श्रीशुक उवाच ।
एकादश्यां निराहारः समभ्यर्च्य जनार्दनम् ।
स्नातुं नन्दस्तु कालिन्द्या द्वादश्यां जलमाविशत् ॥ १॥
तं गृहीत्वानयद्भृत्यो वरुणस्यासुरोऽन्तिकम् ।
अविज्ञायासुरीं वेलां प्रविष्टमुदकं निशि ॥ २॥
चुक्रुशुस्तमपश्यन्तः कृष्ण रामेति गोपकाः ।
भगवांस्तदुपश्रुत्य पितरं वरुणाहृतम् ।
तदन्तिकं गतो राजन् स्वानामभयदो विभुः ॥ ३॥
प्राप्तं वीक्ष्य हृषीकेशं लोकपालः सपर्यया ।
महत्या पूजयित्वाऽऽह तद्दर्शनमहोत्सवः ॥ ४॥
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Śrī Śuka began again : Having fasted on the (following) Ekādaśī (the eleventh day of a lunar fortnight) and duly worshipped Lord Viṣṇu (who is solicited by His devotees and is the deity presiding over this day), Nanda descended into the water of the Kālindi (during the third watch of the night) in order to take his bath within the hours of the Dwadāsi (the twelfth day). (1)
A demon servant of Varuṇa (the god of water) seized and took Nanda to the presence of his master on the plea of his (Nanda's) having entered the water at night, (apparently) not knowing that the hour is reserved for the (activities of) demons. (2)
Failing to perceive Nanda, the cowherds cried out, "O Rāma! O Kṛṣṇa!" Hearing the cry and coming to know of His father having been carried away to Varuṇa, the almighty Lord, who affords protection to His own, sought the presence of Varuṇa, O king! (3)
Finding Śrī Kṛṣṇa (the Ruler of the senses) arrived at his door, Varuṇa (the guardian of a sphere), who was greatly rejoiced at His sight, worshipped Him with grand presents and spoke (as follows). (4) (1-4)
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वरुण उवाच ।
अद्य मे निभृतो देहोऽद्यैवार्थोऽधिगतः प्रभो ।
त्वत्पादभाजो भगवन्नवापुः पारमध्वनः ॥ ५॥
नमस्तुभ्यं भगवते ब्रह्मणे परमात्मने ।
न यत्र श्रूयते माया लोकसृष्टिविकल्पना ॥ ६॥
अजानता मामकेन मूढेनाकार्यवेदिना ।
आनीतोऽयं तव पिता तद्भवान् क्षन्तुमर्हति ॥ ७॥
ममाप्यनुग्रहं कृष्ण कर्तुमर्हस्यशेषदृक् ।
गोविन्द नीयतामेष पिता ते पितृवत्सल ॥ ८॥
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Varuṇa said : It is today that my life has been fulfilled and it is only today that a (real) treasure has been found (by me), (even though I possess all the treasures of the world, being the lord of the ocean, a storehouse of all jewels), O my Master. (The end of my worldly existence also seems to be near inasmuch as) those worshipping Your feet have reached to the other end of their life's journey (viz., final beatitude). (5)
Hail to You, the almighty Lord, the all-perfect Supreme Spirit (the controller of all embodied souls), in whom Māyā, which brings about the creation of the (various) worlds, is not even heard of. (6)
This father of Yours was brought (here) by this ignorant and foolish servant of mine, who did not know his duty. May You be pleased to forgive this fault. (7)
Be pleased, O Kṛṣṇa, to shower Your grace on me too, O omniscient Lord! O Govinda, here is Your father, who may be taken (back), fond as You are of Your parents. (8) (5-8)
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श्रीशुक उवाच ।
एवं प्रसादितः कृष्णो भगवानीश्वरेश्वरः ।
आदायागात्स्वपितरं बन्धूनां चावहन् मुदम् ॥ ९॥
नन्दस्त्वतीन्द्रियं दृष्ट्वा लोकपालमहोदयम् ।
कृष्णे च सन्नतिं तेषां ज्ञातिभ्यो विस्मितोऽब्रवीत् ॥ १०॥
ते त्वौत्सुक्यधियो राजन् मत्वा गोपास्तमीश्वरम् ।
अपि नः स्वगतिं सूक्ष्मामुपाधास्यदधीश्वरः ॥ ११॥
इति स्वानां स भगवान् विज्ञायाखिलदृक् स्वयम् ।
सङ्कल्पसिद्धये तेषां कृपयैतदचिन्तयत् ॥ १२॥
जनो वै लोक एतस्मिन्नविद्याकामकर्मभिः ।
उच्चावचासु गतिषु न वेद स्वां गतिं भ्रमन् ॥ १३॥
इति सञ्चिन्त्य भगवान् महाकारुणिको हरिः ।
दर्शयामास लोकं स्वं गोपानां तमसः परम् ॥ १४॥
सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं यद्ब्रह्म ज्योतिः सनातनम् ।
यद्धि पश्यन्ति मुनयो गुणापाये समाहिताः ॥ १५॥
ते तु ब्रह्मह्रदं नीता मग्नाः कृष्णेन चोद्धृताः ।
ददृशुर्ब्रह्मणो लोकं यत्राक्रूरोऽध्यगात्पुरा ॥ १६॥
नन्दादयस्तु तं दृष्ट्वा परमानन्दनिर्वृताः ।
कृष्णं च तत्र छन्दोभिः स्तूयमानं सुविस्मिताः ॥ १७॥
इति श्रीमद्भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां संहितायां
दशमस्कन्धे पूर्वार्धे अष्टादशोऽध्यायः ॥ २८॥
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Śrī Śuka continued: Thus propitiated (by Varuṇa), Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Ruler (of the universe), returned (to Vraja), taking His father (with Him) and bringing joy to His relations. (9)
Astonished indeed to witness the immense fortune of Varuṇa, which was something that he had never seen before, as well as the submissiveness of the people of that realm towards Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Nanda spoke about it to his kinsfolk. (10)
Believing Him to be God (Himself), they too thought with an eager mind, O Parikṣit, "Would the supreme Lord were to translate us to His own (divine) realm as well as to His imperceptible (transcendent) state (known by the name of Brahma) !" (11)
Having come to know by Himself the aforesaid wish of His own people, the said all-perceiving Lord graciously pondered thus with a view to accomplishing their desire:—(12)
"Revolving through (diverse) states of existence, (both) high and low, in this (material) world under the force of ignorance (in the shape of identification with the body etc.), desire (born of such ignorance) and actions (prompted by such desire), indeed, this embodied soul is unable to realize its essential character." (13)
Reflecting thus, the highly merciful Lord Śrī Hari revealed to the cowherds His own (divine) realm (viz., Vaikuṇṭha), lying beyond Prakṛti and (before that) His (transcendent) state called Brahma, which is (absolute) truth, (pure) consciousness, infinite, self-effulgent and eternal, and which sages realize only when the three Guṇas are transcended and when they have been fully composed. (14-15)
Transported (first) to the all absorbing state of Brahma and steeped in it, and eventually lifted out of it by Śrī Kṛṣṇa (as out of a trance), they beheld the (divine) realm of the same Brahma (crystallized in the form of Lord Viṣṇu) by the grace of the same Kṛṣṇa because of whom Akrūra perceived that divine abode (on another occasion) in the past.* (16)
Nanda and others were indeed exhilarated with supreme ecstasy to behold the said realm as well as Śrī Kṛṣṇa being panegyrized there by the (four) Vedas (in living forms), and felt greatly amazed (to find Śrī Kṛṣṇa in their midst once again as before). (17)
Thus ends the twenty-eighth discourse in the first half of Book Ten of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahārīsa-Sarhhitā. (9-17)
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