Thereupon, O king, those two beautiful daughters of Sunābha, filled with joy, accepted the learning from the mouth of their sister and practised it. Then they thought of Gada and Shāmva. Covered with illusion by Pradyumna those two heroic Bhaimas entered there with him. Those two heroes, fond of the pious and the slayers of their enemies, espoused them according to Gandharva rites after reciting the mantras. Of them Gada married Chandravati and Keshava's son Shāmva Gunavati. Thus awaiting the orders of Sakra and Keshava those leading Yadus lived there happily with Asura girls (46-51).
CHAPTER CCXLII. A DESCRIPTION OF THE RAINY SEASON.
Vaishampāyana said:—In the rainy season, while looking at the sky filled with clouds Kāma having, a countenance like the full moon, said to Prabhāvati of beautiful eyes: "O fair lady, see there appears the moon of beautiful rays covered with clouds like your face covered with hairs. O you of fair eye-brows, see the lightning on the cloud looks beautiful like your handsome gold ornament. O you of fair limbs, the clouds are discharging torrents of rain like unto your necklace (1-3). The cranes, emerging in the drops of water, are shining like the rows of your teeth. O you of fair eye-brows, the lotuses being under water, the tanks full of streams do not look beautiful (4). The clouds adorned with crane, like beautiful and clean teeth, are appearing like elephants, with huge tusks, about to fight with one another in the forest (5). O you of beautiful limbs, like unto circlets on your forehead the three coloured rain-bow, adorning the sky and clouds, is gladdening the damsels (6). Expanding their large feathers, the pea-hens looking perfectly beautiful in the company of their mates and delighted at the muttering of clouds, are dancing and emitting notes in return (7). Displaying their charming beauty for a moment on the turrets other peacocks are dancing on the roofs of the houses, white like the moon (8). With their feathers exhausted, the beautiful peacocks, adorning for a moment the tops of the trees, are again going to the naked ground in fear of new grown-grass (9). The delightful wind, proceeding from cool drops of rain, like sandal-paste, is blowing carrying the fragrance of Sarjā and Arjuna flowers the very friend of Cupid (10). O you of a fair body, had not this wind brought new showers and removed the exhaustion of sporting it would not have been so much liked by me (11). What is dearer to men in this season of the union of lovers than the approach of this fragrant wind (12)? O you of fair body, beholding the banks of the river overflown with water swans exhausted, and united with Sārasas and Krounchas, are delightfully going to find out quarters after their heart (13). O you of beautiful eyes, on the departure of the Swans and Sarāsas emitting notes like the clatter of car-wheels, the rivers and tanks, shorn of beauty, do not appear charming any more (14). The goddess sleep, informed of the true character of the rainy season and Hari, having saluted the most beautiful Sree, has sought refuge with Upendra, the lord of the world, lying down for rest in the celestial region (15). O you having lotus eyes, the divine Upendra having fallen asleep the shining moon, covered with cloth-like cloud, is imitating the colour of his countenance (16). Seeking to please Krishna, all the seasons are showering all sorts of flowers and bringing garlands of Kadamva, Neepa, Arjuna and Ketaka (17). All the flowers, and trees, with the elephants, having their faces soiled with poison, and filled with bees, are exciting great curiosity in men (18). As if seeing the sky, pressed down by the weight of clouds surcharged with water, your beautiful face, breast and thighs have entered into a ditch (19). Beholding these charming clouds as if adorned with garlands of cranes it appears that they are showering grains on earth for the behoof of the world (20). As a powerful king makes the infuriated wild elephants fight with his own so the wind is setting clouds surcharged with water against one another (21). The clouds are pouring unearthly water, purified by air and delightful to sparrows, peacocks and other birds sprung from eggs (22). As the twice-born ones, fond of truth and religion, recite the Riks encircled by their pupils, so the bulls are roaring with cows in the pasture ground (23). One of the virtues of the rainy season is that women take pleasure in living always in the company of their lovers (24). O beautiful lady, the only defect that I perceive of the rainy season is that the moon, resembling your countenance, does not come in view, having his body possessed by the cloud-like Graha (25). In this season when the moon appears in view at the interval of an approaching cloud, the people, as if with delight, behold a friend returning from a foreign country (26). Their eyes, on beholding the moon, the witness of the lamentations of women suffering from separation, enjoy that festivity which those of the women, separated from their lovers, do on seeing them. So it appears to me: but this is not the fact (27). The view of the moon is like a festival to the eyes of those women who are united with their lovers, and is like a forest-fire to those who suffer from separation, so the moon is the source of both pleasure and pain to women (28). In your father's city there is the effulgence of the rays of the moon even in its absence; so you cannot form an idea of the merits and demerits of the moon and for this I praise him before you (29). By practising hard austerities which are resorted to by the pious he has attained to the region of Brahmā which others can with difficulty acquire and is worshipped by all. The Brāhmanas celebrate the glories of the great Soma in sacrifice with Sāman verses (30). When the sacrificial fire was being brought by Pururavā from the region of the Gandharvas it was spoiled on the way. While searching that place a fig-tree was seen. Collecting fuels from that tree the three fires were engendered. So it is that the moon, the lord of trees and herbs, revived the spoiled fire from the fig-tree. Chandra (the moon) is the father of Budha, the author of most excellent deeds whose son was the king Pururavā (31). O beautiful lady, formerly when his ambrosial body was drunk by the dreadful Munis the high souled Soma desired for Urvasi, the foremost of Apsaras (32). In his family the intelligent Ayu attained to the celestial region, through the tips of the Kusa grass and secured the dignity of a demi-god and the heroic Nahusa acquired the dignity of the king of gods (33). The moon, in whose family, the Divine Lord Hari, the creator of the world is born, for a work of the gods, as a Bhaima chief, remains always encircled by the daughters of Daksha (34). In his family was born the high-souled Vasu, as if the flag of his race, who, by his deeds, attained to the dignity of a Lord Paramount; the king Yadu, the foremost of the lunar race, in whose family, the Bhojas, resembling the king of gods, were born and who became the Lord Paramount, was also born in the family of the moon (35–56). O you having lotus eyes, in Yadu's family, born in the lunar race no king has been born who is wily, atheistic, unrespectful, ugly and coward (37). You are the daughter-in-law of an accomplished prince as you are the mine of accomplishments. Therefore bow unto Iswara fond of the pious. O lady, the foremost of Purusha Nārāyana, the refuge of the grand-father, the gods and the worlds, is your father-in-law. Bow unto him (38-39)".
CHAPTER CCXLIII. VAJRANABHA WANTS TO CONQUER THE CELESTIAL REGION.
Vaishampāyana said:—After the termination of the sacrifice of Kashyapa of incomparable energy the gods and Asuras repaired to their respective habitations (1). After the end of the sacrifice Vajranābha too, desirous of conquering the three worlds, went to Kashyapa who told him (2), "O Vajranābha, hear what I say if you think my words are worthy of your hearing. Sakra is the eldest of you all and the foremost in accomplishments: he is endued with great ascetic powers, is strong by nature, devoted to the Brāhmanas, grateful, the king of the whole world and the refuge of the good and the pious. Because he is engaged in the well-being of all creatures he has obtained this sovereignty over the world (3-5). O Vajranabha, you will not be able to vanquish him but yourself will be killed. As one who excites the anger of a serpent meets with his own destruction, so you will in no time be destroyed" (6).
O Bhārata, as a man, desirous of meeting with death having his limbs tied by the noose of Death, does not take medicine so Vajrānābha did not approve of the words of Kashyapa (7). Having saluted Kashyapa, the preserver of the world, that highly wicked and irrepressible one began to make arrangements for conquering the three worlds (8). O king, he collected his kinsmen, warriors, and friends. He first set out for conquering the region of the celestials (9). At that time the highly powerful deities Indra and Upendra had sent the Swans there for bringing about Vajranābha's destruction (10). Hearing of this intelligence from the Swans the high-souled and the highly powerful Yadus thus consulted and thought:—"Forsooth Vajranābha will be killed now by Pradyumna. But Vajranābha's daughter and Sunābha's daughters are their devoted wives. They are all enciente and the time for their delivery is near at hand. What should we do now?" Having settled this they asked the swans to communicate every thing truly to Sakra and Keshava, and they did so to those two gods. They said to the Swans:—"No fear: you will have beautiful sons like Kāma endued with all accomplishments; even when in the womb they will master all the Vedas with their auxilliaries. Your sons will at once grow to youth and they will be masters of all future topics and various scriptures" (11–17).
O Lord, thus spoken to the Swans returned to the city of Vajra and communicated to the Bhaimas what Sakra and Keshava had said (18). Prabhāvati gave birth to a son, omniscient and youthful after his father (19). The son Chandraprabha, resembling Gada, whom Chandravati gave birth to after a month, was equally youthful and omniscient (20). Gunavati too gave birth to a similiarly beautiful son by name Gunavān, youthful and omniscient (21). These Yadu boys began to grow up in the palaces of Indra and Upendra mastering all the Shastras. They used to move about on the turrets of the palaces and at the desire of Indra and Upendra they were seen (by the Daityas); know it for certain (22-23). As soon as they saw them the Daityas, stationed in the sky, respectfully communicated it to Vajranābha who was desirous of conquering the celestial region (24). Hearing it the irrepressible king of Asuras, Vajranābha said:—"Arrest them who have trespassed into my house" (25).
O descendant of Kuru, thereat ordered by the intelligent king of Asuras the soldiers guarded all the quarters. According to the mandate of the Asura king, the destroyer of his enemies, there arose on all sides exclamations, "Arrest them speedily kill them" (26–27). Hearing it the mothers, fond of sons, began to weep in fear. Pradyumna encouraged them, saying:—"So long we are alive and firm you need not fear. May you fare well. The Daityas will not be able to do any thing to us." (28–29). He then said to the bewildered Prabhāvati:—"O lady, your father, uncles, brothers kinsmen and other relatives are waiting with clubs in their hands. For you they deserve our respect and honor. But the time is very dreadful. The Dānava kings, desirous of killing us, will fight with us. If we bear it we shall have to die. If we fight we will meet with success. Consult with your two sisters and tell us what we should do for we are now under your orders" (30–33). Placing her hands on her forehead and kneeling down Prabhāvati, weeping, said to Pradyumna:—"O descendant of Yadu, O slayer of your enemies, take up your arms and protect yourself. If you yourself survive you will see your wife and sons. Remember the honarable Vaidarbhi and Aniruddha and save yourself from this peril (34–36). O son of Upendra, the great and intelligent Rishi had conferred on me the boon that I would lead a blameless life for ever, would not be a widow and my sons would live. I have this hope that the words of the Rishi, effulgent like the sun and fire, will not be falsified (37-38)". Saying this and rinsing her month, the intelligent Prabhāvati, the jem of a woman, handed over a sword to Rukshmini's son had gave him a boon, saying, "Acquire victory" (39). Bending low his head and bowing unto it the virtuous souled Pradyumna delightedly accepted the sword offered by his devoted wife (40). Chandravati delightedly gave to Gada one Nishtringsha and Gunavati gave another such weapon to the highly powerful Shāmva (41).
Thereupon the powerful Pradyumna said to Hansaketu who saluted him "O slayer of enemies, remain here with Shāmva and fight with the Dānavas. I will fight in the sky, protecting all the quarters, with the slayer of the enemies." Saying this Pradyumna, the foremost of those conversant with illusions, created a car with his Māyā. He made the thousand-headed Nāga Ananta, the foremost of their class, his charioteer (42–44). As fire ranges on grass, so he, ascending that best of cars, and gladdening Prabhāvati, began to move about in the midst of the Asura army (45). With crescent-shaped arrows, dreadful like serpents, some with sharp heads and some blunt he began to assail the sons of Diti (45). The Asuras too, resolute and maddened with battle fury, with various weapons struck the lotus-eyed son of Kamala's lord (47). Krishna's son cut off the arms of some decked with Keyuras and the heads of many (48). The heads and bodies of the Asuras, sundered with the razor of the highly powerful Pradyumna, filled the surface of the earth. The king of gods, the victor of armies, along with the gods, began to witness with pleasure the battle between the Daityas and Bhaimas (48–50). The Daityas, who ran after Gada and Sāmva, met with destruction like a boat in a mighty ocean (51).
Thereupon Hari, the lord of gods, seeing that dreadful battle, sent his own car to Gada and asked Mātali's son Suvarchhā to become its driver. The Lord Indra sent his Airāvata to Shāmva and engaged Pravara to ride it. He sent Jayanta as an assistant to Rukshmini's son (52–54). With the permission of Brahmā, the creator of the world and the guide of all good works, Sakra, well-read in the regulations of all good works, had sent there the car driven by Mātali's son and the Airāvata with the celestial youth Jayanta and the best of the twice-born Pravara (55–56). Thinking "His ascetic virtue is gone and this wicked one is to be killed by the Yadavas" the Bhutas entered wherever they liked (57), Gradually entering into their palaces the highly powerful Pradyumna and Jayanta began to destroy the Asuras with a net-work of arrows (58) Krishna's son, invincible in battle, then said to the irrepressible Gada:—"O Upendra's younger brother, the king of gods has sent for you this car with the horses. The highly powerful son of Mātali is its driver. This elephant Airāvata, ridden by Pravara, has been sent for Shāmva (59–60). O younger brother of Acyuta, there will be a great Pujā of Rudra at Dwārakā to-day. After its termination the highly powerful Hrishikesha will come here to-morrow. According to his orders we will kill this sinful Vajranābha together with his kinsmen who is elated with the pride of conquering the city of gods (61–62). Methinks, we should so carefully concert measures that he may not kill us with our sons (63). The destruction of one's own sons in this world is more than his death. Therefore the learned should protect their sons by all means" (64).