Omens in Dvaraka; Krishna Orders the Pilgrimage

Verse 1 (16.3.1)

एवं प्रयतमानानां वृष्णीनामन्धकैः सह । कालो गृहाणि सर्वेषां परिचक्राम नित्यशः ॥

evaṃ prayatamānānāṃ vṛṣṇīnāmandhakaiḥ saha | kālo gṛhāṇi sarveṣāṃ paricakrāma nityaśaḥ

While the Vrishnis and the Andhakas were thus striving, Time went round the houses of all of them, day after day.

Note on the text: Speaker: the page's heading is truncated to 'वैशंपाय उवाच'; read as वैशंपायन.

Verse 2 (16.3.2)

करालो विकटो मुण्डः पुरुषः कृष्णपिङ्गलः । गृहाण्यावेक्ष्य वृष्णीनां नादृश्यत पुनः क्वचित् ॥

karālo vikaṭo muṇḍaḥ puruṣaḥ kṛṣṇapiṅgalaḥ | gṛhāṇyāvekṣya vṛṣṇīnāṃ nādṛśyata punaḥ kvacit

A fearsome, hideous, shaven-headed man, dark and tawny, would look into the houses of the Vrishnis and then be seen nowhere again.

Note on the text: Corrected नादृश्यतं → नादृश्यत (misprint in Wikisource; stray anusvara; CE reads nādṛśyata).

Verse 3 (16.3.3)

तमघ्नन्त महेष्वासाः शरैः शतसहस्रशः । न चाशक्यत वेद्धुं स सर्वभूतात्ययस्तदा ॥

tamaghnanta maheṣvāsāḥ śaraiḥ śatasahasraśaḥ | na cāśakyata veddhuṃ sa sarvabhūtātyayastadā

The great archers shot at him with hundreds of thousands of arrows, but he could not be pierced, for he was the destroyer of all beings.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's numbered text: star passage 16,003.002d*0011_01-02.

Verse 4 (16.3.4)

उत्पेदिरे महावाता दारुणाश्च दिनेदिने । वृष्ण्यन्धकविनाशाय बहवो रोमहर्षणाः ॥

utpedire mahāvātā dāruṇāśca dinedine | vṛṣṇyandhakavināśāya bahavo romaharṣaṇāḥ

Day after day fierce and mighty winds arose, many of them hair-raising, for the destruction of the Vrishnis and Andhakas.

Verse 5 (16.3.5)

विवृद्धमूषिका रथ्या विभिन्नमणिकास्तथा । केशा नखाश्च सुप्तानामद्यन्ते मूषिकैर्निशि ॥

vivṛddhamūṣikā rathyā vibhinnamaṇikāstathā | keśā nakhāśca suptānāmadyante mūṣikairniśi

Mice multiplied in the streets, and earthen pots lay broken; and at night mice gnawed the hair and nails of those who slept.

Note on the text: Line 1 = CE 16,003.004a; line 2 = star line 16,003.004b*0012_01.

Verse 6 (16.3.6)

चीचीकूचीति वाशन्ति शारिका वृष्णिवेश्मसु । नोपशाम्यति शब्दश्च स दिवारात्रमेव हि ॥

cīcīkūcīti vāśanti śārikā vṛṣṇiveśmasu | nopaśāmyati śabdaśca sa divārātrameva hi

In the houses of the Vrishnis the mynah birds cried 'chee-chee, koochee', and that noise did not cease by day or by night.

Note on the text: Corrected शब्दस्य सदिवारात्रमेव हि → शब्दश्च स दिवारात्रमेव हि (misprint in Wikisource; the line is garbled; CE reads śabdaś ca sa divārātram eva hi). Line 1 = CE 16,003.004c; line 2 = CE 16,003.004e.

Verse 7 (16.3.7)

अन्वकुर्वन्नुलूकानां सारसा विरुतं तथा । अजाः शिवानां विरुतमन्वकुर्वत भारत ॥

anvakurvannulūkānāṃ sārasā virutaṃ tathā | ajāḥ śivānāṃ virutamanvakurvata bhārata

The cranes imitated the cries of owls, and the goats imitated the howls of jackals, O Bharata.

Verse 8 (16.3.8)

पाण्डुरा रक्तपादाश्च विहगाः कालचोदिताः । वृष्ण्यन्धकानां गेहेषु कपोता व्यचरंस्तदा ॥

pāṇḍurā raktapādāśca vihagāḥ kālacoditāḥ | vṛṣṇyandhakānāṃ geheṣu kapotā vyacaraṃstadā

Pale birds with red feet, driven by Time, roamed as doves through the houses of the Vrishnis and Andhakas.

Verse 9 (16.3.9)

व्यजायन्त खरा गोषु करभाश्वतरीषु च । शुनीष्वपि बिडालाश्च मूषिका नकुलीषु च ॥

vyajāyanta kharā goṣu karabhāśvatarīṣu ca | śunīṣvapi biḍālāśca mūṣikā nakulīṣu ca

Donkeys were born from cows, and from she-camels and mules as well; cats from bitches, and mice from mongooses.

Verse 10 (16.3.10)

नापत्रपन्त पापानि कुर्वन्तो वृष्णयस्तदा । प्रार्दयन्ब्राह्मणांश्चापि पितॄन्देवांस्तथैव च ॥

nāpatrapanta pāpāni kurvanto vṛṣṇayastadā | prārdayanbrāhmaṇāṃścāpi pitṝndevāṃstathaiva ca

The Vrishnis felt no shame as they did wicked deeds; they even tormented brahmins, ancestors and gods.

Verse 11 (16.3.11)

गुरूंश्चाप्यवमन्यन्ते न तु रामजनार्दनौ । पत्न्यः पतीनुच्चरन्ति पत्नीश्च पतयस्तथा ॥

gurūṃścāpyavamanyante na tu rāmajanārdanau | patnyaḥ patīnuccaranti patnīśca patayastathā

They despised their elders, though not Rama and Janardana; wives deceived their husbands, and husbands their wives.

Note on the text: Corrected पत्नीश्चक पतयस्तथा → पत्नीश्च पतयस्तथा (misprint in Wikisource; a stray footnote letter क is run into the word; CE reads patnīś ca patayas tathā).

Verse 12 (16.3.12)

विभावसुः प्रज्वलितो वामं विपरिवर्तते । नीललोहितमञ्जिष्ठा विसृजन्नर्चिषः पृथक् ॥

vibhāvasuḥ prajvalito vāmaṃ viparivartate | nīlalohitamañjiṣṭhā visṛjannarciṣaḥ pṛthak

The blazing fire turned leftward, and sent up flames of blue, red and madder colour, each apart from the others.

Verse 13 (16.3.13)

उदयास्तमये नित्यं पुर्यां तस्यां दिवाकरः । व्यदृश्यतासकृत्पुंभिः कबन्धैः परिवारितः ॥

udayāstamaye nityaṃ puryāṃ tasyāṃ divākaraḥ | vyadṛśyatāsakṛtpuṃbhiḥ kabandhaiḥ parivāritaḥ

In that city, at sunrise and at sunset, the sun was seen again and again surrounded by headless men.

Verse 14 (16.3.14)

महानसेषु सिद्धेषु संस्कृतेऽतीव भारत । आहार्यमाणे कृमयो व्यदृश्यन्त सहस्रशः ॥

mahānaseṣu siddheṣu saṃskṛte'tīva bhārata | āhāryamāṇe kṛmayo vyadṛśyanta sahasraśaḥ

In the great kitchens, when the well-prepared cooked food was brought out, worms were seen in it by the thousand, O Bharata.

Note on the text: Corrected संस्कृतेऽतीवि → संस्कृतेऽतीव (misprint in Wikisource; stray vowel sign ि; CE reads saṃskṛte ’tīva).

Verse 15 (16.3.15)

पुण्याहे वाच्यमाने तु जपत्सु च महात्मसु । अभिधावन्तः श्रूयन्ते न चादृश्यत कश्चन ॥

puṇyāhe vācyamāne tu japatsu ca mahātmasu | abhidhāvantaḥ śrūyante na cādṛśyata kaścana

While the blessing of the auspicious day was being recited and the great-souled were murmuring their prayers, the sound of people running was heard, yet no one was seen.

Verse 16 (16.3.16)

परस्परं च नक्षत्रं हन्यमानं पुनःपुनः । ग्रहैरपश्यन्सर्वे ते नात्मनस्तु कथञ्चन ॥

parasparaṃ ca nakṣatraṃ hanyamānaṃ punaḥpunaḥ | grahairapaśyansarve te nātmanastu kathañcana

Again and again they all saw one another's stars struck by the planets, but never their own.

Verse 17 (16.3.17)

नदन्तं पाञ्चजन्यं च वृष्ण्यन्धकनिवेशने । समन्तात्पर्यवाशन्त रासभा दारुणस्वराः ॥

nadantaṃ pāñcajanyaṃ ca vṛṣṇyandhakaniveśane | samantātparyavāśanta rāsabhā dāruṇasvarāḥ

When the Panchajanya sounded in the dwellings of the Vrishnis and Andhakas, braying donkeys of dreadful voice answered from every side.

Note on the text: Corrected पाञ्चिजन्यं → पाञ्चजन्यं (misprint in Wikisource; stray vowel sign ि; CE reads pāñcajanyaṃ). Corrected वृष्णन्धकनिवेशने → वृष्ण्यन्धकनिवेशने (misprint in Wikisource; dropped य्; CE reads vṛṣṇyandhakaniveśane).

Verse 18 (16.3.18)

एवं पश्यन्हृषिकेशः संप्राप्तं कालपर्ययम् । त्रयोदश्याममावास्यां तान्दृष्ट्वा प्राब्रवीदिदम् ॥

evaṃ paśyanhṛṣikeśaḥ saṃprāptaṃ kālaparyayam | trayodaśyāmamāvāsyāṃ tāndṛṣṭvā prābravīdidam

Seeing the turn of Time arrived, Hrishikesha, who saw those signs on a new-moon day that had fallen on the thirteenth, spoke these words:

Verse 19 (16.3.19)

चतुर्दशी पञ्चदशी कृतेयं राहुणा पुनः । प्राप्ते वै भारते युद्धे प्राप्ता चाद्य क्षयाय नः ॥

caturdaśī pañcadaśī kṛteyaṃ rāhuṇā punaḥ | prāpte vai bhārate yuddhe prāptā cādya kṣayāya naḥ

'Rahu has once more made the fourteenth and the fifteenth into one. Such a day came at the Bharata war, and today it has come for our destruction.

Note on the text: Corrected क्षंयाय → क्षयाय (misprint in Wikisource; stray anusvara; CE reads kṣayāya). Krishna speaks; the page prints no heading for his words (lines 19, 21 and 22 of the page are his speech, closed by "इत्युक्त्वा" in verse 23).

Verse 20 (16.3.20)

विमृशन्नेव कालं तं परिचिन्त्य जनार्दनः । मेने प्राप्तं स षट्त्रिंशं वर्षं वै केशिसूदनः ॥

vimṛśanneva kālaṃ taṃ paricintya janārdanaḥ | mene prāptaṃ sa ṣaṭtriṃśaṃ varṣaṃ vai keśisūdanaḥ

Pondering that moment and reflecting, Janardana, the slayer of Keshi, concluded that the thirty-sixth year had arrived.

Verse 21 (16.3.21)

पुत्रशोकाभिसंतप्ता गान्धारी हतबान्धवा । यदनुव्याजहारार्ता तदिदं समुपागमत् ॥

putraśokābhisaṃtaptā gāndhārī hatabāndhavā | yadanuvyājahārārtā tadidaṃ samupāgamat

What Gandhari, scorched with grief for her sons and bereft of her kin, said in her anguish, has now come to pass.

Verse 22 (16.3.22)

इदं च तदनुप्राप्तमब्रवीद्यद्युधिष्ठिरः । पुरा व्यूढेष्वनीकेषु दृष्ट्वोत्पातान्सुदारुणान् ॥

idaṃ ca tadanuprāptamabravīdyadyudhiṣṭhiraḥ | purā vyūḍheṣvanīkeṣu dṛṣṭvotpātānsudāruṇān

And what Yudhishthira said long ago, when the armies stood drawn up and he saw dreadful omens, has come to pass as well.'

Note on the text: Corrected दृष्ट्वेत्पातान् → दृष्ट्वोत्पातान् (misprint in Wikisource; sandhi error; CE reads dṛṣṭvotpātān).

Verse 23 (16.3.23)

इत्युक्त्वा वासुदेवस्तु चिकीर्षुः सत्यमेव तत् । आज्ञापयामास तदा तीर्थयात्रामरिंदमः ॥

ityuktvā vāsudevastu cikīrṣuḥ satyameva tat | ājñāpayāmāsa tadā tīrthayātrāmariṃdamaḥ

Having said this, Vasudeva, subduer of enemies, wishing to make that word come true, then ordered a pilgrimage.

Verse 24 (16.3.24)

अघोषयन्त पुरुषास्तत्र केशवशासनात् । तीर्थयात्रा समुद्रे वः कार्येति पुरुषर्षभाः ॥

aghoṣayanta puruṣāstatra keśavaśāsanāt | tīrthayātrā samudre vaḥ kāryeti puruṣarṣabhāḥ

At Keshava's command the men there proclaimed: 'Best of men, you are to make a pilgrimage at the sea.'