Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 36 Verse 16

Canto 10: The Summum Bonum | Chapter 36: The Slaying of Arista, the Bull Demon

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.36.16

ariṣṭe nihate daitye

kṛṣṇenādbhuta-karmaṇā

kaḿsāyāthāha bhagavān

nārado deva-darśanaḥ

SYNONYMS

ariṣṭe — Ariṣṭa; nihate — having been killed; daitye — the demon; kṛṣṇena — by Kṛṣṇa; adbhuta-karmaṇā — whose activities are wonderful; kaḿsāya — to Kaḿsa; atha — then; āha — spoke; bhagavān — the powerful sage; nāradaḥ — Nārada; deva-darśanaḥ — whose vision is godly.

TRANSLATION

After Ariṣṭāsura had been killed by Kṛṣṇa, who acts wonderfully, Nārada Muni went to speak to King Kaḿsa. That powerful sage of godly vision addressed the King as follows.

PURPORT

The term deva-darśana can be understood in many ways, all of which are consistent with the context and purport of this narration. Deva means "God," and darśanaḥ means "seeing" or "an audience with a great personality." Thus deva-darśana, a name for Nārada Muni, indicates that Nārada has attained the perfection of seeing God, that getting Nārada's audience is as good as getting God's (since Nārada is a pure representative of the Lord), and also that Nārada's audience is as good as that of the demigods, who are also known as devas. That there are all these meanings of the term deva-darśanaḥ reveals something of the richness of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam's language.

From the Purāṇas, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has quoted twenty verses describing a joking conversation between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa that took place after Kṛṣṇa had killed the demon Ariṣṭa. This conversation, so kindly quoted by the ācārya, describes the origin of Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa, Rādhā's and Kṛṣṇa's bathing ponds. The verses are as follows:

māsmān spṛśādya vṛṣabhārdana hanta mugdhā

ghoro 'suro 'yam ayi kṛṣṇa tad apy ayaḿ gauḥ

vṛtro yathā dvija ihāsty ayi niṣkṛtiḥ kiḿ

śudhyed bhavāḿs tri-bhuvana-sthita-tīrtha-kṛcchrāt

"The innocent young gopīs said, 'Ah, Kṛṣṇa, don't touch us now, O killer of a bull! Alas, even though Ariṣṭa was a terrible demon, still he was a male cow, so You will have to undergo atonement, just as Lord Indra did after killing Vṛtrāsura. But how can You purify Yourself without going to the trouble of visiting every single holy place in the three worlds?' "

kiḿ paryaṭāmi bhuvanāny adhunaiva sarvā

ānīya tīrtha-vitatīḥ karavāṇi tāsu

snānaḿ vilokayata tāvad idaḿ mukundaḥ

procyaiva tatra kṛtavān bata pārṣṇi-ghātam

"[Kṛṣṇa replied,] 'Why should I have to wander throughout the entire universe? I will at once bring all the countless pilgrimage places here and take My bath in them. Just watch!' With this, Lord Mukunda struck His heel on the ground."

pātālato jalam idaḿ kila bhogavatyā

āyātam atra nikhilā api tīrtha-sańghāḥ

āgacchateti bhagavad-vacasā ta etya

tatraiva rejur atha kṛṣṇa uvāca gopīḥ

"[Then He said,] 'This is the water of the Bhogavatī River, coming from the Pātāla region. And now, O holy places, all of you please come here!' When the Supreme Lord had spoken these words, all the holy places went there and appeared before Him. Kṛṣṇa then addressed the gopīs as follows."

tīrthāni paśyata harer vacasā tavaivaḿ

naiva pratīma iti tā atha tīrtha-varyāḥ

procuḥ kṛtāñjali-puṭā lavaṇābdhir asmi

kṣīrābdhir asmi śṛṇutāmara-dīrghikāsmi

" 'See all the holy places!'

"But the gopīs replied, 'We don't see them as You describe.'

"Then those best of holy places, joining their palms in supplication, spoke up:

" 'I am the salt ocean.'

" 'I am the ocean of milk.'

" 'I am the Amara-dīrghikā.' "

śoṇo 'pi sindhur aham asmi bhavāmi tāmra-

parṇī ca puṣkaram ahaḿ ca sarasvatī ca

godāvarī ravi-sutā sarayuḥ prayāgo

revāsmi paśyata jalaḿ kuruta pratītim

" 'I am the river Śoṇa.'

" 'I am the Sindhu.'

" 'I am the Tāmraparṇī.'

" 'I am the holy place Puṣkara.'

" 'I am the river Sarasvatī.'

" 'And we are the Godāvarī, Yamunā and Revā rivers and the confluence of rivers at Prayāga. Just see our waters!' "

snātvā tato harir ati-prajagalbha eva

śuddhaḥ saro 'py akaravaḿ sthita-sarva-tīrtham

yuṣmābhir ātma-januṣīha kṛto na dharmaḥ

ko 'pi kṣitāv atha sakhīr nijagāda rādhā

"After purifying Himself by bathing, Lord Hari became quite arrogant and said, 'I have produced a pond containing all the various holy places, whereas you gopīs must never have executed any religious duties on this earth for the pleasure of Lord Brahmā.' Then Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī addressed Her girlfriends as follows."

kāryaḿ mayāpy ati-manohara-kuṇḍam ekaḿ

tasmād yatadhvam iti tad-vacanena tābhiḥ

śrī-kṛṣṇa-kuṇḍa-taṭa-paścima-diśya-mando

gartaḥ kṛto vṛṣabha-daitya-khurair vyaloki

" 'I must create an even more beautiful pond. So go to work!' Having heard these words, the gopīs saw that Ariṣṭāsura's hooves had dug a shallow ditch just west of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's pond."

tatrārdra-mṛn-mṛdula-gola-tatīḥ prati-sva-

hastoddhṛtā anati-dūra-gatā vidhāya

divyaḿ saraḥ prakaṭitaḿ ghaṭikā-dvayena

tābhir vilokya sarasaḿ smarate sma kṛṣṇaḥ

"At that nearby spot, all the gopīs began digging up lumps of soft mud with their hands, and in this way a divine pond manifested in the short span of an hour. Kṛṣṇa was astonished to see the lake they produced."

proce ca tīrtha-salilaiḥ paripūrayaitan

mat-kuṇḍataḥ sarasijākṣi sahālibhis tvam

rādhā tadā na na na neti jagāda yasmāt

tvat-kuṇḍa-nīram uru-go-vadha-pātakāktam

"He said, 'Go ahead, lotus-eyed one. You and Your companions should fill this pond with water from Mine.'

"But Rādhā replied, 'No, no, no, no! This is impossible, since the water of Your pond is contaminated by Your terrible sin of killing a cow.' "

āhṛtya puṇya-salilaḿ śata-koṭi-kumbhaiḥ

sakhy-arbudena saha mānasa-jāhnavītaḥ

etat saraḥ sva-madhunā paripūrayāmi

tenaiva kīrtim atulāḿ tanavāni loke

" 'I will have My countless gopī companions bring the pure water of the Mānasa-gańgā here in billions of pots. In this way I will fill this lake with My own water and thus make its renown unequaled in the entire world.' "

kṛṣṇeńgitena sahasaitya samasta-tīrtha-

sakhyas tadīya-saraso dhṛta-divya-mūrtiḥ

tuṣṭāva tatra vṛṣabhānu-sutāḿ praṇamya

bhaktyā kṛtāñjali-puṭaḥ sravad-asra-dhāraḥ

"Lord Kṛṣṇa then gestured to a heavenly personality who was an intimate associate of all the holy places. Suddenly that person rose up out of Kṛṣṇa's pond and bowed down to the daughter of Śrī Vṛṣabhānu [Rādhārāṇī]. Then, with palms joined and tears pouring from his eyes, he began praying to Her in devotion."

devi tvadīya-mahimānam avaiti sarva

śāstrārtha-vin na ca vidhir na haro na lakṣmīḥ

kintv eka eva puruṣārtha-śiromaṇis tvat-

prasveda-mārjana-paraḥ svayam eva kṛṣṇaḥ

" 'O goddess, even Lord Brahmā himself, the knower of all scriptures, cannot understand Your glories, nor can Lord Śiva or Lakṣmī. Only Kṛṣṇa, the supreme goal of all human endeavor, can understand them, and thus He feels obliged to personally make sure that You can wash away Your perspiration when You are fatigued.' "

yaś cāru-yāvaka-rasena bhavat-padābjam

ārajya nūpuram aho nidadhāti nityam

prāpya tvadīya-nayanābja-taṭa-prasādaḿ

svaḿ manyate parama-dhanyatamaḿ prahṛṣyan

tasyājñayaiva sahasā vayam ājagāma

tat-pārṣṇi-ghāṭa-kṛta-kuṇḍa-vare vasāmaḥ

tvaḿ cet prasīdasi karoṣi kṛpā-kaṭākṣaḿ

tarhy eva tarṣa-viṭapī phalito bhaven naḥ

" 'He is always anointing Your lotus feet with nectarean cāru and yāvaka and decorating them with ankle bells, and He rejoices and feels most fortunate simply by satisfying the tips of the toes of Your lotus feet. On His order we have immediately come here to live in this most excellent pond, which He created by one stroke of His heel. But only if You now feel satisfied with us and bestow upon us Your merciful glance will the tree of our desire bear fruit.' "

śrutvā stutiḿ nikhila-tīrtha-gaṇasya tuṣṭā

prāha sma tarṣam ayi vedayateti rādhā

yāma tvadīya-sarasīḿ sa-phalā bhavāma

ity eva no vara iti prakaṭaḿ tadocuḥ

"Hearing this prayer spoken by the representative of the full assembly of holy places, Śrī Rādhā was pleased and said, 'So, kindly tell Me your desire.'

"They then told Her plainly, 'Our lives would be successful if we could come to Your pond. That is the benediction we desire.' "

āgacchateti vṛṣabhānu-sutā smitāsyā

provāca kānta-vadanābja-dhṛtākṣi-koṇā

sakhyo 'pi tatra kṛta-sammatayaḥ sukhābdhau

magnā virejur akhilā sthira-jańgamāś ca

"Glancing at Her beloved from the corners of Her eyes, the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu replied with a smile, 'Please come.' Her gopī companions all agreed with Her decision and became immersed in the ocean of happiness. Indeed, the beauty of all creatures, both mobile and stationary, was enhanced."

prāpya prasādam atha te vṛṣabhānujāyāḥ

śrī-kṛṣṇa-kuṇḍa-gata-tīrtha-varāḥ prasahya

bhittveva bhittim ati-vegata eva rādhā-

kuṇḍaḿ vyadhuḥ sva-salilaiḥ paripūrṇam eva

"Thus gaining the grace of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the holy rivers and lakes in Śrī Kṛṣṇa-kuṇḍa forcibly broke through its boundary walls and swiftly filled Rādhā-kuṇḍa with their waters."

proce hariḥ priyatame tava kuṇḍam etan

mat-kuṇḍato 'pi mahimādhikam astu loke

atraiva me salila-kelir ihaiva nityaḿ

snānaḿ yathā tvam asi tadvad idaḿ saro me

"Lord Hari then said, 'My dear Rādhā, may this pond of Yours become even more world-renowned than Mine. I will always come here to bathe and to enjoy My water pastimes. Indeed, this lake is as dear to Me as You are.' "

rādhābravīd aham api sva-sakhībhir etya

snāsyāmy ariṣṭa-śata-mardanam astu tasya

yo 'riṣṭa-mardana-sarasy uru-bhaktir atra

snāyād vasen mama sa eva mahā-priyo 'stu

"Rādhā replied, 'I will come to bathe in Your pond as well, even though You may kill hundreds of Ariṣṭa demons here. In the future, anyone who has intense devotion for this lake, which is on the spot where You chastised Ariṣṭāsura, and who bathes or resides here is sure to become very dear to Me.' "

rāsotsavaḿ prakurute sma ca tatra rātrau

kṛṣṇāmbudaḥ kṛta-mahā-rasa-harṣa-varṣaḥ

śrī-rādhikā-pravara-vidyud alańkṛta-śrīs

trailokya-madhya-vitatī-kṛta-divya-kīrtiḥ

"That night Lord Kṛṣṇa initiated a rāsa dance at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, generating a torrent of the greatest mood of splendorous pleasure. Śrī Kṛṣṇa resembled a cloud, and Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī a brilliant flash of lightning filling the sky with abundant beauty. In this way Their divine glories permeated the expanses of the three worlds."

As a final note, it should be mentioned that Nārada Muni, being a great sage, understood that the killing of Ariṣṭa more or less concluded the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana. Therefore Nārada, anxious to facilitate the transferal of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes to Mathurā, approached Kaḿsa and addressed him as follows.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
His Holiness Hrdayananda dasa Goswami
Gopiparanadhana dasa Adhikari
Dravida dasa Brahmacari