The Parijata Restored, and the Wedding of the Rescued Maidens

Verse 1 (vishnu.5.31.1)

पराशर उवाच । संस्तुतो भगवान् इत्थं देवराजेन केशवः । प्रहस्य भावगम्भीरम् उवाचेन्द्रं द्विजोत्तम

parāśara uvāca saṁstuto bhagavān itthaṁ devarājena keśavaḥ prahasya bhāvagambhīram uvācendraṁ dvijottama

Parashara said: O foremost of the twice-born, thus praised by the king of the gods, the Blessed Keshava smiled and spoke to Indra words of profound meaning:

Verse 2 (vishnu.5.31.2)

भगवान् उवाच । देवराजो भवान् इन्द्रो वयं मर्त्या जगत्पते । क्षन्तव्यं भवतैवैतद् अपराधकृतं मम

bhagavān uvāca devarājo bhavān indro vayaṁ martyā jagatpate kṣantavyaṁ bhavataivaitad aparādhakṛtaṁ mama

The Blessed Lord said: 'You, Indra, are the king of the gods; we, O lord of the world, are but mortals. This offense of mine should be forgiven by you.'

Verse 3 (vishnu.5.31.3)

पारिजाततरुश्चायं नीयताम् उचितास्पदम् । गृहीतोऽयं मया शक्र सत्यावचनकारणात्

pārijātataruścāyaṁ nīyatām ucitāspadam gṛhīto'yaṁ mayā śakra satyāvacanakāraṇāt

'And let this Parijata tree be taken back to its rightful place; I took it, O Shakra, only for the sake of fulfilling Satya's word.'

Verse 4 (vishnu.5.31.4)

वज्रं चेदं गृहाण त्वं यद् ग्रस्तं प्रहितं त्वया । तवैवैतत् प्रहरणं शक्र वैरिविदारणम्

vajraṁ cedaṁ gṛhāṇa tvaṁ yad grastaṁ prahitaṁ tvayā tavaivaitat praharaṇaṁ śakra vairividāraṇam

'And take back this thunderbolt of yours as well, which you hurled and which I caught; this weapon that rends your enemies apart, Shakra, is truly your own.'

Verse 5 (vishnu.5.31.5)

शक्र उवाच । विमोहयसि माम् ईश मर्त्योऽहम् इति किं वदन् । जानीमस्त्वां भगवतो न तु सूक्ष्मविदो वयम्

śakra uvāca vimohayasi mām īśa martyo'ham iti kiṁ vadan jānīmastvāṁ bhagavato na tu sūkṣmavido vayam

Shakra said: 'O Lord, why do you bewilder me by saying, "I am a mortal"? We know you to be the Blessed One — though we are no experts in subtle truth.'

Verse 6 (vishnu.5.31.6)

योऽसि सोऽसि जगत्त्राणप्रवृत्तौ नाथ संस्थितः । जगतः शल्यनिष्कर्षं करोष्य् असुरसूदन

yo'si so'si jagattrāṇapravṛttau nātha saṁsthitaḥ jagataḥ śalyaniṣkarṣaṁ karoṣy asurasūdana

'Whatever you are, you are that; O Lord, ever engaged in the protection of the world, you draw out the world's thorn, O slayer of asuras.'

Verse 7 (vishnu.5.31.7)

नीयतां पारिजातोऽयं कृष्ण द्वारवतीं पुरीम् । मर्त्यलोके त्वया मुक्ते नायं संस्थास्यते भुवि

nīyatāṁ pārijāto'yaṁ kṛṣṇa dvāravatīṁ purīm martyaloke tvayā mukte nāyaṁ saṁsthāsyate bhuvi

'Let this Parijata be taken, Krishna, to the city of Dvaravati; when you depart from the mortal world, it will no longer remain on earth.'

Verse 8 (vishnu.5.31.8)

पराशर उवाच । तथेत्य् उक्त्वा च देवेन्द्रम् आजगाम भुवं हरिः । प्रसक्तैः सिद्धगन्धर्वैः स्तूयमानः सुरर्षिभिः

parāśara uvāca tathety uktvā ca devendram ājagāma bhuvaṁ hariḥ prasaktaiḥ siddhagandharvaiḥ stūyamānaḥ surarṣibhiḥ

Parashara said: Saying 'So be it' to the king of the gods, Hari returned down to the earth, praised all the while by the siddhas, gandharvas, and divine sages who thronged around him.

Verse 9 (vishnu.5.31.9)

ततः शङ्खम् उपाध्माय द्वारकोपरि संस्थितः । हर्षम् उत्पादयाम् आस द्वारकावासिनां द्विज

tataḥ śaṅkham upādhmāya dvārakopari saṁsthitaḥ harṣam utpādayām āsa dvārakāvāsināṁ dvija

Then, O twice-born, stationed above Dvaraka, he blew his conch, filling the inhabitants of Dvaraka with joy.

Verse 10 (vishnu.5.31.10)

अवतीर्याथ गरुडात् सत्यभामासहायवान् । निष्कुटे स्थापयाम् आस पारिजातं महातरुम्

avatīryātha garuḍāt satyabhāmāsahāyavān niṣkuṭe sthāpayām āsa pārijātaṁ mahātarum

Then, descending from Garuda with Satyabhama at his side, he had the great Parijata tree planted in her garden.

Verse 11 (vishnu.5.31.11)

यम् अभ्येत्य जनः सर्वो जातिं स्मरति पौर्विकीम् । वास्यते यस्य पुष्पोत्थगन्धेनोर्वी त्रियोजनम्

yam abhyetya janaḥ sarvo jātiṁ smarati paurvikīm vāsyate yasya puṣpotthagandhenorvī triyojanam

Coming near it, every person remembers his former birth; and by the fragrance rising from its blossoms, the earth for three yojanas around is perfumed.

Verse 12 (vishnu.5.31.12)

ततस्ते यादवाः सर्वे देहबन्धान् अमानुषान् । ददृशुः पादपे तस्मिन् कुर्वतो मुखदर्शनम्

tataste yādavāḥ sarve dehabandhān amānuṣān dadṛśuḥ pādape tasmin kurvato mukhadarśanam

Then all those Yadavas, gazing upon that tree, beheld superhuman forms taking shape, as though showing their faces within it.

Verse 13 (vishnu.5.31.13)

किंकरैः समुपानीतं हस्त्यश्वादि ततो धनम् । स्त्रियश्च कृष्णो जग्राह नरकस्य परिग्रहान्

kiṁkaraiḥ samupānītaṁ hastyaśvādi tato dhanam striyaśca kṛṣṇo jagrāha narakasya parigrahān

Then Krishna took possession of the wealth — elephants, horses, and the rest — brought by the servants, and also the women, all of them Naraka's former possessions.

Verse 14 (vishnu.5.31.14)

ततः काले शुभे प्राप्ते उपयेमे जनार्दनः । ताः कन्या नरकेणासन् सर्वतो याः समाहृताः

tataḥ kāle śubhe prāpte upayeme janārdanaḥ tāḥ kanyā narakeṇāsan sarvato yāḥ samāhṛtāḥ

Then, when an auspicious time arrived, Janardana wedded those maidens whom Naraka had gathered from every quarter.

Verse 15 (vishnu.5.31.15)

एकस्मिन्न् एव गोविन्दः काले तासां महामुने । जग्राह विधिवत् पाणीन् पृथग्गेहेषु धर्मतः

ekasminn eva govindaḥ kāle tāsāṁ mahāmune jagrāha vidhivat pāṇīn pṛthaggeheṣu dharmataḥ

At one and the same time, O great sage, Govinda duly took the hand of each of them in marriage, according to rite, each in her own separate house.

Verse 16 (vishnu.5.31.16)

षोडशस्त्रीसहस्राणि शतम् एकं तथाधिकम् । तावन्ति चक्रे रूपाणि भगवान् मधुसूदनः

ṣoḍaśastrīsahasrāṇi śatam ekaṁ tathādhikam tāvanti cakre rūpāṇi bhagavān madhusūdanaḥ

Sixteen thousand women, and one hundred more besides — the Blessed Madhusudana assumed just so many forms of himself.

Verse 17 (vishnu.5.31.17)

एकैकश्येन ताः कन्या मेनिरे मधुसूदनः । ममैव पाणिग्रहणं भगवान् कृतवान् इति

ekaikaśyena tāḥ kanyā menire madhusūdanaḥ mamaiva pāṇigrahaṇaṁ bhagavān kṛtavān iti

Each of those maidens, individually, believed: 'The Blessed Madhusudana has taken my hand alone in marriage.'

Verse 18 (vishnu.5.31.18)

निशासु च जगत्स्रष्टा तासां गेहेषु केशवः । उवास विप्र सर्वासां विश्वरूपधरो हरिः

niśāsu ca jagatsraṣṭā tāsāṁ geheṣu keśavaḥ uvāsa vipra sarvāsāṁ viśvarūpadharo hariḥ

And at night, O brahmin, Keshava, the creator of the world, Hari bearing his universal form, dwelt in the house of every one of them.