॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
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इत्थं निशम्य दमघोषसुत: स्वपीठा- दुत्थाय कृष्णगुणवर्णनजातमन्यु: ।
उत्क्षिप्य बाहुमिदमाह सदस्यमर्षी संश्रावयन् भगवते परुषाण्यभीत: ॥
T: Shishupala, the King of Chedi, son of Damaghosha, was a born enemy of Sri Krishna. He became infuriated at this honour and worship of Sri Krishna. He rose from his seat and, angrily waving his arms, fearlessly spoke to the entire assembly the following harsh words against the Supreme Lord.
ईशो दुरत्यय: काल इति सत्यवती श्रुति: । वृद्धानामपि यद् बुद्धिर्बालवाक्यैर्विभिद्यते ॥
यूयं पात्रविदां श्रेष्ठा मा मन्ध्वं बालभाषितम् । सदसस्पतय: सर्वे कृष्णो यत् सम्मतोऽर्हणे ॥
तपोविद्याव्रतधरान् ज्ञानविध्वस्तकल्मषान् । परमऋषीन्ब्रह्मनिष्ठाल्ँ लोकपालैश्च पूजितान् ॥
सदस्पतीनतिक्रम्य गोपाल: कुलपांसन: । यथा काक: पुरोडाशं सपर्यां कथमर्हति ॥
वर्णाश्रमकुलापेत: सर्वधर्मबहिष्कृत: । स्वैरवर्ती गुणैर्हीन: सपर्यां कथमर्हति ॥
T:
Shishupala spoke: "The statement of the Vedas that Time is the unavoidable controller of all has indeed been proven true here and now! The intelligence of wise elders has now become diverted by the words of a mere boy (Sahadeva)."
"Oh venerable leaders of the assembly, you know best who is a fit candidate for being honoured in Agrapuja. Therefore you should not heed the words of a child when he claims that this Krishna deserves to be worshipped!
"Come on. How can you pass over the most exalted members of this assembly — topmost sages dedicated to the Absolute Truth endowed with powers of austerity, divine insight and strict adherence to severe vows, sanctified by knowledge and worshipped even by the rulers of the universe? How does this cowherd boy, the disgrace of his family, deserve your worship, any more than a crow deserves to eat the sacred Purodasha offering of sacred rice cake!?"
"How does one who follows no principles of the social and spiritual norms, or of family ethics, who has been excluded from all Dharmic responsibilities, who behaves as he pleases, whimsically, and who has no good qualities — how does such a person deserve to be worshipped?"
ययातिनैषां हि कुलं शप्तं सद्भिर्बहिष्कृतम् । वृथापानरतं शश्वत् सपर्यां कथमर्हति ॥
ब्रह्मर्षिसेवितान् देशान् हित्वैतेऽब्रह्मवर्चसम् । समुद्रं दुर्गमाश्रित्य बाधन्ते दस्यव: प्रजा: ॥॥
T: "The great King Yayati cursed the dynasty of these Yadavas, and ever since then they have been ostracized by honest men. They are addicted to liquor. How, then, does Krishna, a Yadava, deserve to be worshipped? These Yadavas have abandoned the holy lands inhabited by saintly sages and have instead taken shelter in a fortress in the sea, a place where no Brahminical principles are observed. There, just like thieves, they harass their subjects!"
एवमादीन्यभद्राणि बभाषे नष्टमङ्गल: । नोवाच किञ्चिद्भगवान्यथा सिंह: शिवारुतम् ॥
T: Note: In the Mahakavya Shishupalavadham, Magha elaborates on this scene. The build-up to this moment is that Shishupala had been forewarned as a child that the day he crossed one hundred insults that he heaped on Sri Krishna, he would be slain. But he was totally reckless now. No doubt they say, "Vinashakale Vipareetabuddhi" ((One's mind goes to extremes when one's end is near). Bereft of all Punya, Shishupala spoke these and many more insults. But the Supreme Lord, Bhagavan Sri Krishna, said nothing, just as a lion ignores a jackal’s cry.
भगवन्निन्दनं श्रुत्वा दु:सहं तत् सभासद: । कर्णौ पिधाय निर्जग्मु: शपन्तश्चेदिपं रुषा ॥
निन्दां भगवत: शृण्वंस्तत्परस्य जनस्य वा । ततो नापैति य: सोऽपि यात्यध: सुकृताच्च्युत: ॥
T: Upon hearing such intolerable blasphemy of the Lord, several members of the assembly covered their ears and walked out, angrily cursing the King of Chedi. They knew the Dharmic rule that anyone who fails to immediately leave the place where he hears criticism of the Supreme Lord or His faithful devotee will certainly perish, bereft of his pious credit.
तत: पाण्डुसुता: क्रुद्धा मत्स्यकैकयसृञ्जया: । उदायुधा: समुत्तस्थु: शिशुपालजिघांसव: ॥
ततश्चैद्यस्त्वसम्भ्रान्तो जगृहे खड्गचर्मणी । भर्त्सयन् कृष्णपक्षीयान् राज्ञ: सदसि भारत ॥
T: Then the Pandavas became furious, and together with the warriors of the Matsya, Kaikaya and Srinjaya clans, they rose up from their seats with weapons poised, ready to kill Shishupala. Undaunted, Shishupala then took up his sword and shield in the midst of all the assembled kings, and hurled insults at those who sided with Sri Krishna.
तावदुत्थाय भगवान् स्वान् निवार्य स्वयं रुषा । शिर: क्षुरान्तचक्रेण जहारपततो रिपो: ॥
T: The matter had come to a head. At that point, the Supreme Lord stood up and restrained His devotees. He then angrily sent forth His razor-sharp Sudarshana Chakra dwhich went directly and severed the head of His enemy even as he was poised to attack.
शब्द: कोलाहलोऽथासीच्छिशुपाले हते महान् । तस्यानुयायिनो भूपा दुद्रुवुर्जीवितैषिण: ॥
चैद्यदेहोत्थितं ज्योतिर्वासुदेवमुपाविशत् । पश्यतां सर्वभूतानामुल्केव भुवि खाच्च्युता ॥
जन्मत्रयानुगुणितवैरसंरब्धया धिया । ध्यायंस्तन्मयतां यातो भावो हि भवकारणम् ॥
T: When Shishupala was thus killed, a great lot of screaming went up from the crowd. Taking advantage of that disturbance, the few kings who were supporters of Shishupala quickly left the assembly out of fear for their lives. Just then, an effulgent light rose from Shishupala's slain body and, as everyone watched, entered Bhagavan Sri Krishna just like a meteor falling from the sky to the earth. Shuka reminds us of the principle: Obsessed with hatred of Sri Krishna throughout three lifetimes, Shishupala merged into the Lord’s transcendental being. This was salvation as foretold by the Kumaras long ago. Indeed, one’s mindset determines one’s future birth.
ऋत्विग्भ्य: ससदस्येभ्यो दक्षिणां विपुलामदात् । सर्वान् सम्पूज्य विधिवच्चक्रेऽवभृथमेकराट् ॥
साधयित्वा क्रतु: राज्ञ: कृष्णो योगेश्वरेश्वर: । उवास कतिचिन्मासान् सुहृद्भिरभियाचित: ॥
T: Unruffled, KingYudhishthira gave generous gifts to the sYajna priests and the members of the assembly, properly honouring them all in the manner prescribed by the Vedas. He then took the avabhritha ritual bath. What had just transpired was that Sri Krishna, the Lord of all masters of Yoga, saw to the successful execution of this great Rajasuya Yajna by King Yudhishthira. Afterwards, the Lord stayed with his intimate friends for a few months at their earnest request.
ततोऽनुज्ञाप्य राजानमनिच्छन्तमपीश्वर: । ययौ सभार्य: सामात्य: स्वपुरं देवकीसुत: ॥
T: Then the Lord, the son of Devaki, took the reluctant permission of the King and returned to his capital with his queens and ministers.
वर्णितं तदुपाख्यानं मया ते बहुविस्तरम् । वैकुण्ठवासिनोर्जन्म विप्रशापात् पुन: पुन: ॥
T: Sage Shuka reminds Parikshit: "I have already described to you in detail the history of the two residents of Vaikuntha who had to undergo repeated births in this gross world after being cursed by the Kumaras."
राजसूयावभृथ्येन स्नातो राजा युधिष्ठिर: । ब्रह्मक्षत्रसभामध्ये शुशुभे सुरराडिव ॥
राज्ञा सभाजिता: सर्वे सुरमानवखेचरा: । कृष्णं क्रतुं च शंसन्त: स्वधामानि ययुर्मुदा ॥
T: Purified in the final, avabhrithya ritual, which marked the successful completion of the Rājasūya Yajna, King Yudhishthira shone among the assembled Brahmins and Kshatriyas like Indra himself. The gods, humans and other beings, all being properly honoured by the King, happily set off for their respective domains while singing the praises of Bhagavan Sri Krishna and the great Yajna ceremony.
दुर्योधनमृते पापं कलिं कुरुकुलामयम् । यो न सेहे श्रियं स्फीतां दृष्ट्वा पाण्डुसुतस्य ताम् ॥
T: Everyone was happy, except sinful Duryodhana, the epitome of quarrelsomeness, a feature of Kali Yuga, and a blight on the Kuru dynasty. He could not bear to see the flourishing opulence of the son of Pandu, Yudhishthira.
य इदं कीर्तयेद् विष्णो: कर्म चैद्यवधादिकम् । राजमोक्षं वितानं च सर्वपापै: प्रमुच्यते ॥
T: One whorecounts these activities of Bhagavan Maha Vishnu, including the killing of Shishupala, the deliverance of the kings and the performance of the Rajasuya Yajna, shall be freed from all sins.
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
