VISHNU PURAN BOOK. V. CHAP. XXVII. XXVIII.XXIX.XXX

 

VISHNU PURAN BOOK. V. CHAP. XXVII. XXVIII.XXIX.XXX

 

Pradyumna stolen by Sambara; thrown into the sea, and swallowed by a fish; found by Mayadevi: he kills Sambara, marries Mayadevi, and returns with her to Dwaraka. Joy of Rukmini and Krishna.

 

MAITREYA.--How, Muni, happened it that the hero Pradyumna was carried away by Sambara? and in what manner was the mighty Sambara killed by Pradyumna?

 

PARAS'ARA.--When Pradyumna was but six days old, he was stolen from the lying-in chamber by Sambara, terrible as death; for the demon foreknew that Pradyumna, if he lived, would be his destroyer. Taking away the boy, Sambara cast him into the ocean, swarming with monsters, into a whirlpool of roaring waves, the haunt of the huge creatures of the deep. A large fish swallowed the child, but he died not, and was born anew from its belly [*1]: for that fish, with others, was caught by the fishermen, and delivered by them to the great Asura Sambara. His wife Mayadevi, the mistress of his household, superintended the operations of the cooks, and saw, when the fish was cut open, a beautiful child, looking like a new shoot of the blighted tree of love. Whilst wondering who this should be, and how he could have got into the belly of the fish, Narada came to satisfy her curiosity, and said to the graceful dame, "This is the son of him by whom the whole world is created and destroyed, the son of Vishnu, who was stolen by Sambara from the lying-in chamber, and tossed by him into the sea, where he was swallowed by the fish. He is now in thy power; do thou, beautiful woman, tenderly rear this jewel of mankind." Thus counselled by Narada, Mayadevi took charge of the boy, and carefully reared him from childhood, being fascinated by the beauty of his person. Her affection became still more impassioned when he was decorated with the bloom of adolescence. The gracefully-moving Mayavati then, fixing her heart and eyes upon the high-minded Pradyumna, gave him, whom she regarded as herself, all her magic (and illusive) powers.

 

Observing these marks of passionate affection, the son of Krishna said to the lotus-eyed Mayadevi, "Why do you indulge in feelings so unbecoming the character of a mother?" To which she replied, "Thou art not a son of mine; thou art the son of Vishnu, whom Kala Sambara carried away, and threw into the sea: thou vast swallowed by a fish, but wast rescued by me from its belly. Thy fond mother, O beloved, is still weeping for thee." When the valiant Pradyumna heard this, he was filled with wrath, and defied Sambara to battle. In the conflict that ensued, the son of Madhava slew the whole host of Sambara. Seven times he foiled the delusions of the enchanter, and making himself master of the eighth, turned it against Sambara, and killed him. By the same faculty he ascended into the air, and proceeded to his father's house, where he alighted, along with Mayavati, in the inner apartments. When the women beheld Pradyumna, they thought it was Krishna himself. Rukmini, her eyes dimmed with tears, spoke tenderly to him, and said, "Happy is she who has a son like this, in the bloom of youth. Such would be the age of my son Pradyumna, if he was alive. Who is the fortunate mother adorned by thee? and yet from thy appearance, and from the affection I feel for thee, thou art assuredly the son of Hari."

 

At this moment Krishna, accompanied by Narada, arrived; and the latter said to the delighted Rukmini, "This is thine own son, who has come hither after killing Sambara, by whom, when an infant, he was stolen from the lying-in chamber. This is the virtuous Mayavati, his wife, and not the wife of Sambara. Hear the reason. When Manmatha, the deity of love, had perished [*2], the goddess of beauty, desirous to secure his revival, assumed a delusive form, and by her charms fascinated the demon Sambara, and exhibited herself to him in various illusory enjoyments. This thy son is the descended Kama; and this is the goddess Rati, his wife [*3]. There is no occasion for any uncertainty: this is thy daughter-in-law." Then Rukmini was glad, and Kes'ava also; the whole city resounded with exclamations of joy, and all the people of Dwaraka were surprised at Rukmini's recovering a son who had so long been lost.

 

Footnotes

 

^575:1 The Bhagavata tells the story in the same manner, but the Hari Vans'a omits the part of the fish.

 

^576:2 When he was reduced to ashes by a fiery glance from S'iva, in resentment of his inflaming him with passion for Uma. This legend is a favourite with the S'aiva Puranas, and is told in the Linga and Kalika, also in the Padma P. and Kas'i Khanda of the Skanda P. They do not say much about his resuscitation however; S'iva, in pity of Rati's grief, restoring him only to a bodiless existence as Ananga, whose place is to be in the hearts of men. The Linga adds, that when Vishnu, in consequence of the curse of Bhrigu, shall be born as the son of Vasudeva, Kama shall be born as one of his sons.

 

^577:3 The daughter of Daksha, but not enumerated amongst those formerly specified (<page 54>): she was born from his perspiration, according to the Kalika P.

 

    

 

CHAP. XXVIII.

 

Wives of Krishna. Pradyumna has Aniruddha: nuptials of the latter. Balarama beat at dice, becomes incensed, and slays Rukmin and others.

 

RUKMINI bare to Krishna these other sons, Charudeshna, Sudeshna, Charudeha, Sushena, Charugupta, Bhadracharu, Charuvinda, Sucharu, and the very mighty Charu; also one daughter, Charumati. Krishna had seven other beautiful wives, Kalindi, Mitravrinda, the virtuous Nagnajiti, the queen Jambavati; Rohini, of beautiful form; the amiable and excellent daughter of the king of Madra, Madri; Satyabhama, the daughter of S'atrujit; and Lakshmana, of lovely smiles [*1]. Besides these, he had sixteen thousand other wives [*2]. The heroic Pradyumna was chosen for her lord, at her public choice of a husband, by the daughter of Rukmin; and he had by her the powerful and gallant prince Aniruddha, who was fierce in fight, an ocean of prowess, and the tamer of his foes. Kes'ava demanded in marriage for him the granddaughter of Rukmin; and although the latter was inimical to Krishna, he betrothed the maiden (who was his son's daughter) to the son of his own daughter (her cousin Aniruddha). Upon the occasion of the nuptials Rama and other Yadavas attended Krishna to Bhojakata, the city of Rukmin. After the wedding had been solemnized, several of the kings, headed by him of Kalinga, said to Rukmin, "This wielder of the ploughshare is ignorant of the dice, which may be converted into his misfortune: why may we not contend with him, and beat him, in play?" The potent Rukmin replied to them, and said, "So let it be:" and he engaged Balarama at a game of dice in the palace. Balarama soon lost to Rukmin a thousand Nishkas [*3]: he then staked and lost another thousand; and then pledged ten thousand, which Rukmin, who was well skilled in gambling, also won. At this the king of Kalinga laughed aloud, and the weak and exulting Rukmin grinned, and said, "Baladeva is losing, for he knows nothing of the game; although, blinded by a vain passion for play, he thinks he understands the dice." Halayudha, galled by the broad laughter of the Kalinga prince, and the contemptuous speech of Rukmin, was exceedingly angry, and, overcome with passion, increased his stake to ten millions of Nishkas. Rukmin accepted the challenge, and therefore threw the dice. Baladeva won, and cried aloud, "The stake is mine." But Rukmin called out as loudly, that he was the winner. "Tell no lies, Bala," said he: "the stake is yours; that is true; but I did not agree to it: although this be won by you, yet still I am the winner." A deep voice was then heard in the sky, inflaming still more the anger of the high-spirited Baladeva, saying, "Bala has rightly won the whole sum, and Rukmin speaks falsely: although he did not accept the pledge in words, he did so by his acts (having cast the dice)." Balarama thus excited, his eyes red with rage, started up, and struck Rukmin with the board on which the game was played, and killed him [*4]. Taking hold of the trembling king of Kalinga, he knocked out the teeth which he had shewn when he laughed. Laying hold of a golden column, he dragged it from its place, and used it as a weapon to kill those princes who had taken part with his adversaries. Upon which the whole circle, crying out with terror, took to flight, and escaped from the wrath of Baladeva. When Krishna heard that Rukmin had been killed by his brother, he made no remark, being afraid of Rukmini on the one hand, and of Bala on the other; but taking with him the newly wedded Aniruddha, and the Yadava tribe, he returned to Dwaraka.

 

Footnotes

 

^578:1 The number specified, however, both in this place and in c. 32, is nine, instead of eight. The commentator endeavours to explain the difference by identifying Rohini with Jambavati; but in the notices of Krishna's posterity, both in this work and in the Bhagavata, she is distinct from Jambavati. She seems, however, to be an addition to the more usually specified eight, of whose several marriages the Bhagavata gives the best account. In addition to the three first, respecting whom particulars are found in all, Kalindi, or the Yamuna, is the daughter of the sun, whom Krishna meets on one of his visits to Indraprastha, and who claims him as the reward of her penance. His next wife, Mitravinda, is the daughter of his maternal aunt, Rajadhidevi (<page 437>), and sister of Vinda and Anuvinda, kings of Avanti: she chooses him at her Swayambara. The Hari Vans'a calls her Saudatta, daughter of S'ivi; and she is subsequently termed S'aivya by our text. Nagnajiti or Satya, the next wife, was the daughter of Nagnajit, king of Kausala, and was the prize of Krishna's overcoming seven fierce bulls, whom no other hero had encountered with success. Bhadra, princess of Kekaya, also Krishna's cousin, the daughter of S'rutakirtti (<page 437>), was his next: and his eighth wife was Madri, the daughter of the king of Madra; named, according to the Bhagavata, Lakshana; and to the Hari V., Saubhima; distinguishing, as does our text, clearly Lakshmana from Madri, and like it having no satisfactory equivalent for Bhadra. The Hari Vans'a does not name Rohini, but specifies other names, as Vrihati, &c. In the life of Krishna, taken from the Bhagavata through a Persian translation, published by Maurice, there is a curious instance of the barbarous distortion of Sanscrit names by the joint labours of the English and Persian translators: the wives of Krishna are written, Rokemenee (Rukmini), Seteebhavani (Satyabhama), Jamoometee (Jambavati), Kalenderee (Kalindi), Lechmeena (Lakshmana), Soeta (Satya?), Bhedravatee (Bhadra), Mihrbenda (Mitravinda).

 

^578:2 These, according to the Mahabharata, [p. 579] Adi P., were Apsarasas, or nymphs. In the Dana Dharma they become Krishna's wives through a boon given him by Uma.

 

^579:3 The Nishka is a weight of gold, but according to different authorities of very different amount. The commentator here terms it a weight of four Suvarnas, each about 175 grains troy.

 

^580:4 The Bhagavata and Hari Vans'a, which both tell this story, agree in the death of Rukmin; but in the Mahabharata he appears in the war, on the side of the Pandavas. The occurrence is a not very favourable picture of courtly manners; but scenes of violence have never been infrequent at the courts of Rajput princes.

 

    

 

CHAP. XXIX.

 

Indra comes to Dwaraka, and reports to Krishna the tyranny of Naraka. Krishna goes to his city, and puts him to death. Earth gives the earrings of Aditi to Krishna, and praises him. He liberates the princesses made captive by Naraka, sends them to Dwaraka, and goes to Swarga with Satyabhama.

 

S'AKRA, the lord of the three worlds, came mounted on his fierce elephant Airavata to visit S'auri (Krishna) at Dwaraka. Having entered the city, and been welcomed by Hari, he related to the hero the deeds of the demon Naraka. "By thee, Madhusudana, lord of the gods," said Indra, "in a mortal condition, all sufferings have been soothed. Arishta, Dhenuka, Chanura, Mushtika, Kes'in, who sought to injure helpless man, have all been slain by thee. Kansa, Kuvalayapida, the child-destroying Putana, have been killed by thee; and so have other oppressors of the world. By thy valour and wisdom the three worlds have been preserved, and the gods, obtaining their share of the sacrifices offered by the devout, enjoy satisfaction. But now hear the occasion on which I have come to thee, and which thou art able to remedy. The son of the earth [*1], called Naraka, who rules over the city of Pragjyotisha [*2], inflicts a great injury upon all creatures. Carrying off the maidens of gods, saints, demons, and kings, he shuts them up in his own palace. He has taken away the umbrella of Varuna, impermeable to water, the jewel mountain crest of Mandara, and the celestial nectar-dropping earrings of my mother Aditi; and he now demands my elephant Airavata. I have thus explained to you, Govinda, the tyranny of the Asura; you can best determine how it is to be prevented."

 

Having heard this account, the divine Hari gently smiled, and, rising from his throne, took Indra by the hand: then wishing for the eater of the serpents, Garuda immediately appeared; upon whom his master, having first seated Satyabhama upon his back, ascended, and flew to Pragjyotisha. Indra mounted his elephant, and, in the sight of the inhabitants of Dwaraka, went to the abode of the gods.

 

The environs of Pragjyotisha were defended by nooses, constructed by the demon Muru, the edges of which were as sharp as razors; but Hari, throwing his discus Sudars'ana amongst them, cut them to pieces. Then Muni started up, but Kes'ava slew him, and burnt his seven thousand sons, like moths, with the flame of the edge of his discus. Having slain Mum, Hayagriva, and Panchajana, the wise Hari rapidly reached the city of Pragjyotisha: there a fierce conflict took place with the troops of Naraka, in which Govinda destroyed thousands of demons; and when Naraka came into the field, showering upon the deity all sorts of weapons, the wielder of the discus, and annihilator of the demon tribe, cut him in two with his celestial missile. Naraka being slain, Earth, bearing the two earrings of Aditi, approached the lord of the world, and said, "When, O lord, I was upheld by thee in the form of a boar, thy contact then engendered this my son. He whom thou gayest me has now been killed by thee: take therefore these two earrings, and cherish his progeny. Thou, lord, whose aspect is ever gracious, hast come to this sphere, in a portion of thyself, to lighten my burden. Thou art the eternal creator, preserver, and destroyer of the universe; the origin of all worlds, and one with the universe: what praise can be worthily offered to thee? Thou art the pervader, and that which is pervaded; the act, the agent, and the effect; the universal spirit of all beings: what praise can be worthily offered to thee? Thou art the abstract soul, the sentient and the living soul of all beings, the imperishable: but since it is not possible to praise thee worthily, then why should the hopeless attempt proceed? Have compassion, O universal soul, and forgive the sins which Naraka has committed. Verily it is for the sanctification of thy son that he has been killed by thee." The lord, who is the substance of all creatures, having replied to the earth, "Even so," proceeded to redeem the various gems from the dwelling of Naraka. In the apartments of the women he found sixteen thousand and one hundred damsels [*3]: he also beheld in the palace six thousand large elephants, each having four tusks; twenty-one lakhs of horses of Kamboja and other excellent breeds: these Govinda dispatched to Dwaraka, in charge of the servants of Naraka. The umbrella of Varuna, the jewel mountain, which he also recovered, he placed upon Garuda; and mounting him himself, and taking Satyabhama with him, he set off to the heaven of the gods, to restore the earrings of Aditi [*4].

 

Footnotes

 

^581:1 By Vishnu, as the Varaha Avatara; but found and adopted by Janaka. Kalika P.

 

^581:2 In the centre of the country of Kamarupa, inhabited by Kiratas; the site of the shrines of Devi, as Dikkaravasini and Kamakhya. Kalika P.

 

^583:3 These were captive princesses, according to the Bhagavata; Apsarasas, or celestial nymphs, according to the Kalika P.; and these upon their rescue by Krishna became his wives.

 

^583:4 The legend of Naraka is related in more detail in the Bhagavata and Hari Vans'a, but is still more fully narrated in the Kalika Upa-purana. It may be considered as one of the various intimations that occur in the Puranas of hostilities between the worshippers of Vishnu and S'iva; Naraka being in an especial degree favoured by the latter.

 

 

CHAP. XXX.

 

Krishna restores her earrings to Aditi, and is praised by her: he visits the gardens of Indra, and at the desire of  carries off the Parijata tree. S'achi excites Indra to its rescue. Conflict between the gods and Krishna, who defeats them. Satyabhama derides them. They praise Krishna.

 

GARUDA, laden with the umbrella of Varuna and the jewel mountain, and bearing Hrishikes'a on his back to the court of Indra, went lightly, as if in sport, along. When they arrived at the portals of Swarga, Hari blew his shell; on which the gods advanced to meet him, bearing respectful offerings. Having received the homage of the divinities, Krishna went to the palace of the mother of the gods, whose turrets resembled white clouds; and on beholding Aditi, paid his respects to her, along with S'akra; and, presenting to her her own earrings, informed her of the destruction of the demon Naraka. The mother of the world, well pleased, then fixed her whole thoughts upon Hari, the creator, and thus pronounced his praise: "Glory to thee, O god with the lotus eyes, who removest all fear from those that worship thee. Thou art the eternal, universal, and living soul; the origin of all beings; the instigator of the mental faculty, and faculties of sense; one with the three qualities; beyond the three qualities; exempt from contraries; pure; existing in the hearts of all; void of colour, extension, and every transient modification; unaffected by the vicissitudes of birth or death, sleep or waking. Thou art evening, night, and day; earth, sky, air, water, and fire; mind, intellect, and individuality. Thou art the agent of creation, duration, and dissolution; the master over the agent; in thy forms which are called Brahma, Vishnu, and S'iva. Thou art gods, Yakshas, Daityas, Rakshasas, Siddhas, Punnagas, Kushmandas, Pis'achas, Gandharbas, men, animals, deer, elephants, reptiles, trees, shrubs, creepers, climbers, and grasses; all things, large, middling, small, immense, or minute: thou art all bodies whatsoever, composed of aggregated atoms. This thy illusion beguiles all who are ignorant of thy true nature, the fools who imagine soul to be in that which is not spirit. The notions that "I am--this is mine," which influence mankind, are but the delusions of the mother of the world, originating in thy active agency. Those men who, attentive to their duties, diligently worship thee, traverse all this illusion, and obtain spiritual freedom. Brahma and all the gods, men and animals, are alike invested by the thick darkness of fascination, in the gulf of the illusions of Vishnu. That men, who having worshipped thee, should seek the gratification of their desires, and their own preservation, this, O lord, is also thy delusion. It is the sport of thy fascinations that induces men to glorify thee, to obtain thereby the continuance of their race, or the annihilation of their enemies, instead of eternal liberation. It is the fault of the impure acts of the unrighteous (to proffer such idle requests to one able to confer such more important benefits), like asking for a rag to cover one's nakedness from the tree that bestows whatever is solicited. Be propitious then, imperishable author of all the error that deceives the world; and dispel, O lord of all creatures, the conceit of knowledge, which proceeds from ignorance. Glory to thee, grasper of the discus, wielder of the bow, brandisher of the mace, holder of the shell; for such do I behold thee in thy perceptible form: nor do I know that form of thine, which is beyond perception! Have compassion on me, supreme god."

 

Vishnu, thus hymned by Aditi, smiled, and said to the mother of the gods, "Mother goddess, do thou shew favour unto me, and grant me thy blessing." "So be it," replied Aditi, "ever as thou wilt; and whilst thou dwellest amongst mortals, the first of men, thou shalt be invincible by gods or demons." Then Satyabhama, accompanied by the queen of Indra, addressed Aditi respectfully, and solicited her benedictions: and Aditi in reply said to her, "Fair-browed dame, thou shalt never suffer decay, nor loss of beauty: thou shalt be the asylum of all loveliness, dame of faultless shape." With the assent of Aditi, Indra then respectfully saluted Janarddana in all due form, and conducted him and Satyabhama through Nandana and other pleasant gardens of the gods; where Kes'ava, the destroyer of Kes'i, saw the Parijata tree, the favourite of S'achi, which was produced when the ocean was churned for ambrosia: the bark was of gold, and it was embellished with young sprouting leaves of a copper colour, and fruit-stalks bearing numerous clusters of fragrant fruit. When Satyabhama noticed this tree, she said to her beloved lord, Govinda, "Why should not this divine tree be transported to Dwaraka? If what you say is true, and I am really dear to you, then let this tree be taken away from hence, and planted in the gardens of my dwelling. You have often said to me, 'Neither Jambavati nor Rukmini is so dear to me, Satya, as you are.' If you have spoken the truth, and not mere flattery, then let this Parijata tree be the ornament of my mansion. I long to shine amidst my fellow queens, wearing the flowers of this tree in the braids of my hair."

 

Thus solicited by Satyabhama, Hari smiled upon her, and taking the Parijata plant, put it upon Garuda. The keepers of the garden remonstrated, and said, "This Parijata tree belongs to S'achi, the queen of the sovereign of the gods: it is not proper, Govinda, for you to remove it. At the time when the ocean was churned for the beverage of immortality, this tree was produced, for the purpose of providing S'achi with flowery ornaments. You cannot be suffered to depart with it. It is through ignorance that this is sought for by any one, as it is the especial property of her on whose countenance the king of the gods delights to look; and who shall go away with impunity, who attempts to carry it off? Assuredly the king of the gods will punish this audacity; for his hand launches the thunderbolt, and the immortals attend upon his steps. Forbear then, Krishna, nor provoke the hostility of all the gods. The wise will not commence actions that can be productive only of unpleasant consequences." Satyabhama, on hearing these words, was exceedingly offended, and said, "What right has S'achi--what has Indra--to the Parijata tree? it was produced at the churning of the ocean as the common property of all worlds. Wherefore, gods, should Indra alone possess it? In the same manner, guardians of the grove, as nectar, as the moon, as the goddess S'ri herself, so the Parijata tree is the common property of all the world: and since S'achi, confiding in the strength of her husband's arm, would keep it to herself, away with submission to her: Satya takes away the tree. Go quickly, and let Paulomi be told what I have said: repeat to her this contemptuous message from Satyabhama; 'If you are the beloved wife of your lord, if your husband is obedient to your authority, let him prevent my husband from carrying off this tree. I know your husband S'akra; I know the sovereign of the divinities; and I, who am a mortal, take this Parijata tree away from you.'"

 

Accordingly the warders of the garden went and reported to S'achi the message of Satyabhama. S'achi appealed to her husband, and excited the king of the gods to resent this affront: and Indra accordingly, attended by the army of the celestials, marched to attack Hari, in defence of the Parijata tree. The gods were armed with clubs, swords, maces, and darts; and Indra wielded the thunderbolt. As soon as Govinda saw the king of the gods advancing against him on his elephant, attended by the immortals, he blew his shell so that the sound filled all the regions, and he showered smilingly myriads of arrows upon his assailants. Beholding the air in all directions overspread with his darts, the celestials in return hurled innumerable missiles; but every one of these the destroyer of Madhu, and lord of all worlds, cut playfully into a thousand pieces with his shafts. The devourer of serpents, Garuda, laid hold of the noose of the sovereign of the waters, and tore it to fragments with his beak, as if it had been a little snake. The son of Devaki threw his mace at the club of Yama, and cast it broken upon the ground: he cut in bits the litter of the lord of wealth with his discus: a glance of his eye eclipsed the radiance of the sun: he severed Agni into a hundred parts with his arrows, and scattered the Vasus through the realms of space: with his discus he cut off the points of the tridents of the Rudras, and cast themselves upon the earth: and with the shafts shot from his bow he dispersed the Sadhyas, Vis'was, Maruts, and Gandharbas, like fleeces of cotton from the pods of the Simel tree, through the sky. Garuda also diligently plied his beak and wings and nails, and bit and bruised and scratched the deities who opposed his lord.

 

Then the king of the gods and the foe of Madhu encountered and overwhelmed each other with countless shafts, like rain-drops falling from two heavy clouds. Garuda in the conflict engaged with Airavata, and Janarddana was opposed to all the deities. When all the other weapons had been cut to pieces, Indra stood armed with his thunderbolt, and Krishna with the discus Sudars'ana. Beholding them thus prepared for fight, all the people of the three spheres exclaimed, "Alas! alas!" Indra launched his bolt, but in vain, for Hari caught and arrested it: he forbore, however, to hurl his discus, and only called out to Indra to stay. Satyabhama seeing Indra disarmed, and his elephant disabled by Garuda, and the deity himself about to retreat, said to him, "King of the triple sphere, it ill becomes the husband of S'achi to run away. Ornamented with Parijata garlands, she will approach you. Of what use is the sovereignty of heaven, embellished with the Parijata tree, no longer beholding S'achi meet you with affection as of yore? Nay, S'akra, fly not; you must not suffer shame: here, take the Parijata tree; let the gods be no longer annoyed. Sachs, inflated with pride of her husband, has not welcomed me to her dwelling with respectful presents. As a woman, I am light of purpose, and am anxious for my husband's fame; therefore have I instigated, S'akra, this contest with you. But I do not want the Parijata tree, nor do I wish to take that which is another's property. S'achi is proud of her beauty. What woman is not proud of her husband?" Thus spoken to by Satyabhama, the king of the gods turned back, and said to her, "Desist, wrathful dame, from afflicting your friend by further reproaches. I am not ashamed of being vanquished by him who is the author of the creation, preservation, and destruction of the world; who is the substance of all things; in whom, without beginning or middle, the universe is comprised; and from whom, and by whom, identical with all things, it proceeds, and will cease to be. What disgrace is it, O goddess, to any one to be discomfited by him who is the cause of creation, continuance, and dissolution? His form is the parent of all worlds, though infinitely subtle, and known to those only by whom all that may be known is known. Who is able to overcome the unborn, unconstituted, eternal lord, who has willed to become a mortal for the good of the world [*1]?"

 

Footnotes

 

^588:1 The Bhagavata merely says, "Incited by his wife, Krishna took away the Parijata tree, having subdued the gods, and planted it in the garden of Satyabhama." The Hari V. makes a long story of it, and tells it with some variations, especially in the commencement; Satyabhama's desire for the Parijata tree having been excited by Narada's presenting a flower from it to Krishna's other spouse, Rukmini.

 

    

The Vishnu Purana, translated by Horace Hayman Wilson,