Narayaneeyam Dashakam 38
Incarnation of Krishna
आनन्दरूप भगवन्नयि तेऽवतारे
प्राप्ते प्रदीप्तभवदङ्गनिरीयमाणै: ।
कान्तिव्रजैरिव घनाघनमण्डलैर्द्या-
मावृण्वती विरुरुचे किल वर्षवेला ॥१॥
aananda ruupa bhagavannayi te(a)vataare
praapte pradiipta bhavadanganiriiyamaaNaiH |
kaantivrajairiva ghanaaghanamaNDalairdyaamaavR^
iNvatii viruruche kila varShavelaa ||1||
The whole world appeared to be in preparation as the time of the divine descent of the Lord drew near. Sri Krishna, the personification of bliss, was soon to be born. His glory, which was yet unborn, had started to radiate in the shape of Devaki and lighted the environment with a golden glory. It seemed as though the skies had been shrouded by clouds–bright and heavy, as those that announce the coming of the monsoon. The sky was shining with the glory of that holy time, and nature herself was in her delight. And the joy of the universe in waiting its redeemer was reflected in the soft rumble of thunder, the cool breeze, and the scent of rain. It was not just a rainy season–it was the season of the grace of God, and it signaled that the Lord of happiness was coming down to earth.
आशासु शीतलतरासु पयोदतोयै-
राशासिताप्तिविवशेषु च सज्जनेषु ।
नैशाकरोदयविधौ निशि मध्यमायां
क्लेशापहस्त्रिजगतां त्वमिहाविरासी: ॥२॥
aashaasu shiitalataraasu payOda tOyairaashaasitaapti
vivasheShu cha sajjaneShu |
naishaakarOdayavidhau nishi madhyamaayaaM
kleshaapahasitrajagataaM tvamihaaviraasiiH ||2||
When the world was wrapped in the cool quiet of a rain-washed evening, when the hearts of the righteous yearned for relief from tyranny, and when the moon started rising, pointing to the arrival of peace and hope, the Lord — the remover of world sorrow — appeared on earth. His birth was not just a heavenly phenomenon but a cosmic re-establishment of harmony.
Similarly as Krishna came into the peacefulness of the night after the storm, light comes into our lives after times of turbulence, when the soul is made humble and receptive. The “rain-cooled skies” and “rising moon” indicate a cleansed inner self when our emotions subside, our belief strengthens, and the presence of the divine can be experienced.
बाल्यस्पृशाऽपि वपुषा दधुषा विभूती-
रुद्यत्किरीटकटकाङ्गदहारभासा ।
शङ्खारिवारिजगदापरिभासितेन
मेघासितेन परिलेसिथ सूतिगेहे ॥३॥
baalyaspR^ishaa(a)pi vapuShaa dadhuShaa vibhuutii
rudyatkiriiTa kaTakaangada haarabhaasaa |
shankhaarivaarijagadaa paribhaasitena
meghaasitena parilesitha suutigehe ||3||
Although Lord had assumed the tender form of a child, His divine grandeur could not be hidden. The infant Krishna shone with a radiance which was other-worldly. His dark, cloudy complexion flashed with the brightness cast back by His crown, armlets, bracelets, necklace,– all of them glittering with heavenly light. The conch, discus, mace and lotus with which he was adorned were faintly illuminated, and shone like lightning in a monsoon cloud, upon the dark prison chamber.
वक्ष:स्थलीसुखनिलीनविलासिलक्ष्मी-
मन्दाक्षलक्षितकटाक्षविमोक्षभेदै: ।
तन्मन्दिरस्य खलकंसकृतामलक्ष्मी-
मुन्मार्जयन्निव विरेजिथ वासुदेव ॥४॥
vakshaHsthalii sukhaniliina vilaasi lakshmiimandaaksha
lakshita kaTaaksha vimOksha bhedaiH |
tanmandirasya khala kamsakR^itaamalakshmiimunmaarjayanniva
virejitha vaasudeva ||4||
On the broad chest of baby Krishna Goddess Lakshmi, the divine incarnation of fortune and beauty, reclined in joy, savoring her cosmic home. Her kind, merry smiles — soft as moonbeams — seemed to cast waves of good fortune that spread throughout the room. Her every gentle eye movement seemed to chase the shadows of bad luck sowed upon that ground by the brutality of tyrant Kamsa. So, the existence of Vasudeva’s godly son flashed with splendor that washed clean the prison of every inauspicious thing, as if annihilating the very vestiges of evil with the radiance of divine wealth.
शौरिस्तु धीरमुनिमण्डलचेतसोऽपि
दूरस्थितं वपुरुदीक्ष्य निजेक्षणाभ्याम् ॥
आनन्दवाष्पपुलकोद्गमगद्गदार्द्र-
स्तुष्टाव दृष्टिमकरन्दरसं भवन्तम् ॥५॥
shauristu dhiiramunimaNDala chetasO(a)pi
duurasthitaM vapurudiikshya nijekshaNaabhyaam |
aanandabaaShpa pulakOdgamagadgadaardrastuShTaava
dR^iShTimakarandarasaM bhavantam.5
When Vasudeva (Shauri) saw the divine vision of the infant Krishna, although the vision was reserved for the most committed and enlightened sages, his own eyes were privileged with the divine vision. Shaken with love and amazement, joyous tears filled his eyes, his voice quivered with emotion, and his body shook with ecstasy. With a heart filled with love, he thanked the Lord, whose very look was like the nectar from the flower of consciousness divine — sweet, life-giving, and soul-clarifying.
देव प्रसीद परपूरुष तापवल्ली-
निर्लूनदात्रसमनेत्रकलाविलासिन् ।
खेदानपाकुरु कृपागुरुभि: कटाक्षै-
रित्यादि तेन मुदितेन चिरं नुतोऽभू: ॥६॥
deva prasiida parapuuruSha taapa valliinirluunadaatra
samanetra kalaavilaasin |
khedaanapaakuru kR^ipaagurubhiH kaTaakshairityaadi
tena muditena chiraM nutO(a)bhuuH ||6||
Vasudeva gazed at the divine child and felt immense happiness and amazement. With tears in his eyes, he prayed and bowed down. He said, “O Lord, have mercy upon me. You are the Supreme Being who washes away all misery and suffering. By Your gracious vision, You can sever the sorrows that cling to our hearts. Be kind enough to remove all our woes by Your tender and powerful glances.”
Vasudeva continued to glorify the Lord for a long time, with a heart full of devotion and joy. The prison cell, dark and terrifying earlier, now appeared radiant and serene due to Krishna’s holy light. Although the Lord had assumed the form of a tiny infant, His radiance filled with peace and joy every place.
मात्रा च नेत्रसलिलास्तृतगात्रवल्या
स्तोत्रैरभिष्टुतगुण: करुणालयस्त्वम् ।
प्राचीनजन्मयुगलं प्रतिबोध्य ताभ्यां
मातुर्गिरा दधिथ मानुषबालवेषम् ॥७॥
maatraa cha netra salilaastR^ita gaatravalyaa
stOtrairabhiShTuta guNaH karuNaalayastvam |
praachiinajanmayugalaM pratibOdhya taabhyaaM
maaturgiraa dadhitha maanuShabaalaveSham ||7||
As Devaki looked at her newly born divine child, tears of love and adoration welled up in her eyes. Her frame shook with emotion, and her heart swelled with thankfulness. Folding her hands, she worshipped the Lord, addressing Him as the sea of mercy and the abode of virtues.
Merciful and compassionate Krishna heard her prayer with compassion. Then, He reminded His parents Vasudeva and Devaki of their former births and their piety in earlier incarnations, and He peacefully consoled them.
Hearing Devaki’s plea for safety and fearing Kamsa’s cruelty, the Lord, though infinite and all-powerful, chose to take on the form of a simple human baby. In that tender, innocent form, He hid His divine brilliance, allowing His parents to hold Him close with love and care.
त्वत्प्रेरितस्तदनु नन्दतनूजया ते
व्यत्यासमारचयितुं स हि शूरसूनु: ।
त्वां हस्तयोरधृत चित्तविधार्यमार्यै-
रम्भोरुहस्थकलहंसकिशोररम्यम् ॥८॥
tvatpreritastadanu nanda tanuujayaa te
vyatyaasamaarachayituM sa hi shuurasuunuH |
tvaaM hastayOradhR^ita chittavidhaaryamaarya
irambhOruhasthakalahamsa kishOra ramyam ||8||
The verse is a beautiful depiction of the divine moment as Vasudeva, inspired by the Lord himself, takes baby Krishna and goes to the house of Nanda and exchanges him with the baby girl born to Yashoda. Lord Krishna was in the form of an infant but his power and serenity were majestic and calm that mortal men cannot even imagine. Vasudeva, with his belief and devotion, completed this task of God despite the threats around him. Krishna, being described as a tender swan on a lotus, creates a feeling of purity, peace, and transcendence in the reader – a reminder that the Infinite can be clothed in the most basic and innocent ways.
We, too, are often asked to “carry the divine” — to care for goodness, truth, and love — through the tempests of life. Even when the world is dark or threatening, divine inspiration operates in secret within us, guiding us toward our dharma. The episode teaches us that faith-based courage makes even the most dangerous odyssey a holy task, and that true power is in silent dedication and submission to the will of the Divine.
जाता तदा पशुपसद्मनि योगनिद्रा ।
निद्राविमुद्रितमथाकृत पौरलोकम् ।
त्वत्प्रेरणात् किमिव चित्रमचेतनैर्यद्-
द्वारै: स्वयं व्यघटि सङ्घटितै: सुगाढम् ॥९॥
jaataa tadaa pashupasadmani yOganidraa
nidraavimudritamathaakR^ita pauralOkam |
tvatpreraNaatkimiva chitramachetanairyaddvaaraiH
svayaM vyaghaTi sanghaTitaissugaaDham || 9||
It was at the same time that, in Nanda’s humble dwelling, Yoganidrā — the cosmic divine power — incarnated herself as the child-daughter of Yashoda. The whole area of Gokula was shrouded in serene sleep, as if nature too adhered to a divine halt. By the unseen will of Krishna, even the stationary objects—bolted doors and thick gates—astonishingly opened without any effort, paving the way for Vasudeva to take the divine child with him without any hindrance. The verse points out that whenever divinity intervenes, even inanimate matter appears to come to life with a purpose. The universe gets organized to accomplish the desire of the Supreme.
शेषेण भूरिफणवारितवारिणाऽथ
स्वैरं प्रदर्शितपथो मणिदीपितेन ।
त्वां धारयन् स खलु धन्यतम: प्रतस्थे
सोऽयं त्वमीश मम नाशय रोगवेगान् ॥१०॥
sheSheNa bhuuriphaNavaarita vaariNaa(a)tha
svairaM pradarshitapathO maNidiipitena |
tvaaM dhaarayan sa khalu dhanyatamaH pratasthe
sO(a)yaM tvamiisha mama naashaya rOgavegaan ||10||
Guarded by the powerful serpent Shesha and guided by the shining path laid by valuable lamps, the divine child Krishna was safely transported through the stormy Yamuna. Vasudeva, cradling Him in His arms, felt most blessed to be the vessel through which the Supreme Lord went unscathed. Krishna’s presence eradicated all peril, including the speedy waters of the river and the dangers of the worldly environment, such that the assignment of upholding dharma was carried on without an interruption.
This verse instills the eternal principle that when one is in harmony with divine will or higher purpose, protection and guidance are present even in the most dangerous circumstances. It calls for courage, prudent action, and faith—qualities needed to find one’s way through life’s “turbulent rivers” today.