SB 10.3.1 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीशुक उवाच अथ सर्वगुणोपेत: काल: परमशोभन: । यर्ह्येवाजनजन्मक्षन शान्तर्क्षग्रहतारकम् ॥ १ ॥ दिश: प्रसेदुर्गगनं निर्मलोडुगणोदयम् । मही मङ्गलभूयिष्ठपुरग्रामव्रजाकरा ॥ २ ॥ नद्य: प्रसन्नसलिला ह्रदा जलरुहश्रिय: । द्विजालिकुलसन्नादस्तवका वनराजय: ॥ ३ ॥ ववौ वायु: सुखस्पर्श: पुण्यगन्धवह: शुचि: । अग्नयश्च द्विजातीनां शान्तास्तत्र समिन्धत ॥ ४ ॥ मनांस्यासन् प्रसन्नानि साधूनामसुरद्रुहाम् । जायमानेऽजने तस्मिन् नेदुर्दुन्दुभय: समम् ॥ ५ ॥

Verse text

śrī-śuka uvāca atha sarva-guṇopetaḥ kālaḥ parama-śobhanaḥ yarhy evājana-janmarkṣaṁ śāntarkṣa-graha-tārakam diśaḥ prasedur gaganaṁ nirmaloḍu-gaṇodayam mahī maṅgala-bhūyiṣṭha- pura-grāma-vrajākarā nadyaḥ prasanna-salilā hradā jalaruha-śriyaḥ dvijāli-kula-sannāda- stavakā vana-rājayaḥ vavau vāyuḥ sukha-sparśaḥ puṇya-gandhavahaḥ śuciḥ agnayaś ca dvijātīnāṁ śāntās tatra samindhata manāṁsy āsan prasannāni sādhūnām asura-druhām jāyamāne ’jane tasmin nedur dundubhayaḥ samam

Synonyms

śrī — śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said ; atha — on the occasion of the Lord’s appearance ; sarva — all around ; guṇa — upetaḥ — endowed with material attributes or facilities ; kālaḥ — a favorable time ; parama — śobhanaḥ — all-auspicious and very favorable from all points of view ; yarhi — when ; eva — certainly ; ajana janma — ṛkṣam — the constellation of stars known as Rohiṇī ; śānta — ṛkṣa — none of the constellations were fierce (all of them were peaceful) ; graha — tārakam — and the planets and stars like Aśvinī ; diśaḥ — all directions ; praseduḥ — appeared very auspicious and peaceful ; gaganam — all of outer space or the sky ; nirmala — uḍu — gaṇa — udayam — in which all the auspicious stars were visible (in the upper strata of the universe) ; mahī — the earth ; maṅgala — bhūyiṣṭha — pura — grāma — vraja — ākarāḥ — whose many cities, towns, pasturing grounds and mines became auspicious and very neat and clean ; nadyaḥ — the rivers ; prasanna — salilāḥ — the waters became clear ; hradāḥ — the lakes or large reservoirs of water ; jalaruha — śriyaḥ — appeared very beautiful because of blooming lotuses all around ; dvija — ali — kula — sannāda — stavakāḥ — the birds, especially the cuckoos, and swarms of bees began to chant in sweet voices, as if praying to the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; vana — rājayaḥ — the green trees and plants were also very pleasing to see ; vavau — blew ; vāyuḥ — the breeze ; sukha — sparśaḥ — very pleasing to the touch ; puṇya — gandha — vahaḥ — which was full of fragrance ; śuciḥ — without pollution by dust ; agnayaḥ ca — and the fires (at the places of sacrifice) ; dvijātīnām — of the brāhmaṇas ; śāntāḥ — undisturbed, steady, calm and quiet ; tatra — there ; samindhata — blazed ; manāṁsi — the minds of the brāhmaṇas (who because of Kaṁsa had always been afraid) ; āsan — became ; prasannāni — fully satisfied and free from disturbances ; sādhūnām — of the brāhmaṇas, who were all Vaiṣṇava devotees ; asura — druhām — who had been oppressed by Kaṁsa and other demons disturbing the discharge of religious rituals ; jāyamāne — because of the appearance or birth ; ajane — of Lord Viṣṇu, who is always unborn ; tasmin — in that situation ; neduḥ — resounded ; dundubhayaḥ — kettledrums ; samam — simultaneously (from the upper planets) .

Translation

Thereafter, at the auspicious time for the appearance of the Lord, the entire universe was surcharged with all the qualities of goodness, beauty and peace. The constellation Rohiṇī appeared, as did stars like Aśvinī. The sun, the moon and the other stars and planets were very peaceful. All directions appeared extremely pleasing, and the beautiful stars twinkled in the cloudless sky. Decorated with towns, villages, mines and pasturing grounds, the earth seemed all-auspicious. The rivers flowed with clear water, and the lakes and vast reservoirs, full of lilies and lotuses, were extraordinarily beautiful. In the trees and green plants, full of flowers and leaves, pleasing to the eyes, birds like cuckoos and swarms of bees began chanting with sweet voices for the sake of the demigods. A pure breeze began to blow, pleasing the sense of touch and bearing the aroma of flowers, and when the brāhmaṇas engaging in ritualistic ceremonies ignited their fires according to Vedic principles, the fires burned steadily, undisturbed by the breeze. Thus when the birthless Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was about to appear, the saints and brāhmaṇas, who had always been disturbed by demons like Kaṁsa and his men, felt peace within the core of their hearts, and kettledrums simultaneously vibrated from the upper planetary system.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Thereafter, at the auspicious time for the appearance of the Lord, the entire universe was surcharged with all the qualities of goodness, beauty and peace. The constellation Rohiṇī appeared, as did stars like Aśvinī. The sun, the moon and the other stars and planets were very peaceful. All directions appeared extremely pleasing, and the beautiful stars twinkled in the cloudless sky. Decorated with towns, villages, mines and pasturing grounds, the earth seemed all-auspicious. The rivers flowed with clear water, and the lakes and vast reservoirs, full of lilies and lotuses, were extraordinarily beautiful. In the trees and green plants, full of flowers and leaves, pleasing to the eyes, birds like cuckoos and swarms of bees began chanting with sweet voices for the sake of the demigods. A pure breeze began to blow, pleasing the sense of touch and bearing the aroma of flowers, and when the brāhmaṇas engaging in ritualistic ceremonies ignited their fires according to Vedic principles, the fires burned steadily, undisturbed by the breeze. Thus when the birthless Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was about to appear, the saints and brāhmaṇas, who had always been disturbed by demons like Kaṁsa and his men, felt peace within the core of their hearts, and kettledrums simultaneously vibrated from the upper planetary system. KB 10.3.1-5 In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that His appearance, birth and activities are all transcendental and that one who understands them factually becomes immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance or birth is not like that of an ordinary man, who is forced to accept a material body according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the Second Chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the star known as Rohiṇī was predominant. This star is considered to be very auspicious and is under the direct supervision of Brahmā. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious. At that time, in all directions—east, west, south, north, everywhere—there was an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. There were auspicious stars visible in the sky, and on the surface in all towns and villages and pasturing grounds and within the minds of everyone there were signs of good fortune. The rivers were flowing full of waters, and lakes were beautifully decorated with lotus flowers. The forests were full with beautiful birds and peacocks. All the birds within the forests began to sing with sweet voices, and the peacocks began to dance along with their consorts. The wind blew very pleasantly, carrying the aroma of different flowers and greatly pleasing the sense of touch. At home, the brāhmaṇas, who were accustomed to offering sacrifices in the fire, found their homes very pleasant for offerings. Due to disturbances created by the demoniac kings, the sacrificial fire had been almost stopped in the houses of brāhmaṇas, but now they could find the opportunity to start the fire peacefully. Being forbidden to offer sacrifices, the brāhmaṇas had been very much distressed in mind, intelligence and activities, but just on the point of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, automatically their minds became full of joy because they could hear transcendental vibrations in the sky proclaiming the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Purport

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that His appearance, birth, and activities are all transcendental and that one who factually understands them is immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance or birth is not like that of an ordinary man, who is forced to accept a material body according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the previous chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the constellation known as Rohiṇī was also predominant because this constellation is considered very auspicious. Rohiṇī is under the direct supervision of Brahmā, who is born of Viṣṇu, and it appears at the birth of Lord Viṣṇu, who in fact is birthless. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious. At that time, in all directions, east, west, south, north, everywhere, there was an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. Auspicious stars were visible in the sky, and on the surface in all towns and villages or pasturing grounds and within the mind of everyone there were signs of good fortune. The rivers were flowing full of water, and the lakes were beautifully decorated with lotus flowers. The forests were full with beautiful birds and peacocks. All the birds within the forests began to sing with sweet voices, and the peacocks began to dance with their consorts. The wind blew very pleasantly, carrying the aroma of different flowers, and the sensation of bodily touch was very pleasing. At home, the brāhmaṇas, who were accustomed to offer sacrifices in the fire, found their homes very pleasant for offerings. Because of disturbances created by the demoniac kings, the sacrificial fire had been almost stopped in the houses of brāhmaṇas, but now they could find the opportunity to start the fire peacefully. Being forbidden to offer sacrifices, the brāhmaṇas were very distressed in mind, intelligence and activities. But just on the point of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, automatically their minds became full of joy because they could hear loud vibrations in the sky of transcendental sounds proclaiming the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. On the occasion of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s birth, seasonal changes took place throughout the entire universe. Kṛṣṇa was born during the month of September, yet it appeared like springtime. The atmosphere, however, was very cool, although not chilly, and the rivers and reservoirs appeared just as they would in śarat, the fall. Lotuses and lilies blossom during the day, but although Kṛṣṇa appeared at twelve o’clock midnight, the lilies and lotuses were in bloom, and thus the wind blowing at that time was full of fragrance. Because of Kaṁsa’s disturbances, the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies had almost stopped. The brāhmaṇas and saintly persons could not execute the Vedic rituals with peaceful minds. But now the brāhmaṇas were very pleased to perform their daily ritualistic ceremonies undisturbed. The business of the asuras is to disturb the suras, the devotees and brāhmaṇas, but at the time of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance these devotees and brāhmaṇas were undisturbed.

Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

In this chapter there is a description of the time and place becoming jubilant at the appearance of the Lord, a description of the Lord’s appearance, and the prayers of Vasudeva and Devaki. When (yarhi) the birth constellation (janma rksa) of the Lord who has no birth (ajana) arrived, at that time (atha), time itself became endowed with all good qualities. Ajana janma can also be taken as the name of the naksatra. Ajana means Visnu. Ajana janma means he who is born from Visnu, that is Prajapati. Prajapati’s naksatra is Rohini. The name of the naksatra is not mentioned directly because the scriptures enjoin that the birth naksatra of a person should not be named directly. At this time also the other naksatras such as Asvini, the planets such as the sun, and the stars, all assumed a peaceful state. The next verse expresses the fact that the directions (dik) also assumed all good qualities. In this verse the qualities of the autumn season are described even though it was rainy season, because all the elements-earth, water ,fire, air and ether were jubilant. The joy above (ether or akasa)) is indicated by the phrase " the stars shone brilliantly in the sky." The joy on earth is expressed next in the description of the towns and cities and mines. The joy between earth and sky is expressed in two verses beginning with a description of the water. The lotus usually blooms during the day and closes at night, but now the lotus bloomed in the night. Night assumed the qualities of the day. The forest resounded with the cries of cuckoos and humming of bees, and was resplendent with leaves and flowers. Though it was monsoon season, spring’s qualities are described next. The wind (air) had the coolness of spring’s breezes (sukha sparsa), laden with the fragrance of spring flowers (punya gandha), free from dust etc. (sucih). Though the fires had almost all been extinguished, (santa) they now blazed, turning to the right (samindhata). Though it was dvapara yuga, the quality of treta yuga now manifested. Manamsi (minds) indicates that the mind, intelligence, senses, sense objects, and five gross elements all become joyful. Being previously afflicted by the harassment of the asuras, the devotees’ minds, intellects, senses and body now became joyful. They became blissful because of the approaching appearance (jayamana) of Visnu (ajana, the unborn).

Purport (Jiva Goswami)

When the Lord was about to appear, time became most auspicious, because all qualities appeared. The phrase “when the Lord appeared” should be added to all the verses. When the Lord was about to appear and the moon was in Rohiṇī constellation, the Lord appeared. When he was about to appear and there was the sound of drums, he appeared. Though one sentence continues for eight verses, each statement will be explained separately for easy understanding. Though there are eight verses, by stating only at the end of the eighth verse that Kṛṣṇa was born, the intention is show that all the other conditions were present. On a day when the moon was in Rohiṇī constellation and all constellations were devoid of bad aspects from malefic planets, since the malefic planets had given up their evil nature, Kṛṣṇa was born. In the Kha-maṇikya astrological text it is said “The moon, mars, mercury and Saturn were exalted. The ascendant was Taurus. Jupiter was in Pisces. The sun was in Leo, Venus was in Libra, and Rāhu was in Scorpio. It was the eighth tithi of the waning phase of the moon, on Wednesday, with the moon in Rohiṇī constellation. Kṛṣṇa was born at midnight with these auspicious arrangements.” Elsewhere it is said “The moon, Mercury, Saturn, and Mars were situated in Taurus, Virgo, Libra and Capricorn respectively. The birth of Kṛṣṇa in the year of Viśvavasu (Jupiter’s 39th year), satisfying the universe, was endowed with excellent beauty.”

Purport (Sanatana Goswami)

When the Lord was about to appear, it became most auspicious with peaceful constellations, because all qualities appeared. There were no bad aspects of any constellations on Rohiṇī. Or at the time of the Lord’s birth, time was endowed with all good qualities and was most splendid. The good qualities manifested by themselves and the splendor was created by the music etc. The directions were joyful. Drums sounded for a long time. The endowment of good qualities is shown: the constellations were peaceful at that time (yarhi).