mahāśano mahā-pāpmā viddhy enam iha vairiṇam

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The two boys heard the words of Śrīdāma and others and desired to please their friends by broadcasting their glories. They laughed loudly because they heard the fearful descriptions of the boys. Or they laughed to remove the worry of the boys. Kapila says:

hāsaṁ harer avanatākhila-loka-tīvra-

śokāśru-sāgara-viśoṣaṇam atyudāram

sammohanāya racitaṁ nija-māyayāsya

bhrū-maṇḍalaṁ muni-kṛte makara-dhvajasya

 

One should meditate on the generous smile of the Lord which completely dries up the ocean of tears of intense grief in his devotees caused by separation. One should meditate on the Lord’s brow, manufactured by his own energy to bewilder Cupid for the benefit of the sages. SB 3.28.32

 

They were surrounded by the affectionate boys since the boys feared the demon would harm the boys. Another version has sārddham instead of vṛtau, with the same meaning. They showed their abilities (prabhū) in order to give the boys joy. Or as the lords of the boys (prabhū) they were suitable to please them.

 

Text 28

balaḥ praviśya bāhubhyāṁ tālān samparikampayan

phalāni pātayām āsa mataṅ-gaja ivaujasā

Translation

Balarāma entered the tāla forest first. Then, with his two arms, he began forcefully shaking the trees with the power of a maddened elephant, causing the tāla fruits to fall to the ground.

 

Balarāma went first because he was the elder or out of affection for his younger brother. Or Kṛṣṇa took a secondary role in order to glorify Balarāma. By shaking one tree, all the trees shook since they were close together. Or with his two arms he was able to grab many trees at once. He shook them completely (sam) and everywhere (pari) because he had great power. Or he shook in this way in order to make the fruits everywhere fall all over quickly or with strength (aujasā). He did this like a mad elephant. This indicates that he made them fall easily.

 

Text 29

phalānāṁ patatāṁ śabdaṁ niśamyāsura-rāsabhaḥ

abhyadhāvat kṣiti-talaṁ sa-nagaṁ parikampayan

Translation

Hearing the sound of the falling fruits, the ass demon Dhenuka ran forward to attack, making the earth and trees tremble.

Commentary

The demon caused shaking everywhere (parikampayan)­­. The whole earth shook, along with the mountains. This shows the demon’s strength, which was mentioned earlier.

 

Text 30

sametya tarasā pratyag dvābhyāṁ padbhyāṁ balaṁ balī

nihatyorasi kā-śabdaṁ muñcan paryasarat khalaḥ

Translation

The powerful demon rushed up to Baladeva and sharply struck the Lord’s chest with the hooves of his hind legs. Then Dhenuka began to run about, braying loudly.

 

The demon struck Balarāma forcefully (nihatya) on his chest since he was strong (balī). The demon brayed with a dissonant sound because he was a donkey. He ran in front of Balarāma and turned his back side to him in order to kick Balarāma with his two hind legs. That is how donkeys fight. He is called khalaḥ (rascal) because of the bad actions of the wicked being.

 

Text 31

punar āsādya saṁrabdha upakroṣṭā parāk sthitaḥ

caraṇāv aparau rājan balāya prākṣipad ruṣā

Translation

O King! Moving again toward Balarāma while braying, the furious ass situated himself with his back toward him. Then the demon kicked him in anger.

 

The donkey came close, braying (upakroṣṭā), turned his back to Balarāma and again kicked. O king (rājan) ! Śukadeva comforts the king who was saddened, worried about Balarāma because of his prema. Or the demon was shining (rājan) because of revealing his unlimited strength in anger.

 

Text 32

sa taṁ gṛhītvā prapador bhrāmayitvaika-pāṇinā

cikṣepa tṛṇa-rājāgre bhrāmaṇa-tyakta-jīvitam

Translation

Balarāma seized Dhenuka by his hooves, whirled him about with one hand, and threw the demon, who died because of being whirled around, into the top of a palm tree.

 

Balarāma let the donkey kick him on the chest, to fool him. By this he showed the donkey’s weakness and his own strength. The demon could not succeed in kicking him again because Balarāma grabbed his two feet which were propelled to kill him. The palm tree (tṛnarāja) had a thick trunk and was very tall. The next verse describes it as mahātāla, a giant tāla tree. He threw the demon on the tree to please the cowherds. To show his strength and the demon’s feebleness, he made the trees fall down easily.

 

Text 33

tenāhato mahā-tālo vepamāno bṛhac-chirāḥ

pārśva-sthaṁ kampayan bhagnaḥ sa cānyaṁ so ’pi cāparam

Translation

Being struck by the demon’s body, a huge tāla tree with a huge top began shaking and then broke, causing others to shake and break.

 

Struck by the donkey demon’s body, the great tāla tree shook and causes neighboring trees to shake and break. Other trees shook and broke other trees, (cānyam cāparam).

 

Text 34

balasya līlayotsṛṣṭa- khara-deha-hatāhatāḥ

tālāś cakampire sarve mahā-vāteritā iva

Translation

When Balarāma’s casually threw the body of the ass demon into the top of the tallest palm tree, all the trees even at a distance began shaking as if blown about by powerful winds.

 

When the nearby trees broke, even the distant trees shook. Balasya indicates that Balarāma was extremely strong. This was indicated previously in verse 22 with the word mahā-sattva.

 

Text 35

naitac citraṁ bhagavati hy anante jagad-īśvare

ota-protam idaṁ yasmiṁs tantuṣv aṅga yathā paṭaḥ

Translation

My dear Parīkṣit! That Balarāma killed Dhenukāsura is not such a wonderful thing, considering that he is Bhagavān, the unlimited and the controller of the entire universe. In him, the entire cosmos rests as cloth depends on its threads.

 

Though this is astonishing to the world, it is not astonishing considering Balarāma’s real position.

 

His ability to easily kill Dhenuka and throw him in the tree is not astonishing for he is Bhagavān, who is endowed with all powers, who is unlimited in śaktis (anante) and is thus the lord of the universe (jagadīśvare). The nature of bhagavān is shown. All this universe is non-different from the avatāra of the Lord. An example is given. He is interwoven in everything and is not different from it as cloth and threads.

 

Or the word bhagavati is used to show respect for Balarāma as the elder brother or to indicate his omniscience. Ananta means Śeṣa. He is called lord of the universe because he protects the world by holding it on his head. That earth is then explained. It is made of cause and effect (otaṁ protam). Or he holds on his head the world dense with mountains etc. in all directions. The example of threads and cloth indicates the dense combination.

 

Text 36

tataḥ kṛṣṇaṁ ca rāmaṁ ca jñātayo dhenukasya ye

kroṣṭāro ’bhyadravan sarve saṁrabdhā hata-bāndhavāḥ

Translation

The other ass demons, close friends of Dhenukāsura, were enraged upon seeing his death, and thus they all immediately ran to attack Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.

Commentary

Seeing the prowess of Balarāma, the relatives left him in fear, and ran towards Kṛṣṇa, who, out of love for his elder brother, had come directly in front. Thus Kṛṣṇa’s name is mentioned first. Out of love for his younger brother, Balarāma then came to his side. Thus his name is also mentioned. Because the both were prominent the word ca is used twice. Bellowing loudly because of the death of their friend, with anger and lamentation they displayed great power.

 

Text 37

tāṁs tān āpatataḥ kṛṣṇo rāmaś ca nṛpa līlayā

gṛhīta-paścāc-caraṇān prāhiṇot tṛṇa-rājasu

Translation

O King, as the demons attacked, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma easily seized them one after another by their hind legs and threw them all into the tops of the palm trees.

Commentary

Śukadeva addresses the king out of joy. Or just as a king easily kills animals while hunting for sport, they two boys easily killed the donkeys. Tṛṇa-rājasu comes from tṛna-rājan. In a compound it usually becomes tṛṇa-rāja, and the locative plural would be tṛṇa-rājeṣu, but the rule is not universal.

 

Text 38

phala-prakara-saṅkīrṇaṁ daitya-dehair gatāsubhiḥ

rarāja bhūḥ sa-tālāgrair ghanair iva nabhas-talam

Translation

The earth then appeared beautifully covered with heaps of fruits and with the dead bodies of the demons, which were entangled in the broken tops of the palm trees. The earth shone like the sky decorated with clouds.

 

The earth at the base of the trees (talam) was crowded with fruits, and shone because of the bodies of the demons, lifeless, without movement on the tree tops. bhūḥ is an indeclinable as in the word bhūrloka.

 

Text 39

tayos tat su-mahat karma niśamya vibudhādayaḥ

mumucuḥ puṣpa-varṣāṇi cakrur vādyāni tuṣṭuvuḥ

Translation

Observing this magnificent feat of the two brothers, the devatās and other elevated living beings rained down flowers and offered music and prayers in glorification.

Commentary

Though the pastime was for pleasing the cowherd boys, others were also pleased. This is described in two verses. Though the killing of Dhenuka and his associates was nothing for Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, the devatās took it as a great feat (sumahat-karma) since Dhenuka had previously caused fear to the devatās and had acted ferociously to others. Ādayaḥ means that the Vidyādharas and great sages also rejoiced as they gradually learned of the event. Along with the music, there was dancing and singing, since generally these actions accompany each other.

 

Text 40

atha tāla-phalāny ādan manuṣyā gata-sādhvasāḥ

tṛṇaṁ ca paśavaś cerur hata-dhenuka-kānane

Translation

People without fear then ate the fruits of the palm trees. Also, the cows could now graze freely upon the grass in the forest where Dhenuka was killed.

 

Manuṣyāh refers to the cowherds. They now had no fear (gata-sādhvasāḥ) for the safety of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma and ate (ādan) the fruit. Or all the cowherds without fear of Dhenuka ate the fruit which they could not eat previously. Or cowherds ate the fruit and other men became free of fear. The cows freely grazed where Dhekua was killed, where humans could not go because of the piles of thick grass.

 

Text 41

kṛṣṇaḥ kamala-patrākṣaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

stūyamāno ’nugair gopaiḥ sāgrajo vrajam āvrajat

Translation

Lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa, whose glories are most auspicious to hear and chant, returned home to Vraja with his elder brother, Balarāma, praised by the cowherd boys who followed behind.

 

Having told an incidental story, the killing of Dhenuka, from another day, the description now returns to the pastimes on first day of herding the cows. After concluding the forest pastimes there is a description of pastimes in Vraja. Six verses describe the evening pastime. Or the pastimes in Tālavana occurred on the first day of herding the cows since there is no words like “one day this happened.”

 

At the end of Kārtika month the ripe tāla fruits are most abundant but all seasons take shelter of Vṛndāvana. Because of the nature of the place, an eastern wind occurs in order to have rain in autumn. Kṛṣṇa alone is mentioned since he is the prominent person. Generally he is the chief person in the pastimes. Also he was most eager to enter Vraja and wanted to give special bliss of everyone there. He also though of joyfully meeting the gopīs who would come in front to see him.

 

Kṛṣṇa is he who attracts everyone’s heart. He is described. His lotus eyes indicate his beauty. Chanting and hearing his glories is auspicious. This indicates the greatness of his qualities and actions. By hearing that, the pain of separation was relieved for the general populace and joy produced for the gopīs. He desired to reveal his form and qualities to the people of Vraja by his arrival there. He was praised by cowherds and others following behind (anugaiḥ), showing his form and qualities particularly the killing of Dhenuka that day. This way both Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs could attain complete sight of each other. Or he was praised by cowherds like Śrīdāma who were naturally his followers, out of friendship. Those from Vraja were in front and other friends were there as well. While praising Kṛṣṇa they walked (āvrajat). Śukadeva, on the bank of the Gaṅgā had at this point developed a vision of being a member of Vraja

 

Text 42

taṁ gorajaś-churita-kuntala-baddha-barha-

vanya-prasūna-rucirekṣaṇa-cāru-hāsam

veṇum kvaṇantam anugair upagīta-kīrtiṁ

gopyo didṛkṣita-dṛśo ’bhyagaman sametāḥ

Translation

Kṛṣṇa’s hair, covered with the dust raised by the cows, was decorated with a peacock feather and forest flowers. He glanced charmingly and smiled beautifully, playing upon his flute while his companions chanted his glories. The young gopīs, all together, came forward to meet him, their eyes very eager to see him.

 

Two verses speak of the gopīs’ and Kṛṣnā’s bliss on seeing each other, as Kṛṣṇa returns in the evening dressed in his forest costume. Kuntala means hair or locks. īṣkaṇam means glancing. His beauty from head to foot is described. Though other ornaments may be there, these are the chief ornaments of his evening forest dress and are selected because they are the most beautiful. He plays his flute to attract them and give them joy. This happened naturally with the flute, but Kṛṣṇa particularly made this his goal. Close by (upa) and with flute accompaniment, he was praised with songs glorifying him for killing Dhenuka (upagīta). There was only one cause for the gopīs’ eagerness to see him. That he was returning was known by the dust raised by the cows, his flute playing and the glorification by his followers. The gopīs were those who had surpassed childhood.

 

On some pretext Balarāma followed far behind in the order that the gopīs could enjoy the younger brother without restriction. The reason for their coming is mentioned. Their eyes desired to see him (didṛksata-dṛṣaḥ) because of various worries that arose from seeing the dust from far off. His coming was delayed more than when he herded the calves. The gopīs gathered together (sametāḥ) because then they could be without fear or shame, or because they were friends. Or individually they ran from their houses in haste and arrived on the path at the same time. Or previously they had gathered together out the pain of separation.

 

Text 43

pītvā mukunda-mukha-sāragham akṣi-bhṛṅgais

tāpaṁ jahur viraha-jaṁ vraja-yoṣito ’hni

tat sat-kṛtiṁ samadhigamya viveśa goṣṭhaṁ

savrīḍa-hāsa-vinayaṁ yad apāṅga-mokṣam

Translation

With their cup-like eyes, the women of Vṛndāvana drank the honey of the beautiful face of Mukunda, and thus they gave up the distress they had felt during the day because of separation from him. The young Vṛndāvana ladies cast glances filled with bashfulness, laughter and submission — and he, completely accepted these glances as a proper offering of respect. Then withdrawing his glance, he entered his house in the village.

 

By the sweetness of seeing him, their pain of separation was relieved. That is described here. They drank the face of Mukunda, who gives liberation. Liberation however is condemned because the joy of Kṛṣṇa is greater. His face also gives that superior bliss. Or Mukunda means he who has teeth in his mouth. This indicates the beauty of his face with red lips. They drank the honey (sāragham) of his face with their bee like eyes. This means they directly gazed at him with great attachment. Though bees drink honey, their eyes desired to drink. The previous verse mentioned their desire to drink. Their eyes were also like bees in being fickle. This produced a special beauty. It is suggested that their eyes constantly gazed here and there at his face and limbs. On this particular day the women of Vraja particularly felt pain of separation. In the night there was no pain of separation for they could see him at Nanda’s house. Or they relived their pain in the day, but at the end of the day Kṛṣṇa entered the house and at night they could not see him perfectly. He accepted their welcome of seeing his face and coming with affection or a welcome with singing and pleasing words as well as giving gifts. He respected them with love: thus they showed shyness and humility without fickleness (vinaya), rather that lowering their heads out of humility. Then he freed himself from glancing at them (apaṅga-mokṣa) because (yad) he entered his house.

 

Text 44

tayor yaśodā-rohiṇyau putrayoḥ putra-vatsale

yathā-kāmaṁ yathā-kālaṁ vyadhattāṁ paramāśiṣaḥ

Translation

Mother Yaśodā and mother Rohiṇī, acting most affectionately toward their two sons, offered all the best things to them in response to their every desire and at the various appropriate times.

 

After a description of the bliss of the young gopīs, now the bliss of the two mothers is described. Both mothers cared affectionately for both boys, regarding them both as their sons. The two mothers served the two boys together or one after the other. Yāśodā is mentioned first because of her greater affection. Rohiṇī is her assistant. In the afternoon, evening and night (yathā kālam) they served the boys appropriately. Or first they performed aroti, then took off the boys’ ornaments, then removed the dust from their bodies, in that order (yathā kālam). And they served them according to the boys’ desires (yathā kāmam). They offered the best items (paramāśiṣaḥ). Or they only gave them items only (param), and did not do any household chores. They did this because they were affection to their sons (putra-vatsale). This means they placed the boys on their laps, embraced them, kissed them, asked about their welfare and examined their bodies closely. It also means that the mothers’ clothes were damp with flowing breast milk.

 

Text 45

gatādhvāna-śramau tatra majjanonmardanādibhiḥ

nīvīṁ vasitvā rucirāṁ divya-srag-gandha-maṇḍitau

Translation

By being bathed and massaged, the two young boys were relieved of the weariness caused by walking on the country roads. Then they were dressed in attractive robes and decorated with attractive garlands and fragrances.

 

The mothers’ services are described in two verses. The two boys were tired from wandering in the forest on roads to the house or cowsheds. One version has gatādhvānaḥ śramau. That is poetic license. The mothers scrubbed the boys and massaged them. The word ādi indicates dressing the hair and wiping their wet bodies. Because of confusion arising from affection they did not do the services in proper order. Or since in the previous verse yathā kālam indicates the proper order, this verse does not list activities according to order. Or the ādī indicates aroti and other items. Nīvīm indicates the upper cloth of a brahmacārī. Ointments are not mentioned since these would obstruct the beauty of their body and previously they did not apply it. Or nīvim indicates upper and lower cloth. The ornaments are not mentioned. Since they did not wither, the ornaments did not have to be changed. Or mention of garlands and fragrance indicates these other items.

 

Text 46

janany-upahṛtaṁ prāśya svādy annam upalālitau

saṁviśya vara-śayyāyāṁ sukhaṁ suṣupatur vraje

Translation

After dining sumptuously on the delicious food given them by their mothers and being pampered in various ways, the two brothers lay down upon their excellent beds and happily went to sleep in the village of Vraja.

 

They ate the food served by both mothers, eating bit by bit (prāśya). Or they ate sumptuously, because it was brought by their mothers and very tasty. They were pampered (upalālitau) with betel nut, kissing etc. They were made to lie down on attractive beds. As a pastime they napped for a short time, made happy (sukham) by songs, talks, jokes, foot massage, cāmara, and offerings of betel prepared by the gopīs. The details are given in the second part of Bhāgavatamṛta. This place was in Vraja (vraje), among the cows, private and intimate. The service was not done in a palace crowded with people, by male and female servants, subject to fixed rules.

 

Or they performed these pastimes in Vraja as always. The boys had a huge palace, since excellent beds are mentioned. Otherwise their parents would not be happy. They slept as a pastime. Except for the pastime in Tālavana, the pastimes of other days followed the pattern of the first day of herding the cows.

 

Śukadeva did not speak more details because he was worried about the time left for relating other necessary topics to Parīkṣit, the hearer, since he had little time remaining to live. Thus he describes in detail the pastimes of coming to Vraja in the evening, but not leaving Vraja in the morning for the forest. Also in the morning all the inhabitants including Yaśodā had the greatest sorrow of separation, with lamentation. Those who desire the details of departure in the morning can consult Bhāgavatāmṛta.

 

Text 47

evaṁ sa bhagavān kṛṣṇo vṛndāvana-caraḥ kvacit

yayau rāmam ṛte rājan kālindīṁ sakhibhir vṛtaḥ

Translation

O King, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa thus wandered about the Vṛndāvana area, performing his pastimes. Once, surrounded by his boyfriends, he went without Balarāma to the Yamunā River.

 

Having described a human pastimes hiding Kṛṣṇa’s powers, and having described him manifesting powers in killing Dhenuka in the tāla forest, Śukadeva begins to narrate the story of Kāliya. As a pastime of the paugaṇḍa period when the boys imitated bees and other creatures (evam), he who was the life of the people of Vraja (saḥ), full of his powers (bhagavān), revealing them also, he who attracts the minds of the whole world (kṛṣṇaḥ), went to the Yamunā. Or he who is omniscient (bhagavān), because he appeared in this world to benefit everyone (kṛṣṇa), the supreme Lord, who knew the evil nature of Kāliya, went to the Yamunā in order to protect the living entities of Vṛndāvana, and to punish and show mercy to Kāliya.

 

One day he was wandering in Vṛndāvana at the end of his sixth year during summer season (vṛndāvana-caraḥ). He went without Balarāma, since he knew that all the people of Vraja would enter the lake of Kāliya if Balarāma was not there to prevent them. The word rāmam also suggests giving pleasure (ramaṇa) to the people of Vraja (by saving them). Or being very affection to the people, Balarāma wanted to prevent the people from jumping into the poisonous lake to rescue Kṛṣṇa.

 

O king (rājan)! Śukadeva calls out to the king on experiencing pain through remembering the pastime. Or he calls out to steady Parīkṣit. Or ramam ṛte rājan means “being without Balarāma.” Or rājan means that his body shone brightly because he wore less ornaments that day, suitable for water pastimes or his body. He shone brightly because he began manifesting special powers to tame Kāliya.

 

He was surrounded (vṛtaḥ) by friends because they wanted to see his face, and he wanted to see their prema, with a competition of prema among them. Also Yaśodā out of affection ordered them to surround him when he went out.

 

Kālindī means daughter of the sun (kalinda). Kalinda indicates destroying the faults of Kali-yuga and destroying quarrels. She had qualities like him. Therefore it was suitable that Kṛṣṇa went to Kalindī (Yamunā) to drive out Kāliya.

 

Text 48

atha gāvaś ca gopāś ca nidāghātapa-pīḍitāḥ

duṣṭaṁ jalaṁ papus tasyās tṛṣṇārtā viṣa-dūṣitam

Translation

At that time the cows and cowherd boys were feeling acute distress from the glaring summer sun. Afflicted by thirst, they drank the water of the Yamunā River. But it had been contaminated with poison.

 

After going there (atha), without considering the matter, they drank the water. Or atha can indicate a new topic — a description of great suffering. The use of the word ca twice that both the cows and the boys were of equal importance: they drank together, at once. Otherwise on seeing the first group drink the water and die, the second group would not drink. Why did they drink the water in Kṛṣṇa’s absence? They were thirsty because of the summer heat. The cause of the evil in the water was poison (viśa-dūṣitam).

 

Text 49

viṣāmbhas tad upaspṛśya daivopahata-cetasaḥ

nipetur vyasavaḥ sarve salilānte kurūdvaha

Translation

O descendant of the Kurus! Their minds bewildered by the Lord’s śakti, the boys, sipping the poisonous water, fell down on the bank of the river as if dead.