52 verses
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: In the womb of the girl brought by his father, Vidarbha begot three sons, named Kuśa, Kratha and Romapāda. Romapāda was the favorite in the dynasty of Vidarbha.
The son of Romapāda was Babhru, from whom there came a son named Kṛti. The son of Kṛti was Uśika, and the son of Uśika was Cedi. From Cedi was born the king known as Caidya and others.
Caidyādyaḥ means Damaghosa (father of Śiśupāla) and others.
jīmūto vikṛtis tasya yasya bhīmarathaḥ sutaḥ tato navarathaḥ putro jāto daśarathas tataḥ
The son of Kratha was Kunti; the son of Kunti, Vṛṣṇi; the son of Vṛṣṇi, Nirvṛti; and the son of Nirvṛti, Daśārha. From Daśārha came Vyoma; from Vyoma came Jīmūta; from Jīmūta, Vikṛti; from Vikṛti, Bhīmaratha; from Bhīmaratha, Navaratha; and from Navaratha, Daśaratha.
Kratha was the son of Vidarbha.
From Daśaratha came a son named Śakuni and from Śakuni a son named Karambhi. The son of Karambhi was Devarāta, and his son was Devakṣatra. The sons of Devakṣatra were Madhu and Kuruvaśa. From Kuruvaśa there came a son named Anu.
Devakṣatras sons were Madhu and Kuruvaśa. Kuruvaśa had a son named Anu.
sātvatasya sutāḥ sapta mahābhojaś ca māriṣa bhajamānasya nimlociḥ kiḍkaṇo dhṛṣṭir eva ca
ekasyām ātmajāḥ patnyām
anyasyāṁ ca trayaḥ sutāḥ
śatājic ca sahasrājid
ayutājid iti prabho
The son of Anu was Puruhotra, the son of Puruhotra was Ayu, and the son of Ayu was Sātvata. O great King! Sātvata had seven sons, named Bhajamāna, Bhaji, Divya, Vṛṣṇi, Devāvṛdha, Andhaka and Mahābhoja. From Bhajamāna by one wife came three sonsNimloci, Kiḍkaṇa and Dhṛṣṭi. And from his other wife came three other sonsŚatājit, Sahasrājit and Ayutājit.
The son of Devāvṛdha was Babhru. Concerning Devāvṛdha and Babhru our predecessors sang two verses. Though we hear these verses from a distant past, we see them as if they were present.
Sātvatas son was Devāvṛdha. Devavṛdhas son was Babhru. There is a song about the father and son.
ye 'mṛtatvam anuprāptā babhror devāvṛdhād api mahābhojo 'tidharmātmā bhojā āsaṁs tad-anvaye
"Among human beings Babhru is the best and that Devāvṛdha is equal to the devatās. Because of the association of Babhru and Devāvṛdha, all of their descendants, numbering 14,065, achieved liberation." In the dynasty of King Mahābhoja, who was exceedingly religious, there appeared the Bhoja kings.
Babhror devāvṛdhāt means by the strength of the association of Babhru and Devāvròha.
O King, suppressor of enemies! The sons of Vṛṣṇi were Sumitra and Yudhājit. From Yudhājit came Śini and Anamitra, and from Anamitra came a son named Nighna.
Vṛṣṇi was another son of Sātvata.
The two sons of Nighna were Satrājita and Prasena. Another son of Anamitra was another Śini, and his son was Satyaka.
The son of Satyaka was Yuyudhāna, whose son was Jaya. From Jaya came a son named Kuṇi and from Kuṇi a son named Yugandhara. Another son of Anamitra was Vṛṣṇi.
Sātyakiḥ means the son of Satyaka. Anamitras son was Vṛṣṇi, different from the previously mentioned Vṛṣṇi.
From Vṛṣṇi came the sons named Śvaphalka and Citraratha. From Śvaphalka by his wife Gāndinī came Akrūra. Akrūra was the eldest, but there were twelve other sons, all of whom were well known.
Akrūra was the chief over the twelve other sons such as Āsaḍga. This is an atad-guṇa-samvijñāna-bahu-vrīhi compound (since he is the chief but excluded from the twelve sons).
śatrughno gandhamādaś ca pratibāhuś ca dvādaśa teṣāṁ svasā sucārākhyā dvāv akrūra-sutāv api
devavān upadevaś ca
tathā citrarathātmajāḥ
pṛthur vidūrathādyāś ca
bahavo vṛṣṇi-nandanāḥ
The names of these twelve were Āsaḍga, Sārameya, Mṛdura, Mṛduvit, Giri, Dharmavṛddha, Sukarmā, Kṣetropekṣa, Arimardana, Śatrughna, Gandhamāda and Pratibāhu. These brothers also had a sister named Sucārā. From Akrūra came two sons, named Devavān and Upadeva. Citraratha had many sons, headed by Pṛthu and Vidūratha, all of whom were known as belonging to the dynasty of Vṛṣṇi.
Citraratha was the brother of Śvaphalka.
Kukura, Bhajamāna, Śuci and Kambalabarhiṣa were four other sons of Vṛṣṇa son of Anamitra. The son of Kukura was Vahni, and his son was Vilomā.
Kukura and others were sons of the Vṛṣna mentioned in verse 14. However in Viṣṇu Purāna these four are said to be sons of Andhaka.
The son of Vilomā was Kapotaromā, and his son was Anu, whose friend was Tumburu. From Andhaka came Dundubhi; and from Dundubhi, Avidyota. From Avidyota came a son named Punarvasu.
Andhaka was the son of Sātvata.
devavān upadevaś ca sudevo devavardhanaḥ teṣāṁ svasāraḥ saptāsan dhṛtadevādayo nṛpa
śāntidevopadevā ca
śrīdevā devarakṣitā
sahadevā devakī ca
vasudeva uvāha tāḥ
Punarvasu had a son and a daughter, named Āhuka and Āhukī respectively, and Āhuka had two sons, named Devaka and Ugrasena. Devaka had four sons, named Devavān, Upadeva, Sudeva and Devavardhana, and he also had seven daughters, named Dhṛtadevā, Śāntidevā, Upadevā, Śrīdevā, Devarakṣitā, Sahadevā, Devakī. Vasudeva, the father of Kṛṣṇa, married all these sisters.
Kaṁsa, Sunāmā, Nyagrodha, Kaḍka, Śaḍku, Suhū, Rāṣṭrapāla, Dhṛṣṭi and Tuṣṭimān were the sons of Ugrasena.
Augrasenayaḥ means sons of Ugrasena.
Kaṁsā, Kaṁsavatī, Kaḍkā, Śūrabhū and Rāṣṭrapālikā were the daughters of Ugrasena. They became the wives of Vasudeva's younger brothers.
The son of Citraratha (brother of Śvaphalka) was Vidūratha, the son of Vidūratha was Śūra, and his son was Bhajamāna. The son of Bhajamāna was Śini, the son of Śini was Bhoja, and the son of Bhoja was Hṛdika.
Vidūratha was the son of Citraratha.
The three sons of Hṛdika were Devamīòha, Śatadhanu and Kṛtavarmā. The son of Devamīòha was Śūra, whose wife was named Māriṣā.
Hṛidkias sons were Devamīòah, Śatadhanu, and Kṛtavarmā. Śura was Devamīòhas son. Mārīṣā was Śuras wife.
sṛñjayaṁ śyāmakaṁ kaḍkaṁ śamīkaṁ vatsakaṁ vṛkam deva-dundubhayo nedur ānakā yasya janmani
vasudevaṁ hareḥ sthānaṁ
vadanty ānakadundubhim
pṛthā ca śrutadevā ca
śrutakīrtiḥ śrutaśravāḥ
rājādhidevī caiteṣāṁ
bhaginyaḥ pañca kanyakāḥ
kunteḥ sakhyuḥ pitā śūro
hy aputrasya pṛthām adāt
Through Māriṣā, King Śūra begot Vasudeva, Devabhāga, Devaśravā, Ānaka, Sṛñjaya, Śyāmaka, Kaḍka, Śamīka, Vatsaka and Vṛka. These ten sons were sinless. When Vasudeva was born, the devatās sounded kettledrums. Therefore Vasudeva, who provided the proper place for the appearance Kṛṣṇa, was also known as Ānakadundubhi (sound of drums). The five daughters of King Śūra, named Pṛthā, Śrutadevā, Śrutakīrti, Śrutaśravā and Rājādhidevī, were Vasudeva's sisters. Śūra gave Pṛthā to his friend Kunti, who had no issue, and therefore another name of Pṛthā was Kuntī.
Vasudeva was the place in which the Lord appeared. Among his daughters, Śura gave his daughter Pṛthā to Kunti saying, Let her be your daughter.
Kuntī was given power to call the devatās by Durvāsā, who has satisfied with her service. To examine the potency of this mystic power, the pious Kuntī immediately called for the sun-god.
Pṛthā received power to call the devatās from Durvāsā who came to her house and was satisfied with her service.
Seeing the sun-god appear, in astonishment she said, "I was simply examining the effectiveness of this power. Please go away and excuse me."
Devam means the sun-god. I have used this power to test it. Please forgive me. I am must a girl. You have no use for me. Please go.
The sun-god said: O beautiful Pṛthā! Your meeting with the devatās cannot be fruitless. Therefore, I shall give you a son in such a way that you will not lose your virginity.
The sun-god spoke. Who will marry me, if I have lost my virginity? I shall arrange that you will not lose your virginity.
After saying this, the sun-god made her pregnant and returned to the celestial kingdom. Immediately from Kuntī a child was born, who was like a second sun-god.
Fearing people's criticisms, with great difficulty she gave up her child by placing it in a basket in the river. Your great-grandfather the pious and chivalrous King Pāṇòu later married Kuntī.
Vṛddhaśarmā, the King of Karūṣa, married Kuntī's sister Śrutadevā, and from her womb Dantavakra was born. Having been cursed by the sages headed by Sanaka, Dantavakra had formerly been born as the son of Diti named Hiraṇyākṣa.
King Dhṛṣṭaketu, the King of Kekaya, married Śrutakīrti, another sister of Kuntī's. Śrutakīrti had five sons, headed by Santardana.
Through the womb of Rājādhidevī, another sister of Kuntī's, Jayasena begot two sons, named Vinda and Anuvinda. Similarly, the king of the Cedi state married Śrutaśravā. This king's name was Damaghoṣa.
Āvantyau means Vinda and Anuvinda.
The son of Śrutaśravā was Śiśupāla, whose birth has already been described (in the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam). Vasudeva's brother named Devabhāga had two sons born of his wife, Kaṁsā. These two sons were Citraketu and Bṛhadbala.
Vasudeva's brother named Devaśravā married Kaṁsavatī, by whom he begot two sons, named Suvīra and Iṣumān. Kaḍka, Vasudevas brother, by his wife Kaḍkā, begot three sons, named Baka, Satyajit and Purujit.
Having described the husbands of Vasudevas sisters and their sons, now Śukadeva describes the wives of his nine brothers and their children in nine and a half verses.
King Sṛñjaya, Vasudevas brother, by his wife, Rāṣṭrapālikā, begot sons headed by Vṛṣa and Durmarṣaṇa. King Śyāmaka, another brother of Vasudeva,by his wife, Śūrabhūmi, begot two sons, named Harikeśa and Hiraṇyākṣa.
King Vatsaka, brother of Vasudeva, by the womb of his wife, Miśrakeśī, who was an Apsarā, begot sons headed by Vṛka. Vṛka, brother of Vasudeva, by his wife, Durvākṣī, begot Takṣa, Puṣkara, Śāla and so on.
From Śamīka, brother of Vasudeva, by the womb of his wife, Sudāmanī, came Sumitra, Arjunapāla and other sons. King Ānaka, brother of Vasudeva, by his wife, Karṇikā, begot two sons, namely Ṛtadhāmā and Jaya.
Devakī, Pauravī, Rohiṇī, Bhadrā, Madirā, Rocanā, Ilā were all wives of Vasudeva. Among them all, Devakī was the chief.
Vasudeva, by the womb of his wife Rohiṇī, begot sons such as Bala, Gada, Sāraṇa, Durmada, Vipula, Dhruva, Kṛta and others.
andopananda-kṛtaka- śūrādyā madirātmajāḥ kauśalyā keśinaṁ tv ekam asūta kula-nandanam
From the womb of Pauravī came twelve sons, including Bhūta, Subhadra, Bhadrabāhu, Durmada and Bhadra. Nanda, Upananda, Kṛtaka, Śūra and others were born from the womb of Madirā. Bhadrā gave birth to only one son, named Keśī.
Kauśalyā means his wife Bhadrā.
Vasudeva, by Rocanā, begot Hasta, Hemāḍgada and other sons. And by his wife named Ilā he begot sons headed by Uruvalka, all of whom were chief personalities in the dynasty of Yadu.
From the womb of Dhṛtadevā, sister of Devakī, Vasudeva begot a son named Vipṛṣṭha. The sons of Śāntidevā, another wife of Vasudeva, were Praśama, Prasita and others.
Vasudeva by his Upadevā, sister of Devakī, produced ten sons, headed by Rājanya, Kalpa and Varṣa. From Śrīdevā, another wife, came six sons, such as Vasu, Haṁsa and Suvaṁśa.
Vasudeva, by Devarakṣitā, another sister of Devakī, bore nine sons, headed by Gadā. Vasudeva, by Sahadevā, sister of Devakī, begot eight sons.
kīrtimantaṁ suṣeṇaṁ ca bhadrasenam udāra-dhīḥ ṛjuṁ sammardanaṁ bhadraṁ saḍkarṣaṇam ahīśvaram
aṣṭamas tu tayor āsīt
svayam eva hariḥ kila
subhadrā ca mahābhāgā
tava rājan pitāmahī
The eight sons of Sahadevā were headed by Pravara and Śruta. Vasudeva, dharma personified, also begot eight sons equal to the Vasus through the womb of Devakī. These included the wise Kīrtimān, Suṣeṇa, Bhadrasena, Ṛju, Sammardana, Bhadra and Saḍkarṣaṇa, the controller and serpent incarnation. But their eighth son was Svayam Bhagavān. The highly fortunate Subhadrā, your grandmother, was also their daughter.
Svayam means Kṛṣṇa is not an aṁśa.
Whenever the principles of religion deteriorate and the principles of irreligion increase, the Supreme Lord, the controller, manifests his form.
This verse explains the general reason for the Lords appearance.
O King! But for the mercy of the excellent Lord, who is the witness, there is no cause for the Lords appearance or activities.
The cause of the jīva being born and performing actions is his previous karmas. This is caused by māyā. What is the cause of the Lords birth and actions? Except for mercy (māyām) for the jīvas (ātma) of the Lord (ātmanaḥ), there is no reason. According to Viśva-prakāśa, māyā can mean mercy as well as deceit. The result of his mercy is his birth and activities. By showing his birth and activities, all the jīvas can be delivered. The Lords is capable of doing this because he is the most excellent (parasya). The cause of his mercy is that he is the witness (draṣṭuḥ) of the jīvas, seeing the jīvas who have fallen into the ocean of suffering through repeated birth.
Even the actions of the Lord in the form of the puruṣa in relation to māyā for creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe, are his mercy alone. That mercy acts to produce detachment from the world and attainment of the Lord in the spiritual world.
Mercy being the cause of his appearance is shown by kaimutya. The action in the form of glance of the Lord (puṁsaḥ) upon prakṛti (māyā-ceṣṭitam) for creation, maintenance and destruction of the jīvas bodies, is certainly (hi) because of his mercy. What then to speak of his activities such as lifting Govardhana, which are completely devoid of māyā? The Lords mercy consists of glancing over māyā, thinking, Let the jīvas get their material enjoyment after attaining material intelligence and senses! But how can this be mercy? The jīvas, by enjoying material objects and undergoing creation maintenance and destruction of the universe, simply experience suffering. He acts so that the jīvas become detached from the world and its enjoyments, by bhakti, jñāna and vairāgya, and so that the jīva can attain the Lord (ātmā-labhāya). Without intelligence and sense, the jīva cannot attain bhakti or jñāna. The cause of the creation of the world is mercy to the jīvas.
buddhīndriya-manaḥ-prāṇān janānām asṛjat prabhuḥ
mātrārthaṁ ca bhavārthaṁ ca ātmane 'kalpanāya ca
The Supreme Lord manifested the material intelligence, senses, mind and vital air of the living entities so that they could indulge their desires for sense gratification, take repeated births to engage in fruitive activities, become elevated in future lives and ultimately attain the Lord. SB 10.87.2
The Lord acted to relieve the burden of the earth which was being overtaken by demonic leaders of great armies, who posed as kings.
Seven verses make clear the reason for the Kṛṣṇas birth and actions. His mercy for the sādhaka and siddha devotees situated on earth is shown. The Lord was merciful, because he destroyed saṁsāra for the demons by killing them.
The Supreme Lord, with the cooperation of Balarāma, performed activities beyond the comprehension of even such personalities as Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva.
He also spread his most pure glories which destroy suffering, lamentation and ignorance to give mercy to the devotees who would be born in the future Kali-yuga.
Having described the Lords mercy to the persons present at that time, Śukadeva describes the Lords mercy for persons in the future.
A person who, with ears like cupped hands, drinks just once topics of the Lord, which are nectar for the ears of the devotees and the most famous holy place, destroys all impressions of karma.
You have said that the fame of the Lord is supuṇya. That means by hearing about the Lord one goes to Svarga. No, that is not so. The ears are like cupped hands for drinking the water of the best holy place, fame personified, which is nectar for the ears of the devotees. Performing even ācamana with this nectar, what to speak of drinking it, taking it just once, what to speak of many times, one destroys ignorance, the impressions of karma. Even though the Lord is not present, must by hearing his glories one crosses saṁsāra.
snigdha-smitekṣitodārair vākyair vikrama-līlayā nṛlokaṁ ramayām āsa mūrtyā sarvāḍga-ramyayā
Kṛṣṇa, whose actions are praised by the descendants of Bhoja, Vṛṣṇi, Andhaka, Madhu, Śūrasena, Daśārha, Kuru, Sṛñjaya and Pāṇòu, pleased his devotees by his pleasing, affectionate glances, his satisfying instructions and his heroic actions, using his body which was pleasing in all aspects.
All the associates possessing unlimited greatness who were present at that time to witness his actions directly are worthy of praise. Being the objects of his prema, attracted to drinking the sweetness of his form with their eyes, giving success to all their senses such as the ears, they were most fortunate. His glances were pleasing and affectionate. His words fulfilled all desires (udaraiḥ). He gave bliss to his dear human devotees (nṛlokam) by his pastimes of moving his sweet feet, or showing his pride and valor in vīra-rasa.
The joyful gopīs and priya-narma-sakhas drank with their eyes Kṛṣṇas face, a continual festival of delight, with its playful smile, attractive with beautiful cheeks and ears shining from his makaras earrings. But they could not be fully satisfied, and became angry with the creator who made their eyes blink.
However, among the devotees, the inhabitants of Vraja, and among the inhabitants of Vraja, the gopīs and the priya-narma-sakhas, such as Subala, were the best among all for drinking Kṛṣṇas sweetness. They were the most fortunate of all. Of all his limbs, his face is the sweetest. His face is divided in two parts, upper and lower, giving great sweetness. However of all the great sweetnesses, the great sweetness of his smile, like an emperor, resides on his lips. This portion is described. His had ears lit by his makaras earrings, and cheeks lit and made attractive to the viewer (subhagam) by those earrings. And on that face was a smile indicating his joy, longing and fickleness. Just as his ears were more beautiful than his earrings, making the earrings more beautiful, so his cheeks were more beautiful than those earrings. When he chewed betel nut, though both the earring and smile were charming, the smile was more splendid than his earrings, because of the smiles purity, because of its softness, and because of its inflation caused by the betel nut inside.
Though they drank that smile with the cupped hands of their eyes, they were not satisfied with it, because of the beauty of the edges of his mouth with red lips and teeth, because of its all-controlling nature of all the types of sweetness, because of its light which extinguished all types of suffering, because it created greed in cakora bird hearts of the devotees to drink that sweetness, because it increased the ocean of desire in the young women, and because its very nature was to create symptoms of madness, which destroyed the self-control of the innocent young women of Vraja.
Unable to tolerate the blinking of their eyes, they became angry with the creator of blinking (nimeḥ). Among the women, only the gopīs, and not others, exhibited rūòha-mahā-bhāva in which they could not tolerate the blinking of their eyes. Among the men, only Kṛṣṇas priya-narma-sakhas, such as Subala, and not others, had such experiences, since it is impossible for only the gopīs and the priya-narma-sakhas to have rūdha-bhāva. This is stated in Ujjvala-nīla-maṇi.
ādyā premāntikāṁ tatrānurāgāntāṁ samañjasā
ratir bhāvāntimāṁ sīmāṁ samarthaiva prapadyate
ratir narma vayasyānām anurāgāntimāṁ sthitim
teṣv eva subalādīnāṁ bhāvāntām eva gacchatīti
Some of the Lord's conjugal lovers experience the varieties of love to the stage of prema, others to anurāga. Others attain the state of mahā-bhava. The narma-vayasya friends attain up to anurāga, and Subala and his associates attain up to the stage of mahā-bhāva. Ujjvala-nīla-maṇi 14.232-233
When he was born, Kṛṣṇa left Vasudevas house and went to Vraja, in order to display to the world the highest prema. After killing demons and liberating them, he married many women and produced hundreds of son by them. As para brahman in human form, he worshipped himself through sacrifice and established path of the Vedas belonging to him alone, for the benefit of the people.
What are Kṛṣṇas birth and activities? In response to this question, all at once, Śukadeva, in two verses, describes everything in summary, with a desire to satisfy his own longing and increase the longing of Parīkṣit. Kṛṣṇa went from Vasudevas house to Vraja, in order to increase (edhitārthaḥ), in order to reveal the greatest degree of the crest jewel of human goals, prema, since Kṛṣṇas primary goal in appearing was to display prema, and prema attained its highest peak in Vraja. He killed the enemies. One of his goals was to give liberation to the demons. In his wives, he produces hundreds of sons. This illustrated his establishment of dharma. He is called puruṣaḥ because he is para-brahman with a human form. He worshiped himself through sacrifice because there is no other person worthy of worship. Why did he worship? He did this to establish his own path of the Vedas.
He destroyed the heavy burden of the earth, by annihilating with his glance the armies of kings in battle, by creating enmity within the family, and loudly proclaimed the victory of Arjuna. After speaking spiritual knowledge to Uddhava, he resided in Dvārakā in aprakaṭa-līlā.
This verse explains his goal of ridding the earth of its burden. By his glance he destroyed the armies of kings. The purpose is explained. He loudly proclaimed the victory of Arjuna (vijaye). He announced to the people that all had been conquered by Arjuna. Another goal was to display bhakti, jñāna and vairāgya. He thus instructed Uddhava. He stayed in Dvārakā (svadhāma), giving up visibility in this world. And in his form of Nārāyaṇa he went to his abode of Vaikuṇṭha.
The commentary Śārātha-darśinī on the Twenty-fourth Chapter of the Ninth Canto has been completed to give pleasure to the hearts of the devotees in accordance with the views of the ācāryas.
I am drowning in an ocean of offenses and am bound up with inner pain. May the devotees pull me out with the stick of their merciful glance. I have completed the Ninth Canto on the fifth lunar day of the waxing moon of Vaiśākha month on the bank of Rādhā-kuṇòa.
The Twenty-fourth Chapter describes Vasudeva and Devakī, the mother and father of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in the Yadu dynasty.