Shloka 90
धर्मस्य बहुद्वारत्वम् — Nārada’s Audience with Indra (Śānti-parva 340)
(कंसं केशिं तथा कालमरिष्टं च महासुरम् | चाणूरं च महावीर्य मुष्टिके च महाबलम् ।।
kaṁsaṁ keśiṁ tathā kālam ariṣṭaṁ ca mahāsuram | cāṇūraṁ ca mahāvīryaṁ muṣṭike ca mahābalam || pralambaṁ dhenukaṁ caiva ariṣṭaṁ vṛṣarūpiṇam | kālīyaṁ ca vaśe kṛtvā yamunāyā mahāhrade || gokule tu tataḥ paścād gavārthe tu mahāgirim | saptarātraṁ dhariṣyāmi varṣamāṇe tu vāsave || apakrānte tato varṣe girimūrdhny avasthitaḥ | indreṇa saha saṁvādaṁ kariṣyāmi tadā dvija ||
Bhīṣma dit : « Je tuerai Kaṁsa, Keśin, Kāla et le grand démon Ariṣṭa ; ainsi que Cāṇūra, d’une prouesse redoutable, et Muṣṭika, d’une force immense. Après avoir abattu Pralamba et Dhenuka, et Ariṣṭa qui prend la forme d’un taureau, et après avoir soumis Kāliya dans le vaste bassin de la Yamunā, je protégerai ensuite, à Gokula, le bétail en tenant le grand mont Govardhana comme un parasol durant sept nuits, tandis que Vāsava (Indra) déversera la pluie. Quand cette pluie aura cessé, debout au sommet de la montagne, je m’entretiendrai alors avec Indra, ô brāhmane. »
(भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses Kṛṣṇa’s deeds as an ethical exemplar: adharma that harms society (violent demons, tyranny, and arrogance) must be restrained; the vulnerable—especially dependents like cattle and villagers—deserve protection; and even the powerful (Indra) are to be engaged through principled dialogue after the immediate danger is removed.
Bhīṣma recounts (as a prophetic/illustrative sequence) Kṛṣṇa’s major Vraja–Mathurā exploits: defeating Kaṁsa’s champions and demons, subduing Kāliya in the Yamunā, and then lifting Govardhana for seven nights to shelter Gokula’s people and cattle from Indra’s storm, after which Kṛṣṇa speaks with Indra from the mountain-top.