Parva 3 Chapter 120: śrīkṛṣṇasya puṣkaraṁ prati gamanam - kṛṣṇa sets out for puṣkara

vaiśampāyana said: (O janamejaya!) Entering the city (of dvāraka) of viṣṇu (kṛṣṇa), sātyaki the son of sini, the prominent one, appraised kṛṣṇa about the incidents as happened. tataḥ prabhāte vimale keśavaḥ keśisūdanaḥ | balādhyakṣānuvācedaṁ cakrapāṇirgadādharaḥ ||3-120-2 Then, in the morning, clear without any impurity, keshava (kṛṣṇa), the slayer of keshi, the one who holds cakra in his hands and who holds the mace, spoke to the commanders of the army. saṁnahyatāṁ balaṁ sarvaṁ rathakuṣjaravājimat | anekabherīpaṇavaṁ prāsāsiparighākulam ||3-120-3 (kṛṣṇa said): Assemble all the army and make them ready with chariots, elephants as well as horses along with many kettle drums, cymbals, barbed missiles and iron clubs, sadhvajaṁ sapatākaṁ ca sālaṅkāraparicchadam | along with flagstaffs and flags, decorations and other paraphernalia. te tatheti pratijṣāya sarvaṁ cakruradhīnagāḥ ||3-120-4 (vaiśampāyana continued: O janamejaya!) All the commanders, under oath, said: Let it be so and organized the army. ādāya sudṛḍhaṁ cāpaṁ rathamāruhya daṁśitāḥ | agrato jagmuratyarthaṁ senāyāḥ puruṣottamāḥ ||3-120-5 They brought strong bows, put on shields and mounted on the chariots. The best fighters among men, determined to fight, rode at the front of the army. sātyakiścha tathā rājanpragṛhītaśarāsanaḥ | babhau krodhasamāyukto jagāmāgre mahābalaḥ ||3-120-6 O king! (janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) In the same way, the highly powerful sātyaki, becoming angry, took up the seat of arrow (bow) and dazzled at the front of the army. anye ca yādavāḥ śūrāḥ pragṛhītamahāyudhāḥ | siṁhanādaṁ prakurvanto jagmuratyarthamuttamāḥ ||3-120-7 Other valiant yādava-s, took up great weapons. Roaring like lions, the best among men moved at the front of the army. haristu rathamāruhya saṁskṛtaṁ dārukena ha | śārṅgabhārasahaṁ ghoraṁ gṛhītvā saśaraṁ dhanuḥ ||3-120-8 hari (kṛṣṇa) took up his terrible heavy bow śārṅga along with arrows and mounted on a chariot yoked and brought by dāruka. cakrapāṇistadā śaṅkhī gadāśaravarāsimān | baddhagodhāṅgulitrāṇaḥ pītavāsā janārdanaḥ ||3-120-9 janārdana (kṛṣṇa, viṣṇu), the one who holds the cakra in his hands, the one who holds the mace and the best arrows, wore leather covers around his gingers, wearing yellow clothes, padmamālāvṛtorasko navajīmūtasannibhaḥ | yayau rathagato vipraiḥ stūyamāno mudānvitaiḥ ||3-120-10 wearing a garland of lotus flowers on his chest, having the colour of a new water bearing cloud, the lord praised by the brahmins, happily, proceeded (to the battle field) mounted on a chariot. sūtairmāgadhaputraiścha gīyamānastatastataḥ | ānīya senāṁ sakalāṁ yayau kāṣṭhāmathottarām ||3-120-11 The lord praised by the bards, poets and their sons, standing here and there, assembled the entire army and proceeded in the northern direction. pāṣchajanyaṁ mukhe nyasya sarvaprāṇena keśavaḥ | dadhmau mahāravaṁ kurvaṣchatrūṇām bhayavardhanam ||3-120-12 Keeping the conch pāṣchajanya on his mouth and assembling his full strength, keshava (kṛṣṇa), blew it with a loud noise, increasing the fear of the enemies. ādhmātastena hariṇā sa cakre śaṅkharāḍdhruvam | ravaḥ sa rodasī rājan pūrayāmāsa sarvataḥ ||3-120-13 O king! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) The sound of that conch (pāṣchajanya) blown by hari (viṣṇu, kṛṣṇa) filled up all over the earth and sky. tasmiṣchaṅkhe tathā''dhmāte dadhmuḥ śaṅkhānsahasraśaḥ | bheryaścāpi samādhmāta mṛdaṅgā bahavo nṛpa ||3-120-14 neduratyarthamatulaṁ gharmānte jaladā yathā | O king! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) As that conch (pāṣchajanya) was blown (by kṛṣṇa) thousands of other conches, as also kettle drums and drums (mṛdaṅga-s) were sounded like thundering water bearing clouds at the end of the summer season. athāyayurmahārāja puṣkaraṁ puṇyavardhanam ||3-120-15 O king ! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) All of them went to puṣkara, which increases the merit of those who go there. sarasastasya rājendra puṣkarasya nṛpottamāḥ | pratīkṣya haṁsaḍimbhakau yuddhāya samavasthitāḥ ||3-120-16 O the indra of kings! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) The best among the kings (yādava-s) stood on the banks of the lake (puṣkara) waiting for haṁsa and ḍimbhaka for battle. nivesham kārayāmāsuryādavāḥ sarva eva hi | svaṁ svaṁ yayuḥ sukhaṁ rājanpragṛhītakuṭīmaṭham ||3-120-17 All the yādava-s made tents, O king ! (O janamejaya! vaiśampāyana continued) and stayed comfortably in their own tents. bhagavānapi govindaḥ saro dṛṣṭvā sushobhanam | upaspṛśya jale tasminpraṇamya yatipuṅgavān ||3-120-18 Seeing the splendorous lake (puṣkara) lord kṛṣṇa, touched its (meritorious) water ritually and bowed to the prominent sages among those who have restrained their passions and abandoned the material world. tayorāgamanaṁ lipsurāste tīre yathāsukham | śṛṇvanvedadhvaniṁ viṣṇurbrāhmaṇānāṁ samantataḥ ||3-120-19 viṣṇu (kṛṣṇa) stayed comfortably on the banks of the lake (puṣkara), hearing the sounds of veda recited by brahmins and waiting for haṁsa and ḍimbhaka. iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi haṁsaḍimbhakopakhyāne kṛṣṇapuṣkarapraveśe viṁśtyadhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ This is the one hundred and twentieth chapter of bhaviṣyaparava, harivaṁśa, khila of mahābharata, in the episode of haṁsa and ḍimbhaka, kṛṣṇa sets out for puṣkara nīlakaṇṭha commentary · 3-120-1 pravishyeti || · 3-120-13 sa śaṁkhajaḥ | · 3-120- 14 dadhmuḥ dhmātavantaḥ | iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe bhaviṣyaparvaṇi ṭīkāyāṁ viṁśatyādhikaśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ ||