Kamsa's Boast and Decree

Verse 1 (vishnu.5.4.1)

कंसस्ततोद्रिग्रमनाः प्राह सव्वीन महासुरान् । प्रलम्बकेशिप्रमुखानाहूयासुरपुङ्गवान्

kaṁsastatodrigramanāḥ prāha savvīna mahāsurān pralambakeśipramukhānāhūyāsurapuṅgavān

Then Kamsa, his mind agitated, summoned all the great Asuras — the foremost among them, Pralamba, Keshi, and the rest — and spoke.

Verse 2 (vishnu.5.4.2)

हे प्रलम्ब! महाबाहो ! केशिन् !धेनुक!पूतने ! अरिष्टाद्यस्तथा चान्यैः श्रूयतां वचनं मम

he pralamba! mahābāho ! keśin !dhenuka!pūtane ! ariṣṭādyastathā cānyaiḥ śrūyatāṁ vacanaṁ mama

"O Pralamba! O mighty-armed Keshi! Dhenuka! Putana! Arishta, and the rest of you — hear my words."

Verse 3 (vishnu.5.4.3)

मां हन्तुममरैर्यत्रः कृतः किल दुरात्मभिः । मद्रीर्य्यतापितैवींरो न त्वेतान् गणयाम्यहम्

māṁ hantumamarairyatraḥ kṛtaḥ kila durātmabhiḥ madrīryyatāpitaivīṁro na tvetān gaṇayāmyaham

"O heroes, the evil-souled gods, scorched by my valor, have indeed made attempts on my life — but I count them as nothing."

Verse 4 (vishnu.5.4.4)

किमिन्द्रणाल्पवीर्य्येण किं हरेणैकचारिणा । हरिणा वापि किं साध्यं छिद्रष्वसुरघातिना

kimindraṇālpavīryyeṇa kiṁ hareṇaikacāriṇā hariṇā vāpi kiṁ sādhyaṁ chidraṣvasuraghātinā

"What can Indra, of so little might, accomplish? What the solitary-wandering Hara? Or what can Hari, slayer of Asuras, achieve, who strikes only at weak moments?"

Verse 5 (vishnu.5.4.5)

किमादित्यैः किं वसुभिरल्पवीय्यैः किमग्रिभिः । किञ्चान्यैरमरैः सर्व्वैर्मदूबाहुबलनिर्ज्जितैः

kimādityaiḥ kiṁ vasubhiralpavīyyaiḥ kimagribhiḥ kiñcānyairamaraiḥ sarvvairmadūbāhubalanirjjitaiḥ

"What of the Adityas? What of the feeble Vasus? What of the Fires? And what of all the other gods, already conquered by the strength of my arms?"

Verse 6 (vishnu.5.4.6)

किं न दृष्टोऽमरपतिर्मया संयुगमेत्य सः । पृष्ठेनैव वहन् वाणानपागच्छन्न वक्षसा

kiṁ na dṛṣṭo'marapatirmayā saṁyugametya saḥ pṛṣṭhenaiva vahan vāṇānapāgacchanna vakṣasā

"Have I not seen the very lord of the immortals himself, coming to face me in battle, flee bearing my arrows on his back, not his chest?"

Verse 7 (vishnu.5.4.7)

मद्राष्ट्रे वारिता वृष्टिर्यदा शक्रेणा किं तदा । मद्राणभिन्नैर्जलदैरापोऽमुक्ता यथेप्सिताः

madrāṣṭre vāritā vṛṣṭiryadā śakreṇā kiṁ tadā madrāṇabhinnairjaladairāpo'muktā yathepsitāḥ

"When Indra once withheld the rain from my kingdom, what came of it? The clouds, pierced by my arrows, poured down their waters exactly as I willed."

Verse 8 (vishnu.5.4.8)

किमुर्व्ब्यामवनीपाला मद्रबाहुबलभीरवः । न सर्व्वे सन्नतिं याता जरासन्धमृते गुरुम्

kimurvbyāmavanīpālā madrabāhubalabhīravaḥ na sarvve sannatiṁ yātā jarāsandhamṛte gurum

"Have not all the kings of this earth, in fear of the strength of my arm, bowed low before me — all save my venerable father-in-law Jarasandha?"

Verse 9 (vishnu.5.4.9)

अमरेषु च मेऽवज्ञा जायते दैत्यपुङ्गवाः । हास्यं मे जायते बींरास्तेषु यत्रपरेष्वपि

amareṣu ca me'vajñā jāyate daityapuṅgavāḥ hāsyaṁ me jāyate bīṁrāsteṣu yatrapareṣvapi

"O foremost of the Daityas, contempt alone rises in me for the gods; O heroes, they, and any other foe besides, stir only laughter in me."

Verse 10 (vishnu.5.4.10)

तथापि खलु दुष्टानां तेषामभ्यधिकं मया । अपकाराय देत्येन्द्रा यतनीयं दुरात्मनाम्

tathāpi khalu duṣṭānāṁ teṣāmabhyadhikaṁ mayā apakārāya detyendrā yatanīyaṁ durātmanām

"Nevertheless, O lords of the Daityas, I must still labor all the harder for the harm of those wicked, evil-souled gods."

Verse 11 (vishnu.5.4.11)

तदू ये यशस्विनः केचित् पृथिव्यां ये च यज्विनः । कार्य्यो देबापकाराय तेषां सर्व्वात्मना वधः

tadū ye yaśasvinaḥ kecit pṛthivyāṁ ye ca yajvinaḥ kāryyo debāpakārāya teṣāṁ sarvvātmanā vadhaḥ

"Therefore, whoever on this earth is renowned, and whoever performs sacrifice — for the harm of the gods, their destruction must be accomplished by every means."

Verse 12 (vishnu.5.4.12)

उत्पन्नश्वापि मृत्युर्मे भूतपूर्व्वः स वै किल । इत्येतदू बालिका प्राह देवकीगर्भसम्भवा

utpannaśvāpi mṛtyurme bhūtapūrvvaḥ sa vai kila ityetadū bālikā prāha devakīgarbhasambhavā

"'And my death, foreordained long before, has now indeed been born' — so spoke that girl born from Devaki's womb."

Verse 13 (vishnu.5.4.13)

तस्मादू बालेषु परमो यत्रः कार्य्यो महीतले । यत्रोद्रिक्तं बलं बाले स हन्तव्यः प्रयत्रतः

tasmādū bāleṣu paramo yatraḥ kāryyo mahītale yatrodriktaṁ balaṁ bāle sa hantavyaḥ prayatrataḥ

"Therefore the greatest effort must be made concerning every infant on this earth: wherever excessive strength appears in a child, that child is to be carefully put to death."

Verse 14 (vishnu.5.4.14)

इत्याज्ञाप्यासुरान् कंसः प्रविश्यात्मगृहं ततः । मुमोच वसुदेवञ्च देवकीञ्च निरोधतः

ityājñāpyāsurān kaṁsaḥ praviśyātmagṛhaṁ tataḥ mumoca vasudevañca devakīñca nirodhataḥ

Having thus commanded the Asuras, Kamsa then went into his own house and released Vasudeva and Devaki from their confinement.

Verse 15 (vishnu.5.4.15)

युवयोर्घातिता गर्भा वृथैवैते मयाधुना । कोऽप्यन्य एव नाशाय बालो मम समुदूगतः

yuvayorghātitā garbhā vṛthaivaite mayādhunā ko'pyanya eva nāśāya bālo mama samudūgataḥ

"'These children of yours I have killed all this while for nothing; some other child entirely has been born for my destruction.'"

Verse 16 (vishnu.5.4.16)

तदलं परितापेन नूनं तद्भाविनो हि ते । अर्भका युवयोर्दोषाच्चायुषो यद्रियोजिताः

tadalaṁ paritāpena nūnaṁ tadbhāvino hi te arbhakā yuvayordoṣāccāyuṣo yadriyojitāḥ

"'So let there be an end to grief; surely it was destiny, and no fault of mine, that parted those children of yours from life.'"

Verse 17 (vishnu.5.4.17)

इत्याश्वास्य विमुक्त्वां च कंसस्तौ परिशङ्कितः । अन्तर्गहं द्रिजश्वेष्ठ प्रविवेश पुनः स्वकम्

ityāśvāsya vimuktvāṁ ca kaṁsastau pariśaṅkitaḥ antargahaṁ drijaśveṣṭha praviveśa punaḥ svakam

O best of brahmins, having thus consoled and released them both, Kamsa, still uneasy, withdrew again into his own inner chambers.