Shloka 1
The Appearance of Lord Viṣṇu (Kṛṣṇa) and the Divine Exchange with Yoga-māyā
श्रीशुक उवाच अथ सर्वगुणोपेत: काल: परमशोभन: । यर्ह्येवाजनजन्मक्षन शान्तर्क्षग्रहतारकम् ॥ १ ॥ दिश: प्रसेदुर्गगनं निर्मलोडुगणोदयम् । मही मङ्गलभूयिष्ठपुरग्रामव्रजाकरा ॥ २ ॥ नद्य: प्रसन्नसलिला ह्रदा जलरुहश्रिय: । द्विजालिकुलसन्नादस्तवका वनराजय: ॥ ३ ॥ ववौ वायु: सुखस्पर्श: पुण्यगन्धवह: शुचि: । अग्नयश्च द्विजातीनां शान्तास्तत्र समिन्धत ॥ ४ ॥ मनांस्यासन् प्रसन्नानि साधूनामसुरद्रुहाम् । जायमानेऽजने तस्मिन् नेदुर्दुन्दुभय: समम् ॥ ५ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca atha sarva-guṇopetaḥ kālaḥ parama-śobhanaḥ yarhy evājana-janmarkṣaṁ śāntarkṣa-graha-tārakam
Śrī Śuka berkata: Kemudian tibalah saat yang paling indah bagi penampakan Tuhan; seluruh alam semesta dipenuhi kebaikan, keindahan, dan kedamaian. Rohiṇī tampak, demikian pula bintang dan planet seperti Aśvinī; matahari, bulan, dan yang lainnya tenang. Segala penjuru terasa menyejukkan; langit bersih tanpa awan dan gugus bintang berkilau. Bumi, berhias kota, desa, tambang, dan padang gembala Vraja, tampak serba-mujur. Sungai mengalir dengan air jernih; danau dan telaga penuh teratai dan lili. Di hutan dan pepohonan yang rimbun, burung-burung dan kawanan lebah bersenandung merdu. Angin suci berembus lembut membawa harum bunga; api yajña para brāhmaṇa menyala mantap tanpa terganggu. Para sādhū yang lama diganggu Kaṁsa dan para asura merasakan damai di hati; dan ketika Viṣṇu yang tak-terlahir hendak menampakkan diri, genderang surgawi berdentang serentak dari alam atas.
As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that His appearance, birth, and activities are all transcendental and that one who factually understands them is immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance or birth is not like that of an ordinary man, who is forced to accept a material body according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the previous chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure.