Chapter 207: Pauṇḍraka claiming to be Viṣṇu; the burning of Kāśi

SS 314-315

munaya ūcuḥ:

BRP207.001.1 cakre karma mahac chaurir bibhrad yo mānuṣīṃ tanum |
BRP207.001.2 jigāya śakraṃ śarvaṃ ca sarvadevāṃś ca līlayā || 1 ||
BRP207.002.1 yac cānyad akarot karma divyaceṣṭāvighātakṛt |
BRP207.002.2 kathyatāṃ tan muniśreṣṭha paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi naḥ || 2 ||

vyāsa uvāca:

BRP207.003.1 gadato me muniśreṣṭhāḥ śrūyatām idam ādarāt |
BRP207.003.2 narāvatāre kṛṣṇena dagdhā vārāṇasī yathā || 3 ||
BRP207.004.1 pauṇḍrako vāsudevaś ca vāsudevo 'bhavad bhuvi |
BRP207.004.2 avatīrṇas tvam ity ukto janair ajñānamohitaiḥ || 4 ||
BRP207.005.1 sa mene vāsudevo 'ham avatīrṇo mahītale |
BRP207.005.2 naṣṭasmṛtis tataḥ sarvaṃ viṣṇucihnam acīkarat |
BRP207.005.3 dūtaṃ ca preṣayām āsa sa kṛṣṇāya dvijottamāḥ || 5 ||

dūta uvāca:

BRP207.006.1 tyaktvā cakrādikaṃ cihnaṃ madīyaṃ nāma mātmanaḥ |
BRP207.006.2 vāsudevātmakaṃ mūḍha muktvā sarvam aśeṣataḥ || 6 ||
BRP207.007.1 ātmano jīvitārthaṃ ca tathā me praṇatiṃ vraja || 7 ||

vyāsa uvāca:

BRP207.008.1 ity uktaḥ sa prahasyaiva dūtaṃ prāha janārdanaḥ || 8 ||

śrībhagavān uvāca:

BRP207.009.1 nijacihnam ahaṃ cakraṃ samutsrakṣye tvayīti vai |
BRP207.009.2 vācyaś ca pauṇḍrako gatvā tvayā dūta vaco mama || 9 ||
BRP207.010.1 jñātas tvadvākyasadbhāvo yat kāryaṃ tad vidhīyatām |
BRP207.010.2 gṛhītacihna evāham āgamiṣyāmi te puram || 10 ||
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BRP207.011.1 utsrakṣyāmi ca te cakraṃ nijacihnam asaṃśayam |
BRP207.011.2 ājñāpūrvaṃ ca yad idam āgaccheti tvayoditam || 11 ||
BRP207.012.1 sampādayiṣye śvas tubhyaṃ tad apy eṣo 'vilambitam |
BRP207.012.2 śaraṇaṃ te samabhyetya kartāsmi nṛpate tathā |
BRP207.012.3 yathā tvatto bhayaṃ bhūyo naiva kiñcid bhaviṣyati || 12 ||

vyāsa uvāca:

BRP207.013.1 ity ukte 'pagate dūte saṃsmṛtyābhyāgataṃ hariḥ |
BRP207.013.2 garutmantaṃ samāruhya tvaritaṃ tatpuraṃ yayau || 13 ||
BRP207.014.1 tasyāpi keśavodyogaṃ śrutvā kāśipatis tadā |
BRP207.014.2 sarvasainyaparīvārapārṣṇigrāham upāyayau || 14 ||
BRP207.015.1 tato balena mahatā kāśirājabalena ca |
BRP207.015.2 pauṇḍrako vāsudevo 'sau keśavābhimukhaṃ yayau || 15 ||
BRP207.016.1 taṃ dadarśa harir dūrād udārasyandane sthitam |
BRP207.016.2 cakraśaṅkhagadāpāṇiṃ pāṇinā vidhṛtāmbujam || 16 ||
BRP207.017.1 sragdharaṃ dhṛtaśārṅgaṃ ca suparṇaracanādhvajam |
BRP207.017.2 vakṣasthalakṛtaṃ cāsya śrīvatsaṃ dadṛśe hariḥ || 17 ||
BRP207.018.1 kirīṭakuṇḍaladharaṃ pītavāsaḥsamanvitam |
BRP207.018.2 dṛṣṭvā taṃ bhāvagambhīraṃ jahāsa madhusūdanaḥ || 18 ||
BRP207.019.1 yuyudhe ca balenāsya hastyaśvabalinā dvijāḥ |
BRP207.019.2 nistriṃśarṣṭigadāśūlaśaktikārmukaśālinā || 19 ||
BRP207.020.1 kṣaṇena śārṅganirmuktaiḥ śarair agnividāraṇaiḥ |
BRP207.020.2 gadācakrātipātaiś ca sūdayām āsa tadbalam || 20 ||
BRP207.021.1 kāśirājabalaṃ caiva kṣayaṃ nītvā janārdanaḥ |
BRP207.021.2 uvāca pauṇḍrakaṃ mūḍham ātmacihnopalakṣaṇam || 21 ||

śrībhagavān uvāca:

BRP207.022.1 pauṇḍrakoktaṃ tvayā yat tad dūtavaktreṇa māṃ prati |
BRP207.022.2 samutsṛjeti cihnāni tat te sampādayāmy aham || 22 ||
BRP207.023.1 cakram etat samutsṛṣṭaṃ gadeyaṃ te visarjitā |
BRP207.023.2 garutmān eṣa nirdiṣṭaḥ samārohatu te dhvajam || 23 ||
BRP207.024.1 ity uccārya vimuktena cakreṇāsau vidāritaḥ |
BRP207.024.2 pothito gadayā bhagno garutmāṃś ca garutmatā || 24 ||
BRP207.025.1 tato hāhākṛte loke kāśīnām adhipas tadā |
BRP207.025.2 yuyudhe vāsudevena mitrasyāpacitau sthitaḥ || 25 ||
BRP207.026.1 tataḥ śārṅgavinirmuktaiś chittvā tasya śaraiḥ śiraḥ |
BRP207.026.2 kāśipuryāṃ sa cikṣepa kurvaṃl lokasya vismayam || 26 ||
BRP207.027.1 hatvā tu pauṇḍrakaṃ śauriḥ kāśirājaṃ ca sānugam |
BRP207.027.2 reme dvāravatīṃ prāpto 'maraḥ svargagato yathā || 27 ||
BRP207.028.1 tacchiraḥ patitaṃ tatra dṛṣṭvā kāśipateḥ pure |
BRP207.028.2 janaḥ kim etad ity āha kenety atyantavismitaḥ || 28 ||
BRP207.029.1 jñātvā taṃ vāsudevena hataṃ tasya sutas tataḥ |
BRP207.029.2 purohitena sahitas toṣayām āsa śaṅkaram || 29 ||
BRP207.030.1 avimukte mahākṣetre toṣitas tena śaṅkaraḥ |
BRP207.030.2 varaṃ vṛṇīṣveti tadā taṃ provāca nṛpātmajam || 30 ||
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BRP207.031.1 sa vavre bhagavan kṛtyā pitur hantur vadhāya me |
BRP207.031.2 samuttiṣṭhatu kṛṣṇasya tvatprasādān maheśvara || 31 ||

vyāsa uvāca:

BRP207.032.1 evaṃ bhaviṣyatīty ukte dakṣiṇāgner anantaram |
BRP207.032.2 mahākṛtyā samuttasthau tasyaivāgniniveśanāt || 32 ||
BRP207.033.1 tato jvālākarālāsyā jvalatkeśakalāpikā |
BRP207.033.2 kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇeti kupitā kṛtvā dvāravatīṃ yayau || 33 ||
BRP207.034.1 tām avekṣya janaḥ sarvo raudrāṃ vikṛtalocanām |
BRP207.034.2 yayau śaraṇyaṃ jagatāṃ śaraṇaṃ madhusūdanam || 34 ||

janā ūcuḥ:

BRP207.035.1 kāśirājasuteneyam ārādhya vṛṣabhadhvajam |
BRP207.035.2 utpāditā mahākṛtyā vadhāya tava cakriṇaḥ |
BRP207.035.3 jahi kṛtyām imām ugrāṃ vahnijvālājaṭākulām || 35 ||

vyāsa uvāca:

BRP207.036.1 cakram utsṛṣṭam akṣeṣu krīḍāsaktena līlayā |
BRP207.036.2 tad agnimālājaṭilaṃ jvālodgārātibhīṣaṇam || 36 ||
BRP207.037.1 kṛtyām anujagāmāśu viṣṇucakraṃ sudarśanam |
BRP207.037.2 tataḥ sā cakravidhvastā kṛtyā māheśvarī tadā || 37 ||
BRP207.038.1 jagāma veginī vegāt tad apy anujagāma tām |
BRP207.038.2 kṛtyā vārāṇasīm eva praviveśa tvarānvitā || 38 ||
BRP207.039.1 viṣṇucakrapratihataprabhāvā munisattamāḥ |
BRP207.039.2 tataḥ kāśibalaṃ bhūri pramathānāṃ tathā balam || 39 ||
BRP207.040.1 samastaśastrāstrayutaṃ cakrasyābhimukhaṃ yayau |
BRP207.040.2 śastrāstramokṣabahulaṃ dagdhvā tad balam ojasā || 40 ||
BRP207.041.1 kṛtvākṣemām aśeṣāṃ tāṃ purīṃ vārāṇasīṃ yayau |
BRP207.041.2 prabhūtabhṛtyapaurāṃ tāṃ sāśvamātaṅgamānavām || 41 ||
BRP207.042.1 aśeṣadurgakoṣṭhāṃ tāṃ durnirīkṣyāṃ surair api |
BRP207.042.2 jvālāparivṛtāśeṣagṛhaprākāratoraṇām || 42 ||
BRP207.043.1 dadāha tāṃ purīṃ cakraṃ sakalām eva satvaram |
BRP207.043.2 akṣīṇāmarṣam atyalpasādhyasādhananispṛham |
BRP207.043.3 tac cakraṃ prasphuraddīpti viṣṇor abhyāyayau karam || 43 ||