Chapter Fourteen Śakaṭāsura-tṛṇāvarta-mokṣaḥ The Liberation of Śakaṭāsura and Tṛṇāvarta

Śrī Garga Muni said: A person who with devotion hears Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental pastimes becomes perfect and successful. Of this there is no doubt.

Śrī Śaunaka said: O sage, hearing from your mouth Śrī Kṛṣṇa's beautiful pastimes, which are sweeter than nectar, we have now become successful.

What did Bahulāśva, who was a peaceful-hearted devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and who was the best of the pious, ask the sage then? O saint wealthy in austerity, please tell me this.

Śrī Garga Muni said: Happy, overcome with love, and meditating on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the saintly-hearted king of Mithilā spoke to Nārada.

Śrī Bahulāśva said: Because of you, whose devotional service is very great, I have become fortunate and successful. Association with the Lord's great devotees is very rare and difficult to attain.

What wonderful activities did wonderful infant Kṛṣṇa, who loves His devotees, do? O sage, please tell me.

Śrī Nārada said: O king, as a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, you have asked a very good question. Association with saintly devotees brings happiness and auspicious to everyone.

On the day of Kṛṣṇa's birth-star, Nanda's wife Yaśodā called together the gopas and gopīs and had the brāhmaṇas perform auspicious ceremonies.

Taking her dark boy, who was dressed in red garments and who, His limbs decorated with golden ornaments and His lotus eyes with black aṣjana, wore a glittering moon necklace of lion's nails, she offered respectful obeisances to the demigods and gave great wealth to the brāhmaṇas.

On that auspicious day she placed her son in His cradle, and quickly greeted the gopīs. As the cowherd people came and went in the auspicious rooms, the gopī Yaśodā did not hear the sound of her crying son.

Then, when a demon named Utkaca, who had been sent by the demon Kaṁsa, and who had a body made of air, went to a cart and tried to make it fall on Kṛṣṇa's head, infant Kṛṣṇa kicked the cart with the red sole of His foot.

When the cart broke into pieces the demon fell. Leaving his body of air, he attained a pure spiritual body and, after respectfully bowing down before Lord Hari, in a chariot pulled by a hundred horses went to the Lord's own abode of Goloka.

Headed by Nanda, the men and gopīs of Vraja at once converged on that place and asked the children, "How could this cart have fallen by itself? O children of Vraja, you were here. You know."

The children said: Staying in the cradle, crying for milk, and kicking His feet, the child hit the cart with one foot and it fell.

Astonished, the gopas and gopīs did not believe the childrens' words. "What is this three-month old infant in comparison to this heavily-burdened cart?"

Fearing a ghost had come, Yaśodā took the infant on her lap, gave offerings to the brāhmaṇas and had them perform a traditional yajṣa.

O great sage, in his previous birth who was this fortunate demon named Utakaca, who attained liberation by the touch of Lord Kṛṣṇa's foot?

Śrī Nārada said: O king of Mithilā, one day the demon named Utkaca, who was Hiraṇyākṣa's son, went to Lomaśa Muni's hermitage and broke some trees.

Seeing the powerful giant named Utkaca, the brāhmaṇa became angry and cursed him, "O evil-hearted one, become bodyless!"

From this deed his body at once fell away as a snake's old skin also falls away. The king of demons then fell at the brāhmaṇa's feet and spoke.

Utcaka said: O sage, O ocean of mercy, please be kind to me. I did not know your power. O lord, please give me a body.

Śrī Nārada said: Then the sage, who had studied a hundred lessons in morality from the demigod Brahmā, became pleased. The anger of saintly persons brings a blessing. How great is that blessing, which brings liberation?

Śrī Lomaśa said: You may have a body made of air. When the cakṣuṣ-manvantara is over and the vaivasvata-manvantra has come, Lord Hari's foot will give you liberation.

Śrī Nārada said: In this way the power of Lomaśa Muni gave liberation to the demon Utkaca. I offer my respectful obeisances to the saintly devotees of the Lord, who have the power both to bless and to curse.

O king, one day, as He played on her lap and she fondled Him, Nanda's wife could not longer hold her infant boy, for he had become as heavy as a mountain.

She was astonished, "How has my infant boy become heavy as a mountain?" She placed Him on the ground at once. How has this happened?" she said.

The powerful demon Tṛṇāvarta, who had been sent by Kaṁsa, with a circling whirlwind grabbed the handsome, playing infant boy.

In Gokula there was blinding darkness and a terrible roar. For an hour the dust stopped everyone's vision.

Yaśodā did not see her son in the courtyard. Bewildered and crying, she gazed at the roofs of the houses in Vraja.

When she did not see her son, she fell to the ground unconscious. She loudly and pitifully wept, like a cow whose calf has died.

Filled with love, and their faces covered with tears, the gopīs also wept as here and there they searched for Nanda's son.

Going eight hundred thousand miles into outer space, Tṛṇāvarta was troubled, thinking the infant on his shoulder was as heavy as Mount Sumeru.

The demon wanted to drop Kṛṣṇa right there, but the tiny Supreme Personality of Godhead steadfastly held his neck.

When the demon cried "Let go! Let go!" the wonderful infant Kṛṣṇa strangled and killed him.

The sound of the fallen body breaking into pieces filled all the directions and make the earth tremble.

The weeping gopīs saw the infant sitting silently on the demon's back. They quickly brought Him to His mother, gave Him to her, and then spoke.

The gopīs said: Yaśodā, you have no right to embrace this child. You have no kindness. Your own words show how cruel you are.

In that blinding darkness who took an infant from their lap and abandoned it? You were so merciless that in that terrifying moment you placed your own infant boy on the ground.

Śrī Yaśodā said: How did my child become as heavy as the king of mountains? I don't know. That is why during the terrible whirlwind I placed Him on the ground.

The gopīs said: O beautiful one, don't lie! O Yaśodā now free from all trouble, this infant, the milk still in His mouth, is as light as a flower!

Śrī Nārada said: When infant Kṛṣṇa was returned the gopīs and gopas headed by Nanda became very happy and happily spoke among themselves.

Yaśodā took the infant, made Him again and again drink from her breast, smelled His head, and dressed Him in nice clothes. Then, bewildered, she spoke to Rohiṇī.

Śrī Yaśodā said: Fate has given me only one son. I do not have many sons. But to that one son many dangers come at every moment.

Today He escaped from death's mouth. If He had died what would have happened? What would I do? Where would I go? Where would I live then?

Many demons who are strong as thunderbolts and terrible to see hate my son. O fate, fate, how will we be happy?

My wealth, body, palace, and many jewels are all only so my son will be happy.

I will worship Lord Hari, give charity, do great public welfare works, and build a hundred temples. Then my boy will be victorious over all dangers.

My son will make me happy. I will become like a blind stick immobile with bliss. O dear Rohiṇī, I will take my son and go to the kingdom of fearlessness.

Śrī Nārada said: Then many learned brāhmaṇas came to Nanda's palace. Nanda and Yaśodā worshiped them and gave them seats.

The brāhmaṇas said: O Nanda, O Yaśodā queen of Vraja, don't lament. We will protect your son. He will live for a long time.

paraiḥ svasty-ayanair yajṣaṁ kārayitvā vidhānataḥ agniṁ sampūjya vidhi-vad rakṣāṁ vidadhire śiśoḥ śrī-nāradaḥ uvāca—Śrī Nārada said; iti—thus; uktvā—saying; dvija-mukhyāḥ—the great brāhmaṇas; te—they; kuśa-agraiḥ—with tips of kuśa grass; nava-pallavaiḥ—and new twigs; pavitra—pure; kuśalaiḥ—auspicious; toyaiḥ—with water; ṛg-yajuḥ-sāma-jaiḥ—from the Ṛg, Sāma, and Yajur Vedas; stavaiḥ—with prayers; paraiḥ—transcendental; svasty-ayanaiḥ—with blessings; yajṣam—sacrifice; kārayitvā—performing; vidhānataḥ—according to proper procedure; agnim—fire; sampūjya—worshiping; vidhi-vat—properly; rakṣām—protection; vidadhire—did; śiśoḥ—of the child. After saying this, the great brāhmaṇas, with new twigs, kuśa grass, pure sacred water, prayers from the Ṛg, Sāma, and Yajur Vedas, and many auspicious blessings, properly performed a yajṣa and properly worshiped the sacred fire. In this way they established the protection of child Kṛṣṇa.

paraiḥ svasty-ayanair yajṣaṁ kārayitvā vidhānataḥ agniṁ sampūjya vidhi-vad rakṣāṁ vidadhire śiśoḥ śrī-nāradaḥ uvāca—Śrī Nārada said; iti—thus; uktvā—saying; dvija-mukhyāḥ—the great brāhmaṇas; te—they; kuśa-agraiḥ—with tips of kuśa grass; nava-pallavaiḥ—and new twigs; pavitra—pure; kuśalaiḥ—auspicious; toyaiḥ—with water; ṛg-yajuḥ-sāma-jaiḥ—from the Ṛg, Sāma, and Yajur Vedas; stavaiḥ—with prayers; paraiḥ—transcendental; svasty-ayanaiḥ—with blessings; yajṣam—sacrifice; kārayitvā—performing; vidhānataḥ—according to proper procedure; agnim—fire; sampūjya—worshiping; vidhi-vat—properly; rakṣām—protection; vidadhire—did; śiśoḥ—of the child. After saying this, the great brāhmaṇas, with new twigs, kuśa grass, pure sacred water, prayers from the Ṛg, Sāma, and Yajur Vedas, and many auspicious blessings, properly performed a yajṣa and properly worshiped the sacred fire. In this way they established the protection of child Kṛṣṇa.

The brāhmaṇas said: May Lord Dāmodara protect Your feet. May Lord Vistaraśravā protect Your knees. May Lord Hari protect Your thighs. May the Supreme Personality of Godhead protect Your navel.

May the Lord of Rādhā protect Your hips. May the Lord who wears yellow garments protect Your abdomen. May the Lord whose navel is a lotus flower protect Your chest. May the Lord who lifted Govardhana Hill protect Your arms.

May the Lord of Mathurā protect Your face. May the Lord of Dvārakā protect Your head. May the Lord who kills the demons protect Your back. May the Supreme Personality of Godhead give You all protection.

A human being who regularly recites this prayer of three verses will always be very happy. He will never fear.

Śrī Nārada said: To them Nanda gave a hundred thousand cows, a million gold coins, a thousand new jewels, and a hundred thousand opulent garments.

When the great brāhmaṇas had gone, Nanda invited the gopas, fed them sumptuously, honored them, and gave them many beautiful garments and ornaments.

Śrī Bahulāśva said: What pious deeds did Tṛṇāvarta perform in his previous birth that he merged into Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

Śrī Nārada said: He was Sahasrākṣa, a powerful king of Pāṇḍu-deśa. He was a devotee of Lord Hari, a follower of religion, a performer of yajṣas, and a giver of charity.

On the shore of the Revā, in a very splendid place filled with flowering vines, he enjoyed pastimes with a thousand beautiful women.

When Durvāsā Muni came there the king did not bow down to offer respects to him. Then the sage cursed him, "O evil-hearted one, become a demon!"

When the king fell at his feet, the sage gave a blessing, "O king, the touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's form will give you liberation."

Śrī Nārada said: Because of Durvāsā's curse he became Tṛnāvarta on the earth and by the touch of Śrī Kṛṣṇa's form he attained liberation.