पञ्चमांशः (कृष्णचरितम्)
Krishna's Descent and the Divine Play
Amsha 5 turns from dynastic chronicle to avatāra-itihāsa as Maitreya asks Parāśara to recount in full the life of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu’s aṁśāvatāra born among the Yādavas. The guru–śiṣya dialogue remains the governing frame, and Parāśara reiterates the Purāṇic metaphysics: Viṣṇu/Nārāyaṇa alone is Jagat-kāraṇa, both upādāna (material) and nimitta (efficient) cause, so devas, worlds, beings, and even time (kāla) are understood as His vibhūtis. Within this horizon, Bhū-devī’s “burden” becomes a theological problem of dharma’s imbalance. Adharmic forces are not outside God, yet the world-order must be restored through divine līlā. Hence the cosmic petition at Kṣīrābdhi (the Milk Ocean), Brahmā’s stuti, and Viṣṇu’s assurance that He will descend by a “small portion,” while the devas too incarnate through their own aṁśas. The opening culminates in the birth-plan: Yogamāyā/Yoganidrā orchestrates the transfer of embryos, the appearance of Saṅkarṣaṇa, and Kṛṣṇa’s midnight manifestation. The Supreme, though beyond attributes, assumes form solely for dharma-trāṇa and loka-saṅgraha—protecting righteousness and sustaining the world.
देवकी-विवाहः, आकाशवाणी, भूरभारावतरण-याचना, क्षीराब्धि-स्तुति, केशावतार-नियोजनम्
Maitreya asks Parashara to narrate Vishnu's incarnation. The story begins with Devaki's marriage and the celestial voice predicting Kamsa's death. Oppressed by the earth's burden, the Devas and Brahma praise Vishnu at the Ocean of Milk. Vishnu produces two hairs (white and black) to incarnate, promises to slay Kamsa, and instructs Yoganidra to transfer the seventh embryo (Sankarshana) to Rohini.
गर्भ-व्यवस्था, देवकी-गर्भ-स्तुति (गर्भस्तुतिः), जगदन्तर्गत-हरि-प्रतिपादनम्
Parāśara recounts the divine ordinance in action: Yogamāyā implants the six embryos and transfers the seventh to Rohiṇī; then, for the welfare of the three worlds, Hari enters Devakī’s womb, while Yoganidrā is conceived in Yaśodā. Cosmic signs arise—planets align and seasons turn auspicious—proclaiming the descent of Viṣṇu’s aṁśa. Devakī blazes with unbearable tejas, and unseen devas continually praise her. The chapter unfolds as a garbha-stuti, extolling Devakī as the womb of prakṛti, vāk, Veda, and yajña, and as the source of both deva and daitya lineages (Aditi/Diti). The hymn expands cosmologically: because Viṣṇu, beyond all measures and limits, has entered her, the earth with oceans, rivers, cities, and the seven lokas are said to abide within her womb. It culminates in a prayer for auspiciousness and protection, asking the Goddess to lovingly uphold the Lord who upholds the entire jagat—affirming Viṣṇu’s non-dual pervasion while preserving the devotional intimacy of the birth narrative.
श्रीकृष्ण-जन्म, वसुदेव-यमुनातरण, बालिका-उत्क्षेपः, देवी-प्रादुर्भावः
Parāśara continues: amid the devas’ praises, Devakī bears the lotus-eyed Deliverer. At midnight Janārdana is born and the cosmos rejoices—winds grow still, rivers clear, Gandharvas sing, Apsarases dance, and devas shower flowers. Vasudeva beholds the four-armed form marked with Śrīvatsa and begs the Lord to withdraw the divine manifestation so Kaṁsa will not recognize the avatāra. The Lord speaks briefly, and Vasudeva departs by night with the child; Yogamāyā deludes the guards, Śeṣa shelters him with his hoods in the torrential rain, and the deep, turbulent Yamunā becomes knee-deep for safe crossing. In Vraja, Yaśodā gives birth to a girl; Vasudeva exchanges the infants and returns, placing the girl beside Devakī. The guards report the birth; Kaṁsa seizes the infant and hurls her upon a rock, but she rises into the sky as a great eight-armed Goddess, laughs, and warns that his slayer is already born elsewhere. Praised by Siddhas, she departs; Kaṁsa’s fear intensifies, and Kṛṣṇa’s protected upbringing and childhood līlā are firmly set.
Kaṃsa’s Council of Asuras and the Strategy Against the ‘Powerful Child’
Parashara narrates to Maitreya that Kamsa, shaken by fear, summons Pralamba, Kesin, Dhenuka, Putana, Arista, and other asuras. In court, Kamsa derides Indra and the devas, boasting of his own strength. Yet, he resolves to intensify hostility against ascetics and watch for children with extraordinary power. Following Yogamaya's warning that his slayer is born elsewhere, Kamsa releases Vasudeva and Devaki, confessing the futility of his past crimes, though he remains inwardly suspicious as he returns to his chambers.
Vasudeva Meets Nanda; Pūtanā’s Fall; Viṣṇu-Rakṣā (Protective Hymn) in Gokula
Parashara narrates that Vasudeva meets Nanda and urges him to return to Gokula. There, the demoness Putana tries to kill infant Krishna with a poisoned breast, but the Lord sucks out her life-breath. Yashoda and Nanda perform protective rites and recite the 'Vishnu-Raksha' stotra, invoking avatars like Varaha and Narasimha. The cowherds are left amazed by Putana's massive corpse.
Śakaṭa-bhañjana, Naming by Garga, Dāmodara and Yamala-arjuna, and the Move to Vṛndāvana
Parāśara tells Maitreya that infant Kṛṣṇa, lying beneath a cart and crying for milk, kicks upward; the cart overturns and the vessels shatter. The people of Vraja rush in, and children and gopīs testify it was the baby’s foot. Yaśodā performs worship to restore auspiciousness. Secretly, sage Garga—sent by Vasudeva—conducts rites and names the boys: the elder Rāma and the younger Kṛṣṇa. As they grow, their playful mischief increases; Yaśodā binds Kṛṣṇa to a mortar, and the bound Lord drags it between the twin Arjuna trees, breaking them—thus he is famed as Dāmodara. Alarmed by repeated “omens” (Pūtanā’s fall, the cart incident, and trees falling without cause), the elders decide to relocate to Vṛndāvana. By Kṛṣṇa’s auspicious contemplation, fresh grass springs up even in the hot season, and the settlement is arranged in a half-moon. The chapter closes with pastoral līlā, seasonal imagery, and didactic similes, as Kṛṣṇa and Rāma appear as calf-herds—guardians of the world in the guise of children.
कालियदमना: यमुनाशुद्धिः, करुणा-निग्रहः, स्तुति-तत्त्वम्
Parāśara tells Maitreya how Śrī Kṛṣṇa, roaming Vṛndāvana without Balarāma, reaches the Yamunā and sees Kāliya’s venom-lake scorching trees and birds. Knowing His avatāra’s purpose is to restrain the wicked for Vraja’s peace, He leaps from a kadamba into the lake; at first He is bound and bitten, and the gopas and gopīs rush in grief as Nanda and Yaśodā stand stunned, lamenting that Vraja’s life depends on Kṛṣṇa. Balarāma arrives, and long stuti arise, proclaiming the Lord’s inconceivable supremacy and cosmic causality. Kṛṣṇa then frees Himself, dances upon Kāliya’s hoods, and subdues him; Kāliya’s wives take refuge and beg mercy. Kāliya surrenders, pleading created nature; Kṛṣṇa commands him to leave the Yamunā for the ocean, protected from Garuḍa by the marks of His feet. The serpent departs, the Yamunā is purified, and Vraja rejoices, praising Govinda.
तालवन-उद्धारः: धेनुकासुरवधः, फल-समृद्धिः, गो-क्षेमः
Parāśara tells Maitreya that Balarāma and Keśava, herding cows with the cowherd boys, reach Tālavana, a palm grove guarded by the ass-formed asura Dhenuka who harms men and cattle. Seeing fragrant ripe fruits, the boys ask Rāma and Kṛṣṇa to bring them down. As the fruits fall, Dhenuka rushes in fury and strikes Balarāma; Balarāma seizes him, whirls him, and kills him, casting the body down. Kṛṣṇa and Balabhadra then slay Dhenuka’s demonic kinsmen as well, hurling them onto the palm tops. The ground is strewn with fruits and asura bodies, and the grove becomes safe. Freed from fear, the cows happily graze fresh shoots once unreachable—showing that when adharma is removed, natural prosperity is restored.
भाण्डीरवट-क्रीडा: प्रलम्बासुरवधः, मानुष्यलीला, एक-कारण-तत्त्वम्
Parāśara tells Maitreya that after Dhenuka’s fall, Tālavana becomes fit for Vraja’s delight. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma go to the Bhāṇḍīra banyan, sporting in cowherd games and performing human-like tasks, garlanded and carrying yoke-ropes—revealing manuşya-līlā. The asura Pralamba slips in disguised as a cowherd; finding Kṛṣṇa unassailable, he targets Balarāma and abducts him. In the crisis, doctrine shines forth: remembrance of the Supreme as the single cause, the cosmic form, time, dissolution and re-creation, and their shared descent to lighten Earth’s burden. Kṛṣṇa reminds Balarāma of their unity as the world’s cause, while maintaining functional distinction for the world’s purpose. Awakened to divine strength, Balarāma slays Pralamba with a deadly blow. The cowherds rejoice and return with Kṛṣṇa to Gokula.
शरद्वर्णनं, योगोपमा, तथा गोवर्धन-यज्ञप्रवर्तनम्
Parāśara tells Maitreya that as Rāma and Keśava sport in Vraja, the shift from rains to autumn becomes a lesson in yoga and vairāgya: fish trapped in shallow ponds are like householders bound by mamatā; clouds pour out and depart like the wise who leave attachment; water and sky grow clear like the mind purified by yoga and by knowing all-pervading Viṣṇu. Autumn is likened to pratyāhāra withdrawing the senses, and the cycle of filling and emptying to prāṇāyāma. The tale then turns to Indra’s impending move against Vraja. Kṛṣṇa questions the Śakra worship; Nanda explains Indra’s role in rain and the reciprocity of sustenance. Kṛṣṇa redirects devotion through vārttā (agriculture–trade–cattle-rearing) and svadharma: Vraja depends on cows and mountains, so Govardhana and the cows should be honored. The people perform the Govardhana-yajña, feed brāhmaṇas, circumambulate the hill with cows, and Kṛṣṇa manifests as the mountain to accept offerings and grant boons.
इन्द्रक्रोधः, संवर्तक-वर्षणम्, गोवर्धनधारण-लीला
Parāśara tells Maitreya that Indra, angered at being “checked,” commands the Saṃvartaka host of clouds to act at once. Striking at Vraja’s very life—its cattle—he unleashes a dreadful storm of wind and rain; darkness spreads, earth and sky seem merged in one flood, and lightning and thunder deepen the ruin as cows and calves suffer. Seeing Gokula overwhelmed, Hari resolves to protect the whole settlement from Mahendra’s pride-born assault. Śrī Kṛṣṇa uproots Govardhana and holds it aloft with one hand like a vast umbrella, directing the cowherds and cowherd women to take shelter beneath with carts and herds. For seven nights the clouds pour down, yet Kṛṣṇa stands unwavering, praised by the Vrajavāsins. At last Indra’s vow fails; he withdraws the clouds, the sky clears, Kṛṣṇa sets the mountain back in place, and all return safely.
इन्द्र-प्रायश्चित्तं, कृष्णाभिषेकः, गोविन्द-नामप्राप्तिः
Parāśara tells Maitreya that Indra, his pride humbled after Gokula was protected, rides Airāvata to Govardhana seeking Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s darśana. He beholds the Supreme Lord as a cowherd tending cows amid the boys, while Garuḍa, unseen, shades Hari. In private Indra confesses that, stung by humiliation and pride, he unleashed the destructive storm, yet Kṛṣṇa’s wondrous protection has satisfied him and fulfilled the gods’ purpose. As though ‘urged by the cows’, Indra performs Kṛṣṇa’s abhiṣeka, establishes Him as Upendra/Indra among cattle, and bestows the name Govinda; the cows’ spontaneous flow of milk drenches the earth, a sign of abundance under divine rule. Indra then offers counsel tied to bhārāvataraṇa—relieving Earth’s burden—hinting at Arjuna’s protection and the coming slaying of oppressive foes leading to a great war. Embracing Janārdana, Indra returns to heaven, and Kṛṣṇa goes back to Vraja along the path sanctified by the gopīs’ gaze.
गोवर्धनोत्तरविस्मयः, रासलीलाप्रसङ्गः, तथा सर्वव्याप्तिवेदान्तोपदेशः
After Indra departs, the gopas marvel that the child Kṛṣṇa held up Govardhana and admit they no longer see Him as human, asking whether He is deva, dānava, yakṣa, or gandharva. Kṛṣṇa answers in līlā, turning them from anxious speculation to intimate kinship-bhāva. Parāśara then tells Maitreya of Kṛṣṇa’s moonlit play in Vṛndāvana: song draws the gopīs; some withdraw in modesty, others sink into one-pointed meditation. Parāśara teaches that such contemplation destroys pāpa and grants mukti, revealing Kṛṣṇa as Parabrahman. The rāsa begins—hand-holding, circling, singing, and fatigue—deepening bhakti, while Vedāntic doctrine frames it: Viṣṇu pervades husbands, wives, and all beings like wind and the elements, uniting rasa with sarva-vyāptitva.
अरिष्टवृषभदैत्यवधः (गोव्रजत्राणम्)
Parāśara narrates to Maitreya that during twilight, while Janārdana was engaged in the Rāsa dance, the bull-demon Ariṣṭa attacked the cow-pen, terrifying everyone. Hearing the cries of 'Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa!', the Lord responded with a roar and a clap. He seized the charging demon, crushed him effortlessly, tore off his horn, and killed him. The cowherds praised Kṛṣṇa as the gods praise Indra, highlighting the Lord's effortless power in protecting the devotees.
नारदेन कंसबोधनम्, कंसस्योपायचिन्ता, अक्रूरप्रेषणम् (मथुरागमनप्रस्तावः)
Parāśara recounts to Maitreya, in brief, the gathered deeds of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Vraja—Govardhana’s lifting, Kāliya’s subduing, Pūtanā’s slaying, the breaking of the Śakaṭa, and the deaths of Dhenuka, Pralamba, and Ariṣṭa. The scene then shifts to Mathurā: Nārada reports these events to Kaṁsa, revealing also the secret infant-exchange between Yaśodā and Devakī. Enraged, Kaṁsa blames Vasudeva and the Yādavas and laments not killing Rāma-Kṛṣṇa earlier. He devises a public snare at the Dhanur-yajña—wrestling through Cāṇūra and Muṣṭika, the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa, and further violence against Vasudeva, Nanda, and Ugrasena. He orders the devotee Akrūra to go to Gokula and bring the two brothers; Akrūra, inwardly joyful at the prospect of Kṛṣṇa’s darśana, departs swiftly, setting the course toward Mathurā and Kaṁsa’s downfall.
केशीवधः तथा ‘केशव’ नामप्रसिद्धिः
Parashara tells Maitreya: urged on by Kamsa’s messengers, the demon Keshi enters Vrindavana in the form of a horse and harasses the gopas. Terrified, the gopas and gopis take refuge in Govinda. Sri Krishna steadies them, answers Keshi’s roar with a roar, and advances to battle. As Keshi charges with gaping mouth, Janardana thrusts His arm into it—teeth shatter, the arm expands within, and the demon, exhausted, falls split in two like a tree struck by the vajra. The gopas marvel and praise the lotus-eyed Lord; Narada/the devas’ acclaim is revealed, and the name-etymology is indicated: by slaying Keshi, Krishna will be famed in the world as “Keshava.” At the end He enters Gokula with the gopas, displaying the effortless ease of His lila and the Lord’s freedom from strain.
अक्रूरस्य गोकुलगमनम्—दर्शन-लालसा, अंशावतार-बोधः, विष्णु-स्तुतिः
Parashara tells Maitreya that Akrura hastened by swift chariot to Nanda’s Gokula, inwardly cherishing the supreme fortune of beholding Sri Krishna. In his inner reflections arise Vedic-Vaishnava truths: the Disc-bearer as an amsha-avatara, the blessed sight of lotus-eyed Vishnu’s face, the Lord’s mouth as the source of the Vedas, and the Supreme as Yajna-Purusha, Purushottama. Parashara expounds Vishnu’s all-pervasiveness, His unknowable nature even to the gods, the bondage of maya as worldly ties (father-son and the like), and crossing the waves of ignorance by taking refuge in the Lord seated in the heart. In Gokula Akrura sees Krishna at the milking—radiant as a blue lotus, marked with Srivatsa, clad in yellow, smiling with gentle charm—and Balabhadra, likened to Mount Kailasa. Thrilled with devotion, Akrura recognizes Him as the Supreme Abode and prays to touch Him; the chapter ends in bhakti and surrender.
अक्रूर-सत्कारः, मथुरायात्रा-विरहः, यमुनातटे दिव्यदर्शनम्, चतुर्व्यूह-नमस्कारः
Parashara tells Maitreya: Akrura approaches Govinda and bows at His feet; Hari, whose hand bears the auspicious marks of banner, thunderbolt, and lotus, embraces him with affection. Balarama and Keshava honor him as a guest and hear from him of Kamsa’s oppressions. Krishna declares with certainty that within three nights Kamsa will be slain, and that they will depart for Mathura the next day. At dawn, as they set out, the gopis—burning in the fire of separation—lament and voice fears that Krishna, charmed by the sweet words of the city women, may not return; even the dust of the chariot makes the distance feel real. At midday on the bank of the Yamuna, Akrura performs his daily rites, enters the water, meditates on the Supreme Brahman, and receives a divine vision: Balabhadra in the form of Ananta, adorned with a thousand serpent hoods, and upon His lap four-armed Vasudeva bearing the discus and other weapons, praised by siddhas, sages, gandharvas, and nagas. Outside, on the chariot, Rama and Krishna are seen in human form; through this twofold vision Akrura understands the truth and hymns Achyuta—proclaiming Vishnu as pure Being beyond name and category, the support of the world through diverse powers, and concluding with the Pancharatra salutation to the Caturvyuha (Om Namo Vasudevaya… Sankarshana… Pradyumna… Aniruddha).
अक्रूरस्य यमुनादर्शनम्, मथुराप्रवेशः, रजकवधः, माल्यजीवकवरदानम्
Parashara tells Maitreya: Akrura enters the waters of the Yamuna and worships Vishnu with flowers and incense offered in the mind; renouncing sense-objects, he attains samadhi and returns to the chariot. Seeing Rama and Krishna seated there just as before, he is astonished, and Krishna understands his wonder. Reaching Mathura, Akrura advises the proper manner of entering the city; on the royal road Rama-Krishna become the cause of the people’s joy and amazement. On the way Kamsa’s washerman insults them; Krishna strikes him down with a single slap, takes the garments, and, clad in yellow and blue, goes to the garland-maker’s house. Malyajivaka bows again and again with divine faith and offers fragrant flowers; Krishna, pleased, grants a boon that Sri’s prosperity and both worldly and spiritual fruits will never leave him. At last the two depart, honored and worshiped.
कुब्जानुग्रहः, धनुर्भङ्गः, कुवलयापीडवधः, मल्लयुद्धं, कंसवधः, स्तुतयः
Parashara narrates: Krishna meets Kubja, accepts her sandalwood paste, and straightens her, granting her beauty. Then, Krishna and Balarama break the great bow in the hall. Kamsa sets the elephant Kuvalayapida and wrestlers at the gate. Entering the arena after killing the elephant, the brothers are hailed as Vishnu's avatars. In the wrestling match, Krishna kills Chanura and Balarama kills Mushtika. When Kamsa orders the death of Vasudeva, Krishna leaps onto the dais, kills Kamsa, and drags his body. Finally, he bows to his parents, who praise him as the Supreme Lord Vishnu.
वैष्णवीमायावितानम्, उग्रसेनाभिषेकः, सुधर्मासभा, सांदीपनिगमनम्, पाञ्चजन्य-प्राप्तिः, गुरुदक्षिणा
Parasara relates: Devaki and Vasudeva, witnessing the Lord’s deeds, awaken to true knowledge; then Hari again spreads Vaishnavi Maya so the course of lila in the Yadu line remains unbroken. Krishna lovingly consoles his parents and speaks of their long separation caused by fear of Kamsa; Parasara then teaches Maitreya the dharma of honoring and worshiping one’s mother and father. Kamsa’s wives and mothers grieve, and Hari, tear-eyed, comforts them. Madhusudana frees Ugrasena from bondage and anoints him king; Ugrasena performs the rites for the departed and takes the throne. Krishna commands Vayu to bring from Indra the Sudharma assembly-hall for the Yadus; the divine hall arrives, and the Yadavas enjoy it under Govinda’s protection. Though all-knowing, Krishna and Balarama uphold the teacher–disciple order by going to Avanti to Sandipani and mastering, in sixty-four days and nights, Dhanurveda with its secrets. As guru-dakshina the teacher asks for his dead son’s return; Krishna slays Panchajana, gains the Panchajanya conch, goes to Yama’s realm, rescues the boy and restores him to his father, and then returns to Mathura ruled by Ugrasena.
Jarāsandha’s Sieges and the Lord’s Human-Conforming Strategy (Rāja-dharma as Līlā)
Parāśara tells Maitreya that Kaṃsa marries Jarāsandha’s daughters, Asti and Prāpti, stirring Jarāsandha’s wrath against the Yādavas. Jarāsandha besieges Mathurā with twenty-three akṣauhiṇīs, yet Balarāma and Śrī Kṛṣṇa face him with a small retinue, and their ‘ancient’ divine weapons descend from the sky—Śārṅga, inexhaustible quivers, Kaumodakī, and for Balarāma the plough and Saunanda—revealing divine sovereignty within historical battle. Though defeated again and again, Jarāsandha returns; eighteen wars follow, and Parāśara stresses that Kṛṣṇa does not deem an enemy finished while he still lives. The teaching then becomes explicit: the Yādavas’ strength is truly the glory of the presence of Viṣṇu’s aṃśa, and Kṛṣṇa’s exertion is līlā, for the Lord creates and dissolves by will alone. Yet He still follows human rāja-dharma—peace with the strong, war with the weak, the four upāyas (sāma, dāna, bheda, daṇḍa), even retreat—showing statecraft under divine freedom (svatantratā).
Kālayavana’s Rise, Dvārakā’s Founding, and Muchukunda’s Awakening (Śaraṇāgati & Brahman-Stuti)
Parāśara tells Maitreya how the brāhmaṇa Gārgya, stung by insult, performs fierce tapas in the south; Mahādeva grants him a boon, and through Yavana association a son, Kālayavana, is born and enthroned. Proud of his might, Kālayavana gathers vast mleccha hosts and advances on Mathurā. Śrī Kṛṣṇa weighs the situation: the Yādava forces are weary, and the Yavana menace can also draw Jarāsandha of Magadha within reach; so He resolves to raise an unconquerable stronghold. Govinda petitions the ocean for twelve yojanas of land, founds Dvārakā, and moves Mathurā’s people to safety. Kṛṣṇa then returns unarmed, lures the Yavana-lord into a cave where King Muchukunda sleeps by divine boon—whoever wakes him is burned by his fiery glance. Kālayavana strikes the sleeper and is instantly reduced to ashes. Muchukunda beholds Kṛṣṇa, recognizes Him as an aṃśa of Viṣṇu per Garga’s prophecy, and offers a long stuti: Hari as the all-pervading Brahman, the sole refuge from saṃsāra, māyā, karma, and naraka—unfolding śaraṇāgati and Viṣṇu as the ground of all beings.
Hari’s Boon to Muchukunda, Security of the Yādus, and Balarāma’s Consolation in Vraja (Viraha-Bhakti)
Parāśara continues to Maitreya: praised by Muchukunda, beginningless Hari speaks, granting him the desired divine worlds and foretelling a future noble birth with jāti-smara (memory of past lives) that culminates in mokṣa. Muchukunda leaves the cave, recognizes Kali’s advent, and departs to Gandhamādana—the seat of Nara-Nārāyaṇa—for tapas. Kṛṣṇa, having destroyed the foe by upāya (skillful means), returns to Mathurā, secures it, and reports to Ugrasena in Dvāravatī; the Yadu line becomes fearless. Balarāma then journeys to Nanda’s Gokula, meeting cowherds and gopīs with affection, embraces, and shared laughter. The gopīs voice viraha: fears that Kṛṣṇa has turned to city women, laments over abandonment, and longing for remembrance and return—even for Yaśodā’s sake—while weeping “Kṛṣṇa” and “Dāmodara.” Rāma consoles them with gentle, love-filled messages from Kṛṣṇa and sports again in Vraja. Thus the chapter binds royal protection to intimate bhakti-rasa, showing the Lord’s governance and his devotees’ separation-love within one sacred horizon.
बलरामस्य वारुणी-प्रसङ्गः, यमुनाकर्षणम्, लक्ष्मी-प्रदत्त-विभूषणम्, रेवती-विवाहः
Parāśara tells Maitreya: during a forest outing, Śeṣa (Ananta), veiled in human form, moves about with the Lord. Seeing the purpose fulfilled, Varuṇa sends the sacred Vāruṇī for Ananta’s enjoyment; it abides in a hollow of a kadamba tree in Vṛndāvana. Balarāma, catching the fragrance of wine, drinks with the gopas and gopīs amid songs and instruments of praise. Heated and shining with beads of sweat, he calls, “Yamunā, come!” but the river, taking it as drunken speech, does not come. Enraged, Halāyudha seizes Yamunā at the bank and drags her from her course, flooding the forest; terrified, Yamunā assumes bodily form and begs forgiveness, and Balarāma releases her. After bathing, his splendor increases; he receives a lotus ornament, a single earring, a lotus garland sent by Varuṇa, and blue garments bestowed by Śrī Lakṣmī. After sporting in Vraja for two months, he returns to Dvārakā and weds Revatī; they have two sons, Niṣaṭha and Ulmuka.
रुक्मिणी-हरणम्, विरोधि-राजगणः, रुक्मी-प्रतिज्ञा-पराजयः, प्रद्युम्न-जन्म
Parāśara relates: In Vidarbha, at Kundina, ruled King Bhīṣmaka, whose son was Rukmī and daughter Rukmiṇī. Śrī Kṛṣṇa longed for Rukmiṇī and she for Him, yet Rukmī, hating the Disc-bearer, would not consent to the match. Urged by Jarāsandha, Bhīṣmaka fixed Rukmiṇī’s marriage to Śiśupāla, and many kings led by Jarāsandha came to Kundina. Kṛṣṇa arrived with Balarāma and the Yādavas; on the day before the wedding, Hari carried off the maiden, placing the burden of battle upon Rāma and His kinsmen. Pauṇḍraka, Dantavakra, Vidūratha, Śiśupāla, Jarāsandha, Śālva and others, enraged, fought but were defeated by the foremost Yādava heroes. Rukmī vowed, “Only after slaying Keśava will I enter Kundina,” and charged, but the Cakrī effortlessly shattered his strength and cast him down. Then Madhusūdana took Rukmiṇī by the rākṣasa-vivāha rite; from her was born Pradyumna—an aspect of Kāma—who became the seed of the later Śambara episode.
प्रद्युम्न-अपहरणम्, मत्स्य-उद्धारः, मायावती-शिक्षा, शम्बरवधः, रुक्मिणी-पुत्र-संगमः
Answering Maitreya, Parashara narrates that on the sixth day after birth, Pradyumna was abducted by Shambara and thrown into the ocean, where a fish swallowed him. Mayavati found the baby in the fish's belly and raised him per Narada's command. In his youth, she revealed the truth and taught him magic (Maya). Pradyumna killed Shambara and returned to Dwaraka with Mayavati. Narada clarified to Rukmini that he is her son (Kama) and Mayavati is Rati, bringing joy to all.
वंशवर्णनम्, अनिरुद्धविवाहः, तथा बलराम-रुक्मी द्यूतविवादः
Parashara recounts to Maitreya Sri Krishna’s dynastic line and Rukmini’s children (Charuvinda and others), briefly noting Krishna’s other queens such as Kalindi and his acceptance of sixteen thousand women. From Pradyumna’s marriage Aniruddha is born, and during Aniruddha’s wedding the remaining enmity between Rukmi and Shauri comes to light. After the wedding, at Rukmi’s instigation, the king of Kalinga and other rulers begin a dice match with Balarama; Balarama first loses, then wins on a great stake. Rukmi proclaims a false victory, but a heavenly voice judges, “By dharma and strength, Balarama has won.” Enraged, Balarama kills Rukmi with a blow of the gaming board, breaks the Kalinga king’s teeth, and routs the other kings. Krishna keeps silent, mindful of Rukmini and Balarama’s feelings; in the end Kesava brings the newly married Aniruddha back to Dvaraka.
नरकासुरवधः, अदीतिकुण्डल-प्रत्यर्पणम्, तथा भारावतरण-लीला
In Dvārakā, Indra (Śakra), mounted on Airāvata, comes to Śrī Kṛṣṇa to report Narakāsura’s outrages and to praise the Lord as the world’s protector. Parāśara tells Maitreya that Bhoma (Naraka), dwelling in Pragjyotiṣapura, abducted maidens, plundered divine treasures, and stole Aditi’s earrings (kuṇḍalas). Śrī Kṛṣṇa, with Satyabhāmā, rides Garuḍa to Pragjyotiṣa; with the Sudarśana-cakra he cuts the Māurava bonds and slays Mura, his seven thousand sons, Hayagrīva, and Pañcajana. In the great battle Govinda destroys the daityas by the thousand and finally kills Naraka with his cakra; Bhūmi Devī presents the kuṇḍalas, seeks forgiveness, and begs protection for her offspring, which the Lord grants. Accepting the jewels and beholding the many captive maidens, he sends elephants, horses, and riches to Dvārakā and then sets out for heaven to return Aditi’s kuṇḍalas.
स्वर्गगमनम्, अदितिस्तुतिः-मायातत्त्वम्, तथा पारिजात-प्रसङ्गे इन्द्रयुद्धम्
Parashara tells Maitreya: Garuda, bearing Varuna’s parasol and the Mani mountain, carries Hrisikesha with Satyabhama to the gate of heaven; the Lord summons the devas with a conch-blast. Entering the abode of Aditi, Mother of the gods, He beholds her, returns Aditi’s earrings to Shakra (Indra), and reports Naraka’s slaying. Aditi offers praise; in that context the nature of maya, transcendence of the three gunas, the Lord’s all-Selfhood, and the purpose of hymn are explained, and Maitreya asks, “Why praise the Perfect?” Aditi then grants Satyabhama a boon—freedom from age and disfigurement. After viewing the divine garden, Satyabhama, seeing the Parijata tree, asks to take it to Dvaraka out of co-wife rivalry; the forest-guards and Saci (Indrani) oppose. After messages and counter-messages, Indra comes to battle with the hosts of gods; Krishna sounds the conch and showers arrows, playfully cuts down divine weapons, and Garuda rends the devas. At last the tension of vajra and chakra arises; Hari seizes the vajra, restrains Indra without releasing the chakra, and pacifies the gods—showing that even war is the Lord’s lila, ordered for the establishment of dharma in the world.
पारिजातहरणम्, द्वारकाप्रवेशः, षोडशसहस्रविवाहः (Pārijāta, Return to Dvārakā, and the Lord’s Many Forms)
Parāśara tells Maitreya how the Pārijāta dispute is settled: Kṛṣṇa, with calm authority, upholds satya and the tree’s rightful placement, returns Indra’s Vajra, and restores divine propriety without enmity. Indra yields and asks that the celestial tree be taken to Dvārakā. Hari returns, sounds the conch above the city, and installs the Pārijāta in the palace garden with Satyabhāmā; its fragrance and memory-awakening power are praised, then an ominous vision appears of non-human forms bound upon the tree. The narrative turns to Kṛṣṇa receiving Naraka’s spoils and marrying the rescued maidens at an auspicious time, taking their hands according to dharma. To be fully present with each wife, Madhusūdana manifests as many forms as there are brides and dwells at night in all their homes—revealing the Lord’s viśvarūpa-pervasion and limitless agency within līlā.
हरेः पुत्रविस्तारः तथा ऊषानिरुद्धकथा-प्रारम्भः (Kṛṣṇa’s Progeny and the Beginning of the Uṣā–Aniruddha Episode)
Parāśara continues instructing Maitreya by enumerating Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s sons born of many queens, thereby expanding the Vṛṣṇi dynastic line. He proclaims Pradyumna foremost and traces the descent onward to Aniruddha and Vajra. He then begins the episode of Aniruddha’s marriage to Uṣā, daughter of Bāṇa and granddaughter of Bali, foreshadowing an impending conflict. Maitreya asks how the Hari–Hara battle arose and how Bāṇa’s arms were severed. Parāśara opens the backstory: Uṣā, seeing Śiva with Pārvatī, longs for similar conjugal refuge; Gaurī consoles her and points to a dream-sign on Vaiśākha-śukla-dvādaśī. Uṣā dreams of the destined man and wakes restless; her companion Citralekhā, skilled in yogic arts, draws portraits of gods, beings, and humans. At last Uṣā’s gaze settles on Aniruddha, Pradyumna’s son, and from that attraction begins the chain of causes—yogic abduction and the war that follows.
बाणयुद्धम्, हरिहरसंवादः, ज्वरप्रकरणम्, अनिरुद्धमोचनम् (Bāṇa’s War, the Jvara Episode, Hari–Hara Dialogue, and Aniruddha’s Release)
Parāśara describes Bāṇa’s thirst for battle and Śiva’s response. Citralekhā, by yogic power, brings Aniruddha into Uṣā’s chamber; when discovered he defeats the guards, but Bāṇa—on his ministers’ counsel—uses māyā and binds him with the serpent-weapon (nāgāstra). Nārada alerts the Yādavas; Hari rides Garuḍa with Balarāma and Pradyumna to attack Śoṇitapura, destroying the Pramathas. A Māheśvara Jvara confronts Kṛṣṇa, but the Vaiṣṇava Jvara drives it back; Brahmā begs forgiveness. Kṛṣṇa withdraws the Vaiṣṇava fever into Himself, and Jvara grants a boon: whoever remembers this battle becomes free from fever. The war intensifies as Śiva, Kārttikeya, and their hosts fight, yet Govinda’s Jṛmbhaṇa weapon stupefies Śiva and Guha retreats. When Kṛṣṇa readies Sudarśana, Koṭavī appears; nonetheless Bāṇa’s arms are severed. Śiva praises Kṛṣṇa as Purūṣottama and asks that his boon be protected; Kṛṣṇa honors it and teaches abheda—Śiva should see the Self as non-different from Him. Aniruddha and Uṣā are released and return to Dvārakā.
पौण्ड्रक-वधः, कृत्या-प्रशमनम्, वाराणसी-दाहः
Maitreya asks Parashara about Krishna's deeds. Parashara narrates the story of Paundraka, who falsely claimed to be the avatar. Krishna killed him and the King of Kashi. The King's son invoked a deadly spirit (Kritya) through Shiva to kill Krishna. Krishna released the Sudarshana Chakra, which chased the spirit back, burned Varanasi to ashes, and returned to the Lord.
साम्ब-हरणम्, बलदेवस्य रोषः, हस्तिनापुर-आकर्षणम्
Maitreya asks about Balarama's feats. Parashara narrates how Samba abducted Duryodhana's daughter. The Kauravas captured Samba. The Yadavas wanted war, but Balarama went alone to Hastinapura to negotiate. The Kauravas insulted the Yadavas. Enraged, Balarama used his plow to drag the city toward the river. Terrified, the Kauravas surrendered Samba and his bride. Balarama forgave them.
द्विविद-वधः, यज्ञ-विध्वंस-निवारणम्, बलदेव-पराक्रम-समाहारः
Parashara recounts further deeds of Baladeva (Balarama). Dvivida, a monkey and friend of Narakasura, turns against the gods and, driven by enmity, wrecks sacrifices, violates the bounds of the righteous, burns towns and villages, hurls mountains, churns the sea, floods coastal settlements, and destroys crops—so that the world’s sacred study and the vashat-cry wane. Once, in Raivata’s garden, Baladeva was drinking and sporting with Revati when Dvivida arrived, mocked the plough and club (hala and mushala), jeered even before the women, and flung the drinking vessel. Enraged, Baladeva seized his mushala; the rock Dvivida threw was shattered into a thousand pieces. Though Dvivida struck his chest, Baladeva at last felled him with a blow of the fist upon the head, and the falling body split a mountain peak into a hundred parts. The gods showered flowers, praising that the world’s affliction had ceased. Parashara concludes: such immeasurable exploits are natural to Baladeva, the earth-bearer in the form of Shesha.
यादवक्षयः, बलराम-निर्याणम्, कृष्णस्य उपसंहारः (प्रभासे विनाशः)
Parāśara tells Maitreya that after easing Earth’s burden with Phālguna (Arjuna), Śrī Kṛṣṇa now prepares to conclude His manifest līlā. Asked how Janārdana uses a brāhmaṇa curse as the occasion to withdraw His own clan and relinquish the assumed human body, Parāśara recounts the Sāmba episode: youths mock sages; an iron musala appears, is ground to filings, yet destiny persists—eraka reeds arise and the last iron fragment reaches the hunter Jarā. A divine messenger brings the devas’ request that Kṛṣṇa return; Kṛṣṇa declares that Yādava-kṣaya has begun, will be completed within seven nights, and Dvārakā will be given back to the sea. Portents appear; Kṛṣṇa leads the Yādavas to Prabhāsa for expiation, where intoxication ignites a fated fratricidal slaughter, the eraka reeds becoming thunderbolt-like weapons. After the annihilation, Balarāma departs as Ananta; Kṛṣṇa instructs Dāruka to summon Arjuna and protect the people. Established in yoga, Kṛṣṇa is struck in the foot by Jarā, forgives him, grants him heaven, and finally re-enters the imperishable Brahman pervaded as Vāsudeva, transcending all embodied courses.
अर्जुनस्य अन्त्येष्टि, द्वारकाप्लावनम्, कलिप्रवेशः, कालोपदेशः
Parāśara tells Maitreya that Arjuna performs the funerary rites for Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, and then for the others. Kṛṣṇa’s queens led by Rukmiṇī, and Revatī for Balarāma, enter the sacred fire; Ugrasena, Vasudeva, Devakī, and Rohiṇī also merge into it. Arjuna leads the people out with Vajra, while Sudharmā and the Pārijāta tree return to heaven. On the very day Hari departs, Kali descends; the ocean floods the emptied Dvārakā, sparing only the Lord’s residence, marking its enduring sanctity. After settling the people in Pañcanada, Arjuna faces Ābhīra/dasyu raids; his divine prowess fails—he cannot properly string Gāṇḍīva or recall astras—showing his power depended on Kṛṣṇa’s presence. Women are carried off; Arjuna laments to Vyāsa, who teaches that the calamity is Kāla’s inevitable movement and Hari’s līlā. Parāśara universalizes the lesson: creation and dissolution are time-governed under the Lord; when the avatāra’s purpose is fulfilled, He withdraws śakti. The Pāṇḍavas install Parīkṣit and depart for the forest, closing the dynastic arc by divine ordinance.
Amsha 5 centers on Kṛṣṇa’s avatāra (aṁśāvatāra) in the Yadu lineage, framed by Parāśara’s teaching that Viṣṇu is Jagat-kāraṇa. It narrates Bhūdevī’s burden, the devas’ petition at Kṣīrābdhi, and the divine plan culminating in Kṛṣṇa’s birth and Kaṁsa’s eventual destruction.
Parāśara repeatedly identifies all beings—devas, asuras, worlds, elements, and even time—as Viṣṇu’s vibhūtis, indicating both material pervasion (upādāna) and sovereign governance (nimitta). The avatāra is then explained not as compelled karma, but as a free, dharma-protecting assumption of form.
Yogamāyā is shown as Viṣṇu’s own śakti that executes the avatāra’s logistics: implanting the six embryos, transferring the seventh to Rohiṇī (Saṅkarṣaṇa), placing herself in Yaśodā’s womb, and enabling the exchange that protects Kṛṣṇa from Kaṁsa.