Parva 2 Chapter 56: kālayavanasyābhiyogo dvāravatīprayāṇaṁ ca - kālayavana's invasion, and migration to dvāravati

vaiśampāyana said: (O janamejaya!) After some days, the one with eyes beautiful as the lotus (kṛṣṇa) spoke the best words with reasons, to the members of the assembly of yādavas. yādavānāmiyaṁ bhūmirmathurā rāṣṭramālinī | vayaṁ chaiveha saṁbhūtā vraje ca parivarddhitāḥ ||2-56-2 (śrīkṛṣṇa said:) mathurā, surrounded by the country, is the land of yādavas. We are born, brought up and nourished here. tadidānīṁ gataṁ duḥkhaṁ shatravashcha parājitāḥ | nṛpeṣu janitaṁ vairaṁ jarāsaṁdhena vigrahaḥ ||2-56-3 Now all our sorrows have disappeared. All enemies are defeated. We generated hostility among the kings and fought war with jarāsaṁdha. vāhanāni ca naḥ santi pādātaṁ cāpyanantakam | ratnāni ca vicitrāṇi mitrāṇi ca bahūṇi ca ||2-56-4 We have carriages and endless infantry, beautiful jewels and many friends. iyaṁ ca māthurī bhūmiralpā gamyā parasya tu | vṛddhiścaiva parāsmākaṁ balato mitratastathā ||2-56-5 This land of mathurā is small. It is easy for enemy to enter here. We are flourishing in number by means of army and friends. kumārakoṭyo yāścemāḥ padātīnāṁ gaṇāścha ye | eṣāmapīha vasatāṁ saṁmardamupalakṣaye ||2-56-6 There are (hundreds of hundreds of thousands) large numbers of youths and groups of infantry. I consider that it is crowded for all to live here. atra no rochate mahyaṁ nivāso yadupuṣgavāḥ | purīṁ niveśayiṣyāmi mama tatkṣantumarhatha ||2-56-7 O the leaders of yādava-s! I do not like staying here. I will build a city. Please pardon me for this. etadyadanurūpaṁ vo mamābhiprāyajaṁ vacaḥ | bhavāya bhavatāṁ kāle yaduktaṁ yadusaṁsadi ||2-56-8 If you are convinced with the words of my opinion, I spoke for your benefit in the assembly of yādava-s accordingly at the proper time. tamūcuryādavāḥ sarve hṛṣṭena manasā tadā | sādhyatāṁ yadabhipretaṁ janasyāsya bhavāya vai ||2-56-9 (vaiśampāyana said: O janamejaya !) Then all vṛṣṇi-s with happy minds, told kṛṣṇa: Implement that opinion which is beneficial for people. tataḥ saṁmantrayāmāsurvṛṣṇayo mantramuttamam | avadhyo'sau kṛto'smākaṁ sumahaccha riporbalam ||2-56-10 Then the vṛṣṇī-s talked about the main points. He (jarāsaṁdha) cannot be killed by us. The enemy's army is very large. kṛtaḥ sainyakṣayaścāpi mahāniha narādhipaiḥ | bahulāni ca sainyāni hantuṁ varṣaśatairapi | na śakṣyāmo hyatasteṣāmapayāne'bhavanmatiḥ ||2-56-11 The armies were weakened along with the great kings. There are many armies (difficult) to be killed even in hundred years. We are not powerful. The decision is to vacate. tasmiṁśchaivāntare rājā sa kālayavanastadā | sainyena tadvidhenaiva mathurāmabhyupāgamat ||2-56-12 Meanwhile, king (jarāsaṁdha) along with kālayavana reached at the city of mathurā with his army. tato jarāsaṁdhabalaṁ durnivāryamabhūttadā | te kālayavanaṁ caiva śrutvedaṁ pratipedire ||2-56-13 Then the army of jarāsaṁdha became difficult to be stopped. When they (the yādava-s) heard about the arrival of kālayavana, they decided (to leave). keśavaḥ punarevāha yādavānsatyasaṅgaraḥ | adyaiva divasaḥ puṇyo niryāmaḥ svabalānugāḥ ||2-56-14 Again keshava (kṛṣṇa), who fights a true war, told the yādava-s: Today is a good day. Let us leave along with the army. tato niścakramuḥ sarve yādavāḥ kṛṣṇaśāsanāt | oghā iva samudrasya balaughapratināditāḥ ||2-56-15 Then all the yādava-s, according to kṛṣṇa's order, prepared to leave. Due to the assembly of armies, the yādava-s appeared like currents of an ocean. saṅgṛhya te kalatrāṇi vasudevapurogamāḥ | susannaddhairgajairmattai rathairashvaishcha daṁśitaiḥ ||2-56-16 Assembling the wives, lead by vasudeva and others, ready with elephants in rut, chariots and horses, and fully armed, āhatya dundubhīnsarve svajanajṣātibāndhavāḥ | niryayuryādavāḥ sarve mathurāmapahāya vai ||2-56-17 playing the drums loudly, accompanied by own people, kinsmen and friends, all the yādava-s left mathurā immediately. syandanaiḥ kāṣchanāpīḍairmattaiścha varavāraṇaiḥ | sūtaiḥ plutaishcha turagaiḥ kaśāpārṣṇipraṇoditaiḥ ||2-56-18 Along with chariots decorated with gold, accompanied by the best elephants in rut and galloping horses, prompted by the whip holding charioteers, svāni svāni balāgrāṇi śobhayantaḥ prakarṣiṇaḥ | pratyaṅmukhā yayurhṛṣṭā vṛṣṇayo bharatarṣabha ||2-56-19 sparkling by leading their own armies, O the best of bharata race (janamejaya!), (vaiśampāyana said) the vṛṣṇi-s happily proceeded towards the west. tato mukhyatamāḥ sarve yādavā raṇakovidāḥ | anīkāgrāṇi karṣanto vāsudevapurogamāḥ ||2-56-20 Then the best among all the yādava-s, the experts in battle, lead by vāsudeva in front, with the front portion of the army, te sma nānālatācitraṁ nālikeravanāyutam | kīrṇaṁ nāgabalaiḥ kāntaṁ ketakīkhaṇḍamaṇḍitam ||2-56-21 ( arrived at) the place beautified by variety of creepers, with the forest of coconut trees, beautified with creepers of Uraria Lagopodioides /Sida Spinosa and forests of Pandanus Odoratissimus. tālapunnāgabakuladrākṣāvanaghanaṁ kvachit | anūpaṁ sindhurājasya prapeturyadupuṅgavāḥ ||2-56-22 At some places there were forests of palmyra trees, punnāga (Rottleria Tinctoria or Calophyllum inophyllum), Mimusops Elangi trees and vine creepers. The yādava leaders reached the marshy place near the seashore. te tatra ramaṇīyeṣu viṣayeṣu sukhapriyāḥ | mumuduryādavāḥ sarve devāḥ svargagatā iva ||2-56-23 All the comfort loving yādava-s, enjoyed at each beautiful locations like deva-s enjoying in heaven. puravāstu vichinvansa kṛṣṇastu paravīrahā | dadarsha vipulaṁ deśaṁ sāgareṇopaśobhitam ||2-56-24 kṛṣṇa, the slayer of enemies, considering the construction of the city, saw the vast place, beautified by the ocean, vāhanānāṁ hitam caiva sikatātāmramṛttikam | puralakṣaṇasampannaṁ kṛtāspadamiva śriyā ||2-56-25 suitable for the carriages, having red soil, enriched with all good signs of a city, suitable for the residence of śrī, sāgarānilasaṁvītaṁ sāgarāmbuniṣevitam | viṣayaṁ sindhurājasya śobhitaṁ puralakṣaṇaiḥ ||2-56-26 full of sea breezes, served by the sea water, belonging to the king of the sea, shining with the signs of a city. tatra raivatako nāma parvato nātidūrataḥ | mandarodāraśikharaḥ sarvato'bhivirājate ||2-56-27 The mountain named raivataka, shining with a tall peak like mandara, is located not very far. tatraikalavyasaṁvāso droṇenādhyuṣitaściraṁ | prabhūtapuruṣopetaḥ sarvaratnasamākulaḥ ||2-56-28 There ekalavya resides where droṇa lived for a long time. There are many men and all kinds of jewels at this place. vihārabhūmistatraiva tasya rājṣaḥ sunirmitā | nāmnā dvāravatī nāma svāyatāṣṭāpadopamā ||2-56-29 That is where the ground for games was constructed for the king. That was named dvāravatī which was vast and having eight parts similar to board for dice game. keshavena matistatra puryarthe viniveśitā | niveśaṁ tatra sainyānāṁ rochayanti sma yādavāḥ ||2-56-30 keshava (kṛṣṇa) had also desired to construct a city there. yādava-s, liking the place, halted the army there. te raktasūryadivase tatra yādavapuṅgavāḥ | senāpālāṁścha saṣcakruḥ skandhāvāraniveśanam ||2-56-31 During the day, when the sun was red, the leaders of yādava-s, the leaders of the army, ordered to make the tents. dhruvāya tatra nyavasatkeśavaḥ saha yādavaiḥ | deshe puraniveśāya sa yadupravaro vibhuḥ ||2-56-32 Along with yādava-s, keshava (kṛṣṇa) decided to live there. The lord, the best among yādava-s ( kṛṣṇa) decided to establish the city there. tasyāstu vidhivannāma vāstūni ca gadāgrajaḥ | nirmame puruṣaśreṣṭho manasā yādavottamaḥ ||2-56-33 The elder brother of gada (kṛṣṇa), the best among yādava-s, the best among men, made the buildings there and assigned names with his mind. evaṁ dvāravatīṁ caiva purīṁ prāpya sabāndhavāḥ | sukhino nyavasanrājansvarge devagaṇā iva ||2-56-34 Thus O king (janamejaya)! (vaiśampāyana said) kṛṣṇa along with his kinsmen, arriving at the city of dvāravatī, lived comfortably, like deva-s lived in heaven. kṛṣṇo'pi kālayavanaṁ jṣātvā keśiniṣūdanaḥ | jarāsaṁdhabhayāccaiva purīṁ dvāravatīṁ yayau ||2-56-35 kṛṣṇa, the slayer of keśī, went to the city of dvāravatī, knowing about kālayavana and due to the fear of jarāsaṁdha. iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe viṣṇuparvaṇi dvāravatīprayāṇe ṣaṭpa~cāśattamo'dhyāyaḥ Thus this is the fifty-sixth chapter of viṣṇuparva, harivaṁśa, khila of śrīmahābhārata, kālayavana's invasion and migration to dvāravati Translator's note: 2-56-28 tatraikalabdhasaṁvāso changed to tatraikalavyasaṁvāso in accordance with BORI and Gita Press editions. labdha appears to be a printing mistake in citrashala edition. nīlakaṇṭha commentary ṣaṭpaṣcāśattame'dhyāye dvārāvāti vivakṣayā | hetumadvaca ābhāṣya mathurācalanaṁ hareḥ || 1 || · 2-56-1 kasyachiditi || · 2-56-12 rājā jarāsandhaḥ sa kālayavanaḥ kālayavanena sahitaḥ || · 2-56-13 idaṁ avadhyo'sāvityādi pūrvoktaṁ apayānaṁ pratipedire śaraṇīcakruḥ || · 2-56-18 sūtaiḥ plutaiḥ ājṣāmātrādutpatādbhiḥ | · 2-56-24 vāstu sthānam || · 2-56-25 sikatāyuktā tāmramṛttikā yasmin || · 2-56-29 aṣṭāpadopamā śārikāphalatulyā dīrghacaturasradvayasambandhavatītyarthaḥ || · 2-56-30 matiḥ ichcā || · 2-56-33 vāstūni gṛhāṇi nirmame vibhaktavān manasā saṅkalapamātreṇa || iti śrīharivaṁśe viṣṇuparvaṇi ṭīkāyāṁ ṣaṭpaṣcāśattamo'dhyāyaḥ ||