That very instant, Kunti gave birth to a boy who glowed like another Sun-god. Nevertheless, fearing the criticism of the people, with great difficulty she abandoned the child in the river. O Emperor Parikshit! Your great-grandfather Pānḍu who always abided by truthfulness married Kunti.

Kunti’s sister Śrutadeva was married to Vṛddhasarma, the King of the Karuśa province. Due to the curse of Maharishi Sanaka and others, Vijaya who was cursed was born as Hiraṇyākṣa, the son of Diti. This Hiraṇyākṣa was thereafter reborn as Śrutadeva’s son Dantavaktra.

The King of the Kekaya province was Dṛṣṭaketu. He married Kunti’s sister Śṛtakīrti. This couple was blessed with five sons Santardana, Pṛtardhana and others who were the princes of the Kekaya province.

Śūra’s another daughter and yet another sister of Kunti was Rājādhidēvi. She was married to King Jayasena. They had two sons who later on became the kings of Avanti province.

Śūra’s another daughter Śrutaśrava married Dhamaghosa, who was the King of Chedi province. Śisupāla was their son. We have already discussed about his birth earlier.

Śūra’s son and Vasudeva’s brother Dēvabhāga married Kamsā, the daughter of Ugrasena. Chitraketu and Bṛhadbala were their two sons.

Vasudeva’s another brother Dēvaśravasa married Kamsavati, the daughter of Urgasena. Suvīra and Iśumān were their two sons. Ānaka, another brother of Vasudeva, married Kaṇka, another daughter of Ugrasena. Satyajit and Purujit were their sons. Sṛnjaya, another brother of Vasudeva, married Rāṣtrapālika, another daughter of Ugrasena. Vṛṣa and Durmarṣana and others were their sons.

Śyāmaka, another brother of Vasudeva, married Śūrabhūmi, another daughter of Ugrasena. Harikēśa and Hiraṇyākṣa were their sons. Vatsa, another brother of Vasudeva, married Miśrakēśi, a celestial apsara. Vṛka and other sons were born to this couple. Vṛka married Durvākṣi. Takṣa, Puṣkara, Śāla and other sons were born to them.

Śamīka, another brother of Vasudeva, married Sudāmini. Sumitra, Arjunapāla and other sons were born to them. Kaṇka, another brother of Vasudeva, married Karṇika. Ŗtadhāma and Jaya were their sons.

Pouravi, Bhadra, Rohini, Madira, Rōcana, Ila, Devaki were the wives of Vasudeva. Among them Dēvaki was the eldest wife.

From wife Rohini, Vasudeva begot Bala, Gada, Śārana, Vipula, Dhruva, Kṛta and other sons. From wife Pouravi he begot Bhūta, Subhadra, Bhadravāha, Durmada and other sons totalling twelve. Wife Madira gave birth to Nanda, Upananda, Śūra and other sons. Wife Bhadra who was also known as Kouśalya gave birth to son Kēśi, who brought happiness to the entire Yadu lineage. Vasudeva’s another wife Rocana gave birth to Hasta, Hēmāngada and other sons. Vasudeva’s wife Ila gave birth to Uruvalka and other prominent Yadavas. Vasudeva’s wife Dḥrtadeva gave birth to Vipṛṣṭha.

From wife Śāntideva, Vasudeva begot Śrama, Pratiśrama and other sons. From wife Upadeva he begot Kalpavarśa and nine other sons. All of them became kings. From wife Śrideva, he begot Vasu, Hamsa, Suvamsa and three other sons. From wife Dēvarakṣita he begot Gada and nine other sons. From wife Sahadeva, he begot Puruviśra and seven other sons.

From wife Dēvaki, Vasudeva begot Keertiman, Suṣena, Bhadrasena, Rju, Samvardhana, Bhadra, Balarama who was an incarnation of Adisesha and the Supreme Lord Srikrishna. In all, this couple had eight sons. The Supreme Lord himself incarnated as the eighth son of this couple. They had a daughter called Subhadra. Parikshit, this virtuous lady is your paternal grandmother.

Whenever righteousness (dharma) declines in this world and when sinful activities intensify, the Supreme Lord Srihari will incarnate. This Supreme Lord is beyond Nature (prakrti). He, who is beyond perception, resides as the Self within every living entity! He incarnates using his own illusory power and engages in playful sports. Beyond this, there cannot be any cause for his birth or his actions. In other words, He is not trapped by previous fruitive activities. There are no subtle impressions of past actions which rule his mind.

Purely due to the illusion created by Srikrishna the living entity is born , lives and dies. Purely with Srihari’s grace a person can cross over this illusion and obtain liberation.

Demons had taken birth in the form of kings. Having amassed huge akṣohini armies, they had occupied the entire earth. When Mother Earth found it difficult to bear this burden, the Supreme Lord Srihari took on the responsibility of reducing her burden. Lord Srihari, the destroyer of demon Madhu, had himself incarnated as Lord Sankarśana.

The playful sports which he enacted along with Balarama are beyond the imagination of even supreme Devatas.

kalau janiṣyamāṇānāṁduḥkha-śoka-tamo-nudam

In order to bless the living entities who will be born in Kali-yuga, Srihari caused his supreme glory and reputation to be well-known. Those who sing His glories will be freed from physical ailments, mental sufferings and from spiritual ignorance. To the ears of noble saints, the glories of Lord Srikrishna are akin to sanctified teertham (holy water). The person who converts his two ears into his cupped hands and uses them to sip this teertham even once, will break free from his karmic bondages.

All the members of Bhōja Vṛṣṭi, Andhaka, Madhu, Sūrasena, Daśārha, Kuru, Śrnjaya and Pandu ever-failingly chanted the glories of Lord Srikrishna. Srikrishna’s gazes were always filled with love. He would smilingly utter compassionate words. He was exceedingly handsome with beautiful limbs. His prowess was unimaginable. With all these actions He brought great delight to the entire human plane.

With the reflection of His glittering crocodile-shaped earrings, his cheeks shone brightly. His face glowed with a beautiful, charming attractive smile. It was always filled with enthusiasm. The humans, who drank this glorious face with their gazes, were never satisfied. They gazed at him without blinking their eyes and were annoyed with Emperor Nimi who, residing in the form of the eyelids, forced them to blink momentarily.

The Supreme Lord Srihari incarnated in His original form and had later on assumed a human form. Leaving his father’s home which was situated in a jail, he reached Nanda-gokula. Having showered the residents there with prosperity, he moved on and accepted many women as his wives. He begot hundreds of sons. Through performance of many Yagnas, he offered worship to himself.

Using the feud that originated in the Kuru lineage, Srikrishna reduced the burden of earth by destroying all those wicked kings who were harming the earth. Merely with his gaze, he destroyed the strength of all the enemy armies. He ensured Arjuna emerged victorious. He thereafter preached the Supreme Essence to Uddhava before reaching his original abode in Vaikunṭha.

With this the twenty-fourth chapter of the ninth canto comes to an end.

We now conclude the Ninth Canto.

Sri Krishna parabrahmane namah