Parva 2 Chapter 1: nāradāgamanam - Advent of Narada and Kamsa's Response

Offering veneration to nārāyaṇa, nara, nara-uttama and to the Goddess \sarasvati, let us intone jaya. vaiśaṁpāyana uvāca jṣātvā viṣṇuṁ kṣitigataṁ bhāgāṁścha tridivaukasām | vināśaśaṁsī kaṁsasya nārado mathurāṁ yayau ||2-1-1 vaiśaṁpāyana said: Knowing that viṣṇu and portions of deva-s (divine beings) have incarnated on earth, nārada went to mathura to inform kaṁsa about his impending doom. triviṣṭapādāpatito mathuropavane sthitaḥ | preṣayāmāsa kaṁsasya ugrasenasutasya vai ||2-1-2 Descending from heaven (triviṣṭapa), he arrived on the outskirts of mathura, and sent a messenger to kaṁsa, son of ugrasena. sa dūtaḥ kathayāmāsa munerāgamanaṁ vane | sa nāradasyāgamanaṁ śrutvā tvaritavikramaḥ 2-1-3 nirjagāmāsuraḥ kaṁsaḥ svapuryāḥ padmalocanaḥ | The messenger informed kaṁsa about the arrival of the sage on the outskirts. Hearing about the arrival of nārada, the lotus(red)-eyed valiant asura, kaṁsa, quickly came out of his palace. sa dadarśātithiṁ ślāghyaṁ devarṣiṁ vītakalmaṣam ||2-1-4 tejasā jvalanākāraṁ vapuṣā sūryavarchasam | so'bhivādyarṣaye tasmai pūjāṁ cakre yathāvidhi ||2-1-5 He saw the guest, venerable devarṣi nārada, sinless (vītakalmaṣam) and blazing with splendour (tejas) like fire and his body shining like sun. kaṁsa offered his obeisance to deva-ṛṣi nārada and worshipped him as ordained. āsanaṁ cāgnivarṇābhaṁ visṛjyopajahāra saḥ | niṣasādāsane tasminsa vai śakrasakho muniḥ ||2-1-6 kaṁsa offered a golden seat shining like fire to the sage. nārada, a friend of śakra (indra) sat comfortably on the seat. uvāca chograsenasya sutaṁ paramakopanam | pūjito'haṁ tvayā vīra vidhidṛṣṭena karmaṇā ||2-1-7 gate tvevaṁ mama vacaḥ śrūyatāṁ gṛhyatāṁ tvayā | The sage said to the angry son of ugrasena. vīra (O hero)! You have worshipped me according to the scriptures. Hence listen carefully and understand my words. anusṛtya divolokānahaṁ brahmapurogamān ||2-1-8 gataḥ sūryasakhaṁ tāta vipulaṁ meruparvatam | sa nandanavanaṁ caiva dṛṣṭvā chaitrarathaṁ vanam ||2-1-9 O son! Travelling through the heavenly worlds such as brahmaloka, I arrived at the vast mountain meru, a friend of the Sun God. There I visited nandanavanam (nandana forest) and chaitrarathavanam (chaitraratha forest). āplutaṁ sarvatīrtheṣu saritsu saha devataiḥ | divyā tridhārā dṛṣṭā ye puṇyā tripathagā nadī ||2-1-10 I bathed in all thīrtha-s and rivers in the company of devas. Afterwards, I beheld the divine sacred (tridhāra and tripathagā) river gaṅgā. smaraṇādeva sarveṣāmaṁhasāṁ yā vibhedinī | upaspṛṣṭaṁ ca tīrtheṣu divyeṣu ca yathākramam ||2-1-11 Just remembering her destroys all sins. I bathed in all divine tirtha-s in the prescribed sequence. dṛṣṭaṁ me brahmasadanaṁ brahmarṣigaṇasevitam | devagandharvanirghoṣairapsarobhiścha nāditam ||2-1-12 I was able to see the residence of brahmā, served by brahmarṣi-s, filled with the sounds of musical instruments played by deva-s and gandharva-s and the songs of apsaras. so'haṁ kadāciddevānāṁ samāje merumūrdhani | saṁgṛhya vīṇāṁ saṁsaktāmagaccaṁ brahmaṇaḥ sabhām ||2-1-13 From there, after some time, with vīṇā in my hands, I went to the assembly of brahmā at the top of meru mountain, where deva-s were assembled. so'haṁ tava sitoṣṇīṣānnānāratnavibhūṣitān | divyāsanagatāndevānapaśyaṁ sapitāmahān ||2-1-14 Here I saw pitāmaha (brahmā) and other deva-s, decorated with white diadems having many jewels, sitting on divine thrones. tatra mantrayatāmevam devatānāṁ mayā śrutaḥ | bhavataḥ sānugasyaiva vadhopāyaḥ sudāruṇaḥ ||2-1-15 In the assembly, I heard that the deva-s were confidentially discussing terrible methods for killing you and your associates. tatraiṣā devakī yā te mathurāyāṁ laghusvasā | yo'syāṁ garbho'ṣṭamaḥ kaṁsa sa te mṛtyurbhaviṣyati ||2-1-16 kaṁsa, according to what I heard from there, the eighth son who will be born to your younger sister devakī in mathura will be the cause of your death. devānāṁ sa tu sarvasvaṁ tridivasya gatishcha saḥ | paraṁ rahasyaṁ devānāṁ sa te mṛtyurbhaviṣyati |2-1-17 He will be the protector of deva-s and the shelter of heavenly bodies. He, the supreme secret of deva-s will be the cause of your death. paraśchaivāparasteṣāṁ svayaṁbhūścha divaukasām| tataste tanmahadbhūtaṁ divyaṁ ca kathayāmyaham ||2-1-18 He is the object of the deva-s' liberation and enjoyment. He is the self manifested brahmā for devas. That is why I say that he is the great divine truth. ślāghyaścha sa hi te mṛtyurbhūtapūrvaścha taṁ smara | yatnashcha kriyatāṁ kaṁsa devakyā garbhakṛntane ||2-1-19 kaṁsa, this venerable person was the cause of your death in the past. Remember him and try to destroy devakī's conception. eṣā me tvadgatā prītiryadarthaṁ cāhamāgataḥ | bhujyantāṁ sarvakāmārthāḥ svasti te'stu vrajāmyaham ||2-1-20 I am pleased with you. That is why I came here (to inform you). Enjoy all pleasures. I wish you well. I am leaving now. ityuktvā nārade yāte tasya vākyaṁ vicintayan | jahāsocchaistataḥ kaṁsaḥ prakāśadaśanaściram ||2-1-21 Saying this, nārada left. Afterwards, thinking about his words. kaṁsa started laughing loudly showing his teeth. provāca sasmitaṁ caiva bhṛtyānāmagrataḥ sthitaḥ | hāsyaḥ khalu sa sarveṣu nārado na viśāradaḥ ||21-1-22 He stood before his servants, smiling and said: (This) nārada is a laughing-stock for all. He is not intelligent. nāhaṁ bhīṣayituṁ shakyo devairapi savāsavaiḥ | āsanasthaḥ śayāno vā pramatto matta eva ca ||2-1-23 Even when I am sitting or sleeping or careless or intoxicated, deva-s along with vāsava (indra) are unable to frighten me. yo'haṁ dorbhyāmudārābhyāṁ kṣobhayeyaṁ dharāmimām | ko'sti māṁ mānuśe loke yaḥ kṣobhayitumutsahet ||2-1-24 I can shake the entire earth with my two strong arms. Who is there in the human world who can trouble me? adya prabhṛti devānāmeṣa devānuvartinām | nṛpakṣipaśusaṅghānāṁ karomi kadanaṁ mahat ||2-1-25 From today, I will start oppressing the deva-s and those who obey them, men, birds and animals. ājṣāpyatāṁ hayaḥ keśī pralambo dhenukastathā | ariṣṭo vṛṣabhaścaiva pūtanā kāliyastathā ||2-1-26 aṭadhvaṁ pṛthivīṁ kṛtsnāṁ yatheśṭaṁ kāmarūpiṇaḥ praharadhvaṁ ca sarveṣu ye'smākaṁ pakṣadūṣakāḥ ||2-1-27 Order keśī the horse, pralamba, dhenuka, arishta the bull, pūtana and kāliya that they can roam on earth in whatever form they like. They can strike all those who speak ill of our side. garbhastānāmapi gatirvijṣeyā caiva dehinām | nāradena hi garbhebhyo bhayaṁ naḥ samudāhṛtam ||2-1-28 Find out the status of those who are conceived. Narada said that our fear is from a conception. bhavanto hi yathākāmaṁ modantāṁ vigatajvarāḥ | māṁ ca vo nāthamāśṛtya nāsti devakṛtaṁ bhayam ||2-1-29 Enjoy as you wish to the full extent without any worry. As long as you are under my protection, there is nothing to fear from devas. sa tu kelikilo vipro bhedaśīlaścha nāradaḥ | suśliṣṭānapi loke'sminbhedaya.ṇllabhate ratim ||2-1-30 This brāhmaṇa, nārada always tries to create quarrels between people. He loves to create differences among people who are otherwise living in harmony. kaṇḍūyamānaḥ satataṁ lokānaṭati chaṣchalaḥ | ghaṭamāno narendrāṇāṁ tantrairvairāṇi caiva hi ||2-1-31 He is restless and always travels around inducing quarrels. He takes pleasure in causing fights between kings by various ways and means. evaṁ sa vilapanneva vāṅmātreṇaiva kevalam | vivesha kaṁso bhavanaṁ dahyamānena chetasā ||2-1-32 After prattling valiantly like this, kaṁsa went to his home. His mind was burning in the fire of thoughts. iti śimahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe viṣṇuparvaṇī nāradāgamane kaṁsavākye prathamo'dhyāyaḥ Thus, this is the first chapter of the second book called viṣṇu-parva, in harivamsha, the sequel to mahābhārata, narrating the advent of nārada and kaṁsa's response. nīlakanṭha commentary jaya From the nīlakaṇṭha commentary on the first śloka at the beginning of the Adiparva, mahābhārata: 'jayonāmetihāsoya'miti vakṣyamāṇatvāt jayasaṁjṣaṁ bhāratākhyamitihāsaṁ vā 'aṣṭādaśapurāṇāni rāmasya caritaṁ tathā | kārṣṇaṁ vedaṁ paṣcamaṁ ca yanmahābhārataṁ viduḥ || tathaiva viṣṇudharmāścha śivadharmāścha śāśvatāḥ | jayeti nāma teṣāṁ ca pr avadanti maṇīśiṇaḥ ||' iti bhaviṣyavacanāt purāṇādikaṁ The name jaya denotes mahābhārata since it is said in the mahābharata that 'jayo nāmetihāso'yaṁ shrotavyo vijigīṣuṇā' Adiparva (62.20) 'jayo nāmetihāso'yaṁ shrotavyo jayamicchatā' svargārohaṇaparva (5.46) or according to bhaviṣya, the name jaya collectively stands for mahābhārata, rāmāyaṇa, the eighteen purāṇa-s etc. For further notes on this śloka, see the translation of the first chapter of harivamshaparva by Desiraju Hanumanta Rao. udīrayet - paṭhet (intone, study assiduously) śrīgaṇeśāya namaḥ || atha śrīmahābhārate harivaṁśe viṣṇuparvaṁ prārabhyate - amuṣminprathame'dhyāye svargādabhyetya nāradaḥ | kaṁsāyākathayattasya kṛṣṇānmṛtyuritīryate || · 2-1-2 jṣātveti - preṣayāmāsa dūtamiti śeṣaḥ · 2-1-6 visṛjya - prakalpa · 2-1-16 laghusvasā kaniṣṭhabhāginī tavaiveti śesṣaḥ | anye tu pitṛṣvaseti pāṭahaṁ prakalpya pitṛsaṁbandhinī svasā vyavahitabhaginīti vyācakhyuḥ · 2-1-18 paro - mokṣaḥ aparaḥ - svargaḥ tatpradaḥ ityarthaḥ · 2-1-20 swasti - shobhanam · 2-1-25 kadanam - pīḍanam · 2-1-30 kelikilaḥ - yuddhotsukaḥ suśliṣṭān - snigdhān · 2-1-31 kaṇḍūyamānaḥ - saṁgharṣaṇaṁ janayan tantraiḥ - upāyaiḥ