Trivakrā’s Transformation and the Breaking of Kaṁsa’s Bow
Mathurā-līlā Prelude
अदर्शनं स्वशिरस: प्रतिरूपे च सत्यपि । असत्यपि द्वितीये च द्वैरूप्यं ज्योतिषां तथा ॥ २८ ॥ छिद्रप्रतीतिश्छायायां प्राणघोषानुपश्रुति: । स्वर्णप्रतीतिर्वृक्षेषु स्वपदानामदर्शनम् ॥ २९ ॥ स्वप्ने प्रेतपरिष्वङ्ग: खरयानं विषादनम् । यायान्नलदमाल्येकस्तैलाभ्यक्तो दिगम्बर: ॥ ३० ॥ अन्यानि चेत्थं भूतानि स्वप्नजागरितानि च । पश्यन् मरणसन्त्रस्तो निद्रां लेभे न चिन्तया ॥ ३१ ॥
adarśanaṁ sva-śirasaḥ pratirūpe ca saty api asaty api dvitīye ca dvai-rūpyaṁ jyotiṣāṁ tathā
Er meinte ein Loch in seinem Schatten zu sehen; den Klang seines Lebensatems hörte er nicht; die Bäume schienen golden zu schimmern; und seine Fußspuren sah er nicht. Kaṁsa deutete all dies als unheilvolle Zeichen des nahenden Todes.
This verse lists examples of mistaken perception—seeing holes in a shadow, mishearing one’s own breath, imagining gold in trees, or not noticing one’s own footprints—showing how the mind can fabricate “reality” under delusion.
He uses vivid examples to illustrate how dream-like confusion and misreading of sense-data can produce fear and anxiety, preparing Parīkṣit to understand the nature of illusion and the need for spiritual clarity.
Treat panic, assumptions, and misinterpretations as signals to pause, verify facts, and re-center the mind—especially through remembrance of the Lord—rather than letting fear-driven impressions dictate decisions.