The Sages' Curse on Samba and the Iron Pestle

Verse 1 (16.2.1)

कथं विनष्टा भगवन्नन्धका वृष्णिभिः सह । पश्यतो वासुदेवस्य भोजाश्चैव महारथाः ॥

kathaṃ vinaṣṭā bhagavannandhakā vṛṣṇibhiḥ saha | paśyato vāsudevasya bhojāścaiva mahārathāḥ

How did the Andhakas perish together with the Vrishnis, O Lord, and the Bhojas, those great warriors, while Vasudeva looked on?

Note on the text: Corrected भोजश्चैवक महारथाः → भोजाश्चैव महारथाः (misprint in Wikisource; dropped ा and a stray footnote letter क; CE reads bhojāś caiva mahārathāḥ).

Verse 2 (16.2.2)

षट्त्रिंशेऽथ ततो वर्षे वृष्णीनामनयो महान् । अन्योन्यं मुसलैस्ते तु निजघ्नुः कालचोदिताः ॥

ṣaṭtriṃśe'tha tato varṣe vṛṣṇīnāmanayo mahān | anyonyaṃ musalaiste tu nijaghnuḥ kālacoditāḥ

In the thirty-sixth year after that, a great calamity befell the Vrishnis: driven by Time, they struck one another down with pestles.

Verse 3 (16.2.3)

केनानुशप्तास्ते वीराः क्षयं वृष्ण्यन्धका गताः । भोजाश्च द्विजवर्य त्वं विस्तरेण वदस्व मे ॥

kenānuśaptāste vīrāḥ kṣayaṃ vṛṣṇyandhakā gatāḥ | bhojāśca dvijavarya tvaṃ vistareṇa vadasva me

By whose curse did those heroes, the Vrishnis and Andhakas, come to ruin, and the Bhojas too? Tell me this at length, best of the twice-born.

Verse 4 (16.2.4)

विश्वामित्रं च कण्वं च नारदं च तपोधनम् । सारणप्रमुखा वीरा ददृशुर्द्वारकां गतान् ॥

viśvāmitraṃ ca kaṇvaṃ ca nāradaṃ ca tapodhanam | sāraṇapramukhā vīrā dadṛśurdvārakāṃ gatān

The heroes headed by Sarana saw Vishvamitra, Kanva and the ascetic Narada, who had come to Dvaraka.

Verse 5 (16.2.5)

ते वै सांबं पुरस्कृत्य भूषयित्वा स्त्रियं यथा । अब्रुवन्नुपसङ्गम्य दैवदण्डनिपीडिताः ॥

te vai sāṃbaṃ puraskṛtya bhūṣayitvā striyaṃ yathā | abruvannupasaṅgamya daivadaṇḍanipīḍitāḥ

Struck down by the rod of fate, they put Samba in front, adorned like a woman, approached the sages and said:

Note on the text: Corrected सङ्गम्य् → सङ्गम्य (misprint in Wikisource; stray virama on the final य). Corrected दैवदण्डिनि → दैवदण्डनि (misprint in Wikisource; ण्डि for ण्डन; CE reads daivadaṇḍanipīḍitāḥ).

Verse 6 (16.2.6)

इयं स्त्री पुत्रकामस्य बभ्रोरमिततेजसः । ऋषयः साधु जानीत किमियं जनयिष्यति ॥

iyaṃ strī putrakāmasya babhroramitatejasaḥ | ṛṣayaḥ sādhu jānīta kimiyaṃ janayiṣyati

This woman is the wife of Babhru, of boundless splendour, who longs for a son. Sages, tell us truly: what will she bear?

Note on the text: These are the words of the young Yadavas headed by Sarana; the page prints no heading for them.

Verse 7 (16.2.7)

इत्युक्तास्ते तदा राजन्विप्रलम्भप्रधर्षिताः । प्रत्यब्रुवंस्तान्मुनयो यत्तच्छृणु नराधिप ॥

ityuktāste tadā rājanvipralambhapradharṣitāḥ | pratyabruvaṃstānmunayo yattacchṛṇu narādhipa

O king, thus addressed, the sages, insulted by the deceit, answered them. Hear what they said, O lord of men.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रत्यबुवंस्तान् → प्रत्यब्रुवंस्तान् (misprint in Wikisource; dropped र; CE reads pratyabruvaṃs tān).

Verse 8 (16.2.8)

वृष्ण्यन्धकविनाशाय मुसलं घोरमायसम् । वासुदेवस्य दायादः सांबोऽयं जनयिष्यति ॥

vṛṣṇyandhakavināśāya musalaṃ ghoramāyasam | vāsudevasya dāyādaḥ sāṃbo'yaṃ janayiṣyati

This Samba, the son of Vasudeva, will bring forth a dreadful iron pestle for the destruction of the Vrishnis and Andhakas.

Note on the text: The sages speak; the page prints no heading for their words.

Verse 9 (16.2.9)

येन यूयं सुदुर्वृत्ता नृशंसा जातमन्यवः । उच्छेत्तारः कुलं कृत्स्नमृते रामजनार्दनौ ॥

yena yūyaṃ sudurvṛttā nṛśaṃsā jātamanyavaḥ | ucchettāraḥ kulaṃ kṛtsnamṛte rāmajanārdanau

By it, wicked and cruel as you are, and filled with anger, you will wipe out your entire clan, all but Rama and Janardana.

Verse 10 (16.2.10)

समुद्रं यास्यति श्रीमांस्त्यक्त्वा देहं हलायुधः । जरःकृष्णं महात्मानं शयानं भुवि भेत्स्यति ॥

samudraṃ yāsyati śrīmāṃstyaktvā dehaṃ halāyudhaḥ | jaraḥkṛṣṇaṃ mahātmānaṃ śayānaṃ bhuvi bhetsyati

The glorious Halayudha will leave his body and go to the ocean, and Jara will pierce the great-souled Krishna as he lies on the ground.

Note on the text: Wikisource reads 'जरःकृष्णम्' (kept; the page's footnote gives 'जरा कृष्णम्' as a variant, which is the CE reading, and explains Jara as a hunter).

Verse 11 (16.2.11)

इत्यब्रुवंस्ततो राजन्प्रलब्धास्तैर्दुरात्मभिः । मुनयः क्रोधरक्ताक्षाः समीक्ष्याथ परस्परम् । तथोक्त्वा मुनयस्ते तु यथागतमथो ययुः ॥

ityabruvaṃstato rājanpralabdhāstairdurātmabhiḥ | munayaḥ krodharaktākṣāḥ samīkṣyātha parasparam | tathoktvā munayaste tu yathāgatamatho yayuḥ

So they spoke, O king: the sages, deceived by those wicked youths, their eyes red with anger, looked at one another; and having spoken, the sages went away as they had come.

Note on the text: Three-line verse as printed on the page (16-2-11a,b,c). Lines 1–2 = CE 16,002.011; line 3 = CE 16,002.012 (Wikisource reads यथागतमथो ययुः, CE has keśavam abhyayuḥ).

Verse 12 (16.2.12)

अथाब्रवीत्तदा वृष्णीञ्श्रुत्वैतन्मधुसूदनः । अन्तज्ञो मतिमांस्तस्य भवितव्यं तथेति तान् ॥

athābravīttadā vṛṣṇīñśrutvaitanmadhusūdanaḥ | antajño matimāṃstasya bhavitavyaṃ tatheti tān

Hearing this, Madhusudana, wise and knowing the end of things, said to the Vrishnis, 'So it must be.'

Verse 13 (16.2.13)

एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशः प्रविवेश पुरं तदा । कृतान्तमन्यथा नैच्छत्कर्तुं स जगतः प्रभुः ॥

evamuktvā hṛṣīkeśaḥ praviveśa puraṃ tadā | kṛtāntamanyathā naicchatkartuṃ sa jagataḥ prabhuḥ

Having said this, Hrishikesha then entered the city. The Lord of the world did not wish to make fate otherwise.

Verse 14 (16.2.14)

श्वोभूतेऽथ ततः सांबो मुसलं तदसूत वै । येन वृष्ण्यन्धककुले पुरुषा भस्मसात्कृताः ॥

śvobhūte'tha tataḥ sāṃbo musalaṃ tadasūta vai | yena vṛṣṇyandhakakule puruṣā bhasmasātkṛtāḥ

On the next day Samba brought forth that pestle, by which the men of the Vrishni and Andhaka clan were reduced to ashes.

Note on the text: Corrected तदसूकत → तदसूत (misprint in Wikisource; interpolated क; CE reads tad asūta). Corrected वृष्णन्धककुले → वृष्ण्यन्धककुले (misprint in Wikisource; dropped य्; CE reads vṛṣṇyandhakakule). Line 1 = CE 16,002.015a; line 2 = star line 16,002.015b*0005_01.

Verse 15 (16.2.15)

वृष्ण्यन्धकविनाशाय किंकरप्रतिमं महत् । असूत शापजं घोरं तच्च राज्ञे न्यवेदयन् ॥

vṛṣṇyandhakavināśāya kiṃkarapratimaṃ mahat | asūta śāpajaṃ ghoraṃ tacca rājñe nyavedayan

He brought forth the great and dreadful curse-born thing, like an attendant of Death, for the destruction of the Vrishnis and Andhakas; and they reported it to the king.

Note on the text: Corrected सापजं → शापजं (misprint in Wikisource; स for श; CE reads śāpajaṃ). Line 1 = CE 16,002.015c; line 2 = CE 16,002.016a.

Verse 16 (16.2.16)

विषण्णरूपस्तद्राजा सूक्ष्मं चूर्णमकारयत् । तच्चूर्णं सागरे चापि प्राक्षिपन्पुरुषा नृप ॥

viṣaṇṇarūpastadrājā sūkṣmaṃ cūrṇamakārayat | taccūrṇaṃ sāgare cāpi prākṣipanpuruṣā nṛpa

The king, dismayed, had it ground into fine powder, and men threw that powder into the sea, O king.

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 16,002.016c; line 2 = star line 16,002.017b*0006_01.

Verse 17 (16.2.17)

अघोषयंश्च नगरे वचनादाहुकस्य ते । जनार्दनस्य रामस्य बभ्रोश्चैव महात्मनः ॥

aghoṣayaṃśca nagare vacanādāhukasya te | janārdanasya rāmasya babhroścaiva mahātmanaḥ

On the word of Ahuka, and in the name of Janardana, Rama and the great-souled Babhru, they made this proclamation in the city:

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 16,002.017c; line 2 = star line 16,002.017d*0008_01.

Verse 18 (16.2.18)

अद्यप्रभृति सर्वेषु वृष्ण्यन्धककुलेष्विह । सुरासवो न कर्तव्यः सर्वैर्नगरवासिभिः ॥

adyaprabhṛti sarveṣu vṛṣṇyandhakakuleṣviha | surāsavo na kartavyaḥ sarvairnagaravāsibhiḥ

'From today, in all the houses of the Vrishnis and Andhakas here, no resident of the city is to make spirits or liquor.

Note on the text: Removed a stray comma after कर्तव्यः. The proclamation made by the heralds is direct speech; the page prints no heading for it.

Verse 19 (16.2.19)

यश्च नोऽविदितं कुर्यात्पेयं कश्चिन्नरः क्वचित् । जीवन्स शूलमारोहेत्स्वयं कृत्वा सबान्धवः ॥

yaśca no'viditaṃ kuryātpeyaṃ kaścinnaraḥ kvacit | jīvansa śūlamārohetsvayaṃ kṛtvā sabāndhavaḥ

And any man who, anywhere, makes drink without our knowledge shall by his own doing be set alive on the stake, together with his kinsmen.'

Note on the text: Corrected यश्च नो विदितं → यश्च नोऽविदितं (misprint in Wikisource; the avagraha is missing, which reverses the sense; CE reads yaś ca no 'viditaṃ).

Verse 20 (16.2.20)

ततो राजभयात्सर्वे नियमं चक्रिरे तदा । नराः शासनमाज्ञाय तस्य राज्ञो महात्मनः ॥

tato rājabhayātsarve niyamaṃ cakrire tadā | narāḥ śāsanamājñāya tasya rājño mahātmanaḥ

Then, out of fear of the king, all the men took up the rule, having understood the command of that great-souled king.

Note on the text: Corrected नराः सासनमाज्ञाय → नराः शासनमाज्ञाय (misprint in Wikisource; स for श; CE reads śāsanam).