27 verses
Uddhava said: To give happiness to his parents, Kṛṣṇa along with Baladeva went to Mathurā, and pulling Kaṁsa from the platform, he dragged the body on the earth to reassure his parents after beating and killing him,.
After learning the Vedas and their six aḍgas uttered only once by Sāndīpani, Kṛṣṇa pierced the stomach of Pañcajana, retrieved Sāndīpanis son and presented him to his father.
After learning the Vedas (brahma) with its six aḍgas (sa-vistaram), piercing the stomach of Pañcajana, he brought the son from death and gave him to Sāndīpani. Ablative is used to represent a missing verb participle: paṇca-janodarāt vidīrya.
The kings had assembled, attracted by the beauty of Rukmiṇī, equal to Lakṣmī, with a desire to take her as their bride. Stepping on their heads while they glanced here and there thinking that Kṛṣṇa may come, Kṛṣṇa seized her just as Garuòa seized the pot of nectar.
The kings assembled (samāhutā), being attracted by the beauty of Rukmiṇī, which was equal to Lakṣmīs (śriyaḥ savarnena). In the phrase bhīṣmaka-kanyayā the instrumental case is used to represent the genitive case. Samāhutā is poetic license for samāhūtā. Sometimes samāhṛtā is seen instead of samāhutā. Kṛṣṇa placed his foot on the heads of those kings and seized Rukmiṇī just as Garuòa seized the nectar. The kings were thinking in their minds of taking her for themselves (gāndharva-vṛttyā). (Gāndharva marriage requires only mutual consent of bride and groom.) Śiśupāla though that she would be his wife, and other kings thought that she would be their wife. They desired in this way (bubhūsayā). At the same time, they were glancing (miṣatām) here and there, thinking that perhaps Kṛṣṇa would come at any time.
Kṛṣṇa, after taming the bulls which were without pierced noses, married Nāgnajitī at the svayaṁvara ceremony. Covered with the blows of a multitude of weapons, he remained uninjured, and with their own weapons killed the ignorant kings who desired Nāgnajitī, after they had been defeated in trying to tame the bulls.
Taming the bulls (kakudminaḥ) which did not have rings in their noses, he married Nāgnajitī. Covered with their attacking weapons (śastra-bhṛtaḥ), he remained unwounded, and with their own weapons killed those kings, who had been disappointed (bhagna-mānān), defeated in trying to tame the bulls, yet, who, being ignorant, desired (gṛdhyataḥ) to possess Nāgnajitī.
Desiring to give his wife what she wanted like an ordinary husband, Kṛṣṇa stole the pārijāta tree. Because of this, Indra, a plaything of his wives, came along his assistants in anger to fight with Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa appeared to be an ordinary husband controlled by his wife. However, actually he desired to give a dear object out of prema to his wife who had prema. He thus took the pārijāta tree (dyutarum), because of which Indra went to fight him (ādravat) with his thunderbolt. Ā in ādravat means to attack. The reason: he was blinded with anger. The reason for that was that he was the plaything of his wife Śaci. According to the principle that one thinks that everyone else is similar to oneself (ātmavan manyate jagat), Indra thought that Kṛṣṇa was also a plaything of Satyabhāmā. Criticizing Kṛṣṇa in this way, he pursued him for fighting.
Seeing that her son Narakāsura, who swallowed the sky with his form, had been slain by the cakra, and requested by his mother (the earth), Kṛṣṇa, gave the kingdom to Narakāsuras son Bhagadatta and then entered into that palace.
Seeing that her son Narakāsura (sutam), who swallowed the sky with his form, had been slain by the cakra (sunābhena), and requested by his mother the earth, Kṛṣṇa, after giving the kingdom to his son Bhagadatta, entered into that palace. Though Narakāsuras mother lineage was pure, by association with Bānāsura he developed a demonic mind. One can understand about the power of bad association from the story in another Purāṇa.1
Within the palace, the princesses stolen by Narakāsura, on seeing the Lord who is the friend of the distressed, immediately stood up and accepted him as their husband with glances impelled by joy, bashfulness and attraction.
Within the palace (tatra) there were many princesses stolen by Narakāsura (kujena). By glances impelled (prahita) by joy, bashfulness, and attraction, they each accepted him as their husband.
According to proper method, in each of the palaces, with suitable form, he accepted each bride in marriage at the same time by his power of yoga-māyā.
He accepted them according to the regulations of marriage (sa-vidham). He performed this act by his yoga-māyā (sva-māyayā) or without bewilderment (su + amāyayā).
With a desire to show his nature in many forms, in each of the queens he produced ten sons exactly equal to himself.
Prakṛter vibubhūṣayā means with a desire to show his nature, since it is mentioned that he produced sons who were the same as himself. Amara-koṣa says that prakṛti means nature or form.
He alone killed Kālayanava, Jarāsandha and Śalva who had surrounded his city with armies, (through Mucukunda, Bhīma and others). He gave special powers and consequent fame to his devotees.
Kālah means Kālayavana. He alone killed those who surrounded (rundhataḥ) his city with troops (anīkaiḥ), using Mucukunda, Bhīma and others as his instruments. He gave power and fame (tejaḥ) to his devotees.
He killed or had others kill Śambara,2Dvivida, Bāna, Mura, Balvala,3 Dantavakra and others.
After that, he had others kill other kings. Ghātayat should be aghātayat (he had killed). This is poetic license. Another version has ghātayan. In that case the verb babhuva should be supplied.
He killed the kings siding with the sons of your brothers. When they assembled at Kurukṣetra, their armies made the whole earth tremble.
Who were the others mentioned in the last verse? He killed or had killed other kings taking the sides of the sons of your brothers (Yudhiṣṭhira and Duryodhana) whose armies (balaiḥ), when the kings assembled (āpatatām) at Kurukṣetra, made the whole earth tremble.
Kṛṣṇa was not pleased, seeing Duryodhana lying on the ground with his followers, his legs broken, devoid of splendor as a result of taking advice from Karṇa, Duḥśāsana, Saubala and others.
Sa refers to Kṛṣṇa. Seeing this, he was not pleased.
The burden of the earth caused by the eighteen akṣauhinis formed by Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Arjuna and Bhīma has only been slightly reduced. The intolerable strength of the Yadus remains because of my portions such as Pradyumna.
This verse explains why the Kṛṣṇa did not rejoice. The great burden of the earth consisting of eighteen akṣauhinis caused by (mūlaiḥ) Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Arjuna and Bhīma has been reduced only to a small degree (kiyān). The sandhi of kṣapitaḥ and uru is poetic license. In composition, lack of consideration of the secondary elements should be tolerated. The burden of the earth was reduced only a little because the intolerable strength of the Lords portions such as Pradyumna remains.
The burden of the earth is not produced by the abundance of oceans and mountains, but rather by the prominence of irreligious persons. The Lord decreased such irreligious persons. One cannot also say that the Yadus were irreligious, since they are eternal associates of the Lord. This is understood from the following verses:
brahmaṇyānāṁ vadānyānāṁ nityaṁ vṛddhopasevinām
vipra-śāpaḥ katham abhūd vṛṣṇīnāṁ Kṛṣṇa-cetasām.
How could the brāhmaṇas curse the Vṛṣṇis, who were always respectful to the brāhmaṇas, charitable, and inclined to serve seniors and whose minds were always absorbed in Kṛṣṇa? SB 11.1.8
śayyāsanāṭanālāpa-krīòā-snānāśanādiṣu
na viduḥ santam ātmānaṁ vṛṣṇayaḥ kṛṣṇa-cetasaḥ
Absorbed in Kṛṣṇa while sleeping, sitting, walking, speaking, playing, bathing and eating, they did not know that they existed. SB 10.90.47
The burden is of two types: suffering and happiness. The first is difficult to tolerate, and the second is easy to tolerate. Examples of the second type of burden are the lover carrying his female lover, the affectionate mother carrying her child, or the merchant carrying his wealth on his head. But weak persons cannot even carry these happy burdens which are heavier than themselves. Even the earth could not tolerate the weight of the great devotee Dhruva, who became immensely heavy because of his austerities:
yadaika-pādena sa pārthivārbhakas
tasthau tad-aḍguṣṭha-nipīòitā mahī
nanāma tatrārdham ibhendra-dhiṣṭhitā
tarīva savyetarataḥ pade pade
As Dhruva Mahārāja, the Kings son, kept himself steadily standing on one leg, the pressure of his big toe pushed down half the earth, just as an elephant being carried on a boat rocks the boat left and right with his every step. SB 4.8.79
When the Lord shows his power, no one can bear the weight of the great bliss that manifests. Thus Bhīṣma says:
sva-nigamam apahāya mat-pratijñām
ṛtam adhikartum avapluto rathasthaḥ
dhṛta-ratha-caraṇo bhyayāc caladgur
harir iva hantum ibhaṁ gatottarīyaḥ
Fulfilling my desire and sacrificing his own promise, he got down from the chariot,
took up its wheel, and ran towards me hurriedly, just as a lion goes to kill an elephant. He even dropped his outer garment on the way. SB 1.9.37
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When Nṛsiṁha appeared it is sai
dyaus tat-saṭotkṣipta-vimāna-saḍkulā
protsarpata kṣmā ca padābhipīòitā
śailāḥ samutpetur amuṣya raṁhasā
tat-tejasā khaṁ kakubho na rejire
The sky, filled with airplanes dislocated by his flying mane, and the earth as well, afflict by his feet, slipped from their positions. Mountains sprang up by his force, and the sky and the directions lost their luster because of his effulgence. SB 7.8.33
Thus the burden of the Yadus should not be considered a burden on the earth (in the sense of causing suffering). It is similar to the following situation. Though ornaments are heavy burden for a young woman, the weight of ornaments are put temporarily on her limbs during festivals by her affectionate lover. This is always done according to the circumstance. Thus the devatās who had entered by their aṁśas into the forms of the Yadus who were eternal associates of the Lord, left from Dvārakā and disappeared at Prabhāsa (while the eternal associates remained invisible in Dvārakā).
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When they will quarrel among themselves, with eyes red because of complete intoxication from liquor, they actually will not die, though they will appear to die like others. Only when I decide that they disappear, they will disappear spontaneously.
The Yadus cannot be destroyed like others. They must be destroyed only amongst themselves. When there will be a quarrel amongst the Yadus, whose eyes will become red because of complete (ā) intoxication (mada) with liquor (madhu), it is not a method of killing them. Because others die like this (ataḥ), it appears (iyān) that they also are killed. But it is not so. People see that they kill each other, though they cannot be killed. The real situation is made clear. When I want to make them disappear (mayi udyate), they will disappear. Sma indicates certainty.
The Lord, thinking in this way, enthroned Yudhiṣṭhira in his kingdom. Showing the devotional path, he made his friends happy.
Sthāpya stands for sthāyapityvā.
The heir to the Puru dynasty, Parīkṣit, placed in the womb of Uttarā by gentle Abhimanyu, when almost destroyed by the weapon of Aśvatthāmā, was saved by the Lord.
Dhṛtaḥ means placed. The second dhrṭaḥ means saved.
Kṛṣṇa had Yudhiṣṭhira perform three horse sacrifices. Yudhiṣṭhira, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, protecting the earth along with his brothers, ruled over the kingdom.
Reme means he ruled.
Bhagavān, acting like the soul of the universe, following the path of Vedic and popular rules, fixed in discrimination, and unattached to all material objects, enjoyed in Dvārakā.
This verse describes the fifth and sixth qualities of Bhagavān: jñāna and vairāgya. Though he is Bhagavān he acted like the soul of the universe. Without being attached, he enjoyed objects which gave happiness presented by Indra and others which were not forbidden by Vedic or popular rules. Asaktaḥ indicated vairāgya and sāḍkhyam indicates jñānam.
imaṁ lokam amuṁ caiva ramayan sutarāṁ yadūn reme kṣaṇadayā datta- kṣaṇa-strī-kṣaṇa-sauhṛdaḥ
By affectionate, smiling glances, sweet words, impeccable actions and beautiful form, Kṛṣṇa gave pleasure to the devotees on earth and the devatās, and particularly to the Yādavas. And showing greatest affection for the queens by his conjugal acts at suitable times in the evening, he derived the greatest pleasure.
This verse explains that though the Lord is not attracted to the actions of māyā-śakti, he is attached to the actions of the cit-śakti. By sweetness of four elementsglances, words, actions and form the Lord gave pleasure to the devotees on earth (imaṁ lokam) and on Svarga (amum) and especially with the Yadus. But among the Yadus, he enjoyed especially with the women. This shows greater and greater attachment. Showing affection through a festival (kṣana-sauhṛdaḥ) of conjugal actions for these women at suitable opportunities (datta-kṣaṇa) during the night (kṣaṇadayā), he enjoyed. This is because these queens were actually composed of his cit-śakti, arising from his svarūpa. This can be understood from the conversation between Śiva and Pārvatī in the Skanda Purāṇa, Prabhāsa-khaṇòa, in which the sixteen thousand queens are described with ten sons each:
haṁsa eva mataḥ kṛṣṇaḥ paramātmā janārddanaḥ
tasyaitāḥ śaktayo devī ṣoòaśaiva prakīrttitāḥ
candrarūpī mataḥ kṛṣṇaḥ kalārūpās tu tāḥ smṛtāḥ
Kṛṣṇa is known as Haṁsa, paramātmā and Janardana. O Pārvatī! His sixteen śaktis are well known. He is like the moon and the śaktis are like the phases of the moon.
This will be described in detail in the Tenth Canto.
Enjoying in this way with his queens, he showed complete detachment from the activities of the householder, though following the rules of karma-yoga continuously for many years.
Kṛṣṇa showed complete (samajāyata) indifference (virāgaḥ) to the path of karma typified by rajo-guṇa in performing household activities, and to the enjoyable items offered by such household persons. This continued at all times, but at this time it became very evident. guṇesv asaḍgo vairāgyam: detachment means no association with the guṇas. (SB 11.19.27) Because of this definition, there is no question of such detachment in his pastimes with Rukmiṇī and others which are śuddha-sattva, beyond the material guṇas.
What man (what to speak of the Lord), knowing himself to be a jīva subject to the control of karma, surrendering to the Lord in bhakti-yoga, will have faith in material objects and desires which produce karma?
This verse explains the Lords detachment in his activities. If the Lord has detachment from his actions which are not subject to karma, what person will have affection (viśrambheta) for his own actions which produce karma (daivādhīnaḥ)? If he practices bhakti-yoga he surrenders to the Lord of yoga.
One time, a group of sages, angered by the joking young boys of the Yadu and Bhoja dynasties, and knowing the intention of the Lord, uttered a curse.
The sages knew the intention of the Lord (bhagavān-mata-kovidāḥ). Thus they had no fault in cursing. The cause of the Lords intention will be described at the end of the Eleventh Canto.
After several months the Vṛṣnis, Bhojas and Andakas, in forms created by the Lords illusory energy, joyfully went to Prabhāsa on their chariots.
The Vṛṣṇis eternally remain in Dvārakā. They do not leave. They remained there, invisible to the eyes of common people. Their going was an appearance created by the Lord (deva-mohitāḥ). This phrase can also mean that the devatā portions of the Vṛṣṇis became bewildered and went to Prabhāsa.
Bathing there, worshipping the Pitrṣ, devatās and sages with its sacred water, they gave the best quality cows to the brāhmaṇas.
Gāvaḥ should be gāḥ. Bahu-guṇāḥ means the cows gave plentiful milk.
They also gave the brāhmaṇas gold, silver, beds, cloth, skins, blankets, carts, chariots, elephants, brides and land for gaining subsistence.
Vṛttikarīm means land by which they could support themselves.
The warriors, whose lives were dedicated to cows and brāhmaṇas, after offering the brāhmaṇas tasty food offered to the Lord, offered respects on the earth with their heads.
The Vṛṣṇis whose lives (asavaḥ) were dedicated to cows and brāhmaṇas, offered them food which was offered to the Lord. This shows that they were strict followers of dharma. Thus their disappearance was completely dependent on the Lord alone.
He also intended to show that it is not proper for the brāhmaṇa to show anger. By this act as well, the devatā portions now separated from the Yadus who were eternal associates of the Lord and returned to their places in Svarga. This act also indicates the Lords sixth aiśvarya, detachment. By hiding the glories of his devotees, bhakti, his abode, his pastimes and associates, the Lord deceived the materialistic people and produced longing in his devotees.
Thus ends the commentary on Third Chapter of the Third Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
The Third Chapter describes the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa in Mathurā and Dvārakā, such as the killing of Kaṁsa. The destruction of the Yadu dynasty is also described in brief.
In order to give happiness to his parents (śaṁ cikīrsayā) he came to Mathurā with Baladeva. Dragging Kaṁsa from the platform (tuḍgāt), having beaten him (hatam) and then killed him (vyasum), he dragged that body on the ground in order to prevent his frightened parents from fainting since they thought that he could get killed.