Radha Krishna - Chapter 59: Mura and Bhauma Killed and the Prayers of Bhûmi

(1) The honorable king said: 'Please tell me of this adventure of the wielder of S'ârnga [Krishna]. How was Bhauma, who captured these women, killed by the Supreme Lord?'

(2-3) S'rî S'uka said: 'Informed by Indra, whose parasol of Varuna [his sign of royalty] as well as a place [called Mani-parvata] on the mountain of the gods [Mandara hill, see 8.6: 22-23] had been stolen and whose relative [mother Aditi, see 8.17] had been robbed of her earrings, went He [Lord Krishna answering] to what Bhaumâsura all had done together with His wife [Satyabhâmâ see *] seated on Garuda to the city of Prâgjyotisha [Bhauma's capital now Tejpur of Assam], which lay protected surrounded by mountains and weapons, fire, water and wind and was fortified by a [mura-pâs'a] fence consisting of tens of thousands of tough and dreadful wires on all sides. (4) With His club broke He through the rock fortifications, with His arrows defeated He the weapon systems, with His disc He broke through the fire, water and wind defense and with His sword found He likewise His way through the fence. (5) With the resounding of His conchshell breaking the seals [of the fortress] and the hearts of the brave warriors, broke Gadâdhara with His heavy mace through the ramparts. (6) Hearing the vibration of the Lord His Pâñcajanya, that sounded like the thunder when the universe ends, rose up the five-headed demon Mura who lay asleep in the water [of the moat].

(7) Raising his trident, most difficult to behold with an effulgence as terrible as the fire of the sun, launched he, as if he with his five mouths would swallow the three worlds, his attack the way the son of Târkshya [Garuda] would attack a snake. (8) Whirling about his trident threw he it with all his strength at Garuda with such a tumultuous roar of his five mouths that the earth, the sky, outer space in all directions and that the egglike shell of the universe reverberated. (9) Lord Krishna then with two arrows broke the trident flying at Garuda in three pieces and next hit with great force his faces with more arrows. Thereupon hurled the demon in anger his club at Him. (10) That club flying at Him was by the Elder Brother of Gada [Gadâgraja, Krishna] on the battlefield broken into thousands of pieces. With him next with his arms raised rushing at Him, sliced the unconquerable One with ease the heads off with His disc. (11) As he lifeless fell into the water with his heads severed as if Indra with his force had split off a mountain peak, moved his seven sons, feeling greatly distressed upon their father's death, angered into action to retaliate.

(12) Engaged by Bhaumâsura came Tâmra, Antariksha, S'ravana, Vibhâvasu, Vasu, Nabhasvân and Aruna the seventh with Pîthha leading as their general out to the battlefield carrying their weapons. (13) In their attack they angrily used swords, clubs, spears, lances and tridents against the Invincible One, but at no time was He in His prowess frustrated by their mountain of weapons; the Supreme Lord cut them with His arrows all into tiny pieces. (14) Cutting off their heads, thighs, arms, legs and armor sent He them all who were headed by Pîthha to the abode of Yamarâja. Bhauma, the son of mother earth, seeing how his army and leaders succumbed to the arrows and disc of Krishna, unable to bear that stepped forward with mada exuding elephants that were born from the milk ocean. (15) Seeing Lord Krishna with His wife sitting upon Garuda like a cloud with lightning sits above the sun, released he his S'ataghnî [spiked missile] at Him and attacked at the same time all his soldiers. (16) The Supreme Lord, the Elder Brother of Gada, turned their bodies - and at the same time the bodies of the horses and elephants - with diversely feathered sharp arrows into a collection of severed arms, thighs and necks. (17-19) Each of the sharp and shafted weapons that the warriors employed, o hero of the Kurus, were by Krishna with three arrows at a time cut to pieces. Carried by the great winged one, were with strokes from both his wings by Garuda the elephants beaten. The elephants because of his wings, beak and talons moved in distress back into the city while Naraka ['hell' or Bhauma] continued the battle. (20) Bhauma, annoyed to see how because of Garuda his army was forced in retreat, struck him with the spear that [once] withstood the thunderbolt [of Indra], but he wasn't shaken more by it than an elephant is upon being hit with a flower. (21) Next took Bhauma, frustrated in his endeavors, up his trident to kill Krishna, but before he could even release it, cut the Lord with the razor-sharp edge of His cakra off the head of Bhaumâsura as he was sitting on his elephant. (22) Complete with its brilliant, shining decorations of earrings and a nice helmet fell it to the ground. Worshiping Him with [exclamations of] 'Alas, alas' and 'Bravo bravo!' showered the sages and ruling gods Lord Krishna with flowers.

(23) Thereupon approaching Krishna presented mother earth golden earrings glowing with shining jewels, a Vaijayantî garland of forest flowers and gave she Him the parasol of Varuna and the Great Gem [the peak of Mandara]. (24) The goddess then, o King, with a mind full of devotion folding her palms and bowing down, praised the Lord of the Universe who is worshiped by the best of the gods. (25) Bhûmi said: 'To You my obeisances o God of Gods, o Lord, holder of the conch, the disc and the club, who to the desire of Your devotees have assumed Your forms, o Supreme Soul; let there be the praise unto You. (26) My homage is for Him with the lotuslike depression in His belly, my reverence for the One with the garland of lotuses, my respects for He whose glance is as cool as a lotus, my praise unto You with the feet that are like lotuses [as in 1.8: 22]. (27) My obeisances unto You, the Supreme Lord, Vâsudeva, Vishnu, the Original Person, the Seed and Full of Knowledge, unto You my salutations. (28) May there be the veneration for You, the Unborn Progenitor, the Unlimited Absolute, the Soul of the energies higher and lower, the Soul of the Creation, the Supersoul! (29) You, desiring to create o Master stand out Unborn [as Brahmâ], for annihilation You adopt the ignorance [as S'iva] and for maintenance You are [manifested as] the goodness [as vishnu-avatâras] of the Universe [and yet are You] not covered [by these modes], o Lord of Jagat [the Living Being that is the Universe]. Being Kâla [time], Pradhâna [the original state of matter] and Purusha [the complete as the Original Person] are You yet of a separate existence. (30) This self of mine, the water, the fire and the air, the ether, the sense objects, the demigods, the mind, the senses, the doer, the total material energy, in sum everything that moves around or doesn't move, constitutes [when it exists only for itself] perplexity o Supreme Lord, because this all resides within You, the One Without a Second [see also siddhânta]! (31) This son of him [Bhauma's son, Bhûmi's grandson] has in his fear approached the lotus feet of You who removes the distress of those who take shelter; please protect him and place on his head Your lotushand which eradicates all sins.'

(32) S'rî S'uka said: 'The Supreme Lord, with these words entreated by Bhûmi with devotion and humility, entered, to take away the fear, the residence of Bhauma that was rich with all opulences. (33) There the Lord saw sixteen thousand [**] maidens of the royal order who by Bhaumâsura by force were stolen from the kings. (34) The women upon seeing Him entering, the most excellent of all men, enchanted chose for Him who was brought by fate to them as the husband of their desire. (35) Absorbed in Krishna thinking: 'May providence make that He becomes my husband', installed they Him thus all individually in their hearts. (36) Having them properly washed and clad in spotless clothes, sent He them in palanquins off to Dvârakâ together with the enormous treasure of chariots, horses and a great number of other valuables [that was seized]. (37) Kes'ava dispatched also sixty-four swift white elephants with four tusks stemming from the family of Airâvata [Indra's elephant]. (38-39) Going to the abode of the king of the gods and giving Aditi her earrings was He together with His beloved [Satyabhâmâ] worshiped by Indra the head of the [chief] thirty demigods and the great king his wife. Urged by His wife He uprooted the pârijâta, placed it on Garuda and brought it, defeating the demigods [who opposed that], to His city. (40) All the way from heaven followed by the bees greedy for its sweet fragrance and juice, beautified the tree after being planted in the garden of Satyabhâmâ's residence. (41) After he [Indra] had bowed down, to the occasion of which he with the tips of his crown touched His feet, and had begged Acyuta to fulfill his purpose, started he, that great soul among the demigods, having achieved his purpose, to quarrel with Him [about the pârijâta]. To hell with their wealth, what an ignorance! [see also: 3.3: 5]. (42) Then married the Supreme Lord, all at the same time in various residences, those women as should, for the purpose of which the Imperishable One assumed as many forms [see 10.58: 45, 10.69: 19-45 and B.G. 9: 15; 13: 31]. (43) Remaining in their unequalled and superior palaces which He never left, enjoyed He, the performer of the inconceivable, with the women eager to please Him and fulfilled He, being absorbed in the pleasure like any other man, His duties as a householder [see also 1.11: 37-39]. (44) The women so obtaining the Husband of Ramâ thus knew to attain Him in a manner not even available to Brahmâ and the other gods, the way they shared in an ever-increasing pleasure the always fresh loving attraction of associating with Him in smiles and glances, intimate talks and bashfulness. (45) Approaching Him, offering a seat, being of first-class worship, washing His feet, serving with betelnut, massages and fanning, fragrances, garlands, dressing His hair, arranging His bed, bathing and presenting gifts were they, though having hundreds of maidservants, [personally] of service to the Almighty Lord.'