Chandavega's Attack on Puranjana's City; the Character of Kalakanya

Verse 1 (bhagavata.4.27.1)

नारद उवाच इत्थं पुरञ्जनं सध्र्यग्वशमानीय विभ्रमैः । पुरञ्जनी महाराज रेमे रमयती पतिम् ॥ 27.1 ॥

nārada uvāca itthaṁ purañjanaṁ sadhryag vaśamānīya vibhramaiḥ purañjanī mahārāja reme ramayatī patim

Narada said: O great King, having thus brought Puranjana wholly under her sway through her allurements, Puranjani took her own delight, giving delight to her husband in turn.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.4.27.2)

स राजा महिषीं राजन् सुस्नातां रुचिराननाम् । कृतस्वस्त्ययनां तृप्तामभ्यनन्ददुपागताम् ॥ 27.2 ॥

sa rājā mahiṣīṁ rājan susnātāṁ rucirānanām kṛta-svastyayanāṁ tṛptām abhyanandad upāgatām

O King, that King welcomed his Queen as she came to him — well-bathed, her face lovely, the auspicious rites performed, and content.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.4.27.3)

तयोपगूढः परिरब्धकन्धरो रहोऽनुमन्त्रैरपकृष्टचेतनः । न कालरंहो बुबुधे दुरत्ययं दिवा निशेति प्रमदापरिग्रहः ॥ 27.3 ॥

tayopagūḍhaḥ parirabdha-kandharo raho ’numantrair apakṛṣṭa-cetanaḥ na kāla-raṁho bubudhe duratyayaṁ divā niśeti pramadā-parigrahaḥ

Held close in her embrace, his neck cradled in her arms, his mind carried away by intimate murmured words in that private place — that captive of a woman did not perceive the relentless race of time, nor how day and night were slipping irretrievably away.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.4.27.4)

शयान उन्नद्धमदो महामना महार्हतल्पे महिषीभुजोपधिः । तामेव वीरो मनुते परं यत- स्तमोऽभिभूतो न निजं परं च यत् ॥ 27.4 ॥

śayāna unnaddha-mado mahā-manā mahārha-talpe mahiṣī-bhujopadhiḥ tām eva vīro manute paraṁ yatas tamo-’bhibhūto na nijaṁ paraṁ ca yat

Lying on a costly couch, swollen with pride, his head pillowed on the Queen's arm — though a man of great spirit, that hero came to regard her alone as his highest good; so overwhelmed was he by darkness that he understood neither his own self nor the Supreme.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.4.27.5)

तयैवं रममाणस्य कामकश्मलचेतसः । क्षणार्धमिव राजेन्द्र व्यतिक्रान्तं नवं वयः ॥ 27.5 ॥

tayaivaṁ ramamāṇasya kāma-kaśmala-cetasaḥ kṣaṇārdham iva rājendra vyatikrāntaṁ navaṁ vayaḥ

O foremost of kings, thus taking his pleasure with her, his mind sullied by lust, his fresh youth slipped away as though it were half a moment.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.4.27.6)

तस्यामजनयत्पुत्रान् पुरञ्जन्यां पुरञ्जनः । शतान्येकादश विराडायुषोऽर्धमथात्यगात् ॥ 27.6 ॥

tasyām ajanayat putrān purañjanyāṁ purañjanaḥ śatāny ekādaśa virāḍ āyuṣo ’rdham athātyagāt

O King of vast realm, Puranjana begot eleven hundred sons upon Puranjani; and thus half of his allotted lifespan passed away.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.4.27.7)

दुहितृर्दशोत्तरशतं पितृमातृयशस्करीः । शीलौदार्यगुणोपेताः पौरञ्जन्यः प्रजापते ॥ 27.7 ॥

duhitṝr daśottara-śataṁ pitṛ-mātṛ-yaśaskarīḥ śīlaudārya-guṇopetāḥ paurañjanyaḥ prajā-pate

O lord of subjects, he also fathered a hundred and ten daughters, who brought glory to their father and mother; those daughters of Puranjana were endowed with gentle conduct, generosity and every good quality.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.4.27.8)

स पञ्चालपतिः पुत्रान् पितृवंशविवर्धनान् । दारैः संयोजयामास दुहितृः सदृशैर्वरैः ॥ 27.8 ॥

sa pañcāla-patiḥ putrān pitṛ-vaṁśa-vivardhanān dāraiḥ saṁyojayām āsa duhitṝḥ sadṛśair varaiḥ

That lord of Panchala married his sons, who would carry the paternal line forward, to suitable wives, and gave his daughters to suitable husbands.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.4.27.9)

पुत्राणां चाभवन्पुत्रा एकैकस्य शतं शतम् । यैर्वै पौरञ्जनो वंशः पञ्चालेषु समेधितः ॥ 27.9 ॥

putrāṇāṁ cābhavan putrā ekaikasya śataṁ śatam yair vai paurañjano vaṁśaḥ pañcāleṣu samedhitaḥ

Each of those sons, in turn, had a hundred sons of his own, and through them Puranjana's lineage flourished throughout the land of Panchala.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.4.27.10)

तेषु तद्रिक्थहारेषु गृहकोशानुजीविषु । निरूढेन ममत्वेन विषयेष्वन्वबध्यत ॥ 27.10 ॥

teṣu tad-riktha-hāreṣu gṛha-kośānujīviṣu nirūḍhena mamatvena viṣayeṣv anvabadhyata

Bound by deep-rooted possessiveness for these — the heirs to his wealth, living off his household and treasury — he grew ever more entangled in the objects of the senses.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.4.27.11)

ईजे च क्रतुभिर्घोरैर्दीक्षितः पशुमारकैः । देवान् पितृन् भूतपतीन्नानाकामो यथा भवान् ॥ 27.11 ॥

īje ca kratubhir ghorair dīkṣitaḥ paśu-mārakaiḥ devān pitṝn bhūta-patīn nānā-kāmo yathā bhavān

Like you yourself, O King, driven by manifold desires, he was initiated into fearsome sacrifices involving the slaying of animals, and through them worshipped the gods, the ancestors and the lords of beings.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.4.27.12)

युक्तेष्वेवं प्रमत्तस्य कुटुम्बासक्तचेतसः । आससाद स वै कालो योऽप्रियः प्रिययोषिताम् ॥ 27.12 ॥

yukteṣv evaṁ pramattasya kuṭumbāsakta-cetasaḥ āsasāda sa vai kālo yo ’priyaḥ priya-yoṣitām

While thus engrossed and heedless, his mind bound to his family, there came upon him at last that time which is unwelcome even to men dear to their beloved women.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.4.27.13)

चण्डवेग इति ख्यातो गन्धर्वाधिपतिर्नृप । गन्धर्वास्तस्य बलिनः षष्ट्युत्तरशतत्रयम् ॥ 27.13 ॥

caṇḍavega iti khyāto gandharvādhipatir nṛpa gandharvās tasya balinaḥ ṣaṣṭy-uttara-śata-trayam

O King, there is a lord of the Gandharvas known as Chandavega, and under him serve three hundred and sixty powerful Gandharvas.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.4.27.14)

गन्धर्व्यस्तादृशीरस्य मैथुन्यश्च सितासिताः । परिवृत्त्या विलुम्पन्ति सर्वकामविनिर्मिताम् ॥ 27.14 ॥

gandharvyas tādṛśīr asya maithunyaś ca sitāsitāḥ parivṛttyā vilumpanti sarva-kāma-vinirmitām

With him too are an equal number of Gandharvi consorts, both dark and fair, who turn by turn plunder all that has been fashioned to satisfy desire.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.4.27.15)

ते चण्डवेगानुचराः पुरञ्जनपुरं यदा । हर्तुमारेभिरे तत्र प्रत्यषेधत्प्रजागरः ॥ 27.15 ॥

te caṇḍavegānucarāḥ purañjana-puraṁ yadā hartum ārebhire tatra pratyaṣedhat prajāgaraḥ

When Chandavega's followers set about plundering Puranjana's city, that ever-wakeful serpent stood there against them and held them at bay.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.4.27.16)

स सप्तभिः शतैरेको विंशत्या च शतं समाः । पुरञ्जनपुराध्यक्षो गन्धर्वैर्युयुधे बली ॥ 27.16 ॥

sa saptabhiḥ śatair eko viṁśatyā ca śataṁ samāḥ purañjana-purādhyakṣo gandharvair yuyudhe balī

That mighty protector of Puranjana's city fought alone, for a hundred years, against the seven hundred and twenty Gandharvas.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.4.27.17)

क्षीयमाणे स्वसम्बन्धे एकस्मिन् बहुभिर्युधा । चिन्तां परां जगामार्तः सराष्ट्रपुरबान्धवः ॥ 27.17 ॥

kṣīyamāṇe sva-sambandhe ekasmin bahubhir yudhā cintāṁ parāṁ jagāmārtaḥ sa-rāṣṭra-pura-bāndhavaḥ

As that one kinsman of his grew weaker, battling so many alone, Puranjana, together with the people and friends of his realm and city, fell into deep anxiety and distress.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.4.27.18)

स एव पुर्यां मधुभुक्पञ्चालेषु स्वपार्षदैः । उपनीतं बलिं गृह्णन् स्त्रीजितो नाविदद्भयम् ॥ 27.18 ॥

sa eva puryāṁ madhu-bhuk pañcāleṣu sva-pārṣadaiḥ upanītaṁ baliṁ gṛhṇan strī-jito nāvidad bhayam

Meanwhile that same king, given over to pleasure in his city, kept receiving through his officers the tribute brought from Panchala; conquered utterly by a woman, he perceived no danger at all.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.4.27.19)

कालस्य दुहिता काचित्त्रिलोकीं वरमिच्छती । पर्यटन्ती न बर्हिष्मन् प्रत्यनन्दत कश्चन ॥ 27.19 ॥

kālasya duhitā kācit tri-lokīṁ varam icchatī paryaṭantī na barhiṣman pratyanandata kaścana

O Barhishman, meanwhile a certain daughter of Time went wandering through the three worlds in search of a husband, but nowhere did anyone welcome her.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.4.27.20)

दौर्भाग्येनात्मनो लोके विश्रुता दुर्भगेति सा । या तुष्टा राजर्षये तु वृतादात्पूरवे वरम् ॥ 27.20 ॥

daurbhāgyenātmano loke viśrutā durbhageti sā yā tuṣṭā rājarṣaye tu vṛtādāt pūrave varam

Through her own misfortune she became known throughout the world as Durbhaga, the Ill-Fated One; yet once, pleased with a royal sage of the Puru line whom she had chosen, she granted him a boon.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.4.27.21)

कदाचिदटमाना सा ब्रह्मलोकान्महीं गतम् । वव्रे बृहद्व्रतं मां तु जानती काममोहिता ॥ 27.21 ॥

kadācid aṭamānā sā brahma-lokān mahīṁ gatam vavre bṛhad-vrataṁ māṁ tu jānatī kāma-mohitā

[Narada continued:] Once, in her wandering, she came upon me as I journeyed from Brahmaloka to this earth; knowing full well that I kept the great vow of celibacy, she was overcome by desire and sought me for her husband.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.4.27.22)

मयि संरभ्य विपुलमदाच्छापं सुदुःसहम् । स्थातुमर्हसि नैकत्र मद्याच्ञाविमुखो मुने ॥ 27.22 ॥

mayi saṁrabhya vipula- madāc chāpaṁ suduḥsaham sthātum arhasi naikatra mad-yācñā-vimukho mune

Filled with fury and wounded pride, she pronounced this most unbearable curse upon me: O sage, since you have turned away from my plea, you shall never be able to stay in one place for long.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.4.27.23)

ततो विहतसङ्कल्पा कन्यका यवनेश्वरम् । मयोपदिष्टमासाद्य वव्रे नाम्ना भयं पतिम् ॥ 27.23 ॥

tato vihata-saṅkalpā kanyakā yavaneśvaram mayopadiṣṭam āsādya vavre nāmnā bhayaṁ patim

Then, her hopes with me disappointed, that maiden — on my own counsel — approached the lord of the Yavanas, named Bhaya, and chose him as her husband.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.4.27.24)

ऋषभं यवनानां त्वां वृणे वीरेप्सितं पतिम् । सङ्कल्पस्त्वयि भूतानां कृतः किल न रिष्यति ॥ 27.24 ॥

ṛṣabhaṁ yavanānāṁ tvāṁ vṛṇe vīrepsitaṁ patim saṅkalpas tvayi bhūtānāṁ kṛtaḥ kila na riṣyati

[She said:] O foremost of the Yavanas, I choose you as husband, you whom every hero desires; whoever sets his resolve upon you, it is said, never comes to ruin.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.4.27.25)

द्वाविमावनुशोचन्ति बालावसदवग्रहौ । यल्लोकशास्त्रोपनतं न राति न तदिच्छति ॥ 27.25 ॥

dvāv imāv anuśocanti bālāv asad-avagrahau yal loka-śāstropanataṁ na rāti na tad icchati

Two kinds of foolish, wrongly stubborn people come to grief in the end — one who withholds what custom and scripture prescribe, and one who refuses to accept it.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.4.27.26)

अथो भजस्व मां भद्र भजन्तीं मे दयां कुरु । एतावान् पौरुषो धर्मो यदार्ताननुकम्पते ॥ 27.26 ॥

atho bhajasva māṁ bhadra bhajantīṁ me dayāṁ kuru etāvān pauruṣo dharmo yad ārtān anukampate

[The daughter of Time said:] Therefore, O gentle one, accept me, devoted as I am to you, and be merciful to me; for this alone is true manliness and dharma — to feel compassion for one in distress.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.4.27.27)

कालकन्योदितवचो निशम्य यवनेश्वरः । चिकीर्षुर्देवगुह्यं स सस्मितं तामभाषत ॥ 27.27 ॥

kāla-kanyodita-vaco niśamya yavaneśvaraḥ cikīrṣur deva-guhyaṁ sa sasmitaṁ tām abhāṣata

Hearing these words spoken by Kalakanya, the lord of the Yavanas, meaning to carry out this hidden purpose of providence, answered her with a smile.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.4.27.28)

मया निरूपितस्तुभ्यं पतिरात्मसमाधिना । नाभिनन्दति लोकोऽयं त्वामभद्रामसम्मताम् ॥ 27.28 ॥

mayā nirūpitas tubhyaṁ patir ātma-samādhinā nābhinandati loko ’yaṁ tvām abhadrām asammatām

[He said:] Having pondered deeply within myself, I have found a husband for you; for this world, holding you inauspicious and unwelcome, will not receive you.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.4.27.29)

त्वमव्यक्तगतिर्भुङ्क्ष्व लोकं कर्मविनिर्मितम् । या हि मे पृतनायुक्ता प्रजानाशं प्रणेष्यसि ॥ 27.29 ॥

tvam avyakta-gatir bhuṅkṣva lokaṁ karma-vinirmitam yā hi me pṛtanā-yuktā prajā-nāśaṁ praṇeṣyasi

Moving unseen, take your enjoyment of this world, itself the product of men's own deeds; joined with my army, you shall bring about the destruction of living beings.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.4.27.30)

प्रज्वारोऽयं मम भ्राता त्वं च मे भगिनी भव । चराम्युभाभ्यां लोकेऽस्मिन्नव्यक्तो भीमसैनिकः ॥ 27.30 ॥

prajvāro ’yaṁ mama bhrātā tvaṁ ca me bhaginī bhava carāmy ubhābhyāṁ loke ’sminn avyakto bhīma-sainikaḥ

This is my brother Prajvara; become my sister as well — and with the two of you, together with my dreadful soldiers, I shall move unseen through this world.