Adhyaya 3

Verse 1

एवं संस्तूयमाना सा देवैर् देवम् अधारयत् गर्भेण पुण्डरीकाक्षं जगतां त्राणकारणम्

Thus praised by the gods, she conceived within her womb the lotus‑eyed Lord, Puṇḍarīkākṣa—the very cause of the worlds’ deliverance and protection.

Verse 2

ततो ऽखिलजगत्पद्मबोधायाच्युतभानुना देवकीपूर्वसंध्यायाम् आविर्भूतं महात्मना

Then, so that the lotus of the entire universe might awaken, Achyuta—the unfailing Sun—manifested, that great‑souled Lord appearing in Devakī at a moment like the dawn.

Verse 3

तज्जन्मदिनम् अत्यर्थम् आह्लाद्य् अमलदिङ्मुखम् बभूव सर्वलोकस्य कौमुदी शशिनो यथा

That day of His birth became supremely joyous; the horizons were made pure and radiant. For all the worlds it was like the moon’s cool, white splendor spreading everywhere.

Verse 4

सन्तः संतोषम् अधिकं प्रशमं चण्डमारुताः प्रसादं निम्नगा याता जायमाने जनार्दने

When Janārdana was being born, the holy grew even more content and inwardly tranquil; the fierce winds subsided into calm, and the rivers flowed with clear serenity.

Verse 5

सिन्धवो निजशब्देन वाद्यं चक्रुर् मनोहरम् जगुर् गन्धर्वपतयो ननृतुश् चाप्सरोगणाः

With their own natural resonance the Sindhu waters fashioned captivating music; the lords of the Gandharvas sang, and the hosts of Apsarases danced—celebrating the divine order that shines forth from the Supreme Vishnu, manifest here as Krishna.

Verse 6

ससृजुः पुष्पवर्षाणि देवा भुव्य् अन्तरिक्षगाः जज्वलुश् चाग्नयः शान्ता जायमाने जनार्दने

As Janārdana was being born, the gods moving through the sky and the mid‑region showered the earth with cascades of flowers; and even the fires, fierce by nature, blazed with a tranquil, auspicious radiance, as though creation itself rejoiced at the Supreme’s descent.

Verse 7

मध्यरात्रे ऽखिलाधारे जायमाने जनार्दने मन्दं जगर्जुर् जलदाः पुष्पवृष्टिमुचो द्विज

O brāhmaṇa, at midnight—when Janārdana, the very support of all existence, was being born—the clouds rumbled softly, releasing a rain of flowers, as the cosmos itself offered homage to the Supreme.

Verse 8

फुल्लेन्दीवरपत्राभं चतुर्बाहुम् उदीक्ष्य तम् श्रीवत्सवक्षसं जातं तुष्टावानकदुन्दुभिः

Beholding Him—radiant like the petal of a fully bloomed blue lotus, four‑armed, and bearing the Śrīvatsa mark upon His chest—Ānakadundubhi (Vasudeva), filled with joy, offered His praise.

Verse 9

अभिष्टूय च तं वाग्भिः प्रसन्नाभिर् महामतिः विज्ञापयाम् आस तदा कंसाद् भीतो द्विजोत्तम

Having praised Him with gracious, pleasing words, that great‑minded one then made his petition—O best of the twice‑born—driven by fear of Kaṁsa.

Verse 10

ज्ञातो ऽसि देवदेवेश शङ्खचक्रगदाधरम् दिव्यं रूपम् इदं देव प्रसादेनोपसंहर

O Lord of the gods, I have now recognized You—the bearer of conch, discus, and mace. O Deva, by Your gracious favor, withdraw this divine form once more.

Verse 11

अद्यैव देव कंसो ऽयं कुरुते मम यातनाम् अवतीर्णम् इति ज्ञात्वा त्वम् अस्मिन् मम मन्दिरे

O Lord—this very day Kamsa will inflict torment upon me, once he learns that You have descended and are here within my sanctuary.

Verse 12

यो ऽनन्तरूपो ऽखिलविश्वरूपो गर्भे ऽपि लोकान् वपुषा बिभर्ति प्रसीदताम् एष स देवदेवः स्वमाययाविष्कृतबालरूपः

May He be gracious—He, the God of gods: the One of endless forms, whose very being is the form of the entire universe; who, even while abiding within the womb, upholds the worlds by His own body; who, by His own māyā, has manifested the appearance of an infant.

Verse 13

उपसंहर सर्वात्मन् रूपम् एतच् चतुर्भुजम् जानातु मावतारं ते कंसो ऽयं दितिजात्मजः

Withdraw, O All-Soul, this four-armed form; let not Kaṃsa—this offspring of the Daitya-line—come to know of Your descent (into the world).

Verse 14

स्तुतो ऽहं यत् त्वया पूर्वं पुत्रार्थिन्या तद् अद्य ते सफलं देवि संजातं जातो ऽहं यत् तवोदरात्

“O Goddess, when you once praised me, longing for a son, that praise has today borne fruit for you: for I have been born—indeed, I have taken birth from your womb.”

Verse 15

इत्य् उक्त्वा भगवांस् तूष्णीं बभूव मुनिसत्तम वसुदेवो ऽपि तं रात्राव् आदाय प्रययौ बहिः

Having spoken thus, the Blessed Lord fell silent, O best of sages. Vasudeva too, taking Him up in the night, set out and went forth outside.

Verse 16

मोहिताश् चाभवंस् तत्र रक्षिणो योगनिद्रया मथुराद्वारपालाश् च व्रजत्य् आनकदुन्दुभौ

There, the guards were overcome by delusion through Yogic Sleep; and as Ānakadundubhi (Vasudeva) set out for Vraja, even the gatekeepers of Mathurā fell into that enchanted slumber.

Verse 17

वर्षतां जलदानां च तोयम् अत्युल्बणं निशि संच्छाद्यानुययौ शेषः फणैर् आनकदुन्दुभिम्

As the rain-clouds poured down through the night and the waters swelled into a fierce flood, Śeṣa followed behind Ānakadundubhi (Vasudeva), sheltering him beneath the canopy of his many hoods.

Verse 18

यमुनां चातिगम्भीरां नानावर्तशताकुलाम् वसुदेवो वहन् विष्णुं जानुमात्रवहां ययौ

Bearing Viṣṇu Himself, Vasudeva entered the Yamunā, though she was exceedingly deep and churned by hundreds of whirling eddies; yet the river became for him only knee-deep, and he passed across.

Verse 19

कंसस्य करम् आदाय तत्रैवाभ्यागतांस् तटे नन्दादीन् गोपवृद्धांश् च यमुनायां ददर्श सः

Taking hold of Kaṁsa’s hand, he then saw there on the riverbank Nanda and the other elder cowherds who had arrived, gathered at the Yamunā’s edge.

Verse 20

तस्मिन् काले यशोदापि मोहिता योगनिद्रया ताम् एव कन्यां मैत्रेय प्रसूता मोहिते जने

At that very time, Yaśodā too—deluded by the Lord’s Yoga-nidrā—gave birth, O Maitreya, to that very girl, while all the people around lay under the same divine bewilderment.

Verse 21

वसुदेवो ऽपि विन्यस्य बालम् आदाय दारिकाम् यशोदाशयने तूर्णम् आजगामामितद्युतिः

Vasudeva, having gently set down the divine child, took up the infant girl; and that man of immeasurable splendor hurried at once to Yaśodā’s bedchamber.

Verse 22

ददृशे च प्रबुद्धा सा यशोदा जातम् आत्मजम् नीलोत्पलदलश्यामं ततो ऽत्यर्थं मुदं ययौ

When Yaśodā awoke, she beheld her newborn child—dark-hued like the petals of a blue lotus—and at that sight her heart overflowed with surpassing joy.

Verse 23

आदाय वसुदेवो ऽपि दारिकां निजमन्दिरे देवकीशयने न्यस्य यथापूर्वम् अतिष्ठत

Taking up the infant girl, Vasudeva returned to his own dwelling; placing her upon Devakī’s bed, he stood there again exactly as before, outwardly unchanged.

Verse 24

ततो बालध्वनिं श्रुत्वा रक्षिणः सहसोत्थिताः कंसायावेदयाम् आसुर् देवकीप्रसवं द्विज

Then, hearing the cry of the newborn, the guards sprang up at once and reported to Kaṃsa—O twice-born one—that Devakī had given birth.

Verse 25

कंसस् तूर्णम् उपेत्यैनां ततो जग्राह बालिकाम् मुञ्च मुञ्चेति देवक्या सन्नकण्ठ्या निवारितः

Kamsa rushed forward and at once seized the infant girl; but Devaki, her voice choked in her throat, pleaded again and again, “Release her, release her!”, striving to restrain him.

Verse 26

चिक्षेप च शिलापृष्ठे सा क्षिप्ता वियति स्थितिम् अवाप रूपं च महत् सायुधाष्टमहाभुजम्

He cast her upon the surface of a rock; yet, when thus hurled, she rose and hung poised in the sky, assuming a vast and awe-inspiring form—armed, and endowed with eight mighty arms.

Verse 27

प्रजहास तथैवोच्चैः कंसं च रुषिताब्रवीत् किं मया क्षिप्तया कंस जातो यस् त्वां वधिष्यति

She laughed aloud, and then, angered, spoke to Kamsa: “What has been gained by casting me down, O Kamsa? Has he who will slay you been born from me?”

Verse 28

सर्वस्वभूतो देवानाम् आसीन् मृत्युः पुरा स ते तद् एतत् संप्रधार्याशु क्रियतां हितम् आत्मनः

In former times, Death—who had become, as it were, the very all-in-all of the gods—stood before you. Therefore, reflect well upon this at once, and swiftly do what is truly for your own welfare.

Verse 29

इत्य् उक्त्वा प्रययौ देवी दिव्यस्रग्गन्धभूषणा पश्यतो भोजराजस्य स्तुता सिद्धैर् विहायसा

Having spoken thus, the Goddess—adorned with celestial garlands, fragrances, and ornaments—departed as the Bhoja king looked on; and as she moved through the sky, the Siddhas praised her.