Source
Texts:
The
History of Pradyumna
Text
1
S'rî
S'uka said: 'Cupid [Kâmadeva], an expansion of
Vâsudeva who previously got burned by the anger of Rudra,
in order to again obtain a body, indeed returned to Him
[see also 3.1:
28 and
8.10:
32-34 and
B.G.
10.28].
S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî said: Kâmadeva [Cupid], an
expansion of Vâsudeva, had previously been burned to
ashes by Rudra's anger. Now, to obtain a new body, he merged
back into the body of Lord Vâsudeva.
Text
2
He from the
seed of Krishna begotten in the daughter of the king of
Vidarbha [Rukminî] was thus known as Pradyumna
['the preeminently mighty one', see also
vyûhas]
and was in no respect inferior to His Father.
He
took birth in the womb of Vaidarbhî from the seed of
Lord Krishna and received the name Pradyumna. In no respect
was He inferior to His father.
Text
3
S'ambara
['the juggler' see 7.2:
4-5,
10.36:
36],
who could assume forms at will, stole the child not yet ten
days old, but he, recognizing Him as his enemy, threw Him in
the sea and returned home.
The
demon S'ambara, who could assume any form he desired,
kidnapped the infant before He was even ten days old.
Understanding Pradyumna to be his enemy, S'ambara threw Him
into the sea and then returned home.
Text
4
He
was swallowed by a mighty fish that together with others
trapped in a huge net was caught by fishermen.
A
powerful fish swallowed Pradyumna, and this fish, along with
others, was caught in a huge net and seized by
fishermen.
Text
5
The
fishermen presented it being so amazing to S'ambara who had the
cooks bring the offering to the kitchen where its was cut open
with a knife.
The
fishermen presented that extraordinary fish to S'ambara, who
had his cooks bring it to the kitchen, where they began
cutting it up with a butcher knife.
Text
6
Seeing
a child in its belly it was given to Mâyâvatî
to whom being astonished Nârada related the facts about
the child its birth and how it had ended up in the belly of the
fish.
Seeing
a male child in the belly of the fish, the cooks gave the
infant to Mâyâvatî, who was astonished.
Nârada Muni then appeared and explained to her
everything about the child's birth and His entering the
fish's abdomen.
Text
7-8:
She,
who by S'ambara was appointed to prepare rice and vegetables,
was in fact Cupids famous wife named Rati who [after
pleading with Lord S'iva being directed to S'ambara ] was
waiting for her burned husband to attain a new body.
Understanding that the infant was Kâmadeva she developed
love for the child.
Mâyâvatî
was in fact Cupid's renowned wife, Rati. While waiting for
her husband to obtain a new body - his previous one having
been burnt up - she had been assigned by S'ambara to prepare
vegetables and rice. Mâyâvatî understood
that this infant was actually Kâmadeva, and thus she
began to feel love for Him.
Text
9
Not
so long thereafter gave He, the son of Krishna, attaining full
youth, rise to enchantment with the woman looking at
Him.
After
a short time, this son of Krishna - Pradyumna - attained His
full youth. He enchanted all women who gazed upon
Him.
Text
10
My
best, lovingly approached she with a bashful smile, raised
eyebrows and glances and gestures of sexual attraction Him, her
husband, the most beautiful one in the society with His long
arms and eyes spread wide like a lotus.
My
dear King, with a bashful smile and raised eyebrows,
Mâyâvatî exhibited various gestures of
conjugal attraction as she lovingly approached her husband,
whose eyes were broad like the petals of a lotus, whose arms
were very long and who was the most beautiful of men.
Text
11
To
her said the Supreme Lord as Krishna's own son: 'O mother in
your attitude differently acting like a girlfriend you overstep
the mood of motherly affection.'
Lord
Pradyumna told her, "O mother, your attitude has changed.
You are overstepping the proper feelings of a mother and
behaving like a lover."
Text
12
Rati
replied: 'You are the son of Nârâyana stolen by
S'ambara from Your home and I am Your legitimate wife Rati, o
Cupid my Master!'
Rati
said: You are the son of Lord Nârâyana and were
kidnapped from Your parents' home by S'ambara. I, Rati, am
Your legitimate wife, O master, because You are
Cupid.
Text
13
You
not yet ten days old were by him, that demon S'ambara, thrown
into the ocean where a fish devoured You of which belly we
obtained You here o master!
That
demon, S'ambara, threw You into the sea when You were not
even ten days old, and a fish swallowed You. Then in this
very place we recovered You from the fish's abdomen, O
master.
Text
14
Please kill
Your hard to approach and conquer enemy who knows hundreds of
magic spells; that You can do with the bewilderment of magic
and such!
Now
kill this dreadful S'ambara, Your formidable enemy. Although
he knows hundreds of magic spells, You can defeat him with
bewildering magic and other techniques.
Text
15
Your poor
mother with her son gone, pitiful distressed like a cow without
her calf, is overwhelmed by love for her child crying like an
osprey.'
Your
poor mother, having lost her son, cries for You like a
kurarî bird. She is overwhelmed with love for her
child, just like a cow that has lost its calf.
Text
16
Thus
speaking gave Mâyâvatî that great soul
Pradyumna the mystic knowledge of Mahâmâyâ
['the great bewildering potency'] that puts an end to
all deluding spells.
[S'ukadeva
Gosvâmî continued:] Speaking thus,
Mâyâvatî gave to the great soul Pradyumna
the mystic knowledge called Mahâmâyâ,
which vanquishes all other deluding spells.
Text
17
He then
approaching S'ambara for battle, reviled him with intolerable
insults to incite a fight.
Pradyumna
approached S'ambara and called him to battle, hurling
intolerable insults at him to foment a conflict.
Text
18
He offended by
the harsh words with eyes turned red as copper infuriated like
a snake struck by a foot came out holding a
mace.
Offended
by these harsh words, S'ambara became as agitated as a
kicked snake. He came out, club in hand, his eyes red with
rage.
Text
19
Whirling his
club swiftly threw he it at Pradyumna the Great Soul, producing
a sound as sharp as a stroke of lightning.
S'ambara
whirled his club swiftly about and then hurled it at the
wise Pradyumna, producing a sound as sharp as a thunder
crack.
Text
20
It was in its
flight by the Supreme Lord with His club knocked away, o King,
upon which He angered hurled His own club at His
enemy.
As
S'ambara's club came flying toward Him, Lord Pradyumna
knocked it away with His own. Then, O King, Pradyumna
angrily threw His club at the enemy.
Text
21
He, the demon,
resorting to the daitya magic he had learned from Maya
Dânava, released from up in the sky a downpour of weapons
over the son of Krishna [compare: 3.19:
20].
Resorting
to the black magic of the Daityas taught to him by Maya
Dânava, S'ambara suddenly appeared in the sky and
released a downpour of weapons upon Krishna's son.
Text
22
Harassed by the
rain of weapons did the powerful warrior, the son of
Rukminî, implement the great charm rooting in goodness
which overcomes all magic.
Harassed
by this rain of weapons, Lord Raukmineya, the greatly
powerful warrior, made use of the mystic science called
Mahâ-mâyâ, which was created from the mode
of goodness and which could defeat all other mystic
power.
Text
23
The
demon then used hundreds of weapons belonging to Kuvera's
guardians [Guhyakas], the heavenly singers
[Gandharvas], the ogres [Pis'âcas], the
celestial snakes [Uragas ] and the man-eaters
[Râkshasas], but the son of Krishna stroke all of
these down.
The
demon then unleashed hundreds of mystic weapons belonging to
the Guhyakas, Gandharvas, Pis'âcas, Uragas and
Râkshasas, but Lord Kârshni, Pradyumna, struck
them all down.
Text
24
Drawing
His sharp-edged sword severed he with force S'ambara's head,
complete with his helmet, earrings and red mustache from his
body.
Drawing
His sharp-edged sword, Pradyumna forcefully cut off
S'ambara's head, complete with red mustache, helmet and
earrings.
Text
25
Being showered
by the gods above, of praise scattering flowers, was He by His
wife traveling through the sky brought to the city [of
Dvârakâ]
As
the residents of the higher planets showered Pradyumna with
flowers and chanted His praises, His wife appeared in the
sky and transported Him through the heavens, back to the
city of Dvârakâ.
Text
26
The inner
palace most exquisite, o King, crowded with hundreds of women
was by Him with His wife entered from the sky like a cloud with
lightning.
O
King, Lord Pradyumna and His wife resembled a cloud
accompanied by lightning as they descended from the sky into
the inner quarters of Krishna's most excellent palace, which
were crowded with lovely women.
Text
27-28
Seeing Him dark
as a cloud, dressed in yellow silk, with long arms, reddish
eyes, a pleasing smile, His charming countenance; His nicely
decorated lotuslike face and the bluish-black curling locks
became the women, thinking He was Krishna, bashful and took
they off to hide themselves here and there.
The
women of the palace thought He was Lord Krishna when they
saw His dark- blue complexion the color of a rain cloud, His
yellow silk garments, His long arms and red-tinged eyes, His
charming lotus face adorned with a pleasing smile, His fine
ornaments and His thick, curly blue hair. Thus the women
became bashful and hid themselves here and there.
Text
29
By and by
realized the ladies slight differences in appearance and came
they delighted and surprised near Him there together with
[Rati,] that jewel among women.
Gradually,
from the slight differences between His appearance and
Krishna's, the ladies realized He was not the Lord.
Delighted and astonished, they approached Pradyumna and His
consort, who was a jewel among women.
Text
30
The
breasts of the sweet-voiced and dark-eyed Rukminî,
remembering her lost son, there then flowed of
affection.
Seeing
Pradyumna, sweet-voiced, dark-eyed Rukminî remembered
her lost son, and her breasts became moist out of
affection.
Text
31
[She
thought:] 'Who indeed would this gem among men be, whose
son is He and what lotuseyed woman has carried Him in her womb,
and even more, who is this woman won by Him?
[S'rîmatî
Rukminî-devî said:] Who is this lotus-eyed
jewel among men? What man's son is He, and what woman
carried Him in her womb? And who is this woman He has taken
as His wife?
Text
32
If
my son lost from the maternity room were alive some where, He'd
be of the same age and appearance.
If
my lost son, who was kidnapped from the maternity room, were
still alive somewhere, He would be of the same age and
appearance as this young man.
Text
33
How
could He have acquired the same appearance in body, gait,
limbs,voice, smile and glance as that of the wielder of
S'ârnga [Krishna's bow]?
But
how is it that this young man so much resembles my own Lord,
Krishna, the wielder of S'ârnga, in His bodily form
and His limbs, in His gait and the tone of His voice, and in
His smiling glance?
Text
34
Considering my
great affection for Him and the trembling in my left arm, He's
no doubt - He must be - for sure, the child I carried in my
womb!'
Yes,
He must be the same child I bore in my womb, since I feel
great affection for Him and my left arm is quivering.
Text
35
While the
daughter of the king of Vaidarbha was thus conjecturing arrived
the Lord Hailed in the Scriptures there together with
Devakî and Ânakadundhubi.
As
Queen Rukminî conjectured in this way, Lord Krishna,
the son of Devakî, arrived on the scene with Vasudeva
and Devakî.
Text
36
Even
though the Supreme Lord understood the matter remained He,
Janârdana, silent; it was Nârada who recounted
everything beginning with the kidnapping by
S'ambara.
Although
Lord Janârdana knew perfectly well what had
transpired, He remained silent. The sage Nârada,
however, explained everything, beginning with S'ambara's
kidnapping of the child.
Text
37
The
women of Krishna's residence hearing of that great wonder then
cheered in ecstasy to the one lost for so many years as if
someone had returned from death.
When
the women of Lord Krishna's palace heard this most amazing
account, they joyfully greeted Pradyumna, who had been lost
for many years but who had now returned as if from the
dead.
Text
38
Devakî,
Vasudeva, Krishna, Balarâma as also the women and
Rukminî embraced the couple and rejoiced.
Devakî,
Vasudeva, Krishna, Balarâma and all the women of the
palace, especially Queen Rukminî, embraced the young
couple and rejoiced.
Text
39
The
residents of Dvârakâ hearing that Pradyumna being
lost had returned thus declared: 'O providence, the child we
thought dead has really come back!'
Hearing
that lost Pradyumna had come home, the residents of
Dvârakâ declared, "Ah, providence has allowed
this child to return as if from death!"
Text
40
If not at all
amazing they - they who indeed repeatedly thought of the
likeness of His father as their master - in being His mothers
in the full of their attraction backed off in respect of Him,
the way He appeared before their eyes indeed as a reflection of
the Shelter of the Goddess of Fortune His form, as Cupid the
God of Love in person, then what would one expect of other
women?
It
is not astonishing that the palace women, who should have
felt maternal affection for Pradyumna, privately felt
ecstatic attraction for Him as if He were their own Lord.
After all, the son exactly resembled His father. Indeed,
Pradyumna was a perfect reflection of the beauty of Lord
Krishna, the shelter of the goddess of fortune, and appeared
before their eyes as Cupid Himself. Since even those on the
level of His mother felt conjugal attraction for Him, then
what to speak of how other women felt when they saw
Him?
