Chapter
1: The Advent of Lord Krishna:
Introduction
(54) S'rî Vasudeva
said: 'From Devakî have you indeed, to that which the voice from
the beyond vibrated, nothing to fear, o sober one; I'll deliver you all
the sons born from her since it were they because of whom your fear has
risen.'
(64) All this was communicated to Kamsa by the
all-powerful Nârada [**]; who paid him a visit to tell him that all
the Daityas and such who burdened the earth were going to be killed
[see verse 17 and also 9.24: 56]. (65-66) After the rishi had left
thought Kamsa that all the Yadus were divine and that thus any child
born from Devakî could be Vishnu. So in fear of his own death
arrested he Vasudeva and Devakî confining them at home in
shackles and killed he each of their newborn sons one after the other
not knowing whether it would be the 'Never-born' Lord or not [***].
Chapter
2: Prayers by the
Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb
(25) But Lord Brahmâ,
Lord S'iva arriving there with the sages, Nârada and other godly
personalities and their followers all together with their
transcendental prayers pleased Him, the Blessing of All:
(26) 'The truth of the vow [see 9.24: 56 and B.G.
9: 22],
the truth of the Supreme, the truth in the threefold [of e.g. past,
present and future] You are; You are the source of all truth pervading
all truths, who of the truth of the elements and of all [the relative]
that is held true is the original truth; of each sacred truth being the
origin is everything true pertaining to You, whom we offer our full
surrender.
Chapter
3: The Birth of Lord
Krishna
(12) Understanding He was
the Original Personality, offered he, with under His influence his
fears dispelled, thereafter prayers to the child, falling down with
folded hands, o son of Bharata, enraptured as he was by His beauty that
illumined the place all around where He was born.
(47) And
thereafter, when the son of S'ûrasena as instructed by the
Supreme Lord carefully carried away his son from the place of delivery,
took precisely at the time he wished to take Him outside
Yogamâyâ [see 10.2: 6-12], the
unborn of transcendence, her birth from the wife of
Nanda. (48-49) By her influence had the guards as well as
the rest of the people, fast asleep lost consciousness of all their
senses and had also all the doors and the gates firmly constructed and
sealed by bolts and chains of their own opened wide like darkness does
before the sun, when Vasudeva appeared carrying Krishna. The clouds
somewhat rumbling showered rain but followed by S'esha Nâga were
the rains stopped by the spreaded hoods.
Chapter
4: The Atrocities of
King Kamsa
(9) But it slipped midair out of his hands
and appeared the very instant in the sky as Devi [Durgâ]
the younger sister of Vishnu, with all the eight weapons to her mighty
arms [see also 8.12: 40].
Chapter
5: Krishna's Birth
Ceremony and the
Meeting of Nanda Mahârâja and Vasudeva
(1-2) Srî S'uka said:
'Nanda overjoyed that a son had been born, broad of mind invited the
learned conversant with the Veda, cleansed himself with a bath and
dressed himself up. To celebrate the birth [in jâtakarma*] had he the mantras chanted and arranged he
as well for the worship of the forefathers and demigods as prescribed.
(12) All for long offered
blessings to the newborn one like 'pâhi' ['be protected']
and sprinkled
with prayers the Unborn Lord with turmeric-oil.
Chapter
6: The Killing of the Demoness Pûtanâ
(15-17) The gopas and
gopîs who in their hearts, ears and heads were
already shocked by the loud yell were terrified to see that massive
body of which the mouth had teeth as high as a plow, the nostrils were
like mountain caves, the breasts were as boulders, the wild hair
scattered looked like copper, the deep eye sockets were like blind
wells, the thighs were like river banks with the limbs as bridges and
the abdomen was as a dried up lake.
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