arms and legs sprawling.
Text
10
Then, o king,
entered before all living beings to see, just as with
S'is'upâla [see
10.74:
45],
an amazing, very subtle light Lord
Krishna.
A
most subtle and wondrous spark of light then [rose from
the demon's body and] entered Lord Krishna while
everyone looked on, O King, just as when S'is'upâla
was killed.
Text
11
Next came
Vidûratha, his brother, plunged in sorrow about his
relative, with sword and shield forward, breathing heavily in
his desire to kill Him.
But
then Dantavakra's brother Vidûratha, immersed in
sorrow over his brother's death, came forward breathing
heavily, sword and shield in hand. He wanted to kill the
Lord.
Text
12
Of him
attacking did Krishna following with the razorsharp edge of His
cakra, o king of kings, slice off the head with its helmet and
earrings.
O
best of kings, as Vidûratha fell upon Him, Lord
Krishna used His razor- edged Sudars'ana disc to remove his
head, complete with its helmet and earrings.
Text
13-15
Thus
having killed the for others insurmountable S'âlva and
his Saubha-fortress along with Dantavakra and his younger
brother Vidûratha, was He praised by gods and men, sages
and the perfected, heavenly singers and scientists, the great
of excellence and the dancing girls, the forefathers and the
keepers of the wealth as well as the venerable and the mighty
who all sang His glory showering flowers as He with the most
eminent Vrishnis around Him entered His decorated
capital.
Having
thus destroyed S'âlva and his Saubha airship, along
with Dantavakra and his younger brother, all of whom were
invincible before any other opponent, the Lord was praised
by demigods, human beings and great sages, by Siddhas,
Gandharvas, Vidyâdharas and Mahoragas, and also by
Apsarâs, Pitâs, Yakshas, Kinnaras and
Câranas. As they sang His glories and showered Him
with flowers, the Supreme Lord entered His festively
decorated capital city in the company of the most eminent
Vrishnis.
Text
16
It is thus that
the Controller of Yoga, Krishna the Supreme Lord and Master of
the Living Being is victorious; it is to those whose vision is
as of animals that He seems to suffer defeat
[*].
Thus
Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master
all mystic power and Lord of the universe, is ever
victorious. Only those of beastly vision think He sometimes
suffers defeat.
Text
17
Lord Râma
hearing of the preparations of the Kurus and Pândavas for
battle, known as a neutral, departed saying He would bathe in
holy places.
Lord
Balarâma then heard that the Kurus were preparing for
war with the Pândavas. Being neutral, He departed on
the pretext of going to bathe in holy places.
Text
18
Having bathed
at Prabhâsa and having honored the demigods and sages,
forefathers and human beings, went He surrounded by brahmins to
the Sarasvatî where she flows westward to the
sea.
After
bathing at Prabhâsa and honoring the demigods, sages,
forefathers and prominent human beings, He went in the
company of brâhmanas to the portion of the
Sarasvatî that flows westward into the sea.
Text
19-20
O
son of Bharata, He visited the broad body of water of
Bindu-saras,
Tritakûpa,
Sudars'ana, Vis'âla and Brahma-tîrtha,
Cakra-tîrtha, the Sarasvatî where she flows
eastward and all [the holy places] along the
Yamunâ and the Ganges as well as the Naimisha forest
where the rishis were involved in the performance of an
elaborate sacrifice [see also 1.1:
4].
Lord
Balarâma visited the broad Bindu-saras Lake,
Tritakûpa, Sudars'ana, Vis'âla,
Brahma-tîrtha, Cakra-tîrtha and the
eastward-flowing Sarasvatî. He also went to all the
holy places along the Yamunâ and the Ganges, O
Bhârata, and then He came to the Naimisha forest,
where great sages were performing an elaborate
sacrifice.
Text
21
Recognizing
Him on His arrival greeted they who were engaged in the
sacrifice Him, properly standing up and bowing down to pay
homage.
Recognizing
the Lord upon His arrival, the sages, who had been engaged
in their sacrificial rituals for a long time, greeted Him
properly by standing up, bowing down and worshiping
Him.
Text
22
When He
together with His entourage had been worshiped and had accepted
a seat, noticed He that the disciple [Romaharshana, see
also 1.4:
22] of the
greatest of sages [Vyâsa] had remained
seated.
After
being thus worshiped along with His entourage, the Lord
accepted a seat of honor. Then He noticed that Romaharshana,
Vyâsadeva's disciple, had remained seated.
Text
23
Upon seeing
that the sûta [a son of a mixed marriage of a brahmin
father and kshatriya mother] who hadn't bowed down or
joined his palms, was sitting higher than the rest of the
learned, became the sweet Lord angry:
Lord
Balarâma became extremely angry upon seeing how this
member of the sûta caste had failed to stand up, bow
down or join his palms, and also how he was sitting above
all the learned brâhmanas.
Text
24
'Because he,
born a pratiloma,
sits higher than these learned ones and also higher than Me,
the Protector of the Religion, deserves he it, being so
arrogant, to die.
[Lord
Balarâma said:] Because this fool born from an
improperly mixed marriage sits above all these
brâhmanas and even above Me, the protector of
religion, he deserves to die.
Text
25-26
After
as a disciple of the Lord among the sages [Vyâsa
thus] in full having studied the many itihâsas,
purânas
and s'âstras
about
the religion, has he, not in control with himself, vainly
missing the humble and not having subdued his mind thinking
himself a scholarly authority, become like an actor not leading
to good qualities in making a sham of them.
Although
he is a disciple of the divine sage Vyâsa and has
thoroughly learned many scriptures from him, including the
lawbooks of religious duties and the epic histories and
Purânas, all this study has not produced good
qualities in him. Rather, his study of the scriptures is
like an actor's studying his part, for he is not
self-controlled or humble and vainly presumes himself a
scholarly authority, though he has failed to conquer his own
mind.
Text
27
It
is for this purpose indeed that I descended in this world: to
annihilate those who pose as religious but factually are most
sinful.'
The
very purpose of My descent into this world is to kill such
hypocrites who pretend to be religious. Indeed, they are the
most sinful rascals.
Text
28
Saying
this much, did the Supreme Lord, as He [being on a
pilgrimage] also had stopped to kill the impious,
inevitable as it was, beat him with the tip of a blade of grass
that He as the Master held in His hand.
[S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued:] Although Lord
Balarâma had stopped killing the impious,
Romaharshana's death was inevitable. Thus, having spoken,
the Lord killed him by picking up a blade of kus'a grass and
touching him with its tip.
Text
29
'Ohhh,
ohhh' said all the sages and told disturbed of mind to
Sankarshana deva: 'You committed an irreligious act o
Master.
All
the sages cried out, "Alas, alas !" in great distress. They
told Lord Sankarshana, "O master, You have committed an
irreligious act!
Text
30
Along with a
long life and freedom from physical worries have we granted him
the masters seat untill the sacrifice is completed, o Darling
of the Yadus.
"O
favorite of the Yadus, we gave him the seat of the spiritual
master and promised him long life and freedom from physical
pain for as long as this sacrifice continues.
Text
31-32
Though
of course, for You, Master of Mystic Power, scriptural
injunctions are not the regulator, have You unknowingly
perpetrated something that equals the destruction of a brahmin;
but if for this killing of a brahmin You atone, o Purifyer of
the World, will the people in general, being inspired by no
other, benefit by Your example.'
"You
have unknowingly killed a brâhmana. Of course, even
the injunctions of revealed scripture cannot dictate to You,
the Lord of all mystic power. But if by Your own free will
You nonetheless carry out the prescribed purification for
this slaying of a brâhmana, O purifier of the whole
world, people in general will greatly benefit by Your
example."
Text
33
The
Supreme Lord said: 'I, desirous to show compassion to the
common people, will perform the atonement for the damage done;
please do tell Me what the prescribed ritual coming first would
be.
The
Personality of Godhead said: I will certainly perform the
atonement for this killing, since I wish to show compassion
to the people in general. Please, therefore, prescribe for
Me whatever ritual is to be done first.
Text
34
Oh,
please say the word, and by My mystic power I shall effect the
long life, strength and sensory power which you
promised.'
O
sages, just say the word, and by My mystic power I shall
restore everything you promised him - long life, strength
and sensory power.
Text
35
The
sages said: 'Please, o Râma, arrange it so that as well
the potency of the death by Your [kus'a-] weapon as
what we said remains intact.'
The
sages said: Please see to it, O Râma, that Your power
and that of Your kus'a weapon, as well as our promise and
Romaharshana's death, all remain intact.
Text
36
The
Supreme Lord said: 'The child born, so instruct the Veda's, is
one's self indeed, therefore should his ['byproduct', son,
pupil or purâna, in this case Sûta
Gosvâmî , see 1.2:
1]
be the speaker endowed with a long life, strong senses and
physical power [see also **].
The
Supreme Lord said: The Vedas instruct us that one's own self
takes birth again as one's son. Thus let Romaharshana's son
become the speaker of the Purânas, and let him be
endowed with long life, strong senses and stamina.
Text
37
O
best of sages, please tell Me what you desire, I shall do it,
and again, please o intelligent ones think of what the proper
atonement would be for Me who indeed knows not.'
Please
tell Me your desire, O best of sages, and I shall certainly
fulfill it. And, O wise souls, please carefully determine My
proper atonement, since I do not know what it might
be.
Text
38
The
rishis said: 'Ilvala's fearsome son named Balvala as a demon
contaminates our sacrifice getting here every new
moon.
The
sages said: A fearsome demon named Balvala, the son of
Ilvala, comes here every new-moon day and contaminates our
sacrifice.
Text
39
The
best service to us is to defeat that sinner, o Descendant of
Bharata, who pours down pus, blood, feces, urine wine and
meat.
O
descendant of Das'ârha, please kill that sinful demon,
who pours down pus, blood, feces, urine, wine and meat upon
us. This is the best service You can do for us.
Text
40
Thereafter
You should, for twelve months performing penances, in all
serenity go around the land of Bhârata [India]
getting purified bathing at the holy sites.
Thereafter,
for twelve months, You should circumambulate the land of
Bhârata in a mood of serious meditation, executing
austerities and bathing at various holy pilgrimage sites. In
this way You will become purified.
*
It is here thus that the Bhâgavatam says that one has
the vision of an animal if one thinks that the Lord would ever
suffer defeat as with Krishna fleeing from Jarâsandha
[10.52],
Krishna acting impressed by S'âlva's tricks
[10.77:
27-32],
the Buddha being food-poisoned or Jesus Christ being crucified;
in the end is there to His evanescence the victory, the
enlightenment, the resurrection, the second birth in acceptance
of the teaching.
** To
illustrate the principle enunciated here by Lord Balarâma
is by the paramparâ in the person of S'rîla
S'rîdhara Svâmî quoted the following Vedic
verse, appearing in as well the S'atapatha Brâhmana
(14.9.8.4) as the Brihad-âranyaka Upanishad
(6.4.8):
angâd
angât sambhavasi
hridayâd abhijâyase
âtmâ vai putra-nâmâsi
sañjîva s'aradah s'atam
"You
have taken birth from my various limbs and have arisen from my
very heart. You are my own self in the form of my son. May you
live through a hundred autumns."
