SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 3

(1) S'uka said: 'The great devotee [Uddhava] questioned by Vidura about what could be said regarding the dearest one, reflected upon the Lord but couldn't reply immediately because he was overwhelmed by emotion. (2) He was someone who in his childhood being five years old, called by his mother for breakfast, didn't like to have it because he was absorbed in playing the servant [of Lord Krishna]. (3) How would such a servitude of Uddhava have slackened in the course of time? So when he was simply asked to tell about Him, everything of the Lord His lotus feet popped up in his mind. (4) For a moment he fell completely silent because of the nectar of the Lord His feet. Strong as he was and well matured in the union of devotion, he became fully absorbed in the love of its goodness. (5) Every part of his body showed the signs of transcendental ecstasy and when tears filled his eyes because of missing Him so much, Vidura could see that he had reached the object of his greatest love. (6) Slowly Uddhava returned from the world of the Lord to the human world and wiping his tears away he spoke affectionately to Vidura about all these recollections.'

(7) Uddhava said: 'What can I say about our wellbeing now the sun of Krishna has set and the house of my family has been swallowed by the great serpent of the past? (8) How unfortunate is this world and especially the Yadu dynasty who living together with the Lord didn't recognize Him any more than the fish recognize the moon. (9) His own men the Sâtvatas were audacious people with a good judgement of character who could relax with Him as the head of the family and thought of Him as the one behind everything. (10) Even though they, as good as others who attach to illusions, were all overcome by the illusion of the external reality of God, the intelligence of the souls who are innerly of full surrender to the Lord will never go astray because of the words used by the others. (11) After having shown Himself to persons living without penance and the fulfillment of ideals, He, withdrawing His form from public vision, next took to the feat of His own disappearance. (12) The form He showed in the mortal world was perfectly suited for His pastimes that demonstrated the power of His inner magic. It led to the discovery of His wonders, His supreme opulence and the ultimate ornament of all ornaments: His feet.

(13) All the [inhabitants of the] three worlds who during King Yudhishthhira's Rajasûya-[royal] sacrifice witnessed His all-attractive form were perplexed and thought that the craftmanship of Brahmâ's universal creation had been surpassed with Him present in the mortal world. (14) Because of His smiles, playful nature and glances the women of Vraja became more and more attached to Him and followed Him with their eyes so that they completely distracted sat down with their mind in the clouds without attending to their household duties. (15) The Unborn One who still took birth, the infinitely merciful Lord and ruler over the spiritual and material realm appeared for the sake of the devotees as the Fortunate One, the Lord of the Opulences, as Bhagavân who accompanied by all His associates is as fire to all the others who, [like Kamsa] living to their own material standards, constitute a plague.

(16) It distresses me to see how He, so amazingly, took His birth from the unborn [in the prison] were Vasudeva lived, how He in Vraja at home with Vasudeva, lived like He was afraid of the enemy [uncle Kamsa] and how He, the unlimitedly powerful one, fled from Mathurâ city [the capital where Krishna resided after defeating Kamsa]. (17) My heart hurts when I think of what He said in worship of the feet of His parents: 'O mother, o father, in great fear of Kamsa we failed in our service, please be pleased with us!' (18) How can one forget Him once one has the dust of His lotus feet in the nose, Him who by the mere raising of His eyebrows dealt the death blow to the burden of the earth? (19) Didn't your goodness witness with your own eyes how during Yudhishthhira's royal sacrificial ceremony the king of Cedi [S'is'upâla] despite of his jealousy with Krishna attained perfection, the fulfillment most desired by all the yogis who by dint of their yoga manage to tolerate separation from Him? (20) And certainly also others in human society have achieved His heavenly abode: they who as warriors saw Krishna's very pleasing lotus-like face and eyes on the battlefield that was purified by Arjuna's arrows. (21) He is none but the unique, grand Lord of the threefold reality by whose independence supreme fortune is achieved and at whose feet countless [kings full of] desires bow their helmets in worship with all the paraphernalia under the direction of the eternal keepers of societal order. (22) For that reason we as servitors in His service are in pain o Vidura, when we see how He before King Ugrasena expectantly sitting on his throne, submitted Himself with the words: 'O my Lord, please see it this way'.

(23) To the shelter of whom else should I take? Oh, who else would assure a greater mercy than He who, despite of the faithlessness of that she-devil [Pûtanâ] who in envy poisoned her breast for nourishing Him to death, granted her the position of a mother? (24) I think that they who as opponents are waging against the Lord of the Threefoldness are great devotees because they in their preoccupation of fighting Him, could see Him coming forward on His carrier [Garuda] with His cakra wheel. (25) Born from the womb of Devakî in the prison of the king of Bhoja [Kamsa], the Supreme Lord being prayed for [by the Creator] appeared to bring welfare on earth. (26) Thereafter He was brought up in the cow-pastures by His [foster] father Nanda, where He out of fear for Kamsa, together with Baladeva [Balarâma] resided [in secret] for eleven years the way one covers a flame. (27) Surrounded by cowherd boys herding calves the Almighty roamed on the banks of the Yamunâ through gardens that vibrated of the chirping of the heavenly birds in their many trees. (28) The alluring display of the pastimes of His youth could only be appreciated by the inhabitants of Vraja, the land of Vrindâvana, where He, looking like a lion cub, just like other kids cried and laughed and was struck with wonder. (29) Tending the treasure of beautiful cows He as the source of happiness enlivened the cowherd boys by playing His flute. (30) The great wizards engaged by the king of Bhoja to assume any form they liked, were upon their approach in the course of His pastimes killed by Him who acted just like a child playing with dolls. (31) [To help the inhabitants of Vrindâvana] being perplexed by the great trouble of drinking poison [from the snake Kâliya in the water of the Yamunâ], He subdued the chief of the reptiles and after coming out of the water He caused the cows to drink it, proving it natural again. (32) Desiring the proper use of the wealth of Nanda, the king of the cowherds his opulence, He with the help of the brahmins helped them to perform worship for the sake of the cows and the land [instead of Indra]. (33) Indra angry upon being insulted highly perturbed created a heavy downpour of rain above Vraja. [The cowherds then were] protected by the merciful Lord with His pastime of [lifting] the hill [Govardhana, that served as an] umbrella o sober Vidura. (34) One autumn He, during a night brightened by moonshine, devoted Himself to singing songs to enjoy the women, delighting in their midst as the face of the night its beauty in person.'

S'uka said: 'The great devotee [Uddhava] questioned by Vidura about what could be said regarding the dearest one, reflected upon the Lord but couldn't reply immediately because he was overwhelmed by emotion.

S'uka said: 'The great devotee [Uddhava] questioned by Vidura about what could be said regarding the dearest, at first, eager as he was, could not reply because of his great anxiety at the remembrance of the Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 2

He was someone who in his childhood being five years old, called by his mother for breakfast, didn't like to have it because he was absorbed in playing the servant [of Lord Krishna].

He was one who in his childhood at five years old, being called by his mother for breakfast, did not like to have it because he was in the play of service [of Lord Krishna]. (Vedabase)

Text 3

How would such a servitude of Uddhava have slackened in the course of time? So when he was simply asked to tell about Him, everything of the Lord His lotus feet popped up in his mind.

That way Uddhava grew up in service and in the course of time it had never slackened; when he was just asked to tell about Him, he remembered all of the Lord His lotusfeet. (Vedabase)

Text 4

For a moment he fell completely silent because of the nectar of the Lord His feet. Strong as he was and well matured in the union of devotion, he became fully absorbed in the love of its goodness.

For a moment he fell in deadly silence by the nectar of the Lord His feet; strong as he was and well matured in the union of devotion, he became fully absorbed in the love of its goodness. (Vedabase)

Text 5

Every part of his body showed the signs of transcendental ecstasy and when tears filled his eyes because of missing Him so much, Vidura could see that he had reached the object of his greatest love.

Every part of his body showed the signs of transcendental ecstasy and with his checking the tears from his eyes out of missing Him, Vidura came to see that he had fully assimilated His extensive love. (Vedabase)

Text 6

Slowly Uddhava returned from the world of the Lord to the human world and wiping his tears away he spoke affectionately to Vidura about all these recollections.'

Slowly He came back down to earth from the abode of the Lord and wiping his tears away Uddhava spoke affectionately to Vidura from all those recollections.' (Vedabase)

Text 7

Uddhava said: 'What can I say about our wellbeing now the sun of Krishna has set and the house of my family has been swallowed by the great serpent of the past?

Uddhava said: 'The sun of Krishna has set being swallowed by the great snake of what is the past. What else can I say about our wellbeing with the disappearance of the house of my family? (Vedabase)

Text 8

How unfortunate is this world and especially the Yadu dynasty who living together with the Lord didn't recognize Him any more than the fish recognize the moon.

How unfortunate is this world and especially the Yadu-dynasty who living together didn't recognize the Lord any more than the fishes do recognize the moon. (Vedabase)

Text 9

His own men the Sâtvatas were audacious people with a good judgement of character who could relax with Him as the head of the family and thought of Him as the one behind everything.

Well acquainted with the knowledge and highly experienced, His own men were His devotees who relaxed with Him as the head of the family and could [only] think of Him as He who was behind everything. (Vedabase)

Text 10

Even though they, as good as others who attach to illusions, were all overcome by the illusion of the external reality of God, the intelligence of the souls who are innerly of full surrender to the Lord will never go astray because of the words used by the others.

The outer illusion of the Godhead infected all those and others who took to the untrue with the bewilderment of their intelligence - but the words of those never do work that way in the souls of the ones in full surrender to the Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 11

After having shown Himself to persons living without penance and the fulfillment of ideals, He, withdrawing His form from public vision, next took to the feat of His own disappearance.

By exhibiting Himself to persons that went without penance and the fulfillment of ideals he took to the feat of His disappearance, withdrawing His own form from public vision. (Vedabase)

Text 12

The form He showed in the mortal world was perfectly suited for His pastimes that demonstrated the power of His inner magic. It led to the discovery of His wonders, His supreme opulence and the ultimate ornament of all ornaments: His feet.

His perishable was just suitable for His pastimes showing the power of His inner magic leading to the discovery of His wonders, His supreme opulence and the ultimate ornament of ornaments of His feet. ' (Vedabase)

Text 13

All the [inhabitants of the] three worlds who during King Yudhishthhira's Rajasûya-[royal] sacrifice witnessed His all-attractive form were perplexed and thought that the craftmanship of Brahmâ's universal creation had been surpassed with Him present in the mortal world.

It is the form which certainly of King Yudhishthhira's royal sacrifice [râjasûya] became the sight pleasing the sum total of the three worlds by which He thus today in the world has surpassed the contemplated intelligence [Brahmâ], taking the position of the people in the material world. (Vedabase)

Text 14

Because of His smiles, playful nature and glances the women of Vraja became more and more attached to Him and followed Him with their eyes so that they completely distracted sat down with their mind in the clouds without attending to their household duties.

After having obtained the attachment to Him, that was powered by laughter, funny games and glances, the anguished damsels of Vraja who had followed Him with their eyes, indeed sat in silent contemplation without completing their household duties. (Vedabase)

Text 15

The Unborn One who still took birth, the infinitely merciful Lord and ruler over the spiritual and material realm appeared for the sake of the devotees as the Fortunate One, the Lord of the Opulences, as Bhagavân who accompanied by all His associates is as fire to all the others who, [like Kamsa] living to their own material standards, constitute a plague.

For the devotees harassed by others who live to the material conception, the all-compassionate Lord and controller of the spiritual and material, accompanied by the complete of His association, certainly as the Unborn One appears as the Supreme Lord like being fire. (Ve d abase)

Text 16

It distresses me to see how He, so amazingly, took His birth from the unborn [in the prison] were Vasudeva lived, how He in Vraja at home with Vasudeva, lived like He was afraid of the enemy [uncle Kamsa] and how He, the unlimitedly powerful one, fled from Mathurâ city [the capital where Krishna resided after defeating Kamsa].

With this bewildering birth of the unborn I am distressed about how from the home of Vasudeva he lived in Vraja as if He feared the enemy [uncle Kamsa] and how He, the unlimitedly powerful one, fled from Mathurâ city [the capital Krishna resided in after defeating Kamsa]. (Vedabase)